Pi·geon n.
 1. Zool. Any bird of the order Columbæ, of which numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.
 Note: ☞ The common domestic pigeon, or dove, was derived from the Old World rock pigeon or rock dove (Columba livia), common in cities. It has given rise to numerous very remarkable varieties, such as the carrier, fantail, nun, pouter, tumbler, etc. The common wild pigeon of the Eastern United States is the Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura, called also Carolina dove). Before the 19th century, the most common pigeon was the passenger pigeon, but that species is now extinct. See Passenger pigeon, and Carolina dove under Dove. See, also, Fruit pigeon, Ground pigeon, Queen pigeon, Stock pigeon, under Fruit, Ground, etc.
 2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang]
 Blue pigeon Zool., an Australian passerine bird (Graucalus melanops); -- called also black-faced crow.
 Green pigeon Zool., any one of numerous species of Old World pigeons belonging to the family Treronidæ.
 Imperial pigeon Zool., any one of the large Asiatic fruit pigeons of the genus Carpophada.
 Pigeon berry Bot., the purplish black fruit of the pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See Pokeweed.
 Pigeon English [perhaps a corruption of business English], an extraordinary and grotesque dialect, employed in the commercial cities of China, as the medium of communication between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its base is English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindustani. --Johnson's Cyc.
 Pigeon grass Bot., a kind of foxtail grass (Setaria glauca), of some value as fodder. The seeds are eagerly eaten by pigeons and other birds.
 Pigeon hawk. Zool. (a) A small American falcon (Falco columbarius). The adult male is dark slate-blue above, streaked with black on the back; beneath, whitish or buff, streaked with brown. The tail is banded. (b) The American sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter velox or Accipiter fuscus).
 Pigeon hole. (a) A hole for pigeons to enter a pigeon house. (b) See Pigeonhole. (c) pl. An old English game, in which balls were rolled through little arches. --Halliwell.
 Pigeon house, a dovecote.
 Pigeon pea Bot., the seed of Cajanus Indicus; a kind of pulse used for food in the East and West Indies; also, the plant itself.
 Pigeon plum Bot., the edible drupes of two West African species of Chrysobalanus (Chrysobalanus ellipticus and Chrysobalanus luteus).
 Pigeon tremex. Zool. See under Tremex.
 Pigeon wood Bot., a name in the West Indies for the wood of several very different kinds of trees, species of Dipholis, Diospyros, and Coccoloba.
 Pigeon woodpecker Zool., the flicker.
 Prairie pigeon. Zool. (a) The upland plover. (b) The golden plover. [Local, U.S.]


 Fruit n.
 1. Whatever is produced for the nourishment or enjoyment of man or animals by the processes of vegetable growth, as corn, grass, cotton, flax, etc.; -- commonly used in the plural.
 Six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the
 fruits thereof.   --Ex. xxiii. 10.
 2. Hort. The pulpy, edible seed vessels of certain plants, especially those grown on branches above ground, as apples, oranges, grapes, melons, berries, etc. See 3.
 3. Bot. The ripened ovary of a flowering plant, with its contents and whatever parts are consolidated with it.
 Note: ☞ Fruits are classified as fleshy, drupaceous, and dry. Fleshy fruits include berries, gourds, and melons, orangelike fruits and pomes; drupaceous fruits are stony within and fleshy without, as peaches, plums, and cherries; and dry fruits are further divided into achenes, follicles, legumes, capsules, nuts, and several other kinds.
 4. Bot. The spore cases or conceptacles of flowerless plants, as of ferns, mosses, algae, etc., with the spores contained in them.
 6. The produce of animals; offspring; young; as, the fruit of the womb, of the loins, of the body.
    King Edward's fruit, true heir to the English crown.   --Shak.
 6. That which is produced; the effect or consequence of any action; advantageous or desirable product or result; disadvantageous or evil consequence or effect; as, the fruits of labor, of self-denial, of intemperance.
    The fruit of rashness.   --Shak.
    What I obtained was the fruit of no bargain.   --Burke.
    They shall eat the fruit of their doings.   --Is. iii 10.
    The fruits of this education became visible.   --Macaulay.
 Note: ☞ Fruit is frequently used adjectively, signifying of, for, or pertaining to a fruit or fruits; as, fruit bud; fruit frame; fruit jar; fruit knife; fruit loft; fruit show; fruit stall; fruit tree; etc.
 Fruit bat Zool., one of the Frugivora; -- called also fruit-eating bat.
 Fruit bud Bot., a bud that produces fruit; -- in most oplants the same as the power bud. Fruit dot Bot., a collection of fruit cases, as in ferns. See Sorus.
 Fruit fly Zool., a small dipterous insect of the genus Drosophila, which lives in fruit, in the larval state.  There are seveal species, some of which are very damaging to fruit crops.  One species, Drosophila melanogaster, has been intensively studied as a model species for genetic reserach.
 Fruit jar, a jar for holding preserved fruit, usually made of glass or earthenware.
 Fruit pigeon Zool., one of numerous species of pigeons of the family Carpophagidæ, inhabiting India, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. They feed largely upon fruit. and are noted for their beautiful colors.
 Fruit sugar Chem., a kind of sugar occurring, naturally formed, in many ripe fruits, and in honey; levulose. The name is also, though rarely, applied to invert sugar, or to the natural mixture or dextrose and levulose resembling it, and found in fruits and honey.
 Fruit tree Hort., a tree cultivated for its edible fruit.
 Fruit worm Zool., one of numerous species of insect larvæ: which live in the interior of fruit. They are mostly small species of Lepidoptera and Diptera.
 Small fruits Hort., currants, raspberries, strawberries, etc.