English Explanatory Dictionary

pigeonhole

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. One of an array of open compartments for housing pigeons in a dovecote or pigeon loft.
  2. A hole or opening in a door or wall for a pigeon to pass through.
  3. One of an array of open compartments in a desk, set of shelves, etc., used for sorting or storing letters, papers, or other items.
  4. One of an array of open compartments for receiving mail and other messages at a college, office, etc.
  5. A compartment or cubicle in a room or other place, especially one which is (excessively) small.
  6. A small opening for looking or passing things through.
  7. An opening in a ship for passing equipment such as an oar or rigging through.
  8. A form of stocks with openings for restraining a person's hands or feet; also, one of the openings in the device.
  9. A seat in the top row of the gallery of a theatre.
  10. A notional category or class into which someone or something is placed.
  11. A space between two words that is too wide.
verb
  1. To construct pigeonholes (noun sense 1 or 3.1) in (a place); also, to subdivide (a place) into pigeonholes.
  2. To put (letters, papers, or other items) into pigeonholes or small compartments; also, to arrange or sort (items) by putting into pigeonholes.
  3. To arrange (items) for future reference or use.
  4. To put aside (advice, a proposal, or other matter) for future consideration instead of acting on it immediately; to shelve.
  5. To place (someone or something) into a notional category or class, especially in a way which makes unjustified assumptions or which is restrictive; to categorize, to classify, to label.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɪdʒ(ɪ)nhəʊl/ /ˈpɪdʒənˌ(h)oʊl/ En-us-pigeonhole.ogg

Word forms

pigeonhole pigeonholes pigeon-hole pigeon hole pigeonholing pigeonholed

Etymology

The noun is derived from pigeon + hole. The verb is derived from the noun.

Synonyms

cubbyhole box mothball table put someone in a box

Derived words

pidge pigeonhole principle pigeonholes pigeonholeable pigeonholed pigeonholer pigeonholing

Translations

Chinese Mandarin: 分類架 /分类架 Chinese Mandarin: 文件架 Czech: [poštovní] přihrádka Dutch: vak Finnish: lokero Finnish: kulkuaukko Finnish: pujotusaukko German: Fach Greek: γραμματοθυρίδα Greek: θυρίδα Italian: casellario Macedonian: преграда Macedonian: чекмеџе Macedonian: фах Portuguese: escaninho Russian: отделе́ние для бума́г Spanish: casilla Spanish: casillero Swedish: fack
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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