Dictionary

pickiness en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree English pick Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English picky Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English pickiness From picky + -ness.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) picky behaviour
   • Between 6 and 12 months, babies are more open to new foods — and new experiences — than they will be later on as toddlers, when a certain amount of “neophobia” or “new means no” is developmentally normal, Ms. Lipner said. “Normal kids transition through a normal pickiness phase,” around 18 months, she said, when “they’re also learning autonomy and control.” 2018 June 4, Perri Klass, M.D., “When New Means No: Picky Eating as a Normal Toddler Phase”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 21 Aug 2018:
2. (uncountable) The quality of being picky.

Forms