pied

[ pahyd ]

/ paɪd /

Save This Word!

See 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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pied

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

Words nearby pied

piecewise, piecework, pie chart, piecrust, piecrust table, pied, pied-à-terre, pied-billed grebe, pied-de-biche, pied-de-biche spoon, piedfort

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pied in a sentence

Many units sit empty even when buildings sell out, owing to rich buyers who are just looking for another pied-à-terre or, more nefariously, to money launderers seeking an easy way to wash their cash.
The Florida Billionaire Pissing Off West Palm Beach|Noah Kirsch|September 23, 2021|The Daily Beast
People are still far more likely to buy a million dollar pied à terre in Manhattan than to do so in Oklahoma City.
Houston Rising—Why the Next Great American Cities Aren’t What You Think|Joel Kotkin|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was the Pied Piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew.
‘Dallas’ Star Larry Hagman Dead at 81|Jace Lacob|November 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For instance: after getting pied, you could taste some of it and make a face that says “Hmm, not bad!”
Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney’s Political Humor (VIDEOS)|Mark Katz|February 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST

These men are like avian pied pipers" who lure problem birds out of the trees and "send them spiraling over the sloughs.
Great Weekend Reads|The Daily Beast|February 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh are the Pied Pipers of the Republican Party.
Obama's Campaign Mastermind|Richard Wolffe|November 3, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A second version of the False Claimant story is found in Le cerf au pied blanc.
The Three Days' Tournament|Jessie L. Weston
Liszt is a poet, not a chronicler; he must be read as such, and not be taken au pied de la lettre.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
It varies indifferently from a yellowish brown to a pied, and from a pied to a white.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
"No one is fair when hunting the pied-à-terre," I reminded her.
A Boswell of Baghdad|E. V. Lucas
Cessons donc de nous esbahir s'ils ont un pied en l'air et l'œil en la campagne.
History of the Rise of the Huguenots|Henry Baird

British Dictionary definitions for pied

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

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

pied

Origin of pied

Words nearby pied

Words related to pied

How to use pied in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pied

Word Origin for pied