pique-nique

Forms

pique-nique m (plural pique-niques)^[1] Also spelled piquenique;^[2][3] picnic is recorded in 1732.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a compound from French piquer + nique (“small worthless thing”), the noun being taken in an old sense.^{[3][4][5][2][1]} That second part is an expressive word from a stem expressing indifference or scorn.^[3][4]

Littré took it instead from English picnic.^[6] Etymonline treats the English word as taken from French, and notes that the word first appears as a character's name, Pique-Nique, in a satirical poem of 1649.^[7] Rey thinks that the modern sense “meal in the country” was borrowed back from the English word, probably before 1870.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ménage records faire un repas à piquenique in 1694, a meal where each person pays a share.^[3][4][8]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century the word named this kind of shared meal itself, where each guest brought a dish or paid a share: it is feminine in 1718 and masculine, spelled picnic, in 1732; the Académie defines it as a common meal in 1740.^[3][4][8] English took it from French, and the English word is first recorded in 1748, in Chesterfield's letters, for a fashionable gathering to which each guest contributed.^[7][4]

The modern sense, a meal eaten outdoors in the country, was probably borrowed back from English picnic before 1870;^[4][3] Stendhal already has country pique-niques in Lamiel (1842).^[3] The older sense is now dated.^[3][2] The verb pique-niquer and the noun pique-niqueur were recorded by Larousse in 1874.^[4]

Timeline

• 1649 – Pique-Nique is the name of a character in a satirical poem.^[7]
• 1694 – Ménage records faire un repas à piquenique.^[3][4]
• 1718 – Used as a feminine noun.^[3][4]
• 1732 – Richelet has the masculine picnic.^[3][4]
• 1740 – The Académie records the noun.^[5][8]
• 1748 – English picnic is first recorded, in Chesterfield.^[7][4]
• 1842 – Stendhal uses it of country outings.^[3]
• 1874 – Larousse records pique-niquer and pique-niqueur.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated) A meal to which each person brings a dish or pays a share;^[2][3][8] repas à pique-nique.^[2][3][8]
2. A picnic, a meal eaten outdoors in the country: un pique-nique au bord de la rivière.^[2][3][1]

Word family

• pique-niquer
• pique-niqueur

Related words

• piquer
• nique
• English picnic

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse