pepperoni

or pep·er·o·ni

[pep-uh-roh-nee]

See more synonyms for pepperoni on Thesaurus.com

noun

a highly seasoned, hard sausage of beef and pork.

Origin of pepperoni

1920–25, Americanism; < Italian peperoni, plural of peperone cayenne pepper plant, augmentative of pepe pepper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for pepperoni

bratwurst, frankfurter, banger, liverwurst, pepperoni, kielbasa, rolliche, wurst

Examples from the Web for pepperoni

Contemporary Examples of pepperoni

Roll out pizza dough, add sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes.
Epic Meal Empire’s Meat Monstrosities: From the Bacon Spider to the Cinnabattleship
Harley Morenstein
July 26, 2014
The crust was stuffed with cheese and pepperoni, Italian sausage, and bacon.
Pizza Hut’s Evil Genius
Daniel Gross
April 4, 2013
Elbow your way in for a seat—or take it to go—and then say pepperoni and all will be well.
Gal With a Suitcase
Jolie Hunt
March 20, 2010
To the left was a medium-size pizza with pepperoni and hot, bubbling cheese.
John Grisham's First Short Story: Part Two
John Grisham
October 26, 2009

British Dictionary definitions for pepperoni

pepperoni

noun

a highly seasoned dry sausage of pork and beef spiced with pepper, used esp on pizza

Word Origin for pepperoni

C20: from Italian peperoni, plural of peperone cayenne pepper

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pepperoni

"beef and pork sausage seasoned with pepper," 1919, American English, from Italian peperone "chilli," from pepe (see pepper (n.)).