Pigeon \Pi"geon\, n. [F., fr. L. pipio a young pipping or
chirping bird, fr. pipire to peep, chirp. Cf. Peep to
chirp.]
1. (Zool.) Any bird of the order Columb[ae], of which
numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The common domestic pigeon, or dove, was derived from
the Old World rock pigeon or rock dove (Columba
livia), common in cities. It has given rise to
numerous very remarkable varieties, such as the
carrier, fantail, nun, pouter, tumbler, etc. The common
wild pigeon of the Eastern United States is the
Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura, called also
Carolina dove). Before the 19th century, the most
common pigeon was the passenger pigeon, but that
species is now extinct. See Passenger pigeon, and
Carolina dove under Dove. See, also, Fruit
pigeon, Ground pigeon, Queen pigeon, Stock
pigeon, under Fruit, Ground, etc.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang]
[1913 Webster]
Blue pigeon (Zool.), an Australian passerine bird
(Graucalus melanops); -- called also black-faced crow.
Green pigeon (Zool.), any one of numerous species of Old
World pigeons belonging to the family Treronid[ae].
Imperial pigeon (Zool.), any one of the large Asiatic fruit
pigeons of the genus Carpophada.
Pigeon berry (Bot.), the purplish black fruit of the
pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See Pokeweed.
Pigeon English [perhaps a corruption of business English],
an extraordinary and grotesque dialect, employed in the
commercial cities of China, as the medium of communication
between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its base is
English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindustani.
--Johnson's Cyc.
Pigeon grass (Bot.), a kind of foxtail grass (Setaria
glauca), of some value as fodder. The seeds are eagerly
eaten by pigeons and other birds.
Pigeon hawk. (Zool.)
(a) A small American falcon (Falco columbarius). The
adult male is dark slate-blue above, streaked with
black on the back; beneath, whitish or buff, streaked
with brown. The tail is banded.
(b) The American sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter velox or
Accipiter fuscus).
Pigeon hole.
(a) A hole for pigeons to enter a pigeon house.
(b) See Pigeonhole.
(c) pl. An old English game, in which balls were rolled
through little arches. --Halliwell.
Pigeon house, a dovecote.
Pigeon pea (Bot.), the seed of Cajanus Indicus; a kind of
pulse used for food in the East and West Indies; also, the
plant itself.
Pigeon plum (Bot.), the edible drupes of two West African
species of Chrysobalanus (Chrysobalanus ellipticus and
Chrysobalanus luteus).
Pigeon tremex. (Zool.) See under Tremex.
Pigeon wood (Bot.), a name in the West Indies for the wood
of several very different kinds of trees, species of
Dipholis, Diospyros, and Coccoloba.
Pigeon woodpecker (Zool.), the flicker.
Prairie pigeon. (Zool.)
(a) The upland plover.
(b) The golden plover. [Local, U.S.]
[1913 Webster]
|
Poke \Poke\, n. (Bot.)
A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca
(Phytolacca decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries;
-- called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and
pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative
properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are
sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the
berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.
[1913 Webster]
|