piquer

French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French piquer (“to pierce with the tip of a sword”), from Vulgar Latin pīccare (“to sting, strike”), from Frankish *pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikōną, *pukaną (“to pick, peck, prick, knock”), from Proto-Indo-European *beu-, *bu- (“to make a dull sound”). Cognate with Old English pȳcan, pician (“to pick, pluck”), Old Norse pikka (“to prick, peck”), Middle Dutch and Middle Low German picken (“to pick, peck, pierce”), Middle High German puchen (“to knock, defy, plunder”). More at pick.

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA: /pike/
• Homophones: piquai, piqué, piquée, piquées, piqués, piquez

Verb

piquer

1. to prick (to pierce with a prick)
2. to sting (to feel a stinging pain)
3. (colloquial) to nick, to pinch (steal)
4. (reflexive) to pride oneself on; to like to think that one can do (+ de)
5. (textiles, couture) to stitch together

Derived terms

• repiquer
• piqûre, piqure

Conjugation

   Conjugation of piquer (see also Appendix:French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		piquer			avoir piqué
gerund		en piquant			en ayant piqué
present participle		piquant
past participle		piqué
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il	nous	vous	ils
simple tenses	present	pique	piques	pique	piquons	piquez	piquent
	imperfect	piquais	piquais	piquait	piquions	piquiez	piquaient
	past historic1	piquai	piquas	piqua	piquâmes	piquâtes	piquèrent
	future	piquerai	piqueras	piquera	piquerons	piquerez	piqueront
	conditional	piquerais	piquerais	piquerait	piquerions	piqueriez	piqueraient
compound tenses	present perfect	Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	past anterior1	Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	future perfect	Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	conditional perfect	Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il	que nous	que vous	qu’ils
simple tenses	present	pique	piques	pique	piquions	piquiez	piquent
	imperfect1	piquasse	piquasses	piquât	piquassions	piquassiez	piquassent
compound tenses	past	Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect1	Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
		—	pique	—	piquons	piquez	—
1literary tenses

Anagrams

• piqure, piqûre