Something "picayune" holds little value or significance, or is petty and small-minded. As a noun, it refers to a small coin or to something of little worth.
Algo "picayún" tiene poco valor o importancia, o es mezquino y de mente pequeña. Como sustantivo, se refiere a una moneda pequeña o a algo de poco valor.
| Front | picayune \pik-uh-YOON\ |
|---|---|
| Back | adjective 1. Of little value or significance. 2. Petty, small-minded. noun 1. A Spanish-American coin equal to half the value of a real (a silver coin). 2. A small coin, especially a five-cent piece. 3. Something or someone of little value. [From French picaillon, from Provençal picaioun, a small coin. The Times-Picayune and the Picayune-Item are so named because they could then be bought for a few cents, or because they originated from the town of the same name. The former publication raises its flag in New Orleans, Louisiana, while the latter calls Picayune, Mississippi its home. Incidentally, did you notice the two newspaper names are near-anagrams?] "One could criticize the book as having a progovernment bias, but such criticism would be picayune and, I believe, wrong." - F. Frederick Hawley; Terrorism in America; Social Forces; Mar 1, 1995. "Well, it is not supposed to be good form these days to dwell on the picayune personal problems, especially of Republicans, but, you know, I've never been much for form. So, of the speaker, Gingrich's three recent personal problems - his mother, his historian and his book - the book is potentially, I think, the most serious." - Dan Schorr; Reality Sets in for New Congress, Weekend Edition; NPR; Jan 14, 1995. |
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