Where does “pigeon” come from?
pigeon (French) comes from Old French pyjon, from Latin pīpiō, from Latin -ō, from Proto-Indo-European -ō — Derives nouns from roots.
pigeon (French): pigeon; patsy
Definitions
- pigeon; patsy
Ancestry of “pigeon”, step by step
pigeon traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French pyjon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | pyjon | pigeon |
| 2 | Latin | pīpiō | to chirp, to pipe |
| 3 | Latin | -ō | suffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |
via Latin pīpiōnem
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | pīpiōnem | — |