peón

pawn

noun peh-OHN Rare

Origin: From Medieval Latin pedo, pedonis (foot soldier).

Also means

unskilled labourer

Usage Note

Peón covers the chess pawn and, in labour contexts, an unskilled day labourer or farmhand (peón agrícola). In chess the plural peones is standard. The feminine peona exists but is rare; peonza (spinning top) is an unrelated word. Stress falls on the final syllable, unlike English 'peon'.

Examples

"Sacrificó un peón para abrir la posición."

Natural Translation

He sacrificed a pawn to open the position.

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