pigeon
English
editPronunciation
edit- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɪ.d͡ʒɪn/
- (US) enPR: pĭjʹən, IPA(key): /ˈpɪ.d͡ʒən/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪd͡ʒən, -ɪd͡ʒɪn
- Homophone: pidgin
Etymology 1
editInherited from Middle English pygeoun, borrowed from Old French pyjon, inherited from Late Latin pīpiōnem (“chirping bird”), derived from Latin pīpiāre (“chirp”), of imitative origin.
Alternative forms
edit- pidgeon (chiefly archaic)
Noun
editpigeon (countable and uncountable, plural pigeons)
- One of several birds of the family Columbidae, which consists of more than 300 species.
- (uncountable) The meat from this bird.
- (Canada, US, informal) A person who is a target or victim of a confidence game.
- Synonyms: dupe, fish, sucker; see also Thesaurus:dupe
- (countable, politics) A pacifist, appeaser, an isolationist, a dove.
- A person hired to transport film footage out of a region where transport options are limited.
- 1989, Whitman Bassow, The Moscow Correspondents, page 214:
- Kalb rushed to the airport and found a "pigeon" to take out the film: an American woman headed for London.
- 2021, Hilary Brown, War Tourist: Memoirs of a Foreign Correspondent:
- At this point, all the commercial airports in Pakistan were closed. The only way to get film out was over land. John promptly hired me to be what was then known in the business as a "Pigeon," and installed me in a comfortable room in his hotel. […] I would then hand-carry his film out of the country, via Peshawar, the Khyber Pass, through the Kabul Gorge, and up to Kabul, Afghanistan, where I would meet a BBC courier and transfer the film bag.
- (Australia, military slang) A weak or useless person.
Derived terms
edit- baby pigeon
- blue pigeon flyer
- Bresse pigeon
- carrier-pigeon
- clay pigeon
- cock pigeon
- cut the pigeon wing
- domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica or (Columba livia f. domestica)
- female pigeon
- fly the blue pigeon
- future pigeon
- hen pigeon
- jealous as a Barbary pigeon
- male pigeon
- messenger pigeon
- moon pigeon
- owl pigeon
- peak-crested pigeon
- pigeon band
- pigeon banding
- pigeon-blood
- pigeon blue
- pigeon breast, pigeon-breasted
- pigeon breed
- pigeon breeder
- pigeon breeding
- pigeon bug
- pigeon-chested, pigeon chest
- pigeon clock
- pigeon coop
- pigeon cot
- pigeon cote
- pigeon crop
- pigeon defence, pigeon defense
- pigeon dirt
- pigeon disease
- pigeon drop
- pigeon dropper
- pigeon dropping, pigeon droppings
- pigeon egg
- pigeon English (archaic)
- pigeon fancier, pigeon-fancier
- pigeon fancy
- pigeon fancying
- pigeon feather
- pigeon feed
- pigeon feeder
- pigeon feeding
- pigeon flute
- pigeon fly (Pseudolynchia canariensis)
- pigeon-hearted
- pigeonhole, pigeon-hole, pigeon hole
- pigeonholing, pigeon-holing
- pigeon house
- pigeon hunt
- pigeon hunter
- pigeon hunting
- pigeon journal
- pigeon keeper
- pigeon keeping
- pigeon-livered
- pigeon loft
- pigeon louse fly (Pseudolynchia canariensis)
- pigeon lung
- pigeon magazine
- pigeon milk
- pigeon pair
- pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan)
- pigeon pie, pigeon-pie
- pigeon plumage
- pigeon pose
- pigeon post
- pigeon racer
- pigeon racing
- pigeon ring
- pigeon shoot
- pigeon's milk
- pigeon squab
- pigeon toe. pigeon-toed
- pigeon tremex (Tremex columba)
- pigeon whistle
- pigeon wing
- pigeon young
- put the cat among the pigeons
- stool pigeon
- street pigeon
- topknot pigeon
- utility pigeon
- war pigeon
- wild pigeon
- young pigeon
- Afep pigeon (Columba unicincta)
- African green pigeon (Treron calvus)
- African olive pigeon (Columba arquatrix)
- American pigeon (Patagioenas spp.)
- Australian pied imperial pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa)
- band-tailed pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata)
- bare-eyed mountain pigeon (Gymnophaps albertisii)
- bare-eyed pigeon (Patagioenas corensis)
- Bismarck imperial pigeon (Ducula melanochroa)
- black imperial pigeon (Ducula melanochroa)
- blue pigeon (Alectroenas spp.)
