Meaning
Any species of aromatic garden herb of the genus Calamintha, now often included in Clinopodium.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
From French calament (assimilated in English to mint), from Old French calament, calamente, from Medieval Latin calamentum, from Latin calaminthe, from Ancient Greek καλαμίνθη (kalamínthē, “an odoriferous plant”), of uncertain origin (either by haplology from *καλαμο-μίνθη (*kalamo-mínthē) or a loanword, which Beekes considers most likely to be from Pre-Greek). Attested since early 17th century.
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024.