Etymology

piquant

pi·quant
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Today it means: Causing hurt feelings; scathing, severe. Full definition →

First used 16th c.Middle French piquant ← Old French pikier
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The story

  1. Old French · derived frompikier“to prick, sting, nettle”
  2. Middle French · borrowed frompiquant“pricking, stimulating, irritating”
  3. English todaypiquant

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.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. Causing hurt feelings; scathing, severe.
  • from 17th c. Stimulating to the senses; engaging; charming.
  • from 17th c. Favorably stimulating to the palate; pleasantly spicy; tangy.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.