A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Tabacum,-i (s.n.II), abl.sg. tabaco: tobacco; Nicotiana tabacum; see tobacco (Eng.noun);

- De Tabaco sive Nicotiana. Nicotiana dicta est haec herba a Joanne Nicotio Ulyssponae Lusitaniae Regis Galliae legato, quam a Belga quodam e Florida allatum accepit, & in Galliam intulit, Anno 1559. Tabacum dicitur a Tabaco insula Floridae adjacente. C. Hofman. quod nomen aliis omnibus quibus insignitur paevaluit (Ray): On Tabacum or Nicotiana. This herb is called Nicotiana for Joanne Nicotius [Jean Nicot ca. 1530 - 1604] of Lisbon of Portugal, envoy of the king of France, which he had received, it having been brought to him by a certain Belgian from Forida, and he introduced it into France in the year 1559. It is called Tabacum from the Tabaco island neighboring Florida. C. Hofman. has established the name by which it is distinguished from all the others.

[Caspar Hofmann: 1572-1648, German physician, teacher at Nuremberg.]