Everyday LifeGreek → English
Cardamom
/ˈkɑːrdəməm/noun
The aromatic seed pod of a ginger relative, used in curries, coffee and Scandinavian baking.
The Greek roots
κάρδαμον
kárdamon
garden cress
ἄμωμον
ámōmon
an eastern spice plant
Literally: “cress-spice”
The story of the word
καρδάμωμον looks like two spice names welded together, though scholars disagree over whether the compound is real or a Greek attempt to make a foreign word behave. ἄμωμον itself was almost certainly picked up along the trade route from South Asia. The plant has never grown anywhere near Greece: the pods came by ship from the Malabar coast, which is why they cost what they cost.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
- First recorded
- late 14th century
In a sentence
Crush the cardamom pods with the flat of a knife before they go in.
Her coffee is half cardamom and undrinkable to anyone else.