mint [OE] Latin moneta is the source of both mint and of *money. The phrase in mint condition [L19th], ‘new or as new’, refers to a newly minted coin, and people have made a mint, or a great deal of money, since the late 16th century. The mint [OE] that refers to the plant used as a flavouring is an entirely different word, which goes back to Greek minthē which also lies behind menthol [M19th].