picnic
picnic Lexical Profile
picnic Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An excursion or outing in which participants carry food with them and share a meal in the open air, typically in a park, countryside, or scenic location.
"The family packed sandwiches and fresh fruit in a wicker basket for an afternoon picnic by the lake."
The packed meal eaten outdoors during such an excursion.
"We spread a blanket under the oak tree and unpacked a delicious picnic of cheese, bread, and olives."
An effortlessly pleasant situation, easy task, or enjoyable experience (usually used in negative constructions such as 'no picnic').
"Rebuilding the damaged bridge during the winter storms was certainly no picnic for the engineering crew."
• verb
To take part in an outdoor excursion and eat a packed meal in the open air.
"During the summer months, local residents often picnic on the grassy slopes overlooking the harbor."
Word Nuance & Usage
When conjugating the verb form, a 'k' is inserted before suffixes beginning with 'e' or 'i' (picnicked, picnicking, picnicker) to preserve the hard 'c' pronunciation.
• Rhymes for picnic
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-18th century from French 'pique-nique', likely a reduplication of the verb 'piquer' (to pick or peck) combined with 'nique' (a trifle or small thing). It originally referred to a fashionable indoor social gathering to which each attendee contributed a share of the food or expense.