capsaicin

noun

cap·​sa·​i·​cin kap-ˈsā-ə-sən 

: a colorless irritant phenolic amide C₁₈H₂₇NO₃ found in various capsicums that gives hot peppers their hotness and that is used in topical creams for its analgesic properties

Examples of capsaicin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But evolution is also the culprit for the tree shrew's remarkable insensitivity to capsaicin. —Amiah Taylor, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2024

Incorporate dairy: Fat and proteins can bind to capsaicin, reducing its impact. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2024

The capsaicin content peaks when jalapeños are around 40 days old, which is the perfect time to harvest. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2024

Research hasn’t looked at the effects of cayenne pepper water on human health, but there is some research to support the use of capsaicin, the active compound in cayenne. —Korin Miller, Health, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier capsicine, capsicin "material extracted from cayenne pepper," borrowed from German Capsicin, from New Latin Capsicum capsicum + German -in -in entry 1

Note: Name introduced by the British physician and chemist John Clough Thresh (1850-1932) in "Capsaicin, the Active Principle of Capsicum Fruits," The Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions, 3. series, Vol. 7 (July 3, 1876), p. 21. Thresh altered the name more or less arbitrarily, presumably to prevent confusion with the name for the earlier mixture, the impurity of which he demonstrated. German Capsicin appears to have been introduced by the chemist Christian Friedrich Buchhol(t)z in "Chemische Untersuchung der trockenen reifen spanischen Pfeffers," Almanach oder Taschenbuch für Scheidekünstler und Apotheker, vol. 37 (1816), pp. 1-30.

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

capsaicin

noun

cap·​sa·​icin kap-ˈsā-ə-sən 

: a colorless irritant phenolic amide C₁₈H₂₇NO₃ found in various capsicums that gives hot peppers their hotness and that is used in topical creams for its analgesic properties see zostrix