pepperoni
pepperoni Lexical Profile
pepperoni Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A spicy Italian-American variety of salami usually made from cured pork and beef, seasoned with paprika or other chili peppers.
"We ordered a large pizza topped with extra pepperoni and mushrooms."
North American A single thin slice of spicy cured sausage.
"He picked the pepperonis off his slice because they were a bit too spicy for him."
Word Nuance & Usage
In Italy, 'peperoni' refers to bell peppers, not meat; ordering a 'pepperoni pizza' there will result in a vegetarian pepper pizza rather than the spicy salami version expected in North America.
• Rhymes for pepperoni
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Italian 'peperoni', the plural of 'peperone' (bell pepper). The term was adapted in early 20th-century Italian-American butcher shops to describe the spicy sausage seasoned with ground peppers.