means A common species of mint (Mentha spicata) with a cool, sweet flavor, widely used in gum, toothpaste, candy, and cooking.

from The "mint" half goes back to Latin menta and Greek mintha — and in Greek myth, Minthe was a nymph crushed by a jealous Persephone and transformed into the fragrant herb. The "spear" half is plainer: it describes the plant's pointed, spear-shaped leaves, a name in English since around the 16th century.