pigeon

¹ American  

[pij-uhn] / ˈpɪdʒ ən /

noun

1. any bird of the family Columbidae, having a compact body and short legs, especially the larger species with square or rounded tails.

2. a domesticated member of this family, as one of the varieties of the rock dove.

3. Slang.

   1. a young, usually attractive, girl.

   2. a person who is easily fooled or cheated; dupe.

4. Poker Slang. a card, acquired in the draw, that greatly improves a hand or makes it a winner.

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pigeon ² American  

[pij-uhn] / ˈpɪdʒ ən /

noun

1. (not in technical use) pidgin; pidgin English.

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pigeon ¹ British  

/ ˈpɪdʒɪn /

noun

1. any of numerous birds of the family Columbidae, having a heavy body, small head, short legs, and long pointed wings: order Columbiformes See rock dove

2. slang a victim or dupe

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pigeon ² British  

/ ˈpɪdʒɪn /

noun

1. informal concern or responsibility (often in the phrase it's his, her, etc, pigeon )

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pigeon Idioms  

1. see clay pigeon; stool pigeon.

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Etymology

Origin of pigeon

1350–1400; Middle English pejon young dove < Middle French pijon < Late Latin pīpiōn- (stem of pīpiō ) squab, akin to pīpīre, pīpāre to chirp

Example Sentences

The narrative quickly cuts to South London, where heartbreak's as prevalent as the pigeons.

From BBC

In addition, researchers found an extinct pigeon species closely related to Australian bronzewing pigeons.

From Science Daily

Humans exterminated the passenger pigeon, the great auk and the Carolina parakeet.

From The Wall Street Journal

Passenger pigeons in North America numbered 3 billion at the time, a quarter of all birds in the sky.

From The Wall Street Journal

My right hip tends to thrust out and my right shoulder hikes closer to my ear, which explains why my right hip resists pigeon pose.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• deceive
• discriminate against
• dupe
• exploit
• persecute
• pick on
• prey on
• sting