eat vs pick at

eat and pick at both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
eat	No	No	Yes	No
pick at	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, pick at is a hyponym of eat; that is, pick at is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than eat:

eat (verb)	pick at (verb)
cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid	express a negative opinion of
take in solid food	eat like a bird
eat a meal; take a meal	pluck or pull at with the fingers
take in food; used of animals only
use up (resources or materials)
worry or cause anxiety in a persistent way