jalapeño

UK/ˌhæl.əˈpeɪn.jəʊ/UK/ˌhæləˈpiːnəʊ/UK/ˌdʒæləˈpiːnəʊ/UK/ˌhæləˈpɛnjəʊ/

noun

A cultivar of hot chili pepper, Capsicum annuum.

Similar
jalapeño pepperjalap
OriginMexican Spanish jalapeño ← Spanish Jalapa ← Classical Nahuatl Xalapan →
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Meanings

nounjalapeño (plural jalapeños)

plural jalapeños · alternative jalapeno

  1. A cultivar of hot chili pepper, Capsicum annuum.

    For example, salsa and pico de gallo from Mexican cuisine sometimes include fruits like peach, mango or pineapple, balancing hot peppers like habanero or jalapeño with their sweetness.

    2024 June 6, Brooke Younger, “What Is Swicy, and Why Do You Need It in Your Life?”, in Cozymeal, archived from the original on 15 Jan 2025

    Synonyms: jalapeño pepper, jalap

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA cultivar of hot chili pepper, Capsicum annuum.

Similar
jalapeño pepperjalap
Also see
jalapeño pepper

Origin

  1. Classical Nahuatlxalli
  2. Proto-Uto-Aztecan*paC-ta
  3. Proto-Nahuan*aa-tl
  4. Classical Nahuatlatl
  5. Classical NahuatlXalapan
  6. SpanishJalapa
  7. Mexican Spanishjalapeño
  8. Englishjalapeño

Unadapted borrowing from Mexican Spanish jalapeño.

More words from Mexican Spanish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic هَلَبِينْيُو, هَالَابِينْيُو
  • هَلَبِينْيُو (halabīnyū)variety of hot chili pepper
  • هَالَابِينْيُو (hālābīnyū)variety of hot chili pepper
Chinese Mandarin 墨西哥辣椒
  • 墨西哥辣椒 (Mòxīgē làjiāo)variety of hot chili pepper
Danish jalapeno
  • jalapenovariety of hot chili pepper
Finnish jalapeno, jalapeño
  • jalapenovariety of hot chili pepper
  • jalapeñovariety of hot chili pepper
German Jalapeño, Jalapeno
  • Jalapeñovariety of hot chili pepper
  • Jalapenovariety of hot chili pepper
Hindi ख़ालापेन्यो
  • ख़ालापेन्यो (xālāpenyo)variety of hot chili pepper
Japanese ハラペーニョ
  • ハラペーニョ (harapēnyo)variety of hot chili pepper
Korean 할라페뇨
  • 할라페뇨 (hallapenyo)variety of hot chili pepper
Polish jalapeño
  • jalapeñovariety of hot chili pepper
Portuguese pimenta-jalapenho, jalapenho
  • pimenta-jalapenhovariety of hot chili pepper
  • jalapenhovariety of hot chili pepper
Russian халапе́ньо
  • халапе́ньо (xalapɛ́nʹo)variety of hot chili pepper
Swedish jalapeño
  • jalapeñovariety of hot chili pepper
Turkish jalapeño
  • jalapeñovariety of hot chili pepper
Yiddish כאַלאַפּעניאָ
  • כאַלאַפּעניאָ (khalapenyo)variety of hot chili pepper
Cite this entry
APA

jalapeño. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jalape%C3%B1o

MLA

“jalapeño.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jalape%C3%B1o. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jalapeño,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jalape%C3%B1o.

Source: jalapeño on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.