pigeon
pronunciation
How to pronounce pigeon in British English:
UK [ˈpɪdʒɪn]
How to pronounce pigeon in American English:
US [ˈpɪdʒɪn]
-
- Noun:
- wild and domesticated birds having a heavy body and short legs
Word Origin
- pigeon
- pigeon: [14] Pigeon comes ultimately from late Latin pīpiō. This meant originally simply ‘young bird’, and was formed from the onomatopoeic base *pīp- (source also of English pipe), which imitated the chirps of young birds. It gradually specialized in use to ‘young pigeon, squab’, and both the general and the specific senses passed via Vulgar Latin *pībiō into Old French as pijon. By the time it arrived in English, however, only the ‘young pigeon’ sense survived, and this was soon overtaken by ‘pigeon’ in general.=> pipe
- pigeon (n.)
- late 14c. (early 13c. as a surname), from Old French pigeon "young dove" (13c.), probably from Vulgar Latin *pibionem, dissimilation from Late Latin pipionem (nominative pipio) "squab, young chirping bird" (3c.), from pipire "to peep, chirp," of imitative origin. Meaning "one easily duped" is from 1590s. Replaced culver (Old English culufre, from Vulgar Latin *columbra, from Latin columbula) and native dove.
Example
- 1. Berlin , germany : a pigeon sits on a sculpture
- 2. The pigeon gap had been well and truly closed .
- 3. Her head rested on his shoulder , the pleasant smell of her hair conquering the pigeon dung .
- 4. Yesterday a pigeon carried the first message from pinhurst to silbury .
- 5. Like humans and monkeys , the common pigeon too is able to put numbers in order , according to new research .