pep·per (p p  r)n. 1. Black pepper. 2. Any of several plants of the genus Piper, as cubeb, betel, and kava. 3. a. Any of several tropical American, cultivated forms of Capsicum frutescens or C. annuum, having podlike, many-seeded, variously colored berries. b. The podlike fruit of any of these plants, varying in size, shape, and degree of pungency, with the milder types including the bell pepper and pimiento, and the more pungent types including the cherry pepper. 4. Any of various condiments made from the more pungent varieties of Capsicum frutescens, such as cayenne pepper, tabasco pepper, and chili. Also called hot pepper. 5. Baseball A warm-up exercise in which players standing a short distance from a batter field the ball and toss it to the batter, who hits each toss back to the fielders. Also called pepper game. tr.v. pep·pered, pep·per·ing, pep·pers 1. To season or sprinkle with pepper. 2. To sprinkle liberally; dot. 3. To shower with or as if with small missiles. See Synonyms at barrage2. 4. To make (a speech, for example) lively and vivid with wit or invective. [Middle English peper, from Old English pipor, from Latin piper, from Greek peperi, of Indic origin; akin to Prakrit pippar  , from Sanskrit pippal, from pippalam, pipal.] |
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