cayenne pepper

noun

: a red powder that is made from hot peppers and that is used as a spice to give a hot taste to food

Full Definition of CAYENNE PEPPER

: a pungent condiment consisting of the ground dried fruits or seeds of hot peppers

: hot pepper; especially : any of several cultivated peppers of a variety (Capsicum annuum longum) with very long twisted pungent red fruits

: the fruit of a cayenne pepper

See cayenne pepper defined for English-language learners

by folk etymology from earlier cayan, ultimately modification of Tupi k i̵ʔĩ̵já, k i̵ʔĩ̵nʸá

First Known Use: 1756

CAYENNE PEPPER Defined for Kids

noun cay·enne pepper \ˌkī-ˈen-, ˌkā-ˈen-\

: dried ripe hot peppers ground and used to add flavor to food

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