peon

¹

[pee-uhn, pee-on]

noun

1. (in Spanish America) a farm worker or unskilled laborer; day laborer.

2. (formerly, especially in Mexico) a person held in servitude to work off debts or other obligations.

3. any person of low social status, especially one who does work regarded as menial or unskilled; drudge.

peon

²

[pee-uhn, pee-on]

noun

1. a messenger, attendant, or orderly.

2. a foot soldier or police officer.

peon

¹

/ ˈpiːɒn, ˈpiːən /

noun

1. a Spanish-American farm labourer or unskilled worker

2. (formerly in Spanish America) a debtor compelled to work off his debts

3. any very poor person

peon

²

/ ˈpiːɒn, pjuːn, ˈpiːən /

noun

1. a messenger or attendant, esp in an office

2. a native policeman

3. a foot soldier

Word History and Origins

Origin of peon¹

1820–30; < Spanish peón peasant, day laborer < Vulgar Latin *pedōn- (stem of *pedō ) walker (whence Medieval Latin pedōnēs infantry, Old French peon pawn ² ), derivative of Latin ped- (stem of pēs ) foot

Origin of peon²

1600–10; < Portuguese peão, French pion foot soldier, pedestrian, day laborer. See peon ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of peon¹

C19: from Spanish peón peasant, from Medieval Latin pedō man who goes on foot, from Latin pēs foot; compare Old French paon _pawn ²

Origin of peon²

C17: from Portuguese peão orderly; see _peon ¹

Example Sentences

During the same press conference in Dhaka, she said she had taken action against a household assistant – or peon - after he allegedly amassed $34 million.

From BBC

Not afraid but brave, not weak but empowered, not peons but partners.

From Los Angeles Times

“He was the highest-paid actor in the world. I was a peon.”

From Los Angeles Times

The message couldn't be clearer: there's a strict hierarchy here, and you peons in the middle are at the absolute bottom.

From Scientific American

It's less clear whether that translates into sympathy for the peons who raided the Capitol at Trump's bidding.

From Salon

Related Words

• drudge 
• hireling 

When To Use

What does peon mean?

A peon is a person of low social status, especially one who does unskilled work and is poorly treated.Peon was once used in a more specific way to refer to farmworkers and other unskilled laborers in Mexico and parts of the United States.Example: People are going to keep quitting if management keeps treating them like peons.