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Glite Dictionary
pepper family

pepper family

7.2
A family of tropical plants like black pepper vines with a strong smell and small flowers in spikes
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛpər ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de las pimientas
  • The pepper family includes the plant that produces black pepper, a common spice.

Examples

  • Many ornamental species belong to the pepper family due to their attractive foliage.

  • Did you know that the pepper family is diverse?

  • Members of the pepper family are often grown in tropical and subtropical gardens.

  • The pepper family includes many aromatic plants.

  • Black pepper is a common spice that comes from a plant in the pepper family.

  • Many spices, such as chili and paprika, belong to the pepper family of plants.

  • The pepper family includes various species known for their aromatic leaves and flavorful fruits.

Synonyms

Piperaceae
vspepper family
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of tropical plants like the black pepper plant with small flowers and a strong smell

is the common everyday name used outside formal botanical contexts

Surface Forms

pepper family singular
pepper families plural

Morphology

pepper + family

The meaning—a taxonomic group of plants that includes pepper species—is directly and transparently derived from combining 'pepper' (the plant) with 'family' (a grouping of related species). This noun+noun compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard naming conventions, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Pepper family is named after the familiar spice plant pepper and the word family, which here means a group of similar plants. So the phrase refers to a 'group of related plants' that includes the black pepper plant and others.