# spice
## English
### Pronunciation

* enPR: spīs, IPA: /spaɪs/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɪs

### Etymology 1

From Middle English spice, from Old French espice (modern épice), an old borrowing from Late Latin speciēs (“spice(s), good(s), ware(s)”), from Latin speciēs (“kind, sort”). Doublet of species.

#### Noun

spice (countable and uncountable, plural spices)
* (countable, uncountable) Aromatic or pungent plant matter (usually dried) used to season or flavor food.
* (uncountable) The quality of being spicy.
    Synonym: spiciness
    What spice level do you want for your pad thai? I recommend mild.
* (figurative, uncountable) Appeal, interest; an attribute that makes something appealing, interesting, or engaging.
    variety is the spice of life
** 1979 April 28, Allen Young, “The Joy of Gay Lit”, in Gay Community News: The Gay Weekly, volume 6, number 39, Boston, Mass., →ISSN, page 13, column 3:Honor, a 18-year-old high school student who thinks she has it more together than her fellow students and who looks to both Leslie and Bernie to provide friendship and spice in her life.
* (uncountable) A psychoactive neocannabinoid.
* (uncountable, Yorkshire) Sweets, candy.
    Let's go daan to t'spice shop an see what they've i stock
* (obsolete) Species; kind.
* A characteristic touch or taste; smack; flavour.
* An aromatic odor.
* (uncountable, Internet slang) Erotic or pornographic material, usually written; smut.

##### Hypernyms

* seasoning

##### Hyponyms

* See also Thesaurus:seasoning

##### Coordinate terms

* herb

##### Derived terms

* allspice
* golden spice
* hunger is the best spice
* king of spices
* mixed spice
* Montreal steak spice
* pudding spice
* pumpkin pie spice
* pumpkin-pie spice
* pumpkin spice
* pumpkin-spice latte
* pumpkin spice latte
* queen of spices
* spice bag
* spiceberry
* spicebush
* spice drop
* spice fiend
* spice rack
* spicery
* spiciness
* spicy
* sugar and spice
* sugar and spice and everything nice
* table spice

##### Related terms

* five-spice powder
* herbs and spices
* spicy tooth
* variety is the spice of life

##### Translations
#### Verb

spice (third-person singular simple present spices, present participle spicing, simple past and past participle spiced)
* (transitive) To add spice or spices to; season.
* (transitive) To spice up.
** 1985 February 2, Nicholas Deutsch, “City Men (review)”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 28, page 19:City Men is pretty much the same kind of sentimental comedy spiced with wisecracks as The Women, a disappointingly familiar genre.

##### Related terms

* spice up

##### Translations
#### Further reading

* spice on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Etymology 2

Formed by analogy with lice and mice as the plurals of louse and mouse. First attested use Christopher Morley in “Morley's Magnum” (1935). Made popular by Robert A. Heinlein in Time Enough for Love (1973).

#### Noun

spice
* (nonce word, usually humorous) plural of spouse

### References

* ↑ Christopher Morley. (n.d.). AZQuotes.com. Retrieved February 01, 2019, from AZQuotes.com Web site: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1325627
* Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “spice”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

### Anagrams

* SPECI, pices, epics, sepic, Epics

## Latin
### Verb

spice
* second-person singular present active imperative of spiciō

## Lower Sorbian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈspʲit͡sɛ/, [ˈspʲit͡sə]

### Adjective

spice
* inflection of spicy:
** neuter nominative/accusative singular
** nominative/accusative plural

### Participle

spice
* inflection of spicy:
** neuter nominative/accusative singular
** nominative/accusative plural

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* spece, spis, spyce, spysce, spise, spyse, spiece

### Etymology

From Old French espice, (modern épice), an old borrowing from Late Latin speciēs.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈspiːs(ə)/

### Noun

spice (plural spices)
* spices (powders used to flavour meals or dishes):
** Spices as used as scents or to enhance the smell of something.
** Spices as used in medicinal preparations; by extension, medicine in general.
** Spices as used in alchemical preparations.
* A variety, sort, or kind of something:
** A distinct kind of creature; a species.
** A type of disease or affliction.
** A type of sinful behaviour or action; an action or behaviour in general.
** A part, especially of a discipline or line of study.
* A seeming or presence; the way something looks from the outside:
** (philosophy) The perception of something using any sense or innate ability.
** (Christianity) The communion wafer when transubstantiated.
** (rare) An appearance or image (either mental or real)
* A meal (usually sweet) incorporating spices.
* A plant which spices are made from.
* (rare) A complimentary appellation.

#### Derived terms

* spicen
* spicer
* spicerie

#### Descendants

* English: spice
* Scots: spice

#### References

* “spīce, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-24.
* “spīce, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-24.

## Old English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈspi.t͡ʃe/

### Noun

spiċe
* dative singular of spiċ