catnip

[kat-nip]

noun

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

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

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of catnip

On the homeward way they turned into a lane and came to a clump of catnip.
A Night Out
Edward Peple
The newspapers pounced on them with joy, as cats pounce and purr on catnip.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
Catnip may be cultivated for the bees and sold as an herb as well.
Agriculture for Beginners
Charles William Burkett
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 sight of a snowstorm affects a child as the smell of catnip affects a cat.
Winter
Dallas Lore Sharp

British Dictionary definitions for catnip

catnip

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

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.).