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Glite Dictionary
🧂 A common spice 🌿 A climbing vine
black pepper

black pepper

1 1.0
A climbing tropical plant that makes dark red berries used as a spice
  • noun
  • /blæk ˈpɛpər/
translation icon : pimienta negra
  • Kelly chose the grilled lamb with balsamic-black pepper sauce.

Examples

  • The recorded history of the genus Capsicum begins with Columbus, who undertook his voyage of discovery in search of (among other things) black pepper, the most valuable of Eastern spices.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The chef added freshly ground black pepper to the pasta for extra flavor.

  • You can enhance the taste of your dish by sprinkling some black pepper on top.

  • Many dishes are improved by a dash of black pepper from the grinder.

Synonyms

pepper
vsblack pepper
32 1.0

A climbing vine grown for small berries used to make the common spice

is limited to the single dark red berry variety used as the common spice
true pepper
vsblack pepper
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A climbing plant from the tropics that makes small round spice seeds used in cooking

refers to the single cultivated species with dark berries used as spice
Piper nigrum
vsblack pepper
  • Specialized
6.1

A climbing tropical plant whose small berries make black and white pepper

is the everyday culinary name rather than the scientific label
common pepper
vsblack pepper
2.3

A climbing plant from warm countries whose dried berries make black pepper

focuses on the specific cultivated berries rather than a broad common name
pepper vine
vsblack pepper
  • Specialized
6.2

A climbing or bush plant whose small fruits are dried to make a common cooking spice

focuses on the cultivated edible berry crop rather than decorative uses

How Spicy

bird pepper
  • US
8.9
black pepper
1 1.0
bell pepper
  • US
21 1.6

Surface Forms

black pepper singular
black peppers plural

Morphology

black + pepper

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'black' (a color/qualifier) + 'pepper' (the pungent spice), referring to the variety of pepper that is dark/black. This adjective+noun compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Black pepper is also the climbing plant from southern India whose small red berries grow on vines and then dry into the dark peppercorns we use. Because the vine produces the spice, the name refers to the plant 'grown for its berries'.