Etymologically
Log in

pidgin

Etymology and origin of the English word pidgin

History Permalink

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpɪ.d͡ʒən/; /ˈpɪ.d͡ʒɪn/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is short for Pidgin English,[2][3][4][5][6] earlier pigeon English (1859),[3][4] from pidgin, pigeon “business, affair” (1826),[3][4][7] a Chinese pidgin pronunciation of English business.[3][4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word pidgin meaning business or affair (1826);[7][4] as the name of a language, short for Pidgin English, 1876.[3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Pidgin English was the simplified English, with some Chinese, Portuguese and Malay words, used between Chinese and foreigners for trade in the ports of China.[4][7] By 1891 the word was extended to any simplified language used between speakers with no common language.[4][7] Commerce has often been the parent of pidgins.[4] The phrase that's not my pigeon, “not my business”, comes from the same word.[7][1]

Timeline

  • 1826 – pidgin, business.[7][4]
  • 1859 – pigeon English.[3][4]
  • 1876 – pidgin, the language.[3][4][5]
  • 1891 – any simplified contact language.[7][4]
  • 1934 – pidginization.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A simplified language, usually a mixture of two or more languages with a reduced grammar and vocabulary, used for communication between groups without a common language and not spoken as a first language.
  2. (archaic) A person's business or concern.

Word family

  • pidginization
  • pidginize
  • Tok Pisin

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Pidgin.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/pidgin. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·