What does catnip mean?
Catnip is a hardy perennial herb, Nepeta cataria, belonging to the mint family and native to Europe and Asia though now naturalised widely across North America. Its downy, grey-green leaves and small whitish flowers contain nepetalactone, an essential-oil compound that provokes a temporary euphoric reaction — rolling, rubbing, and playful friskiness — in roughly two-thirds of domestic cats, an effect lasting only a few minutes. Beyond the familiar feline connection, the word also denotes the dried leaves and flowering tops of the plant, which have been used for centuries in herbal medicine and are still brewed today as a gentle, caffeine-free tea. In everyday usage, catnip is most often discussed in relation to pets: owners buy it as a treat, fill toys with it, or grow it in gardens. Figuratively, the phrase 'like catnip' can describe anything irresistibly attractive to a particular audience. The word is informal-neutral in register and understood universally across English.
nounA perennial herb of the mint family (Nepeta cataria) with downy grey-green leaves and small white flowers, whose scent strongly attracts or excites many cats. It is also used to refer to the dried leaves and flowering tops of this plant, which are sometimes brewed as a herbal tea.
- The aromatic herb Nepeta cataria, a member of the mint family, known for the euphoric effect its scent has on many cats.
- The dried leaves and stems of this plant, sold as a treat for cats or used in herbal teas.
"The cat rolled gleefully in the fresh catnip growing by the garden fence."
"She sprinkled a pinch of dried catnip into her cat's scratching post to encourage him to use it."
"Catnip tea has long been enjoyed as a mild, caffeine-free herbal infusion."
Rarely used; catnip is almost always treated as an uncountable mass noun. A plural may appear when discussing distinct varieties or cultivated specimens of the plant.
"Several different catnips are grown in ornamental herb gardens."
The chemical in catnip that sends cats into blissful rolling fits is nepetalactone — and it's also a remarkably effective mosquito repellent.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of catnip
The word catnip arose in English in the late Middle Ages through a simple compound of 'cat' and 'nip', where 'nip' was an older English word for a small plant or shoot — the same element found in the related name 'catmint'. The compound thus literally means 'the plant cats go for'. The underlying botanical name Nepeta comes from the Latin, associated with the Italian town of Nepete (modern Nepi), where the plant reportedly grew. Cognates within English include catmint and other 'cat-' compounds such as catkin.
How catnip is actually used
Catnip is an uncountable noun in most contexts, referring to the substance rather than individual plants; when speaking of the living herb as a specimen, it can be treated as countable. It carries no strong register — it appears equally in casual pet talk, gardening writing, and botanical texts. The word is standard throughout the English-speaking world.
Easily confused with catnip
Catmint is a closely related plant in the same genus often grown ornamentally, whereas catnip specifically refers to Nepeta cataria, the species that most strongly affects cats.