What does "piccadilly" mean?
piccadill
Piccadilly
name, noun
name, noun ·4 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: piccadill
- Grammar: piccadilly is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: area, district, road, street.
- Usage evidence: We just came from our hotel to see Buckingham Palace, and now we are going to go from here to Piccadilly Square.
How to use "piccadilly"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "piccadilly" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "piccadilly" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "piccadilly" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "piccadilly" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "piccadilly" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "area" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "piccadilly", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 piccadill obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 Piccadilly, a street running from Hyde Park Corner to Piccadilly Circus.
"The Inn that I speak of is about the Middle of Piccadilly upon the left hand."
- 2 The surrounding area.
"Valentine Dawes, a Quaker, living in Aier-street in the Piccadilly, being for many years troubled with the Falling-Sickness, was perfectly cured; and thereupon presently became a Roman Catholick."
- 3 Manchester Piccadilly station, the main railway station in Manchester.
- 4 The Piccadilly Line of the London Underground, originally known as the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway.
"Why Piccadilly? The Piccadilly Line was originally the Great Northern, Piccadilly & Brompton Railway (GNP&BR) which was shortened to Piccadilly in practice. Running under the main road between Piccadilly Circus and Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly made sense and was also the most well-known location in the original company name."
- 5 A number of places elsewhere:; A suburb of Swinton, Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SK4598).
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A number of places elsewhere:; A village in Kingsbury parish, North Warwickshire district, Warwickshire, England, named after Piccadilly in London (OS grid ref SP2298).
- 7 A number of places elsewhere:; A hamlet in Beechingstoke parish, Wiltshire, England (OS grid ref SU0959).
- 8 A number of places elsewhere:; A small town in Adelaide Hills council area, South Australia.
- 9 A number of places elsewhere:; A suburb of Kalgoorlie, City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia.
- 10 A number of places elsewhere:; A community in Central Frontenac, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada.
- 11 A number of places elsewhere:; A community in Piccadilly Slant-Abraham's Cove, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Example
"We just came from our hotel to see Buckingham Palace, and now we are going to go from here to Piccadilly Square."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "piccadilly"?
Common synonyms include: area, district, road, street, thoroughfare.
How do you use "piccadilly" in a sentence?
We just came from our hotel to see Buckingham Palace, and now we are going to go from here to Piccadilly Square.
Etymology
From Pickadilly Hall, a house belonging to a tailor, Robert Baker, who specialized in a type of lace collar called a piccadill, possibly from conjectured Spanish *picadillo, from picado (“punctured, pierced”); compare 17th century Spanish picadura (“a similar lace collar”). Piccadilly attested as the London street name from 1695^(see quote); previously the main portion of the street (west of Sackville Street) was called Portugal Street (1692), after Catherine of Braganza. Piccadilly attested of the location from 1663^(see quote), Peccadillo a.1641, Pecadilly Hall a.1640ⁱᵇⁱᵈ, Pickadilly Hall 1623. All other uses appear to be derived from the London location or street name.