catnip

Wikipedia

English

Nepeta cataria flowers

Etymology

Compound of cat + Middle English nep, from Old English nepte, from Latin nepeta.

Noun

catnip (countable and uncountable; plural catnips)

1. (botany) Any of the about 250 species of flowering plant of the genus Nepeta, family Lamiaceae, certain of which are said to have medicinal qualities.
2. Nepeta cataria and Nepeta grandiflora (and perhaps other species), which are well-known for causing an apparently harmless pheromone-based intoxication among certain cats.

   Some cats go bonkers over catnip; others ignore it.

Synonyms

• catmint

Translations

plants of the genus Nepeta, family Lamiaceae

• Dutch: kattenkruid (nl) n, Nepeta (nl)
• German: Katzenminze (de) f
• Macedonian: мачкино нане (mk) (máčkino náne) n, непета (mk) (nepéta) f

• Portuguese: erva-de-gato (pt) f
• Spanish: menta de gato (es) f, nébeda (es) f

specific species which causes intoxication among cats

• Dutch: kattenkruid (nl) n
• Finnish: kissanminttu (fi)
• French: cataire (fr) f
• German: Katzenminze (de) f

• Macedonian: мачкино нане (mk) (máčkino náne) n
• Portuguese: erva-de-gato (pt) f
• Swedish: kattmynta (sv) c