Etymology dictionary
pig (v.) — pinchbeck (n.)
pig (v.)
mid-15c., piggen, of sows, "to farrow, to bring forth piglets," from pig (n.1). By 1670s as "to huddle together in a dirty or disorderly manner, as pigs do, hence, generally, "to act or live like a pig" in any sense. Related: Pigged; pigging. Colloquial pig out "eat voraciously" is attested by 1979.
pig (n.2)
"oblong piece of metal," 1580s, from pig (n.1) on the notion of "large mass." In Middle English sow also was used of a mass or bar of lead (mid-15c.).
pig (n.1)
Middle English pigge "a young pig" (mid-13c., late 12c. as a surname), probably from Old English *picg, found in compounds, but, like dog, its further etymology unknown. The older general word for adults was swine, if female, sow, if male, boar. Apparently related to Low German bigge, Dutch big ("but the phonology is difficult" -- OED).
By early 14c. pig was used of a swine or hog regardless of age or sex. Applied to persons, usually in contempt, since 1540s; the derogatory meaning "police officer" has been in underworld slang at least since 1811.
Another Old English word for the animal was fearh, which is related to furh "furrow," from PIE *perk- "dig, furrow" (source also of Latin porcus "pig," see pork). "This reflects a widespread IE tendency to name animals from typical attributes or activities" [Lass].
Synonyms grunter (1640s), porker (1650s) are from sailors' and fishermen's euphemistic avoidance of uttering the word pig at sea, a superstition perhaps based on the fate of the Gadarene swine, who drowned. The image of a pig in a poke is attested from late 14c. (see poke (n.1)). Flying pigs as a type of something unreal is from 1610s.
pigeon (n.)
late 14c., pijoun, "a dove, a young dove" (early 13c. as a surname), from Old French pijon, pigeon "young dove" (13c.), probably from Vulgar Latin *pibionem, dissimilation from Late Latin pipionem (nominative pipio) "squab, young chirping bird" (3c.), from pipire "to peep, chirp," a word of imitative origin. As an English word it replaced culver (Old English culufre, from Vulgar Latin *columbra, from Latin columbula) and native dove (n.).
The meaning "one easily duped, a simpleton to be swindled" is from 1590s (compare gull (n.2)). Pigeon-hearted (1620s) and pigeon-livered (c. 1600) are "timid, easily frightened." A pigeon-pair (by 1800) are twins of the opposite sex (or family consisting of a boy and a girl only), so called because pigeons lay two eggs, normally hatching a male and a female.
pigeon-hole (n.)
also pigeonhole, 1570s as "a small recess for pigeons to nest in," from pigeon + hole (n.); later "hole in a dovecote for pigeons to pass in and out" (1680s). Extended meaning "a little compartment or division in a writing desk," etc. is from 1680s, based on resemblance. Hence, "an ideal compartment for classification of persons, etc." (by 1879). The verb is from 1840, "place or file away in a pigeon-hole." The figurative sense of "lay aside for future consideration" is by 1854, that of "label mentally" by 1870.
Related: Pigeonholed.
pigeon-toed (adj.)
1788, colloquially, originally of horses, by 1801 of persons, "having the toes curled in;" see pigeon. Of birds, "having the foot structure which characterizes the pigeon," by 1890.
pigeon-wing (n.)
1807 as the name of a brisk, fancy step in dancing, skating, etc.; see pigeon + wing (n.).
piggy (adj.)
"resembling a pig," 1841, from pig (n.1) + -y (2).
piggy (n.)
also piggie, "a little pig," by 1700, from pig (n.1) + -y (3). Related: Piggies. The piggy bank was popular from 1940 (ceramic or tin pig banks are noted by 1903 in American English, sometimes as souvenirs from Mexico).
The dates seem too early for this to be a source of that, but Scottish and Northern English pig (of unknown origin) meant "earthenware pot, pitcher, jar, etc." (mid-15c.), and in Scottish dialect pirlie pig (1799) was "small money box, usually circular and made of earthenware."
piggish (adj.)
1792, of persons, "like a pig" in disposition, habits, or manners, from pig (n.1) + -ish. Until 20c. usually "stubborn, selfish; unclean, coarse;" association with greedy eating is more recent. Related: Piggishly; piggishness.
