Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “peppercorn” come from?

peppercorn (English) comes from English corn, from Middle English corn, from Old English corn, from Proto-West Germanic korn, from Proto-Germanic kurną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nóm, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.

peppercorn (English): The seeds of the plant "Piper nigrum". Commonly...

Definitions

  1. The seeds of the plant "Piper nigrum". Commonly...

Ancestry of “peppercorn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcornThe main cereal plant grown for its grain in a...
2Middle EnglishcornAny plant that bears grain, especially wheat; a...
3Old Englishcorncorn, a grain or seed; a cornlike pimple, a corn...
4Proto-West Germanickorncorn, grain, cereal
5Proto-Germanickurnącorn, grain, cereal
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵr̥h₂nómgrain
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵr̥h₂nósmatured, grown old
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →