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Glite Dictionary
basil thyme

basil thyme

7.2
A small fragrant herb with tiny purple and white flowers used in cooking
  • noun
  • /ˈbeɪzəl taɪm/
translation icon : tomillo de albahaca
  • Cooks sometimes add fresh basil thyme to their dishes for an aromatic flavor.

Examples

  • The garden was filled with the scent of basil thyme in the early summer.

  • We planted basil thyme along the pathway to attract bees and butterflies.

  • I love adding basil thyme to my pasta dishes.

  • Have you tried basil thyme in your salad?

  • Cooks sometimes add fresh basil thyme to their dishes for an aromatic flavor.

  • The garden was filled with the scent of basil thyme in the early summer.

  • We planted basil thyme along the pathway to attract bees and butterflies.

Synonyms

Acinos arvensis
vsbasil thyme
  • Specialized
9.9

A small mint plant with violet and white flower clusters and a mint smell

is the general herb term rather than the technical species label
mother of thyme
vsbasil thyme
9.9

A low, fragrant plant with small purple and white flowers that grows close to the ground

uses the broader herb description without the parenthetical species name
Satureja acinos
vsbasil thyme
  • Specialized
9.9

A fragrant European mint with small violet and white flowers

specifies eastern North America more precisely as common naturalized area

Surface Forms

basil thyme singular
basil thymes plural

Morphology

basil + thyme

Both 'basil' and 'thyme' are concrete, frequent cooking herbs, so a learner who knows the two words will readily understand 'basil thyme' as referring to those herbs (or a combination/flavoring of them). This is a straightforward noun–noun composition following common compounding/listing patterns cross-linguistically, so the meaning is immediately derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Basil thyme is named for how it looks and smells: it is a small thyme plant that gives off a scent like basil, so people joined the two names. So the name helps you remember that it is a 'fragrant' herb used to add flavor in cooking.