Piggly-Wiggly
chain of self-service grocery stores, started 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee. According to founder's reminiscence from 1921, an arbitrary coinage, simply "something different from anything used before" ["Current Opinion"].
piggyback (adj.)
also piggy-back, "on the shoulders or back like a pack or bundle," 1823, probably a folk etymology alteration of colloquial pickapack, pick pack (1560s) "on the back or shoulders like a pack," which perhaps is from pick, a dialectal variant of pitch (v.1). As a verb, "to ride piggyback," by 1952.
pig-headed (adj.)
also pigheaded; 1610s, "having a head resembling a pig;" 1788 as "stupid and obstinate, unreasonably set in mind;" see pig (n.1) + -headed. Usually, but not always, figurative.
pig iron (n.)
"iron in pigs," as it comes from a blast furnace, iron that has been run while molten into a mold in sand, 1660s; see pig (n.2) + iron (n.).
pig Latin (n.)
childish deformed language (there are many different versions), by 1889 (hog Latin in same sense is attested by 1807).
For the language itself, compare loucherbem, a 20c. French slang similar to pig Latin, which takes its name from the form of the word boucher in that language (which is said to have originated among the Paris butchers).
piglet (n.)
"a small or young pig," 1883, from pig (n.1) + diminutive suffix -let. Earlier name for baby pig was farrow.
pigment (n.)
late 14c., "a red dye," from Latin pigmentum "coloring matter, pigment, paint," figuratively "ornament," from stem of pingere "to color, paint" (see paint (v.)). By 1610s in the broader sense "any substance that is or can be used by painters to impart color" (technically a dry substance that can be powdered and mixed with a liquid medium).
Variants of this word could have been known in Old English and Middle English (compare 12c. pyhmentum, later piment) with a sense of "a spiced drink, a remedy or concoction containing spices," based on a secondary sense of the Latin word in Medieval Latin. As a verb from 1900. Related: Pigmented. Also pigmental "of or pertaining to pigment" (1836); pigmentary (1835).
pigmentation (n.)
"coloration or discoloration by the deposition of pigment in the tissues," 1866, from pigment + noun ending -ation. Perhaps modeled on French.
pigmentocracy (n.)
"a social or governmental hierarchy based on skin tone regardless of race," 1952, usually in a South African context, apparently coined in "The Economist," from pigment + -cracy "rule or government by."
pigmy
see pygmy.
pigpen (n.)
"a pen for pigs," by 1833, from pig (n.1) + pen (n.2).
pigskin (n.)
"saddle leather or binding made from the skin of a pig," 1855, from pig (n.1) + skin (n.). Hence, in slang, "a saddle." As slang for "a football" by 1894. Middle English had swyn-leather (c. 1400).
pigsney (n.)
(obsolete), late 14c., pigges-nie, an endearing form of address to a girl or woman, apparently from Middle English pigges eye, literally "pig's eye," from pig (n.1) + neyghe, a variant of eye (n.) with unetymological -n- from min eye, an eye, etc. (see N). But pig-eyed is "having small, dull eyes with heavy lids, appearing sunken." See OED for explanation of why pig's eye might have been felt as a compliment. In a pig's eye! as an adverse retort is recorded from 1872.
pigsty (n.)
"a pig pen, a sty for pigs," 1590s, from pig (n.1) + sty (n.1). Figurative use for "miserable, dirty hovel" is attested from 1820. An older word was pighouse (late 15c.).
pig-sticker (n.)
also pigsticker, "sharp knife, bayonet," by 1890, from pig (n.1) + agent noun from stick (v.).
pigtail (n.)
also pig-tail, 1680s, "tobacco in a twisted roll," from pig (n.1) + tail (n.). So called from resemblance. Meaning "braid of hair hanging down the back of the head" is from 1753, when it was a fashion in polite society; the style was preserved into early 19c. by soldiers and sailors. Since applied variously to other objects or parts thought to resemble this in appearance. Related: Pigtailed.
pika (n.)
small, rabbit-like animal of the alpine regions of Siberia and western North America, 1827, from Tunguse piika.
pike (n.3)
"type of long, slender, voracious freshwater fish," early 14c., pik (mid-12c. in place names), probably short for pike-fish, a special use of pike (n.2) in reference to the fish's long, pointed jaw, and in part from French brochet "pike" (fish), from broche "a roasting spit." In Middle English, proverbial for health and vigor.
pike (n.2)
early 13c., pik, pyk, "pointed tip or spike on a staff, pole, weapon, etc.," collateral (long-vowel) form of pic (source of pick (n.1)), from Old English piic "pointed object, pickaxe," which is perhaps from a Celtic source (compare Gaelic pic "pickaxe," Irish pice "pike, pitchfork"). The word probably has been influenced by, or is partly from, Old French pic "sharp point or spike," itself perhaps from Germanic (see pike (n.1)), Old Norse pic, and Middle Dutch picke, pecke. Pike, pick (n.1), and pitch (n.1) formerly were used indifferently in English.
