pil·lion

(pĭl′yən)

1. A pad or cushion for an extra rider behind the saddle on a horse or motorcycle.

2. A bicycle or motorcycle saddle.

[Probably from Scottish Gaelic pillean, diminutive of peall, rug, or Irish Gaelic pillín, diminutive of pell, rug, both from Old Irish pell, from Latin pellis, animal skin; see pel- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pillion

(ˈpɪljən)

a seat or place behind the rider of a motorcycle, scooter, horse, etc

adv

on a pillion: to ride pillion.

[C16: from Gaelic; compare Scottish pillean, Irish pillīn couch; related to Latin pellis skin]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pil•lion

(ˈpɪl yən)

n.

1. a pad or cushion attached behind the saddle of a horse, esp. as a seat for a woman.

2. a pad, cushion, or saddle used as a passenger seat on a bicycle, motorcycle, etc.

adv.

3. seated on a pillion: to ride pillion.

[1495–1505; < Scottish Gaelic pillinn or Irish pillín, diminutive of peall skin, rug blanket, Middle Irish pell < Latin pellis skin]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

pillion - a seat behind the rider of a horse or motorbike etc.

seat - any support where you can sit (especially the part of a chair or bench etc. on which you sit); "he dusted off the seat before sitting down"

Translations

مَقْعَد خَلْفي على دَرّاجَةٍ نارِيَّه

tandem

bagsædebagsæde-

Soziussitz

pótülés

aftursæti

sellino posteriore

užpakalinė sėdynė

aizmugures-

baksete

tandemový

arka sele

摩托车后座

pillion

[ˈpɪljən]

A. N (also pillion seat) → asiento m trasero

B. ADV to ride pillion → ir en el asiento trasero

C. CPD pillion passenger N → pasajero/a m/f de atrás

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pillion

[ˈpɪljən]

n [motorcycle] → siège m arrière

modif [seat] → arrière pillion passenger

adv
to ride pillion (on motorcyle, bike) → être derrière; (on horse) → être en croupepillion passenger n → passager m (de la moto)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pillion

(on motorbike) → Soziussitz m; pillion passenger → Sozius m, → Beifahrer(in) m(f)

(Hist) → Damensattel m

adv to ride pillion → auf dem Sozius- or Beifahrersitz mitfahren; (on horse) → hinter dem Sattel sitzen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

pillion

[ˈpɪljən]

1. n → sellino posteriore (di moto)

2. adv to ride pillion → viaggiare dietro

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

pillion

(ˈpiljən) noun

a passenger seat on a motorcycle. He drove the motorbike and she sat on the pillion; (also adjective) a pillion passenger/seat.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

He then pulled off his coat, and buttoned it round her, put his hat upon her head, wiped the blood from her face as well as he could with his handkerchief, and called out to the servant to ride as fast as possible for a side-saddle, or a pillion, that he might carry her safe home.

The servant returned in a very short time with the pillion, and Molly, having collected her rags as well as she could, was placed behind him.

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My master, pursuant to the advice of his friend, carried me in a box the next market-day to the neighbouring town, and took along with him his little daughter, my nurse, upon a pillion behind him.

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In some remote age he had been the attendant of a Miss Brown, and had conveyed her about the country on a pillion. He had a little round picture of the identical gray horse, caparisoned with the identical pillion, before which he used to do a sort of fetish worship, and abuse turnpike-roads and carriages.

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There was nothing more to do now, but for that damsel to get up behind me on a pillion, which she did, and put an arm or so around me to hold on.

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Several clothes-horses, a pillion, a spinning-wheel, and an old box wide open and stuffed full of coloured rags.

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I want just such a skin to cover the pillion that I am making for Cousin Bess.”

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My adventures in the county of Stafford, whence I escaped with the daughter of my host on a pillion behind me, still fill the tales of the country firesides, and would furnish matter for ballads.

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The king had the queen on a pillion, and after their highnesses came all the ladies mounted behind all the lords.

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A pretty figure I'd be, wouldn't I, stuck behind that chap on a pillion?"

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After ladies had packed up their best gowns and top-knots in bandboxes, and had incurred the risk of fording streams on pillions with the precious burden in rainy or snowy weather, when there was no knowing how high the water would rise, it was not to be supposed that they looked forward to a brief pleasure.

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Some of the damsels mounted on pillions behind their favorite swains, and their light-hearted laughter, mingling with the clatter of hoofs, echoed along the silent woodlands, sounding fainter and fainter, until they gradually died away, --and the late scene of noise and frolic was all silent and deserted.

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