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

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Etymology

Origin of peppercorn

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

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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

When he told her—while she was in the shower one night—“that he would love not to live with her anymore,” he offered her the flat for what he called “a peppercorn rent.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

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

People nearby catch a glimpse of tiny cinnamon-colored ears and two peppercorn eyes peering out of the basket.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli

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

In the spice locker they found peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon, mustard seeds, coriander, sage and clary sage and parsley, blocks of salt.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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