camomile

[ kam-uh-mahyl, -meel ]

/ ˈkæm əˌmaɪl, -ˌmil /

noun

chamomile.

Nearby words

chamomile

or cam·o·mile

[ kam-uh-mahyl, -meel ]

/ ˈkæm əˌmaɪl, -ˌmil /

noun

a composite plant, Chamaemelium nobile (or Anthemis nobilis), native to the Old World, having strongly scented foliage and white ray flowers with yellow centers used medicinally and as a tea.

any of several allied plants of the genera Matricaria and Tripleurospermum.

Origin of chamomile

1350–1400; Middle English camamyll, camomille < Middle French, Old French camomille or Medieval Latin camomilla, for Latin chamaemēlon < Greek chamaímēlon, equivalent to chamaí on the ground + mêlon apple; allegedly so called from the applelike odor of the flowers

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for camomile

Cover yourself up well, and if you feel chilly I will make you a cup of camomile tea.
The Nameless Castle|Maurus Jkai
Though the camomile, the more it is trodden on the faster it grows, yet youth, the more it is wasted the sooner it wears.
The Mystery and Romance of Alchemy and Pharmacy|Charles John Samuel Thompson
Give it brimstone and treacle and a cupful of wormwood and camomile.
The Manxman|Hall Caine
Camomile tea is generally supposed to be good for the nerves.
December Love|Robert Hichens

His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; and she gave a doze of it to Peter!
Children's Literature|Charles Madison Curry

British Dictionary definitions for camomile

camomile

chamomile

/ (ˈkæməˌmaɪl) /

noun

any aromatic plant of the Eurasian genus Anthemis, esp A. nobilis, whose finely dissected leaves and daisy-like flowers are used medicinally: family Asteraceae (composites)

any plant of the related genus Matricaria, esp M. chamomilla (German or wild camomile)

camomile tea a medicinal beverage made from the fragrant leaves and flowers of any of these plants

Word Origin for camomile

C14: from Old French camomille, from Medieval Latin chamomilla, from Greek khamaimēlon, literally, earth-apple (referring to the apple-like scent of the flowers)

chamomile

/ (ˈkæməˌmaɪl) /

noun

a variant spelling of camomile

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for camomile

camomile

mid-13c., from Old French camemile, from Late Latin camomilla, from Latin chamomilla, from Greek chamaimelon, literally "earth apple," from chamai "on the ground" (also "dwarf;" see chameleon) + melon "apple" (see malic). So called for its scent. Old English had it as camemalon.

chamomile

obsolete form of camomile.