# Does Your Language Differentiate Between Hot (Warm), Hot (Spicy); and Spicy (Lots of Spices) and... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851 "2013-05-08T23:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/21 "2013-05-09T16:13:37Z")
Norwegian does. \*Varmt \* is the temperature _Sterkt_ is the word for spicy-hot (lit. “strong”) _Krydret_ is the word for lots-of-spices, or spice mixes or blends. Cinnamon/chili/black pepper cocoa is _krydret_, as are meat dishes with several dominant herbs and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Timchik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@Timchik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timchik)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/22 "2013-05-09T16:38:09Z")
Russian: hot (temperature) - горячий (goryachy) hot (capsaicin) - острый (ostry, literally “sharp”) highly spiced - пряный (pryany) or пикантный (pikantny) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/23 "2013-05-09T16:51:25Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Bengali – > > Hot (temperature) —_gorom_ > > Hot (chili heat/capsaicin) — _jhal_ > > Hot (mustard/wasabi heat) — _jhãj_ > > Spices — _moshla_ Just to be clear, I didn’t include a term for “spicy” (lots of spicing), because there isn’t really a _term_ as such. In Indian cooking, everything is supposed to be properly spiced, so saying something is “spicy” would be like saying “it’s food.” Nonetheless, you can literally say “It has a lot of spices in it,” if you wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/24 "2013-05-09T17:18:43Z")
In Hindi and Urdu: Hot (temperature)—गरम گرم _garam_ Hot (capsaicin)—तेज़ تيز _tez_ Spicy (flavor)—Not sure, but I think one way to cover that meaning would be मसालेवाला مصالےوالا “_masālevālā_”: put together from _masālā_ meaning ‘various spices’ and the suffix -_vālā_ meaning something like ‘characterized by’. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/25 "2013-05-09T17:26:49Z")
‘Pungent’ is a more general word that refers to a strong odor which can be food related. A heavily spiced food is almost certainly going to be pungent, but a pungent food isn’t necessarily heavily spiced. Blue cheese is pungent, and so are old socks. ---
**Author:** ![ashtayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@ashtayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashtayk)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/26 "2013-05-09T17:37:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Spicy (flavor)—Not sure, but I think one way to cover that meaning would be मसालेवाला مصالےوالا “masālevālā”: put together from masālā meaning ‘various spices’ and the suffix -vālā meaning something like ‘characterized by’. Masaledaar - would be more appropriate Chatpata - could also be used. It is used more to convey a firecracker element to the food…bursting with spicy flavors. And Tamil, like most Indian languages certainly distinguishes between the three. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/27 "2013-05-09T20:36:41Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > > [@JKellyMap](#): > > > > And, I disagree that English “spicy” can mean “with lots of spices (but not necessarily ‘picante’)”. The word I’ve encountered for the idea you describe is usually “spiced,” or sometimes “strongly flavored.” In my experience, “spicy” always means “picante.” > > I disagree with your disagreement. In my experience, “spicy” can mean “lots of cinnamon,” for exampe, though 95% of the time it does mean spicy-hot. I’m with **JKellyMap** ; I’ve never heard “spicy” mean anything other than spicy-hot. Then again, if something has “lots of cinnamon”, it usually _is_ spicy, at least to my palate. In fact, I can’t think of a spice that doesn’t produce at least a little “bite” or “burn” in sufficient quantities. (Duh. Spices are spicy.) But if a food has a lot of cinnamon flavor and yet no “heat”, then I would expect it to be called “spiced”, not “spicy”. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/28 "2013-05-09T20:43:17Z")
When someone says a meatball or spaghetti sauce is “spicy”, what do they mean? I’ve never had a spicy-hot versions of those foods. I’ve had versions that had plenty of different spices in them, but never versions where they were hot. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/29 "2013-05-09T20:49:45Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I disagree with your disagreement. In my experience, “spicy” can mean “lots of cinnamon,” for exampe, though 95% of the time it does mean spicy-hot. This is because cinnamon is spicy-hot. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/30 "2013-05-09T20:50:46Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > When someone says a meatball or spaghetti sauce is “spicy”, what do they mean? I’ve never had a spicy-hot versions of those foods. I’ve had versions that had plenty of different spices in them, but never versions where they were hot. I have only ever heard this said with a fake accent. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/31 "2013-05-09T20:58:52Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > When someone says a meatball or spaghetti sauce is “spicy”, what do they mean? I’ve never had a spicy-hot versions of those foods. I’ve had versions that had plenty of different spices in them, but never versions where they were hot. Come to my house. I make them quite spicy-hot. They are delicious. (Look for pasta alla carrettiera or pasta all’arrabiata.) I have heard “spicy” used to refer to desserts which are not spicy-hot for things like cinnamon, ginger, cloves. Ginger and cinnamon _can_ have a bite to them, but I’ve heard the word used when it doesn’t. Maybe it’s regional, or old-fashioned or something: my mother is Canadian and my husband is Welsh: neither of them grew up using a lot of chili! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/32 "2013-05-09T21:42:18Z")
