picnic

[ pik-nik ]
/ ˈpɪk nɪk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR picnic ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Origin of picnic

1740–50; < German Pic-nic (now Picknick) < French pique-nique, rhyming compound < ?

OTHER WORDS FROM picnic

pic·nick·er, noun

Words nearby picnic

pickwickian, pickwickian syndrome, pickwickianism, picky, picloram, picnic, picnic races, pico de aneto, pico de são tomé, pico de teide, pico della mirandola

Words related to picnic

barbecue, outing, excursion, cookout, clambake, walkover, pushover, lark, breeze, cinch, snap, setup

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
  1. any informal meal eaten outside
  2. (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, noun

Word Origin for picnic

C18: from French piquenique, of unknown origin

Idioms and Phrases with picnic

picnic

see no picnic.