spicy

• spicey

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈspaɪsi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪsi

spicy (comparative spicier, superlative spiciest)

1. Of, pertaining to, or containing spice.

   He prepared a spicy casserole.

2. (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.

3. (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.

4. (of expression or behavior) Vigorous; colorful; stimulating.

   He is known for his spicy political commentary.

5. 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.

6. (Internet slang) Risky; mildly aggressive or dangerous.

   Look at the little wildcub! That's one spicy ball of fur.

7. (Internet slang) Risqué, sexy, racy; mildly pornographic.

   I don't want my children to see the spicy images on this web site.

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

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

• spicy in An American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, 1828.
• “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)

• IPA^(key): /ˈspʲit͡sɨ/

spicy

1. sleeping, asleep
2. dormant (e.g. of a volcano)

spicy

1. past active participle of spaś

• spijucy

• 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