piggy

American  

[pig-ee] / ˈpɪg i /

Or piggie

noun

plural

piggies

1. a small or young pig.

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adjective

piggier, piggiest

1. Informal. piggish.

2. (of a sow) in an advanced state of pregnancy.

piggy British  

/ ˈpɪɡɪ /

noun

1. a child's word for a pig, esp a piglet

2. 1. a children's game in which one player attempts to retrieve a ball thrown over him or her by at least two other players

   2. a situation in which a person or group is caught up in a disagreement between other people or groups

3. a child's word for toe or, sometimes, finger

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adjective

1. another word for piggish

Other Word Forms

• pigginess noun

Etymology

Origin of piggy

1790–1800; piggy ( def. 1 ) pig ¹ + -y ²; piggy ( defs. 2, 3 ) pig ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

They include a teenage boy with a piggy bank full of videogame winnings, a young woman in need of a heart transplant, a cash-poor film producer and a mute priest.

From The Wall Street Journal

My makeshift piggy bank has arrived in the nick of time.

From Literature

As oil prices dropped and PdVSA became a piggy bank for Chávez’s pet projects, including the sale of chickens, oil production slumped.

From The Wall Street Journal

King Barf looked down at me, and his piggy eyes narrowed on the gold I still clutched in my hands.

From Literature

Well, in the 40 years of covering presidents, not one of them ever called a reporter “piggy” before.

From Salon

Related Words

• avid
• insatiable
• prodigious
• rapacious
• ravenous