climber having dark red berries (peppercorns) when fully ripe; southern India and Sri Lanka; naturalized in northern Burma and Assam
"This ancient pepper species, native to southern India and Sri Lanka, produces dark red peppercorns that have become naturalized as far north as Burma."
any of various tropical plants of the genus Capsicum bearing peppers
"The gardener carefully pruned the pepper plants to encourage them to bear more fruit."
pungent seasoning from the berry of the common pepper plant of East India; use whole or ground
"She sprinkled freshly ground black pepper over the steak to add a sharp, spicy flavor."
sweet and hot varieties of fruits of plants of the genus Capsicum
"The chef added a generous amount of fresh pepper to stir-fry along with garlic and ginger."
A plant of the family Piperaceae.
"The gardener carefully inspected each pepper plant in the greenhouse to ensure it was free from pests."
In plain English: Pepper is a small, round spice made from dried berries that people sprinkle on food to make it taste better.
"She sprinkled some black pepper on her steak before cooking it."
An occupational surname, from occupations for a seller of pepper.
"The judge asked Mr. Pepper to step forward, noting that he was serving his second generation in the family business."
The word "pepper" comes from Latin piper, which was borrowed into English via Old French to describe the spicy capsicum fruit because its taste reminded people of the original Old World spice. This name traveled through Middle English as peper before becoming part of modern vocabulary, while related words in Germanic languages like Dutch and Swedish share this same ancient root.