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 America
3 plural peons a : a person held in compulsory servitude to a master for the working out of an indebtedness b : drudge, menial