jalapeño
Americannoun
-
jalapeños
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of jalapeño
First recorded in 1935–40; from Mexican Spanish ( chile ) jalapeño “(chile of) Jalapa ”; see also chile 1 ( def. )
Explanation
A jalapeno is a small hot pepper, and it's also the name of the plant that grows these peppers. To make salsa, you need tomatoes, jalapenos, and a few other ingredients. Most fans of Mexican food are familiar with green jalapenos, the usual stage at which they're picked. If you leave the peppers on the plant, however, the jalapenos eventually turn bright red. In English, the word is spelled either with or without the tilde accent over the n. This accent makes it clear that jalapeño is a Spanish word — and it means "of Jalapa," a place in Mexico known as the birthplace of the jalapeno.
Vocabulary lists containing jalapeno
English Words Derived from Indigenous Languages of the Americas
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World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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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:
Tossed with olive oil, tomatoes, jalapeño, feta and Parmesan cheese, the expertly al dente Rustichella rigatoni is not your everyday mac ‘n’ cheese dinner.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
They order $18 mezcal cocktails infused with shiitake mushrooms, red onion and jalapeño herb oil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
It was filled with spicy tuna, cilantro, and jalapeño, topped with more tuna, sauce, and tobiko, and it was excellent!
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
A pizzeria near the airport features a pie named for Joe Biden, though Mr. Biden found the featured jalapeño too spicy when he tried it during a visit in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
She hated fish with bones, and there was no way she was eating jalapeño and green onion hushpuppies.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
When consecutive contamination scares hit shredded iceberg lettuce and jalapeños, Sweetgreen rushed to reassure diners that it doesn’t use iceberg lettuce and its suppliers weren’t affected, and it tightened safety protocols.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
And early this month, public-health authorities said they were investigating a salmonella outbreak associated with jalapeños served at certain restaurants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
And this week brought another recall: The company pulled prepared foods, including salsa and guacamole sold under brands such as Trader Joe’s and Walmart’s Freshness Guaranteed, after receiving jalapeños connected to a multistate Salmonella outbreak.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
But the feds were two weeks late to the news: By July 20, Chipotle had already removed all suspected jalapeños from its stores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Long as there are jalapeños, count me in,” says Alex.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
