English
thyme
Thyme comes from Latin thymum, and perhaps goes back to Ancient Greek θύω ‘to smoke’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθύω1thúō‘to smoke’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθύμον2thúmon
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEthymum2
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400thym2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tyme2
- Englishtodaythyme2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek θύμον, which cites Beekes
- 2 Wiktionary, English thyme
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθύωWiktionary, Ancient Greek θύμον, which cites Beekesthúō‘to smoke’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθύμονWiktionary, English thymethúmon
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEthymumWiktionary, English thyme
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400thymWiktionary, English thyme
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tymeWiktionary, English thyme
- EnglishtodaythymeWiktionary, English thyme
Linked words
through Middle English tyme
Today it means
noun Any plant of the labiate genus Thymus, such as garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris), a warm, pungent aromatic, that is much used to give a relish to seasoning and soups.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “thyme”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek θύμον. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek θύω / thyme