What Is The Origin Of The Word Picnic

The french word is first recorded in french in the late seventeenth century.

Instead the origin on the word picnic is french piquenique and was invented long before the atrocities towards blacks took place in america. Some claim that picnic is derived from lynching parties of blacks. Picnic derived from the french word pique nique a term from the late 17th century. The word picnic first appeared in english in a letter from lord chesterfield in 1748 oed who associates it with card playing drinking and conversation.

Although not taught in american learning institutions and literature it is noted in most black history professional circles and literature that the origin of the term picnic derives from the. A pique nique was kind of like a pot luck but more upscale. It is of uncertain origin though we note that it is a reduplicated rhyming compound. A history 2014 walter levy explains how the english word gained currency in the sense of indoor meal by contribution of the guests.

Picnic was borrowed from french piquenique a word which seems to have originated around the end of the 17th century. According to my extensive research long exhausted in and around the los angeles and riverside public libraries i found that the word picnic can only be traced to its french origin in the 17 century which have nothing to do with the lynching of negroes. According to dr david pilgrim author of several books on the history and cultural symbols of the jim crow era the word picnic derives from the 17th century french word pique nique a term used. Picnic is a borrowing from french pique nique possibly by way of german pic nic modern picknick.

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During a hiatus during britain s war with france in 1802 a group of over two hundred aristocrats formed the pic nic society. This french word piquenique signifies an outing with food similar to the word s meaning in english. It is not clear where it came from but one theory is that it was based on the verb piquer pick peck source of english pick with the rhyming nique perhaps added in half reminiscence of the obsolete nique trifle. Pique means pick so that is easy.