spice

English Online Dictionary. What means spice‎? What does spice mean?

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: spīs, IPA^(key): /spaɪs/
• Rhymes: -aɪs

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English spice, from Old French espice (modern épice), from Late Latin speciēs (“spice, good, ware”), from Latin speciēs (“kind, sort”). Doublet of species.

Noun

spice (countable and uncountable, plural spices)

2. (countable, uncountable) Aromatic or pungent plant matter (usually dried) used to season or flavor food.
3. (uncountable) The quality of being spicy.

   Synonym: spiciness

   What spice level do you want for your pad thai? I recommend mild.

4. (figurative, uncountable) Appeal, interest; an attribute that makes something appealing, interesting, or engaging.

   variety is the spice of life
5. (uncountable) A psychoactive neocannabinoid.
6. (uncountable, Yorkshire) Sweets, candy.

7. (obsolete) Species; kind.
8. A characteristic touch or taste; smack; flavour.
9. An aromatic odor.
10. (uncountable, Internet slang) Erotic or pornographic material, usually written; smut.

Hypernyms

• seasoning

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:seasoning

Coordinate terms

• herb

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

spice (third-person singular simple present spices, present participle spicing, simple past and past participle spiced)

1. (transitive) To add spice or spices to; season.
2. (transitive) To spice up.

Related terms

• spice up

Translations

Further reading

• spice on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Formed by analogy with lice and mice as the plurals of louse and mouse. First attested use Christopher Morley in “Morley's Magnum” (1935). Made popular by Robert A. Heinlein in Time Enough for Love (1973).

Noun

spice

2. (nonce word, usually humorous) plural of spouse

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “spice”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• SPECI, pices, epics, sepic, Epics

Albanian

Noun

spice

1. indefinite dative/ablative singular of spicë

Latin

Verb

spice

1. second-person singular present active imperative of spiciō

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspʲit͡sɛ/, [ˈspʲit͡sə]

Adjective

spice

1. inflection of spicy:
   1. neuter nominative/accusative singular
   2. nominative/accusative plural

Participle

spice

1. inflection of spicy:
   1. neuter nominative/accusative singular
   2. nominative/accusative plural

Middle English

Alternative forms

• spece, spis, spyce, spysce, spise, spyse, spiece

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French espice, espece and Anglo-Norman spece, from Late Latin speciēs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspiːs(ə)/

Noun

spice (plural spices)

1. spices (powders used to flavour meals or dishes):
   1. Spices as used as scents or to enhance the smell of something.
   2. Spices as used in medicinal preparations; by extension, medicine in general.
   3. Spices as used in alchemical preparations.
2. A variety, sort, or kind of something:
   1. A distinct kind of creature; a species.
   2. A type of disease or affliction.
   3. A type of sinful behaviour or action; an action or behaviour in general.
   4. A part, especially of a discipline or line of study.
3. A seeming or presence; the way something looks from the outside:
   1. (philosophy) The perception of something using any sense or innate ability.
   2. (Christianity) The communion wafer when transubstantiated.
   3. (rare) An appearance or image (either mental or real)
4. A meal (usually sweet) incorporating spices.
5. A plant which spices are made from.
6. (rare) A complimentary appellation.

Derived terms

• spicen
• spicer
• spicerie

Descendants

• English: spice
• Scots: spice

References

• “spīce, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-24.
• “spīce, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-24.

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspi.t͡ʃe/

Noun

spiċe

1. dative singular of spiċ