catmint

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun hairy aromatic perennial herb having whorls of small white purple-spotted flowers in a terminal spike; used in the past as a domestic remedy; strongly attractive to cats

Etymology

From Middle English catt mynte, kattesminte, equivalent to cat + mint. The word’s appearance in early Middle English (c. 1230) and other Germanic languages (German Katzenminze, Icelandic kattarminta, Swedish kattmynta) means that it is very likely to have existed in Old English (as *cattes minte) as well.

In classic literature

Synonyms

catnip, Nepeta cataria

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