Jean Nicot (1530 - 1600) was a French diplomat and scholar.

Born in Nîmes, in the south of France, he was French ambassador in Lisbon, Portugal from 1559 to 1561.

In 1560, he introduced tobacco in the form of snuff to the French court. The tobacco plant, Nicotiana, also a flowering garden plant, is named after him, as is nicotine.

Jean Nicot also compiled one of the first French dictionaries Thresor de la langue françoyse tant ancienne que moderne (published in 1606).

External links

• Website dedicated to Nico's Thresor (in French)
• Search the Thresor online