From c. 1400 as "a sharp, pointed mountain or summit." The pike position in diving, gymnastics, etc., is attested by 1928, perhaps on the notion of "tapering to a point."
pike (n.1)
"weapon with a long shaft and a pointed metal head," 1510s, from French pique "a spear; pikeman," from piquer "to pick, puncture, pierce," from Old French pic "sharp point or spike," a general continental term (Spanish pica, Italian picca, Provençal piqua), perhaps ultimately from a Germanic [Barnhart] or Celtic source (see pike (n.2)). An alternative explanation traces the Old French word (via Vulgar Latin *piccare "to prick, pierce") to Latin picus "woodpecker." No doubt, too, there is influence from pike (n.1), which by 1200 had a sense of "spiked staff."
"Formerly the chief weapon of a large part of the infantry; in the 18th c. superseded by the bayonet" [OED]; hence old expressions such as pass through pikes "come through difficulties, run the gauntlet;" push of pikes "close-quarters combat." German Pike, Dutch piek, Danish pik, etc. are from French pique.
pike (n.4)
"highway," 1812 shortening of turnpike.
pikeman (n.)
"soldier armed with a pike," by 1560s, from pike (n.1) + man (n.).
piker (n.)
1872, "miserly person," formerly "poor white migrant to California" (1860), earlier Pike (1854), perhaps originally "vagrant who wanders the pike (n.4)" (which is the notion in Sussex dialectal piker "vagrant, tramp, gypsy," 1838), but Barnhart, OED and others suggest the American English word ultimately is a reference to people from Pike County, Missouri. Its appearance seems too late to connect it with Middle English piker "robber, petty thief" (c. 1300, attested as late as 1549 in OED), from the source of pick (v.) in its sense of "steal, rob, plunder" (early 14c.) with its former long vowel.
pikestaff (n.)
"staff with an iron head more or less pointed," mid-14c., from pike (n.2) + staff (n.).
pilaf (n.)
oriental dish of rice boiled with meat, 1610s, pilau (which remains the commoner form in British English), from Turkish pilav, from Persian pilaw. The form perhaps has been influenced by Modern Greek pilafi, which is from the Turkish word, but Ayto ("Diner's Dictionary") writes that from the beginning "the spelling of the word was positively anarchic" and that pilaf "represents a modern Turkish pronunciation."
pilar (adj.)
"of or pertaining to hair," 1858, from Modern Latin pilaris "hairy," from pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)).
pilaster (n.)
"a square column or pillar," 1570s, from French pilastre (1540s), from Italian pilastro, from Medieval Latin pilastrum (mid-14c.), from pila, "buttress, pile" (from Latin pila, see pillar) + Latin -aster, suffix "expressing incomplete resemblance" [Barnhart].
Pilates
c. 1980, physical fitness regimen developed c. 1920 by German-born physical fitness teacher Joseph Pilates (1883-1967).
Pilate (n.)
late 14c. as a term of reproach for a corrupt or lax prelate, from the Roman surname, especially that of Pontius Pilate, a governor of the Roman province of Judaea under Tiberius, from Latin Pilatus, literally "armed with javelins," from pilum "javelin" (see pile (n.2)).
Other than having presided over the trial of Jesus and ordering his crucifixion, little is known of him. In Middle English pilates vois was "a loud, boastful voice," of the sort used by Pilate in the mystery plays. Among slang and cant uses of Pontius Pilate mentioned in the 1811 "Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence" is "(Cambridge) a Mr. Shepherd of Trinity College; who disputing with a brother parson on the comparative rapidity with which they read the liturgy, offered to give him as far as Pontius Pilate in the Belief."
pilch (n.)
Middle English pilche "garment made from the skin or fur of animals," usually an outer garment, from Old English pilece, from Medieval Latin pellicea "a furred garment," fem. of Latin pelliceus "of fur or skin," from pellis "skin, pelt" (from PIE root *pel- (3) "skin, hide"). Later, "triangular wrapper for an infant, worn over the diaper" (1670s).
pilchard (n.)
fish of the herring family, 1540s, earlier pilcher (1520s), a word of unknown origin, with unetymological -d, perhaps by influence of words in -ard. Century Dictionary suggests Celtic origin, as the fish appear every July in great numbers on the Cornish coast; OED says the Irish word for them is from the English word.
pilcrow (n.)
