Where does “pigeon” come from?
Pigeon comes from Middle English pygeoun, from Old French pyjon, from Late Latin pipionem, from Latin pipio, a young squab or chirping bird.
pigeon (English): One of several birds of the family Columbidae,...
Definitions
- One of several birds of the family Columbidae,...
Ancestry of “pigeon”, step by step
pigeon traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English business
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | business | A specific commercial enterprise or... |
| 2 | Middle English | busines | — |
| 3 | Old English | bisiġnes | business, busyness |
| 4 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |
via Middle English pygeoun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pygeoun | A dove or pigeon, especially if young or when cooked |
| 2 | Old French | pyjon | pigeon |
| 3 | Latin | pīpiō | to chirp, to pipe |
| 4 | Latin | -ō | suffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |