2006-08-29 07:02:30 · 8 answers · asked by kikicorne 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
In contemporary usage, picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors, ideally, taking place in a beautiful landscape.
Formerly, picnic meant a potluck, an entertainment at which each person contributed some dish to a common table for all to share. The first usage of the word was traced to a 16th century French text, describing a group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine. The word picnic is based on the verb piquer which means 'pick' or 'peck' with the rhyming nique meaning "thing of little importance".
The 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Françoise de Ménage, which mentions 'pique-nique' as being of recent origin, marks the first appearance of the word in print. The word picnic first appeared in English texts in the mid-1700s, and may have entered the English language from this French word or from the German Picknick.
2006-08-29 07:14:52 · answer #1 · answered by MaxD148 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Picnic - Piquenique, a french word, definitely from France.
2006-08-29 07:50:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
FRENCH through vulgar Latin...they're very picky...evidently. I guess so much that they invented the word when eating outside from a basket full of low class food.
ETYMOLOGY:
French pique-nique, probably reduplication of piquer, to pick ; see pique
*Which means:
pique (pk) KEY
NOUN:
A state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity; a feeling of wounded pride.
ETYMOLOGY:
French, a prick, irritation, from Old French, from piquer, to prick, from Vulgar Latin *piccre, ultimately of imitative origin
2006-08-29 08:12:09 · answer #3 · answered by tichur 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it comes from America, slavery time.
I think the white slave master would take his family for entertainment outdoors including a meal then chose a black slave/person to hang ....derived from the term
'Pic a Nig'
Someone on here will be more detail about it, ,I have briefly touched on it, I have a book about the origins of terms and words. Its called POSH
2006-08-29 07:10:24 · answer #4 · answered by Rebz 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
French pique-nique, probably reduplication of piquer, to pick.
2006-08-29 07:09:30 · answer #5 · answered by Lindy357 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nicpic
2006-08-29 07:09:08 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
here you go...
ttfn ;o)
2006-08-29 07:07:40 · answer #7 · answered by Pan_24 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
IT'S LATIN.!!!
2006-08-29 07:09:53 · answer #8 · answered by JAM123 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