"paragraph mark" ( ¶ ), 1570s, a corruption (based on crow (n.), from perceived resemblance of an early, solid form of the mark) of pilcraft "a paragraph mark; a paragraph; an asterisk" (mid-15c.), itself a corruption (perhaps influenced by English craft) of Old French pelagraphe, a variant of paragrafe (see paragraph).
pile (n.1)
early 15c., "heap or stack of something," usually consisting of an indefinite number of separate objects arranged in a more or less regular conical or pyramidal form, from Old French pile "a heap, a stack," and directly from Latin pila "a pillar," also "stone barrier, pier" (see pillar).
The sense development in Latin would have been from "pier, harbor wall of stones," to "something heaped up." Middle English pile also could mean "pillar supporting something, pier of a bridge" (mid-15c.). In English, the verb in the sense of "to heap (up)" is recorded from c.1400.
Middle English also had a noun pile meaning "castle, tower, stronghold (late 14c.), which persisted in a sense of "large building." OED regards this as a separate word, of doubtful origin, but other sources treat them as the same.
pile (n.3)
mid-14c., "downy plumage;" late 15c, "fine, soft hair," from Anglo-French pyle or Middle Dutch pijl, both from Latin pilus "a hair" (source of Italian pelo, Old French pel), a word of uncertain origin. Phonological evidence rules out transmission of the English word via Old French cognate peil, poil. Meaning "soft, raised surface of a regular and closely set kind upon cloth" is from 1560s.
piles (n.)
"hemorrhoids," early 15c., from Medieval Latin pili "piles," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps from Latin pila "ball" (see pill (n.)) and so called from shape.
pile (n.2)
late Old English pil "sharp stake or stick," also, poetically, "arrow, dart," from Latin pilum, the name of the heavy javelin of the Roman foot soldier (source of Old Norse pila, Old High German pfil, German Pfeil "arrow"), a word of uncertain origin. De Vaan finds the identification of it with the pilum that means "pestle, pounder" (from *pis-tlo-, from the root of pinsere "to crush, pound;" see pestle) to be defensible.
In engineering and architecture, "a heavy timber beam, pointed or not, driven into the soil for support of a structure or as part of a wall." It also has meant "pointed head of a staff, pike, arrow, etc." (1590s) and the word is more or less confused with some of the sense under pile (n.1).
pile (v.)
"to heap (up), lay or throw in a heap," c. 1400, from pile (n.1). Related: Piled; piling. Figurative verbal phrase pile on "attack vigorously, attack en masse," is attested by 1894, American English. To pile in "climb or go on or into in a crowd" is by 1841; hence, for the reverse process, pile out, by 1896.
pileated (adj.)
"having the feathers of the top of the head elongated and conspicuous," 1728, from Latin pileatus "capped," from pileus "conical felt cap without a brim," which is perhaps from Greek pilos "felt; felt hat," also "felt shoe, felt blanket," or they may be from a common source (somewhat similar words are found in Germanic and Slavic). Beekes calls it "an old culture word of unknown origin." Applied in natural history to sea urchins and certain birds, notably the pileated woodpecker, a large species of North America.
pile-driver (n.)
1772 in literal sense, "machine for driving piles," from pile (n.2) + driver. Figurative sense of "very strong hit" is recorded from 1858.
pile-up (n.)
"multi-vehicle crash," 1929, from verbal phrase pile up "to heap up" (c. 1400), which is attested from 1849 as "to accumulate," 1899 as "to wreck in a heap" (see pile (v.)).
pilfer (v.)
"to steal in small quantities" (intrans.); "to steal or gain by petty theft" (trans.), 1540s, from pilfer (n.) "spoils, booty," c. 1400, from Old French pelfre "booty, spoils" (11c.), a word of unknown origin, possibly related to pelf. Related: Pilfered; pilfering. Pulfrour "a thief" is attested from mid-14c., implying earlier use.
pilferage (n.)
"act or practice of petty theft; that which is stolen," 1620s, from pilfer + -age.
pilgrim (n.)
c. 1200, pilegrim, "a person traveling to a holy place (as a penance or to discharge some vow or religious obligation, or seeking some miracle or spiritual benefit)," also "a traveler" generally, "a wayfarer," from Old French pelerin, peregrin "pilgrim, crusader; foreigner, stranger" (11c., Modern French pèlerin), from Late Latin pelegrinus, a dissimilation of Latin peregrinus "foreigner, stranger, foreign resident" (source of Italian pellegrino, Spanish peregrino, German Pilger), from peregre (adv.) "from abroad," from per- "beyond" + agri, locative case of ager "country, land" (from PIE root *agro- "field").
