pep

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   lively energy, enthusiasm, and high spirits

   Despite the long journey, she arrived full of pep and ready to work.

2. 2
   verb

   to make someone or something more energetic, lively, or interesting, especially in the phrase pep up

   A brisk walk helped pep him up before the afternoon meeting.

An early twentieth-century shortening of pepper, with the spice's sharpness extended figuratively to vigor and liveliness. The noun appeared first in American English; the verb followed with the sense "to inject with energy or enthusiasm."

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