nutmeg
Americannoun
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nutmegs
plural
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the hard, aromatic seed of the fruit of an East Indian tree, Myristica fragrans, used in grated form as a spice.
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the similar product of certain other trees of the same genus or other genera.
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a tree bearing such seeds.
noun
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an East Indian evergreen tree, Myristica fragrans, cultivated in the tropics for its hard aromatic seed: family Myristicaceae See also mace 2
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the seed of this tree, used as a spice
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any of several similar trees or their fruit
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a greyish-brown colour
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of nutmeg
1300–50; Middle English notemug ( g ) e, perhaps back formation from *notemugede ( -ede being taken as -ed 3 ), equivalent to note nut + mugede < Old French < Late Latin muscāta musky; see musk, -ate 1
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.
See Examples For:
With flavors of pear, melon, nutmeg, the wine has a long finish and pairs with just about everything.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
This super fragrant, flavorful dish features slow-cooked, fall-apart-tender buffalo in a curry with notes of clove and nutmeg.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Jamaican jerk seasoning, made with allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, is a reminder that the spice route reached all the way to the Western Hemisphere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
That classic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice, with a touch of sugar, seems to be the extent of most Americans’ familiarity with warm spices.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2026
The midwife, needing to replenish her stores of leather flasks, nutmeg, pepper, and the water in which a murderer had washed his hands, made plans to attend the Saint Swithin’s Day Fair at Gobnet-Under-Green.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
"He has just got that individual quality, hasn't he, with goals, nutmegs," Paterson told BBC Sport.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
However, it's complex flavor does taste like the very best combination of cinnamon, nutmegs, and cloves, hence its all-inclusive labeling.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2022
He then nutmegs a second challenger before taking off and sliding past two more defenders and the goalkeeper.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2021
Jesus nutmegs Vertonghen beautifully, but Kompany comes over to collect the ball and shove it out of bounds, while Jesus falls theatrically.
From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2018
He was grating nutmegs, cautiously sprinkling in cloves, and breaking up cinnamon bark.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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