peon en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /pjuːn/ especially sense 3, obsolete
- /ˈpiː.ən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈpeɪ.ɑn/ (General-American)
- /ˈpi.ɑn/ (General-American)
- /pɪˈuːn/ especially sense 3, obsolete
- /ˈpeɪ.ɒn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From a combination of Middle French pion, peon and Spanish peón, both from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”). Doublet of pawn.
Meanings
- A lowly person; a peasant or serf; a labourer who is obliged to do menial work.
-
(figuratively) A person of low rank or importance.
He is well dressed in cheap clothing. Like an office peon whose wife works in a laundry.
2011, Shehan Karunatilaka, Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, Jonathan Cape, page 260:
- (India, historical) A messenger, foot soldier, or native policeman.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| peons | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| peones | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Translations (26)
fr péon (peasant or serf) · pt peão (peasant or serf) · cmn 苦工 (peasant or serf) · eo peono (peasant or serf) · pl wyrobnik (peasant or serf) · nl dwangarbeider (peasant or serf) · cmn 雇農 (peasant or serf) · nl arbeider (peasant or serf) · es peón (peasant or serf) · hi चपरासी (peasant or serf) · nl pandeling (peasant or serf) · ja 農奴 (peasant or serf) · cs peón (peasant or serf) · ru пео́н (peasant or serf) · ro șerb (peasant or serf) · tr piyon (peasant or serf) · ru батра́к (peasant or serf) · de Peon (peasant or serf) · de Diener (peasant or serf) · nl schuldslaaf (peasant or serf) · cmn 日工 (peasant or serf) · ota دهقان (peasant or serf) · nl dagloner (peasant or serf) · ar كَادِح (peasant or serf) · ur چپراسی (peasant or serf) · nl helper (peasant or serf)