Where does “piquantness” come from?
piquantness (English) comes from English piquant, from Middle French piquant, from Middle French piquer, from Old French piquer, from Vulgar Latin piccare, from Frankish pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic pikōną, from Proto-Indo-European bew- — "low-pitch humming noise".
piquantness (English): The quality of being piquant
Definitions
- The quality of being piquant
Ancestry of “piquantness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | piquant | Causing hurt feelings; scathing, severe;... |
| 2 | Middle French | piquant | present participle of piquer; gerund of piquer;... |
| 3 | Middle French | piquer | — |
| 4 | Old French | piquer | to pierce with the tip of a sword |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | piccare | to puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce |
| 6 | Frankish | pikkōn | to peck, strike |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | pikōną | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bew- | "low-pitch humming noise" |