a hot, biting condiment composed of the ground pods and seeds of the pepper Capsicum annuum longum.
2.
the long, wrinkled, twisted fruit of this plant.
3.
the plant itself.
Also called cayenne pepper.
Origin
1750-60; short for cayenne pepper, formerly cayan < Tupikyinha, but long associated with Cayenne
Related forms
cayenned, adjective
Cayenne
[kahy-en, key-] /kaɪˈɛn, keɪ-/
noun
1.
a seaport in and the capital of French Guiana.
2.
(lowercase). Also called cayenne whist. a variety of whist played with two full packs of 52 cards each.
French Guiana
[gee-an-uh, gee-ah-nuh] /giˈæn ə, giˈɑ nə/
noun
1.
an overseas department of France, on the NE coast of South America: formerly a French colony. 35,135 sq. mi. (91,000 sq. km).
Capital: Cayenne.
Related forms
French Guianese, French Guianan, adjective, noun
British Dictionary definitions for cayenne
Cayenne
/keɪˈɛn/
noun
1.
the capital of French Guiana, on an island at the mouth of the Cayenne River: French penal settlement from 1854 to 1938. Pop: 50 594 (1999)
French Guiana
noun
1.
a French overseas region in NE South America, on the Atlantic: colonized by the French in about 1637; tropical forests. Capital: Cayenne. Pop: 229 000 (2009 est). Area: about 91 000 sq km (23 000 sq miles)
Word Origin and History for cayenne
n.
"pungent dried pepper," 1756, from Tupi (Brazil) kyynha "capsicum," mistakenly associated with town of Cayenne in French Guyana. The town name is the French form of Guyana.