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Webster 1913 Edition


Pigeon

Pi′geon

,
Noun.
[F., fr. L.
pipio
a young pipping or chirping bird, fr.
pipire
to peep, chirp. Cf.
Peep
to chirp.]
1.
(Zool.)
Any bird of the order Columbæ, of which numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.
2.
An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull.
[Slang]
Blue pigeon
(Zool.)
,
an Australian passerine bird (
Graucalus melanops
); – called also
black-faced crow
.
Green pigeon
(Zool.)
,
any one of numerous species of Old World pigeons belonging to the family
Treronidæ
.
Imperial pigeon
(Zool.)
,
any one of the large Asiatic fruit pigeons of the genus
Carpophada
.
Pigeon berry
(Bot.)
,
the purplish black fruit of the pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See
Pokeweed
.
Pigeon English
[perhaps a corruption of
business English
]
,
an extraordinary and grotesque dialect, employed in the commercial cities of China, as the medium of communication between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its base is English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindustani.
Johnson’s Cyc.
Pigeon grass
(Bot.)
,
a kind of foxtail grass (
Setaria glauca
), of some value as fodder. The seeds are eagerly eaten by pigeons and other birds.
Pigeon hawk
.
(Zool.)
(a)
A small American falcon (
Falco columbarius
). The adult male is dark slate-blue above, streaked with black on the back; beneath, whitish or buff, streaked with brown. The tail is banded.
(b)
The American sharp-shinned hawk (
Accipiter velox
or
Accipiter fuscus
).
Pigeon hole
.
(a)
A hole for pigeons to enter a pigeon house
.
(b)
(c)
pl.
An old English game, in which balls were rolled through little arches.
Halliwell.
Pigeon house
,
a dovecote.
Pigeon pea
(Bot.)
,
the seed of
Cajanus Indicus
; a kind of pulse used for food in the East and West Indies; also, the plant itself.
Pigeon plum
(Bot.)
,
the edible drupes of two West African species of
Chrysobalanus
(
Chrysobalanus ellipticus
and
Chrysobalanus luteus
).
Pigeon tremex
.
(Zool.)
See under
Tremex
.
Pigeon wood
(Bot.)
,
a name in the West Indies for the wood of several very different kinds of trees, species of
Dipholis
,
Diospyros
, and
Coccoloba
.
Pigeon woodpecker
(Zool.)
,
the flicker.
Prairie pigeon
.
(Zool.)
(a)
The upland plover
.
(b)
The golden plover.
[Local, U.S.]

Pi′geon

,
Verb.
T.
To pluck; to fleece; to swindle by tricks in gambling.
[Slang]
Smart.
He's
pigeoned
and undone.
Observer.

Webster 1828 Edition


Pigeon

PIG'EON

,
Noun.
A fowl of the genus Columba, of several species, as the stock dove, the ring dove, the turtle dove, and the migratory or wild pigeon of America. The domestic pigeon breeds in a box, often attached to a building, called a dovecot or pigeon-house. The wild pigeon builds a nest on a tree in the forest.

Definition 2024


pigeon

pigeon

English

Alternative forms

Noun

pigeon (plural pigeons)

  1. One of several birds of the family Columbidae, which consists of more than 300 species.
  2. (slang) A person who is a target or victim of a confidence game.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Verb

pigeon (third-person singular simple present pigeons, present participle pigeoning, simple past and past participle pigeoned)

  1. (transitive) to deceive with a confidence game

French

Etymology

From Old French pyjon, from Late Latin pīpiōnem (chirping bird), accusative singular of Latin pīpiō (chirping bird), from pīpiō (to chirp).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /piʒɔ̃/

Noun

pigeon m (plural pigeons)

  1. pigeon
  2. (colloquial) a patsy (an easily trickable, naive person)

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Anagrams


Norman

Etymology

From Old French pyjon, from Late Latin pīpiōnem (chirping bird), accusative singular of Latin pīpiō (chirping bird), from pīpiō (to chirp).

Noun

pigeon m (plural pigeons)

  1. (Jersey) pigeon

Derived terms