capsicum

[ kap-si-kuhm ]

/ ˈkæp sɪ kəm /

Save This Word!

noun

any plant of the genus Capsicum, of the nightshade family, as C. annuum, the common pepper of the garden, occurring in many varieties.

the fruit of such a plant or some preparation of it, used as a condiment and intestinal stimulant.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of capsicum

1655–65; <New Latin, equivalent to Latin caps(a) case² + -icum, neuter of -icus-ic

Words nearby capsicum

caprylic acid, caps., capsaicin, cap screw, Capsian, capsicum, capsid, capsize, cap sleeve, capsomere, cap spinning

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use capsicum in a sentence

Its last close brush with people occurred when a raven researcher doused the canine with capsicum.
The Ethics of Wildlife Photography|Mike Koshmrl|April 14, 2021|Outside Online
This is the chilli; the pepper-pods of that name, a species of capsicum; the guinea-pepper.
Mexico|Charles Reginald Enock
On the eastern declivity of the Cordilleras I found no capsicum at a greater height than 4800 feet above the level of the sea.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
It is what you would call capsicum, but it is not quite like your pepper because it is distilled from a native root.
The Daffodil Mystery|Edgar Wallace

This remedy, according to Peckolt, is an ethereal tincture of capsicum with alcohol and camphor.
Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians|William K. David
Well, I'll see old Capsicum in the course of the morning, and ascertain what mules he can let me have.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, No. 411, January 1850|Various

British Dictionary definitions for capsicum

capsicum

/ (ˈkæpsɪkəm) /

noun

any tropical American plant of the solanaceous genus Capsicum, such as C. frutescens, having mild or pungent seeds enclosed in a pod-shaped or bell-shaped fruit

the fruit of any of these plants, used as a vegetable or ground to produce a condiment

Word Origin for capsicum

C18: from New Latin, from Latin capsa box, case ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012