piebald
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of piebald
Explanation
Use the adjective piebald to describe something that has different colored patches — especially black and white patches. If you own a piebald horse, you could name him Spot. The adjective piebald is a combination of pie and bald. Pie was the original name for magpie, a common European bird known for its black and white coloring. Bald did not mean "hairless," but referred to a white patch, especially on the head (think bald eagle). So something piebald has a combination of black and white coloring. It mostly refers to horses, although the word can be used to describe other multicolored things.
Vocabulary lists containing piebald
Animal Farm
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The Downstairs Girl
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The Graveyard Book
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Piebald, skewbald or spavined, Britain's first national campaign in 3� years loped toward this week's Election Day with small enthusiasm.
From Time Magazine Archive
Piebald birds likewise sometimes occur in the same groups together with black and white species; for instance, the black-necked swan, certain terns, and the common magpie.
From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles
Old Piebald Pedro drives the cows in and out every day, riding upon his donkey.
From The Firebrand by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
Swift as the wild west wind were Bayard and Piebald, the two horses of Achilles, and in the side harness was Pedasus, a horse only less swift than they.
From Young Folks Treasury, Volume 3 (of 12) Classic Tales and Old-Fashioned Stories by Mabie, Hamilton Wright
Behind came Piebald Pedro's donkey, with a basket-chair strapped upon its back for the little Princess, who was in high glee, holding Concha's hand and singing for gladness to be done with La Granja.
From The Firebrand by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
