noun
catnip
KAT-nihp
noun
1
A minty plant (Nepeta cataria) whose scent triggers playful, euphoric behavior in cats.
"We sprinkled catnip on the new scratching post to get her interested."
2
Something irresistibly appealing or exciting.
"A juicy scandal like that is catnip for tabloid reporters."
How to Use Catnip
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe plant that makes cats go wild, or figuratively, anything people find impossible to resist.
Common pairings
catnip for cats
political catnip
Word Forms
catnips plural
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Etymology
From cat + nip (an old word related to mint), reflecting the plant's powerful effect on cats.