pepper sprayn.
/ˈpɛpə spreɪ/, U.S. /ˈpɛpər ˌspreɪ/ 1. A liquid made from pungent capsicums or chilli powder and used in aerosol form as an organic pesticide.
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1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 24 May a23 I have renounced pesticides. I use ground hot pepper spray and tweezers to remove hornworms from my tomatoes.
1991 Amer. Horticulturist July 3/3 Pepper sprays have been used against ant, mites, and various caterpillars.
2002 Newsday (Electronic ed.) 1 May He deals with the squirrels and rabbits by using such organic defenses as pepper spray and a homemade concoction of Tabasco sauce and water.
2. A liquid derived from oleoresin capsicum, causing inflammation of the eyes and respiratory passages and employed as a disabling weapon in the form of an aerosol spray; (also) an aerosol containing this liquid. Cf. pepper gas n.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > fire, radiation, or chemical weapons > [noun] > gas
poison gas1816
gas1897
mustard gas1917
tear-gas1917
yperite1917
mustard1918
phosgene1918
riot gas1930
war gas1934
nausea gas1936
nerve gas1940
tear-smoke1946
Sarin1951
Soman1951
pepper gas1968
stun gas1968
pepper spray1986
1986 Baltimore Afro-Amer. (Nexis) 31 Aug. a7 The officers then began to try to clear the pepper spray out of my eyes with water because it was burning me badly.
1992 Toronto Star 11 May a2/3 Alternatives to police drawing their guns will be examined, including the use of roadblocks, controlled chases, pepper spray and shooting out tires of fleeing suspects.
2001 Independent 2 Mar. 4/2 A 13-year-old male pupil..was arrested over the use of what was thought to be a canister of pepper spray.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1979