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.
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, adverb pic·a·yun·ish·ness, nounWords nearby picayune
picaresque,
picaro,
picaroon,
picasso,
picasso, pablo,
picayune,
piccadilly,
piccadilly circus,
piccalilli,
piccanin,
piccaninny
Definition for picayune (2 of 2)
Picayune
[ pik-uh-yoon, pik-ee- ]
/ ˌpɪk əˈyun, ˌpɪk i- /
noun
a town in SE Mississippi.
Example sentences 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, adverb picayunishness, nounWord Origin for picayune
C19: from French
picaillon coin from Piedmont, from Provençal
picaioun, of unknown origin