grains of paradise
noun
Forms grain of paradise grains o' paradise
- noun The seeds or seed capsules of Aframomum melegueta, used as a medicine and spice, especially as a substitute for black pepper and in flavoring alcoholic beverages.
- noun (uncommon) Aframomum melegueta itself, a herbaceous perennial plant native to the swamps of the West African coast.
Synonyms
guinea grains Guinea pepper malagueta melegueta alligator pepper malagueta pepper cardamom melagueta pepper Aframomum melegueta
Etymology
From medieval spice traders claiming that the spice grew only in Eden, in order to inflate prices. Cf. French graines de paradis.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “grains of paradise”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details