pigeonhole

See also: pigeon-hole and pigeon hole

English

Literal pigeonholes

A desk featuring pigeonholes

A pigeon-hole messagebox at Stanford University.

Alternative forms

• pigeon-hole
• pigeon hole

Etymology

pigeon +‎ hole.

Originally literal hole for pigeons, later similar compartments for paper, then extended metaphorically in verb sense of narrowly categorizing or deferring.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

pigeonhole (plural pigeonholes)

1. One of an array of compartments for housing pigeons.
2. One of an array of compartments for receiving mail and other messages at a college, office, etc.

   Fred was disappointed to find his pigeonhole empty except for bills and a flyer offering 20% off on manicures.

3. One of an array of compartments for storing scrolls at a library.
4. A similar compartment in a desk, used for sorting and storing papers.

Translations

one of an array of compartments for pigeons

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鴿棚／鸽棚 (zh), 鸽棚 (zh) (gēpéng)

• Dutch: duivenhok (nl) n, duiventil (nl) f
• Finnish: kyyhkyslakka (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: περιστερώνας (el) m (peristerónas)
• Italian: piccionaia (it) f
• Macedonian: гулабарник m (gulabarnik)
• Russian: голуби́ное гнездо́ n (golubínoje gnezdó)

one of an array of compartments for mail

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 分類架／分类架, 分类架 (fēnlèijià), 文件架 (wénjiànjià)

• Dutch: vak (nl) n
• Finnish: lokero (fi)
• German: Fach (de) n
• Greek: γραμματοθυρίδα f (grammatothyrída), θυρίδα (el) f (thyrída)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: casellario (it) m
• Macedonian: преграда f (pregrada), чекмеџе n (čekmedže), фах m (fah)
• Russian: отделе́ние для бума́г n (otdelénije dlja bumág)
• Spanish: casilla (es) f, casillero m
• Swedish: fack (sv)

Verb

1. To categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc.

   Fred was tired of being pigeonholed as a computer geek.

   • 1902, Jack London, A Daughter of the Snows

     He prided himself on his largeness when he granted that there were three kinds of women... Not that he pigeon-holed Frona according to his inherited definitions.

2. To put aside, to not act on (proposals, suggestions, advice).
   • 1910, Angus Hamilton, Herbert Henry Austin, Masatake Terauchi, Korea: Its History, Its People, and Its Commerce, page 294

     These laws were not carried into effect: they were pigeon-holed.

   • 1917, The Crisis, November 1917 issue, The Looking Glass: Election laws in Southern California, page 29

     [...] vociferously declared that they had the evidence. But no one prosecutes. No one swears out a warrant. The evidence is pigeonholed.

   • 2008, Edward Sidlow, Beth Henschen, America at Odds, page 251

     Alternatively, the chairperson may decide to put the bill aside and ignore it. Most bills that are pigeonholed in this manner receive no further action.

Synonyms

• (not act on): mothball, shelve, table

Translations

to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc

• Catalan: encasellar (ca)
• Dutch: hokjesdenken
• Finnish: lokeroida, luokitella (fi)
• French: cataloguer (fr)
• German: in eine Schublade stecken
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: classificare (it), etichettare (it)
• Japanese: 決めつける (kimetsukeru)
• Macedonian: вбројува (vbrojuva)
• Spanish: encasillar (es)
• Swedish: placera i ett fack

Derived terms

• pidge

Related terms

• pigeonhole principle
• pigeonholeable
• pigeonholer

See also

• cubbyhole