pawn
n. countablen. a small chess piece that moves only forward and captures diagonally. In a wider sense, it describes a person used by others for their own advantage.
n. the lowest-ranking piece in chess, moving one square forward and capturing diagonally. Metaphorically, a person manipulated by others for their own ends.
The pawn moved forward one square.
He felt like a pawn in the company's power struggle.
In the grand strategy of the empire, the local governor was merely a pawn sacrificed to appease the northern tribes.
From Middle English paun, pawyn, pawnd, from Old French pan, pant (“pledge for a payment”), from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *pand (“deposit, security, pledge”), further origin uncertain. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Pound (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), West Frisian pân (“pawn”), Dutch pand (“pledge, pawn”), German Low German Pand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), German Pfand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), Swedish pant (“pledge, pawn”), Faroese pantur (“security, lien”), Icelandic pantur (“pledge, security, pawn”).
From Middle English pown, from Anglo-Norman poun, paun (“footman”), from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”), derived from Latin ped- (“foot”). Doublet of peon.