Where does “piquant” come from?

piquant (Middle French) comes 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".

piquant (Middle French): present participle of piquer; gerund of piquer;...

Definitions

  1. present participle of piquer; gerund of piquer;...

Ancestry of “piquant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchpiquer—
2Old Frenchpiquerto pierce with the tip of a sword
3Vulgar Latinpiccareto puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce
4Frankishpikkōnto peck, strike
5Proto-Germanicpikōną—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"

Words derived from “piquant”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →Every word from Proto-Germanic pikōną →Every word from Frankish pikkōn →