pickle

¹pick·le

noun \ˈpi-kəl\

Definition of PICKLE

1

: a solution or bath for preserving or cleaning: as

a : a brine or vinegar solution in which foods are preserved

b : any of various baths used in industrial cleaning or processing

2

: a difficult situation : plight <could see no way out of the pickle I was in — R. L. Stevenson>

3

: an article of food that has been preserved in brine or in vinegar; specifically : a cucumber that has been so preserved

Origin of PICKLE

Middle English pykyl, pekill sauce, gravy, from or akin to Middle Dutch peeckel brine

First Known Use: 15th century

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

Rhymes with PICKLE

brickle, chicle, fickle, mickle, nickel, prickle, sickle, stickle, tical, tickle, trickle

²pickle

transitive verb

pick·ledpick·ling \-k(ə-)liŋ\

Definition of PICKLE

1

: to treat, preserve, or clean in or with a pickle

2

: to give a light finish to (as furniture) by bleaching or painting and wiping

First Known Use of PICKLE

1570

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

Rhymes with PICKLE

mickle, prickle, sickle, tickle, trickle

³pickle

noun

Definition of PICKLE

1

Scottish : grain, kernel

2

Scottish : a small quantity

Origin of PICKLE

perhaps from Scots pickle to trifle, pilfer

First Known Use: 1552

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall