pepper

From Middle English peper/piper, from Old English piper, from Proto-West Germanic *pipar, from Latin piper, from Ancient Greek πέπερι (péperi), which came from an Indo-Aryan source — compare Sanskrit pippali ("long pepper"), ultimately from Dravidian, compare Tamil tippali.

The name originally belonged to the Old World spice from the pepper plant, but was later given to the capsicum fruit too, because its spicy bite reminded people of that older spice.

It's a doublet of falafel and peepul, meaning both words trace back to the same ancient root despite looking nothing alike today.