pion

See also: pioŋ, Pion, pión, and píon

English

Etymology

From pi +‎ -on, as alteration of pi-meson.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpaɪɒn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪɒn

Noun

pion (plural pions)

1. (particle physics) Any of three semistable mesons, having positive, negative or neutral charge, composed of up and down quarks/antiquarks.

Synonyms

• pi meson

Derived terms

• antipion
• dipion
• hyperpion
• multipion
• negative pion
• photopion
• pionful
• pionic
• pionium
• pionless
• pion rocket
• positive pion
• technipion

Translations

particle

• Catalan: pió (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: π介子 (pàijièzǐ)

• Czech: pion (cs) m
• Dutch: pion (nl) n
• Finnish: pioni (fi)
• French: pion (fr) m
• German: Pion n
• Italian: pione (it) m
• Japanese: パイ粒子 (pai ryūshi)
• Khmer: ផាយាណូ (phay ya no)
• Polish: pion (pl) m
• Portuguese:

  Brazilian Portuguese: píon (pt) m

  European Portuguese: pião (pt) m

• Russian: пио́н (ru) m (pión)
• Swedish: pion (sv) c, pimeson
• Tagalog: pay tungapik

Anagrams

• INOP, Pino

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch pion, from French pion, from Middle French pion, from Old French peon, from Late Latin pedō.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

pion (plural pionne, diminutive pionnetjie)

1. (chess) pawn; least valuable piece in chess
2. a pawn; a person who has no control over their lot, usually manipulated by others to some end

Synonyms

• (chess piece): boer

Dutch

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French pion, from Middle French pion, from Old French peon, from Late Latin pedō (“footman”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pi‧on
• Rhymes: -ɔn

Noun

pion m (plural pionnen, diminutive pionnetje n)

1. (chess) pawn
2. (boardgames, by extension) piece, pawn (generic player piece in boardgames resembling the pawn in chess)
3. (figurative) pawn (someone without control; one who is (easily) manipulated)

Derived terms

• dubbelpion
• pionduo
• pionnenketen
• pionnenstructuur
• vergiftigde pion
• vrijpion

Descendants

• Afrikaans: pion
• → Indonesian: pion

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English pion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.ɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pi‧on

Noun

pion n (plural pionen, no diminutive)

1. (physics) pion (subatomic particle)

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpion/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ion
• Syllabification: pi‧on

Noun

pion

1. accusative singular of pio

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pjɔ̃/

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Brétigny-sur-Orge)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Agen)):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French peon, from Late Latin pedōnem, derived from Latin ped- (“foot”). Doublet of péon, which was borrowed from Spanish peón.

Noun

pion m (plural pions)

1. (chess) pawn
2. (figuratively) pawn
3. (games) counter

Derived terms

• damer le pion

Related terms

• pionnier
• hexapion (“hexapawn”)

Noun

pion m (plural pions, feminine pionne)

1. (school slang) supervisor (in a school)

   Synonym: surveillant

Descendants

• → Dutch: pion
  • Afrikaans: pion
  • → Indonesian: pion
• → Greek: πιόνι (pióni)
• → Polish: pion
• → Romanian: pion
• → Turkish: piyon

Etymology 2

English pion. By surface analysis, pi +‎ -on (forming particle names).

Noun

pion m (plural pions)

1. (particle physics) pion

Further reading

• “pion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈpion/ [ˈpi.ɔn]
• Rhymes: -on
• Syllabification: pi‧on

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Dutch pion (“pawn”), from French pion, from Old French peon, poon, paon, from Late Latin pedō, pedōnem (“footsoldier”), from Latin pēs, pedem (“foot”). Doublet of piung.

Noun

pion (plural pion-pion)

1. (chess) pawn

   Synonyms: bidak, piadah, prajurit

2. (physics) pion
3. (figurative) pioneer

   Synonyms: perintis, pelopor

4. (figurative) subordinate, underling

   Synonyms: bawahan, suruhan

Descendants

• → Malay: pion

See also

Chess pieces in Indonesian · buah catur (see also: catur) (layout · text)
raja	menteri, patih, ratu, ster	benteng	gajah, loper, menteri, luncung, luncur, peluncur	kuda	bidak, pion, prajurit

Etymology 2

From Dani

Noun

pion (plural pion-pion)

1. a type of bamboo plant that grows in the hills, the water is used as a medicine for pus in the ears

Further reading

• “pion”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Malay

Etymology

From Indonesian pion, from Dutch pion (“pawn”), from French pion, from Old French peon, poon, paon, from Late Latin pedō, pedōnem (“footsoldier”), from Latin pēs, pedem (“foot”). Doublet of piung.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpion/ [ˈpi.on]
• Rhymes: -ion, -on
• Hyphenation: pi‧on

Noun

pion (Jawi spelling ڤيون, plural pion-pion or pion²)

1. (chess) The pawn piece in chess.

