/ ˈpɪdʒɪn; NAmE / noun
a fat grey and white bird with short legs. Pigeons are common in cities and also live in woods and fields where people shoot them for sport or food :
the sound of pigeons cooing
—compare dove
—see also carrier pigeon , clay pigeon , homing pigeon , wood pigeon
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IDIOMS
- be sb's pigeon
—more at cat
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French pijon , denoting a young bird, especially a young dove, from an alteration of late Latin pipio(n-) , young cheeping bird of imitative origin.