[pe.on] n, pl peons or pe.o.nes [Pg peao & F pion, fr. ML pedon-, pedo foot soldier--more at pawn] (1609) 1: any of various workers in India, Sri Lanka, or Malaysia: as a: infantryman b: orderly
2. [Sp peon, fr. L pedon-, pedo]: a member of the landless laboring class in Spanish America 3 pl peons a: a person held in compulsory servitude to a master for the working out of an indebtedness b: drudge, menial