The change of the first -r- to -l- in most Romance languages is by dissimilation; the -m appears to be a Germanic modification. Pilgrim Fathers "English Separatists who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower and founded Plymouth colony in Massachusetts in 1620" is attested by 1799. They sometimes wrote of themselves as Pilgrims from c. 1630, in reference to Hebrews xi.13. Pilgrim in U.S. Western slang for "an original settler" is by 1841, later "a newcomer, 'tenderfoot,'" perhaps originally in reference to the Mormon migrations.
pilgrimage (n.)
late 13c., pelrimage, "act of journeying through a strange country to a holy place, long journey undertaken by a pilgrim;" from pilgrim + -age and also from Anglo-French pilrymage, Old French pelrimage, pelerinage "pilgrimage, distant journey, crusade," from peleriner "to go on a pilgrimage." Modern spelling is from early 14c. Figurative sense of "the journey of life" is by mid-14c.
Pilipino
"national language of the Republic of the Philippines," 1936, from Tagalog form of obsolete Spanish Pilipino (see Filipino).
pill (v.1)
1736, "to dose on pills," from pill (n.). From 1882 as "to form into pills." In club slang, "to reject by vote, blackball" (1855). Related: Pilled; pilling.
pill (v.2)
"deprive of hair, make bald," c. 1400, from late Old English, from Old French piller, from Latin pilare "to peel strip, deprive of hair," from pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). Now displaced by peel.
pill (n.)
c. 1400, pille, "globular or ovoid mass of medicinal substance of a size convenient for swallowing," from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German pille and Old French pile, all from Latin pilula "pill," literally "little ball," diminutive of pila "a ball, playing ball," which is perhaps related to pilus "hair" if the original notion was "hairball."
The figurative sense "something disagreeable that must be accepted ('swallowed')" is from 1540s. The slang meaning "disagreeable or objectionable person, bore," is by 1871. The pill "contraceptive pill" is from 1957.
pillage (n.)
late 14c., "act of plundering" (especially in war), from Old French pilage (14c.) "plunder," from pillier "to plunder, loot, ill-treat," possibly from Vulgar Latin *piliare "to plunder," probably from a figurative use of Latin pilare "to strip of hair," perhaps also meaning "to skin" (compare figurative extension of verbs pluck, fleece), from pilus "a hair" (see pile (n.3)).
pillage (v.)
"to plunder, despoil, strip of money or goods by open violence," 1590s, from pillage (n.). Related: Pillaged; pillaging; pillager. The earlier form of the verb in English was simply pill (late Old English pilian), which probably is from Medieval Latin pillare.
pillar (n.)
c. 1200, piler, "a column or columnar mass, narrow in proportion to height, either weight-bearing or free-standing," from Old French piler "pillar, column, pier" (12c., Modern French pilier) and directly from Medieval Latin pilare, from Latin pila "pillar, stone barrier," a word of unknown etymology. The figurative sense of "prop or support of an institution or community" is recorded from early 14c. Related: Pillared.
In medieval architecture often made so as to give the appearance of several shafts around a central core; "by architects often distinguished from column, inasmuch as it may be of any shape in section, and is not subordinated to the rules of classic architecture" [Century Dictionary].
Phrase pillar to post "from one thing to another without apparent or definite purpose" is attested from c. 1600, late 15c. as post to pillar, mid-15c. as pillar and post; but the exact meaning is obscure. Earliest references seem to allude to tennis, but post and pillar is recorded as the name of a game of some sort c. 1450. The theory that the expression is from pillar as the raised ground at the center of a manège ring around which a horse turns is unlikely because that sense seem to date only to 18c.
The Pillars of Hercules are the two hills on opposite sides of the Straits of Gibraltar, Abyla in Africa and Calpe in Europe, said to have been torn asunder by Hercules.
pillbox (n.)
also pill-box, "box for holding pills," 1730, from pill (n.) + box (n.). As a small round concrete machine gun nest, it came into use in World War I. As a type of hat, attested from 1958.
pillbug (n.)
also pill-bug, kind of wood-louse or other insect-like crustacean which can roll itself into a ball like a pill, 1841, from pill (n.) + bug (n.).
piller (n.)
