Pronunciation: /pɪˈkaɪˌjun/

Definitions of picayune

noun a Spanish-American half-real piece formerly in use in parts of the southern United States

Example Sentences

A1 I found a picayune on the ground.

A2 She collects picayunes from different countries.

B1 The museum had a display of ancient picayunes.

B2 The rare picayune was sold at auction for a high price.

C1 The historian specialized in studying picayunes from the 18th century.

C2 The collection of picayunes was considered one of the most valuable in the world.

adjective of little value or significance; petty or trifling

Example Sentences

A1 The picayune details of the task were easy to overlook.

A2 She complained about the picayune rules at her new job.

B1 The manager was criticized for focusing on picayune issues instead of the bigger picture.

B2 The lawyer's argument was weakened by his picayune objections.

C1 The CEO was known for his picayune attention to detail in every aspect of the business.

C2 The artist's work was praised for its intricate beauty and picayune craftsmanship.

Examples of picayune in a Sentence

formal The committee spent hours discussing picayune details of the budget proposal.

informal Why are you getting so worked up over such a picayune issue?

slang Stop being so picayune about it, it's not a big deal.

figurative Her picayune attitude towards life's challenges held her back from achieving her goals.

Grammatical Forms of picayune

past tense

picayuned

plural

picayunes

comparative

more picayune

superlative

most picayune

present tense

picayunes

future tense

will picayune

perfect tense

have picayuned

continuous tense

is picayuning

singular

picayune

positive degree

picayune

infinitive

to picayune

gerund

picayuning

participle

picayuning

Origin and Evolution of picayune

First Known Use: 1791 year
Language of Origin: French
Story behind the word: The word 'picayune' originated from the French colonial coin known as a 'picaillon' or 'picayune', which was worth a small amount.
Evolution of the word: Over time, 'picayune' evolved from simply referring to a small coin to describing something insignificant or trivial.