pepper

plural peppers · alternative archaic piper

1. countableuncountableA plant of the family Piperaceae.
2. uncountableA spice prepared from the fermented, dried, unripe berries of this plant.
3. CanadaIrelandUKUScountableuncountableA fruit of the capsicum plant: red, green, yellow or white, hollow and containing seeds, and in a wide range of mild (sweet, nonspicy) to hot (spicy) varieties.

   Synonyms: capsicum

4. countableuncountableball gamesA game used by baseball players to warm up where fielders standing close to a batter rapidly return the batted ball to be hit again

   Some ballparks have signs saying "No pepper games".

5. countableuncountablecomputingA randomly-generated value that is added to another value (such as a password) prior to hashing. Unlike a salt, a new one is generated for each value and it is held separately from the value.
6. countableslanguncountableboxingA beating; a thrashing.

   He means to snatch the laurels from his brow, / At all his boasted pluck and prowess smile, / And give him pepper in superior style.

   1906, Henry Downes Miles, Pugilistica, page 61

   1 more example

   [T]he Chicken had been tapped, and bunged, and had received pepper, and had been made groggy, and had come up piping, and had endured a complication of similar strange inconveniences, until he had been gone into and finished.

   1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC

7. Multicultural London EnglishcountableslanguncountableA shotgun.

   Number plates already hot, and plus we've got like three peppers

   2023 June 18, “100mph Freestyle x3”, Clavish (lyrics), 3:24

   1 more example

   Chew beef like breakfast (Yum) Two shanks, get 'round in seconds (Two) Be feeding my area, peppers

   2017 January 17, “Kennington Where It Started”, Biz of Harlem Spartans (lyrics), 0:28

present singular third person peppers · participle present peppering · participle past peppered · past peppered · alternative archaic piper

1. transitiveTo add pepper to.
2. transitiveTo strike with something made up of small particles.
3. transitiveTo cover with lots of (something made up of small things).

   After the hailstorm, the beach was peppered with holes.

4. transitiveTo add (something) at frequent intervals.

   He liked to pepper long words throughout his conversation.

5. slangtransitiveTo beat or thrash.

   Rom. Courage man, the hurt cannot be much. Mer. No: 'tis not ſo deepe as a well, nor ſo wide as a Church doore, but 'tis inough, 'twill ſerue : aske for me to morrow, and you ſhall find me a graue man. I am pepper'd I warrant, for this world: a plague a both your houſes.

   c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 64, column 2

6. computingTo use a pepper (type of value used prior to hashing).
7. Multicultural London EnglishslangtransitiveTo shoot (upon) with the dotty.
8. slangtransitiveTo write accents or disambiguating marks in script.

plural Peppers

1. A surname originating as an occupation for a seller of pepper.