pigeon
1[ pij-uh n ]
/ ˈpɪdʒ ən /
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.
- a young, usually attractive, girl.
- 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.
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RELATED WORDS
unarmed, helpless, unprotected, doormat, dupe, puppet, stooge, patsy, pawn, lackey, victim, mark, martyr, fatality, casualty, sufferer, fowl, duck, chicken, geese
Nearby words
- pig-out,
- pig-root,
- pig-tailed macaque,
- pigalle,
- pigboat,
- pigeon blood,
- pigeon breast,
- pigeon drop,
- pigeon guillemot,
- pigeon hawk
Origin of pigeon
11350–1400; Middle English pejon young dove < Middle French pijon < Late Latin pīpiōn- (stem of pīpiō) squab, akin to pīpīre, pīpāre to chirp
pigeon
2[ 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. 2019
Examples from the Web for pigeon
pigeon
1/ (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
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
pigeon
late 14c. (early 13c. as a surname), from Old French pigeon "young dove" (13c.), probably from Vulgar Latin *pibionem, dissimilation from Late Latin pipionem (nominative pipio) "squab, young chirping bird" (3c.), from pipire "to peep, chirp," of imitative origin. Meaning "one easily duped" is from 1590s. Replaced culver (Old English culufre, from Vulgar Latin *columbra, from Latin columbula) and native dove.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.