grains of paradise

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
grains of paradise
    n 1: West African plant bearing pungent peppery seeds [syn:
         {grains of paradise}, {Guinea grains}, {Guinea pepper},
         {melagueta pepper}, {Aframomum melegueta}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Grain \Grain\ (gr[=a]n), n. [F. grain, L. granum, grain, seed,
   small kernel, small particle. See {Corn}, and cf. {Garner},
   n., {Garnet}, {Gram} the chick-pea, {Granule}, {Kernel.}]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. A single small hard seed; a kernel, especially of those
      plants, like wheat, whose seeds are used for food.
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   2. The fruit of certain grasses which furnish the chief food
      of man, as corn, wheat, rye, oats, etc., or the plants
      themselves; -- used collectively.
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            Storehouses crammed with grain.       --Shak.
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   3. Any small, hard particle, as of sand, sugar, salt, etc.;
      hence, any minute portion or particle; as, a grain of
      gunpowder, of pollen, of starch, of sense, of wit, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

            I . . . with a grain of manhood well resolved.
                                                  --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. The unit of the English system of weights; -- so called
      because considered equal to the average of grains taken
      from the middle of the ears of wheat. 7,000 grains
      constitute the pound avoirdupois, and 5,760 grains the
      pound troy. A grain is equal to .0648 gram. See {Gram.}
      [1913 Webster]

   5. A reddish dye made from the coccus insect, or kermes;
      hence, a red color of any tint or hue, as crimson,
      scarlet, etc.; sometimes used by the poets as equivalent
      to {Tyrian purple}.
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            All in a robe of darkest grain.       --Milton.
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            Doing as the dyers do, who, having first dipped
            their silks in colors of less value, then give' them
            the last tincture of crimson in grain. --Quoted by
                                                  Coleridge,
                                                  preface to
                                                  Aids to
                                                  Reflection.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. The composite particles of any substance; that arrangement
      of the particles of any body which determines its
      comparative roughness or hardness; texture; as, marble,
      sugar, sandstone, etc., of fine grain.
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            Hard box, and linden of a softer grain. --Dryden.
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   7. The direction, arrangement, or appearance of the fibers in
      wood, or of the strata in stone, slate, etc.
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            Knots, by the conflux of meeting sap,
            Infect the sound pine and divert his grain
            Tortive and errant from his course of growth.
                                                  --Shak.
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   8. The fiber which forms the substance of wood or of any
      fibrous material.
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   9. The hair side of a piece of leather, or the marking on
      that side. --Knight.
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   10. pl. The remains of grain, etc., after brewing or
       distillation; hence, any residuum. Also called {draff}.
       [1913 Webster]

   11. (Bot.) A rounded prominence on the back of a sepal, as in
       the common dock. See {Grained}, a., 4.
       [1913 Webster]

   12. Temper; natural disposition; inclination. [Obs.]
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             Brothers . . . not united in grain.  --Hayward.
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   13. A sort of spice, the grain of paradise. [Obs.]
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             He cheweth grain and licorice,
             To smellen sweet.                    --Chaucer.
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   {Against the grain}, against or across the direction of the
      fibers; hence, against one's wishes or tastes;
      unwillingly; unpleasantly; reluctantly; with difficulty.
      --Swift. --Saintsbury.

   {A grain of allowance}, a slight indulgence or latitude a
      small allowance.

   {Grain binder}, an attachment to a harvester for binding the
      grain into sheaves.

   {Grain colors}, dyes made from the coccus or kermes insect.
      

   {Grain leather}.
       (a) Dressed horse hides.
       (b) Goat, seal, and other skins blacked on the grain side
           for women's shoes, etc.

   {Grain moth} (Zool.), one of several small moths, of the
      family {Tineid[ae]} (as {Tinea granella} and {Butalis
      cerealella}), whose larv[ae] devour grain in storehouses.
      

   {Grain side} (Leather), the side of a skin or hide from which
      the hair has been removed; -- opposed to {flesh side.}

   {Grains of paradise}, the seeds of a species of amomum.

   {grain tin}, crystalline tin ore metallic tin smelted with
      charcoal.

   {Grain weevil} (Zool.), a small red weevil ({Sitophilus
      granarius}), which destroys stored wheat and other grain,
      by eating out the interior.

   {Grain worm} (Zool.), the larva of the grain moth. See {grain
      moth}, above.

   {In grain}, of a fast color; deeply seated; fixed; innate;
      genuine. "Anguish in grain." --Herbert.

   {To dye in grain}, to dye of a fast color by means of the
      coccus or kermes grain [see {Grain}, n., 5]; hence, to dye
      firmly; also, to dye in the wool, or in the raw material.
      See under {Dye.}
      [1913 Webster]

            The red roses flush up in her cheeks . . .
            Likce crimson dyed in grain.          --Spenser.

   {To go against the grain of} (a person), to be repugnant to;
      to vex, irritate, mortify, or trouble.
      [1913 Webster]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Paradise \Par"a*dise\ (p[a^]r"[.a]*d[imac]s), n. [OE. & F.
   paradis, L. paradisus, fr. Gr. para`deisos park, paradise,
   fr. Zend pairida[=e]za an inclosure; pairi around (akin to
   Gr. peri`) + diz to throw up, pile up; cf. Skr. dih to smear,
   and E. dough. Cf. {Parvis}.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. The garden of Eden, in which Adam and Eve were placed
      after their creation.
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   2. The abode of sanctified souls after death.
      [1913 Webster]

            To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise. --Luke
                                                  xxiii. 43.
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            It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
            Singing in Paradise.                  --Longfellow.
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   3. A place of bliss; a region of supreme felicity or delight;
      hence, a state of happiness.
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            The earth
            Shall be all paradise.                --Milton.
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            Wrapt in the very paradise of some creative vision.
                                                  --Beaconsfield.
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   4. (Arch.) An open space within a monastery or adjoining a
      church, as the space within a cloister, the open court
      before a basilica, etc.
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   5. A churchyard or cemetery. [Obs.] --Oxf. Gloss.
      [1913 Webster]

   {Fool's paradise}. See under {Fool}, and {Limbo}.