- Bolle's pigeon (Columba bollii)
- bronzewing pigeon (Columbinae spp.)
- brown pigeon (Macropygia phasianella)
- Chatham Island pigeon (Hemiphaga chathamensis)
- Chilean pigeon (Patagioenas araucana)
- common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)
- Comoros green pigeon (Treron comorensis or Treron australis griveaudi)
- crested pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes)
- crowned pigeon (Goura spp.)
- Delegorgue's pigeon (Columba delegorguei)
- Eastern bronze-naped pigeon (Columba delegorguei)
- flock bronzewing pigeon, flock bronzewing (Phaps histrionica)
- flock pigeon (Phaps histrionica)
- fruit pigeon, fruit-pigeon
- green pigeon (Treron spp.)
- ha-ha pigeon (Dacelo novaeguineae)
- hill pigeon (Columba rupestris)
- imperial pigeon (Ducula spp.)
- kelp pigeon (Chionis albus)
- laurel pigeon (Columba junoniae)
- Madagascar green pigeon, Madagascan green pigeon (Treron australis)
- Madeiran wood pigeon †Columba palumbus maderensis
- Micronesian imperial pigeon, Micronesian pigeon (Ducula oceanica)
- Moluccan rufous-bellied fruit pigeon (Ducula basilica)
- New Guinea bronzewing, New Guinea bronzewing pigeon (Henicophaps albifrons)
- New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)
- Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)
- nutmeg pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa)
- pale-vented pigeon (Patagioenas cayennensis)
- passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius)
- pheasant pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis)
- Picazuro pigeon (Patagioenas picazuro)
- pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba)
- pigeon hawk (Falco columbarius)
- pink pigeon (Columba mayeri), formerly (Nesoenas mayeri)
- plain pigeon (Patagioenas inornata)
- plumbeous pigeon (Patagioenas inornata)
- rock pigeon (Columba livia)
- ruddy pigeon (Patagioenas subvinacea)
- rufous-bellied fruit pigeon (Ducula rufigaster)
- rufous pigeon (Patagioenas cayennensis)
- sea pigeon (Uria aalge)
- silvery pigeon (Columba argentina)
- snow pigeon (Columba leuconota)
- Somali pigeon (Columba oliviae)
- somber pigeon, sombre pigeon (Cryptophaps poecilorrhoa)
- spinifex pigeon (Geophaps plumifera)
- stock pigeon (Columba oenas)
- structure pigeon (Columba livia)
- Sumatran green pigeon (Treron oxyurus)
- Temminck's fruit pigeon (Ptilinopus porphyreus)
- thick-billed green pigeon (Treron curvirostra)
- tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris)
- Torresian imperial pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa)
- Torres Strait pigeon (Ducula bicolor)
- Trocaz pigeon (Columba trocaz)
- Victoria crowned pigeon, (Goura victoria)
- white-collared pigeon (Columba albitorques)
- white-crowned pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala)
- white nutmeg pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa)
- wild pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius)
- Wompoo pigeon (Ptilinopus magnificus)
- wonga pigeon (Leucosarcia melanoleuca)
- woodpigeon, wood-pigeon, wood pigeon (Columba palumbus or Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)
- African owl pigeon
- Arabian trumpeter pigeon
- archangel pigeon
- barb pigeon, Barbary pigeon
- Bokhara trumpeter pigeon
- carneau pigeon
- carrier pigeon
- Chinese owl pigeon
- city pigeon
- color pigeon, colour pigeon
- crescent pigeon
- crop pigeon, cropper pigeon
- dovecot pigeon, dovecote pigeon
- Dresden trumpeter pigeon
- English owl pigeon
- English trumpeter pigeon
- fancy pigeon
- fantail pigeon
- feral pigeon
- field pigeon
- fire pigeon
- form pigeon
- frillback pigeon
- gimpel pigeon
- helmet pigeon
- highflyer pigeon
- homer pigeon
- homing pigeon
- ice pigeon
- Indian fantail pigeon
- Jacobin pigeon
- king pigeon
- Komorner tumbler pigeon
- Lahore pigeon
- nun pigeon
- Old English carrier pigeon
- oriental frill pigeon
- pheasant pigeon
- plain-headed pigeon
- pouter pigeon, powter pigeon (Columba livia)
- racing homer pigeon
- racing pigeon
- ringbeater pigeon
- roller pigeon
- runt pigeon
- Saxon field pigeon
- scandaroon pigeon, Scandaroon pigeon
- shell-crested pigeon
- strasser pigeon (Columba livia)
- Thuringian field pigeon (Columba livia)
- trumpeter pigeon (Columba livia)
- tumbler pigeon (Columba livia)
- turbiteen pigeon (Columba livia)
- turbit pigeon (Columba livia)
- wattle pigeon, wattled pigeon (Columba livia)
Translations
edit
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Verb
editpigeon (third-person singular simple present pigeons, present participle pigeoning, simple past and past participle pigeoned)
- (transitive) To deceive with a confidence game.
