"pecking order" meaning in All languages combined

See pecking order on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Forms: pecking orders [plural]
Etymology: Calque of German Hackordnung. Etymology templates: {{calque|en|de|Hackordnung}} Calque of German Hackordnung Head templates: {{en-noun|head=pecking order}} pecking order (plural pecking orders)
  1. (zoology) The natural ranking of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds.
    Sense id: en-pecking_order-en-noun-IJWP5HuJ Categories (other): Zoology Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology
  2. (figuratively, by extension) The usually informal hierarchy of authority, command, or social status, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings. Tags: broadly, figuratively Synonyms: hierarchy Translations (usually informal hierarchy of authority or command): hakkeorden [common-gender] (Danish), pikorde [feminine] (Dutch), nokkimisjärjestys [idiomatic] (Finnish), Hackordnung [feminine] (German), Hackabstand [masculine] (German), goggunarröð [feminine] (Icelandic), porządek dziobania [masculine] (Polish), неофициа́льная иера́рхия (neoficiálʹnaja ijerárxija) [feminine] (Russian), сложи́вшийся поря́док подчине́ния (složívšijsja porjádok podčinénija) [masculine] (Russian), поря́док клева́ния (porjádok klevánija) (english: birds) [masculine] (Russian), hackordning [common-gender] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-pecking_order-en-noun-e7XJ-DbB Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Icelandic translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 41 59 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 38 62 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 37 63 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 34 66 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 33 67 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with Icelandic translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 31 69 Disambiguation of 'usually informal hierarchy of authority or command': 1 99
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: exclusivity, snobbery, social climbing, social ladder

Inflected forms

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        "2": "de",
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      "expansion": "Calque of German Hackordnung",
      "name": "calque"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Calque of German Hackordnung.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pecking orders",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "head": "pecking order"
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      "expansion": "pecking order (plural pecking orders)",
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "exclusivity"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "snobbery"
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    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "social climbing"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "social ladder"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
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      "categories": [
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          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Zoology",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The natural ranking of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds."
      ],
      "id": "en-pecking_order-en-noun-IJWP5HuJ",
      "links": [
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          "zoology",
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        [
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        [
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          "ranking"
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        [
          "social status",
          "social status"
        ],
        [
          "dominance",
          "dominance"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(zoology) The natural ranking of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "natural-sciences",
        "zoology"
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          "_dis": "24 76",
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          "_dis": "33 67",
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          "_dis": "32 68",
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          "_dis": "32 68",
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          "_dis": "32 68",
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        {
          "_dis": "32 68",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "29 71",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
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          "_dis": "31 69",
          "kind": "other",
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        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The usually informal hierarchy of authority, command, or social status, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings."
      ],
      "id": "en-pecking_order-en-noun-e7XJ-DbB",
      "links": [
        [
          "informal",
          "informal"
        ],
        [
          "hierarchy",
          "hierarchy"
        ],
        [
          "authority",
          "authority"
        ],
        [
          "command",
          "command"
        ],
        [
          "social status",
          "social status"
        ],
        [
          "propensity",
          "propensity"
        ],
        [
          "domination",
          "domination"
        ],
        [
          "sibling",
          "sibling"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively, by extension) The usually informal hierarchy of authority, command, or social status, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "hierarchy"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "lang_code": "da",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
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          "word": "hakkeorden"
        },
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          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "lang_code": "nl",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "pikorde"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "nokkimisjärjestys"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Hackordnung"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Hackabstand"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "lang_code": "is",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "goggunarröð"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "porządek dziobania"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "neoficiálʹnaja ijerárxija",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "неофициа́льная иера́рхия"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "složívšijsja porjádok podčinénija",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "сложи́вшийся поря́док подчине́ния"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "ru",
          "english": "birds",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "porjádok klevánija",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "translation": "birds",
          "word": "поря́док клева́ния"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "hackordning"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "pecking order"
}
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
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    "English terms derived from German",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Danish translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Icelandic translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
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  "etymology_templates": [
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  "etymology_text": "Calque of German Hackordnung.",
  "forms": [
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      "form": "pecking orders",
      "tags": [
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  "lang_code": "en",
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      "word": "exclusivity"
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      "word": "snobbery"
    },
    {
      "word": "social climbing"
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    {
      "word": "social ladder"
    }
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      "categories": [
        "en:Zoology"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The natural ranking of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "zoology",
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        "(zoology) The natural ranking of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds."
      ],
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        "natural-sciences",
        "zoology"
      ]
    },
    {
      "antonyms": [
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      ],
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        "The usually informal hierarchy of authority, command, or social status, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings."
      ],
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          "informal",
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        ],
        [
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        [
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          "domination"
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      ],
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        "(figuratively, by extension) The usually informal hierarchy of authority, command, or social status, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "hierarchy"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "lang_code": "da",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "hakkeorden"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "pikorde"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "word": "nokkimisjärjestys"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Hackordnung"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Hackabstand"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "lang_code": "is",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "goggunarröð"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "porządek dziobania"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "neoficiálʹnaja ijerárxija",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "неофициа́льная иера́рхия"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "složívšijsja porjádok podčinénija",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "сложи́вшийся поря́док подчине́ния"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "english": "birds",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "porjádok klevánija",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "translation": "birds",
      "word": "поря́док клева́ния"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "usually informal hierarchy of authority or command",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "hackordning"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pecking order"
}

Download raw JSONL data for pecking order meaning in All languages combined (4.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-14 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 59dc20b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.