thyme

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of several aromatic Eurasian herbs or low shrubs of the genus Thymus, especially T. vulgaris, of southern Europe, having small, white to lilac flowers grouped in headlike clusters.
2. n. The leaves of this plant used as a seasoning.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A plant of the genus Thymus. The common garden thyme is T. vulgaris, a native of southern Europe. It is a bushy under-shrub from 6 to 10 inches high, with many stems, which are erect or decumbent at the base, and bear very small ovate leaves. It is of a pungent, aromatic property, and is largely cultivated as a seasoning for soups, sauces, etc. From it also is distilled, especially in France, where the plant abounds, the oil of thyme, which is considerably used in veterinary practice and in perfumery, and in the latter use often passes as oil of origanum. The wild or creeping thyme, or mother-of-thyme, is T. Serpyllum, a less erect plant forming broad dense tufts, having properties similar to those of T. vulgaris, but less cultivated for culinary use. It also yields an oil, from one of the names of the plant sometimes called serpolet-oil. (See serpolet.) The lemon or lemon-scented thyme, sometimes named T. citriodorus, is regarded as a variety of this plant. Both species, especially variegated varieties of the latter, are desirable border or rockwork plants.
2. n. Same as herb mastic (which see, under herb).

Wiktionary

1. n. Any plant of the labiate genus Thymus, such as the garden thyme, Thymus vulgaris, a warm, pungent aromatic, that is much used to give a relish to seasoning and soups.
2. n. poetic virginity, chastity.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Bot.) Any plant of the labiate genus Thymus. The garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a warm, pungent aromatic, much used to give a relish to seasoning and soups.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any of various mints of the genus Thymus
2. n. leaves can be used as seasoning for almost any meat and stews and stuffings and vegetables