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PIE

PIE

1 9.9
An ancient language that experts think is the ancestor of languages like English and Hindi
  • noun
  • /pi/
  • Specialized
: protoindoeuropeo
  • Linguists study how sounds and grammar evolved from the ancient pie spoken thousands of years ago.

Examples

  • Proto-Indo-European is considered the pie of languages from which many modern languages descend.

  • Examples are southern-style hush puppies, Boston cream pie, and New York-style cheesecake.

    Academic text (1992)
  • At the last minute, she'd made a pumpkin pie to ease her conscience.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • I want two chocolate cream pies and two cups of coffee, please.

  • I have not investigated their etymologies, nor the PIE roots they come from, nor the variety of senses they have.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The relationship between strengths and placement was plotted in a series of pie charts across symptom and risk levels.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The documentary explained the significance of pie as the foundation for understanding Indo-European linguistics.

Synonyms

Proto-Indo-European
vsPIE
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An ancestor language of many European and Asian languages that people think was spoken long before writing began

is the same concept but rendered as a brief initialism
Proto-Indo-European language
vsPIE
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An ancient language that experts think was the common ancestor of many European and Asian languages

is the same concept but expressed as a short abbreviation

Idioms

piece of the pie
  • Informal
13 3.4

A part of profits or benefits that people receive

pie in the sky
  • Informal
12 7.5

An idea or plan that is unlikely to happen

easy as pie
  • Informal
5 1.7

Very easy to do with little skill

2 7.9

To admit you are wrong and feel embarrassed

1 7.7

Neat and well organized like a tidy room

nice as pie
  • Informal
1 8.0

Very pleasant and friendly to other people

1 7.2

To have a part in something and some control

cap-a-pie
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Completely dressed from head to foot

9.2

Different parts of life have their own good things to enjoy one at a time

Compounds

71 1.0

A sweet baked dessert with sliced apples inside a pastry crust

39 1.0

A sweet baked pie with spiced mashed pumpkin filling

18 1.0

A sweet pie made with pecans, sugar, and eggs

11 1.1

A thin pastry layer used as the bottom or top of a pie that holds the filling

11 1.0

A sweet baked dish with a crust filled with blueberries and sugar

8 2.6

A circle divided into parts that shows how much each part is of the whole

A baked dish of minced meat and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes

7 1.0

A lump of mud shaped like a small cake that children make when playing outside

7 1.0

A round flat dough that has tomato sauce and cheese on top

6 1.0

A baked dish of cooked meat inside pastry, usually eaten hot

6 1.6

A sweet pie made from sour red plant stalks and sugar

5 3.1

A small cold pie filled with seasoned pork

A sweet dessert with lemon filling and soft meringue on top

4 3.1

A small round sweet pie with a fruit and spice filling often eaten at Christmas

3 4.4

A meat pie filled with beef kidneys and baked with a pastry crust

cow pie
  • NSFW
2 8.2

A flat piece of cow poop left in a field

2 2.4

A pie filled with sweet custard that people throw in the face to be funny

2 1.6

A baked or unbaked pastry crust that holds the filling of a pie

A cake made of sponge layers filled with custard and topped with chocolate

A pastry filled with pieces of beef and kidneys, often cooked in gravy

A pie with a deep layer of fruit filling and a top crust

pie-eater
  • Informal
1 9.3

A person who likes to eat pies

apple-pie order
  • Informal
1 8.4

A place or situation where things are very clean and neatly arranged

1 2.3

A sweet pie that uses the cooked, mashed part of a winter vegetable like pumpkin

1 1.1

A baked pastry filled with cooked lamb and vegetables

pity pie
  • Informal
1 9.9

Eating comfort food because you feel sorry for yourself

1 1.6

A baked dish of minced meat, usually beef, topped with mashed potatoes

1 9.6

A sweet open pie that uses molasses and a crumb topping

1 4.4

A baked dish of seasoned meat and vegetables topped with cornbread

pie plant
  • Archaic
1 6.1

A plant with thick stems you can eat, often used in pies

A herb from the Himalayas with red veins in its leaves used in pies

pie-dog
  • Archaic
9.9

A dog with no owner that lives near villages, often in India

Surface Forms

PIE singular
PIEs plural

Etymology

PIE stands for Proto-Indo-European, the very old 'mother' language that is the common ancestor of many modern languages such as English, Hindi and Spanish. A helpful way to remember this is that basic words like 'mother' appear in many languages because they come from Proto-Indo-European, so PIE is the shared source of those languages.