picnic

picnic
picnic (n.) 1748 (in Chesterfield's "Letters"), but rare before c.1800 as an English institution, from Fr. piquenique (1690s), perhaps a reduplication of piquer "to pick, peck," from O.Fr. (see PIKE (Cf. pike) (n.2)), or the second element may be nique "worthless thing," from a Germanic source. Originally a fashionable pot-luck social affair, not necessarily out of doors.
Figurative sense of "something easy" is from 1886. A -k- is inserted in picnicking to preserve the "k" sound of -c- before a suffix beginning in -i-, -y-, or -e- (Cf. traffic/trafficking, panic/panicky, shellac/shellacked).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • picnic — PÍCNIC, picnicuri, s.n. (livr.) Masă (şi petrecere) comună (în aer liber), de obicei cu contribuţia fiecărui participant. [acc. şi: picníc] – Din fr. pique nique. Trimis de RACAI, 21.10.2003. Sursa: DEX 98  pícnic/picníc s. n., pl.… …   Dicționar Român

  • picnic — ► NOUN ▪ a packed meal eaten outdoors, or an occasion when such a meal is eaten. ► VERB (picnicked, picnicking) ▪ have or take part in a picnic. ● be no picnic Cf. ↑be no picnic DERIVATIVES …   English terms dictionary

  • picnic — [pik′nik] n. [Fr pique nique, prob. < piquer, to pick + nique, a trifle < OFr niquier, to nod] 1. a pleasure outing at which a meal is eaten outdoors ☆ 2. a shoulder cut of pork, cured like ham: see PORK, also picnic ham or picnic shoulder… …   English World dictionary

  • Picnic — Pic nic, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Picnicked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Picnicking}.] To go on a picnic, or pleasure excursion; to eat in public fashion. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Picnic — (engl. für Picknick) bezeichnet Toyota Picnic, ein Automodell den Originaltitel des Films Picknick (Film) Siehe auch: Piknik, eine Rockgruppe Picknick (Begriffsklärung) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • picnic — /pik nik/ s.m. [dall ingl. picnic, fr. pique nique, comp. di piquer nel senso di spilluzzicare e prob. di un ant. nique piccola cosa di scarso valore ]. 1. [pasto consumato all aperto, per lo più seduti su un prato, durante una scampagnata: un p …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • picnic — /pikˈnik, ingl. pɪkˈnɪk/ [vc. ingl. picnic, dal fr. piquenique, comp. di piquer «rubacchiare», e nique «cosa di nessun valore»] s. m. inv. 1. colazione, merenda, merendina, spuntino 2. (est.) scampagnata, gita …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • picnic — [n1] outdoor meal barbecue, clambake, cookout, dining alfresco, excursion, fish fry, outing, weiner roast; concepts 386,459 picnic [n2] easy undertaking breeze*, child’s play*, cinch, duck soup*, kid stuff*, lark*, light work, no trouble, piece… …   New thesaurus

  • picnic — sustantivo masculino 1. Uso/registro: restringido. Comida o merienda en el campo: El próximo domingo iremos de picnic los del colegio …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • Picnic — Pic nic, n. [Cf. F. piquenique. See {Pick}, v., and cf. {Knickknack}.] Formerly, an entertainment at which each person contributed some dish to a common table; now, an excursion or pleasure party in which the members partake of a collation or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Picnic — (рус. Пикник)  конфета с арахисом (или грецким орехом), начинкой из мягкой карамели, вафель и воздушного риса, покрытая молочным шоколадом. Выпускается компанией Cadbury. Изготовитель в России: ООО «Дирол Кэдбери» (Великий Новгород) …   Википедия

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