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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PIN, n. [L. penna,pinna.]
1. A small pointed instrument made of brass wire and headed; used chiefly by females for fastening their clothes.
2. A piece of wood or metal sharpened or pointed,used to fasten together boards,plank or other timber. The larger pins of metal are usually called bolts,and the wooden pins used in ship building are called treenails [trunnels.] A small wooden pin is called a peg.
3. A thing of little value. It is not a pin's matter. I care not a pin.
4. A linchpin.
5. The central part.
6. A peg used in musical instruments in straining and relaxing the strings.
7. A note or strain.
8. A horny induration of the membranes of the eye.
9. A cylindrical roller made of wood.
10. A noxious humor in a hawk's foot.
11. The pin of a block is the axis of the sheave.
PIN, v.t. To fasten with a pin or with pins of any kind; as, to pin the clothes; to pin boards or timbers.
1. To fasten; to make fast; or to join and fasten together.
Our gates--we have but pinned with rushes.
She lifted the princess from the earth, and so locks her in embracing, as if she would pin her to her heart.
2. To inclose; to confine. [See the verbs Pen and Pound.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment
2: when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat [syn: fall, pin]
3: small markers inserted into a surface to mark scores or define locations etc. [syn: peg, pin]
4: a number you choose and use to gain access to various accounts [syn: personal identification number, PIN, PIN number]
5: informal terms for the leg; "fever left him weak on his sticks" [syn: pin, peg, stick]
6: axis consisting of a short shaft that supports something that turns [syn: pivot, pin]
7: cylindrical tumblers consisting of two parts that are held in place by springs; when they are aligned with a key the bolt can be thrown [syn: pin, pin tumbler]
8: flagpole used to mark the position of the hole on a golf green [syn: pin, flag]
9: a small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things
10: a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing [syn: peg, pin, thole, tholepin, rowlock, oarlock]
11: a club-shaped wooden object used in bowling; set up in triangular groups of ten as the target [syn: bowling pin, pin] v
1: to hold fast or prevent from moving; "The child was pinned under the fallen tree" [syn: trap, pin, immobilize, immobilise]
2: attach or fasten with pins or as if with pins; "pin the needle to the shirt". "pin the blame on the innocent man" [ant: unpin]
3: pierce with a pin; "pin down the butterfly"
4: immobilize a piece

Merriam Webster's

abbreviation personal identification number

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pinn (akin to Old High German pfinn peg), perhaps from Latin pinna quill, feather — more at pen Date: before 12th century 1. a. a piece of solid material (as wood or metal) used especially for fastening things together or as a support by which one thing may be suspended from another b. obsolete the center peg of a target; also the center itself c. something that resembles a pin especially in slender elongated form <an electrical connector pin> d. (1) one of the pieces constituting the target in various games (as bowling) (2) the peg at which a quoit is pitched (3) the staff of the flag marking a hole on a golf course e. a peg for regulating the tension of the strings of a musical instrument f. the part of a key stem that enters a lock g. a belaying pin 2. a. (1) a very thin small pointed metal pin with a head used especially for fastening cloth (2) little, trifle <bother them all! I don't care a pin about them — Bram Stoker> b. an ornament or emblem fastened to clothing with a pin c. (1) bobby pin (2) hairpin (3) safety pin 3. leg — usually used in plural <wobbly on his pins> 4. a fall in wrestling II. transitive verb (pinned; pinning) Date: 14th century 1. a. to fasten, join, or secure with a pin b. to hold fast or immobile c. to present (a young woman) with a fraternity pin as a pledge of affection 2. a. fasten <pinned his hopes on a miracle> <pin the blame on someone else> b. to assign the blame or responsibility for <pin the robbery on a night watchman> c. to define or determine clearly or precisely — usually used with down <it is hard to pin down exactly when things changed — Katharine Whittemore> 3. a. to make (a chess opponent's piece) unable to move without exposing the king to check or a valuable piece to capture b. of a wrestler to secure a fall over (an opponent) III. adjective Date: 1523 1. of or relating to a pin 2. of leather having a grain suggesting the heads of pins

