Early 17th century; earliest use found in Thomas Dekker (c1572–1632), playwright and pamphleteer. From French †piccadille inside part of a sleeve, glossed in Cotgrave as ‘the seuerall diuisions or peeces fastened together about the brimme of the collar of a doublet’, of uncertain origin. Spanish picadillo has been suggested as the etymon of the French word, but is apparently only attested in the sense ‘minced meat, hash’; however, compare picadura ornamental gusset, and also Occitan picadura embroidered textile.