Capsicum Definition
kăpsĭ-kəm
capsicums
noun
capsicums
The variously shaped, fleshy, podlike fruit of any of certain cultivated plants (genus Capsicum) of the nightshade family, eaten as a vegetable or used as flavoring, and ranging in taste from sweet, as the green or red bell pepper, to hot, as the chili, cayenne, or Tabasco pepper.
Webster's New World
A plant bearing this fruit.
Webster's New World
Any of various preparations derived from these fruits, used as a condiment or, in medicine, as a gastric stimulant.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
- capsicum pepper plant
- pepper
- genus Capsicum
pronoun
A taxonomic genus within the family Solanaceae — various peppers.
Wiktionary
Other Word Forms of Capsicum
Noun
Singular:
capsicum
Plural:
capsicumsOrigin of Capsicum
New Latin Capsicum genus name perhaps from Latin capsa box (from its podlike fruit)
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
-
New Latin, believed to from Latin capsa (“box”), after the fruit shape.
From Wiktionary
New Latin, from Ancient Greek καψικός (kapsikos, “like a box”)
From Wiktionary
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