chili
n. C / Un. a small, spicy pepper used in cooking to add heat to food. It can also refer to a thick soup made with meat, beans, and these peppers.
n. the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, used as a spice to provide heat; also refers to a spicy stew typically containing meat, tomatoes, and beans.
I added a fresh red chili to the pasta sauce for extra heat.
The chef recommends wearing gloves when chopping a fresh chili to avoid irritating your skin or eyes.
While the recipe calls for a mild green chili, many local diners prefer the intense heat of the habanero variety, which measures much higher on the Scoville scale.
Borrowed from Spanish chile, from Classical Nahuatl chīlli.
Ellipsis of chili con carne, from Spanish chile con carne (literally “chili with meat”).
Countable when referring to the individual pepper; uncountable when referring to the spicy stew as a mass.