What does "pinion" mean?
A wing.
Pinion
/ˈpɪnjən/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A wing.
- Grammar: pinion is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: anchor, appendage, arm, bind.
- Useful contrasts: detach, disengage, free.
- Usage evidence: The key components are an electric motor driving a rack and pinion at each wheel, accelerometers and a computerized control system.
How to use "pinion"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pinion" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pinion" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pinion" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pinion" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pinion" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "anchor" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pinion", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A wing.
"Therefore do nimble Pinion'd Doues draw Loue, And therefore hath the wind-ſwift Cupid wings:"
- 2 The smallest gear in a gear train. transitive
"1844, Edgar Allan Poe, The Premature Burial A certain period elapses, and some unseen mysterious principle again sets in motion the magic pinions and the wizard wheels."
- 3 wing of a bird wordnet
- 4 The joint of a bird's wing farthest from the body.
- 5 any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Any of the outermost primary feathers on a bird's wing.
"An argument that he is pluckt, when hither / He ſends ſo poore a Pinnion of his Wing,"
- 7 a gear with a small number of teeth designed to mesh with a larger wheel or rack wordnet
- 8 A moth of the genus Lithophane.
Verb
- 1 To cut off the pinion of a bird’s wing, or otherwise disable or bind its wings, in order to prevent it from flying. transitive
"They that meane to fatte Pigions…some…do softly tie their Legges:…some vse onely to pinion them."
- 2 cut the wings off (of birds) wordnet
- 3 To bind the arms of someone, so as to deprive him of their use; to disable by so binding. transitive
"“[…] Captain Markam had been found lying half-insensible, gagged and bound, on the floor of the sitting-room, his hands and feet tightly pinioned, and a woollen comforter wound closely round his mouth and neck ; whilst Mrs. Markham's jewel-case, containing valuable jewellery and the secret plans of Port Arthur, had disappeared. […]”"
- 4 bind the arms of wordnet
- 5 To restrain; to limit. figuratively, transitive
"Know, sir that I / Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court, / Nor once be chastis'd with the sober eye / Of dull Octavia."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The key components are an electric motor driving a rack and pinion at each wheel, accelerometers and a computerized control system."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pinion"?
Common synonyms include: anchor, appendage, arm, bind, bind, bough.
How do you use "pinion" in a sentence?
The key components are an electric motor driving a rack and pinion at each wheel, accelerometers and a computerized control system.
How do you pronounce "pinion"?
Pronounced /ˈpɪnjən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English pynyon, from Old French pignon, from Latin penna (“feather”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French pignon.