picayune
[ pik-ee-yoon, pik-uh- ]
/ ˌpɪk iˈyun, ˌpɪk ə- /
adjective Also pic·a·yun·ish. Informal.
of little value or account; small; trifling: a picayune amount.
petty, carping, or prejudiced: I didn't want to seem picayune by criticizing.
noun
(formerly, in Louisiana, Florida, etc.) a coin equal to half a Spanish real.
any small coin, as a five-cent piece.
Informal. an insignificant person or thing.
Words nearby picayune
picaresque, picaro, picaroon, picasso, picasso, pablo, picayune, piccadilly, piccadilly circus, piccalilli, piccanin, piccaninny
Origin of picayune
1780–90; < Provençal picaioun small copper coin (compare French picaillons), derivative of an onomatopoetic base *pikk- beat, here referring to the coining of coppers
SYNONYMS FOR picayune
OTHER WORDS FROM picayune
pic·a·yun·ish·ly, adverbpic·a·yun·ish·ness, nounDefinition for picayune (2 of 2)
Picayune
[ pik-uh-yoon, pik-ee- ]
/ ˌpɪk əˈyun, ˌpɪk i- /
noun
a town in SE Mississippi.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for picayune
British Dictionary definitions for picayune
picayune
/ (ˌpɪkəˈjuːn) /
adjective Also: picayunish US and Canadian informal
of small value or importance
mean; petty
noun
the half real, an old Spanish-American coin
US any coin of little value, esp a five-cent piece
Derived forms of picayune
picayunishly, adverbpicayunishness, nounWord Origin for picayune
C19: from French picaillon coin from Piedmont, from Provençal picaioun, of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012