peppercorn

name

1. A surname.

noun

Etymology: Inherited from Middle English peper corn, peper-corn, pepercorn, from Old English piporcorn (“peppercorn”), corresponding to pepper + corn. Compare Dutch peperkorrel (“peppercorn”), German Pfefferkorn (“peppercorn”), Danish peberkorn (“peppercorn”), Swedish pepparkorn (“peppercorn”), Icelandic piparkorn (“peppercorn”).

1. The seeds of the pepper plant Piper nigrum, commonly used as a spice, usually ground or crushed.
2. A small, insignificant quantity; a whit or jot.

   “A 75 ¢ book must look 40 ¢ better to the distributor and wholesaler, because if one peppercorn of doubt that people will pay 75 ¢ for the book gets thrown into the distribution mill, the books may never leave their cartons […]”

3. A small, insignificant quantity; a whit or jot.

   “peppercorn rent”