capsaicin

noun

cap·​sa·​i·​cin kap-ˈsā-ə-sən 

: a colorless irritant phenolic amide C₁₈H₂₇NO₃ found in various capsicums that gives hot peppers their hotness and that is used in topical creams for its analgesic properties

Examples of capsaicin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ingredients like menthol, capsaicin, or arnica can provide a cooling or warming sensation that helps numb pain and reduce inflammation. —Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 22 Apr. 2025

These receptors may also be triggered by external irritants, such as the chemical capsaicin, which gives chili peppers their heat. —Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025

Research suggests capsaicin may increase body temperature, which may interfere with sleep.8 5. —Allison Herries, Verywell Health, 14 Apr. 2025

With a glycemic index of 15, chili peppers contain capsaicin. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier capsicine, capsicin "material extracted from cayenne pepper," borrowed from German Capsicin, from New Latin Capsicum capsicum + German -in -in entry 1

Note: Name introduced by the British physician and chemist John Clough Thresh (1850-1932) in "Capsaicin, the Active Principle of Capsicum Fruits," The Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions, 3. series, Vol. 7 (July 3, 1876), p. 21. Thresh altered the name more or less arbitrarily, presumably to prevent confusion with the name for the earlier mixture, the impurity of which he demonstrated. German Capsicin appears to have been introduced by the chemist Christian Friedrich Buchhol(t)z in "Chemische Untersuchung der trockenen reifen spanischen Pfeffers," Almanach oder Taschenbuch für Scheidekünstler und Apotheker, vol. 37 (1816), pp. 1-30.

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for capsaicin

• basin
• caisson
• chasten
• hasten
• jason
• freemason
• stonemason
• subbasin
• washbasin
• indomethacin

Medical Definition

capsaicin

noun

cap·​sa·​icin kap-ˈsā-ə-sən 

: a colorless irritant phenolic amide C₁₈H₂₇NO₃ found in various capsicums that gives hot peppers their hotness and that is used in topical creams for its analgesic properties see zostrix