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

Chili Peppers Chili peppers have capsaicin, an active component linked to effects in weight loss. —Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, Rdn, Health, 13 Mar. 2025

Limited data exists to support the use of other supplements, such as B vitamins, capsaicin, magnesium, GLA, and cannabidiol, for neuropathy. —Amy Brownstein, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 7 Mar. 2025

However, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which fights inflammation and blocks pain.1 Just mix a pinch of cayenne pepper into warm water and gargle. —Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 10 Feb. 2025

Hot Peppers Hot peppers like jalapenos, habaneros, and serrano peppers contain capsaicin, which may contribute to inflammation. —Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, Rdn, Health, 3 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for capsaicin

• basin
• caisson
• chasten
• hasten
• jason
• freemason
• stonemason
• subbasin
• washbasin
• indomethacin

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