Link Centre Dictionary

piquant

pi·quant

UK/ˈpiːkənt/ US/ˈpiːˌkɑːnt/ uncommon archaic

adjective

1.
2.

engagingly stimulating or provocative

  • “a piquant wit”
  • “salty language”
Synonyms
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3.

attracting or delighting

  • “an engaging frankness”
  • “a piquant face with large appealing eyes”
Synonyms
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Origin

Borrowed from Middle French piquant (“pricking, stimulating, irritating”), present participle of piquer, possibly from Old French pikier (“to prick, sting, nettle”). Doublet of picong. Related to pike.

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Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.