pinion
pin·ion/ˈpɪnjən/noun, verb
pinion is spelled P-I-N-I-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (pin·ion). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pinion means “A wing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pinion is pinions.
How many letters and syllables are in pinion?
| Letters | 6: P-I-N-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pin·ion |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,363rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pinion?
Pinion appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pinion?
- /ˈpɪnjən/
Pinion has 2 syllables, split pin·ion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pinion.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pinion
- pinions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pinioning participle, present
- pinioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pinion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A wing.
- 2
The joint of a bird's wing farthest from the body.
- 3
Any of the outermost primary feathers on a bird's wing.
- 4
A moth of the genus Lithophane.
- 5
The smallest gear in a gear train.
verb
- 1
To cut off the pinion of a bird’s wing, or otherwise disable or bind its wings, in order to prevent it from flying.
When they are aboute fortnights olde (for they must bee driven noe longer) yow must watch where the henne useth to sitte on nights, and come when it beginneth to bee darke and throwe somethinge over the henne as shee broodeth them, then tak
- 2
To bind the arms of someone, so as to deprive him of their use; to disable by so binding.
- 3
To restrain; to limit.
I am pinioned by a chain of reasoning! Why else do his four friends conspire to conceal […]
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pinion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pinion come from?
From Middle English pynyon, from Old French pignon, from Latin penna (“feather”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).