Meaning
A child — whether one's own or any young person. Warmer and more everyday than the neutral English 'child', worn down from 'pickaninny' with African-Portuguese roots, 'pickney' runs through all talk of children and family, and it can be used affectionately or scoldingly toward a younger person regardless of blood relation. 'Mi pickney dem' are my children, and 'yuh likkle pickney' can be a fond or a sharp address. Among the most common and characteristic words in the language, it names the child in all their dearness and mischief.
Examples
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How much pickney yuh have?
How many children do you have?
'how much' is used where English would say 'how many'.
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Di pickney dem a play inna di yaad.
The children are playing in the yard.
'a play' uses continuous 'a'; 'dem' marks the plural.
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Come yah, pickney, mek mi talk to yuh.
Come here, child, let me talk to you.
Used to address a younger person; 'mek mi' means 'let me'.
Origin
From Portuguese 'pequenino' meaning little one or tiny, borrowed into West African Pidgin and carried into Caribbean creoles; cognate with 'pikin' in West African English.
How it’s used
Extremely common across all registers and ages. Not derogatory; using it for a grown adult ('big pickney') can be a playful or pointed jab about immaturity.