peppercorn

Inherited from Middle English peper corn, peper-corn, pepercorn, from Old English piporcorn (“peppercorn”), corresponding to pepper +‎ corn. Compare Dutch peperkorrel (“peppercorn”), German Pfefferkorn (“peppercorn”), Danish peberkorn (“peppercorn”), Swedish pepparkorn (“peppercorn”), Icelandic piparkorn (“peppercorn”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛpəkɔːn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛpɚkɔɹn/
• Hyphenation: pep‧per‧corn

peppercorn (plural peppercorns)

1. The seeds of the pepper plant Piper nigrum, commonly used as a spice, usually ground or crushed.
2. A small, insignificant quantity; a whit or jot.
   • 1961, Book Production Magazine, volumes 73-74, page 47:

     A 75 ¢ book must look 40 ¢ better to the distributor and wholesaler, because if one peppercorn of doubt that people will pay 75 ¢ for the book gets thrown into the distribution mill, the books may never leave their cartons […]

   1. (law, attributive) A nominal consideration used to satisfy the requirements for the creation of a legal contract.

      peppercorn rent

The use of a peppercorn as consideration in legal contracts is commonly literal (even in the modern day)—frequently as a peppercorn rent—but it is invariably accompanied by a proviso that it need only be physically provided if actually demanded.

• 
  young peppercorn
• 
  Fruits of peppercorn
• 
  Dried peppercorn
• 
  varieties of peppercorn