grains of paradise
The seeds or seed capsules of Aframomum melegueta, used as a medicine and spice,…The seeds or seed capsules of Aframomum melegueta, used as a medicine and spice, especially as a substitute for black pepper and in flavoring alcoholic beverages.
Meaning
2 senses(plural, usually plural)The seeds or seed capsules of Aframomum melegueta, used as a medicine and spice, especially as a substitute for black pepper and in flavoring alcoholic beverages.
Paradieskörner, Malagettapfeffer, Guineapfeffer
(plural, usually plural, uncommon)Aframomum melegueta itself, a herbaceous perennial plant native to the swamps of the West African coast.
West African plant bearing pungent peppery seeds
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From medieval spice traders claiming that the spice grew only in Eden, in order to inflateFrom medieval spice traders claiming that the spice grew only in Eden, in order to inflate prices. Cf. French graines de paradis.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: grains of paradisesSynonyms
9 synonyms- West African plant bearing pungent peppery seeds:Guinea grainsGuinea peppermelagueta pepperAframomum melegueta
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.