pawn

Origin:
1490–1500; (noun) < Middle French pan; Old French pan(d), pant, apparently < West Germanic; compare Old Frisian pand, Old Saxon, Middle Dutch pant, German Pfand; (v.) derivative of the noun

Related forms

pawn·a·ble, adjective

pawn·er

[paw-ner] , paw·nor

[paw-ner, -nawr] , noun

un·pawned, adjective

Synonyms
4. pledge.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

Chess. one of eight men of one color and of the lowest value, usually moved one square at a time vertically and capturing diagonally.

someone who is used or manipulated to further another person's purposes.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English poun < Anglo-French, equivalent to Middle French poon, variant of paon, earlier pe(h)on literally, walker; see peon¹

Synonyms
2. puppet, tool, dupe.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

pawn¹ (pɔːn)

—vb
1.	to deposit (an article) as security for the repayment of a loan, esp from a pawnbroker
2.	to stake: to pawn one's honour

—n
3.	an article deposited as security
4.	the condition of being so deposited (esp in the phrase in pawn)
5.	a person or thing that is held as a security, esp a hostage
6.	the act of pawning

[C15: from Old French pan security, from Latin pannus cloth, apparently because clothing was often left as a surety; compare Middle Flemish paen pawn, German Pfand pledge]

'pawnage¹

—n

pawn² (pɔːn)

—n
1.	Compare piece P a chessman of the lowest theoretical value, limited to forward moves of one square at a time with the option of two squares on its initial move: it captures with a diagonal move only
2.	a person, group, etc, manipulated by another

[C14: from Anglo-Norman poun, from Old French pehon, from Medieval Latin pedō infantryman, from Latin pēs foot]

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

pawn

"something left as security," 1496 (c.1145 as Anglo-L. pandum), from O.Fr. pan, pant "pledge, security," also "booty, plunder," perhaps from Frank. (cf. O.H.G. pfant, Ger. Pfand, M.Du. pant, O.Fris. pand "pledge"), from W.Gmc. *panda, of unknown origin. The O.Fr. word is identical to pan "cloth, piece

of cloth," from L. pannem (nom. pannus) "piece of cloth," and some feel this is the source of both the O.Fr. and W.Gmc. words (perhaps on the notion of cloth used as a medium of exchange). The verb is first attested 1567, from the noun. Pawnbroker is from 1687; pawn-shop is from 1849.

pawn

"lowly chess piece," 1369, from Anglo-Fr. poun, O.Fr. peon, earlier pehon, from M.L. pedonem "foot soldier," from L.L. pedonem (nom. pedo) "one going on foot," from L. pes (gen. pedis) "foot" (see foot). The chess sense was in O.Fr. by 13c. Fig. use, of persons, is from 1589.

Example sentences

Until you realize this, you'll never be more than a pawn in their schemes.

If you live off the sales of the family jewels, you'll soon be at the mercy of

the pawn-broker.

Each player chooses a piece and flicks his pawn to advance around the track.

Public education is a pawn of politics from the local level to the national

level.

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pawnbroker pawnshop Ponce de Le᳿n queen's-pawn openings Arnoldson Bassano

Matching Quote

"It's a great huge game of chess that's being played—all over the world—if this is the world at all, you know. Oh, what fun it is! How I wish I was one of them! I wouldn't mind being a Pawn, if only I might join—though of course I should like to be a Queen, best."

-Lewis Carroll