See Also: pigeon(encyclopedia)
Pigeon(medicine)
Pigeon(casino)
pigeon(dictionary)
pigeon(2)(dictionary)
pigeon(1)(dictionary)
Pigeon toe(health)
carrier pigeon(dictionary)
homing pigeon(dictionary)
pigeon-chested(dictionary)

pigeon(1) (iou)



pigeon noun1. LME.
[Old French pijon young bird, esp. young pigeon (mod. pigeon pigeon) from Proto-Romance alt. of late Latin pipio(n-), from imit. base.]
Any of the granivorous or fruit-eating birds of the family Columbidae, esp. those that are relatively large; esp. a bird descended from the rock dove, Columba livia, domesticated and trained to carry messages etc., and now widespread as a feral species. Formerly spec., a young bird of this kind. Cf. DOVE noun. LME.
carrier pigeon, homing pigeon, passenger pigeon, poulter pigeon, woodpigeon, etc.
fig.
a. (A term of endearment for) a young woman, a girl. L16.
b. A person easily swindled or tricked, esp. in gaming. slang. L16.
c. A stool-pigeon. M19.
d. A person who carries a journalist's report from one country to another in order to evade censorship. slang. L20.
Phrases etc.: Cape pigeon = PINTADO 2. clay pigeon: see CLAY noun 5. put a cat among the pigeons, put the cat among the pigeons: see CAT noun1. stool-pigeon: see STOOL noun 13b.
Comb.: pigeon-berry (the berry of) any of several plants whose fruit is attractive to birds; esp. (a) N. Amer. the pokeweed, Phytolacca americana; (b) W. Indies the sky-flower, Duranta erecta; (c) Austral. (in full pigeon-berry ash, pigeon-berry tree) any of several trees of eastern Australian rainforest, esp. Cryptocarya erythroxylon, of the laurel family, and Elaeocarpus obovatus (family Elaeocarpaceae); pigeon breast a laterally constricted chest, resulting in forward protrusion of the sternum; pigeon-breasted adjective having a pigeon breast; pigeon chest = pigeon breast above; pigeon-chested adjective = pigeon-breasted above; pigeon drop US Criminals' slang a confidence trick which begins with the dropping of a wallet in front of the victim; pigeon-fancier a person who keeps and breeds fancy pigeons; pigeon-fancying the keeping and breeding of fancy pigeons; pigeon grass US any of several panic-grasses, esp. Setaria pumila; pigeon guillemot a mainly black guillemot, Cepphus columba, of the N. Pacific; pigeon-hawk (a) US = MERLIN; (b) any of various hawks of the family Accipitridae; pigeon-hearted adjective faint-hearted, timid; pigeon-house a dovecot; pigeon-livered adjective (rare, Shakes.) meek, gentle; pigeon-loft: see LOFT noun 8; pigeon-pair a set of twins, or any pair of children, consisting of one boy and one girl; pigeon-pea (the edible seed of) the cajan, Cajanus cajan; pigeon-plum (the edible grapelike fruit of) a tree of the W. Indies and Florida, Coccoloba diversifolia, of the knotgrass family; pigeon-post the conveyance of letters or dispatches by homing pigeons; pigeon's blood adjectival phr. (of a ruby) dark red; pigeon's milk (a) an imaginary article for which children are sent on a fool's errand; (b) a curdlike secretion from a pigeon's crop, with which it feeds its young; pigeon tick a tick, Argas reflexus, occurring mainly on pigeons; pigeon-toed adjective (of a person or horse) having toes or feet that turn inwards; pigeon-weed US corn gromwell, Lithospermum arvense; pigeon-wing US (a) a dance step performed by jumping up and striking the legs together; (b) a figure in skating outlining the open wings of a pigeon; pigeon-wood the wood of various tropical or subtropical trees or shrubs used in cabinet-work, so called from the marking or colouring; any of these trees, esp. (W. Indies) Dipholis salicifolia (family Sapotaceae) and (NZ) Hedycarya arborea (family Monimiaceae); pigeon-woodpecker US = common flicker s.v. FLICKER noun1.
pigeo'neer noun (US) a person who trains or breeds homing pigeons, formerly esp. in the US Army Signal Corps E20.
pigeonry noun a place where pigeons are kept M19.