pawn

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English[edit]

 Pawn on Wikipedia

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
A black pawn in chess

From Middle English pown, from Anglo-Norman poun, paun, from Late Latin pedōnem (pedestrian), derived fom Latin ped- (foot). Doublet of peon.

Noun[edit]

pawn (plural pawns)

  1. (chess) The most numerous chess piece, or a similar piece in a similar game. In chess, each side starts with eight; moves are only forward, and attacks are only diagonally or en passant.
  2. (figurative) Someone who is being manipulated or used to some end.
    Though a pawn of the gods, her departure is the precipitating cause of the Trojan War.
    • 2022 December 14, Mel Holley, “Network News: Strikes go on as RMT rejects RDG's "detrimental" offer”, in RAIL, number 972, page 9:
      He delivered a broadside to the RMT leadership, saying: "This response to a significantly enhanced offer exposes their true priority - using the British public and NR workers as pawns in a fight with the Government.
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Chess pieces in English · chess pieces, chessmen (see also: chess) (layout · text)
♚ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟
king queen rook, castle bishop knight pawn

Etymology 2[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

From Middle French pan (pledge, security), apparently from a Germanic language (compare Middle Dutch pant, Old High German pfant).

Noun[edit]

pawn (countable and uncountable, plural pawns)

  1. (uncountable) The state of being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge.
    All our jewellery was in pawn by this stage.
  2. An instance of pawning something.
  3. (now rare) An item given as security on a loan, or as a pledge.
  4. (rare) A pawnshop; pawnbroker.
Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

pawn (third-person singular simple present pawns, present participle pawning, simple past and past participle pawned)

  1. To pledge; to stake or wager.
  2. To give as security on a loan of money; especially, to deposit (something) at a pawn shop.
    • 1904, Henry Warren, The Customer's Guide to Banking, page 7:
      A certain, and probably an appreciable, proportion of his so-called money at call and short notice would consist of fortnightly advances made to members of the Stock Exchange against pawned stocks and shares.
    • 1965, Bob Dylan, Like a Rolling Stone:
      But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it, babe.
Synonyms[edit]
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Etymology 3[edit]

Noun[edit]

pawn (countable and uncountable, plural pawns)

  1. Alternative form of paan
    • 1832, Meer Hassan Ali, Observations on the Mussulmauns of India:
      A tray filled with pawns, prepared with the usual ingredients, as lime cuttie (a bitter gum), betel-nut, tobacco, spices, &c.
    • 1892, Chambers's Journal, volume 69, page 320:
      To our English taste, pawn is very offensive; but the natives of India relish it, and regard it as a necessity. It is much eaten by Mohammedans of both sexes, and by the natives of Bengal.

Etymology 4[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun[edit]

pawn (plural pawns)

  1. A gallery.

Etymology 5[edit]

Verb[edit]

pawn (third-person singular simple present pawns, present participle pawning, simple past and past participle pawned)

  1. (video games) Alternative form of pwn

Anagrams[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Noun[edit]

pawn

  1. Alternative form of pown (pawn)