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chili powder

chili powder

8 1.7
A powder made from ground chili peppers and a few spices to add heat and flavor to food
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃɪli ˈpaʊdər/
  • US
translation icon : pimienta de chile
  • For a spicy twist, include chili powder in your taco seasoning mix.
  • cumin and chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder

Teaspoon of turmeric, teaspoon of garam masala and teaspoon of red chili powder.

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Examples

  • I also use two tablespoons of chili powder.

    Blog text (30)
  • To make this dish, dry pinto beans are cooked for two to four hours and seasoned with onion, garlic, and/or chili powder.

    Academic text (2003)
  • The key is to cook the black beans and the corn in chili powder and honey and it makes it taste so good.

  • Then I'm also going to add in some oregano and some chili powder as well and some salt.

  • I used garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder on both sides to taste.

    Blog text (20)
  • Stir in the chili powder, cumin, beans, and chiles; set aside.

    Blog text (20)
  • We sprinkled red chili powder over the egg slices (ten for me, twelve for him) and into the cheese.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Stir in the spices (chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano).

    Blog text (25)
  • I seasoned the ground turkey primarily with chili powder, red chili flakes, cayenne powder, and cocoa powder.

    Blog text (24)
  • To make the dish extra flavorful, I added a teaspoon of chili powder along with various spices.

Synonyms

cayenne
vschili powder
8 4.1

A hot red powder made from dried ground peppers for cooking

is a spice blend that adds other seasonings for fuller flavor
red pepper
vschili powder
1 2.1

A red ground spice made from dried chili pods and seeds

is a blended mix with other spices adding flavor as well as heat
cayenne pepper
vschili powder
1 2.7

A hot red powder made from dried chilies to add heat to food

is milder and contains added spices for flavor as well as heat

How Hot

chili powder
  • US
8 1.7
paprika
20 2.5

Surface Forms

chili powder singular
chili powders plural

Morphology

chili + powder

The meaning 'a powder made from ground chili peppers' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'chili' (a small pepper used for heat) with 'powder' (a fine, dry substance); this follows a regular noun+noun compounding pattern in English. The same compositional logic appears in many languages (e.g., Spanish 'chile en polvo'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Chili powder comes from cooking: dried chili peppers are crushed into a fine powder. Because this red dust adds strong 'heat' and 'flavor' to food, the name now means the spice mix cooks use to make dishes spicy.