rock pigeon
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rock pigeon
First recorded in 1605–15
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.
The wild rock pigeon is the progenitor of the common domestic pigeon, that plump “rat of the sky” that flits from park bench to sidewalk to somewhere dangerously overhead.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
“It could have been a rock pigeon kiss,” Allan joked.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 22, 2021
The “chunky,” usually gray rock pigeon has pointed wings, a black bill with white base, red eyes and eye rings, and feet the color of a well-roasted slab of sockeye.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2021
Implant this cell into the egg of another pigeon, perhaps a rock pigeon, which is easy to work with in the lab.
From Forbes ● Apr. 12, 2013
The original wild form of this group is a native of Europe and Asia, where the species Columba livia, or rock pigeon, is still common, and whence it may be readily won anew to domestication.
From Domesticated Animals Their Relation to Man and to his Advancement in Civilization by Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate
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.
