pinion

pinion
{{11}}pinion (n.1) "wing joint," mid-15c., from M.Fr. pignon (c.1400), from V.L. *pinnionem, from L. penna "wing" (see PEN (Cf. pen) (n.1)).
{{12}}pinion (n.2) "small gear with teeth" (as in rack and pinion), 1650s, from Fr. pignon, from O.Fr. pignon "crenellation, battlement," augmentative of L. pinna "battlement, pinnacle;" confused with (but perhaps ultimately a variant of) penna "wing, feather, peak" (see PEN (Cf. pen) (n.1)).
{{12}}pinion (v.) "disable by binding the arms," 1550s, older than literal sense "cut the pinions of a wing to prevent a bird from flying" (1570s); from PINION (Cf. pinion) (n.). Related: Pinioned.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:
, / , , , / (for the arms), (by binding the arms), , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pinion — Pin ion, n. [OF. pignon a pen, F., gable, pinion (in sense 5); cf. Sp. pi[ n]on pinion; fr. L. pinna pinnacle, feather, wing. See {Pin} a peg, and cf. {Pen} a feather, {Pennat}, {Pennon}.] 1. A feather; a quill. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. A wing,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pinion — PINIÓN, pinioane, s.n. Roată dinţată cu un număr mic de dinţi, care intră în componenţa unui angrenaj, servind la punerea în mişcare a altor roţi din angrenajul respectiv. [pr.: ni on] – Din fr. pignon. Trimis de oprocopiuc, 26.03.2008. Sursa:… …   Dicționar Român

  • pinion — Ⅰ. pinion [1] ► NOUN ▪ the outer part of a bird s wing including the flight feathers. ► VERB 1) tie or hold the arms or legs of. 2) cut off the pinion of (a bird) to prevent flight. ORIGIN Old French pignon, from Latin pinna, penna feather …   English terms dictionary

  • Pinion — Pin ion, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Pinioned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Pinioning}.] 1. To bind or confine the wings of; to confine by binding the wings. Bacon. [1913 Webster] 2. To disable by cutting off the pinion joint. Johnson. [1913 Webster] 3. To disable …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pinion — Pin ion, n. (Zo[ o]l.) A moth of the genus {Lithophane}, as {Lithophane antennata}, whose larva bores large holes in young peaches and apples. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pinion — index contain (restrain), handcuff (noun), handcuff (verb), restrict, trammel Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • pinion — pinion1 [pin′yən] n. [Fr pignon < VL * pinnio < L pinna, bucket of a paddle wheel, lit., feather, var. of penna (see PEN2): assoc. in MFr with peigner, to comb: see PEIGNOIR] a small gear, the teeth of which fit into those of a larger gear… …   English World dictionary

  • pinion — A small, tapered gear which meshes with a larger gear or rack. It is found in two primary places in an automobile: the differential pinion and the rack and pinion steering. See crown wheel and pinion drive pinion inertia pinion planet pinion rack …   Dictionary of automotive terms

  • Pinion — A pinion is usually the smallest gear in a gear drive train. In many cases, such as remote controlled toys, the pinion is also the drive gear. In the case of John Blenkinsop s The Salamanca the pinion was rather large.The term is also commonly… …   Wikipedia

  • pinion — I UK [ˈpɪnjən] / US verb [transitive] Word forms pinion : present tense I/you/we/they pinion he/she/it pinions present participle pinioning past tense pinioned past participle pinioned to prevent someone from moving by holding or tying their arms …   English dictionary

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