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spicy

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti
Proto-Italic *spekjō
Latin speciō
Proto-Italic *-jēs
Latin -iēs
Late Latin speciēs
Old French espicebor.
Anglo-Norman specebor.
Middle English spice
English spic(e)
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Germanic *-gaz
Proto-West Germanic *-g
Old English -iġ
Middle English -y
English -y
English spicy

    From spic(e) + -y. First attested in the 16th century.

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    spicy (comparative spicier, superlative spiciest)

    1. Of, pertaining to, or containing spice.
      He prepared a spicy casserole.
    2. Of a flavor, provoking a burning sensation due to the presence of capsaicin or a similar chemical.
      This curry is too spicy for me. I can't eat it.
      • 2015 August 31, Jiyeon Lee, Sol Han, “7 super spicy South Korean dishes – and tips for eating them”, in CNN‎[1], archived from the original on 23 April 2019:
        This place is actually known for serving the Donkatsu of Death, aka the Drop-Dead Donkatsu, by far the spiciest dish I’ve ever endured.
      • 2021 September 17, Noelle Ike, “Truff’s new white truffle hot sauce is even hotter, and perfect for amping up mealtime”, in CNN‎[2], archived from the original on 29 August 2022:
        That’s why we knew we had to get our hands on Truff’s latest launch: White Hotter. It’s an even spicier take on the fan-favorite (and perhaps our favorite), White Truffle Hot Sauce.
      • 2024 June 2, Parija Kavilanz, “‘Swicy’ is the hottest trend in food right now”, in CNN Business‎[3], archived from the original on 4 June 2024:
        “I think we are going to see a lot more of this,” said Lyons Wyatt. “There is a push now and we do see both unit and dollar growth of spicy and swicy products.”
    3. Of a food, flavor, or odor, tangy, zesty, or pungent.
      She breathed in the strong, spicy aroma.
      • 1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page iv:
        The breath of the mountain heifer was fragrant as the gales of Sirendiep, by feeding on ſpicy herbs.
    4. Of an expression or behavior, vigorous; colorful; stimulating.
      He is known for his spicy political commentary.
    5. (informal, idiomatic) Scandalous.
    7. (Internet slang) Risky; mildly aggressive or dangerous.
      Look at the little wildcub! That's one spicy ball of fur.
    8. (Internet slang) Risqué, sexy, racy; mildly pornographic.
      I don't want my children to see the spicy images on this web site.
      • 2026 May 28, Amelia Gentleman, “The strange surveilled life of Piper Rockelle: why did a former child influencer decide to go on OnlyFans?”, in The Guardian‎[4], →ISSN:
        To draw followers to the euphemistically termed “spicy” paid subscription material on OnlyFans, she has to upload free content regularly on TikTok and Instagram; […] .

    Synonyms

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    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    See also

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    Basic tastes in English (layout · text)
    sweet sour salty bitter spicy savory
    sweet sour salty bitter spicy savory

    References

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    Anagrams

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    Lower Sorbian

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    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /ˈspʲi.t͡sɨ/
    • Rhymes: -it͡sɨ
    • Syllabification: spi‧cy

    Adjective

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    spicy

    1. sleeping, asleep
    2. dormant (e.g. of a volcano)

    Declension

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    Declension of spicy
    singular dual plural
    masculine neuter feminine virile nonvirile virile nonvirile
    animate inanimate
    nominative
    vocative     		spicy spice spica spicej spice
    genitive spicego
    spiceg¹     		spiceje
    spicej¹     		spiceju spicych
    dative spicemu
    spicem¹     		spicej spicyma spicym
    accusative spicego
    spiceg¹     		spicy spice spicu spiceju spicej spice, spicych spice
    instrumental spicym spiceju
    spicej¹     		spicyma spicymi
    locative spicem
    spicym²     		spicej spicyma spicych

    ¹ poetic, colloquial
    ² obsolete, dialectal

    Participle

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    spicy

    1. past active participle of spaś

    Declension

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    Declension of spicy
    singular dual plural
    masculine neuter feminine virile nonvirile virile nonvirile
    animate inanimate
    nominative
    vocative     		spicy spice spica spicej spice
    genitive spicego
    spiceg¹     		spiceje
    spicej¹     		spiceju spicych
    dative spicemu
    spicem¹     		spicej spicyma spicym
    accusative spicego
    spiceg¹     		spicy spice spicu spiceju spicej spice, spicych spice
    instrumental spicym spiceju
    spicej¹     		spicyma spicymi
    locative spicem
    spicym²     		spicej spicyma spicych

    ¹ poetic, colloquial
    ² obsolete, dialectal

    Synonyms

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    References

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    • Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928), “spicy”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
    • Starosta, Manfred (1999), “spicy”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag
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