Chile is a country in South America, a long, narrow strip of land along the Pacific Ocean. In some spellings, “chile” can also refer to a spicy pepper used in cooking.
The country name “Chile” may come from indigenous Mapuche or Quechua words possibly meaning “where the land ends” or “cold place.” The pepper word “chile” comes from Nahuatl “chīlli,” the language of the Aztecs.
The country and the pepper share the same spelling in English sometimes, but probably have different native roots. One word traveled with explorers and maps; the other traveled with seeds and recipes. When you see “chile” on a menu, you’re tasting a word that survived the Aztec empire.
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