Etymograph

English

pinion

Pinion comes from Old French pignon, from Latin penna ‘feather’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fly’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-1‘to fly’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂r̥ ~ pth₂én-1‘feather, wing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*petnā1‘feather’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpenna2‘feather’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400pignon2
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pynyon2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1577pinion2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin penna
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English pinion
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1577, Konrad Heresbach, Foure Bookes of Husbandrie: “They that meane to fatte Pigions…some…do softly tie their…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-Wiktionary, Latin penna‘to fly’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂r̥ ~ pth₂én-Wiktionary, Latin penna‘feather, wing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*petnāWiktionary, Latin penna‘feather’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpennaWiktionary, English pinion‘feather’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400pignonWiktionary, English pinion
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pynyonWiktionary, English pinion
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1577pinionWiktionary, English pinion. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1577, Konrad Heresbach, Foure Bookes of Husbandrie: “They that meane to fatte Pigions…some…do softly tie their…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fly’

pass, mile, repeat, compete, expand, patent, expansion, helicopter, petition, competitor, feather, symptom, perpetual, spawn, impetus, expanse, perpetuate, perpetuity, petulant, impetuous, patella, pata, patina, petulance, 83 more

through Latin penna ‘feather’

pen, pennant, penne, penna, 6 more

Another origin of pinion

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentpignon
  2. Englishtodaypinion

Today it means

noun A wing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pinion”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin penna. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- / pinion

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