ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pique

n.
C1 Advanced US //ˈpik// pique Archaic

n. a sudden feeling of anger or irritation. It is also a feeling of pride or satisfaction that makes you want to show off.

n. a sudden feeling of irritation or resentment; alternatively, a sense of pride or self-importance that prompts a desire to display one's superiority.


SIMPLE

His pride was wounded by the criticism, which gave him a sudden pique.

CONTEXTUAL

The diplomat's carefully worded response was designed to avoid giving the ambassador any reason for a pique.

COMPLEX

The protagonist's journey is driven by a deep-seated pique that transforms his initial curiosity into a relentless pursuit of recognition among his peers.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

The verb is borrowed from French piquer (“to prick, sting; to anger, annoy; (reflexive) to get angry; to provoke, stimulate; (reflexive) to boast about”), from Middle French piquer, picquer (“to prick, sting; to anger, annoy; (reflexive) to get angry”), from Old French piquer (“to pierce with the tip of a sword”), from proto-Romance or Vulgar Latin pīccare (“to sting; to strike”) or pikkāre, and then either: * Onomatopoeic; or from Frankish pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (“to knock; to peck; to pick; to prick”). If so, pique is a doublet of pick, pitch, and peck. The noun is borrowed from Middle French pique (“a quarrel; resentment”) (modern French pique), from piquer, picquer (verb); see above.

Etymology 2

The noun is borrowed from French pic, Middle French pic (“pique in the game of piquet; pike (tool)”), picq (“game of piquet”), from Vulgar Latin pīccus (“sharp point, peak; pike, spike”), possibly from Frankish pikk, pīk, from Proto-Germanic pikjaz, *pīkaz (“sharp point, peak; pickaxe; pike”); further etymology unknown. Doublet of pike. The verb is either derived from the noun (though the latter is attested in print later), or borrowed from French pic.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Spanish pique, from Central Quechua piki.

Etymology 4

A variant of piqué, borrowed from French piqué (“(noun) ribbed fabric; (ballet) step on to the point of the leading foot without bending the knee; (adjective) backstitched; (cooking) larded”), Middle French piqué (“quilted”), a noun use of the past participle of piquer (“to prick, sting; to decorate with stitches; to quilt; to stitch (fabric) together; to lard (meat)”); see further at etymology 1.

Etymology 5

A variant of pica, or from its etymon Late Latin pica (“disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances”), from Latin pīca (“jay; magpie”) (from the idea that magpies will eat almost anything), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“magpie; woodpecker”).

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