capsaicin

noun

cap·​sa·​i·​cin kap-ˈsā-ə-sən How to pronounce capsaicin (audio)
: a colorless irritant phenolic amide C18H27NO3 found in various capsicums that gives hot peppers their hotness and that is used in topical creams for its analgesic properties

Examples of capsaicin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But evolution is also the culprit for the tree shrew's remarkable insensitivity to capsaicin. —Amiah Taylor, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2024 Incorporate dairy: Fat and proteins can bind to capsaicin, reducing its impact. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2024 The capsaicin content peaks when jalapeños are around 40 days old, which is the perfect time to harvest. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2024 Research hasn’t looked at the effects of cayenne pepper water on human health, but there is some research to support the use of capsaicin, the active compound in cayenne. —Korin Miller, Health, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for capsaicin 

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier capsicine, capsicin "material extracted from cayenne pepper," borrowed from German Capsicin, from New Latin Capsicum capsicum + German -in -in entry 1

Note: Name introduced by the British physician and chemist John Clough Thresh (1850-1932) in "Capsaicin, the Active Principle of Capsicum Fruits," The Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions, 3. series, Vol. 7 (July 3, 1876), p. 21. Thresh altered the name more or less arbitrarily, presumably to prevent confusion with the name for the earlier mixture, the impurity of which he demonstrated. German Capsicin appears to have been introduced by the chemist Christian Friedrich Buchhol(t)z in "Chemische Untersuchung der trockenen reifen spanischen Pfeffers," Almanach oder Taschenbuch für Scheidekünstler und Apotheker, vol. 37 (1816), pp. 1-30.

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of capsaicin was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near capsaicin

caps

capsaicin

capsanthin

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Capsaicin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capsaicin. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

capsaicin

noun
cap·​sa·​icin kap-ˈsā-ə-sən How to pronounce capsaicin (audio)
: a colorless irritant phenolic amide C18H27NO3 found in various capsicums that gives hot peppers their hotness and that is used in topical creams for its analgesic properties see zostrix

More from Merriam-Webster on capsaicin

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about capsaicin

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