Pinkerton

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A private investigator or member of a security agency, especially one employed to guard property or investigate crimes
2. A detective or armed security operative working for a private agency rather than a law enforcement body
3. A private security agent or investigator hired to protect people or property or conduct investigations

Etymology: Pinkerton began as a place name near Dunbar in East Lothian, and families who lived there took it as their surname. The first element has no agreed explanation, but the second is Old English "tūn", meaning enclosure or farmstead, a word that appears throughout English place names. Surnames of this kind, called habitational, record where a family came from, so the name points to a home rather than an occupation or a nickname. The name is still found most often in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where it has long been established. It is also used as a common noun for a private detective.