pillion
Americannoun
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a pad or cushion attached behind a saddle, especially as a seat for a woman.
-
a pad, cushion, saddle, or the like, used as a passenger seat on a bicycle, motor scooter, etc.
-
a passenger's saddle or seat behind the driver's seat on a motorcycle.
noun
adverb
Etymology
Origin of pillion
1495–1505; < Scots Gaelic pillinn or Irish pillín, diminutive of peall skin, rug blanket, MIr pell < Latin pellis skin
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.
Motorbike pillion passenger Liam Scott, 21, suffered a fatal head injury.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2023
Riding pillion on a neighbour’s motorcycle for 40 minutes through hillsides dotted with paddy fields, the 34-year-old health worker headed for the Mathalput Community Health Centre.
From Reuters ● Jan. 25, 2021
As the convoy left the hospital it was chased by two motorcycle film crews, with one cameraman standing on the pillion seat.
From New York Times ● Aug. 30, 2017
A somewhat less comfortable pillion seat is hidden beneath the rear cowl, with slender fold-down passenger pegs available along with an integrated grab bar.
From Forbes ● Jul. 1, 2015
"Come, see if you can assist Virginia to the pillion," said Bacon, as he sprang into the saddle.
From The Cavaliers of Virginia, vol. 1 of 2 or, The Recluse of Jamestown; An historical romance of the Old Dominion by Caruthers, William A. (Alexander)
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.
