Cumin
species of plant
Cumin ( , ; US also ; Cuminum cyminum) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole and ground form. Although cumin is used in traditional medicine, there is no high-quality evidence that it is safe or effective as a therapeutic agent.
Etymology and pronunciation
The term comes via Middle English comyn, from Old English cymen (which is cognate with Old High German kumin) and Old French cummin, both from the Latin term cuminum. This in turn comes from the Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon), a Semitic borrowing related to Hebrew כמון (kammōn) and Arabic كمون (kammūn). They originate from the Akkadian 𒂵𒈬𒉡 (kamūnu), which in turn comes from the Sumerian 𒌑𒌁 (gamun)
The English word is traditionally pronounced (KUM-in), like coming with an ⟨n⟩ instead of ⟨ng⟩ /ŋ/. American lexicographer Grant Barrett notes that this pronunciation now is rarely used in his country, replaced in the late 20th century by hyperforeignized (KYOO-min) and (KOO-min).
Description
Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family. The cumin plant grows to 30–50 cm (12–20 in) tall and is harvested by hand. It is an annual herbaceous plant, with a slender, glabrous, branched stem that is 20–30 cm (8–12 in) tall and has a diameter of 3–5 cm (1+1⁄4–2 in).
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This entry incorporates text from “Cumin” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.