pique

Meaning

Verb

1. To wound the pride of (someone); to excite to anger; to irritate, to offend.
2. To excite (someone) to action, especially by causing jealousy, resentment, etc.; also, to stimulate (an emotion or feeling, especially curiosity or interest).
3. To pride (oneself) on something.
4. (obsolete) To excite or stimulate (oneself).
5. To take pride in.
6. To excite to action, especially by causing jealousy, resentment, etc.; also, to stimulate an emotion or feeling, especially curiosity or interest.
7. (obsolete) To express jealousy, resentment, etc. at someone; to become angry or annoyed.

Noun

1. Enmity, ill feeling; (countable) a feeling of animosity or a dispute.
2. Irritation or resentment awakened by a social injury or slight; offence, especially taken in an emotional sense with little consideration or thought; (countable) especially in fit of pique: a transient feeling of wounded pride.
3. (obsolete) In pique of honour: a matter, a point.

Noun

In piquet, the right of the elder hand to count thirty in hand, or to play before the adversary counts one.

Noun

A chigger, chigoe, or jigger (Tunga penetrans), a species of tropical flea.

Noun

Alternative form of piqué (“a kind of corded or ribbed fabric made from cotton, rayon, or silk”)

Noun

Synonym of pica (“a disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances”)

Concepts

pique

anger

nettle

resentment

vex

irritation

rile

provoke

offend

pick

prick

stick

sting

irritate

fret

indignation

pierce

puncture

quilt

stab

stitch

exasperate

gall

madden

affront

aggravate

irk

rankle

displeasure

stimulate

grudge

umbrage

temper

chafe

spite

enrage

incense

infuriate

outrage

bug

displease

miff

peeve

upset

sulks

tiff

offense

stir

slight irritation

offence

quilting

exacerbate

excite

incite

inflame

whet

chafe at

vexedness

embroider

filigree

goad

jab

nip

poke

prickle

prod

spur

twinge

vellicate

ribless corduroy

begrudge

ill humour

huff

be angry

ruffle

scandalize

wrath

Pronounced as (IPA)

/piːk/

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.