noun
nutmeg
NUT-meg/ˈnʌtmeɡ/
An aromatic spice made from a tropical tree's seed.
The halved nutmeg reveals a marbled interior beside the grater and ground spice.
Etymology
Old French nois muguete is an unexplained alteration of an expression meaning “nut smelling like musk.” The spice’s name thus points to its aromatic scent.
In context
Quarter of a teaspoon of nutmeg. It's an unusual spice, but it really goes well with tomatoes.
More examples
- She sprinkles ground nutmeg over her oatmeal.
- Grate a little nutmeg into the cookie dough.
- Whole nutmegs keep their flavor longer than ground nutmeg.
Forms
nutmeg · nutmegs
Similar words
- mace
- Comes from the seed's outer covering rather than the seed itself.
- cinnamon
- Another warm spice, but made from bark rather than seeds.