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cum⋅in

  [kuhm-uhn, koom- or, often, koo-muhn, kyoo-]
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–noun
1. a small plant, Cuminum cyminum, of the parsley family, bearing aromatic, seedlike fruit, used in cookery and medicine.
2. the fruit or seeds of this plant.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME comyn, cumin (< OF comin) < L cumīnum < Gk kýmīnon < Sem (cf. Ar kammūn, Heb kammōn cumin); r. OE cymen < L, as above
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cum·in   (kŭm'ĭn, kōō'mĭn, kyōō'-)   
n.  
    1. An annual Mediterranean herb (Cuminum cyminum) in the parsley family, having finely divided leaves and clusters of small white or pink flowers.
    2. The seedlike fruit of this plant used for seasoning, as in curry and chili powders.
  2. Black cumin.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin cumīnum, from Greek kumīnon, probably of Semitic origin; see kmn in Semitic roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cumin

Cum"in\ (k?m"?n), n. [OE. comin, AS. cymen, fr. L. cuminum, Gr.???????; of Semitic origin, cf. Ar. kamm?n, Heb. kamm?n; cf. OF. comin, F. cumin. Cf. Kummel.] (Bot.) 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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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cumin 
O.E. cymen, from L. cuminum, from Gk. kyminon, cognate with Heb. kammon, Ar. kammun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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