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Glite Dictionary
Carum carvi

Carum carvi

8.6
A plant from Europe and Asia with small white flowers that makes caraway seeds used as a spice
  • noun
  • /ˈkɛrəm ˈkɑrvi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Carum carvi
  • The spice Carum carvi is often used in baking.

Examples

  • The seeds of Carum carvi add a distinctive flavor to many dishes.

  • Did you know that Carum carvi is native to Europe?

  • Carum carvi is cultivated in many parts of Europe for its flavorful seeds.

  • The essential oil extracted from Carum carvi is valued in both cooking and medicine.

  • When researching herbal remedies, she learned about the benefits of Carum carvi.

  • Carum carvi is a popular spice used in rye bread and sauerkraut.

  • In traditional cooking, Carum carvi is often used to season meats and vegetables.

Synonyms

caraway
vsCarum carvi
3 6.1

Small brown seeds used as a spice to add a warm, slightly sweet taste to food

is the formal scientific name used in botanical classification

How Aromatic

clove
1 4.9
cumin
22 3.2
Carum carvi
  • Specialized
8.6
dill
30 1.0
parsley
58 1.0

Surface Forms

Carum carvi singular
Carum carvis plural

Morphology

Carum + carvi

This is a Latin binomial: knowing 'Carum' (a genus of aromatic parsley-family plants) together with a species epithet signals that the phrase names a plant, so the compositional pattern (genus + species) is partially predictable. However, the specific identification as the common caraway spice is not derivable from the parts (and 'carvi' has no ordinary-word meaning), so a B1 learner would not fully recover the exact referent without prior exposure.

Etymology

Carum carvi comes from old Latin words Carum and carvi and is the scientific name for the caraway plant. Think of a small herb with tiny, curved seeds people use as a 'spice' and for 'medicine', and that image explains why the name refers to the plant and its seeds.