pique
/ˈpikeɪ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.93 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To excite (someone) to action, especially by causing jealousy, resentment, etc.; also, to stimulate (an emotion or feeling, especially curiosity or interest).
Transitive verb
verb
To excite to action, especially by causing jealousy, resentment, etc.; also, to stimulate an emotion or feeling, especially curiosity or interest.
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "The Dev'l was piqu'd, ſuch ſaintſhip to behold, / And long'd to tempt him like good Job of old: / But Satan now is wiſer than of yore, / And tempts by making rich, not making poor."
- "Brisk Confidence still best with woman copes; / Pique her and soothe in turn, soon Passion crowns thy hopes."
- "His chusing to walk with her, she had learnt to understand. It was done to pique Miss Brereton."
- "She treated him indulgently, as if he were a child. He thought he did not mind. But deep below the surface it piqued him."
- "I believe this will pique your interest."
- "I have been hugely involved in the operational side until this point, but now I can speak to operators and other businesses such as American and European companies, because we seem to have piqued interest."
Etymology
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.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pik/
- British English: /piːk/