pie

¹

[ pahy ]

noun

1. a baked food having a filling of fruit, meat, pudding, etc., prepared in a pastry-lined pan or dish and often topped with a pastry crust:

   apple pie; meat pie.

2. a layer cake with a filling of custard, cream jelly, or the like:

   chocolate cream pie.

3. a total or whole that can be divided:

   They want a bigger part of the profit pie.

4. an activity or affair:

   He has his finger in the political pie too.

5. pizza.

pie

²

[ pahy ]

noun

1. magpie.

pie

³

[ pahy ]

noun

, pied, pie·ing.

1. a spelling variant of pi ².

pie

⁴

or pye

[ pahy ]

noun

1. (in England before the Reformation) a book of ecclesiastical rules for finding the particulars of the service for the day.

pie

⁵

[ pahy ]

noun

1. a former bronze coin of India, the 12th part of an anna.

PIE

⁶

abbreviation for

1. Proto-Indo-European.

pie

¹

/ paɪ /

noun

1. a baked food consisting of a sweet or savoury filling in a pastry-lined dish, often covered with a pastry crust
2. have a finger in the pie
   1. to have an interest in or take part in some activity
   2. to meddle or interfere
3. pie in the sky
   illusory hope or promise of some future good; false optimism

pie

²

/ paɪ /

adjective

1. be pie on informal.
   to be keen on

pie

³

/ paɪ /

noun

1. a very small former Indian coin worth one third of a pice

pie

⁴

/ paɪ /

noun

1. printing a variant spelling of pi 2

pie

⁵

/ paɪ /

noun

1. history a book for finding the Church service for any particular day

pie

⁶

/ paɪ /

noun

1. an archaic or dialect name for magpie

Other Words From

• pielike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pie¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English pi(e), pey; of obscure origin

Origin of pie²

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English pi(e), peie, from Old French, from Latin pīca, akin to pīcus “woodpecker”

Origin of pie³

First recorded in 1470–80; translation of Latin pīca “magpie”; (the allusion is obscure); pica ¹, pie ²

Origin of pie⁴

First recorded in 1855–60; from Hindi pāī “quarter, fourth part,” from Sanskrit pādikā; pada ( def ); pice ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of pie¹

C14: of obscure origin

Origin of pie²

from Māori pai ana

Origin of pie³

C19: from Hindi pā'ī, from Sanskrit pādikā a fourth

Origin of pie⁴

C15: from Medieval Latin pica almanac; see pica ¹

Origin of pie⁵

C13: via Old French from Latin pīca magpie; related to Latin pīcus woodpecker

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. easy as pie, extremely easy or simple.
2. nice as pie, extremely well-behaved, agreeable, or the like:

   The children were nice as pie.

3. pie in the sky,
   1. the illusory prospect of future benefits:

      Political promises are often pie in the sky.

   2. a state of perfect happiness; utopia:

      to promise pie in the sky.

More idioms and phrases containing pie

In addition to the idiom beginning with pie , also see apple-pie order ; easy as pie ; eat crow (humble pie) ; finger in the pie ; slice of the pie .

Example Sentences

“We’re entering a time when the pie is not going to enlarge as rapidly … a time when there is going to be heightened group conflict.”

From Salon

They enter this curious and claustrophobic home only when Mr. Reed promises his wife is baking a pie in the other room, but he draws them into his labyrinth using false promises and rhetorical exercises.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s not pie in the sky,” said Garry Mauro, who served as Texas land commissioner in the ‘80s and ‘90s, back when a Democrat could still win state office.

From Los Angeles Times

The lead story in the October 22nd New York Times was headlined: “Battle is Fierce for Sliver of Pie: Undecided Votes.”

From Salon

The iconography of McDonald’s — namely the golden arches — has become so interwoven with both the cultural and literal landscape of the country that when people think of the United States as the land of apple pie and hamburgers, they could just as well be envisioning the McDonald’s fried variety and Big Macs.

From Salon

Related Words

• cake
• candy
• confection
• cookie
• fruit
• ice cream
• pastry
• sweet