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. personal identification number (as issued by a bank etc. to validate electronic transactions). Etymology: abbr.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a small thin pointed piece of esp. steel wire with a round or flattened head used (esp. in sewing) for holding things in place, attaching one thing to another, etc. b any of several types of pin (drawing-pin; safety pin; hairpin). c a small brooch (diamond pin). d a badge fastened with a pin. 2 a peg of wood or metal for various purposes, e.g. a wooden skittle in bowling. 3 something of small value (don't care a pin; for two pins I'd resign). 4 (in pl.) colloq. legs (quick on his pins). 5 Med. a steel rod used to join the ends of fractured bones while they heal. 6 Chess a position in which a piece is pinned to another. 7 Golf a stick with a flag placed in a hole to mark its position. 8 Mus. a peg round which one string of a musical instrument is fastened. 9 a half-firkin cask for beer. --v.tr. (pinned, pinning) 1 a (often foll. by to, up, together) fasten with a pin or pins (pinned up the hem; pinned the papers together). b transfix with a pin, lance, etc. 2 (usu. foll. by on) fix (blame, responsibility, etc.) on a person etc. (pinned the blame on his friend). 3 (often foll. by against, on, etc.) seize and hold fast. 4 Chess prevent (an opposing piece) from moving except by exposing a more valuable piece to capture. Phrases and idioms: on pins and needles in an agitated state of suspense. pin down 1 (often foll. by to) bind (a person etc.) to a promise, arrangement, etc. 2 force (a person) to declare his or her intentions. 3 restrict the actions or movement of (an enemy etc.). 4 specify (a thing) precisely (could not pin down his unease to a particular cause). 5 hold (a person etc.) down by force. pin one's faith (or hopes etc.) on rely implicitly on. pin-feather Zool. an ungrown feather. pin-high Golf (of a ball) at the same distance ahead as the pin. pin-money 1 hist. an allowance to a woman for dress etc. from her husband. 2 a very small sum of money, esp. for spending on inessentials (only works for pin-money). pins and needles a tingling sensation in a limb recovering from numbness. pin-table a table used in playing pinball. pin-tuck a very narrow ornamental tuck. pin-up 1 a photograph of a popular or sexually attractive person, designed to be hung on the wall. 2 a person shown in such a photograph. pin-wheel a small Catherine wheel. split pin a metal cotter pin passed through a hole and held in place by its gaping split end. Etymology: OE pinn f. L pinna point etc., assoc. with penna PEN(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pin Pin, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pinned; p. pr. & vb. n. Pinning.] [See Pin, n.] To fasten with, or as with, a pin; to join; as, to pin a garment; to pin boards together. ``As if she would pin her to her heart.'' --Shak. To pin one's faith upon, to depend upon; to trust to.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pin Pin, v. t. (Metal Working) To peen.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pin Pin, v. t. [Cf. Pen to confine, or Pinfold.] To inclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pin Pin, n. [OE. pinne, AS. pinn a pin, peg; cf. D. pin, G. pinne, Icel. pinni, W. pin, Gael. & Ir. pinne; all fr. L. pinna a pinnacle, pin, feather, perhaps orig. a different word from pinna feather. Cf. Fin of a fish, Pen a feather.] 1. A piece of wood, metal, etc., generally cylindrical, used for fastening separate articles together, or as a support by which one article may be suspended from another; a peg; a bolt. With pins of adamant And chains they made all fast. --Milton. 2. Especially, a small, pointed and headed piece of brass or other wire (commonly tinned), largely used for fastening clothes, attaching papers, etc. 3. Hence, a thing of small value; a trifle. He . . . did not care a pin for her. --Spectator. 4. That which resembles a pin in its form or use; as: (a) A peg in musical instruments, for increasing or relaxing the tension of the strings. (b) A linchpin. (c) A rolling-pin. (d) A clothespin. (e) (Mach.) A short shaft, sometimes forming a bolt, a part of which serves as a journal. See Illust. of Knuckle joint, under Knuckle. (f) (Joinery) The tenon of a dovetail joint. 5. One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each man should drink. 6. The bull's eye, or center, of a target; hence, the center. [Obs.] ``The very pin of his heart cleft.'' --Shak. 7. Mood; humor. [Obs.] ``In merry pin.'' --Cowper. 8. (Med.) Caligo. See Caligo. --Shak. 9. An ornament, as a brooch or badge, fastened to the clothing by a pin; as, a Masonic pin. 10. The leg; as, to knock one off his pins. [Slang] Banking pin (Horol.), a pin against which a lever strikes, to limit its motion. Pin drill (Mech.), a drill with a central pin or projection to enter a hole, for enlarging the hole, or for sinking a recess for the head of a bolt, etc.; a counterbore. Pin grass. (Bot.) See Alfilaria. Pin hole, a small hole made by a pin; hence, any very small aperture or perforation. Pin lock, a lock having a cylindrical bolt; a lock in which pins, arranged by the key, are used instead of tumblers. Pin money, an allowance of money, as that made by a husband to his wife, for private and personal expenditure. Pin rail (Naut.), a rail, usually within the bulwarks, to hold belaying pins. Sometimes applied to the fife rail. Called also pin rack. Pin wheel. (a) A contrate wheel in which the cogs are cylindrical pins. (b) (Fireworks) A small coil which revolves on a common pin and makes a wheel of yellow or colored fire.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pins, pinning, pinned) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Pins are very small thin pointed pieces of metal. They are used in sewing to fasten pieces of material together until they have been sewn. ...needles and pins... N-COUNT 2. If you pin something on or to something, you attach it with a pin, a drawing pin, or a safety pin. They pinned a notice to the door... He had pinned up a map of Finland. VERB: V n prep, V n with adv 3. If someone pins you to something, they press you against a surface so that you cannot move. I pinned him against the wall... She fought at the bulk that pinned her. VERB: V n adv/prep, V n 4. A pin is any long narrow piece of metal or wood that is not sharp, especially one that is used to fasten two things together. ...the 18-inch steel pin holding his left leg together. N-COUNT 5. If someone tries to pin something on you or to pin the blame on you, they say, often unfairly, that you were responsible for something bad or illegal. The trade unions are pinning the blame for the violence on the government. VERB: V n on n 6. If you pin your hopes on something or pin your faith on something, you hope very much that it will produce the result you want. The Democrats are pinning their hopes on the next election. VERB: V n on n 7. If someone pins their hair up or pins their hair back, they arrange their hair away from their face using hair pins. Cleanse your face thoroughly and pin back your hair... In an effort to look older she has pinned her fair hair into a French pleat. VERB: V n with adv, V n prep 8. A pin is something worn on your clothing, for example as jewellery, which is fastened with a pointed piece of metal. (AM) ...necklaces, bracelets, and pins. N-COUNT 9. see also pins and needles, drawing pin, rolling pin, safety pin

