Minth

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An old or dialectal name for mint, the fragrant herb whose leaves are used for flavouring and scent
2. An archaic term for the aromatic garden plant of the genus Mentha, prized for its cool, fresh taste
3. A rare older word for the sweet-smelling herb used to season food and make tea

Etymology: In Greek myth, the nymph Minthe caught the eye of Hades, king of the underworld, and was turned into a plant by his jealous wife, Persephone. The Greeks called the plant "minthē," and the name passed into Latin as "mentha." Hades is said to have softened the transformation so that the plant's fragrance would remain, which is why mint smells so strong when it is crushed underfoot. The word reached English through Old English "minte," borrowed from Latin very early, well before the Norman Conquest. Mint is one of the oldest garden herbs to have an English name at all. The coin-making mint, by contrast, is an unrelated word that comes from Latin "moneta," the name of the goddess Juno Moneta, in whose Roman temple money was struck. The two words only look alike by coincidence.