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Glite Dictionary
negro pepper

negro pepper

9.9
A spice from the seeds of a West African tree that adds a strong smell to food and medicine
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : pimienta negra
  • Many Nigerian dishes are flavored with negro pepper for its unique aroma.

Examples

  • The seeds of negro pepper are sometimes used in traditional medicine to treat colds.

  • I added some negro pepper to the soup for extra flavor.

  • He added a pinch of ground negro pepper to the soup to enhance its flavor.

  • Have you ever tried negro pepper in your dishes?

  • He added a pinch of ground negro pepper to the soup to enhance its flavor.

  • Many Nigerian dishes are flavored with negro pepper for its unique aroma.

  • The seeds of negro pepper are sometimes used in traditional medicine to treat colds.

Synonyms

Xylopia aethiopica
vsnegro pepper
  • Specialized
9.9

A West African tree whose strong-smelling seeds are used in cooking and traditional medicine

is the common name for the same tree used as a spice and in medicine

Surface Forms

negro pepper singular
negro peppers plural

Morphology

negro + pepper

The headword 'pepper' clearly signals a spice, and if a learner knows 'negro' as referring to 'black' or African origin they can plausibly infer this is a type or variety of pepper associated with Africa. However, the precise botanical identity (Xylopia aethiopica), its difference from common black pepper, and cultural/culinary specifics are not derivable from the parts alone, so the meaning is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Negro pepper may come from old European traders who used negro to mean 'black' because the spice's small dark seeds looked like black pepper. So the name came to mean the strong, aromatic West African spice used in cooking and traditional medicine.