Etymologically
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pepper

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpɛp.ə/ (UK); /ˈpɛp.ɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English peper, from Old English pipor,[2][3][4] an early West Germanic borrowing (compare Dutch peper, German Pfeffer) of Latin piper (“pepper”),[3][5][4] from Greek πέπερι (péperi),[2][3] probably via Persian from Middle Indic pippari, from Sanskrit पिप्पली (pippalī́, “long pepper; berry”).[3][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The pungent spice, especially black pepper: about 1000.[8][2]

Semantic evolution

Word Origins notes that the Anglo-Saxons adopted the word before they came to England, as it is found in other West Germanic languages.[7] The plant Piper nigrum is from 1398.[8] The name was applied in the 16th century to the fruits of the Capsicum family, which are unrelated and native to tropical America.[3] In Middle English, to have pepper in the nose meant to be supercilious.[3] The verb, to sprinkle as with pepper, is from the 1610s, and to pelt with shot from the 1640s.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1000 – the spice.[8]
  • 1398 – the pepper plant.[8]
  • 16th century – capsicums.[3]
  • 1610s – to sprinkle (verb).[3]
  • 1640s – to pelt with shot.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A pungent, hot-tasting powder made from dried and ground peppercorns, used as a spice.
  2. The climbing plant Piper nigrum, whose berries are peppercorns.
  3. A capsicum, especially a sweet pepper or chilli.

Verb

  1. To season with pepper.
  2. To sprinkle or scatter over; to pelt: peppered with bullets.

Word family

  • pepperer
  • pepperish
  • pepperishly
  • pepperbox
  • pepperbush
  • peppergrass
  • peppershaker
  • peppershrike
  • peppercorn
  • peppermint
  • peppery
  • pep

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press