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pigeon

[pij-uhn]

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noun

any bird of the family Columbidae, having a compact body and short legs, especially the larger species with square or rounded tails. Compare dove¹ (def. 1).

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

Slang.

a young, usually attractive, girl.

a person who is easily fooled or cheated; dupe.

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

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

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Pigeon is always a great word to know.

So is racket. Does it mean:

raucous or querulous speech; a noisy, foolish utterance

an easy or profitable source of livelihood of dubious legality

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Example Sentences

Pigeon whistles became popular as a hobby and by the mid-18th century there were three famous pigeon-whistle makers.

The attic was covered in pigeon feces and mites and pigeons were getting stuck and dying inside the walls of the house.

Carrier pigeon was the fastest form of communication that they could hope for.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

(not in technical use) pidgin; pidgin English.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To pigeon

Collins

World English Dictionary

pigeon¹ (ˈpɪdʒɪn)

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

[C14: from Old French pijon young dove, from Late Latin pīpiō young bird, from pīpīre to chirp]

pigeon² (ˈpɪdʒɪn)

—n
	informal (Brit) concern or responsibility (often in the phrase it's his, her, etc, pigeon)

[C19: altered from pidgin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

pigeon

1211, from O.Fr. pijon "young dove," probably from V.L. *pibionem, dissimilation from L.L. pipionem "squab, young chirping bird" (3c.), acc. of L. pipio "chirping bird," from pipire "to peep, chirp," of imitative origin. Modern spelling is from later Fr. pigeon. Replaced culver (O.E. culufre, from V.L.

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*columbra, from L. columbula) and native dove. Pigeonhole (1577) was originally a small recess for pigeons to nest in. The verb sense of "label mentally" is from 1870. Pigeon-toed first recorded 1801 (of horses).

COLLAPSE

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

pigeon definition

n.
a dupe; a sucker; someone singled out to be cheated. (See also patsy.) : There's our pigeon now. Don't let him see us sizing him up.
n.
a good-looking girl or woman. : Who was the dreamy little pigeon I saw you with last night?
Go to stool (pigeon). :

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Easton

Bible Dictionary

Pigeon definition

Pigeons are mentioned as among the offerings which, by divine appointment, Abram presented unto the Lord (Gen. 15:9). They were afterwards enumerated among the sin-offerings (Lev. 1:14; 12:6), and the law provided that those who could not offer a lamb might offer two young pigeons (5:7; comp. Luke 2:24). (See DOVE.)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

pigeon

see clay pigeon; stool pigeon.