pigeonhole

1. (archaic) A hole or opening in a door or wall for a pigeon to pass through.Examples: "The loft was lighted by a semicircular hole, though which the pigeons crept to their lodgings in the same high quarters of the premises; […] 'Dear Clym, I wonder how your face looks now?' she said, gazing abstractedly at the pigeon-hole, which admitted the sunlight so directly upon her brown hair and transparent tissues that it almost seemed to shine through her."archaic

2. (by extension)Examples: "Abbé [Emmanuel Joseph] Sieyès has vvhole neſts of pigeon-holes full of conſtitutions ready made, ticketed, ſorted, and numbered; ſuited to every ſeaſon and every fancy; […]"; "Blank ink and red ink, pounce, wafers, wax, pens, seals, imbibing-paper, rulers, files, were all there; pegs for hats, shelves and hooks, pigeon-holes full of samples of sugar, of rice, tobacco, coffee, and the like: all the dull paraphernalia of a trader's elaboratory."; "This has been fitted with blocks of pigeon-holes, 1029 in number, for the reception of the alphabetically arranged slips."Synonyms: cubbyholebroadly

3. (by extension)Examples: "Fred was disappointed to find his pigeonhole empty except for bills and a flyer offering 20% off on manicures."; "[H]e walked across Hawthorn Tree Court on his way to the porter's lodge. […] At the lodge he cleared his pigeon-hole."Synonyms: cubbyholebroadly

4. (by extension)Examples: "The general size of a store in Tangier is about that of an ordinary shower-bath in a civilized land. […] You can rent a whole block of these pigeon-holes for fifty dollars a month."broadly

5. (by extension)Examples: "However, as my friend came dodging towards my door, I saw him through the usual pigeon hole through which warders speak to their prisoners."broadly

6. (by extension)archaicbroadly