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Glite Dictionary
common thyme

common thyme

3.8
A small fragrant Mediterranean plant with gray-green leaves used to add flavor to food
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːmən taɪm/
translation icon : tomillo común
  • She adds fresh common thyme to her roasted chicken for extra flavor.

Examples

  • Growing common thyme in your garden is easy and rewarding.

  • A sprig of common thyme can turn a simple soup into a gourmet dish.

  • I love adding common thyme to my chicken dishes.

  • Have you tried using common thyme in your recipes?

  • I added common thyme to the chicken dish for extra flavor.

  • The recipe calls for common thyme as a key ingredient.

  • In Mediterranean cuisine, common thyme is often used to season vegetables.

Synonyms

thyme
vscommon thyme
35 3.5

A small plant with a strong smell whose leaves are used to flavor food

is the specific Mediterranean species with gray green leaves and former medicinal use
Thymus vulgaris
vscommon thyme
5.3

A small fragrant herb used in cooking to add a strong taste

is the everyday name for the same herb rather than the scientific label

Surface Forms

common thyme singular
common thymes plural

Morphology

common + thyme

The phrase is a simple adjective+noun combination where 'common' describes a typical or widespread variety of 'thyme'; the meaning (a usual/ordinary type of the herb thyme) is directly derivable from the constituents. This compositional, descriptive pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard noun phrase semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Common thyme names the small herb with a strong smell that people have used for a long time. Long ago, people burned or carried thyme for scent and even to give soldiers 'courage', and cooks used the same smell to add 'flavour' to food, so today common thyme means the aromatic kitchen herb we use for seasoning.