Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An aromatic Eurasian plant (Mentha spicata) in the mint family, having clusters of small purplish flowers and yielding an oil used widely as a flavoring.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An aromatic plant, Mentha viridis, the common garden-mint, or mint proper. It is known chiefly in gardens, or as an escape from them, in both hemispheres, and is suspected to be a garden or accidental variety of M. Sylvestris. Its properties are those of peppermint, and it yields an oil like that of the latter, but with a more pleasant flavor.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) A species of mint (Mentha viridis) growing in moist soil. It vields an aromatic oil. See mint, and mentha.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A herb of the mint family, commonly used in herb tea, candy and to treat mild stomach ache.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun common garden herb having clusters of small purplish flowers and yielding an oil used as a flavoring

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

So named from its spiry, not capitate, inflorescence.

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Examples

  • The bilious powders were made of the leaves of four plants familiarly known as spearmint, sunflower, smartweed, and yarrow.

    The Reminiscences of an Astronomer Simon Newcomb 1872

  • Best-selling natural items include “MotherEarth D,” a powder made of diatomaceous earth (ground fossils) that triggers dehydration and death in bugs, as well as an “EcoExempt IC-2” spray made from botanical oils such as spearmint and rosemary.

    Death by Mint Oil: Natural Pesticides 2009

  • I'd also like to know if peppermint tastes different than spearmint which is the only kind I've ever grown.

    Wrap-up of Weekend Herb Blogging #7 Kalyn Denny 2005

  • Foliage green is more gray than green its more "spearmint". ranger green is more O. D "olive drab".

    Army Rumour Service 2010

  • Plants such as spearmint, lemon balm, English lavender, costmary and pennyroyal were used for making potpourri, warding away bugs and for "freshening the breath."

    News & Record Article Feed 2010

  • Charity Sweets sell dozens of different types of sweets such as spearmint chews, dolly mixtures, milk chocolate eclairs, cola bottles, strawberry creams, wine gums, fruit bon bons and chocolate peanuts.

    Express & Star 2008

  • Sunripened tomatoes, cool cukes, sensuous spearmint, and hip hempseed as an alternative to the gluten containing bulgur wheat that is traditionally used.

    Brigitte Mars: Vegan Gluten-Free Tabouli Salad Brigitte Mars 2011

  • Sunripened tomatoes, cool cukes, sensuous spearmint, and hip hempseed as an alternative to the gluten containing bulgur wheat that is traditionally used.

    Brigitte Mars: Vegan Gluten-Free Tabouli Salad Brigitte Mars 2011

  • Tabouli Salad is a great way to use colorful antioxidant rich fresh produce: Sunripened tomatoes, cool cukes, sensuous spearmint and hip hempseed.

    Brigitte Mars: Vegan Gluten-Free Tabouli Salad Brigitte Mars 2011

  • This morning, it's just me, 180 pages of galleys, a pot of spearmint tea, and a dream -- and as much "help" as the giant ridiculous dog and the ninja kjitten and the complaint department can deliver.

    we sail tonight for singapore standuponit 2009

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