paprika
paprika Lexical Profile
paprika Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A powdered spice ranging in flavor from mild and sweet to smoky or pungent, made by grinding the dried red fruits of various cultivars of the pepper plant Capsicum annuum.
"The chef dusted the deviled eggs with smoked paprika just before serving them."
The mild, fleshy fruit pod of a cultivated variety of Capsicum annuum (such as a sweet bell pepper or pimiento), eaten fresh as a culinary vegetable or dried to produce the spice.
"In traditional Hungarian markets, strings of fresh red paprikas are hung outside to dry in the autumn sun."
A warm, vibrant reddish-orange color resembling the ground spice.
"The autumn leaves turned brilliant shades of gold, amber, and paprika."
• adjective
Having a vivid, warm reddish-orange color resembling the ground spice.
"She accented the neutral living room with paprika throw pillows and a matching woven rug."
Word Nuance & Usage
In American and British English, "paprika" almost exclusively refers to the ground spice, whereas in many European languages (and occasionally in English translations of Central European recipes), it also refers to the fresh bell pepper vegetable itself.
• Rhymes for paprika
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 19th century from Hungarian paprika, which was adapted from Serbo-Croatian paprika, a diminutive of papar ("pepper"), ultimately tracing back to Latin piper and Sanskrit pippalī.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.