Spice

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /spaɪs/

Definitions

1. A substance made from dried seeds, fruits, or bark used to add aroma and taste to food ; to enhance the flavor or appeal of something by adding small amounts of seasoning or excitement
2. A plant-derived material used to season or scent food and drinks ; to increase the interest or liveliness of a situation or thing
3. An ingredient from plants that imparts strong aroma and taste to dishes ; to make something more flavorful or stimulating by introducing special elements

Etymology: Spice began as a general term for goods. The Latin "speciēs" meant "kind" or "sort," and by Late Latin it had narrowed to mean merchandise, the wares traded in markets. Old French "espice" carried that trade sense forward, and it was the goods that merchants sold in the Middle Ages, aromatic and costly imports from the East, that gave the word its present meaning. The same Latin root produced "species," which is why the two are doublets: separate English words that descend from one source by different routes. Medieval English had a trade name built on the same stem, "spicer," for a dealer in such goods, a title that later evolved into the sense of a grocer. The sense of "flavoring" came from that commercial usage rather than from the original idea of kind or sort.

Synonyms: seasoning, flavoring, herb, condiment, aroma

Antonyms: blandness, dullness