"plunderer," mid-14c., pilour, from obsolete verb pill "to plunder, to pillage" (see pillage (v.)). Related: Pillery "robbery, plunder" (mid-15c.).
pillion (n.)
kind of light, simple saddle, especially for women, c. 1500, of Celtic origin (compare Irish pillin, Gaelic pillin), ultimately from Latin pellis "skin, pelt" (from PIE root *pel- (3) "skin, hide"). Later also "adjustable pad or cushion behind a saddle as a seat for a second person, usually a woman."
pillock (n.)
"the penis," 1530s (mid-13c. as a surname), dialectal variant of Middle English pil-cok, pillicock "the penis" (see cock (n.3)). Meaning "stupid person" is attested by 1967.
pillory (n.)
"frame of wood erected on a post or pole with holes into which were put the head and hands of an offender who was thus exposed for public derision and abuse," mid-14c., pillorie (attested in Anglo-Latin from late 12c., in surnames from mid-13c.), from Old French pilori "pillory" (mid-12c.), which is related to Medieval Latin pilloria, but all are of uncertain origin. Perhaps a diminutive of Latin pila "pillar, stone barrier" (see pillar), but OED finds this proposed derivation "phonologically unsuitable."
pillory (v.)
c. 1600, "punish by exposure in the pillory," from pillory (n.). Figurative sense of "expose publicly to ridicule, contempt, or abuse" is from 1690s. Related: Pilloried.
pillow (v.)
"to rest or place on or as on a pillow," 1620s, from pillow (n.). Related: Pillowed; pillowing.
pillow (n.)
"a head-rest used by a person reclining," especially a soft, elastic cushion filled with down, feathers, etc., Middle English pilwe, from Old English pyle "cushion, bed-cushion, pillow," from West Germanic *pulwi(n) (source also of Old Saxon puli, Middle Dutch polu, Dutch peluw, Old High German pfuliwi, German Pfühl), an early borrowing (2c. or 3c.) from Latin pulvinus "little cushion, small pillow," of uncertain origin. The modern spelling in English is from mid-15c.
Pillow fight (n.) "mock combat using pillows as weapons" is attested from 1837; slang pillow talk (n.) "relaxed intimate conversation between a couple in bed" is recorded by 1939. Pillow-case "washable cloth drawn over a pillow" is by 1745. Pillow-sham is by 1867.
pillowy (adj.)
"like a pillow, soft, yielding," 1798, from pillow (n.) + -y (2).
Pilobolus (n.)
genus of fungi, Modern Latin, from Greek pilos "felt" (see pileated) + bōlos "a clod, clump."
pilon (n.)
"free gift given by merchants to customers when accounts are settled," 1892, from Mexican Spanish, from Spanish pilón "sugar loaf."
pilose (adj.)
"covered with hair, hairy," 1753, from Latin pilosus "hairy, shaggy, covered with hair," from pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). Related: Pilosity (c. 1600).
pilot (n.)
1510s, "one who steers a ship," especially one who has charge of the helm when the ship is passing in or out of harbor, from French pillote (16c.), from Italian piloto, supposed to be an alteration of Old Italian pedoto, which usually is said to be from Medieval Greek *pedotes "rudder, helmsman," from Greek pedon "steering oar," related to pous (genitive podos) "foot," from PIE root *ped- "foot." The change of -d- to -l- in Latin-derived languages ("Sabine -l-") parallels that in odor/olfactory; see lachrymose.
The transferred or figurative sense "a guide, a director of the course of others" is by 1590s. The literal sense was extended by 1848 to "one who controls a balloon," and by 1907 to "one who flies an airplane."
As an adjective, 1788 as "pertaining to a pilot;" from 1928 as "serving as a prototype," thus the noun pilot meaning "pilot episode" (etc.), attested from 1962. A pilot light (by 1890) is a very small light kept burning beside a large burner to automatically light the main burner when the flow is turned on.
pilot (v.)
1640s, figurative, "to guide, to lead, direct the course of, especially through an intricate or perilous passage;" 1690s in the literal sense "to conduct (a vessel) as a pilot," from pilot (n.) or from French piloter. Related: Piloted; piloting.
piloted (adj.)
"directed by a pilot," 1945, past-participle adjective from pilot (v.).
pilot-fish (n.)
type of warm-water fish, 1630s, from pilot (n.) + fish (n.). So called because they were thought to lead sharks to prey. It is uncertain whether this is the same fish known to the Ancients as pompilus (Greek pompilos, "pilot").
pilot-house (n.)
