picar

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /piˈka/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /piˈkaɾ/

Verb

picar (first-person singular present pico, past participle picat)

1. (of an animal or insect) to bite, to sting
2. to peck (to strike with the beak or bill)
3. to prick, to pierce
4. to sting, to burn; to be spicy or sour
5. to mince, to chop

Further reading

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

Etymology

From Old Occitan, from Vulgar Latin *pīccāre, itself a derivative of Latin pīcus or of onomatopoetic origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈka/

Verb

picar

1. to hit; to strike
2. (of an insect or the like) to sting

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *pīccāre (“to puncture”), itself from *pīccus (“woodpecker”), variant of Latin pīcus, or of onomatopoetic origin.

Verb

picar (first-person singular present indicative pico, past participle picado)

1. to sting (to pierce with a small, sharp point)
2. to mince; to shred (to chop into small pieces)

Etymology

From pico (“beak, point”), or maybe from Latin pīcus (“woodpecker”), through a Vulgar Latin *pīccāre (“to sting, strike”). Compare Portuguese picar, French piquer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈkaɾ/

Verb

picar (first-person singular present pico, first-person singular preterite piqué, past participle picado)

1. to bite; to sting; to stab; to wound
2. to rot; to decay; to eat away; to rust
3. to chop
4. to pique
5. to itch
6. to sting or be pungent to the lips or tongue, be spicy or hot

   Este chile pica mucho = "This chili is very hot"

7. (slang, Mexico) to sexually penetrate, fuck
8. (reflexive) to get angry, to get annoyed, to take offence
9. (reflexive) to turn sour
10. (reflexive, Mexico, with con) to get addicted, fascinated, enraptured

Further reading

• “picar” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Etymology

Compare Italian impiccare.

Verb

picar (transitive or intransitive)

1. to hang or dangle