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Pict

American  
[pikt] / pɪkt /

noun

  1. a member of an ancient people of uncertain origin who inhabited parts of northern Britain, fought against the Romans, and in the 9th century a.d. united with the Scots.


Pict British  
/ pɪkt /

noun

  1. a member of any of the peoples who lived in Britain north of the Forth and Clyde in the first to the fourth centuries ad : later applied chiefly to the inhabitants of NE Scotland. Throughout Roman times the Picts carried out border raids

"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

Etymology

Origin of Pict

before 900; back formation from Middle English Pictes (plural) < Latin Pictī literally, painted ones, plural of pictus, past participle of pingere to paint; replacing Middle English Peghttes, Old English Peohtas, Pihtas ≪ Latin, as above

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Robbie the Pict, who legally changed his name from Brian Robertson and founded the mini state of "Pictland" on an acre of land in Skye in 1977, led the protests.

From BBC Oct. 16, 2025

Prominent campaigner Robbie the Pict said the convictions should be quashed as a matter of principle.

From BBC Oct. 16, 2025

So the saint ordered another Pict to dive into the water.

From Time Magazine Archive

Now Cenail is the modern name Kinneil, and it is also a Gaelic translation of the Pict pen val, since cean is the Gaelic for head, and fhail for rampart or wall.

From A Handbook of the English Language by R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham

A sad spoliation by Pict and Scot followed the Roman withdrawal.

From In the Border Country by W. S.

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