pepper

pepper — noun

1. the hot-tasting powder from dried peppercorns that people put on food.

1.nounA2
Definition

the hot-tasting powder from dried peppercorns that people put on food.

Example

Dad ground black pepper over the eggs before breakfast.

black pepper + food

The soup needs more pepper, but no extra salt.

salt and pepper pair

Common collocations
  • black pepper
  • white pepper
  • ground pepper
  • add pepper
  • pepper and salt
Synonyms
  • seasoning

    a broader word; pepper is only one kind of seasoning

  • spice

    also broader; pepper is one common spice with a sharp taste

Grammar Patterns

add pepper to food

black pepper

white pepper

Usage Note

Usually uncountable in everyday English. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is the spice on the table, not the fresh vegetable.

Common Mistakes

I added many peppers to the soup.
I added a lot of pepper to the soup.
This seasoning sense is usually uncountable.

2. a vegetable with seeds inside and crisp flesh, often seen in yellow, red, or gre

2.nounB1
Definition

a vegetable with seeds inside and crisp flesh, often seen in yellow, red, or green colours, that people eat raw or cooked.

Example

Lina sliced a red pepper into thin strips for lunch.

red pepper

Three yellow peppers were roasting in the oven.

Common collocations
  • red pepper
  • green pepper
  • yellow pepper
  • sweet pepper
  • stuffed peppers
Synonyms
  • capsicum

    used in some varieties of English, especially in Australia

  • bell pepper

    more specific; usually the large sweet kind rather than hot varieties

Grammar Patterns

red pepper

green pepper

remove the seeds from a pepper

Usage Note

Usually countable and often named by colour or type, such as red pepper or sweet pepper. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names the fresh food before it is dried or ground.

Common Mistakes

I cut some pepper for the salad.
I cut some peppers for the salad.
Use the countable form when you mean the vegetable pieces.

pepper — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, pepper is the usual table spice made from peppercorns and added in small amounts for a sharp taste. Salt is different because it gives a salty taste, not a spicy one, and it is often paired with pepper at the table. Spice is much broader: it can mean pepper, cinnamon, cumin, or many other strong flavorings. Chili is hotter and usually suggests heat from chili peppers rather than black or white pepper. In a restaurant, say Could I have some pepper for my soup? If you want stronger heat, say Add some chili to the noodles instead.

pepper ↗salt ↗spice ↗chili ↗

Etymology

SanskritGreekLatinOld EnglishEnglish

Pepper is an old English word that came through Latin from earlier Greek and Indo-Iranian forms for a hot spice. In English it first named the spice made from peppercorns. Later, after people met New World capsicum plants, the same word was also used for those vegetables because of their sharp taste.