The semantics of "peppers" and "chilis"

[weedy]

Fwiw if we are going to be semantically strict, 

then no chiles are 'peppers'. 

 

[OldHobo]

 

2 hours ago, weedy said:

Fwiw if we are going to be semantically strict, 

then no chiles are 'peppers'.

Goodness knows there's plenty of confusion about these things, even in the produce industry.

1. But a ripened dried poblano pepper is called an ancho chile.
2. A ripened dried chilaca pepper is called a pasilla chile.
3. A ripened dried and smoked jalapeno pepper becomes a chipotle chile.

Now, I don't if that's strictly correct semantically, but it's good enough for me to think straight and, sometimes even communicate clearly.

[liuzhou]

12 hours ago, weedy said:

Fwiw if we are going to be semantically strict, 

then no chiles are 'peppers'. 

 

I disagree. 'Chiles' or capsicums have been known as peppers in English for at least 200 years. So it is semantifally correct.

 

They may not be from the piper species, but the word 'pepper' is not exclusive to that species.

[weedy]

colloquially maybe

 

but the word pepper properly refers to genus piper

 

 

[liuzhou]

6 hours ago, weedy said:

colloquially maybe

 

but the word pepper properly refers to genus piper

 

 

 

What do you mean by "properly"?

 

The word  is used to refer to plants other than piper a lot more than just colloquially and has been for centuries.

 

Quote

3.3 With qualifying words, applied to various plants furnishing pungent condiments or to such condiments themselves; sometimes to plants having leaves of a pungent flavour. African pepper, (a) Habzelia (Xylopia) æthiopica or other species (family Anonaceæ); (b) Capsicum fastigiatum; anise pepper, Xanthoxylon mantschuricum of China (Treas. Bot. 1866); Ashantee or West African pepper = African cubebs; bitter pepper, Xanthoxylon Daniellii of China (Treas. Bot.); Boulon pepper = African pepper (a) (ibid.); chili pepper, (a) = pepper-tree a; (b) erron. = chilli; Chinese pepper = Japanese pepper (Treas. Bot.); clove pepper, a local English name of All-spice; Ethiopian pepper = African p. (a); Guinea pepper, (a) species of Capsicum; (b) species of Amomum: see Guinea pepper; (c) = African p. (a); Japanese pepper, Xanthoxylon piperitum of Japan and China; Java pepper = cubeb (Treas. Bot.); Melegueta pepper = grains of Paradise: see grain n.1 4 a.; monkey pepper = African p. (a) (Treas. Bot.); mountain pepper, the seeds of a species of caper, Capparis sinaica (Treas. Bot.); Negro pepper = African p. (a) (Treas. Bot.); poor man's pepper, (a) a name for species of cress (Lepidium: see pepperwort 1); (b) common stonecrop, Sedum acre; spur pepper, shrubby Capsicum, C. frutescens (Miller Plant-n. 1884); star pepper = bitter pepper (Treas. Bot.); Tasmanian or Victorian pepper = pepper-tree b, Tasmannia aromatica (Miller Plant-n.); †white pepper, an old name for salad rocket, Eruca sativa; see also 1 b; wild pepper, (a) Vitex trifolia of the East Indies (Treas. Bot.); (b) locally, common yarrow, Achillea Millefolium (Britten & Holl., 1886). See also bell-pepper, betel-pepper, bird-pepper, bonnet-pepper, cayenne pepper, cherry pepper, country pepper, cubeb pepper, goat-pepper, Indian pepper, Jamaica pepper, red pepper, wall pepper, water pepper.

 

Oxford English Dictionary (OED).