Word.ws English Dictionary

pied-piping

pied-piping noun: a phenomenon of syntax whereby a focused expression takes an entire encompassing phrase with it when it is "moved".

Noun

pied-piping (uncountable)

  1. A phenomenon of syntax whereby a focused expression takes an entire encompassing phrase with it when it is "moved".

Origin of pied-piping

Coined by American linguist John R. Ross in reference to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, mythical figure who lured rats (and children) by playing his flute.

Questions about pied-piping

What does pied-piping mean?
Pied-piping means a phenomenon of syntax whereby a focused expression takes an entire encompassing phrase with it when it is "moved".
What part of speech is pied-piping?
Pied-piping is a noun.

Words near pied-piping in the dictionary

  1. pied-a-terre
  2. pied-bill
  3. pied-billed grebe
  4. pied-billed grebes
  5. pied-bills
  6. pied-piping
  7. pied-à-terre
  8. piedfort
  9. piedforts
  10. piedish
  11. piedishes

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: pied-piping (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “pied-piping.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pied-piping. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.