noun
Street Slang
Pickney
/ˈpɪkni/ · noun · informal
Patois for a child or kid — your pickney are your children.
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Definitions
1
A child or kid in Jamaican Patois.
“The pickney dem playing in the yard.”
by community
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2
Used for one's own children specifically.
“Mi haffi feed mi pickney before mi do anyting.”
by community
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3
Used dismissively for someone acting immature, like calling them a baby.
“Stop behaving like a pickney.”
by community
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Pickney In A Sentence
Her pickney just started school this week.
Three pickney and a full-time job, she's a hero.
You're a whole adult crying like a pickney.
Origin & Usage
Caribbean Creole, derived from Portuguese 'pequenino' (little one), the same root as 'pickaninny'. The Patois 'pickney' itself is neutral, unlike the offensive English derivative.
People Also Ask
What does 'pickney' mean?
It's Jamaican Patois for a child or kid.
Is 'pickney' offensive?
In Caribbean Patois it's a neutral everyday word for child, though it shares a root with the separate offensive English term 'pickaninny'.
Where does 'pickney' come from?
It comes from Portuguese 'pequenino', meaning 'little one', carried into Caribbean Creole.
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