peon

pe·on

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

plural peons or pe·o·nes \pā-ˈō-nēz\

Definition of PEON

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

Examples of PEON

1. “Those rich politicians don't care about peons like us,” she complained.
2. <the company had plenty of low-paying positions for people who were content to be peons all their lives>

Origin of PEON

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

First Known Use: 1609

Related to PEON

Synonyms

dogsbody [chiefly British], drone, drudge, drudger, fag, foot soldier, grub, grubber, grunt, laborer, slave, plugger, slavey, slogger, toiler, worker

Related Words

workhorse; coolie, serf

Near Antonyms

goldbrick, shirker; drone, idler, lazybones, loafer, slouch, slug, sluggard

Other Sociology Terms

bourgeois, ethos, eugenics, exurb, incommunicado, intelligentsia, megalopolis, metrosexual, mores, subculture

Rhymes with PEON

aeon, paean, paeon, zein