pigeon

• pidgeon (chiefly archaic)

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

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɪdʒɪn/
• (US) enPR: pĭjʹən, IPA^(key): /ˈpɪdʒən/

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• Rhymes: -ɪdʒən, -ɪdʒɪn
• Homophone: pidgin

pigeon (plural pigeons)

1. One of several birds of the family Columbidae, which consists of more than 300 species.
2. (slang) A person who is a target or victim of a confidence game.
3. (slang) Concern or responsibility (often in some such phrase as: "it's his pigeon", "it's her pigeon", etc.).

• (bird): columbid (Columbidae), columbiform (Columbiformes), culver, dove
• (person who is a target or victim of a confidence game): dupe, fish, mark, mug, sucker, rube, stiff

• piper
• squab
• squeaker

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

1. (transitive) to deceive with a confidence game

From Old French pyjon, from Late Latin pīpiōnem (“chirping bird”), accusative singular of Latin pīpiō (“chirping bird”), from pīpiō (“to chirp”).

• IPA^(key): /pi.ʒɔ̃/

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pigeon m (plural pigeons, feminine pigeonne)

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

• colombe
• columbidé (Columbidae, columbidés)

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

• poigne

From Old French pyjon, from Late Latin pīpiōnem (“chirping bird”), accusative singular of Latin pīpiō (“chirping bird”), from pīpiō (“to chirp”).

pigeon m (plural pigeons)

1. (Jersey) pigeon