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nutmeg

 - 4 dictionary results

nut⋅meg

[nuht-meg]
–noun
1. the hard, aromatic seed of the fruit of an East Indian tree, Myristica fragrans, used in grated form as a spice.
2. the similar product of certain other trees of the same genus or other genera.
3. a tree bearing such seeds.

Origin:
1300–50; ME notemug(g)e, perh. back formation from *notemugede (-ede being taken as -ed 3 ), equiv. to note nut + mugede < OF < LL muscāta musky; see musk, -ate 1


nutmegged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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nut·meg   (nŭt'měg')   
n.  
  1. An evergreen tree (Myristica fragrans) native to the East Indies and cultivated for its spicy seeds.

  2. The hard, aromatic seed of this tree, used as a spice when grated or ground.

  3. A grayish to moderate brown.


[Middle English notemuge, probably ultimately from Old French nois mugede, alteration of nois muscade, nut smelling like musk, from Old Provençal notz muscada : notz, nut (from Latin nux, nuc-, nut) + muscada, smelling like musk (from musc, musk, from Late Latin muscus; see musk).]
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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Word Origin & History

nutmeg 
"hard aromatic seed of the East Indies," c.1300, from O.N.Fr. or Anglo-Fr. *noiz mugue, from O.Fr. nois muguete, unexplained alt. of nois muscade "nut smelling like musk," from nois "nut" (from L. nux) + L. muscada, fem. of muscat "musky" (see muscat). Probably influenced in Eng. by M.L. nux maga (cf. unaltered Du. muskaatnoot, Ger. muscatnuß, Swed. muskotnöt). Amer.Eng. colloquial wooden nutmeg "anything false or fraudulent" is from 1830. Connecticut is called the Nutmeg State "in allusion to the story that wooden nutmegs are there manufactured for exportation." [John Russell Bartlett, "Dictionary of Americanisms," 1859]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: nut·meg
Pronunciation: 'n&t-"meg, -"mAg
Function: noun
1 : an aromatic seed that is used as a spice and is produced by a treeof the genus Myristica (M. fragrans of the family Myristicaceae, the nutmeg family) native to the Moluccas called also myristica
2 : a tree that producesnutmegs
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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