pigeon

/ˈpɪdʒən/

/ˈpɪdʒən/

Other forms: pigeons

The birds you're most likely to see while strolling around a city are pigeons. In the wild, they typically eat grains and seeds, but in New York City, you might see them eating discarded popcorn, French fries — just about anything dropped by careless pedestrians.

Pigeons have round bodies, short necks, and small beaks. These common birds are related to doves. Their feathers are mostly gray, but if you look closely at a pigeon you'll notice shades of green, blue, and white. The distinction between pigeons and doves is vague — often, the word dove simply means an all-white pigeon, though sometimes it refers to a smaller variety of bird. Pigeon is French, from a Latin root, pipio, "young, chirping bird."

Definitions of pigeon

1. noun

   wild and domesticated birds having a heavy body and short legs
   types:

   pouter, pouter pigeon

   one of a breed of pigeon that enlarge their crop until their breast is puffed out

   dove

   any of numerous small pigeons

   Columba livia, rock dove, rock pigeon

   pale grey Eurasian pigeon having black-striped wings from which most domestic species are descended

   Columba fasciata, band-tail pigeon, band-tailed pigeon, bandtail

   wild pigeon of western North America; often mistaken for the now extinct passenger pigeon

   Columba palumbus, cushat, ringdove, wood pigeon

   Eurasian pigeon with white patches on wings and neck

   domestic pigeon

   domesticated pigeon raised for sport or food

   squab

   an unfledged pigeon

   Ectopistes migratorius, passenger pigeon

   gregarious North American migratory pigeon now extinct

   turtledove

   any of several Old World wild doves

   Australian turtledove, Stictopelia cuneata, turtledove

   small Australian dove

   Zenaidura macroura, mourning dove

   wild dove of the United States having a mournful call

   fairy swallow

   fancy domestic pigeon having blue-and-white plumage and heavily muffed feet

   roller, tumbler, tumbler pigeon

   pigeon that executes backward somersaults in flight or on the ground

   homer, homing pigeon

   pigeon trained to return home

   type of:

   columbiform bird

   a cosmopolitan order of land birds having small heads and short legs with four unwebbed toes
2. noun

   a person who is easily tricked or swindled
   synonyms: dupe, victim

   types:

   butt, goat, laughingstock, stooge

   a victim of ridicule or pranks

   chump, fall guy, fool, gull, mark, mug, patsy, soft touch, sucker

   a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of

   lamb

   a person easily deceived or cheated (especially in financial matters)

   easy mark, sitting duck

   a defenseless victim

   April fool

   the butt of a prank played on April 1st

   type of:

   individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul

   a human being
3. noun

   (slang) a young woman