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piquancy

piquancy

8.2
A sharp, spicy taste or lively quality that makes things more exciting
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪk.wən.si/
translation icon : picantez
  • The piquancy of the fresh ginger made the tea invigorating.

Examples

  • She enjoyed the piquancy of the dish, which combined spicy and tangy flavors.

  • The air was heavy with frying smells and the piquancy of greens.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Plain salt, the mineral with the gift of piquancy, is the catalyst on Gavarini's stage.

    Academic text (2005)
  • He describes a Rouault painting as "interpenetrating layers of viscous paint that begin to emphasize the surface in a declamatory way" and wrote, "almost everything Picasso does has a certain pungency or, at worst, piquancy."

    Academic text (1992)
  • The piquancy of the salsa added a delightful kick to the tacos.

Synonyms

tang
vspiquancy
6 5.9

A strong sharp taste or smell that stays on the tongue

is milder and more about pleasant stimulation than sheer sharpness
spiciness
vspiquancy
2 2.3

A strong hot taste that makes your mouth tingle

is about pleasant sharpness that can include but is not only heat
tanginess
vspiquancy
1 4.2

A sharp, pleasantly sour taste like lemon, often with a little spice

is broader, covering stimulating qualities beyond just tart flavor
piquance
vspiquancy
9.1

A pleasant spicy taste that makes your mouth feel lively

is the standard spelling rather than the alternate form
piquantness
vspiquancy
8.4

A pleasantly sharp taste that makes food more exciting

is the usual, simpler term rather than this less common variant
punchiness
vspiquancy
7.0

A strong, sharp taste or smell you notice quickly

is more about pleasant spice rather than raw intensity
zestiness
vspiquancy
3.5

A lively, energetic quality or a strong, pleasant taste in people and food

is more narrowly about appetizing sharpness rather than liveliness

Antonyms

1 4.1

A lack of strong taste in food

1 9.6

Lack of flavor or interest that makes something dull

How Stimulating

fascination
105 3.4
excitement
434 1.0
piquancy
8.2
interest
1.0
curiosity
318 2.2
boredom
85 1.3

Surface Forms

piquancy singular
piquancies plural

Morphology

piquancy = piquant (transparent) = piquant + ancy

The sense is a direct nominalization of 'piquant' referring to sharp/spicy flavor or stimulating quality, so the derivation is transparent.

Etymology

Piquancy comes from the French verb piquer, meaning 'to prick' or 'to sting', so think of a spice that gives a small 'sting' on your tongue and wakes your taste. That's why piquancy describes a sharp, spicy, or appetizing flavor.