picayune
[ pik-ee-yoon, pik-uh- ]
adjectiveAlso pic·a·yun·ish. Informal.
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.
Origin of picayune
1First recorded in 1780–90; from Provençal picaioun “small copper coin” (compare French picaillons ), derivative of an unattested onomatopoetic base pikk- “beat,” here referring to the coining of coppers
Other words for picayune
1 | inconsequential, insignificant, measly, nugatory, paltry, trivial, unimportant |
2 | narrow |
narrow-minded, petty, small-minded; illiberal |
Other words from picayune
- pic·a·yun·ish·ly, adverb
- pic·a·yun·ish·ness, noun
Other definitions for Picayune (2 of 2)
Picayune
[ pik-uh-yoon, pik-ee- ]
noun
a town in SE Mississippi.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for picayune
picayune
/ (ˌpɪkəˈjuːn) /
adjectiveAlso: 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
Origin of picayune
1C19: from French picaillon coin from Piedmont, from Provençal picaioun, of unknown origin
Derived forms of picayune
- picayunishly, adverb
- picayunishness, noun
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
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