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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. An unskilled laborer or farm worker of Latin America or the southwest United States.
  2. n. Such a worker bound in servitude to a landlord creditor.
  3. n. A menial worker; a drudge.
  4. n. In India and other parts of South and Southeast Asia, a person of menial position, especially a messenger, servant, or foot soldier.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A day-laborer; specifically, in Spanish America, a species of serf, compelled to work for his creditor until his debts are paid.
  2. n. In India: A foot-soldier.
  3. n. A messenger; an attendant or orderly.
  4. n. A native constable or policeman.
  5. n. In chess, a piece representing a footman; a pawn.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A lowly person, a peasant or serf, a labourer who is obliged to do menial work

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. See poon.
  2. n. A foot soldier; a policeman; also, an office attendant; a messenger.
  3. n. A day laborer; a servant; especially, in some of the Spanish American countries, debtor held by his creditor in a form of qualified servitude, to work out a debt.
  4. n. See 2d Pawn.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a laborer who is obliged to do menial work

Etymologies

  1. Spanish, day laborer, from Medieval Latin pedō, pedōn-, foot soldier; see pioneer. Sense 3, possibly from Portuguese peão, from Medieval Latin pedō.

Examples

  • “In the USA peon is a demeaning term, but not in Mexico.”

    House Progress

  • “Either the peon is different from the American, or land hunger is one thing to the one and another thing to the other.”

    The Trouble Makers of Mexico

  • “The peon is an Indian, and a Mexican Indian at that.”

    The Trouble Makers of Mexico

  • “After thus tantalizing me and taking my measure, he called a peon, whom I found to be an easy boss, and I was placed beside himself digging and shoveling, took his gait, which was much more easy than the Southern darkey.”

    The adventures of two Alabama boys,

  • “Unfortunately, some idiot schmuck McCain/Palin peon underpaid, overworked employee at the County Recorder managed to enter my address incorrectly, and now I’m supposed to show up to vote in a totally new and different location, where my registration could quite possibly be challenged because it doesn’t match my ID.”

    ALERT! Verify your voter registration status! « A Bird’s Nest

  • “Desmond fancied he saw a slight smile curl the lips of the natives; then the sentry called another peon who stood at hand, and sent him into the palace.”

    In Clive's Command A Story of the Fight for India

  • “They went out and when they entered the first shed the Spaniard called a peon and gave him an order Dick did not catch.”

    Brandon of the Engineers

  • “Although I'm cringing at the term 'peon' and wish you'd have used a different word ... maybe a more modern one ...”

    moving on down

  • “AMLO had critizised him for been a "peon" in Zedillo's government (when he was Ministry of Health).”

    La Profesora Abstraida

  • “If Dr. Harpe dubbed him her "peon," she took care to treat him and his opinions with flattering deference.”

    The Lady Doc

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‘peon’ has been looked up 2090 times, added to 21 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 6.