pidgin
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pidgin
- /ˈpɪ.d͡ʒɪn/ UK
- /ˈpɪ.d͡ʒən/ US
Sounds like pigeon · Rhymes with -ɪdʒən, -ɪdʒɪn
Where it comes from
From pidgin English, from Chinese Pidgin English pidgin, a pronunciation of English business during trade in the Far East. All attestations of pidgin from the first half of the nineteenth century given in the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary mean “business; an action, occupation, or affair” (the earliest being from 1807). Other suggested derivations include:
* Hebrew פִּדְיוֹן (pidyón, “exchange; trade; redemption”)
* Chinese pronunciation of Portuguese ocupação (“occupation; business”)
* South Seas pronunciation of beach
* Portuguese baixo (“low”)
noun pidgins
-
An amalgamation of two disparate languages, used by two populations having no common language as a lingua franca to communicate with each other, lacking formalized grammar and having a small, utilitarian vocabulary and no native speakers. The speech is slow and supported by mime and gesture.
‘I didnʼt know you can speak pidgin,’ he said and laughed.
Similar: baragouin
- A person's business, occupation, work, or trade (also spelt as pigeon). Forget money. That's my pidgin.
Translations
Every language
noun amalgamation of two languages having no native speakers
| Español | pidgin |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ピジン言語 pijin gengo |
| 中文 | 皮欽語 /皮钦语 píqīnyǔ, 混雜語言 /混杂语言 hùnzá yǔyán |
| Kiswahili | pijini |
| Português | pidgin |
| Français | pidgin, créole, langue véhiculaire |
| Deutsch | Pidgin, Pidginsprache, Pidgin-Sprache |
| Italiano | pidgin |
| Русский | пи́джин pídžin |
| Tiếng Việt | pít-gin |
Talk about this word "pidgin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pidgin. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pidgin. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pidgin "pidgin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pidgin.Cite this
@misc{pidgin_2026,
title = {pidgin},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pidgin},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
