Bible Encyclopedias
Pillion

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

Search for…

Enter query below:

or

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Prev Entry
Pillau

Next Entry
Pillnitz

Resource Toolbox

Print Article

Additional Links

Dictionaries
Webster Dictionary
• Pillion
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Pillion

a light saddle without pommel or bow, especially a pad fastened to the back of an ordinary saddle, as a seat for another person, generally a woman. Pillions were also used to support baggage. They were in common use from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The word appears to have been adapted into English from the Irish pillin, cushion, formed from Lat. pellis, skin. In the sense of a hat worn by a priest or doctor of divinity, "pillon" or "pylon" occurs in the 1 5th and 16th centuries. This is probably from Lat. pileus, a conical felt hat or cap, Gr. Taos.