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
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On the Origin of Species
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Linked
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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.
Pied Piper has serious question marks about his ability over this distance, as he spent the early part of his career contesting top two-mile hurdle races.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
One by one, they are turned into vampires by Kurt Barlow, ostensibly a furniture salesman but in fact a Pied Piper of the undead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025
It was as if he were the Pied Piper playing a tune only his fans could hear.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2025
“If the right Pied Piper comes along then folks can be mobilized, sometimes with very devastating consequences,” Uscinski said.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2024
His scarred face only reminded her of the lies he had told to lure her out to him, like the Pied Piper in the story.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.