See also
editEtymology 2
editFrom pidgin English, from a Chinese Pidgin English pronunciation of English business during trade in the Far East. See pidgin.
Noun
editpigeon (countable and uncountable, plural pigeons)
- (archaic, idiomatic, UK, informal) Concern or responsibility.
- It's his/her pigeon.
References
edit- (concern or responsibility): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary (described as Anglo-Chinese)
Further reading
edit- pigeon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- “pigeon”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
French
editEtymology
editInherited from Old French pyjon, from Late Latin pīpiōnem (“chirping bird”), from Latin pīpiāre (“chirp”).
Pronunciation
editNoun
editpigeon m (plural pigeons, feminine pigeonne)
- pigeon
- (colloquial) patsy (an easily trickable, naive person)
Derived terms
edit- aile de pigeon
- je me suis fait pigeonner
- je me suis laissé pigeonner
- loger avec les pigeons
- loger comme les pigeons
- l’industrie pigeonnière
- pigeon à calotte
- pigeon à capuchon
- pigeon à caroncule
- pigeon à cravate
- pigeon à grosse gorge
- pigeon biset
- pigeon bleu
- pigeon boulant
- pigeon bouvreuil
- pigeon capucin
- pigeon carrier
- pigeon cigogne
- pigeon colombin
- pigeon cravaté
- pigeon culbutant
- pigeon de fantaise
- pigeon de passage
- pigeon de roche
- pigeon de structure
- pigeon de ville
- pigeon des villes
- pigeon domestique
- pigeon domestiqué
- pigeon dragon
- pigeon d’argile
- pigeon femelle
- pigeon grosse gorge
- pigeon mâle
- pigeon messager
- pigeon migrateur
- pigeon paon
- pigeon ramier
- pigeon romain
- pigeon tambour
- pigeon vole
- pigeon voyageur
- pigeonite
- pigeonnage
- pigeonnant
- pigeonne
- pigeonneau
- pigeonnelle
- pigeonner
- pigeonnier
- pigeonnier contraceptif
- pigeonnier militaire
- plumer un pigeon
- soutien-gorge pigeonnant
See also
editFurther reading
edit- “pigeon”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
editNorman
editEtymology
editInherited from Old French pyjon, from Late Latin pīpiōnem (“chirping bird”), from Latin pīpiāre (“chirp”).
Noun
editpigeon m (plural pigeons)
Derived terms
edit- d'mié-pigeon, p'tit pigeon d'France (“turtledove”)
- pigeon d'colombyi (“stock dove”)
- pigeon d'mé, pigeon d'falaise (“rock dove”)
- pigeon ramyi, pigeon sauvage (“wood pigeon”)
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɪd͡ʒən
- Rhymes:English/ɪd͡ʒən/2 syllables
- Rhymes:English/ɪd͡ʒɪn
- Rhymes:English/ɪd͡ʒɪn/2 syllables
- English terms with homophones
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- Canadian English
- American English
- English informal terms
- en:Politics
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- Australian English
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms borrowed from Chinese Pidgin English
- English terms derived from Chinese Pidgin English
- English terms borrowed back into English
- English terms with archaic senses
- English idioms
- British English
- English terms with usage examples
- en:Columbids
- French terms inherited from Old French
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms inherited from Late Latin
- French terms derived from Late Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French colloquialisms
- fr:Columbids
- Norman terms inherited from Old French
- Norman terms derived from Old French
- Norman terms inherited from Late Latin
- Norman terms derived from Late Latin
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- Norman lemmas
- Norman nouns
- Norman masculine nouns
- Jersey Norman
- nrf:Columbids