Pied
/paɪd/noun
Marked with two or more colors in irregular patches; variegated.
Did you know?The word comes through Old French from Latin pica, the magpie, and in medieval English it described anything spotted or piebald before becoming famous in phrases like the Pied Piper.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pi-
“An imitative root associated with shrill bird calls”
Latin
Latin
pīca
“Magpie”
Old French
Old French
pie
“Magpie; black-and-white spotted”
Middle English
English
pied
“Spotted, variegated, or piebald”
Modern English
English
pied
“Marked with patches of different colors”