meetin' seed

plural meetin' seeds · alternative meeting seed

1. UScountabledialectaluncountableA seed from any of various herb plants (especially fennel, but sometimes caraway, dill, or anise), formerly eaten during church meetings to foster wakefulness, freshen the breath, or keep hunger pangs at bay.

   […] fennel, dill, and caraway furnished meeting seed fresh from June to October, and dry from October to June again.

   1916, Catharine Melinda North, History of Berlin, Connecticut, page 43

   2 more examples

   Outside the door were a bed of fennel — meeting seed — and some rose bushes. Close by was the country store and post-office.

   1906, Newell Meeker Calhoun, Litchfield County Sketches, page 134

   Puritans tucked dill “meetin' seeds” into their Bibles to appease their appetite during long services. Dill perfumes soap and occasionally goes into perfume. The seeds make a good breath freshener.

   2016 April 27, Kathi Keville, The Aromatherapy Garden: Growing Fragrant Plants for Happiness and Well-Being, Timber Press, →ISBN, page 152