nutmeg

Pluralnutmegs (some meanings)

Formsnutmegs, nutmegging, nutmegged

1. 1
   noununcountable

   The dried seed of the nutmeg tree in ground form, ready for use as a spice.

   The stew gained warmth from a spoonful of nutmeg stirred in at the end.

   Bakers often reach for nutmeg when a custard tastes flat.

   Note

   Ground nutmeg is a mass noun. You add some nutmeg or a pinch of nutmeg, never "a nutmeg." The countable use belongs to the whole seed, so a cook can grate two nutmegs and end up with a spoonful of nutmeg. Asking "how much?" or "how many?" is the quickest way to tell which one is meant.

2. 2
   nouncountable

   The whole, unground aromatic seed of the nutmeg tree, kept intact and grated fresh as a spice.

   She keeps a few nutmegs in a small grinder by the stove.

   Grate the nutmeg sparingly, since its flavor is strong.

3. 3
   nouncountable or uncountable

   Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree of the East Indies grown for its aromatic seeds, which are used as a spice.

   Dutch traders once fought for control of the islands where nutmeg grows.

   The nutmeg flowers and fruits through much of the year in tropical climates.

   Note

   The tree is named for the seed it is grown for, and the name is half-translated Latin. Middle English notemege came from Medieval Latin nux muga, a variant of nux muscata, "musky nut." Only the "nut" was turned into English, and Old French had a parallel form, nois mugede. Every other sense here, from the spice to the color and the moth, carries that same musky nut in its name.

4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The act of playing the ball between an opponent's legs and collecting it behind them, especially in soccer.

   His audacious nutmeg became the highlight of the match.

   Defenders dread the nutmeg more than any other piece of trickery.

   Note

   This trick is shared across several games: soccer, field hockey, ice hockey and basketball, wherever the ball can pass between a defender's legs. As a noun it counts. A player pulls off a nutmeg, and Daniel Taylor, writing on England's draw with Germany in 2017, could set a player's tricks to one side with "Nutmegs aside." To describe the move from the attacker's side, English usually reaches for the verb.

5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To play the ball through the gap between an opponent's legs and recover it on the far side.

   The winger nutmegged two defenders in a single dazzling run.

   Skillful players love to nutmeg opponents who lunge in too eagerly.

   Note

   The verb's object is the beaten player, not the ball. Daniel Taylor wrote in 2015 that Lionel Messi "nutmegged David Silva." Because the object is a person, the passive comes naturally: a defender gets nutmegged. In the spelling, the final g doubles before an ending, giving nutmegged and nutmegging, while the third-person form stays nutmegs.

6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To season or flavor food or drink with nutmeg.

   The chef nutmegged the cream sauce just before plating.

   Many bakers nutmeg their dough to give it a warm note.

7. 7
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A gray-brown color resembling that of the nutmeg spice.

   The designer chose nutmeg for the curtains to warm the room.

   Autumn catalogs featured coats in deep nutmeg and rust.

8. 8
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A small moth (Hadula trifolii) native to the Northern Hemisphere, with larvae that feed on a wide range of plants.

   Several nutmegs were drawn to the moth trap overnight.

   The nutmeg overwinters as a pupa buried in the soil.

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