A peppercorn is a single, dried berry of the pepper plant, used whole or ground to make black, white, or green pepper. It can also be used figuratively to mean a very small payment or amount.
“Peppercorn” simply joins “pepper” and “corn,” where “corn” once meant any small grain or seed. It literally refers to one tiny grain of pepper.
In law and business, a “peppercorn rent” can be a token payment—sometimes literally one peppercorn—to make a contract valid. A tiny seed of spice stands in for real money. The word shows how even a speck can carry big legal weight.
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