Peper
/ˈpɛpər/noun
An obsolete or dialectal English spelling and form of “pepper,” the pungent spice or plant.
Did you know?Pepper was so valuable in medieval Europe that it could function as a trade commodity and, in some contexts, help settle debts—though the word itself is not magical in origin.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Indo-Iranian
Sanskrit
pippalī
“Long pepper; the likely early source of the international spice name”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πέπερι (péperi)
“Pepper, probably borrowed through eastern trade networks”
1st Century BCE–CE
Latin
piper
“Pepper, the spice imported into the Roman world”
Old English
Old English
pipor
“Pepper; the spice and its plant”
Middle English
Middle English
peper
“Pepper, with spelling influenced by French and changing English pronunciation”
Modern English
English
peper
“An obsolete or dialectal variant spelling of “pepper””