cinnamon
UK[ˈsɪnəmən]US[ˈsɪnəmən]
n
A sweet, fragrant spice made from the dried inner bark of a tropical tree, used in cooking and baking.
n
The light reddish-brown color of this spice.
Etymology
The word 'cinnamon' has a long and winding journey through trade and language. It originates from a Phoenician or Hebrew term, which was borrowed into ancient Greek as 'kinnámōmon'. The Greeks passed it to Latin as 'cinnamum' or 'cinnamomum'. The term entered Middle English via Old French and Latin, always referring to the prized aromatic bark. Its path reflects the spice's historical significance as a valuable commodity traded from Southeast Asia to the Mediterranean, with the word itself being the primary linguistic import, its form remaining largely intact across millennia.
Analysis
The word 'cinnamon' is a simplex loanword. It entered English as a single, unanalyzable unit from other languages. Its ultimate origin is from a Semitic language, via Greek and Latin.
Examples
She added a stick of cinnamon to the mulled wine for extra warmth and fragrance.
The recipe calls for a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
The walls were painted a warm cinnamon color.