Meanings
nouncumin (usually uncountable, plural cumins)
plural cumins
- uncountableusuallyThe flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, in the family Apiaceae.
Cumin is native to the region from the eastern Mediterranean to India.
- uncountableusuallyIts aromatic long seed, used as a spice, notably in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cookery.
Cumin was often an ingredient of such love potions since it produced the effect of retention in whoever ate it.
1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 269
Synonyms & antonyms
noundwarf Mediterranean annual long cultivated for its aromatic seeds
Similar
Cuminum cyminum
Broader
herbherbaceous plant
nounaromatic seeds of the cumin herb of the carrot family
Similar
cumin seed
Broader
edible seed
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Akkadian𒂵𒈬𒉡“cumin”
- Semitic
- Ancient Greekκύμινον
- Latincuminum
- Old Frenchcummin
- Old Englishcymen
- Middle Englishcomyn
- Englishcumin
From Middle English comyn, from Old English cymen (which is cognate with Old High German kumin) and Old French cummin, both from Latin cuminum, from Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon), a Semitic borrowing ultimately to be traced to Akkadian 𒂵𒈬𒉡 (Ú.GAMUN /kamūnu/, “cumin”). Possibly related to caraway.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans komyn, jeera
- komynits seed used as spice
- jeeraits seed used as spice
Ancient Greek κύμινον, κύμινον
- κύμινον (kúminon)plant Cuminum cyminum
- κύμινον (kúminon)its seed used as spice
Arabic كَمُّون, كَمُّون
- كَمُّون (kammūn)plant Cuminum cyminum
- كَمُّون (kammūn)its seed used as spice
Bengali জিরা
- জিরা (jira)its seed used as spice
Bulgarian кимион, кимион
- кимион (kimion)plant Cuminum cyminum
- кимион (kimion)its seed used as spice
Catalan comí, comí
- comíplant Cuminum cyminum
- comíits seed used as spice
Chinese Mandarin 孜然, 安息茴香
- 孜然 (zīrán)plant Cuminum cyminum
- 安息茴香 (ānxī huíxiāng)plant Cuminum cyminum
- 阿拉伯茴香 (Ālābó huíxiāng)plant Cuminum cyminum
- 孜然 (zīrán)its seed used as spice
- 安息茴香 (ānxī huíxiāng)its seed used as spice
- 阿拉伯茴香 (Ālābó huíxiāng)its seed used as spice
Czech římský kmín, římský kmín
- římský kmínplant Cuminum cyminum
- římský kmínits seed used as spice
Danish spidskommen, spidskommen
- spidskommenplant Cuminum cyminum
- spidskommenits seed used as spice
Dutch komijn, kummel
- komijnplant Cuminum cyminum
- kummelplant Cuminum cyminum
- komijnits seed used as spice
- komijnzaadits seed used as spice
- kummelits seed used as spice
- djintenits seed used as spice
- djieraits seed used as spice
Esperanto kumino
- kuminoplant Cuminum cyminum
Finnish roomankumina, juustokumina
- roomankuminaplant Cuminum cyminum
- juustokuminaplant Cuminum cyminum
- juustokuminaits seed used as spice
- jeeraits seed used as spice
French cumin, cumin
- cuminplant Cuminum cyminum
- cuminits seed used as spice
German Kümmel, Kreuzkümmel
- Kümmelplant Cuminum cyminum
- Kreuzkümmelplant Cuminum cyminum
- Kreuzkümmelits seed used as spice
Greek κύμινο, κύμινο
- κύμινο (kýmino)plant Cuminum cyminum
- κύμινο (kýmino)its seed used as spice
Hawaiian kumino
- kuminoits seed used as spice
Hebrew כמון, כַמּוֹן
- כמון (kamon)plant Cuminum cyminum
- כַמּוֹן (kamón, kammon)its seed used as spice
Hindi ज़ीरा, जीरा
- ज़ीरा (zīrā)plant Cuminum cyminum
- जीरा (jīrā)plant Cuminum cyminum
- ज़ीरा (zīrā)its seed used as spice
- जीरा (jīrā)its seed used as spice
Hungarian kömény, római kömény
- köményplant Cuminum cyminum
- római köményplant Cuminum cyminum
- római köményits seed used as spice
Icelandic broddkúmen
- broddkúmenits seed used as spice
Indonesian jintan putih
- jintan putihplant Cuminum cyminum
Italian cumino, cumino
- cuminoplant Cuminum cyminum
- cuminoits seed used as spice
Japanese クミン, ヒメウイキョウ
- クミン (kumin)plant Cuminum cyminum
- ヒメウイキョウ (himeikyō)plant Cuminum cyminum
- クミンの実 (kumin no mi)its seed used as spice
Korean 커민
- 커민 (keomin)plant Cuminum cyminum
Latin cumīnum, cumīnum
- cumīnumplant Cuminum cyminum
- cumīnumits seed used as spice
Malay jintan putih, jintan putih
- jintan putihplant Cuminum cyminum
- jintan putihits seed used as spice
Māori kumine
- kumineplant Cuminum cyminum
Norwegian Bokmål spisskummen, spisskarve
- spisskummenplant Cuminum cyminum
- spisskarveplant Cuminum cyminum
- spisskummenits seed used as spice
- spisskarveits seed used as spice
Persian زیره, زیره
- زیره (zire)plant Cuminum cyminum
- زیره (zire)its seed used as spice
Polish kmin rzymski, kminek
- kmin rzymskiplant Cuminum cyminum
- kminekits seed used as spice
Portuguese cominho, cominho
- cominhoplant Cuminum cyminum
- cominhoits seed used as spice
Punjabi ਜੀਰਾ
- ਜੀਰਾ (jīrā)its seed used as spice
Romanian chimion, chimion
- chimionplant Cuminum cyminum
- chimionits seed used as spice
Russian зи́ра, кмин
- зи́ра (zíra)plant Cuminum cyminum
- кмин (kmin)plant Cuminum cyminum
- зи́ра (zíra)its seed used as spice
Slovak rímska rasca
- rímska rascaits seed used as spice
Spanish comino, comino
- cominoplant Cuminum cyminum
- cominoits seed used as spice
Swahili mjira, jira
- mjiraplant Cuminum cyminum
- jiraits seed used as spice
Swedish kummin, spiskummin
- kumminplant Cuminum cyminum
- spiskumminplant Cuminum cyminum
- spiskumminits seed used as spice
Tagalog komino, komino
- kominoplant Cuminum cyminum
- kominoits seed used as spice
Tamil சீரகம், சீரகம்
- சீரகம் (cīrakam)plant Cuminum cyminum
- சீரகம் (cīrakam)its seed used as spice
Thai เทียนขาว, ยี่หร่า
- เทียนขาว (tian kăao)plant Cuminum cyminum
- ยี่หร่า (yîi-ràa)plant Cuminum cyminum
- ยี่หร่า (yîi ràa)its seed used as spice
Turkish kimyon, kimyon
- kimyonplant Cuminum cyminum
- kimyonits seed used as spice
Vietnamese thì là Ai Cập, cây thì là
- thì là Ai Cậpplant Cuminum cyminum
- cây thì làits seed used as spice
Welsh cwmin
- cwminits seed used as spice
Yiddish קמיניק, קמיניק
- קמיניק (kminik)plant Cuminum cyminum
- קמיניק (kminik)its seed used as spice
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cumin
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
cumin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumin
MLA
“cumin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumin. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cumin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cumin.
Source: cumin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.