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

When a substance containing capsaicin is placed on the gel, the casein in the milk powder binds with the chemical within 10 seconds, causing a decrease in the current that can easily be measured. —New Atlas, 21 Nov. 2025

While actual chilies inflict their burn via capsaicin that interacts with the pain receptors in your mouth, Sichuan pepper contains a molecule called hydroxy-α-sanshool that creates the illusion of a light touch on your lips and tongue. —Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 21 Nov. 2025

Spicier varieties contain capsaicin, a natural compound that gives the peppers their heat and has anti-inflammatory effects. —Brianna Tobritzhofer, Health, 12 Nov. 2025

Some people recommend pouring pepper sauce on seed before adding it to the feeder, or using birdseed treated with capsaicin, the chemical compound that makes peppers spicy. —Kat Merck, Wired News, 25 Oct. 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