Cummin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A warm, earthy spice made from the dried seeds of a Mediterranean plant, often used in curries and Mexican dishes
2. The aromatic seeds of an herb related to parsley, ground or whole and widely used to flavor savory foods
3. A pungent seasoning obtained from the small seeds of a Middle Eastern plant, commonly added to stews and breads

Etymology: The spice's name travelled a long way before it reached English. The ancient Greeks called it "kuminon," a borrowing from a Semitic language, and tracing it back leads to Akkadian, the language of Mesopotamia, where the word was "kamunu." So a seed that Mesopotamian kitchens used thousands of years ago gave Greek, Latin and eventually English their names for it. From Greek it passed into Latin as "cuminum," and from there into Old English as "cymen" and into Old French as "cumin." Medieval English then produced "comyn," the form that later settled into the modern spelling. The spelling "cummin," with a double m, is an older variant that persists alongside it.