definitions

pie

1
[ pahy ]
/ paɪ /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pie ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a baked food having a filling of fruit, meat, pudding, etc., prepared in a pastry-lined pan or dish and often topped with a pastry crust: apple pie; meat pie.
a layer cake with a filling of custard, cream jelly, or the like: chocolate cream pie.
a total or whole that can be divided: They want a bigger part of the profit pie.
an activity or affair: He has his finger in the political pie too.
pizza.

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RELATED WORDS

profitable, beneficial, achievable, advantageous, expedient, likely, practical, appropriate, practicable, reasonable, workable, attainable, suitable, viable, worthwhile, cake, doughnut, bread, croissant, phyllo

Nearby words

phytotoxic, phytotoxin, phytotron, phz, phèdre, pie, pi character, pi meson, pi-dog, pi-pa, pi.

Idioms

Origin of pie

1
1275–1325; Middle English, of obscure origin

Related forms

pie·like, adjective

Definition for pie (2 of 7)

pie

2
[ pahy ]
/ paɪ /

noun

magpie.

Origin of pie

2
1200–50; Middle English < Old French < Latin pīca, akin to pīcus woodpecker

Definition for pie (3 of 7)

pie

3
[ pahy ]
/ paɪ /

noun, verb (used with object), pied, pie·ing.

pi2.

Definition for pie (4 of 7)

pie

4

or pye

[ pahy ]
/ paɪ /

noun

(in England before the Reformation) a book of ecclesiastical rules for finding the particulars of the service for the day.

Origin of pie

4
1470–80; translation of Latin pīca pie2; the allusion is obscure; cf. pica1

Definition for pie (5 of 7)

pie

5
[ pahy ]
/ paɪ /

noun

a former bronze coin of India, the 12th part of an anna.
Compare naya paisa, paisa, pice.

Origin of pie

5
First recorded in 1855–60, pie is from the Marathi word pā'ī literally, a fourth

Definition for pie (6 of 7)

PIE

Proto-Indo-European.

Definition for pie (7 of 7)

pi

2

or pie

[ pahy ]
/ paɪ /

noun, plural pies.

printing types mixed together indiscriminately.
any confused mixture; jumble.

verb (used with object), pied, pi·ing.

to reduce (printing types) to a state of confusion.
to jumble.

Origin of pi

2
First recorded in 1650–60; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pie

British Dictionary definitions for pie (1 of 10)

pie

1
/ (paɪ) /

noun

a baked food consisting of a sweet or savoury filling in a pastry-lined dish, often covered with a pastry crust
have a finger in the pie
  1. to have an interest in or take part in some activity
  2. to meddle or interfere
pie in the sky illusory hope or promise of some future good; false optimism

Word Origin for pie

C14: of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for pie (2 of 10)

pie

2
/ (paɪ) /

noun

an archaic or dialect name for magpie

Word Origin for pie

C13: via Old French from Latin pīca magpie; related to Latin pīcus woodpecker

British Dictionary definitions for pie (3 of 10)

pie

3
/ (paɪ) /

noun, verb

printing a variant spelling of pi 2

British Dictionary definitions for pie (4 of 10)

pie

4
/ (paɪ) /

noun

a very small former Indian coin worth one third of a pice

Word Origin for pie

C19: from Hindi pā'ī, from Sanskrit pādikā a fourth

British Dictionary definitions for pie (5 of 10)

pie

5

pye

/ (paɪ) /

noun

history a book for finding the Church service for any particular day

Word Origin for pie

C15: from Medieval Latin pica almanac; see pica 1

British Dictionary definitions for pie (6 of 10)

pie

6
/ (paɪ) /

adjective

be pie on NZ informal to be keen on

Word Origin for pie

from Māori pai ana

British Dictionary definitions for pie (7 of 10)

PI

abbreviation for

Philippine Islands
private investigator

British Dictionary definitions for pie (8 of 10)

pi

1
/ (paɪ) /

noun plural pis

the 16th letter in the Greek alphabet (Π, π), a consonant, transliterated as p
maths a transcendental number, fundamental to mathematics, that is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Approximate value: 3.141 592…; symbol: π

Word Origin for pi

C18 (mathematical use): representing the first letter of Greek periphereia periphery

British Dictionary definitions for pie (9 of 10)

pi

2

pie

/ (paɪ) /

noun plural pies

a jumbled pile of printer's type
a jumbled mixture

verb pies, piing, pied, pies, pieing or pied (tr)

to spill and mix (set type) indiscriminately
to mix up

Word Origin for pi

C17: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for pie (10 of 10)

pi

3
/ (paɪ) /

adjective

British slang short for pious (def. 2), pious (def. 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for pie (1 of 2)

pi

[ pī ]

n. pl. pis

The 16th letter of the Greek alphabet.

Medicine definitions for pie (2 of 2)

pI

[ pē′ī′ ]

n.

The pH value for the isoelectric point of a given substance in solution.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for pie

pi

[ pī ]

An irrational number that has a numerical value of 3.14159265358979… and is represented by the symbol π. It expresses the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle and appears in many mathematical expressions.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for pie

pi

[ (peye) ]

The irrational number obtained by dividing the length of the diameter of a circle into its circumference. Pi is approximately 3.1416. The sign for pi is π.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with pie

pie

In addition to the idiom beginning with pie

  • pie in the sky

also see:

  • apple-pie order
  • easy as pie
  • eat crow (humble pie)
  • finger in the pie
  • slice of the pie
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.