peppercorn

Meaning

1. The seeds of the pepper plant Piper nigrum, commonly used as a spice, usually ground or crushed.
2. A small, insignificant quantity; a whit or jot.
3. (attributive) A small, insignificant quantity; a whit or jot.

Synonyms

pepper

single berry of pepper

Madagascar pepper

common pepper

Translations

πιπερόκοκκος

poivre

grano de pimienta

pebre en gra

grain

loyer

grano di pepe

nietig

peperkorrel

pimenta

grão de pimenta

çekilmemiş biber

dövülmemiş biber

حبوب الفلفل

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɛpəkɔːn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: peper corn

Inherited from Old English: piporcorn

Cognate with Dutch: peperkorrel

Cognate with German: Pfefferkorn

Cognate with Danish: peberkorn

Cognate with Swedish: pepparkorn

Cognate with Icelandic: piparkorn

In summary

Inherited from Middle English peper corn, peper-corn, pepercorn, from Old English piporcorn (“peppercorn”), corresponding to pepper + corn. Compare Dutch peperkorrel (“peppercorn”), German Pfefferkorn (“peppercorn”), Danish peberkorn (“peppercorn”), Swedish pepparkorn (“peppercorn”), Icelandic piparkorn (“peppercorn”).