malagueta

== English == === Alternative forms === melegueta, mallaguetta (obsolete): manegete, maniguetta, maniguette, mallagetta, mellegette, malegutta, malaguetta, malagato, malaget, malagetta, malaghetta, malegetta, mileguetta, malaguette, malaguet, meleguetta === Etymology === From Portuguese malagueta, probably via Middle French malaguette, from Italian meleghetta, from Italian melega (“sorghum”) and -etta (diminutive suffix). There are various paths by which the name could have become applied to the African pepper. Medieval Latin melegeta was an Indonesian spice called after millet on the basis of the supposed resemblance of their grains. By the mid-15th century, the West African Grain Coast was known in Portuguese as costa da malagueta, whence the place name was borrowed into other languages and applied to its local products. Early English use reports that it was the local name of the spice, long preserved around Cape Palmas, which may indicate a Mande or Kwa origin, although such use is usually attributed to loanwords from Portuguese. The unrelated Brazilian pepper acquired the name from its similar piquancy. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /maləˈɡɛtə/ (US) IPA(key): /ˌmɑləˈɡweɪdə/, /ˌmɑləˈɡeɪdə/ === Noun === malagueta (plural malaguetas) Synonym of grains of paradise, the seeds or seed capsules of the West African Aframomum melegueta; the plant itself. The seeds or seed capsules of a Caribbean variety of Capsicum frutescens; the plant itself, now extensively grown in Brazil, Portugal, and Mozambique. ==== Usage notes ==== In reference to the African plant and seasoning, the spelling malagueta is more common in cooking and the spelling melegueta more common among botanists. ==== Derived terms ==== malagueta pepper, malagueta chili ==== Translations ==== === References === “malagueta, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. === Anagrams === Guatemala == Catalan == === Etymology === Borrowed from Portuguese malagueta. === Noun === malagueta f (plural malaguetes) grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta) Synonym: grans del paradís === Further reading === “malagueta”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 “malagueta”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026 == Portuguese == === Etymology === Borrowed from Italian meleghetta, from melega. === Pronunciation === === Noun === malagueta f (plural malaguetas) Guinea pepper; grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta) Synonym: pimenta-da-guiné malagueta (a very hot type of chilli) Synonym: pimenta-malagueta ==== Descendants ==== → English: malagueta → French: maniguette === References === === Further reading === “malagueta”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “malagueta”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026 “malagueta”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /malaˈɡeta/ [ma.laˈɣ̞e.t̪a] Rhymes: -eta Syllabification: ma‧la‧gue‧ta === Noun === malagueta f (plural malaguetas) malagueta (Aframomum melegueta) tabasco pepper spice === Further reading === “malagueta”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 === Anagrams === Guatemala