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pic·ca·ta

(pĭ-kätə)

adj.

Sliced, sautéed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, butter, and spices. Used of meat or fish.

[Italian, feminine of piccato, larded, past participle of piccare, to prick (translation of French piqué, past participle of piquer, to prick, lard), from Vulgar Latin *piccāre; see PIQUE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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