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Someone's PIN or PIN number is a secret number which they can use, for example, with a bank card to withdraw money from a cash machine or ATM. PIN is an abbreviation for 'personal identification number'. N-SING: oft N n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

(yathedh, from yathadh, "to drive in a peg"(?)): A cylindrical piece of wood or metal (e.g. brass, Ex 27:19) such as that used by weavers in beating up the woof in the loom (Jud 16:14, where Delilah fastened Samson's hair with the "pin"); or as a peg for hanging (Eze 15:3; compare Isa 22:23 f; Ezr 9:8); or as a tent-pin, such as those used in the tabernacle (Ex 27:19; 35:18; 38:20,31; 39:40; Nu 3:37; 4:32; Jud 4:21, where the King James Version translates "nail," the Revised Version (British and American) "tent-pin"; compare Jud 5:26, where Hebrew has the same word, English Versions of the Bible "nail"). The tent-pin, like that of today, was probably sharpened at one end (Jud 4:21) and so shaped at the other as to permit the attaching of the cords so frequently mentioned in the same connection (Ex 35:18; 39:40; Nu 3:37; 4:32; compare Isa 33:20). From the acts of driving in the tent-pin (Taqa`) and pulling it out (nasa') are derived the technical Hebrew terms for pitching a tent and for breaking camp.

