Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Language: Portuguese
Origin: peão and French pion, from Medieval Latin pedo; PAWN1

peon

 noun
     
Related topics: Conditions of Employment
pe‧on [countable] American English
1 informalBEC someone who does boring or physically hard work for low pay - used humorously
2BEC someone in Mexico or South America who works as a type of slave to pay back debts
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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