text: The exact origin of the term cantarella is unknown. It may have been derived from kantharos (), a type of ancient Greek cup used for drinking, or the Neo-Latin word  ("small cup"), in reference to the cups in which the poison would have been served. The word may also be related to kantharis (), referring to the Spanish fly and other blister beetles that secrete cantharidin, a substance that is poisonous in large doses.