'peppery' originates from the word 'pepper', which comes from Old English 'pipor', derived from Latin 'piper', which in turn came from Greek 'peperi', ultimately from Sanskrit 'pippali', meaning 'long pepper'.

'pipor' transformed into the Middle English word 'peper', and eventually became the modern English word 'pepper'.

Initially, it referred to the spice itself, but over time it evolved to describe anything with a similar spicy quality or temperament.