Piepowder means: Chiefly in court of piepowders, etc. (sense 2): a traveller, particularly one on foot; a wayfarer; specifically, a travelling merchant.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
piepowder
(obsolete) Chiefly in court of piepowders, etc.
ˈpaɪpaʊdəDocumented since 1890sSilenthistorical249 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1897 · no dated citations yet19th centurySee decade cohort →
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(obsolete) Chiefly in court of piepowders, etc. (sense 2): a traveller, particularly one on foot; a wayfarer; specifically, a travelling merchant.
Origin: [[File:Image taken from page 949 of 'Old and New London, etc' (11189785765).jpg|thumb|A 19th-century illustration of a piepowder (sense 2) being held in London.]] From the following: * Late , pipouder, from , pié poudrous (compare (Poitou) (modern (obsolete))), from pé, pié + poudrous, poudrus; pié is derived from (modern ), from , the of pēs, ultimately from ; while poudrous, poudrus (modern ) is from (from , the accusative singular of pulvis, from ) + -ous (a variant of -us); and * Late , pypoudrus, from pe-poudre (see above). Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
Piepowder means: Chiefly in court of piepowders, etc. (sense 2): a traveller, particularly one on foot; a wayfarer; specifically, a travelling merchant.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
For ESL learners
piepowder means: Chiefly in court of piepowders, etc. (sense 2): a traveller, particularly one on foot; a wayfarer; specifically, a travelling merchant.. Register: archaic, historical. Almost never used today; you will find it only in older texts, dictionaries of dialect, or historical writing. Avoid in active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: partying
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(Britain, law, historical) In full court of piepowders (also court of piepowder) or piepowder court: an ancient court in England held in conjunction with a fair or a market to administer summary justice over occurrences therein such as disputes between merchants and acts of theft and violence; they were presided over by the mayor and bailiffs of the borough, or by the steward if the fair or market was held by a lord.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "piepowder" (P)
piece of pisspie crust leasepie-eyedpie floaterpiemanpiendPiercepierhead linepierogipietpiet-my-vroupiewipe
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British dated term for a travelling salesman — someone who criss-crossed the country by train or car, case of samples in hand, charming shop owners and buyers into placing orders. The phrase carries a vaguely Dickensian atmosphere of smoky railway carriages and dodgy boarding-house dinners. While the job still exists under flashier titles like 'field sales rep', commercial traveller belongs to an earlier, more buttoned-up era of British commerce.