# spicy
## English
### Alternative forms

* spicey

### Etymology

From spice +‎ -y, attested since the 16th century.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈspaɪsi/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɪsi

### Adjective

spicy (comparative spicier, superlative spiciest)
* Of, pertaining to, or containing spice.
    He prepared a spicy casserole.
* (informal, of flavors) Provoking a burning sensation due to the presence of capsaicin.
    This curry is too spicy for me. I can't eat it.
** 2015 August 31, Jiyeon Lee and Sol Han, “7 super spicy South Korean dishes – and tips for eating them”, in CNN‎:This place is actually known for serving the Donkatsu of Death, aka the Drop-Dead Donkatsu, by far the spiciest dish I’ve ever endured.
** 2021 September 17, Noelle Ike, “Truff’s new white truffle hot sauce is even hotter, and perfect for amping up mealtime”, in CNN‎:That’s why we knew we had to get our hands on Truff’s latest launch: White Hotter. It’s an even spicier take on the fan-favorite (and perhaps our favorite), White Truffle Hot Sauce.
** 2024 June 2, Parija Kavilanz, “‘Swicy’ is the hottest trend in food right now”, in CNN‎:“I think we are going to see a lot more of this,” said Lyons Wyatt. “There is a push now and we do see both unit and dollar growth of spicy and swicy products.”
* (of foods, flavors, or odors) Tangy, zesty, or pungent.
    She breathed in the strong, spicy aroma.
** 1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page iv:The breath of the mountain heifer was fragrant as the gales of Sirendiep, by feeding on ſpicy herbs.
* (of expression or behavior) Vigorous; colorful; stimulating.
    He is known for his spicy political commentary.
* Scandalous.
** 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:When one side or the other had written any particularly spicy dispatch, news of it was sure to slip out.
* (Internet slang) Risky; mildly aggressive or dangerous.
    Look at the little wildcub! That's one spicy ball of fur.
* (Internet slang) Risqué, sexy, racy; mildly pornographic.
    I don't want my children to see the spicy images on this web site.

#### Synonyms

* (provoking a burning sensation): hot, spicy-hot, piquant

#### Derived terms

* neurospicy
* spicily
* spiciness
* spicy cough
* spicy pillow
* spicy tooth

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### See also

Basic tastes in English (layout · text) :
| sweet | sour | salty | bitter | spicy | savory |

### References

* Noah Webster (1828) “spicy”, in An American Dictionary of the English Language: […], volume II (J–Z), New York, N.Y.: […] S. Converse; printed by Hezekiah Howe […], →OCLC.
* “spicy”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
* "spicy" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
* “spicy”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
* Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989)
* Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary (1987-1996)

## Lower Sorbian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈspʲit͡sɨ/

### Adjective

spicy
* sleeping, asleep
* dormant (e.g. of a volcano)

#### Declension
### Participle

spicy
* past active participle of spaś

#### Synonyms

* spijucy

### References

* Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928) “spicy”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
* Starosta, Manfred (1999) “spicy”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag