Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
pimiento
pimp
pimp vessel
pimpernel
pimping
pimple
pimpmobile
PIN
pin
pin clover
pin curl
pin down
pin grass
pin money
PIN number
pin oak
pin tuck
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "PIN" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

pin

pin [ pin ]


noun  (plural pins)
Definition:
 
1. thin pointed metal stick: a small thin metal stick with a sharp point and a rounded head used for holding pieces of fabric together

2. pointed metal fastener: a fastener with a sharp metal point designed to pierce the things it is fastening

3. dress arms 
Same as  safety pin (sense 1) (sense 2)


4. jewellery something decorative attached to clothing: a badge, piece of jewelry, or other decorative item that attaches to clothing by means of a sharp metal point or a clasp

5. hairdressing 
Same as  hairpin (sense 1)


6. hairdressing bobby pin: a bobby pin

7. mechanical engineering 
Same as  cotter pin


8. household 
Same as  rolling pin


9. electricity part of electrical connector: a thin metal terminal extending from an electrical or electronic device such as a plug or a vacuum tube, used to connect the device by socket to other circuitry
a three-pin plug

10. surgery rod joining broken bone: a thin metal rod used to hold the ends of a fractured bone together

11. dentistry rod attaching tooth cap to root: a thin metal rod used to attach a crown to the root of a tooth

12. mechanical engineering key part entering lock: the part of a key that inserts into a lock

13. music peg holding instrument string: a peg on a stringed instrument such as a piano that holds the strings and can be turned to tighten or loosen them to tune the instrument

14. bowling bowling pin: a club-shaped target used in various games of bowling

15. golf hole marker: a pole with a flag on it, used to mark each hole on a golf course

16. wrestling fall bringing wrestler's shoulders onto floor: in wrestling, a fall in which an opponent's shoulders are made to touch the mat

17. comput guide on computer printer: a peg in a set that guides the paper through a computer printer

18. comput part of printhead that forms letters: a wire in a set on the printhead of a dot matrix printer that forms one dot of a letter or symbol

19. nautical 
Same as  belaying pin


20. rowing 
Same as  tholepin




plural noun pins 
Definition:
 
anatomy legs: somebody's legs ( informal )
He's a bit unsteady on his pins.



transitive verb  (past and past participle pinned, present participle pin·ning, 3rd person present singular pins)
Definition:
 
1. fasten something with pin: to fasten, attach, or secure something with a pin

2. keep somebody from moving: to hold somebody or something immobile, e.g. on the ground
The beam fell across his back, pinning him to the ground.

3. chess stop chess piece being moved: to make it impossible for a chess opponent to move a piece without exposing the king to check or a valuable piece to capture

4. wrestling hold wrestler down on floor: in wrestling, to hold an opponent's shoulders to the mat

5. give fraternity pin to somebody: to give a young woman a fraternity pin as a sign of commitment to a relationship

[12th century. < Latin pinna "feather, pointed peak"]
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Shopping
© 2009 Microsoft