different between pigeon vs columbary

English

Alternative forms

• pidgeon (chiefly archaic)

Etymology 1

From Middle English pygeoun, pygyne, pegyon, from Old French pijon, pyjon, from Late Latin p?pi?nem (“chirping bird”), accusative singular of Latin p?pi? (“chirping bird”), from p?pi? (“to chirp”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?p?.d??n/
• (US) enPR: p?j??n, IPA^(key): /?p?.d??n/
• Rhymes: -?d??n, -?d??n
• Homophone: pidgin

Noun

pigeon (countable and uncountable, plural pigeons)

1. One of several birds of the family Columbidae, which consists of more than 300 species.

   Synonyms: columbid, culver, dove

2. (uncountable) The meat from this bird.
3. (Canada, US, informal) A person who is a target or victim of a confidence game.

   Synonyms: dupe, fish, sucker; see also Thesaurus:dupe

4. (countable, politics) A pacifist, appeaser, an isolationist, a dove.

Etymology 2

From pidgin English, from a Chinese Pidgin English pronunciation of English business during trade in the Far East. (See pidgin)

Noun

pigeon (countable and uncountable, plural pigeons)

1. (archaic, idiomatic)(Britain, informal) Concern or responsibility.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• dove
• piper
• squab
• squeaker

Verb

pigeon (third-person singular simple present pigeons, present participle pigeoning, simple past and past participle pigeoned)

1. (transitive) To deceive with a confidence game.

Further reading

• pigeon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “pigeon”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

French

Etymology

From Old French pyjon, from Late Latin p?pi?nem (“chirping bird”), accusative singular of p?pi? (“chirping bird”), from p?pi? (“to chirp”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pi.???/

Noun

pigeon m (plural pigeons, feminine pigeonne)

1. pigeon

   Synonyms: colombe, columbidé

2. (colloquial) patsy (an easily trickable, naive person)

Derived terms

See also

Further reading

• “pigeon” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• poigne

Norman

Etymology

From Old French pyjon, from Late Latin p?pi?nem (“chirping bird”), accusative singular of Latin p?pi? (“chirping bird”), from p?pi? (“to chirp”).

Noun

pigeon m (plural pigeons)

1. (Jersey) pigeon

Derived terms

English

Etymology

From Latin columbarium, columba (“a dove”).

Noun

columbary (plural columbaries)

1. A pigeon house or dovecot.

References

• Chambers's Etymological Dictionary, 1896, p. 82