n.
Pronunciation: ' p ē - ˌ än, - ə n also p ā - ' ō n for 2, Brit also ' pyün for 1
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural peons or pe · o · nes \ p ā - ' ō -n ē z \
Etymology: Portuguese peão & French pion, from Medieval Latin pedon-, pedo foot soldier ― more at PAWN
Date: 1609
1 : any of various workers in India, Sri Lanka, or Malaysia: as a : INFANTRYMAN b : ORDERLY
2 [Spanish peón, from Latin pedon-, pedo ] : a member of the landless laboring class in Spanish America
3 plural peons a : a person held in compulsory servitude to a master for the working out of an indebtedness b : DRUDGE , MENIAL