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.]


 Queen n.
 1. The wife of a king.
 2. A woman who is the sovereign of a kingdom; a female monarch; as, Elizabeth, queen of England; Mary, queen of Scots.
    In faith, and by the heaven's quene.   --Chaucer.
 3. A woman eminent in power or attractions; the highest of her kind; as, a queen in society; -- also used figuratively of cities, countries, etc. “ This queen of cities.”  “ Albion, queen of isles.”
 4. The fertile, or fully developed, female of social bees, ants, and termites.
 5. Chess The most powerful, and except the king the most important, piece in a set of chessmen.
 6. A playing card bearing the picture of a queen; as, the queen of spades.
 Queen apple. [Cf. OE. quyne aple quince apple.] A kind of apple; a queening. “Queen apples and red cherries.” --Spenser.
 Queen bee Zool., a female bee, especially the female of the honeybee. See Honeybee.
 Queen conch Zool., a very large West Indian cameo conch (Cassis cameo). It is much used for making cameos.
 Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king. --Blackstone.
 Queen dowager, the widow of a king.
 Queen gold, formerly a revenue of the queen consort of England, arising from gifts, fines, etc.
 Queen mother, a queen dowager who is also mother of the reigning king or queen.
 Queen of May. See May queen, under May.
 Queen of the meadow Bot., a European herbaceous plant (Spiræa Ulmaria). See Meadowsweet.
 Queen of the prairie Bot., an American herb (Spiræa lobata) with ample clusters of pale pink flowers.
 Queen pigeon Zool., any one of several species of very large and handsome crested ground pigeons of the genus Goura, native of New Guinea and the adjacent islands. They are mostly pale blue, or ash-blue, marked with white, and have a large occipital crest of spatulate feathers. Called also crowned pigeon, goura, and Victoria pigeon.
 Queen regent, or Queen regnant, a queen reigning in her own right.
 Queen's Bench. See King's Bench.
 Queen's counsel, Queen's evidence. See King's counsel, King's evidence, under King.
 Queen's delight Bot., an American plant (Stillinqia sylvatica) of the Spurge family, having an herbaceous stem and a perennial woody root.
 Queen's metal Metal., an alloy somewhat resembling pewter or britannia, and consisting essentially of tin with a slight admixture of antimony, bismuth, and lead or copper.
 Queen's pigeon. Zool. Same as Queen pigeon, above.
 Queen's ware, glazed English earthenware of a cream color.
 Queen's yellow Old Chem., a heavy yellow powder consisting of a basic mercuric sulphate; -- formerly called turpetum minerale, or Turbith's mineral.