What does pinion mean?
Pinion is a formal word with several related uses. As a verb, it means to bind or hold someone securely, usually by restraining their arms, or to fasten a bird's wings so that it cannot fly. Its noun meanings include a small toothed wheel that meshes with another gear, a bird's wing or wing bone, and a restraint used to hold someone's arms. The word's unusual range makes it memorable: it can refer to the machinery that transfers motion, the anatomy that enables flight, or the act of preventing movement. In ordinary writing, the verb is more common than the bird-related noun and sounds precise, forceful, and somewhat literary. The technical mechanical sense is encountered chiefly in descriptions of gears and gear trains, while the zoological sense occurs in specialist descriptions of birds.
A small toothed wheel that meshes with another wheel, or a bird's wing or wing bone.
"The motor pinion drives the larger gear."
The wheel sense is technical, while the wing sense is chiefly used in ornithological and anatomical contexts.
To restrain or secure a person by binding the arms, or to fasten a bird's wings so that it cannot fly.
"Rescue workers pinioned the injured climber before lowering him to safety."
This use is formal and conveys firm or complete restraint.
The standard plural used for the noun, especially for gear wheels or bird wings.
"The damaged pinions were replaced before the mechanism was restarted."
From a bird's wing to the tiny gear that transmits power, a pinion can mean both the part that flies and the part that turns.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pinion come from?
The word comes through Old French from Latin pinna, meaning a feather or wing, with the bird-related sense appearing in Middle English. The mechanical meaning of a small toothed wheel developed through French forms referring to a gear or cog, ultimately connected with the same Latin word because gear teeth were likened to feathers. Later verbal meanings arose from the ideas of fastening, binding, and securing.
Related word forms
How pinion is actually used
In its verb senses, pinion is formal or literary and conveys firm or complete restraint. As a noun, the mechanical sense is common in engineering, while the ornithological sense is more specialized.
Easily confused with pinion
A pinion can be a gear wheel or a bird's wing, whereas a pennon is a triangular flag or banner.