SPICE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does spice mean? 

• SPICE (noun)
  The noun SPICE has 3 senses:

1. aromatic substances of vegetable origin used as a preservative

2. any of a variety of pungent aromatic vegetable substances used for flavoring food

3. the property of being seasoned with spice and so highly flavored

  Familiarity information: SPICE used as a noun is uncommon.

• SPICE (verb)
  The verb SPICE has 2 senses:

1. make more interesting or flavorful

2. add herbs or spices to

  Familiarity information: SPICE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPICE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Aromatic substances of vegetable origin used as a preservative

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("spice" is a kind of...):

preservative (a chemical compound that is added to protect against decay or decomposition)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spice"):

stacte ((Old Testament) one of several sweet-smelling spices used in incense)

Derivation:

spice (add herbs or spices to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any of a variety of pungent aromatic vegetable substances used for flavoring food

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("spice" is a kind of...):

flavorer; flavoring; flavourer; flavouring; seasoner; seasoning (something added to food primarily for the savor it imparts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spice"):

five spice powder (Chinese seasoning made by grinding star anise and fennel and pepper and cloves and cinnamon)

allspice (ground dried berrylike fruit of a West Indian allspice tree; suggesting combined flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves)

cinnamon (spice from the dried aromatic bark of the Ceylon cinnamon tree; used as rolled strips or ground)

clove (spice from dried unopened flower bud of the clove tree; used whole or ground)

fennel (fennel seeds are ground and used as a spice or as an ingredient of a spice mixture)

ginger; powdered ginger (dried ground gingerroot)

mace (spice made from the dried fleshy covering of the nutmeg seed)

nutmeg (hard aromatic seed of the nutmeg tree used as spice when grated or ground)

Chinese anise; star anise; star aniseed (anise-scented star-shaped fruit or seed used in Asian cooking and medicine)

Derivation:

spice (add herbs or spices to)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The property of being seasoned with spice and so highly flavored

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

spice; spicery; spiciness

Hypernyms ("spice" is a kind of...):

taste property (a property appreciated via the sense of taste)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spice"):

bite; pungency; raciness; sharpness (a strong odor or taste property)

nip; piquance; piquancy; piquantness; tang; tanginess; zest (a tart spicy quality)

hotness; pepperiness (a hot spiciness)

Derivation:

spice (add herbs or spices to)

• SPICE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they spice    ... he / she / it spices   
Past simple: spiced   
Past participle: spiced   
-ing form: spicing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make more interesting or flavorful

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

spice; spice up

Context example:

Spice up the evening by inviting a belly dancer

Hypernyms (to "spice" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spice"):

salt (add zest or liveliness to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

spicery (the property of being seasoned with spice and so highly flavored)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Add herbs or spices to

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

spice; spice up; zest

Hypernyms (to "spice" is one way to...):

flavor; flavour; season (lend flavor to)

Domain category:

cookery; cooking; preparation (the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spice"):

ginger (add ginger to in order to add flavor)

pepper (add pepper to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

spice (the property of being seasoned with spice and so highly flavored)

spice (any of a variety of pungent aromatic vegetable substances used for flavoring food)

spice (aromatic substances of vegetable origin used as a preservative)

spicery (the property of being seasoned with spice and so highly flavored)

 Context examples 

His wine he takes hot when the nights are cold, malvoisie or vernage, with as much spice as would cover the thumb-nail.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A yellow pigment of the spice turmeric that is being studied in cancer prevention.

(Curcumin, NCI Dictionary)

There seemed a certain spice about it, such as men must feel who take delight in making pets of ferocious animals.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Lucky you, Venus will move through fellow fire-sign Aries from February 7 until March 4 and will also work to spice up your love life.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The best of us have a spice of perversity in us, especially when we are young and in love.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Thickets of green nutmeg-trees were dotted here and there with the red columns and the broad shadow of the pines; and the first mingled their spice with the aroma of the others.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

“Look, mother,” said the man, “at the beautiful bird that is singing so magnificently; and how warm and bright the sun is, and what a delicious scent of spice in the air!”

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

We passed the Straits and worked up to the Azores, where we fell in with the La Sabina from the Mauritius with sugar and spices.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Peppers are native to Mexico, but are grown in many developing countries – both as the bell pepper vegetable and chili pepper to make spices.

(Grafting helps pepper plants deal with drought, SciDev.Net)

An East Indian plant that is a member of the ginger family and is used as a spice and food color.

(Curcuma longa, NCI Dictionary)