comyn

Middle English

Alternative forms

• cummyng, comyng, comyne, cumyn, cymin

Etymology

From Old English cymen and Old French cummin, both from Latin cumīnum, from Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon), a Semitic borrowing ultimately from Akkadian 𒂵𒈬𒉡 (Ú.GAMUN /⁠kamūnu⁠/, “cumin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuˈmiːn/, /ˈkumin/

Noun

comyn (uncountable)

1. Cumin or its seed, often used in cuisine and medicine.
   • a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Isaiah 28:25-26”, in Wycliffe's Bible‎^[1]:

     Whether whanne he hath maad euene the face therof, ſchal he not ſowe ȝith, and ſprenge abrood comyn? and he ſchal not ſette wheete bi ordre, and barli, and mylium, and fetchis in his cooſtis? / And his God ſchal teche hym, in doom he ſchal teche hym.

     When he's made the surface of that (the earth) even, shouldn't he sow it, and sprinkle cumin on top of it? And shouldn't he put wheat where it goes, and barley, millet, and vetch in its nature? / And his God will teach him; in judgement he will teach him.

Descendants

• English: cumin

References

• “cǒmīn, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-04-26.