paprika
Americannoun
-
paprikas
plural
adjective
noun
-
a mild powdered seasoning made from a sweet variety of red pepper
-
the fruit or plant from which this seasoning is obtained
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of paprika
First recorded in 1895–1900; from Hungarian, from Serbo-Croatian pàprika “pepper, paprika,” derivative of pȁpar “ground pepper,” from unattested Slavic pĭprŭ, pĭprĭ (compare Old Church Slavonic pĭprŭ, Slovenian péper, Czech pepř, Polish pieprz ), ultimately from Latin piper pepper
Explanation
Paprika is a bright red spice that's made from dried bell peppers. If you've ever tasted Hungarian goulash, you're familiar with the flavor of paprika. While it's common to associate paprika with Hungarian and other Eastern European cuisines, it's actually used all over the world. You'll find paprika flavoring Spanish dishes like gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic), Moroccan lentils, and even sprinkled on top of deviled eggs at a North American picnic. Paprika is a Hungarian word from a Latin root, piper, or "pepper."
Vocabulary lists containing paprika
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:
On the other goes a coarse, olive-bar-inspired romesco made with jarred roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, salted roasted almonds and smoked paprika.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Layer in additional paprika — a blend of smoked and sweet.
From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2026
Indeed, there’s shakshuka: a popular North African and Middle Eastern dish that’s essentially eggs poached in a simmering tomato sauce spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper.
From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2026
You could, of course, build this blend from individual jars — thyme, oregano, paprika, cayenne — but these pantry workhorses are weeknight shortcuts to complexity.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2026
They got under way slicing ham, laying out fried chicken, shaking paprika on the deviled eggs.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
Add 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning and both paprikas to the sausage fat.
From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2026
Add the tomato paste, both paprikas and the rosemary; raise the heat to medium-high; and stir until the tomato paste begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2023
That’s as true when peppers are fresh as when they are dried and ground, which opens up a whole other world of paprikas, from sweet to hot to smoked.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 8, 2016
It offers tastings of all its products, including Molnar and Hodi paprikas.
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2014
Compared with her these envying lady copy cats were as pale paprikas are to the real tabasco.
From Sundry Accounts by Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
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.
