pinion

[ pin-yuhn ]

See synonyms for: pinion pinioned pinioning pinions on Thesaurus.com

noun

Machinery.
- a gear with a small number of teeth, especially one engaging with a rack or larger gear.
- a shaft or spindle cut with teeth engaging with a gear.
Metalworking. a gear driving a roll in a rolling mill.

Origin of pinion

First recorded in 1650–60; from French pignon “cogwheel,” Middle French peignon, derivative of peigne “comb,” variant of pigne, from Latin pectin- (stem of pecten ) “comb”; see pecten

Other words from pinion

pin·ion·less, adjective
pin·ion·like, adjective

Words Nearby pinion

Other definitions for pinion (2 of 2)

pinion²

[ pin-yuhn ]

noun

the distal or terminal segment of the wing of a bird consisting of the carpus, metacarpus, and phalanges.
a feather.

the flight feathers collectively.
Chiefly Literary. the wing of a bird.

verb (used with object)

to cut off the pinion of (a wing) or bind (the wings), as in order to prevent a bird from flying.
to disable or restrain (a bird) in such a manner.

to bind (a person's arms or hands) so they cannot be used.
to disable (someone) in such a manner; shackle.
to bind or hold fast, as to a thing: to be pinioned to one's bad habits.

Origin of pinion

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English pinion, pinoun, from Middle French, Old French penon, pignon “wing, pinion,” from Vulgar Latin pinniōn- (unattested), stem of pinniō, derivative of Latin pinna “feather, wing, fin”

Other words from pinion

un·pin·ioned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pinion in a sentence

Rincon Mountain Wilderness skirts the boundary of Saguaro National Park with chimneys of towering rocks and hills spotted with pinions, all perfectly positioned to protect the park’s colossal cacti.
50 U.S. Wilderness Areas, Ranked | eriley | July 26, 2021 | Outside Online
It is with our body as it is with a watch which indicates the hours, and which goes not if the spring or a pinion be broken.
Letters To Eugenia | Paul Henri Thiry Holbach
The foam and the fangs and the flowers,The raving and ravenous rage Of a poet as pinion'd in powersAs a condor confined in a cage!
The Book of Humorous Verse | Various
The man kicked him ferociously in the breast before the attacker managed to pinion the legs in his arms.
Blow The Man Down | Holman Day
Clock-pinion; which may be used for either nicking, piecing, or squaring-off purposes.
Practical Mechanics for Boys | J. S. Zerbe

Then draw a vertical line (A) midway between the marks of the line 2, and this will be the center of the main pinion.
Practical Mechanics for Boys | J. S. Zerbe

British Dictionary definitions for pinion (1 of 2)

pinion¹

/ (ˈpɪnjən) /

noun

mainly poetic a bird's wing
the part of a bird's wing including the flight feathers

verb(tr)

to hold or bind (the arms) of (a person) so as to restrain or immobilize him
to confine or shackle

to make (a bird) incapable of flight by removing that part of (the wing) from which the flight feathers grow

Origin of pinion

C15: from Old French pignon wing, from Latin pinna wing

British Dictionary definitions for pinion (2 of 2)

pinion²

/ (ˈpɪnjən) /

noun

a cogwheel that engages with a larger wheel or rack, which it drives or by which it is driven

Origin of pinion

C17: from French pignon cogwheel, from Old French peigne comb, from Latin pecten comb; see pecten

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

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