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:
Last night, I made one with cucumber, jalapeño, honey, sparkling water and ginger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
On the same day the FDA belatedly disclosed the jalapeño salmonella outbreak, Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet posted on social media that a college student complained to him that “a burrito shouldn’t cost $20.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The California-based company said Sunday that it was voluntarily pulling the products because they contained jalapeño peppers tied to an earlier recall by Coast Citrus Distributors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
I ordered a fat carne asada burrito that came with two delicious salsas and a grilled jalapeño.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
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
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
Based on the investigation, health officials concluded that the contaminated jalapeños were imported from the Sinaloa grower to Coast Citrus Distributors, which is based in San Diego and supplied the restaurants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
More jalapeños linked to a multistate salmonella outbreak are being recalled.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Minnesota public health authorities said they are investigating an outbreak of salmonella associated with jalapeños served at Mexican-style quick-service restaurants, with Chipotle a focus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 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.
