Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
A small container with a perforated top used for sprinkling ground pepper.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: pepper shaker, peppershaker, pepperette
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: shaker, dispenser
noun
A mushroom, Myriostoma coliforme.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A soup made of tripe, vegetables and dumplings, seasoned with pepper.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: Philadelphia pepper pot
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A person who is hot tempered; a feisty or argumentative person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a shaker with a perforated top for sprinkling ground pepper
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: pepper shaker, pepper box
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: shaker
noun
a soup made with vegetables and tripe and seasoned with peppercorns; often contains dumplings
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: Philadelphia pepper pot
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: soup
History
The mushroom sense (sense 2) arose because the mature fruiting body of the mushroom resembles a literal pepper pot (sense 1) and the spores that fly out of it resemble the granules of pepper being dispensed. The feisty-person sense (sense 4) arose because such a person figuratively adds spice to life, like a literal pepper pot (sense 1) does.
Across languages
13 source translations are retained for this English entry.
