Main Entry: ¹pin

Pronunciation: \ˈpin\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pinn (akin to Old High German pfinn peg), perhaps from Latin pinna quill, feather — more at pen

Date: before 12th century

1 a : a piece of solid material (as wood or metal) used especially for fastening things together or as a support by which one thing may be suspended from another b obsolete : the center peg of a target; also : the center itself c : something that resembles a pin especially in slender elongated form <an electrical connector pin> d (1) : one of the pieces constituting the target in various games (as bowling) (2) : the peg at which a quoit is pitched (3) : the staff of the flag marking a hole on a golf course e : a peg for regulating the tension of the strings of a musical instrument f : the part of a key stem that enters a lock g : a belaying pin
2 a (1) : a very thin small pointed metal pin with a head used especially for fastening cloth (2) : little, trifle <bother them all! I don't care a pin about them — Bram Stoker> b : an ornament or emblem fastened to clothing with a pin c (1) : bobby pin (2) : hairpin (3) : safety pin
3 : leg —usually used in plural <wobbly on his pins>
4 : a fall in wrestling