"enclosed place on the deck of a ship which shelters the steering-gear and the pilot," by 1846, from pilot (n.) + house (n.).
pilotless (adj.)
c. 1600, "unguided," from pilot (n.) + -less. In 20c. of aircraft, etc., "self-directing, not requiring a pilot."
pilsner (n.)
also Pilsner, Pilsener, type of pale, hoppy lager beer, 1877, after Pilsen, German town in Bohemia (Czech Plzen) where it first was brewed. Now designating a type, not an origin; pilsner from Plzen is Pilsner Urquell, from German Urquell "primary source." The place name is from Old Czech plz "damp, moist." Related: Pils.
Piltdown
village in Sussex, England, site where a fossil humanoid skull was said to have been found (1912); it was proved a fraud in 1953.
Pima
Uto-Aztecan people of Arizona, from Spanish, probably from native pi ma:c "(I) don't know," given in answer to some question long ago and mistaken by the Spaniards as a tribal name. Related: Piman.
pimento (n.)
1680s, pimiento (modern form from 1718), "dried, aromatic berries of an evergreen tree native to the West Indies," cultivated mostly in Jamaica, from Spanish pimiento "pepper-plant, green or red pepper," also pimienta "black pepper," from Late Latin pigmenta, plural of pigmentum "vegetable juice," from Latin pigmentum "pigment" (see pigment (n.)). So called because it added a dash of color to food or drink.
The tree itself so called by 1756. The piece of red sweet pepper stuffed in a pitted olive so called from 1918, earlier pimiento (1901), from Spanish. French piment is from Spanish.
pimp (n.)
"one who provides others with the means and opportunity of gratifying their sexual lusts," c. 1600, of unknown origin, perhaps from French pimpant "alluring in dress, seductive," present participle of pimper "to dress elegantly" (16c.), from Old French pimpelorer, pipelorer "decorate, color, beautify." Weekley suggests French pimpreneau, defined in Cotgrave [French-English Dictionary, 1611] as "a knave, rascall, varlet, scoundrell," but Liberman is against this.
The word also means "informer, stool pigeon" in Australia and New Zealand and in South Africa, where by early 1960s it existed in Swahili form impimpsi. Pimpmobile first recorded 1973 (six years before Popemobile).
Among the lists of late Middle English terms for animal groupings was a pimpe of chickens (or birds), mid-15c., a variant of pipe "flock" (mid-14c.), from Old French pipee.
pimp (v.)
1630s (intransitive) "to act as a pimp, provide for others the means of gratifying their sexual lusts," from pimp (n.). Transitive senses are modern (late 20c.). Related: Pimped; pimping.
pimpernel (n.)
plant or herb of the primrose family, c. 1400, from Old French pimprenelle, earlier piprenelle (12c.) and directly from Medieval Latin pipinella name of a medicinal plant. This is perhaps from *piperinus "pepper-like" (so called because its fruits resemble peppercorns), a derivative of Latin piper "pepper" (see pepper (n.)); or else it is a corruption of bipinnella, from bipennis "two-winged;" thus etymologically "the two-winged little plant." The Scarlet Pimpernel was the code name of the hero in an adventure novel of that name, set in France during the Terror, written by Baroness Orczy and published in 1905.
pimple (n.)
"small, often inflamed, swelling of the skin," late 14c. (early 14c. as a surname), of unknown origin; perhaps related to Old English pipligende "having shingles;" also compare Latin papula, papilla (see pap (n.2)). As a verb, "to cover with pimples," from c. 1600. Related: Pimples.
pimply (adj.)
"covered with pimples," 1748, from pimple (n.) + -y (2). Related: Pimpliness.
pin (n.)
late Old English pinn "peg or bolt of wood or metal used to hold things in place or fasten them together," from Proto-Germanic *penn- "jutting point or peak" (source also of Old Saxon pin "peg," Old Norse pinni "peg, tack," Middle Dutch pin "pin, peg," Old High German pfinn, German Pinne "pin, tack") from Latin pinna "a feather, plume;" in plural "a wing;" also "fin, scoop of a water wheel;" also "a pinnacle; a promontory, cape; battlement" (as in Luke iv.9 in Vulgate) and so applied to "points" of various sorts, from PIE root *pet- "to rush, to fly."
De Vaan and Watkins say Latin pinna is a derivative of penna, literally "feather" (see pen (n.1)); older theories regarded pinna as a separate word from a root meaning "sharp point." The Latin word also was borrowed in Celtic: Irish pinne "a pin, peg, spigot;" Welsh pin "a pin, pen."
