catnip
/ˈkatnɪp
/noun
1A plant of the mint family, with downy leaves, purple-spotted white flowers, and a pungent smell attractive to cats. Also called catmint.
- Genus Nepeta, family Labiatae: several species.
- Chewing insects can spread the disease from weeds as they feed, so be sure to remove all nearby pokeweed, nightshade, catnip, horsenettle and motherwort.
- Unless it's the drug-like catnips and valerians, most cats ignore growing things.
1.1Someone or something that is very attractive or appealing to a particular person or group: both men are aggressive self-promoters and catnip for the media biotech stocks have become catnip to investors this year...
- They're a family whose internal squabbles have been tabloid catnip for decades.
- Pitting two actresses against one another is catnip for fans of both, you know that.
- Downton's heady blend of fab frocks and troubled relationships is catnip for women of all ages and backgrounds.
Origin
Late 18th century (originally US): from cat1 + nip, variant of dialect nep, nept, from medieval Latin nepta, from Latin nepeta 'catmint'.