pigsney

[pigz-nee]

noun Obsolete.

a darling.

an eye.

Origin of pigsney

1350–1400; Middle English piggesnye, earlier piggesneyge, equivalent to pigges pig's (see pig¹, 's¹) + n- (probably extracted from an, indefinite article) + -ye, eyge eye

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pigsney

Historical Examples of pigsney

See also pigsney in Todd's Johnson, where one quotation has the form pigs eie.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 5 (of 7) -- Notes to the Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer

Word Origin and History for pigsney

(obsolete), late 14c., endearing form of address to a girl or woman, apparently from Middle English pigges eye, literally "pig's eye," with excrescent -n- from min eye, an eye, etc. See OED for explanation of why this might have been felt as a compliment. In a pig's eye! as an adverse retort is recorded from 1872.