""For a long, long time, spicy meant exactly what it is supposed to be: that which is containing spice, or redolent of spice," Anatoly Liberman, a linguist at the University of Minnesota. But it was around the 19th century, that records show people started to use spicy in other less literal ways, he said. It can also refer to "racy" or "engagingly provocative" in reference to scandalous gossip or anything tantalizing."
"Archeologists found peppercorns up the noses of ancient pharaohs and the Romans used to import huge amounts of black pepper for cooking from India and tons of cinnamon, which they would burn as an incense, he said. Spices, like cinnamon, clove, pepper and ginger, "were always considered extremely exotic, and as a consequence, they were very highly valued," Krondl said. They were also associated with holiness and exoticism."
The earliest evidence for the word 'spicy' dates to 1562, when it meant containing or redolent of spice. During the 19th century the word expanded into figurative senses such as racy, engagingly provocative, and tantalizing, and came to describe things perceived as sharp, poignant, interesting, or stylish. Spices have been traded for thousands of years, with archaeological finds including peppercorns in ancient pharaohs and large imports of black pepper and cinnamon in Rome. Spices were historically considered exotic, highly valued, and associated with holiness; medieval Europeans expected dead saints' coffins to smell of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
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