definitions

pied

[ pahyd ]
/ paɪd /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pied ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having patches of two or more colors, as various birds and other animals: a pied horse.
wearing pied clothing.

RELATED WORDS

mottled, checkered, spotted, motley, variegated, dappled, maculate, dotted, blotched, ridged, marked, striped, striate, tore, grooved, whelked, barred, striated, parti-colored

Nearby words

piecer, piecewise, piecework, piecrust, piecrust table, pied, pied goose, pied noir, pied piper, pied shag, pied wagtail

Origin of pied

1350–1400; Middle English; pie2 (with reference to the black and white plumage of the magpie) + -ed3

Definition for pied (2 of 4)

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

Definition for pied (3 of 4)

pie

3
[ pahy ]
/ paɪ /

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

pi2.

Definition for pied (4 of 4)

à pied

[ a pyey ]
/ a ˈpyeɪ /

adverb French.

afoot; walking; on foot.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pied

British Dictionary definitions for pied (1 of 12)

pied

/ (paɪd) /

adjective

having markings of two or more colours

Word Origin for pied

C14: from pie ²; an allusion to the magpie's black-and-white colouring

British Dictionary definitions for pied (2 of 12)

à pied

/ French (a pje) /

adverb, adjective

(postpositive) on foot

British Dictionary definitions for pied (3 of 12)

PI

abbreviation for

Philippine Islands
private investigator

British Dictionary definitions for pied (4 of 12)

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 pied (5 of 12)

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 pied (6 of 12)

pi

3
/ (paɪ) /

adjective

British slang short for pious (def. 2), pious (def. 3)

British Dictionary definitions for pied (7 of 12)

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 pied (8 of 12)

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 pied (9 of 12)

pie

3
/ (paɪ) /

noun, verb

printing a variant spelling of pi 2

British Dictionary definitions for pied (10 of 12)

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 pied (11 of 12)

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 pied (12 of 12)

pie

6
/ (paɪ) /

adjective

be pie on NZ informal to be keen on

Word Origin for pie

from Māori pai ana
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 pied (1 of 2)

pi

[ pī ]

n. pl. pis

The 16th letter of the Greek alphabet.

Medicine definitions for pied (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 pied

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 pied

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 pied

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.