> [@ashtayk](#): > > Masaledaar - would be more appropriate मसालेदार مصالےدار That’s the word I was trying to think of. Thanks! > [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I can’t think of a spice that doesn’t produce at least a little “bite” or “burn” in sufficient quantities. What about cumin? coriander? fennel? cardamom? No burn there. I’d say cumin tastes “warm,” coriander and fennel “neutral,” and cardamom “cool,” in keeping with the temperature metaphor. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/33 "2013-05-09T22:34:00Z")
Come to think of it, the English language seems to have a bit of a hot-fetish. There are also hot chicks, hot stocks, hot wheels, hot hands, and even hot mail. I bet a lot of other languages would prefer different descriptors for a lot of those things. Norwegian mostly does. (Edit: When it doesn’t simply borrow the English “hot”, which it does quite a bit.) ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/34 "2013-05-09T22:35:32Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I have heard “spicy” used to refer to desserts which are not spicy-hot for things like cinnamon, ginger, cloves. Ginger and cinnamon _can_ have a bite to them, but I’ve heard the word used when it doesn’t. Maybe it’s regional, or old-fashioned or something: my mother is Canadian and my husband is Welsh: neither of them grew up using a lot of chili! Yes, but you wouldn’t say, “Wow, that’s a delicious spicy apple pie!” Or…maybe you could, but only if it had so much cinnamon it was spicy-hot. You could say, “Wow, that’s a delicious spiced apple pie.” Even that implies that it has more cinnamon/clove/nutmeg than usual. Thinking it over, “spicy” can be used for more than just black pepper or chile. You could talk about spicy gingerbread cookies, with spicy-hot ginger. Or spicy-hot cinnamon. But you wouldn’t say “spicy” unless you meant spicy-hot. It’s a weird distinction because “spice” or “spiced” doesn’t mean spicy-hot, it means any kind of spice. ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/35 "2013-05-09T22:43:29Z")
I would describe an apple pie as “spicy” if it had a mix of strong spicy flavors. Cardamom and ginger spring to mind, as well as cinnamon. Coriander might work as well? Or even chill - actually, chill-apple pie sounds delicious, like a chutney-stuffed pie. I’m on a diet, can you tell? ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/36 "2013-05-09T22:52:35Z")
What Pitchmeister said about German. I just want to add that in German cooking, spicy-hot does not necessarily equal chilis, it can also mean lots of mustard, black/white pepper or horseradish. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/37 "2013-05-09T22:53:45Z")
> [@Uther\_Penguin](#): > > What Pitchmeister said about German. > > I just want to add that in German cooking, spicy-hot does not necessarily equal chilis, it can also mean lots of mustard, black/white pepper or horseradish. I wonder if Bengali is the only language that puts mustard/horseradish/wasabi in a separate category. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/38 "2013-05-10T00:46:17Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Yes, but you wouldn’t say, “Wow, that’s a delicious spicy apple pie!” Or…maybe you could, but only if it had so much cinnamon it was spicy-hot. You could say, “Wow, that’s a delicious spiced apple pie.” Even that implies that it has more cinnamon/clove/nutmeg than usual. I don’t think I could say “delicious spicy” for that usage; it sounds weird. I don’t expect apple pies to be spicy, so I’d be surprised: “this is a spicy apple pie! Delicious, though.” It would have to have a strong flavour of something other than apple. ETA: Just grilled my husband (figuratively). He says “You probably wouldn’t say ‘spicy apple pie,’ but you could—‘That’s a spicy apple pie. Lots of cinnamon. I can smell it.’” If you’re using “spicy” to talk about smells, I don’t think it’s just the hot bite of cinnamon. I’m curious now: off to look in the OED. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/39 "2013-05-10T00:56:47Z")
From 1562, first quotation “The shel smelleth well, and is spycye, not onely in smell, but also in taste.” I’m perfectly willing to accept that this meaning doesn’t exist everywhere in English, but I’ll defend my own corner of the language! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/40 "2013-05-10T03:14:52Z")
Arabic is the only language I can think of that, like English, uses the same word for temperature-hot and capsaicin-hot. The word is حارّ _ḥārr_, which, like English “hot,” originally means temperature-hot but became extended semantically to capsaicin too. What’s neat is how the pronunciation of _ḥārr_ actually _sounds_ like the kind of breathy, agonized vocalizations you make when you’ve just chomped on something too hot (in either sense of the word). The Arabic word for ‘flavored with lots of spice,’ though, is _mutabbal_ (related to “tabbouleh,” which means ‘seasoned’). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851.md?page=3)