Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “picot” come from?

picot (French) comes from French piquer, from Middle French picquer, from Old French piquer, from Vulgar Latin piccare, from Frankish pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic pikōną, from Proto-Indo-European bew- — "low-pitch humming noise".

Ancestry of “picot”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchpiquerto prick; to sting; to nick, pinch, steal
2Middle Frenchpicquerto sting
3Old Frenchpiquerto pierce with the tip of a sword
4Vulgar Latinpiccareto puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce
5Frankishpikkōnto peck, strike
6Proto-Germanicpikōną—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →