Pronounced: PRIK-it, noun
Notes: Looks like a misspelling of “picket” (as in “picket fence”) – a new word to me
Yesterday’s word
The word tautology is “the needless repetition of an idea, especially in words”
First usage
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
Background / Comments
Apparently, the common example of a tautology is “widow woman”… I spent a few minutes trying to think of something else; I can think of straight, unnecessary repetition, such as “ATM machine” or “PIN number”, but our word seems to be used when the other word is not the same, but adds nothing. I have had annoying conversations when I ask a yes/no question and get back a lengthy statement that could have been stated as “yes” — these may be an example of tautological conversation, which sounds nice. Our word comes from the Late Latin word tautologia, which came from the Greek word tautología (repetition of something already said).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 