monk's pepper

noun

variants or less commonly monk's pepper tree

: chaste tree

Vitex goes by the names chaste tree and monk's pepper. Both stem from its long use in Europe, where it is native, as a medicinal herb to lower the libido …—

Dan Gill, Times-Picayune (New Orleans), 28 May 2011

The researchers tested dried extract of the fruit of Vitex agnus castus, a tree found widely in southern Europe and western Asia for centuries. It traditionally was also thought to counteract sexual desire; along with chasteberry, it has also been called monk's pepper tree.—

John O'Neil, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2001

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of monk's pepper was in 1900

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Monk's pepper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monk%27s%20pepper. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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