catnip
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of catnip
An Americanism first recorded in 1705–15; cat ( def. ) + nip, variant of Middle English nep “catnip,” variant of Old English nepte, from Medieval Latin nepta, variant of Latin nepeta
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bias: Catnip for eavesdroppers; I wanted to include a reality show in this list.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 4, 2019
Catnip is considered to be nonaddictive and completely harmless to cats.
From Scientific American • Oct. 5, 2018
The Stinkies Catnip Sardines are stuffed with organic catnip and made with soy-based dyes.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2017
Catnip can be as amusing to owners as it is to cats, but why do some felines seem not to care?
From National Geographic • Aug. 19, 2017
"Up you go, Catnip," he says, in a voice he's fighting to keep steady, and then he carries Prim off toward my mother.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
