Meanings
plural cardamoms · alternative cardamon
- countableuncountableAn herb, native to India (Elettaria cardamomum).
- countableuncountableSeed of Elettaria cardamomum, used as a medicine and spice, especially in curry powder.
As I’ve gotten older, that vitriol slowly transformed into acceptance, then adoration. The more I cooked at home and explored South Asian cuisine, the more I realized how important cardamom is.
2026 January 25, Joy Saha, “Cardamom, the spice you’re missing”, in Salon, archived from the original on 26 Jan 2026Synonyms: elaichi, queen of spices
- countableuncommonuncountableinexactSynonym of grains of paradise, seeds or seed capsules of Aframomum melegueta, of East Africa.
Synonyms: grains of paradise, seeds or seed capsules of Aframomum melegueta, of East Africa
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSeed of Elettaria cardamomum, used as a medicine and spice, especially in curry powder.
nounSynonym of grains of paradise, seeds or seed capsules of Aframomum melegueta, of East Africa.
More synonyms by meaning
nounrhizomatous herb of India having aromatic seeds used as seasoning
nounaromatic seeds used as seasoning like cinnamon and cloves especially in pickles and barbecue sauces
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκαρδάμωμον
- Latincardamōmum
- Old Frenchcardamome
- Englishcardamom
Late Middle English, from Old French cardamome or Latin cardamōmum, from Ancient Greek καρδάμωμον (kardámōmon).
More words from Old French, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans kardemom, elaichi
- kardemomits seed or seed capsule
- elaichiits seed or seed capsule
Ancient Greek καρδάμωμον, καρδάμωμον
- καρδάμωμον (kardámōmon)E. cardamomum
- καρδάμωμον (kardámōmon)its seed or seed capsule
Arabic هَال, هَيْل
- هَال (hāl)E. cardamomum
- هَيْل (hayl)E. cardamomum
- حَبْهَان (ḥabhān)its seed or seed capsule
- هَال (hāl)its seed or seed capsule
- هَيْل (hayl)its seed or seed capsule
Bengali এলাচি, এলাচ
- এলাচি (elaci)E. cardamomum
- এলাচ (elac)its seed or seed capsule
- এলাচি (elaci)its seed or seed capsule
Bulgarian кардамо́н, кардамон
- кардамо́н (kardamón)E. cardamomum
- кардамон (kardamon)its seed or seed capsule
Catalan cardamom, cardamom
- cardamomE. cardamomum
- cardamomits seed or seed capsule
Chinese Mandarin 小豆蔻, 豆蔻
- 小豆蔻 (xiǎodòukòu)E. cardamomum
- 豆蔻 (dòukòu)E. cardamomum
Danish kardemomme, kardemomme
- kardemommeE. cardamomum
- kardemommeits seed or seed capsule
Dutch kardemom
- kardemomits seed or seed capsule
Finnish kardemummapensas, kardemumma
- kardemummapensasE. cardamomum
- kardemummaE. cardamomum
- kardemummaits seed or seed capsule
French cardamome, cardamome
- cardamomeE. cardamomum
- cardamomeits seed or seed capsule
German Kardamom, Kardamom
- KardamomE. cardamomum
- Kardamomits seed or seed capsule
Greek κάρδαμο, κάρδαμο
- κάρδαμο (kárdamo)E. cardamomum
- κάρδαμο (kárdamo)its seed or seed capsule
Hebrew קרדמון, הֶל
- קרדמון (kardamon)E. cardamomum
- הֶל (hel)E. cardamomum
- הל (hel)its seed or seed capsule
Hindi इलायची, इलायची
- इलायची (ilāycī)E. cardamomum
- इलायची (ilāycī)its seed or seed capsule
Indonesian kapulaga, kepulaga
