peppercorn

/ˌpɛpərˈkɔrn/

/pɛpərˈkɔn/

Other forms: peppercorns

If you've ever filled a pepper grinder, you know what peppercorns are — they're those tiny round balls that become black pepper when they're crushed.

Before they're harvested, peppercorns are berries on a vine. The plant is native to Kerala, India, but grows in many warm places, including Vietnam, which exports most of the world's peppercorns. Once dried, peppercorns are ground and used to season food. Most are black, but you can also find green, white, and even pink peppercorns, which all have slightly different flavors.

Definitions of peppercorn

1. noun

   pungent seasoning from the berry of the common pepper plant of East India; use whole or ground
   synonyms: pepper

   types:

   black pepper

   pepper that is ground from whole peppercorns with husks on

   white pepper

   pepper ground from husked peppercorns

   type of:

   flavorer, flavoring, flavourer, flavouring, seasoner, seasoning

   something added to food primarily for the savor it imparts