pepper
PEHP-uh
Pepper (noun) means a spice made from the dried berries of the pepper plant, used to add heat and flavor to food. Example: “Add a pinch of salt and pepper before you serve the soup.”
noun
1
A spice made from the dried berries of the pepper plant, used to add heat and flavor to food.
"Add a pinch of salt and pepper before you serve the soup."
"The waiter asked if we wanted more pepper on our pasta."
"She ground fresh black pepper over the salad."
2
A hollow, seed-filled fruit of the capsicum plant, ranging from mild bell peppers to hot chili varieties.
"My grandmother stuffs green peppers with rice and cheese every Sunday."
"Be careful with that pepper, because it is much hotter than it looks."
"He chopped a red pepper into the stir-fry."
verb
1
To scatter or strike something repeatedly, as if with shot or small particles.
"Small stones peppered the window as the wind picked up."
"The old wall was peppered with tiny holes made by woodworm."
"Reporters peppered the mayor with questions after the announcement."
How to use pepper
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA hot spice from a plant, the capsicum vegetable/fruit, or (as a verb) to scatter something across or at someone repeatedly.
Common mistake
In the US, "pepper" alone usually means the ground spice; "bell pepper" or "chili pepper" specifies the vegetable. In the UK, "pepper" often refers to the capsicum vegetable by itself.
Common pairings
salt and pepper
pepper someone with questions
bell pepper
ground pepper
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Word forms
- Plural
- peppers
- Third person singular
- peppers
- Past tense
- peppered
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Add a pinch of salt and _____ before you serve the soup.
Etymology
From Old English piper, from Latin piper, ultimately borrowed from an ancient Indian language (compare Sanskrit pippali, "long pepper").
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for pepper
See all rhymes for pepper →Frequently asked questions
What does “pepper” mean?
The word “pepper” means a spice made from the dried berries of the pepper plant, used to add heat and flavor to food. In plain terms, a hot spice from a plant, the capsicum vegetable/fruit, or (as a verb) to scatter something across or at someone repeatedly.
How do you pronounce “pepper”?
“Pepper” is pronounced PEHP-uh (/ˈpɛp.ɚ/ in IPA).
How do you use “pepper” in a sentence?
Here is “pepper” used in a sentence: “She ground fresh black pepper over the salad.”
What part of speech is “pepper”?
Depending on how it is used, “pepper” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “pepper” come from?
The word “pepper” comes from Latin. From Old English piper, from Latin piper, ultimately borrowed from an ancient Indian language (compare Sanskrit pippali, "long pepper").
Is “pepper” a common word?
“Pepper” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “pepper” have?
“Pepper” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a spice made from the dried berries of the pepper plant, used to add heat and flavor to food.
What is the difference between black pepper and a bell pepper?
Black pepper is a spice made from the dried berries of the pepper plant, used to add heat and flavor to food. A bell pepper is a mild variety of the hollow, seed-filled capsicum fruit, so despite sharing the name pepper, they come from completely different plants.
What is the difference between a pepper and a chili?
Both are the hollow, seed-filled fruit of the capsicum plant, but the word pepper covers the whole range from mild bell peppers to hot varieties. Chili refers specifically to the hot varieties, so all chilies are peppers, but not all peppers are chilies.
Is a pepper a fruit or a vegetable?
Botanically, the capsicum pepper is a fruit because it is the hollow, seed-filled part of the capsicum plant. In cooking, though, peppers are usually treated as vegetables, especially milder types like bell peppers.
What is the difference between a peppercorn and pepper?
A peppercorn is the whole dried berry of the pepper plant. Pepper, in the spice sense, is what you get when peppercorns are ground down, producing the powder used to add heat and flavor to food.