- kapulagaE. cardamomum
- kepulagaits seed or seed capsule
Irish cardamam, cardamam
- cardamamE. cardamomum
- cardamamits seed or seed capsule
Italian cardamomo, cardamomo
- cardamomoE. cardamomum
- cardamomoits seed or seed capsule
Japanese カルダモン, 小豆蔲
- カルダモン (karudamon)E. cardamomum
- 小豆蔲 (shōzuku)E. cardamomum
- カルダモン (karudamon)its seed or seed capsule
Korean 카다몸
- 카다몸 (kadamom)E. cardamomum
Latvian kardamons
- kardamonsE. cardamomum
Malay pelaga Hindi, buah pelaga
- pelaga HindiE. cardamomum
- buah pelagaits seed or seed capsule
Norwegian Bokmål kardemommeplante, kardemomme
- kardemommeplanteE. cardamomum
- kardemommeits seed or seed capsule
Persian هل, هل
- هل (hel)E. cardamomum
- هل (hel)its seed or seed capsule
- هیل (hil)its seed or seed capsule
Polish kardamon, kardamon
- kardamonE. cardamomum
- kardamonits seed or seed capsule
Portuguese cardamomo, cardamomo
- cardamomoE. cardamomum
- cardamomoits seed or seed capsule
Punjabi ਇਲਾਚੀ, ਇਲਾਚੀ
- ਇਲਾਚੀ (ilācī)E. cardamomum
- ਇਲਾਚੀ (ilācī)its seed or seed capsule
Romanian cardamom, cardamom
- cardamomE. cardamomum
- cardamomits seed or seed capsule
Russian кардамо́н, кардамо́н
- кардамо́н (kardamón)E. cardamomum
- кардамо́н (kardamón)its seed or seed capsule
Slovak kardamóm
- kardamómE. cardamomum
Spanish cardamomo, cardamomo
- cardamomoE. cardamomum
- cardamomoits seed or seed capsule
Swahili iliki
- ilikiits seed or seed capsule
Swedish kardemumma, kardemumma
- kardemummaE. cardamomum
- kardemummaits seed or seed capsule
Tagalog kardamono, kardamono
- kardamonoE. cardamomum
- kardamonoits seed or seed capsule
Tamil ஏலம், ஏலம்
- ஏலம் (ēlam)E. cardamomum
- ஏலம் (ēlam)its seed or seed capsule
- ஏலக்காய் (ēlakkāy)its seed or seed capsule
Thai กระวานเทศ, ผลกระวานเทศ
- กระวานเทศ (grà-waan-têet)E. cardamomum
- ผลกระวานเทศ (phon krawan thet)its seed or seed capsule
- ลูกกระวานเทศ (luk krawan thet)its seed or seed capsule
- ลูกเอ็น (luk en)its seed or seed capsule
- ลูกเอ็ล (luk en)its seed or seed capsule
- เอลา (ela)its seed or seed capsule
Turkish kakule, kakule
- kakuleE. cardamomum
- kakuleits seed or seed capsule
Ukrainian кардамо́н, кардамо́н
- кардамо́н (kardamón)E. cardamomum
- кардамо́н (kardamón)its seed or seed capsule
Urdu الائچی
- الائچی (ilāicī)E. cardamomum
Vietnamese thảo quả, cây bạch đậu khấu
- thảo quảE. cardamomum
- cây bạch đậu khấuE. cardamomum
- bạch đậu khấuits seed or seed capsule
Welsh cardamom, cardamom
- cardamomE. cardamomum
- cardamomits seed or seed capsule
- grawn Paradwysits seed or seed capsule
Yiddish קאַרדעמאָן, קאַרדאַמאָם
- קאַרדעמאָן (kardemon)E. cardamomum
- קאַרדאַמאָם (kardamom)E. cardamomum
- קאַרדימאָן (kardimon)E. cardamomum
- קאַרדעמאָן (kardemon)its seed or seed capsule
- קאַרדאַמאָם (kardamom)its seed or seed capsule
- קאַרדימאָן (kardimon)its seed or seed capsule
Cite this entry
cardamom. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cardamom
“cardamom.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cardamom. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cardamom,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cardamom.
Source: cardamom on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.