pillion
/ˈpɪljən/ noun, adverb, verb
Forms pillions pillioning pillioned
- noun A pad behind the saddle of a horse for a second rider.
- noun (motorcycling) A similar second saddle on a bicycle or motorcycle for a passenger.
- noun The person riding in the pillion.
- noun The cushion of a saddle.
- adverb Riding behind the driving rider, as when positioned on the rump of a mount.
- verb (transitive) To place (a person) on a pillion.
- verb (intransitive) To ride on a pillion.
- verb To put a pillion on a horse.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Scottish Gaelic pillean (“little rug”), from Latin pellis (“animal skin, pelt”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A panel or cushion saddle; the under pad or cushion of saddle; esp., a pad or cushion put on behind a man's saddle, on which a woman may ride.
Etymology [Ir. pillin, pilliun (akin to Gael. pillean, pillin), fr. Ir. & Gael. pill, peall, a skin or hide, prob. fr. L. pellis. See Pell, n., Fell skin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pillion”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details