piquant

English

/ˈpiːkənt/

adj

Definitions

(archaic) Causing hurt feelings; scathing, severe.
Stimulating to the senses; engaging; charming.
Favorably stimulating to the palate; pleasantly spicy; tangy.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French piquant (stimulating, irritating, pricking) derived from Old French pikier (sting, nettle, prick).

Origin

Old French

pikier

Gloss

sting, nettle, prick

Concept

Semantic Field

The body

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms

piquancy English
piquantly English
piquantness English
unpiquant English
*pīccare Latin
pikier Old French
piquant Middle French