DEFINITIONS
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pigeon

1
[ pij-uh n ]
/ ˈpɪdʒ ən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR pigeon ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any bird of the family Columbidae, having a compact body and short legs, especially the larger species with square or rounded tails.Compare dove1(def 1).
a domesticated member of this family, as one of the varieties of the rock dove.
Slang.
  1. a young, usually attractive, girl.
  2. a person who is easily fooled or cheated; dupe.
Poker Slang. a card, acquired in the draw, that greatly improves a hand or makes it a winner.

Words related to pigeon

unarmed, helpless, unprotected, doormat, dupe, puppet, stooge, patsy, pawn, lackey, victim, mark, martyr, fatality, casualty, sufferer, fowl, duck, chicken, geese

Words nearby pigeon

pig-out, pig-root, pig-tailed macaque, pigalle, pigboat, pigeon, pigeon blood, pigeon breast, pigeon drop, pigeon guillemot, pigeon hawk

Origin of pigeon

1
1350–1400; Middle English pejon young dove < Middle French pijon < Late Latin pīpiōn- (stem of pīpiō) squab, akin to pīpīre, pīpāre to chirp

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pigeon

pidgin pigeon

Definition for pigeon (2 of 2)

pigeon2
[ pij-uh n ]
/ ˈpɪdʒ ən /

noun

(not in technical use) pidgin; pidgin English.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for pigeon

British Dictionary definitions for pigeon (1 of 2)

pigeon1
/ (ˈpɪdʒɪn) /

noun

any of numerous birds of the family Columbidae, having a heavy body, small head, short legs, and long pointed wings: order ColumbiformesSee rock dove
slang a victim or dupe

Word Origin for pigeon

C14: from Old French pijon young dove, from Late Latin pīpiō young bird, from pīpīre to chirp

British Dictionary definitions for pigeon (2 of 2)

pigeon2
/ (ˈpɪdʒɪn) /

noun

British informal concern or responsibility (often in the phrase it's his, her, etc, pigeon)

Word Origin for pigeon

C19: altered from pidgin
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

Idioms and Phrases with pigeon

pigeon

see clay pigeon; stool pigeon.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.