different between insult vs pique

English

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle French insulter (modern French insulter (“to insult”)) or its etymon Latin ?nsult?re, present active infinitive of ?nsult? (“to spring, leap or jump at or upon; to abuse, insult, revile, taunt”), the frequentative form of ?nsili? (“to bound; to leap in or upon”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + sali? (“to bound, jump, leap; to spring forth; to flow down”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“to spring”)).

The noun is derived from Middle French insult (modern French insulte (“insult”)) or its etymon Late Latin insultus (“insult, reviling, scoffing”), from ?nsili? (“to bound; to leap in or upon”); see above.

Pronunciation

• Verb:
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: ?ns?lt?, IPA^(key): /?n?s?lt/
• Noun:
  • enPR: ?n?s?lt, IPA^(key): /??ns?lt/
• Rhymes: -?lt
• Hyphenation: in?sult

Verb

insult (third-person singular simple present insults, present participle insulting, simple past and past participle insulted)

1. (transitive) To be insensitive, insolent, or rude to (somebody); to affront or demean (someone). [from 17th c.]

   Synonyms: disrespect, affront, disgrace, slander, discourtesy, offense

   Antonym: compliment
2. (transitive, also figuratively, obsolete) To assail, assault, or attack; (specifically, military) to carry out an assault, attack, or onset without preparation.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To behave in an obnoxious and superior manner (against or over someone). [16th–19th c.]
4. (intransitive, obsolete, rare) To leap or trample upon.

Conjugation

Related terms

• insolence
• insultation

Translations

Noun

insult (countable and uncountable, plural insults)

1. (uncountable) Action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude; (countable) a particular act or statement having this effect.

   Synonyms: affront, (slang) diss, (obsolete) insultation, (Britain) offence, (US) offense, pejorative, (US, colloquial) slam, slight, slur; see also Thesaurus:offense

   Antonym: compliment
2. (countable) Something that causes offence (for example, by being of an unacceptable quality).

   Synonyms: disgrace, outrage
3. (countable, medicine) Something causing disease or injury to the body or bodily processes; the injury so caused.
4. (countable, also figuratively, archaic) An assault or attack; (specifically, military, obsolete) an assault, attack, or onset carried out without preparation.
5. (countable, obsolete) An act of leaping upon.

Derived terms

• add insult to injury

Translations

References

Further reading

• insult on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• insult (medical) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• insult (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• sunlit, unlist, unslit

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /in?sul(t)/

Noun

insult m (plural insults)

1. insult

Related terms

• insultar

Further reading

• “insult” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [in?sult]

Verb

insult

1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of insulta

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: p?k, IPA^(key): /pi?k/
• Homophones: peak, peek, peke
• Rhymes: -i?k

Etymology 1

From Middle French pique (“a prick, sting”), from Old French pic (“a sharp point”). Doublet of pike (“long pointed weapon”). Compare Spanish picar (“to sting”).

Noun

pique (countable and uncountable, plural piques)

1. A feeling of enmity; ill-feeling, animosity; a transient feeling of wounded pride.
   • 1667, Richard Allestree, The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety

     Men take up piques - and displeasures at others.

   • 1854, Thomas De Quincey, On War

     Wars had arisen […] upon a personal pique.

2. A feeling of irritation or resentment, awakened by a social slight or injury; offence, especially taken in an emotional sense with little thought or consideration.
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 7:

     This defiance was not a fit of pique, but a matter of principle.

   • 1957, Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman, Sweet Smell of Success

     You think this is a personal thing with me? Are you telling me I think of this in terms of a personal pique?

3. (obsolete) Keenly felt desire; a longing.
   • 1684, Samuel Butler, Hudibras

     Though it have the pique, and long, / 'Tis still for something in the wrong.

Translations

Verb

pique (third-person singular simple present piques, present participle piquing, simple past and past participle piqued)

1. (transitive) To wound the pride of; to excite to anger.

   Synonyms: sting, nettle, irritate, fret

   • 1913, D. H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 11

2. (reflexive) To take pride in; to pride oneself on.

3. (transitive) To stimulate (a feeling, emotion); to offend by slighting; to excite (someone) to action by causing resentment or jealousy.

   Synonyms: excite, stimulate

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Prior to this entry?)

Translations

Etymology 2

From French pic.

Noun

pique (plural piques)

1. (card games) In piquet, the right of the elder hand to count thirty in hand, or to play before the adversary counts one.

Verb

pique (third-person singular simple present piques, present participle piquing, simple past and past participle piqued)

1. (card games, transitive) To score a pique against.

Etymology 3

From Spanish pique, from Central Quechua piki.

Noun

pique (plural piques)

1. A chigger or jigger, Tunga penetrans.

Etymology 4

From French piqué, past participle of piquer (“to prick, quilt”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pi?ke?/

Noun

pique (countable and uncountable, plural piques)

1. A durable ribbed fabric made from cotton, rayon, or silk.

References

• “pique”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Anagrams

• Equip., equip, pequi

French

Etymology

Deverbal of piquer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pik/

Noun

pique f (plural piques)

1. pike, lance

pique m (plural piques)

1. (card games) spade (as a card suit)

Descendants

• ? German: Pik n

  ? Macedonian: ??? m (pik)

  ? Serbo-Croatian: m

  Cyrillic: ????

  Latin: p?k

  ? Slovene: pík

• ? Polish: pik m

Verb

pique

1. inflection of piquer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative
   2. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   3. second-person singular imperative

See also

Further reading

• “pique” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Noun

pique f (plural piques)

1. Alternative form of picque

Portuguese

Etymology

From Middle French picque (“a prick, sting”), from Old French pic (“a sharp point”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pi.ki/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /?pi.ke/

Noun

pique m (plural piques)

1. any spear

   Synonyms: hasta, lança

2. or specifically a pike

   Synonym: chuço

3. hide-and-seek (game)

   Synonyms: esconde-esconde, pique-esconde

Derived terms

• a pique, ir a pique

Verb

pique

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of picar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of picar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of picar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of picar

Spanish

Etymology

From picar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pike/, [?pi.ke]

Noun

pique m (plural piques)

1. (card games) spade
2. downward movement
   1. jump, leap
3. hit, fix (of drugs)
4. rivalry, loggerheads
5. grudge match

Derived terms

Verb

pique

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of picar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of picar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of picar.