pied
Americanadjective
-
having patches of two or more colors, as various birds and other animals.
a pied horse.
-
wearing pied clothing.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of pied
1350–1400; Middle English; pie 2 (with reference to the black and white plumage of the magpie) + -ed 3
Explanation
Pied means colorfully jumbled. If you're looking at kittens, you may see solid black ones, solid white, or ones with lots of different patches of color. You'd call a patchy one pied. Pied was first used to refer to magpies’ black and white plumage. Later, pied came to refer to an order of friars known for their black and white robes, and even later, pied came to refer to a jumble of typefaces in a printed document. Now, pied can indicate anything having two or more colors. Someone with multicolored articles of clothing can be said to be pied, as in the Pied Piper of Hamlin.
Vocabulary lists containing pied
The Merchant of Venice
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
On the Origin of Species
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Linked
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Meanwhile, the southern pied babbler does not, in fact, merely babble.
From Salon • May 29, 2025
And when she got pied in the face at a press conference in Iowa—her instant response: “At least it’s a fruit pie”—a whole bunch of Americans reveled in her comeuppance.
From Slate • Jan. 11, 2025
Articulate, charismatic and based in the host city of the next Paralympic Games, Frech has positioned himself to be the pied piper of the Paralympic movement for years.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2024
Smith oozes upside, and he’s passionate about the Ducks — a bonus in that he could be a pied piper who attracts other recruits.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2024
Pigeons could be made to look like roosters and peacocks, and dogs made short-haired, long-haired, pied, piebald, bowlegged, hairless, crop-tailed, vicious, mild-mannered, diffident, guarded, belligerent.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
