What proof is there to substantiate the origins of the word picnic?

Answer 1

The word picnic is derived from the French word "pique nique" to describe an outdoor meal. The earliest versions of picnics come from the Middle Ages when members of the upper class would "dine out" during a hunt. The first record of the word "pique nique" comes from the 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Française de Ménage.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of "picnic" in English appears in 1748 in a letter from Lord Chesterfield to his son residing in Berlin, in the sense of a social gathering. 'Picknicken' in German means to hold a meeting. A subsequent mention occurs in a letter from Lady M. Coke to Lady Stafford in 1763. A 1738 translation of Lord Chesterfield's letter into Swedish used "picnick" and the Swedish dictionary suggests it is of French or English origin. By the early 1800s "picnic" was used only in the sense of a social meal eaten outdoors.

It has nothing to do with slavery. That is an urban legend.

Answer 2

See your answer on the link below. The dictionary that includes origin or archaic meanings will have the proof of where the word picnic came from and what it means. See example.

PICNIC">Origin of PICNIC

German or French; German Picknick, from French pique-niqueFirst Known Use: 1826 From Merriam Websters (in my house and online too)

Answer 3

Thought to be from the French word Piquenique meaning 'to pick a worthless thing'. Also the word has an association with 'a fashionable pot luck social affair' but not necessarily out of doors

Answer 4

French (piquenique) - means outing with food

Answer 5

It was originally French. A 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Francoise de Menage is the first appearance of the word 'piquenique' in print.