peppercorn

American  

[pep-er-kawrn] / ˈpɛp ərˌkɔrn /

noun

• peppercorns
  plural

1. the berry of the pepper plant, Piper nigrum, dried and used as a condiment, in pickling, etc.

2. anything very small or insignificant.

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adjective

1. (of hair) growing in tight spirals.

peppercorn British  

/ ˈpɛpəˌkɔːn /

noun

1. the small dried berry of the pepper plant ( Piper nigrum )

2. something trifling

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• peppercornish
  adjective
• peppercorny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• peppercorns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of peppercorn

before 1000; Middle English pepercorn; Old English piporcorn. See pepper, corn ¹

Explanation

If you've ever filled a pepper grinder, you know what peppercorns are — they're those tiny round balls that become black pepper when they're crushed. Before they're harvested, peppercorns are berries on a vine. The plant is native to Kerala, India, but grows in many warm places, including Vietnam, which exports most of the world's peppercorns. Once dried, peppercorns are ground and used to season food. Most are black, but you can also find green, white, and even pink peppercorns, which all have slightly different flavors.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peppercorn peppercorns

The peppercorn sauce is done with all Indian spices.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

To investigate the source of mummy scents, researchers examined the air surrounding extremely small mummy fragments about the size of a peppercorn.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 16, 2026

Then came thick-cut, tableside-smoked bacon glazed with maple and peppercorn alongside a fig-topped heirloom tomato salad.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026

He said setting the limit at a peppercorn scenario would be his preferred choice but that he could accept a £250 cap due to the "risk of elongated legal challenge".

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026

Zola pinches her lips as if she has sucked on a peppercorn.

From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech

This version simmers ripe peaches with honey and whole black peppercorns until the fruit collapses and the syrup turns fragrant, floral and just a little prickly.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

The real zing comes from her addition of toasted and crushed Sichuan peppercorns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Some have the delicate crunch of fried sesame seeds, garlic or crushed peanuts, or the mouth-numbing tingle of Sichuan peppercorns.

From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2024

Soon other Chinese immigrants followed, many from Hunan and Sichuan, another southern province, known for fiery, numbing flavours produced by its tiny but potent peppercorns.

From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2024

The loin I would brine overnight, to keep the lean meat from drying out on the grill, cover it with crushed peppercorns, and then grill it fairly quickly over olive wood.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan