Category:Cumin

Cum"in (km"n), n. Etym: [OE.comin, AS. cymen, fr. L. cuminum, Gr.kamm, Heb. kamm; cf. OF. comin, F. cumin. Cf. Kummel.] (Bot.)

Defn: A dwarf umbelliferous plant, somewhat resembling fennel (Cuminum Cyminum), cultivated for its seeds, which have a bitterish, warm taste, with an aromatic flavor, and are used like those of anise and caraway. [Written also cummin.] Rank-smelling rue, and cumin good for eyes. Spenser. Black cumin (Bot.), a plant (Nigella sativa) with pungent seeds, used by the Afghans, etc.

Ye pay tithe of mint, and cummin. Matthew 23:23.

- ---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Cummin - (Heb. kammon ; i.e., a "condiment"), the fruit or seed of an umbelliferous plant, the Cuminum sativum, still extensively cultivated in the East. Its fruit is mentioned in Isaiah 28:25, Isaiah 28:27. In the New Testament it is mentioned in Matthew 23:23, where our Lord pronounces a "woe" on the scribes and Pharisees, who were zealous in paying tithes of "mint and anise and cummin," while they omitted the weightier matters of the law." "It is used as a spice, both bruised, to mix with bread, and also boiled, in the various messes and stews which compose an Oriental banquet." Tristram, Natural History.