picaresque of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero. The picaresque novel originated in Spain in the 16th century, La Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes (c.1554) usually being cited as the earliest example. In English, the genre is associated particularly with 18th-century writers.

Recorded from the early 19th century, the word comes via French from Spanish picaresco, from picaro ‘rogue’.

picaresque (Sp. pícaro, rogue or knave) Term first applied to an early genre of prose fiction, such as Cervantes' Don Quixote (1615), in which a roguish hero has a series of adventures, providing the writer with a means for satirical comment. In a general sense, the term is often used to refer to fiction that is episodic in structure.

pic·a·resque / ˌpikəˈresk/ • adj. of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero.

picaresque pert. to rogues, orig. of Sp. literary fiction. XIX. — F. — Sp. picaresco, f. picaro roguish, sb. rogue; see -ESQUE.