Other forms: pigeonholed, pigeonholing, pigeonholes
A pigeonhole is one of a grid of small open boxes for internal post. Check your pigeonhole, the staff pigeonholes, leave it in his pigeonhole.
The name is literal: dovecotes had rows of small openings for the birds, and the office furniture copied the shape. As a verb it means to classify somebody narrowly and unfairly. The pigeonhole principle in mathematics says more items than holes means some hole has two.
1nounpigeonholeOne of a grid of small open boxes for post.
“Each teacher has a pigeonhole in the staff room for letters and notes.”
2verbclassifyTo classify somebody narrowly and unfairly.
“Critics pigeonholed her as a comedy actress, so she struggled to get serious roles.”
pigeonhole is a compartment.
Pigeon plus hole, from the rows of small openings in a dovecote.
The noun is derived from pigeon + hole. The verb is derived from the noun.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Office & Admin