piece

English Online Dictionary. What means piece‎? What does piece mean?

English

Alternative forms

• peece (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English pece, peece, peice, from Old French piece, from Late Latin petia, pettia, possibly from Gaulish *pettyā, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis (“piece, portion, quota”); doublet of English fit, fytte, fytt (“musical piece, chapter”), Icelandic fit (“web”), German Fitze (“skein”), from Old High German *fitjâ. Compare Welsh peth, Breton pez (“thing”), Irish cuid. Compare French pièce, Portuguese peça, Spanish pieza, Italian pezza, Italian pezzo.

Pronunciation

• enPR: pēs, IPA^(key): /piːs/
• Rhymes: -iːs
• Homophone: peace

Noun

piece (plural pieces)

1. A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form that it is able to be separated from other parts.

   Synonyms: component, part; see also Thesaurus:piece

   Near-synonyms: aspect, portion
2. A single item belonging to a class of similar items.
4. (chess) One of the figures used in playing chess, specifically a higher-value figure as distinguished from a pawn; (by extension) those with which draughts, backgammon, and other similar board games are played.

   Synonym: game piece
5. A coin, especially one valued at less than the principal unit of currency.

6. An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, musical composition, literary work, etc.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:musical composition

7. An article published in the press.
8. (military) An artillery gun.
9. (US, colloquial) A gun.
10. (US, Canada, colloquial, short for hairpiece) A toupee or wig, especially when worn by a man.

11. (Scotland, Ireland, UK, US, dialectal) A slice or other quantity of bread, eaten on its own; a sandwich or light snack.
12. (US, colloquial, vulgar) A sexual encounter; from piece of ass or piece of tail.

13. (US, colloquial, mildly vulgar, short for piece of crap/piece of shit) A shoddy or worthless object (usually applied to consumer products like vehicles or appliances).

14. (US, slang) A cannabis pipe.
15. (baseball, uncountable) Used to describe a pitch that has been hit but not well, usually either being caught by the opposing team or going foul. Usually used in the past tense with get.

16. (dated, sometimes derogatory) An individual; a person.
17. (obsolete) A castle; a fortified building.
19. (US) A pacifier; a dummy.

    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pacifier

20. (colloquial) A distance.

21. (rowing) A structured practice row, often used for performance evaluation.

22. An amount of work to be done at one time; a unit of piece work.
23. (slang) An ounce of a recreational drug.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:piece

Derived terms

Descendants

• Belizean Creole: pees
• Sranan Tongo: pisi
• → Finnish: biisi
• → Irish: píosa
• → Japanese: ピース (pīsu)
• → Scottish Gaelic: pìos

Translations

See also

• chunk
• bit
• peace

Verb

piece (third-person singular simple present pieces, present participle piecing, simple past and past participle pieced)

1. (transitive, usually with together) To assemble (something real or figurative).
2. To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; often with out.
3. (slang) To produce a work of graffiti more complex than a tag.
4. (intransitive, often with on, informal, dated, chiefly North Midland US) To eat small quantities of food between meals; to snack; to take small or intermittent bites at a food item.

   Synonyms: nosh, nibble; see also Thesaurus:eat

Derived terms

Translations

References

• Random House Unabridged Dictionary

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French piece, from Vulgar Latin *pettia, from Gaulish *pettyā, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis (“piece, portion”).

Noun

piece f (plural pieces)

1. piece, bit, part
2. moment (duration of time)

Descendants

• French: pièce (see there for further descendants)
• Norman: pièche (Jersey)

References

• piece on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)

Old French

Alternative forms

• pece

Etymology

From Late Latin pettia, from Gaulish *pettyā, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis (“piece, portion”).

Noun

piece oblique singular, f (oblique plural pieces, nominative singular piece, nominative plural pieces)

1. piece, bit, part

Descendants

• Middle French: piece
  • French: pièce (see there for further descendants)
  • Norman: pièche (Jersey)
• Walloon: pîce
• → Middle English: pece
  • English: piece, peece (obsolete)
    • Belizean Creole: pees
    • Sranan Tongo: pisi
    • → Finnish: biisi
    • → Irish: píosa
    • → Japanese: ピース (pīsu)
    • → Scottish Gaelic: pìos
  • Yola: peece
  • → Middle Irish: pissa
    • Irish: píosa
  • → Scottish Gaelic: pìos

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpjɛ.t͡sɛ/
• Rhymes: -ɛt͡sɛ
• Syllabification: pie‧ce

Noun

piece m inan

1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of piec