ETYM Hebrew qinnâmôn; cf. Greek cinnamomum, cinnamon. The Hebrew word itself seems to have been borrowed from some other language; cf. Malay kâjű mânis sweet wood.
Dried inner bark of a tree Cinnamomum zeylanicum of the laurel family, grown in India and Sri Lanka. The bark is ground to make the spice used in curries and confectionery. Oil of cinnamon is obtained from waste bark and is used as flavoring in food and medicine.
1. Aromatic bark used as a spice; SYN. cinnamon bark.
2. Spice from the dried aromatic bark of the Ceylon cinnamon tree; used as rolled strips or ground.
3. Tropical Asian tree with aromatic yellowish-brown bark; source of the spice cinnamon; SYN. Ceylon cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon tree, Cinnamomum zeylanicum.