pigeon

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A common grey bird with a plump body and short legs, often seen in towns and cities.

   A flock of pigeons gathered to peck at the crumbs on the pavement.

2. 2
   noun

   An easy victim who is tricked or cheated, especially in a scam.

   The con artists picked their pigeon carefully before starting the swindle.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Pigeon comes from French pijon, originally a word for a young bird, especially a young dove. The French form is an alteration of Latin pipio, an imitation of the piping or cheeping sound made by a nestling.

Etymology tree Latin pīpiō Proto-Indo-European *-ōder. Proto-Indo-European *-Hōder.? Latin -ō Latin pipio Old French pyjonbor. Middle English pygeoun English pigeon Inherited from Middle English pygeoun, borrowed from Old French pyjon, inherited from Late Latin pīpiōnem (“chirping bird”), derived from Latin pīpiāre (“to chirp”), of imitative origin. Partly displaced native English dove.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary