Nigella
/nɪˈdʒɛlə/noun
A genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family, including black cumin or black seed.
Did you know?Nigella seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, suggesting they held importance in ancient Egyptian life or ritual.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*neǵʰ-
“A reconstructed root associated with the color black or dark”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μελανθιον (melánthion)
“A dark-seeded plant, especially black cumin; literally associated with blackness”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
nigella
“A small black-flowered or black-seeded plant; diminutive of niger, “black””
Medieval Latin
Latin
nigella
“Black cumin or related dark-seeded plants used medicinally and as seasoning”
16th Century
English
nigella
“The plant genus and its aromatic black seeds”
Modern English
English
Nigella
“A botanical genus; commonly, Nigella sativa, known as black seed or black cumin”
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