catnip

noun
/ˈkætnɪp/

Any of the about 250 species of flowering plant of the genus Nepeta, family Lamiaceae, certain of which are said to have medicinal qualities.

Other meanings

Nepeta cataria and Nepeta grandiflora (and perhaps other species), which are well-known for causing an apparently harmless pheromone-based intoxication among certain cats.
“Some cats go bonkers over catnip; others ignore it.”
Something that causes excitement or interest.

Related words

catnipped
catnippy

Example sentences

“One of the cats got into the catnip.”
Tatoeba · shekitten · CC0

Word history

From Old English "nepte".

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “catnip” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.