The word "mint" descends from the Latin word mentha or menta, which is rooted in the Greek words mintha, minthē or mintē meaning "spearmint". The plant was personified in Greek mythology as Minthe, a nymph who was beloved by Hades and was transformed into a mint plant by either Persephone or Demeter. This, in turn, ultimately derived from a proto-Indo-European root that is also the origin of the Sanskrit -mantha, mathana (premna serratifolia).
The word "mint" descends from the Latin word mentha or menta, which is rooted in the Greek words mintha, minthē or mintē meaning "spearmint". The plant was personified in Greek mytholog,y as Minthe, a nymph who was beloved by Hades and was transformed into a mint plant by either Persephone or Demeter. This in turn, ultimately derived from a proto-Indo-European root that is also the origin of the Sanskrit -mantha, mathana (premna serratifolia).