# peppercorn

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɛpəkɔːn/ · frequency rank #69,324

## Definitions
1. The seeds of the pepper plant Piper nigrum, commonly used as a spice, usually ground or crushed.
2. A small, insignificant quantity; a whit or jot.
3. A small, insignificant quantity; a whit or jot.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English peper corn, peper-corn, pepercorn, from Old English piporcorn (“peppercorn”), corresponding to pepper + corn. Compare Dutch peperkorrel (“peppercorn”), German Pfefferkorn (“peppercorn”), Danish peberkorn (“peppercorn”), Swedish pepparkorn (“peppercorn”), Icelandic piparkorn (“peppercorn”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/peppercorn