I. ˈpip noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English pippe, from Middle Dutch pip, pippe nasal mucus, slime, pip; akin to Old High German pfiffīz, pfiffiz pip; both from a prehistoric West Germanic word borrowed from (assumed) Vulgar Latin pipita, alteration of Latin pituita nasal mucus, phlegm, pip; akin to Old Irish ith grain, Sanskrit pitu drink, food, Latin opimus fat, fertile — more at fat
1.
a. : the formation of a scale or crust on the tip and dorsal surface of the tongue of a bird often associated with respiratory diseases
b. : the scale or crust itself
2.
a. : any of various ailments formerly or locally identified as syphilis, dyspepsia, a slight cough, or other ailment
b. : a fit of peevishness or feeling out of sorts : a slight nonspecific disorder : mild malaise — usually used with the
gives me the pip , the way some of them make a fuss about it — Dorothy Sayers
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: alteration of earlier peep, of unknown origin
1.
a. : one of the dots used on dice and dominoes to indicate numerical value
b. : spot 3c(1)
2.
a. : spot , speck , protuberance
b. : an image in the form of an inverted V or a spot of light on a radarscope or sonar screen indicating the return of radar or sound waves reflected from an object : blip
c. : an inverted V on the line of a graph
3.
a. : the individual rootstock of the lily of the valley producing leaves and a flower stalk
b. : any of various other dormant roots or rootstocks (as of peonies and anemones)
4. : one of the segments forming the surface of a pineapple
5. : a diamond-shaped insignia worn to indicate rank (as by a second lieutenant, lieutenant, or captain) in the British army
the three pips of a captain
III. verb
( pipped ; pipped ; pipping ; pips )
transitive verb
1. Britain : blackball
2. Britain : defeat
pipped his opponent in the race
3. Britain : kill
intransitive verb
: die — sometimes used with out
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: short for pippin
1. : a small fruit seed ; especially : a seed of a fleshy fruit (as the orange, apple, pear) having several seeds
2. slang : something extraordinary of its kind : pippin
the gal's a pip and I'm going to marry her — Ring Lardner
created a traffic jam that was a pip — Emmett Kelly
V. verb
( pipped ; pipped ; pipping ; pips )
Etymology: imitative
intransitive verb
1. : peep I 1
2.
a. of a hatching bird : to break through the shell of the egg
b. of an egg : to break open from pipping
transitive verb
: to break open (the shell of an egg) in hatching
VI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: imitative
: a short high-pitched tone produced as a signal
broadcast six pips as a time signal