   {Grains of paradise}. (Bot.) See {Melequeta pepper}, under
      {Pepper}.

   {Paradise bird}. (Zool.) Same as {Bird of paradise}. Among
      the most beautiful species are the superb ({Lophorina
      superba}); the magnificent ({Diphyllodes magnifica}); and
      the six-shafted paradise bird ({Parotia sefilata}). The
      long-billed paradise birds ({Epimachin[ae]}) also include
      some highly ornamental species, as the twelve-wired
      paradise bird ({Seleucides alba}), which is black, yellow,
      and white, with six long breast feathers on each side,
      ending in long, slender filaments. See {Bird of paradise}
      in the Vocabulary.

   {Paradise fish} (Zool.), a beautiful fresh-water Asiatic fish
      ({Macropodus viridiauratus}) having very large fins. It is
      often kept alive as an ornamental fish.

   {Paradise flycatcher} (Zool.), any flycatcher of the genus
      {Terpsiphone}, having the middle tail feathers extremely
      elongated. The adult male of {Terpsiphone paradisi} is
      white, with the head glossy dark green, and crested.

   {Paradise grackle} (Zool.), a very beautiful bird of New
      Guinea, of the genus {Astrapia}, having dark velvety
      plumage with brilliant metallic tints.

   {Paradise nut} (Bot.), the sapucaia nut. See {Sapucaia nut}.
      [Local, U. S.]

   {Paradise whidah bird}. (Zool.) See {Whidah}.
      [1913 Webster]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Pepper \Pep"per\ (p[e^]p"p[~e]r), n. [OE. peper, AS. pipor, L.
   piper, fr. Gr. pe`peri, pi`peri, akin to Skr. pippala,
   pippali.]
   1. A well-known, pungently aromatic condiment, the dried
      berry, either whole or powdered, of the {Piper nigrum}.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: {Common pepper}, or {black pepper}, is made from the
         whole berry, dried just before maturity; {white pepper}
         is made from the ripe berry after the outer skin has
         been removed by maceration and friction. It has less of
         the peculiar properties of the plant than the black
         pepper. Pepper is used in medicine as a carminative
         stimulant.
         [1913 Webster]

   2. (Bot.) The plant which yields pepper, an East Indian woody
      climber ({Piper nigrum}), with ovate leaves and apetalous
      flowers in spikes opposite the leaves. The berries are red
      when ripe. Also, by extension, any one of the several
      hundred species of the genus {Piper}, widely dispersed
      throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the
      earth.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Any plant of the genus {Capsicum} (of the {Solanaceae}
      family, which are unrelated to {Piper}), and its fruit;
      red pepper; chili pepper; as, the {bell pepper} and the
      {jalapeno pepper} (both {Capsicum annuum}) and the
      {habanero pepper} ({Capsicum chinense}); . These contain
      varying levels of the substance {capsaicin} ({C18H27O3N}),
      which gives the peppers their hot taste. The habanero is
      about 25-50 times hotter than the jalapeno according to a
      scale developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912. See also
      Capsicum and http://www.chili-pepper-plants.com/.
      [1913 Webster + PJC]

   Note: The term pepper has been extended to various other
         fruits and plants, more or less closely resembling the
         true pepper, esp. to the common varieties of
         {Capsicum}. See {Capsicum}, and the Phrases, below.
         [1913 Webster]

   {African pepper}, the Guinea pepper. See under {Guinea}.

   {Cayenne pepper}. See under {Cayenne}.

   {Chinese pepper}, the spicy berries of the {Xanthoxylum
      piperitum}, a species of prickly ash found in China and
      Japan.

   {Guinea pepper}. See under {Guinea}, and {Capsicum}.

   {Jamaica pepper}. See {Allspice}.

   {Long pepper}.
      (a) The spike of berries of {Piper longum}, an East Indian
          shrub.
      (b) The root of {Piper methysticum} (syn. {Macropiper
          methysticum}) of the family {Piperaceae}. See {Kava}.
          

   {Malaguetta pepper}, or {Meleguetta pepper}, the aromatic
      seeds of the {Amomum Melegueta}, an African plant of the
      Ginger family. They are sometimes used to flavor beer,
      etc., under the name of {grains of Paradise}.

   {Red pepper}. See {Capsicum}.

   {Sweet pepper bush} (Bot.), an American shrub ({Clethra
      alnifolia}), with racemes of fragrant white flowers; --
      called also {white alder}.

   {Pepper box} or {Pepper caster}, a small box or bottle, with
      a perforated lid, used for sprinkling ground pepper on
      food, etc.

   {Pepper corn}. See in the Vocabulary.

   {Pepper elder} (Bot.), a West Indian name of several plants
      of the Pepper family, species of {Piper} and {Peperomia}.
      

   {Pepper moth} (Zool.), a European moth ({Biston betularia})
      having white wings covered with small black specks.

   {Pepper pot}, a mucilaginous soup or stew of vegetables and
      cassareep, much esteemed in the West Indies.

   {Pepper root}. (Bot.). See {Coralwort}.

   {pepper sauce}, a condiment for the table, made of small red
      peppers steeped in vinegar.

   {Pepper tree} (Bot.), an aromatic tree ({Drimys axillaris})
      of the Magnolia family, common in New Zealand. See
      {Peruvian mastic tree}, under {Mastic}.
      [1913 Webster]
    

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