Word | nutmeg |
---|---|
Date | October 8, 2011 |
Type | noun |
Syllables | NUT-meg |
Etymology | Nutmeg is native to the Moluccas, Indonesian islands in the Malay Archipelago of Southeast Asia. The word "nutmeg," however, comes from Old Occitan, a Romance language spoken in southern France during the latter half of the Middle Ages. Old Occitan "noz muscada" combines "noz" ("nut"), from Latin "nuc-, nux," with "muscada," a feminine form of "muscat," meaning "musky." The history of "muscat" can in turn be traced back through Late Latin, Greek, and Middle Persian to a Sanskrit word meaning "mouse." |
Examples | Before I can make the pumpkin pie, I will need to go to the store to get cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. "She spices sweet potatoes with cinnamon and nutmeg and gives a pan of broccoli -- dressed with hardly anything more -- a quick trip in the oven." -- From an article by Jennifer Justus in The Tennessean, September 7, 2011 |
Definition | 1 : an aromatic seed produced by an evergreen tree (Myristica fragrans of the family Myristicaceae, the nutmeg family) native to the Moluccas; also : the ground seed used as a spice 2 : a tree yielding nutmeg |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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