peppercorn

Everyday

1. A peppercorn is a small dried berry of the pepper plant; it is ground up to make black or white pepper. tree →
2. A «peppercorn rent» is a tiny, almost free payment. tree →

In the lessons

In cooking, peppercorns are put whole into stews or ground in a pepper mill. In science and geography they are a spice that was once very valuable and traded across the world. Phrases: «whole peppercorns», «crushed peppercorns», «a peppercorn rent».

Examples

• Dad put a few peppercorns in the soup. tree →
• The pepper mill grinds the peppercorns into black pepper. tree →
• A peppercorn is about as big as a tiny pea. tree →
• Long ago, peppercorns were so valuable that people paid with them. tree →
• Green peppercorns are picked before they are ripe. tree →
• Biting a whole peppercorn makes your mouth hot. tree →

Note

Countable: peppercorn, peppercorns; one word. A peppercorn is not related to the vegetable «pepper» (capsicum, bell pepper), even though they share the name.