Basic+ Word of the Day: pepper

pepper (noun, verb) past tense: peppered

Pepper is the strong-smelling dried berry of a tropical shrub, used as a spice.

• The waiter added freshly ground black pepper to Alice's salad.
• Jim put salt and pepper in his soup.

Pepper is also a plant, and the fruit of this plant used as food. There are different types, some of them mild and some of them very spicy.

• Jalapeno pepper is an ingredient in Mexican dishes.
• Grandma's stuffed pepper recipe is a favorite with her family.

Pepper also means ‘to sprinkle or cover with, or as with pepper, or small objects.’

• The chef peppered the stew.
• The side of the ship was peppered with gunshot.
• The speaker peppered his talk with the names of his famous friends.

Common uses

If you see a brunet man whose hair is turning grey, you can say he has salt and pepper hair. But don’t say it too loudly; he may be sensitive about growing old.

Related words

peppermint: a mint flavor often used in candy. Example: “There were peppermint candy canes on the Christmas tree.”

In pop culture

Many people think that Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the Beatles’ best album. Enjoy the title song.

There are other meanings of pepper.