pigeon

Definition

One of several birds of the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes.

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin pīpiō Proto-Indo-European *-h₃onh₂der. Latin -ō Latin pipio Old French pyjonbor. Middle English pygeoun English pigeon Inherited from Middle English pygeoun, borrowed from Old French pyjon, inherited from Late Latin pīpiōnem (“chirping bird”), derived from Latin pīpiāre (“to chirp”), of imitative origin. Partly displaced native English dove.

Example Sentences

• "Kalb rushed to the airport and found a "pigeon" to take out the film: an American woman headed for London."
• "At this point, all the commercial airports in Pakistan were closed. The only way to get film out was over land. John promptly hired me to be what was then known in the business as a "Pigeon," and installed me in a comfortable room in his hotel. […] I would then hand-carry his film out of the country, via Peshawar, the Khyber Pass, through the Kabul Gorge, and up to Kabul, Afghanistan, where I would meet a BBC courier and transfer the film bag."