Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea. The name cockroach comes from the Spanish word cucaracha, chafer, beetle, from cuca "kind of caterpillar." The scientific name derives from the Latinized Greek name for the insect (Doric Greek: βλάττα, blátta; Ionic and Attic Greek: βλάττη, bláttē; Latin: Blatta).
