pickle

¹

[pik-uhl]

noun

1. a cucumber that has been preserved in brine, vinegar, or the like.

2. Often pickles any other vegetable, as cauliflower, celery, etc., preserved in vinegar and eaten as a relish.

3. something preserved in a brine or marinade.

4. a liquid usually prepared with salt or vinegar for preserving or flavoring fish, meat, vegetables, etc.; brine or marinade.

5. Metallurgy.,  an acid or other chemical solution in which metal objects are dipped to remove oxide scale or other adhering substances.

6. Informal.,  a troublesome or awkward situation; predicament.

   I was in a pickle after the check bounced.

   Synonyms: jam, scrape, bind, fix, quandary, plight

7. Informal.,  a sour, disagreeable person.

verb (used with object)

pickled, pickling 

1. to preserve or steep in brine or other liquid.

2. to treat with a chemical solution, as for the purpose of cleaning.

3. to give a pale, streaked finish to (wood) by applying and partly removing paint or by bleaching, as to give an appearance of age.

4. Slang.,  to store; prepare for long-range storage.

   Let's pickle these old cars for a few years.

pickle

²

[pik-uhl]

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a single grain or kernel, as of barley or corn.

2. a small amount; a little.

pickle

/ ˈpɪkəl /

noun

1. (often plural) vegetables, such as cauliflowers, onions, etc, preserved in vinegar, brine, etc

2. any food preserved in this way

3. a liquid or marinade, such as spiced vinegar, for preserving vegetables, meat, fish, etc

4. a cucumber that has been preserved and flavoured in a pickling solution, such as brine or vinegar

5. informal,  an awkward or difficult situation

   to be in a pickle

6. informal,  a mischievous child

verb

1. to preserve in a pickling liquid

2. to immerse (a metallic object) in a liquid, such as an acid, to remove surface scale

Other Word Forms

• pickler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pickle¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English pikel, pikkel “spicy sauce or gravy,” from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German pekel(e), peeckel “brine, pickle”

Origin of pickle²

First recorded in 1545–55; of uncertain origin; perhaps noun use of pickle “to take tiny bits of food in eating,” frequentative of pick ¹; -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of pickle¹

C14: perhaps from Middle Dutch pekel; related to German Pökel brine

Idioms and Phrases

see in a fix (pickle).

Example Sentences

"He used to get himself into a lot of pickles… but everybody loved him, everybody wanted to spend time with him."

Read more on BBC

My culinary reward came at Veera Flavors, which offered the tastiest thali—a tin tray piled high with vegetable dishes, rice, yogurt and pickles—outside of Chennai.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

While drying or pickling might preserve its taste, photography best preserves its beauty.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The instinct that pairs chèvre with strawberries is the same one that tells you to finish a bowl of lentils with lemon juice, or to scatter pickled shallots over roast chicken.

Read more on Salon

Ms. Lakshmi serves it on a bed of traditional Southern cheesy grits and suggests chowchow pickles, an old-time relish, as a side.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal