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pawn - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

A black pawn in chess

From Middle English pown, from Anglo-Norman poun, paun (“footman”), from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”), derived fom Latin ped- (“foot”). Doublet of peon.

pawn (plural pawns)

  2. (chess) The most numerous chess piece, or a similar piece in a similar game. In chess, each side starts with eight; moves are only forward, and attacks are only diagonally or en passant.
  3. (figurative) Someone who is being manipulated or used to some end.

    Though a pawn of the gods, her departure is the precipitating cause of the Trojan War.

    • 2022 December 14, Mel Holley, “Network News: Strikes go on as RMT rejects RDG's "detrimental" offer”, in RAIL, number 972, page 9:

      He delivered a broadside to the RMT leadership, saying: "This response to a significantly enhanced offer exposes their true priority - using the British public and NR workers as pawns in a fight with the Government.

chess piece

someone who is being manipulated

Chess pieces in English · chess pieces, chessmen (see also: chess) (layout · text)
♚ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟
king queen rook, castle bishop knight pawn

From Middle French pan (“pledge, security”), apparently from a Germanic language (compare Middle Dutch pant, Old High German pfant).

pawn (countable and uncountable, plural pawns)

  1. (uncountable) The state of being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge.

    All our jewellery was in pawn by this stage.

  2. An instance of pawning something.
  3. (archaic) An item given as security on a loan, or as a pledge.
  4. (rare) A pawnshop; pawnbroker.

instance of pawning something

item sold to a pawn shop

(rare) type of shop

pawn (third-person singular simple present pawns, present participle pawning, simple past and past participle pawned)

  1. (transitive) To pledge; to stake or wager.
  2. (transitive) To give as security on a loan of money; especially, to deposit (something) at a pawn shop.

    • 1904, Henry Warren, The Customer's Guide to Banking, page 7:

      A certain, and probably an appreciable, proportion of his so-called money at call and short notice would consist of fortnightly advances made to members of the Stock Exchange against pawned stocks and shares.

give as security for loan

pawn (countable and uncountable, plural pawns)

  1. Alternative form of paan

    • 1832, Meer Hassan Ali, Observations on the Mussulmauns of India:

      A tray filled with pawns, prepared with the usual ingredients, as lime cuttie (a bitter gum), betel-nut, tobacco, spices, &c.

    • 1892, Chambers's Journal, volume 69, page 320:

      To our English taste, pawn is very offensive; but the natives of India relish it, and regard it as a necessity. It is much eaten by Mohammedans of both sexes, and by the natives of Bengal.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

pawn (plural pawns)

  1. A gallery.

pawn (third-person singular simple present pawns, present participle pawning, simple past and past participle pawned)

  1. (video games) Alternative form of pwn

pawn

  1. Alternative form of pown (“pawn”)