Spanish Conversation · Level 165
30 words
Spanish word
picar
Pronunciation
IPA/piˈkaɾ/
Meaning
- verbbite
Example
Me picó un mosquito anoche.
A mosquito bit me last night.
More examples
Un escorpión picó a un senderista en el desierto.
A scorpion bit a hiker in the desert.
Core concept
A sharp, stinging burn on the tongue or skin.
Common phrases
picar a alguien
bite someone
picar en el brazo
bite someone's arm
Similar words
arder: Produces a sustained hot, burning feeling on skin or mucous membranes.
quemar: Causes thermal injury that damages skin or objects by burning.
morder: Uses the teeth to bite down, cutting or injuring flesh and tissue.
Definition in Spanish
Expresar que algo provoca ardor o picor en la boca u otras partes del cuerpo, como cuando una comida pica; también emplearse para cortar en trozos pequeños o para comer algo entre horas.
Word origin
From Late Latin piccare 'to prick', originally 'to sting', and Spanish applies that prick image to a burning or tingling sensation from spice or insect bites.
Usage tips
- With indirect object pronouns (me, te, le), picar describes a sensation (me pica = something stings or itches me), so speakers commonly ask ¿Te pica mucho? to check spiciness.
Other meanings
- pick atverb
- minceverb
- be spicyverb
Related words
- picadurabitenoun
- picazónitchnoun