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Glite Dictionary
Java pepper

Java pepper

8.7
A spice from a tropical shrubby vine that adds a hot, fruity taste to food
  • noun
translation icon : pimienta de Java
  • The chef used Java pepper to give the curry a distinctive flavor.

Examples

  • Historically, Java pepper was a highly prized spice in the spice trade.

  • Botanists studied the growth patterns of Java pepper in tropical climates.

  • I love using Java pepper in my cooking.

  • Have you ever tried Java pepper in a dish?

  • The chef used Java pepper to give the curry a distinctive flavor.

  • Historically, Java pepper was a highly prized spice in the spice trade.

  • I love using Java pepper in my cooking.

Synonyms

cubeb
vsJava pepper
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical plant that produces spicy berries used for cooking and medicine

is a regional common name for the same spice vine
cubeb vine
vsJava pepper
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical vine that makes peppery berries used as a spice and medicine

is used mainly for the spicy berrylike fruits rather than the plant
Piper cubeba
vsJava pepper
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical vine that makes strong, pepper-like fruits used as a spice and in traditional medicine

is the regional common name used in everyday cooking

Surface Forms

Java pepper singular
Java peppers plural

Morphology

Java + pepper

The compound combines a place name ('Java') with a common noun ('pepper') to indicate a type or origin of pepper, so its meaning (a pepper associated with Java) is directly derivable from the parts. This place+product compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Java pepper comes from the island Java and the small, spicy berries that look like pepper. These berries were used as a 'spice', so the name now means a shrub that produces pepper-like fruits used for flavor.