cinnamon

The word “cinnamon” means a spice made from the dried, curled bark of a tropical evergreen tree, sold as sticks or ground into powder. In plain terms, a common sweet-spicy spice from tree bark, also used as a colour name.

“Cinnamon” is pronounced SIHN-uh-muhn (/ˈsɪn.ə.mən/ in IPA).

Here is “cinnamon” used in a sentence: “She sprinkled cinnamon over the porridge.”

Depending on how it is used, “cinnamon” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “cinnamon” comes from Latin. From Old French cinnamone, from Latin cinnamomum, from Greek kinnamomon — ultimately traced by ancient writers to a Phoenician word, related to Hebrew qinnamon.

“Cinnamon” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Cinnamon” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a spice made from the dried, curled bark of a tropical evergreen tree, sold as sticks or ground into powder.

Cinnamon and cassia are related spices from the bark of tropical evergreen trees, but true cinnamon is generally milder and sweeter, while cassia tends to be stronger and more pungent. In many countries, what is sold as ground "cinnamon" is actually cassia, since it is cheaper and more widely available.

Cinnamon refers both to the spice made from tree bark and to a warm, reddish-brown colour named after it. The colour sense is commonly used to describe hair, fur, or fabric with a similar reddish-brown shade.

Cinnamon is sold both ways: as curled sticks of dried bark, sometimes called quills, and as a ground powder. Sticks are often used to infuse liquids like tea or mulled wine, while ground cinnamon is common in baking.