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peppercorn

American  
[pep-er-kawrn] / ˈpɛp ərˌkɔrn /

noun

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

  2. anything very small or insignificant.

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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • peppercornish adjective
  • peppercorny adjective

Etymology

Origin of peppercorn

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

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.