US:a person who does hard or boring work for very little money:a person who is not very important in a society or organization劳工;苦力
The new policy changes affect the whole department, from the manager down to the office peons. [=the lowest paid workers in the office]新的制度变动影响了整个部门,上至经理下至办公室小职员。
“Those rich politicians don't care about peons like us,” she complained.“那些有钱的政客不关心我们这样的劳工。”她抱怨道。
2
:a poor farm worker especially in Latin America(尤指拉丁美洲的)贫穷的农场工人
“Those rich politicians don't care about peons like us,” she complained. the company had plenty of low-paying positions for people who were content to be peons all their lives
Recent Examples on the WebKids and adults played peon or hand games traditional to the region. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2022 The peon brought mixed tea in small, crudely made cups, with a rose design, and also a little plate of biscuits. Daniyal Mueenuddin, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2021 But the truth is that Taiwan, one of Asia’s most vibrant and boisterous democracies, is a terrible example to cite as a cultural other populated by submissive peons. Andrew Leonard, Wired, 18 Mar. 2020 Battling the game's wimpy peons could've been more fun if Respawn had been more generous with Force powers or the meter's recharge. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 14 Nov. 2019 Combat has Souls, not soul Then there's combat, which only comes in two flavors: wimpy peons, or Dark Souls-caliber death traps. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 14 Nov. 2019 Why did Respawn implement this when roughly 80% of J:FO's combat is through annoying waves of simple peons? Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 14 Nov. 2019 The event will celebrate the traditions of Pala with demonstrations, including bird songs, shinny games, peon and bow and arrow making.San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2019 Why not a single-player (or co-op) crush-the-peons frenzy mode? Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 5 June 2018 See More
Word History
Etymology
(sense 1) borrowed from French pion "(in 17th & 18th-century French India) infantry soldier, domestic servant," going back to Old French peon, pion "foot soldier"; (sense 2-3) borrowed from American Spanish peón "laborer, infantry soldier," going back to Late Latin pedōn-, pedō "person with flat feet, person going on foot" (Medieval Latin, "foot soldier") — more at pawn entry 1
Note: Sense 1 is perhaps influenced in usage by Portuguese peão with a similar range of meaning. The Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, notes an earlier pronunciation /pɪˈuːn/ or /pjuːn/ for sense 1.