piccalilli
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piccalilli
Rhymes with -ɪli
Where it comes from
Unknown. First use appears c. 1758. Presumably a variant of pickle, which itself is from Middle English pekille (“spicy sauce served with meat or fish”) or pikel, from Middle Dutch pekel (“brine”); perhaps influenced by dialectal variants. Alternatively, it may be related to paco lilla (“ginger-spiced pickle”), from the 18th century British cookbook The Art of Cookery (1747–1843; e.g., 1805 edition) by Hannah Glasse (1708–1770), also referred to as Indian pickles, which suggests an Indo-Aryan source; compare mulligatawny, of Tamil origin, which also features turmeric prominently, and curry, of Tamil or Middle English origin (or a blend). Not etymologically related to Piccadilly.
noun piccalillis · picalilli
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A yellow pickle relish made from cauliflower, vegetable marrow, and other vegetables, pickled with vinegar, salt, sugar, and spiced with mustard, turmeric, and other spices.
There are, however, exceptions. Piccalilli – aka “mustard with other stuff”, aka “that noble Anglo-Indian spiritual creation” – is great with ham, he conceeds^([sic]).
Similar: chowchow, India relish
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A pickle, typically on a base of chopped green (unripe) tomatoes, but sometimes finely-chopped pickles, and possibly including other vegetables.
Similar: relish
Talk about this word "piccalilli." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/piccalilli. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. piccalilli. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/piccalilli "piccalilli." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/piccalilli.Cite this
@misc{piccalilli_2026,
title = {piccalilli},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/piccalilli},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
