pepper
Listen:Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
pepper/ˈpepə(r)/
▶noun
- 1 a pungent, hot-tasting powder prepared from dried and ground peppercorns, used to flavour food.
- 2 a climbing vine with berries that are dried as black or white peppercorns. [Piper nigrum.]
■ used in names of related plants having hot-tasting leaves, or fruits used as a pungent spice, e.g. Jamaica pepper, water pepper.
- 3 a capsicum, especially a sweet pepper.
■ a reddish and typically hot-tasting spice prepared from various forms of capsicum.
- 4 Baseball a practice game in which a fielder throws at close range to a batter who hits back to the fielder.
- 1 sprinkle or season with pepper.
- 2 (usu. be peppered with) scatter liberally over or through.
- 3 hit repeatedly with small missiles or gunshot.
- 4 archaic inflict severe punishment or suffering upon.
– origin OE piper, pipor, of W. Gmc origin; via L. from Gk peperi, from Sanskrit pippalī ‘berry, peppercorn’.
'pepper' also found in these Oxford entries:
bell pepper
- bird pepper
- bird's-eye chilli
- cascabel
- cayenne
- chile relleno
- chilli
- chilli con carne
- chipotle
- cruet
- cubeb
- falafel
- green pepper
- jalapeño
- Jamaica pepper
- kava
- kawa-kawa
- mill
- mulligatawny
- paprika
- pep
- pepper-and-salt
- pepperbox
- peppercorn
- pepperoni
- pepper pot
- pepper spray
- peppery
- pimiento
- pimpernel
- piperidine
- piri-piri
- poblano
- red pepper
- salt-and-pepper
- Scotch bonnet
- serrano
- spice
- sweet pepper
- unseasoned
- wall pepper
- water pepper
