piment
/pi.mɑ̃/
The English phrase "chilli" is translated into French as piment.
piment is used to refer to the chilli pepper.
Which one should you use?
While piment refers to the chilli pepper itself, poivre refers to pepper (the spice). If you want to specify that a chilli is hot or spicy, you can use the phrase piment fort.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In regions influenced by Caribbean or Reunion Island culture, the term piment antillais is used to refer to local varieties of chilli peppers.
How does it change in a sentence?
piment is a masculine noun. The plural form is piments.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /pi.mɑ̃/ and has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The French word piment is a doublet of the English word 'pigment'. Both terms descend from the Latin word pigmentum, which originally referred to a coloring agent.
- In French culinary terminology, a piment d'Espelette is a specific variety of chilli from the Basque region that is legally protected by an AOC label.
- Although piment is the general word, French speakers frequently use the English word 'chili' specifically when referring to the meat stew chili con carne.
Examples in context
- N'oublie pas d'apporter de la coriandre, des piments et du gingembre.Don't forget to bring coriander, chilli peppers, and ginger.Tatoeba #8998590 by lbdx, translation #8999092 by shekitten
- Je vais préparer un plat épicé avec du piment.I am going to prepare a spicy dish with chilli.
- Il a ajouté du piment rouge à la sauce.He added red chilli to the sauce.
- Attention, ce plat contient du piment fort!Attention, this dish contains hot chilli!
- Ce piment est vraiment très fort.This chilli is really very strong.
- Je ne mange pas de piment.I do not eat chilli.
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are ordering food at a restaurant.
- LucasEst-ce que ce plat contient du piment ?Does this dish contain chilli?
- LéaOui, il y a un peu de piment dedans.Yes, there is a little chilli in it.
- LucasD'accord, je vais prendre autre chose.Okay, I will take something else.
- LéaBonne idée, Lucas.Good idea, Lucas.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry piment, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries piment, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
