capsicum

noun

cap·​si·​cum ˈkap-si-kəm How to pronounce capsicum (audio)
1
a
: any of a genus (Capsicum) of tropical American herbs and shrubs of the nightshade family widely cultivated for their many-seeded usually fleshy-walled berries

called also pepper

2
: an oleoresin derived from the fruit of some capsicums that contains capsaicin and related compounds and is used medicinally especially as a topical pain reliever

Examples of capsicum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This compact cocktail kit, neatly packaged in a copper tin, contains a small batch of bold and spicy ginger syrup developed in-house with ginger, lime concentrate and capsicum for the perfect blend of sweet and spice. Anna Tingley, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023 For example, to consume enough capsicum (the active ingredient in cayenne pepper seeds) by eating chillies would be an uncomfortable experience, to say the least. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023 They're formulated with ingredients like capsicum, cinnamates, caffeine, menthol, and peppermints, which, when applied to the lips, create a plumping effect by causing temporary swelling. Lauren Dana Ellman, Allure, 18 June 2023 The active ingredient is capsicum oleoresin, which is derived from chili peppers. Cameron Evans, Outdoor Life, 6 July 2023 The signature Plump Job Complex includes ginger root oil, capsicum fruit extract, shea butter and vitamin E. Also in sheer Hot Cherry, pink Fu$$y Heat, rose nude Fenty Glow Heat, rich brown Hot Chocolit Heat, and shimmery gold Lemon Lava. Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 June 2023 For Your Spiciest Looks: Milani Keep It Full Maxxx Lip Plumper Kick it up a notch with this lip-enhancing blend of peptides, capsicum (from chili peppers), and hyaluronic acid. Lauren Dana Ellman, Allure, 18 June 2023 Both bear mace and pepper spray contain the same active ingredient, oleoresin capsicum (OC), but at different volumes. Meg Carney, Field & Stream, 11 Apr. 2023 Heinz teamed with him to make the sauces, which have a smoky flavor, notes of lemon and are made with red jalapeños, capsicum chilies and a mix of herbs and spices. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'capsicum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin (Linnaeus), earlier, a name for various species of Piper, borrowed from Middle Greek kapsikón, of uncertain origin

Note: The name capsicum was introduced into Renaissance botany by the French physician and botanist Jean Ruel, who, in De medicamentorum compositione (Paris, 1539; Basel, 1540), translated Books 5 and 6 of De methodo medendi/Theurapeutikḕ méthodos by the Byzantine physician Johannes Actuarius/Ioannes Aktuarios (ca. 1275-ca. 1328). Actuarius included kapsikón in a pharmaceutical recipe among other plants ("… item sitezium indicum, capsicum, piper longum, tenue cinamomum") apparently similar in action to ginger and galanga, but seems to indicate nothing further about it. (The Greek text of these two books has never been published.) Earlier, in his botanical and pharmaceutical encyclopedia De natura stirpium libri tres (Paris: Simon de Collines, 1536), p. 380, Jean Ruel alludes to the capsicon of Actuarius as a synonym for cardamom, so called because "… the seeds are arranged in a row, enclosed in a kind of case, as if they are collected in a capsa" ("… semina in ordinem digesta, quibusdam thecis inuoluentibus, quasi capsis congerantur"). This notion that capsicum has something to do with Latin capsa, "case, receptacle," is repeated by many subsequent authors. The botanist Gaspard Bauhin employs capsicum as a synonym for piper, "pepper" (Phytopinax, seu enumeratio plantarum, Basel, 1596, pp. 155-56), which eventually gives rise to the Linnaean usage; he proffers a completely different etymology, from Greek káptein "to gulp down, swallow up": "Kapsikón [Greek letters] Actuario, fortè quod semen comestum mordeat, à káptō [Greek letters] mordeo" ("Kapsikón in Actuarius, perhaps because the seed once eaten causes a sting, from káptō I bite"). Neither Ruel's nor Bauhin's etymologies make sense derivationally, so the origin—as well as the identity—of Actuarius' kapsikón remain obscure, at least until further examination of the original Greek text.

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of capsicum was in 1588

Dictionary Entries Near capsicum

Cite this Entry

“Capsicum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capsicum. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

capsicum

noun
cap·​si·​cum ˈkap-si-kəm How to pronounce capsicum (audio)
1
capitalized : a genus of tropical herbs and shrubs of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) widely cultivated for their many-seeded usually fleshy-walled berries
2
: any plant of the genus Capsicum

called also pepper

3
: the dried ripe fruit of some capsicums (as C. frutescens) used as a gastric and intestinal stimulant
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