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Cayenne

3 stages from Tupi to English.

Today it means a hot, ground spice made from dried red chili peppers

Where does the word "cayenne" come from? It comes from Tupi kyinha, passing through French before entering English (1756).

1
Stage 1 of 3
kyinha
Tupi · pre-1500s
"a hot chili pepper"
named a variety of hot chili pepper
2
Stage 2 of 3
Cayenne
French · 1750s
"a hot ground chili pepper, named after the city"
the pepper's name was folk-associated with the French Guianese port city of Cayenne
3
Stage 3 of 3
cayenne
English · 1756
"a hot, ground red chili pepper"
borrowed into English as the pepper became a common spice in Atlantic trade
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