Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
PICKLE
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English pykyl, pekill sauce, gravy, from or akin to Middle Dutch peeckel brine
Date: 15th century
a solution or bath for preserving or cleaning: as, a brine or vinegar solution in which foods are preserved, any of various baths used in industrial cleaning or processing, a difficult situation ; plight , an article of food that has been preserved in brine or in vinegar,
II. transitive verb (pickled; pickling)
Date: 1570
to treat, preserve, or clean in or with a pickle, to give a light finish to (as furniture) by bleaching or painting and wiping,
III. noun
Etymology: perhaps from Scots pickle to trifle, pilfer
Date: 1552
grain , kernel , a small quantity