pe·on1
Audio Help [pee-uh
n, pee-on] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [pee-uh
n, pee-on] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | (in Spanish America) a farm worker or unskilled laborer; day laborer. |
| 2. | (formerly, esp. in Mexico) a person held in servitude to work off debts or other obligations. |
| 3. | any person of low social status, esp. one who does work regarded as menial or unskilled; drudge. |
[Origin: 1820–30; < Sp peón peasant, day laborer < VL *pedōn- (s. of *pedō) walker (whence ML pedōnés infantry, OF peon pawn2), deriv. of L ped- (s. of pés) foot
]
] | Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
peon
To learn more about peon visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
pe·on2
Audio Help [pee-uh
n, pee-on] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [pee-uh
n, pee-on] Pronunciation Key –noun (in India and Sri Lanka)
| 1. | a messenger, attendant, or orderly. |
| 2. | a foot soldier or police officer. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| pe·on
Audio Help (pē'ŏn', pē'ən) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Spanish, day laborer, from Medieval Latin pedō, pedōn-, foot soldier; see pioneer. Sense 3, possibly from Portuguese peão, from Medieval Latin pedō.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
peon
1826, from Mex.Sp. peon "agricultural laborer" (esp. a debtor held in servitude by his creditor), from Sp., "day laborer," also "pedestrian," originally "foot soldier," from M.L. pedonem "foot soldier" (see pawn (2)). The word entered British Eng. earlier (1609) in the sense "native constable, soldier, or messenger in India," via Port. peao "pedestrian, foot soldier, day laborer."
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| peon | |
noun | |
| a laborer who is obliged to do menial work [syn: drudge] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
peon jargon
A person with no special (root or wheel) privileges on a computer system. "I can't create an account on foovax for you; I'm only a peon there."
[The Jargon File]
(2001-12-23)
| The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe |
Peon
Pawn\, n. [OE. paune, poun, OF. peon, poon, F. pion, LL. pedo a foot soldier, fr. L. pes, pedis, foot. See Foot, and cf. Pioneer, Peon.] (Chess) A man or piece of the lowest rank.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Peon
Pe"on\, n. See Poon.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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