n.
Pronunciation: ' pin
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pinn (akin to Old High German pfinn peg), perhaps from Latin pinna quill, feather ― more at PEN
Date: before 12th century
1 a : a piece of solid material (as wood or metal) used especially for fastening things together or as a support by which one thing may be suspended from another b obsolete : the center peg of a target also : the center itself c : something that resembles a pin especially in slender elongated form <an electrical connector pin > d (1) : one of the pieces constituting the target in various games (as bowling) (2) : the peg at which a quoit is pitched (3) : the staff of the flag marking a hole on a golf course e : a peg for regulating the tension of the strings of a musical instrument f : the part of a key stem that enters a lock g : a belaying pin
2 a (1) : a very thin small pointed metal pin with a head used especially for fastening cloth (2) : LITTLE , TRIFLE <bother them all! I don't care a pin about them ― Bram Stoker> b : an ornament or emblem fastened to clothing with a pin c (1) : BOBBY PIN (2) : HAIRPIN (3) : SAFETY PIN
3 : LEG ― usually used in plural <wobbly on his pin s >
4 : a fall in wrestling