# cumin

Pronunciation: US say "KOO-min" /ˈkumɪn/; UK say "KYOO-min" /ˈkjuːmɪn/

## Noun

1. The aromatic, elongated seed used as a spice, common in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cooking.
   - Simple: A strong-smelling spice made from the dried seeds of a small plant, used in many cooked dishes.
   - _He toasted the cumin in a dry pan before grinding it._
   - _A pinch of cumin gives the lentil stew its earthy aroma._
2. A flowering plant of the parsley family, Cuminum cyminum, grown for its aromatic seeds.
   - Simple: A small flowering plant whose seeds are dried and used as a spice.
   - _Cumin thrives in hot climates with well-drained soil._
   - _The farmer harvested the cumin once its slender seeds had ripened._

## Origin

From Middle English comyn, going back through Old English cymen and Old French cummin, both from Latin cuminum, from Ancient Greek kúminon. The Greek word was a Semitic borrowing that traces ultimately to Akkadian kamūnu ("cumin"), and it is possibly related to caraway.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cumin (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).