cumin
cumin
Greek
“Surprisingly, cumin is a spice word that traveled with empires and cooks.”
Cumin traces to Greek kyminon, the name of the spice. Herodotus used kyminon in the 5th century BCE when describing trade goods. The word entered Latin as cuminum in the 1st century BCE. It held steady as a kitchen term.
Pliny the Elder described cuminum in Natural History in 77 CE. The plant was cultivated across the Mediterranean. From Latin it passed into Old French as cumin by the 12th century. English borrowed cumin in the late 14th century.
Middle English recipes used cumin alongside pepper and ginger. The word stayed tied to the seed and its pungent taste. In 1598, John Gerard listed cumin in his herbal. The sense has remained stable.
The spice moved with commerce from Egypt to Spain and beyond. Cumin became a staple in many cuisines without losing its name. English spelling settled on cumin in the 17th century. The word now names both the seed and the plant.
Related Words
Today
Cumin is the aromatic seed of a small plant used as a spice. It can also refer to the plant itself in cooking and gardening.
The word names a warm, earthy flavor found in many cuisines. A pinch changes the whole dish.
Explore more words