See also CRISPING PINS (Isa 3:22, the Revised Version (British and American) "satchels"); STAKE.

Nathan Isaacs

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Peg, bolt. 2. Straw (as something of no value), fig, button, rush, feather, farthing, brass farthing, trifle. II. v. a. 1. Fasten with a pin. 2. Fasten, fix, make fast. 3. Shut up, confine, pen, enclose.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

In or to a merry pin; almost drunk: an allusion to a sort of tankard, formerly used in the north, having silver pegs or pins set at equal distances from the top to the bottom: by the rules of good fellowship, every person drinking out of one of these tankards, was to swallow the quantity contained between two pins; if he drank more or less, he was to continue drinking till he ended at a pin: by this means persons unaccustomed to measure their draughts were obliged to drink the whole tankard. Hence when a person was a little elevated with liquor, he was said to have drunk to a merry pin.

Foolish Dictionary

The best dresser in a woman's acquaintance--of remarkable penetration and true as steel, seldom loses its head, follows its own bent and carries its point in whatever it undertakes.

Moby Thesaurus

a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, ankle, anklet, arbor, armlet, armory, articulate, axis, axle, axle bar, axle shaft, axle spindle, axle-tree, badge, badge of office, badges, bagatelle, bangle, baton, batten, batten down, bauble, bayonet legs, beads, bean, bibelot, bijou, bit, blazonry, bolt, bowlegs, bracelet, brass farthing, brassard, breastpin, broach, brooch, buckle, bung, butt, button, calf, cap and gown, cent, chain, chain of office, chaplet, charm, chatelaine, check valve, circle, clasp, class ring, cleat, clip, cnemis, cock, cockade, collar, cork, coronet, cross, crown, curio, decoration, diadem, distaff, dovetail, dress, drumstick, eagle, earring, emblems, ensigns, farce, farthing, fasces, faucet, feather, fig, figurehead, fleabite, fleur-de-lis, fob, folderol, foreleg, fribble, frippery, fulcrum, gamb, gambrel, gaud, gem, gewgaw, gigot, gimbal, gimcrack, gudgeon, hair, halfpenny, ham, hammer and sickle, hasp, heraldry, hill of beans, hind leg, hinge, hingle, hitch, hock, hook, hub, insignia, jam, jamb, jest, jewel, joint, joke, kickshaw, knee, knickknack, knickknackery, lapel pin, latch, leg, lid, limb, livery, lock, locket, mace, mandrel, mantle, markings, medal, minikin, miter, mockery, molehill, mortarboard, mortise, nail, nave, necklace, nose ring, oarlock, old school tie, peg, peppercorn, picayune, pinch of snuff, pinprick, pintle, pivot, plug, podite, pole, popliteal space, precious stone, rabbet, radiant, rap, red cent, regalia, rhinestone, ring, rivet, rose, row of pins, rowlock, rush, scarf, school ring, scissor-legs, screw, sea cock, sew, shamrock, shank, shin, shit, sigillography, skewer, skull and crossbones, snap, sneeshing, sou, sphragistics, spigot, spike, spile, spill, spindle, staff, staple, stems, stick, stickpin, stitch, stone, stop, stopgap, stopper, stopple, straw, stumps, swastika, swivel, tack, tap, tarsus, tartan, thistle, tiara, tie, toggle, torque, toy, trifle, trinket, triviality, trotters, trunnion, tuppence, two cents, twopence, uniform, valve, verge, wampum, wand, wedge, whim-wham, wristband, wristlet, zipper