What is "piper"

Piper \Pi"per\, n. [L.] See Pepper.

Piper \Pip"er\, n.

1. (Mus.) One who plays on a pipe, or the like, esp. on a bagpipe. ``The hereditary piper and his sons.''
   --Macaulay.

2. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. A common European gurnard ( Trigla lyra), having a large head, with prominent nasal projection, and with large, sharp, opercular spines.

   2. A sea urchin ( Goniocidaris hystrix) having very long spines, native of both the American and European coasts.

      To pay the piper, to bear the cost, expense, or trouble.

Old English pipere, agent noun from pipe (v.). As a kind of fish, from c.1600. Expression pay the piper recorded from 1680s.

Etymology 1 n. 1 A musician who plays a pipe. 2 A bagpiper. 3 A baby pigeon. 4 A common European gurnard (''Trigla lyra''), having a large head, with prominent nasal projection, and with large, sharp, opercular spines. 5 A sea urchin (''Goniocidaris hystrix'') with very long spines, native to the American and European coasts. Etymology 2

n. (archaic form of pepper English)

1. n. someone who plays the bagpipe [syn: bagpiper]

2. type genus of the Piperaceae: large genus of chiefly climbing tropical shrubs [syn: genus Piper]

Piper, the pepper plants or pepper vines (a term used for certain Clematis in older times), are an economically and ecologically important genus in the family Piperaceae.

It contains about 1,000-2,000 species of shrubs, herbs, and lianas, many of which are dominant species in their native habitat. The diversification of this taxon is of interest to understanding the evolution of plants.

Pepper plants belong to the magnoliids, which are angiosperms but neither monocots nor eudicots. Their family, Piperaceae, is most closely related to the lizardtail family ( Saururaceae), which in fact generally look like smaller, more delicate and amphibious pepper plants. Both families have characteristic tail-shaped inflorescences covered in tiny flowers. A somewhat less close relative is the pipevine family ( Aristolochiaceae). A well-known and very close relative – being also part of the Piperaceae – are the radiator plants of the genus Peperomia.

The scientific name Piper and the common name "pepper" are derived from the Sanskrit term pippali, denoting the long pepper (P. longum).

Piper may refer to:

Piper, in comics, may refer to:

• Piper (Morlock), a member of Marvel Comics' Morlocks
• Piper (Mutate), a member of Marvel Comics' Savage Land Mutates
• Pied Piper (comics), a DC Comics character known as Piper

Piper is a surname of English and Scandinavian origin, derived from the Old English "pipere" and the Old Norse "pipari", meaning "pepper".

Piper is a fish of the halfbeak family found in warm seas mostly along the shore. It belongs to the genus Esox.

It swims at the surface, occasionally leaping into the air. It is named from the noise it makes when taken out of the water.

Piper is a 2016 computer-animated short film, produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Directed by Alan Barillaro, it was theatrically released alongside Pixar's Finding Dory on June 17, 2016.

The short involves a hungry baby sandpiper learning to overcome her aquaphobia. The inspiration came from less than a mile away from Pixar Studios in Emeryville, California, where veteran Pixar animator and Piper director Alan Barillaro would run alongside the shore and notice birds by the thousands fleeing from the water but returning between waves to eat.