Pigeon

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɪ.dʒɪn/

Definitions

1. A bird known for its stout body and cooing sound, typically found in cities, and also refers to someone easily fooled or taken advantage of
2. This bird, often seen in urban landscapes, is characterized by its plump shape and gentle calls, while also describing a person who is gullible or naive
3. A medium-sized bird recognized by its compact form and distinctive gentle cooing ; an individual who is naive and readily duped or exploited

Etymology: The bird's name comes from an imitation of its sound. Latin "pipiare" meant "to chirp," and from it came a Late Latin word for a "chirping bird," which passed through Old French "pyjon" into Middle English as "pygeoun." That chirping root is the origin of the bird's name, and it partly displaced the native English "dove," which had been the older word for the bird. Readers may know "pigeon" from another sense entirely. The word "pidgin" in the sense of a simplified trade language was formed from a Chinese pronunciation of "business," as spoken in the trading ports of the Far East. The two words are unrelated in origin, though they now look and sound alike, and the name of a bird and the name of a trade language share a spelling only by coincidence.

Synonyms: dove, bird