Found 1 items, similar to Prairie pigeon.
English → English (gcide) Definition: Prairie pigeon Pigeon \Pi"geon\, n. [F., fr. L. pipio a young pipping or chirping bird, fr. pipire to peep, chirp. Cf. Peep to chirp.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) Any bird of the order Columb[ae], of which numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster +PJC] 2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang] [1913 Webster] Blue pigeon (Zo["o]l.), an Australian passerine bird (Graucalus melanops); -- called also black-faced crow. Green pigeon (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of Old World pigeons belonging to the family Treronid[ae]. Imperial pigeon (Zo["o]l.), 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. (Zo["o]l.) (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. (Zo["o]l.) 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 (Zo["o]l.), the flicker. Prairie pigeon. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The upland plover. (b) The golden plover. [Local, U.S.] [1913 Webster] Prairie \Prai"rie\, n. [F., an extensive meadow, OF. praerie, LL. prataria, fr. L. pratum a meadow.] 1. An extensive tract of level or rolling land, destitute of trees, covered with coarse grass, and usually characterized by a deep, fertile soil. They abound throughout the Mississippi valley, between the Alleghanies and the Rocky mountains. [1913 Webster] From the forests and the prairies, From the great lakes of the northland. --Longfellow. [1913 Webster] 2. A meadow or tract of grass; especially, a so called natural meadow. [1913 Webster] Prairie chicken (Zo["o]l.), any American grouse of the genus Tympanuchus, especially Tympanuchus Americanus (formerly Tympanuchus cupido), which inhabits the prairies of the central United States. Applied also to the sharp-tailed grouse. Prairie clover (Bot.), any plant of the leguminous genus Petalostemon, having small rosy or white flowers in dense terminal heads or spikes. Several species occur in the prairies of the United States. Prairie dock (Bot.), a coarse composite plant (Silphium terebinthaceum ) with large rough leaves and yellow flowers, found in the Western prairies. Prairie dog (Zo["o]l.), a small American rodent (Cynomys Ludovicianus ) allied to the marmots. It inhabits the plains west of the Mississippi. The prairie dogs burrow in the ground in large warrens, and have a sharp bark like that of a dog. Called also prairie marmot. Prairie grouse. Same as Prairie chicken, above. Prairie hare (Zo["o]l.), a large long-eared Western hare (Lepus campestris). See Jack rabbit, under 2d Jack. Prairie hawk, Prairie falcon (Zo["o]l.), a falcon of Western North America (Falco Mexicanus). The upper parts are brown. The tail has transverse bands of white; the under parts, longitudinal streaks and spots of brown. Prairie hen. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Prairie chicken, above. Prairie itch (Med.), an affection of the skin attended with intense itching, which is observed in the Northern and Western United States; -- also called swamp itch, winter itch. Prairie marmot. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Prairie dog, above. Prairie mole (Zo["o]l.), a large American mole (Scalops argentatus ), native of the Western prairies. Prairie pigeon, Prairie plover, or Prairie snipe (Zo["o]l.), the upland plover. See Plover, n., 2. Prairie rattlesnake (Zo["o]l.), the massasauga. Prairie snake (Zo["o]l.), a large harmless American snake (Masticophis flavigularis). It is pale yellow, tinged with brown above. Prairie squirrel (Zo["o]l.), any American ground squirrel of the genus Spermophilus, inhabiting prairies; -- called also gopher. Prairie turnip (Bot.), the edible turnip-shaped farinaceous root of a leguminous plant (Psoralea esculenta) of the Upper Missouri region; also, the plant itself. Called also pomme blanche, and pomme de prairie. Prairie warbler (Zo["o]l.), a bright-colored American warbler (Dendroica discolor). The back is olive yellow, with a group of reddish spots in the middle; the under parts and the parts around the eyes are bright yellow; the sides of the throat and spots along the sides, black; three outer tail feathers partly white. Prairie wolf. (Zo["o]l.) See Coyote. [1913 Webster]