sb. Forms: α. 4–8 tyme, 6–8 time. β. 5– thyme (5–7 thime). [a. F. thym (13th c. in Godef., Compl.), ad. L. thymum, in late med.L. often timum, -us, a. Gr. θύμον (θύμος), f. θύειν to burn sacrifice.]
1. A plant of the genus Thymus, N.O. Labiatæ, comprising shrubby herbs with fragrant aromatic leaves, found chiefly in the Mediterranean region; esp. T. vulgaris (Garden Thyme), a native of Spain and Italy, cultivated as a pot-herb, and T. Serpyllum (Wild Thyme), occurring on dry banks and pastures in Britain and throughout Europe. (See also b.)
α. c. 1420. Liber Cocorum (1862), 53. Saveray, mynt and tyme.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 494/1. Tyme, flowre, timus … Tyme, herbe, tima.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 65. Wo be to you pharisees, whiche tytheth myntes, rewe, tyme, & suche other small herbes.
1563. Hyll, Art Garden. (1593), 80. The Garden Time is a plant right profitable.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., II. i. 249. I know a banke where the wilde time blowes.
1653. Walton, Angler, ii. 57. Bruise … little Time, or some other sweet herb.
1713. Phil. Trans., XXVIII. 193. Lemon Tyme.
β. 1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVII. lix. (Bodl. MS.), lf. 203 b/2. Epithimum is þe floure of thyme.
c. 1425. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 644/6. Nomina Herbarum … Hic caulus, uwle (?) or thyme.
1562. Turner, Herbal, II. 155 b. Thyme hath the poure to driue furth fleme.
1637. Milton, Lycidas, 40. Desert Caves, With wilde Thyme and the Gadding Vine o’regrown.
1657. S. Purchas, Pol. Flying-Ins., I. xv. 94. Thyme, which onely yeeldeth Nectar.
1855. Kingsley, Heroes, Theseus, I. 199. The hills are sweet with thyme and basil.
b. With qualifying words, denoting various species or varieties: as creeping thyme, mother of thyme, running t. = wild t. (see 1); garden thyme (see 1); lemon thyme, † musk thyme, a cultivated variety of T. Serpyllum, having a scent like that of lemons (often called T. citriodorus); savory thyme, T. virginicus (see SAVORY 3). Also applied to plants of other genera, chiefly aromatic labiates, as BASIL thyme, CAT-thyme, HORSE-thyme; also water-thyme, a name of Elodea canadensis (Anacharis Alsinastrum).
1579. Langham, Gard. Health (1633), 636. Thyme: Running Thyme prouoketh the termes and vrine.
1597. Gerarde, Herbal, II. clxiv. § 6. 457. Called … in English wilde Time, Puliall Mountaine,… running Time, creeping Time, Mother of Time. Ibid., clxv. 459. Our English women call it Muske Time.
1676. Beal, in Phil. Trans., XI. 587. The Thymes, denominated from Mastic, Lemon, Musk, Yellow and White Thyme.
1713. [see 1 α].
2. Oil of thyme: a fragrant volatile oil obtained from the common thyme, used as an antiseptic.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v. Oil, Mr. Geoffroy made a multitude of experiments on the oil of thyme.
1857. [see THYMENE 1].
1876. Harley, Royle’s Mat. Med., 407. An odour resembling oil of thyme. Ibid., 474 [see THYMOL].
3. attrib. and Comb., as thyme-blossom, -leaf, -root; thyme-capt, -fed, flavored, -grown adjs.; thyme-camphor THYMOL; thyme fish, a name for the grayling, its smell being held to resemble that of thyme (whence the generic name Thymallus); thyme-leaved a., having leaves resembling those of thyme (rendering mod.L. serpyllifolius in specific names); thyme-oil, oil of thyme: see 2; † thyme wart (wert), used by Holland to render L. thymion, Gr. θύμιον a kind of wart (= THYMUS 2).
1821. Clare, Vill. Minstr. (1823), I. 119. This *thyme-capt hill beneath one’s feet.
1900. Ellis, Rom. Rose, I. 19/545. Her breath was sweet as breeze *thyme-fed.
1756–7. trans. Keysler’s Trav. (1760), I. 62. Very fine trouts, *thyme fish, and others.
1789. Pilkington, View Derby., I. viii. 395. Arenaria serpyllifolia, *Thyme-leaved Sandwort.
1868. Watts, Dict. Chem., V. 791. On continuing the distillation of the *thyme-oil, there passes over … a mixture of thymene (and cymene) with about 1/3 pt of thymol.
1601. Holland, Pliny, XXXII. x. 448. For the *thyme werts particularly, they vse them [Cackerell heads] raw.
Hence Thyme v., trans. to cover or scent with thyme; Thymed a., covered with thyme.
1628. Feltham, Resolves, II. [I.] xii. 32. Nor does the sedulous Bee thyme all her thighes from one Flowres single vertues.
1885. St. James’ Gaz., 17 Aug., 6/2. Upon its thymed banks.
