Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PIQUANT
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pronounce
PIQUANT:
I recommend saying it "PEEK unt."
Dictionaries also list other ways, including "PEE kont," "pee KONT," and "PEE kwint."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
If you take a bite of vanilla yogurt, you might say, "Okay, that's fine. That's kind of nice. That's p____able."
But if you take a bite of Cabrales cheese, the kind that one cheesemonger on Quora called "mouth-destroyingly awesome," you might say, "Whoa, Nelly! That's sharp. That's delicious. That's piquant."
But if you do, you might be the first to say "piquant" and "whoa, Nelly" in the same breath: piquant is a pretty formal word. Let's explore it!
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
We took the word "piquant" from Middle French, where it means "a spear" or "a sharp point" or--seriously--"the spike of a hedgehog." And it might trace further back to a Latin word for "pierce" or "prick."
While the word's origin may be hazy, it's clear that it's prickly territory.
Here in English, the meaning of "piquant" is usually "both sharp and pleasant at the same time." Something piquant might taste sharp and delicious, or it might seem exciting and stimulating.
Occasionally, something "piquant" is "sharp and mean." That is, it hurts someone's feelings.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
It's an adjective: "this piquant dish," "their piquant humor."
Other forms:
The adverb is "piquantly."
For a noun, pick either "piquantness" or, my preference, "piquancy," pronounced "PEE kun see."
how to use it:
We find the word "piquant" most often in writing, rather than speech. It has a positive, formal, sophisticated tone.
So, when that's the mood you're going for, talk about piquant foods, drinks, and flavors; piquant speech and writing; piquant quips, comments, and humor; etc.
examples:
"The sharp, piquant smell of garlic, onions and ginger pierces the air, mingling with the sweet and fruity smell of radiant green vegetables."
— Justice Baidoo, Los Angeles Times, 3 September 2019
"His wit flashed more sharply in his talk than in his verse; and his dinner stories were fabulous in number, in piquancy, and in sting."
— Donald G. Mitchell, Queen Anne and the Georges, 1895
has this page helped you understand "piquant"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "piquant" without saying "zesty" or "kicked up a notch."
try it out:
Foods we often describe as piquant include herbs, garlic, mustards, curry, chili sauce, pickled oyster, and, naturally, the traditional New Orleans dish known as "sauce piquante," a kind of spicy tomato-based stew.
Talk about whether or not you enjoy piquant foods like these. If you were to list your top five favorite foods, would you label any of them piquant?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
This month, our game is "Caption These!"
In each issue this month, caption the images below (A, B, and C) by matching them to the vocabulary words they illustrate (1, 2, and 3). Need a closer look? Give the images a click. And, if you can, explain the exact meaning of each word. I'll share the answers in the following issue. Good luck!
From the previous issue:
Answers:
A: ebullient, B: daguerrean, C: piebald.
(To review a word, give it a click.)
Try these today:
1: shoehorn
2: nettle
3: tailspin
review this word:
A. INSIPID (boring, flavorless).
B. FRANGIBLE (readily breakable).
C. PELLUCID (easy to understand).
2. In the New York Times, Landon Thomas Jr. summed up some recent publications about Greece's financial crisis, saying they included "a number of piquant revelations" involving "_____" and "_____."
A. raw data .. endless charts
B. dubious conduct .. personal agendas
C. austerity measures .. bailout after bailout
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
If you take a bite of vanilla yogurt, you might say, "Okay, that's fine. That's kind of nice. That's p____able."
We took the word "piquant" from Middle French, where it means "a spear" or "a sharp point" or--seriously--"the spike of a hedgehog." And it might trace further back to a Latin word for "pierce" or "prick."
Part of speech:
We find the word "piquant" most often in writing, rather than speech. It has a positive, formal, sophisticated tone.
"The sharp, piquant smell of garlic, onions and ginger pierces the air, mingling with the sweet and fruity smell of radiant green vegetables."
Explain the meaning of "piquant" without saying "zesty" or "kicked up a notch."
Foods we often describe as piquant include herbs, garlic, mustards, curry, chili sauce, pickled oyster, and, naturally, the traditional New Orleans dish known as "sauce piquante," a kind of spicy tomato-based stew.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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