pigeonhole

pigeonhole
pigeonhole (n.) also pigeon-hole, 1570s, "a small recess for pigeons to nest in," from PIGEON (Cf. pigeon) + HOLE (Cf. hole) (n.). The verb sense of "label mentally" is from 1854.
[Y]ou will have an inspector after you with note-book and ink-horn, and you will be booked and pigeon-holed for further use when wanted. ["Civilisation--The Census," "Blackwood's Magazine," Oct. 1854]
Related: Pigeonholed.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Pigeonhole — may refer to:*Pigeonholes, nesting spaces formed in a dovecote (also spelt dovecot or doocot ) *Pigeonhole, one of the boxes in a pigeon coop *Pigeonhole principle, a mathematical principle *Pigeonhole sort, a sorting algorithm *Pigeonhole… …   Wikipedia

  • Pigeonhole — Pi geon*hole , v. t. To place in the pigeonhole of a case or cabinet; hence, to put away; to lay aside indefinitely; as, to pigeonhole a letter or a report. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pigeonhole — [n] compartment box, carrel, chamber, corner, cranny, cubbyhole, cubicle, hole, niche, nook, place, pocket, recess, section, slot, stall; concept 434 pigeonhole [v] categorize; shelve assort, class, classify, defer, delay, dismiss, file, group,… …   New thesaurus

  • pigeonhole — [pij′ən hōl΄] n. 1. a small recess or hole for pigeons to nest in, usually in a compartmented structure 2. a small open compartment, as in a desk, for filing papers vt. pigeonholed, pigeonholing 1. to put in the pigeonhole of a desk, etc. 2. to… …   English World dictionary

  • Pigeonhole — Pi geon*hole , n. A small compartment in a desk or case for the keeping of letters, documents, etc.; so called from the resemblance of a row of them to the compartments in a dovecote. Burke. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pigeonhole — I verb allocate, allot, arrange, assort, bracket, break down, catalogue, categorize, class, collocate, divide, docket, file, form into classes, grade, group, index, label, list, methodize, name, order, organize, place, place in a category, put in …   Law dictionary

  • pigeonhole — *assort, sort, classify Analogous words: systematize, methodize, organize, arrange, *order …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • pigeonhole — One opening or section for sorting mail into a distribution case …   Glossary of postal terms

  • pigeonhole — ► NOUN 1) a small recess for a domestic pigeon to nest in. 2) each of a set of small compartments where letters or messages may be left for individuals. 3) a category to which someone or something is assigned. ► VERB ▪ assign to a particular… …   English terms dictionary

  • pigeonhole — ▪ I. pigeonhole pi‧geon‧hole 1 [ˈpɪdʒnhəʊl ǁ hoʊl] verb [transitive] to consider a person, activity etc as belonging to a particular type or group, in a way that is too simple and therefore unfair; = LABEL: • Electronic books and multimedia had… …   Financial and business terms

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