cayenne
noun
a hot, biting condiment composed of the ground pods and seeds of the pepper Capsicum annuum longum.
cayenne
1 American
[kahy-en, key-, kahy-en]
/ kaɪˈɛn, keɪ-, ˈkaɪˌɛn /
noun
-
a hot, biting condiment composed of the ground pods and seeds of the pepper Capsicum annuum longum.
-
the long, wrinkled, twisted fruit of this plant.
-
the plant itself.
Cayenne
2
American
[kahy-en, key-]
/ kaɪˈɛn, keɪ- /
noun
-
a seaport in and the capital of French Guiana.
-
Also called cayenne whist. (lowercase) a variety of whist played with two full packs of 52 cards each.
Cayenne
British
/ keɪˈɛn /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cayenne
1750–60; short for cayenne pepper, formerly cayan < Tupi kyinha, but long associated with Cayenne
Explanation
Cayenne is a hot pepper plant. A cayenne is related to a green bell pepper, but it's much spicier. Most cayenne is eaten as a spice — seeds from the plant are dried and ground, then judiciously sprinkled in dishes like chili and Buffalo wings. In its dry form, cayenne is a bright red powder. The word cayennne was mistakenly associated with the capital of French Guiana, Cayenne, though there's actually no relation between the place and the plant. Instead, the root is the Tupi word kyynha.
Vocabulary lists containing cayenne
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"They used to have bread with every meal, which is a Mexican thing, and put cayenne pepper on everything. Absolutely everything. They both still spoke Spanish," says Martin.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
A hit of Worcestershire deepens the savoriness, and a dusting of cayenne on the finished dish offers a quiet jolt, just enough to make you notice it.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
The fried chicken is typically coated in a mixture of cayenne and paprika that singes the tongue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025
The cafe now offers six varieties and Ms Geraedts said customers loved the dish's rich, comforting flavour, seasoned with cayenne pepper, nutmeg, paprika and Worcestershire sauce.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2025
“Well, I hope you left some suitable excuse,” said her husband, somewhat appeased, as he added a dash of cayenne pepper to the soup.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
I have my doubts about making the Cayenne Electric the near twin of its gas-powered relative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
The Cayenne Electric team clearly spent a lot of its soundproofing coin around the wheel wells.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
They show the couple showing off their three dozen luxury cars, including a Mercedes Benz Maybach, a Lincoln Navigator and a Porsche Cayenne.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2025
Robots Staybehind, Sweetie, Cayenne and Hands will capture readers’ hearts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2025
The distance derived from measurements of the parallax of Mars carried out in 1671 by a French team using simultaneous observations by Jean Richer from Cayenne, in French Guiana, and Cassini from Paris.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
