Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “pikken” come from?

pikken (Middle English) comes from Old English piccian, from Proto-West Germanic pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic pikkōną, from Proto-Indo-European bew- — "low-pitch humming noise".

pikken (Middle English): Alternative form of piken; to pick, pierce; to...

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of piken; to pick, pierce; to...

Ancestry of “pikken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishpiccian—
2Proto-West Germanicpikkōnto peck, strike
3Proto-Germanicpikkōnąto pick, peck, prick
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"

Words derived from “pikken”

  • pick
  • picking
  • pickup
  • peck
  • toothpick
  • pitchfork
  • picky
  • pickpocket
  • pickguard
  • nitpicking
  • peckish
  • handpick
  • picklock
  • nitpick
  • nitpicky
  • pickoff
  • pickiness
  • nitpicker
  • picklist
  • pecky
  • henpeck
  • pickable
  • unpickable
  • picketh
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →