pepper

pep|per¹ S3 [ˈpepə US -ər] n

[: Old English; Origin: pipor, from Latin piper, from Greek peperi]

1.) [U]

a powder that is used to add a hot taste to food

▪ salt and pepper

→↑black pepper, ↑white pepper

2.)

a hollow red, green, or yellow vegetable, eaten either raw or cooked with other food

American Equivalent: bell pepper

→↑sweet pepper, ↑cayenne pepper, ↑red pepper

pepper ²

pepper² v [T]

1.) [usually passive]

if something is peppered with things, it has a lot of those things in it or on it

be peppered with sth

▪ a speech peppered with amusing stories

▪ The surface of the moon is peppered with craters.

2.) if bullets pepper something, they hit it several times

▪ Machine gun fire peppered the front of the building.

3.) pepper sb with questions

AmE to ask someone a lot of questions, one after the other

▪ Reporters peppered him with questions.

4.) to add pepper to food

▪ Pepper the steak well.

▪ peppered salami