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
- The seeds of the plant "Piper nigrum". Commonly...
Ancestry of “peppercorn”, step by step
peppercorn traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English corn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | corn | The main cereal plant grown for its grain in a... |
| 2 | Middle English | corn | Any plant that bears grain, especially wheat; a... |
| 3 | Old English | corn | corn, a grain or seed; a cornlike pimple, a corn... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | korn | corn, grain, cereal |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kurną | corn, grain, cereal |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nóm | grain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nós | matured, grown old |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |
via English pepper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pepper | A plant of the family Piperaceae; A spice... |
| 2 | Middle English | peper | pepper; The plant that produces the fruit... |
| 3 | Old English | piper | Alternative form of pipor |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | piper | — |
| 5 | Latin | piper | pepper |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πέπερι | pepper; black pepper |
| 7 | Sanskrit | पिप्पलि | berry; peppercorn; long pepper |
| 8 | Sanskrit | पिप्पल | berry; the sacred fig, "Ficus religiosa"; a kind... |
via Middle English peper corn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | peper corn | peppercorn |
| 2 | Old English | piporcorn | peppercorn |
| 3 | Old English | pipor | pepper |