Etymologically
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spicy

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Pronunciation

Etymology

It is formed from English spice + -y, from the noun with the adjective suffix.[2][3][4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Having the qualities of spice: 1562, in William Turner's Herbal;[2][4] Etymonline gives the 1560s.[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century spicy was a poets' word: Milton used it of something flavoured with spice in L'Allegro (1645), and spicy breezes (1650) and spice-bearing lands (1646) followed.[2][3] Johnson (1755) defined it as producing spice or aromatic, quoting Milton's "spicy shore Of Araby the blest".[7] Slang uses appeared in the 19th century: full of spirit or "go" (1828), smart-looking (1846),[2][8] and, of writing or talk, pointed and somewhat scandalous or improper (1844);[2][3] in dialect from Scotland to Wiltshire a spicy person or bonnet was smart or showy.[9] Etymonline dates the sense "hot in flavour", as of chilli peppers, to 1927.[3]

Timeline

  • 1562 – having the qualities of spice.[2][4]
  • 1645 – flavoured with spice (Milton).[2]
  • 1646 – producing spices.[2]
  • 1650 – of air, fragrant.[2]
  • 1828 – (slang) full of spirit.[2][3]
  • 1844 – racy, slightly scandalous.[2][3]
  • 1846 – smart-looking.[2]
  • 1927 – hot in flavour, as of chillies.[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Flavoured with spice, or having a strong, pungent flavour; hot: This curry is too spicy for me.
  2. Having the fragrance of spice; aromatic.
  3. (informal) Slightly scandalous or improper; racy: a spicy piece of gossip.
  4. Producing or rich in spices.

Word family

  • spicily
  • spiciness
  • unspicy

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  8. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)