Etymologically
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cinnamon

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsɪnəmən/[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English cinamome,[2][3][4] from Old French cinnamome,[2][3][5] from Latin cinnamomum,[2][3][5][6][4] from Ancient Greek κιννάμωμον (kinnámōmon),[2][3][5][6][4] of Semitic origin, probably Phoenician;[2][3][5][4] compare Hebrew qinnāmôn.[2][3][5][6][4] Etymonline says the Greek ending was altered by folk etymology.[5] The modern form follows Latin cinnamon, from Late Greek kínnamon.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Barnhart, the spice, about 1390.[3] The OED first records the word as a term of endearment (c. 1386),[7] the tree in 1398[7] and the bark used as a spice about 1430.[7]

Semantic evolution

The Latin word, too, was used as a term of endearment.[5] The adjective, “of the color of cinnamon, light reddish brown”, is recorded from the 1680s.[5][7] Etymonline notes that the cinnamon sold in America is usually from the related cassia tree rather than true Ceylon cinnamon.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1386 – a term of endearment, now obsolete.[7]
  • about 1390 – the spice (Barnhart).[3]
  • 1398 – the tree.[7]
  • 1680s – adjective, cinnamon-colored.[5][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The dried, aromatic inner bark of certain tropical Asian trees, used as a spice, often ground.
  2. A tree yielding this bark, of the laurel family.
  3. A light yellowish or reddish brown.

Adjective

  1. Of a light reddish-brown color.

Word family

  • cinnamic
  • cinnamony
  • cinnamon bun
  • cassia

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press