cumin

English
Cumin (spice): whole seeds, left; ground into powder, right.

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”).[1][2][3] Possibly related to caraway.

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈkjuːmɪn/, /ˈkʌmɪn/, enPR: kyo͞oʹmĭn, kŭmʹĭn
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkumɪn/, /ˈkjumɪn/, /ˈkʌmɪn/, /ˈkʊmɪn/, enPR: ko͞oʹmĭn
  • Rhymes: -ʌmɪn, -uːmɪn

Noun

cumin (usually uncountable, plural cumins)

  1. The flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, in the family Apiaceae.
    Cumin is native to the region from the eastern Mediterranean to India.
  2. Its aromatic long seed, used as a spice, notably in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cookery.
    Coordinate term: caraway
    • 1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 269:
      Cumin was often an ingredient of such love potions since it produced the effect of retention in whoever ate it.

Derived terms

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

References
  1. “cumin”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  2. “cumin”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  3. Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 57

Anagrams

French

Etymology

From Latin cuminum, from Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon), itself of Semitic origin.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ky.mɛ̃/
  • audio(file)

Noun

cumin m (plural cumins)

  1. the plant cumin
  2. Its seed, a spice

Further reading

Romansch

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Medieval Latin commūnia, neuter plural of Latin commūnis.

Noun

cumin m (plural cumins)

  1. (Rumantsch Grischun) village

Synonyms
  • (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran) vischnanca
  • (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan) vitg
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