catnip
noun
cat·nip ˈkat-ˌnip 
1
: a strong-scented perennial mint (Nepeta cataria) that has whorls of small pale flowers in terminal spikes and contains a substance attractive to cats
2
: something very attractive
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web This book will be pure catnip for anyone with even a passing interest in Shakespeare. 
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 30 Aug. 2022 Miyazaki said that catnip and silver vine posed no risk to cats and were not addictive. Katie Hunt, CNN, 14 June 2022 Expect catnip and catmint to return year-after-year in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2022 The Bowl less so, Saint-Saëns’ ethereally poignant transitions seeming to be catnip to overhead aircraft. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022 Suitable options may include rosemary, peppermint, catnip, garlic and sage. Laura Daily, Washington Post, 6 July 2022 Despite this different reaction to damage, being crumpled-up still made catnip leaves more attractive to cats and more repellant to mosquitoes. Sam Zlotnik, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 June 2022 Inside their greenhouse lay rows of greens like sage, lettuce, kale and catnip. Saige Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 June 2022 The latter, such catnip for Google’s algorithm, crowded out their more straight-laced content. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 4 June 2022 See More
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 30 Aug. 2022 Miyazaki said that catnip and silver vine posed no risk to cats and were not addictive. Katie Hunt, CNN, 14 June 2022 Expect catnip and catmint to return year-after-year in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2022 The Bowl less so, Saint-Saëns’ ethereally poignant transitions seeming to be catnip to overhead aircraft. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022 Suitable options may include rosemary, peppermint, catnip, garlic and sage. Laura Daily, Washington Post, 6 July 2022 Despite this different reaction to damage, being crumpled-up still made catnip leaves more attractive to cats and more repellant to mosquitoes. Sam Zlotnik, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 June 2022 Inside their greenhouse lay rows of greens like sage, lettuce, kale and catnip. Saige Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 June 2022 The latter, such catnip for Google’s algorithm, crowded out their more straight-laced content. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 4 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
cat entry 1 + obsolete nep catnip, from Middle English, from Old English nepte, from Latin nepeta
First Known Use
1712, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
catnip
noun
cat·nip ˈkat-ˌnip
: a plant that is a mint with a smell especially attractive to cats
Medical Definition
catnip
noun
cat·nip -ˌnip
variants also catnep
-ˌnep, -nəp
1
: a strong-scented mint (Nepeta cataria) that has small pale flowers in terminal spikes and contains a substance attractive to cats
called also cataria, catmint
2
: cataria sense 2