picnic
[ pik-nik ]
/ ˈpɪk nɪk /
noun
an excursion or outing in which the participants carry food with them and share a meal in the open air.
the food eaten on such an excursion.
Also called picnic ham, picnic shoulder. a section of pork shoulder, usually boned, smoked, and weighing 4–6 pounds.Compare daisy(def 2).
Informal. an enjoyable experience or time, easy task, etc.: Being laid up in a hospital is no picnic.
verb (used without object), pic·nicked, pic·nick·ing.
to go on or take part in a picnic.
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Origin of picnic
1740–50; < German Pic-nic (now Picknick) < French pique-nique, rhyming compound < ?
OTHER WORDS FROM picnic
pic·nick·er, nounWords nearby picnic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for picnic
British Dictionary definitions for picnic
picnic
/ (ˈpɪknɪk) /
noun
a trip or excursion to the country, seaside, etc, on which people bring food to be eaten in the open air
- any informal meal eaten outside
- (as modifier)a picnic lunch
informal, mainly Australian a troublesome situation or experience
no picnic informal a hard or disagreeable task
verb -nics, -nicking or -nicked
(intr) to eat a picnic
Derived forms of picnic
picnicker, nounWord Origin for picnic
C18: from French piquenique, of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Idioms and Phrases with picnic
picnic
see no picnic.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.