As a part of a lock or latch, c. 1200; as a control for a mechanical device, late 14c. The modern slender wire pin, used as a fastener for clothing or in sewing, is attested by this name by late 14c., perhaps late 13c. Transferred sense of "leg" is recorded from 1520s and holds the older sense. The meaning "wooden stick or club set up to be knocked down in a game" (skittles, bowling, etc.) is by 1570s.
Pin-money "annual sum allotted to a woman for personal expenses on dress, etc." is attested from 1620s. Pins and needles "tingling sensation" is from 1810. The sound of a pin dropping as a type of something all but silent is from 1775.
PIN
acronym for personal identification number, 1981; from the first it has been used with a redundant number.
pin (v.)
mid-14c., pinnen, "to affix with a pin," from pin (n.). Figurative uses, on the notion of "seize and hold fast in the same spot or position" are from 1570s. Related: Pinned; pinning. Sense of "to hold someone or something down so he or it cannot escape" is attested from 1740. In U.S. colleges, as a reference to the bestowal of a fraternity pin on a female student as an indication of a relationship, it is attested by 1938. Phrase pin down "define" is from 1951.
pina colada (n.)
"long drink made with pineapple juice, rum, and coconut," 1923, from Spanish piña colada, literally "strained pineapple." The first word was originally "pine-cone" (and formerly pinna), from Latin pinea (see pineapple). Second word ultimately is from Latin colare "to strain" (see colander). Ayto ("Diner's Dictionary") writes that the drink probably originated in Puerto Rico and "enjoyed a certain vogue in the mid to late 1970s," as evidenced by a certain song.
pinafore (n.)
1782, "sleeveless apron worn by children," originally to protect the front of the dress, from pin (v.) + afore "on the front." So called because it was originally pinned to a dress front. Later a fashion garment for women (c. 1900).
pinata (n.)
"decorated container (originally a pot) filled with sweets and small gifts, suspended from a ceiling and broken by a blindfolded person on festive occasions," 1887, from Mexican Spanish piñata, in Spanish "jug, pot," ultimately from Latin pinea "pine cone," from pinus (see pine (n.)).
pinball (n.)
also pin-ball, 1907, type of game played on a sloping surface where the goal was to knock down a pin or pins, from pin (n.) + ball (n.1). Earlier it meant "a pincushion" (1803). The tabletop pin-ball machine is attested from 1937.
pince-nez (n.)
folding eyeglasses kept in place on the nose by a spring-clip, by 1853, French, literally "pinch-nose," from pincer "to pinch" (see pinch (v.)) + nez "nose" (from Latin nasus, from PIE root *nas- "nose").
pincers (n.)
early 14c., "tool for grasping or nipping, having two hinged jaws which can be firmly closed and held together," from Old French pinceure "pincers, tongs," from pincier "to pinch" (see pinch (v.)). Applied to insect or crustacean parts from 1650s. Related: Pincer. The military pincer movement is attested by 1929.
pinch (v.)
early 13c., pinchen, "to pluck (an eyebrow);" mid-14c. "compress between the finger and thumb or some device, squeeze between two hard, opposing bodies," from Old North French *pinchier "to pinch, squeeze, nip; steal" (Old French pincier, Modern French pincer), a word of uncertain origin, possibly from Vulgar Latin *punctiare "to pierce," which might be a blend of Latin punctum "point" + *piccare "to pierce."
From mid-14c. as "to pain, torment." Of tight shoes, from 1570s. Meaning "to steal" in English is from 1650s. Sense of "to be stingy" is recorded from early 14c. Related: Pinched; pinching.
pinch (n.)
late 15c., "critical juncture" (as in in a pinch "in an emergency"), from pinch (v.). This figurative sense is attested earlier than the literal sense of "act of pinching" (1590s) or that of "small quantity" (as much as can be pinched between a thumb and finger), which is from 1580s. There is a pinche (n.) in mid-15c., perhaps meaning "fold or pleat of fabric."
The baseball pinch-hitter "batter substituted for another, especially at a critical point in the game" is attested by that name from 1912. To pinch-hit (v.) is by 1931.
pinchbeck (n.)
"alloy of 3 or 4 parts copper and 1 of zinc," much used in cheap jewelry, from 1732, in reference to Christopher Pinchbeck, 18c. London watch- and toy-maker, who evidently developed it.