   Synonyms: bidak, piadah (obsolete)

2. (physics) A pion.

Further reading

• "pion" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Hellenistic Ancient Greek παιωνία (paiōnía), from Ancient Greek Παιών (Paiṓn, “Paean, physician of the gods”)/παιών (paiṓn, “a physician”).

Noun

pion m (definite singular pionen, indefinite plural pioner, definite plural pionene)

1. alternative form of peon

References

• “pion” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Hellenistic Ancient Greek παιωνία (paiōnía), from Ancient Greek Παιών (Paiṓn, “Paean, physician of the gods”)/παιών (paiṓn, “a physician”).

Noun

pion m (definite singular pionen, indefinite plural pionar, definite plural pionane)

1. alternative form of peon

Etymology 2

Noun

pion n (definite singular pionet, indefinite plural pion, definite plural piona)

1. (physics) a pion

References

• “pion” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

pion m (plural pions)

1. (chess) pawn

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpjɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔn
• Syllabification: pion

Etymology 1

Perhaps borrowed from Italian piombo, from Latin plumbum. If so, then a doublet of plomba (“filling, seal”).

Noun

pion m inan

1. the vertical

   Ta ściana nie trzyma pionu. ― This wall is not exactly vertical.

2. plumb line
3. section; department

   To jest zadanie dla pionu logistycznego. ― This is a task for the logistics department.

4. duct; riser; any installations or spaces running vertically in a building

   pion wentylacyjny ― ventilation duct

5. (by extension) flats in an apartment block sharing those installations

   W naszym pionie od rana nie ma wody. ― There has been no water in flats above and below us since morning.

Declension

Declension of pion

	singular	plural
nominative	pion	piony
genitive	pionu	pionów
dative	pionowi	pionom
accusative	pion	piony
instrumental	pionem	pionami
locative	pionie	pionach
vocative	pionie	piony

Etymology 2

pion

Etymology tree

French pionbor.

Polish pion

Borrowed from French pion.

Noun

pion m inan (diminutive pionek)

1. (chess) pawn

   Synonym: pionek

Declension

Declension of pion

	singular	plural
nominative	pion	piony
genitive	piona	pionów
dative	pionowi	pionom
accusative	pion	piony
instrumental	pionem	pionami
locative	pionie	pionach
vocative	pionie	piony

See also

Chess pieces in Polish · bierki szachowe (layout · text)
król	hetman, królowa, królówka, dama	wieża	goniec, laufer, giermek	skoczek, koń, konik	pion, pionek

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English pion, a shortened form of pi meson.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.jɔn/
• Rhymes: -ijɔn
• Syllabification: pi‧on

Noun

pion m inan

1. (physics) pion

Declension

Declension of pion

	singular	plural
nominative	pion	piony
genitive	pionu	pionów
dative	pionowi	pionom
accusative	pion	piony
instrumental	pionem	pionami
locative	pionie	pionach
vocative	pionie	piony

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpjɔn/
• Rhymes: -ɔn
• Syllabification: pion

Noun

pion f

1. genitive plural of piona

Further reading

• “pion”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “pion”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French pion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [piˈon]

Noun

pion m (plural pioni)

1. (chess) pawn

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	pion	pionul	pioni	pionii
genitive-dative	pion	pionului	pioni	pionilor
vocative	pionule		pionilor

Spanish

Alternative forms

• pión (pre-2010)

Etymology

Borrowed from English pion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpjon/ [ˈpjõn]
  • Rhymes: -on
• IPA^(key): /piˈon/ [piˈõn]
  • Rhymes: -on
• Syllabification: pion

Noun

pion m (plural piones)

1. (physics) pion (subatomic particle)

   Hypernyms: bosón, mesón, partícula subatómica

Further reading

• “pion”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Noun

pion c

1. peony; a flower
2. (particle physics) pion; any of the semistable π-mesons

Declension

Declension of pion

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	pion	pions
	definite	pionen	pionens
plural	indefinite	pioner	pioners
	definite	pionerna	pionernas

Descendants

• → Finnish: pioni