piper

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a musician who plays a pipe, flute, or especially bagpipes

   The piper led the procession through the town square.

2. 2
   noun

   a young pigeon that makes a piping sound; a pigeon chick

   The keeper returned the fallen piper to its nest.

From Middle English piper, from pipe + the agent suffix -er, ultimately related to Latin pipare, 'to peep or chirp.' The musician sense is ancient; the young-pigeon sense likewise refers to a piping cry. Fifer is a partial doublet through French and German.

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