Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “pique” come from?

pique (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".

pique (French): past participle of piquer; dive; two fabrics...

Definitions

  1. past participle of piquer; dive; two fabrics...

Ancestry of “pique”, 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"

Words derived from “pique”

  • piqué
  • пике
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →