pinion

Meanings

Plural: pinions

Noun

• a gear with a small number of teeth designed to mesh with a larger wheel or rack
• any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird
• wing of a bird
• A wing.
• The joint of a bird's wing farthest from the body.
• Any of the outermost primary feathers on a bird's wing.
• A moth of the genus Lithophane.
• The smallest gear in a gear train.

Verb

• bind the arms of
• cut the wings off (of birds)
• To cut off the pinion of a bird’s wing, or otherwise disable or bind its wings, in order to prevent it from flying.
• To bind the arms of someone, so as to deprive him of their use; to disable by so binding.
• To restrain; to limit.

Synonyms

flight feather, pennon, quill, quill feather, shackle