peon

See also: peón and péon

English

Etymology

From a combination of Middle French pion, peon and Spanish peón, both from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”). Doublet of pawn.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpiː.ən/, /ˈpeɪ.ɒn/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (Southern England):

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpi.ɑn/, /ˈpeɪ.ɑn/
• (especially sense 3, obsolete) IPA^(key): /pɪˈuːn/, /pjuːn/
• Rhymes: -iːən, -ɒn, -iɑn, -eɪɑn
• Homophones: paean, pee-on (one pronunciation)

Noun

peon (plural peons or peones)

1. A lowly person; a peasant or serf; a labourer who is obliged to do menial work.
2. (figurative) A person of low rank or importance.
   • 2011, Shehan Karunatilaka, Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, Jonathan Cape, page 260:

     He is well dressed in cheap clothing. Like an office peon whose wife works in a laundry.

3. (India, historical) A messenger, foot soldier, or native policeman.

Related terms

• peonage

Translations

peasant or serf

• Arabic: كَادِح m (kādiḥ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雇農 (gùnóng), 日工 (zh) (rìgōng)

• Czech: peón m
• Dutch: arbeider (nl) m, dagloner (nl) m, pandeling m, schuldslaaf m, dwangarbeider (nl) m, helper (nl) m
• Esperanto: peono (eo)
• French: péon (fr) m
• German: Peon m, Diener (de) m
• Hindi: चपरासी (hi) m (caprāsī)
• Japanese: 農奴 (ja) (nōdo)
• Ottoman Turkish: دهقان (dihkân)
• Polish: wyrobnik (pl) m
• Portuguese: peão (pt) m
• Romanian: șerb (ro) m
• Russian: батра́к (ru) m (batrák), пео́н (ru) m (peón)
• Spanish: peón (es) m
• Turkish: piyon (tr) sg
• Urdu: چپراسی m (caprāsī)

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “peon”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Nope, nope, open, peno-, pone

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• pion

Etymology

From Hellenistic Ancient Greek παιωνία (paiōnía), from Ancient Greek Παιών (Paiṓn, “Paean, physician of the gods”)/παιών (paiṓn, “a physician”).

Noun

peon m (definite singular peonen, indefinite plural peoner, definite plural peonene)

1. a peony (genus Paeonia)

Derived terms

• peonrød

References

• “peon” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• pion

Etymology

From Hellenistic Ancient Greek παιωνία (paiōnía), from Ancient Greek Παιών (Paiṓn, “Paean, physician of the gods”)/παιών (paiṓn, “a physician”).

Noun

peon m (definite singular peonen, indefinite plural peonar, definite plural peonane)

1. a peony (genus Paeonia)

References

• “peon” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Old French

Alternative forms

• pedon (archaic)
• paon, pion, poon, poun
• paun, peoun, poune, pounne

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”).

Pronunciation

• (archaic) IPA^(key): /pəˈðun/
• (classical, late) IPA^(key): /pəˈun/, /piˈun/, /paˈun/, /puˈun/

Noun

peon oblique singular, m (oblique plural peons, nominative singular peons, nominative plural peon)

1. one who goes on foot; pedestrian

   (military) infantryman

   (chess) pawn

Descendants

• French: pion
  • → Dutch: pion
    • Afrikaans: pion
    • → Indonesian: pion
  • → Greek: πιόνι (pióni)
  • → Polish: pion
  • → Romanian: pion
  • → Turkish: piyon
• → Middle English: pown, powne, poun, poune, pon, pawn, pawne, paun, pewne
  • English: pawn
  • Scots: poun

References

• peon on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub
• “peon”, in DEAF: Dictionnaire Étymologique de l'Ancien Français, Heidelberg: Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1968-.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɔn/
• Rhymes: -ɛɔn
• Syllabification: pe‧on

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish peón, from Late Latin pedō.

Noun

peon m pers

1. (agriculture, historical) peon (lowly person; a peasant or serf; a labourer who is obliged to do menial work)

Declension

Declension of peon

	singular	plural
nominative	peon	peoni/peony (deprecative)
genitive	peona	peonów
dative	peonowi	peonom
accusative	peona	peonów
instrumental	peonem	peonami
locative	peonie	peonach
vocative	peonie	peoni

Derived terms

noun

• peonaż

 

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek παιών (paiṓn).

Noun

peon m inan

1. (poetry) paeon (foot containing any pattern of three short syllables and one long syllable)

Declension

Declension of peon

	singular	plural
nominative	peon	peony
genitive	peonu	peonów
dative	peonowi	peonom
accusative	peon	peony
instrumental	peonem	peonami
locative	peonie	peonach
vocative	peonie	peony

Derived terms

adjective

• peoniczny

 

Further reading

• peon in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French péon or Spanish peon.

Noun

peon m (plural peoni)

1. peon

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	peon	peonul		peoni	peonii
genitive-dative	peon	peonului		peoni	peonilor
vocative	peonule			peonilor

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• piyon

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish peón, from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”), from Latin ped- (“foot”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /peˈon/ [pɛˈon̪]
• Rhymes: -on
• Syllabification: pe‧on

Noun

peón (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜒᜌᜓᜈ᜔)

1. peon
2. (chess) pawn

Derived terms

• bahay-peon

 

Further reading

• “peon”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018