Where does “pikey” come from?
pikey (English) comes from English Pike, from French piqué, from French piquer, from Middle French picquer, from Old French piquer, from Vulgar Latin piccare, from Frankish pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic pikōną — "low-pitch humming noise".
pikey (English): A pike; Associated with or filled with pike; A...
Definitions
- A pike; Associated with or filled with pike; A...
Ancestry of “pikey”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Pike | A member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity |
| 2 | French | piqué | past participle of piquer; dive; two fabrics... |
| 3 | French | piquer | to prick; to sting; to nick, pinch, steal |
| 4 | Middle French | picquer | to sting |
| 5 | Old French | piquer | to pierce with the tip of a sword |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | piccare | to puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce |
| 7 | Frankish | pikkōn | to peck, strike |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | pikōną | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bew- | "low-pitch humming noise" |