Main Entry:

pe·on

Pronunciation:

\ˈpē-ˌän, -ən also pā-ˈōn for 2, British also ˈpyün for 1\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural peons or pe·o·nes \pā-ˈō-nēz\

Etymology:

Portuguese peão & French pion, from Medieval Latin pedon-, pedo foot soldier — more at pawn

Date:

1609

1: any of various workers in India, Sri Lanka, or Malaysia: as a: infantryman b: orderly 2 [Spanish peón, from Latin pedon-, pedo] : a member of the landless laboring class in Spanish America3plural peons a: a person held in compulsory servitude to a master for the working out of an indebtedness b: drudge, menial