catnip

[ kat-nip ]

/ ˈkæt nɪp /

noun

a plant, Nepeta cataria, of the mint family, having egg-shaped leaves containing aromatic oils that are a cat attractant.

Nearby words

Also especially British, catmint.

Origin of catnip

1705–15, Americanism; cat + nip, variant of Middle English nep catnip, apocopated variant of Old English nepte < Medieval Latin nepta, variant of Latin nepeta

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

Examples from the Web for catnip

In a culture that worships celebrities while pretending to disdain them, the Sony emails are catnip for the masses.
The Disaster Story That Hollywood Had Coming|Doug McIntyre|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Coded references to risqué and sexual matters were catnip to the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive|Laurence Maslon|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The exchange was catnip for reporters, and Republican political operatives passed the clip around with glee.
Hillary Clinton Wants It Both Ways on Gay Marriage|David Freedlander|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That message was like catnip and I am the worst kind of kitten: I love trouble.
The Return of the Replacements: Here Comes a Regular|Elizabeth Wurtzel|September 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY Movie stars who prove they can really act on Broadway are catnip for Tony voters.
The Tony Awards Are About a Lot More Than Theatrical Excellence|Janice Kaplan|June 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The newspapers pounced on them with joy, as cats pounce and purr on catnip.
In a Little Town|Rupert Hughes
It was like throwing a cat into a bed of catnip and expecting him to be calm.
The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service|Frank Gee Patchin
The house cat, fat and lazy, had found a little patch of catnip that had started showing signs of growth.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
The lamp on the table flashed and smoked and sputtered; the room was littered with flying papers and catnip leaves.
In Search of the Unknown|Robert W. Chambers
She led this cat up to her catnip bed, and watched her kindly, while she rolled and rubbed herself in it.
Beautiful Joe|Marshall Saunders

British Dictionary definitions for catnip

catnip

/ (ˈkætˌnɪp) /

noun

another name for catmint

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 catnip

catnip

1712, American English, from cat (n.) + nip, from Old English nepte "catnip," from Latin nepta, name of an aromatic herb. The older name is Middle English catmint (mid-13c.).