n. 1 a a Spanish American day labourer or farm-worker. b a poor or destitute South American. 2 an Indian office messenger, attendant, or orderly. 3 a bullfighter's assistant. 4 hist. a worker held in servitude in the southern US. peonage n.
[ Port. peao & Sp. peon f. med.L pedo -onis walker f. L pes pedis foot: cf. PAWN(1) ]