catnip
catnip Lexical Profile
catnip Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A strongly scented perennial herb of the mint family (Nepeta cataria), native to Europe and Asia, known for containing nepetalactone, an essential oil that strongly attracts and induces temporary euphoric behavior in many domestic cats.
"She sprinkled a pinch of dried catnip on the scratching post to encourage the new kitten to use it."
Something that is extraordinarily attractive, fascinating, or irresistible to a particular person or group of people.
"The newly released archival footage proved to be absolute catnip for history enthusiasts."
Word Origin & Etymology
Late 18th century: formed from 'cat' + 'nip', an alteration of the dialect word 'nep' (meaning 'mint'), which ultimately derives from Latin 'nepeta'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.