Piper nigrum

Pepper Pep"per, n. [OE. peper, AS. pipor, L. piper, fr. Gr. ?, ?, akin to Skr. pippala, pippali.] 1. A well-known, pungently aromatic condiment, the dried berry, either whole or powdered, of the {Piper nigrum}. [1913 Webster]

Note: Common, or black, pepper is made from the whole berry, dried just before maturity; white pepper is made from the ripe berry after the outer skin has been removed by maceration and friction. It has less of the peculiar properties of the plant than the black pepper. Pepper is used in medicine as a carminative stimulant. [1913 Webster]

2. (Bot.) The plant which yields pepper, an East Indian woody climber ({Piper nigrum}), with ovate leaves and apetalous flowers in spikes opposite the leaves. The berries are red when ripe. Also, by extension, any one of the several hundred species of the genus {Piper}, widely dispersed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the earth. [1913 Webster]

3. Any plant of the genus Capsicum, and its fruit; red pepper; as, the bell pepper. [1913 Webster]

Note: The term pepper has been extended to various other fruits and plants, more or less closely resembling the true pepper, esp. to the common varieties of {Capsicum}. See {Capsicum}, and the Phrases, below. [1913 Webster]

{African pepper}, the Guinea pepper. See under {Guinea}.

{Cayenne pepper}. See under {Cayenne}.

{Chinese pepper}, the spicy berries of the {Xanthoxylum piperitum}, a species of prickly ash found in China and Japan.

{Guinea pepper}. See under {Guinea}, and {Capsicum}.

{Jamaica pepper}. See {Allspice}.

{Long pepper}. (a) The spike of berries of {Piper longum}, an East Indian shrub. (b) The root of {Piper methysticum} (syn. {Macropiper methysticum}) of the family {Piperaceae}. See {Kava}.

{Malaguetta pepper}, or {Meleguetta pepper}, the aromatic seeds of the {Amomum Melegueta}, an African plant of the Ginger family. They are sometimes used to flavor beer, etc., under the name of {grains of Paradise}.

{Red pepper}. See {Capsicum}.

{Sweet pepper bush} (Bot.), an American shrub ({Clethra alnifolia}), with racemes of fragrant white flowers; -- called also {white alder}.

{Pepper box} or {Pepper caster}, a small box or bottle, with a perforated lid, used for sprinkling ground pepper on food, etc.

{Pepper corn}. See in the Vocabulary.

{Pepper elder} (Bot.), a West Indian name of several plants of the Pepper family, species of {Piper} and {Peperomia}.

{Pepper moth} (Zo["o]l.), a European moth ({Biston betularia}) having white wings covered with small black specks.

{Pepper pot}, a mucilaginous soup or stew of vegetables and cassareep, much esteemed in the West Indies.

{Pepper root}. (Bot.). See {Coralwort}.

{pepper sauce}, a condiment for the table, made of small red peppers steeped in vinegar.

{Pepper tree} (Bot.), an aromatic tree ({Drimys axillaris}) of the Magnolia family, common in New Zealand. See {Peruvian mastic tree}, under {Mastic}. [1913 Webster]