cumin
UK /ˈkjuːmɪn/ · US /ˈkumɪn/ noun
Forms cumins
- noun The flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, in the family Apiaceae. “Cumin is native to the region from the eastern Mediterranean to India.”
- noun Its aromatic long seed, used as a spice, notably in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cookery.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English comyn, from Old English cymen (which is cognate with Old High German kumin) and Old French cummin, both from Latin cuminum, from Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon), a Semitic borrowing ultimately to be traced to Akkadian 𒂵𒈬𒉡 (Ú.GAMUN /kamūnu/, “cumin”). Possibly related to caraway.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A dwarf umbelliferous plant, somewhat resembling fennel (Cuminum Cyminum), cultivated for its seeds, which have a bitterish, warm taste, with an aromatic flavor, and are used like those of anise and caraway. [Written also cummin.]
Etymology [OE.comin, AS. cymen, fr. L. cuminum, Gr.kamm, Heb. kamm; cf. OF. comin, F. cumin. Cf. Kummel.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cumin”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details