pick at

P p

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [pik at]
- /pɪk æt/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [pik at]
- /pɪk æt/

Definitions of pick at words

verb with object pick at to choose or select from among a group: to pick a contestant from the audience. 1
verb with object pick at to seek and find occasion for; provoke: to pick a fight. 1
verb with object pick at to attempt to find; seek out: to pick flaws in an argument. 1
verb with object pick at to steal the contents of: Her pocket was picked yesterday. 1
verb with object pick at to open (a lock) with a device other than the key, as a sharp instrument or wire, especially for the purpose of burglary. 1
verb with object pick at to pierce, indent, dig into, or break up (something) with a pointed instrument: to pick rock; to pick ore. 1

See all 40 definitions of pick at

Information block about the term

Origin of pick at

First appearance:

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; v. Middle English pyken, pikken, pekken, cognate with Dutch pikken, German picken, Old Norse pikka to pick; akin to peck2, pike5; (noun) derivative of the v.

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Pick at

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Pick at

pick at popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

pick at usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for pick at

verb pick at

altercate — to argue, esp heatedly; dispute
animadvert — to comment with strong criticism (upon); make censorious remarks (about)
bicker — When people bicker, they argue or quarrel about unimportant things.
blistered — a thin vesicle on the skin, containing watery matter or serum, as from a burn or other injury.
carp — A carp is a kind of fish that lives in lakes and rivers.

All 36 Synonyms of pick at