Kummel
/ˈkʊməl/noun
A clear, sweet liqueur flavored chiefly with caraway and sometimes other aromatic seeds.
Did you know?Kummel’s name is related to German Kümmel, the word for caraway, even though the liqueur’s flavoring may also include cumin, fennel, or other spices.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kъmen-
“A reconstructed term associated with aromatic seed spices such as cumin.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kyminon
“Cumin, the pungent aromatic seed used as a spice.”
Classical Latin
Latin
cuminum
“Cumin; the Latin spice name inherited from Greek.”
Middle High German
German
kümin
“Caraway or a related aromatic seed; the source of later German forms.”
16th Century
German
Kümmel
“Caraway, and eventually a spirit flavored with the seed.”
19th Century
English
kummel
“A sweet, clear caraway-flavored liqueur adopted into English.”