pierce

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

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɪɹs/
• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA^(key): /pɪəs/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /piɹs/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /piəs/
• (East Anglia, cheer–chair merger) IPA^(key): /pɛːs/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /pɜː(ɹ)s/
• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)s

Etymology 1

From Middle English perce, from conjugated forms of Old French percier such as (jeo) pierce (“I pierce”), probably from Vulgar Latin *pertūsiō, from Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundō (“thrust or bore through”), from per- (“through”) + tundō (“beat, pound”). Displaced native Old English þȳrlian (literally “to hole”).

Verb

pierce (third-person singular simple present pierces, present participle piercing, simple past and past participle pierced)

1. (transitive) To puncture; to break through.

   The diver pierced the surface of the water with scarcely a splash.

   to pierce the enemy's line; a shot pierced the ship
2. (transitive) To create a hole in the skin for the purpose of inserting jewelry.

3. (transitive) to break or interrupt abruptly

4. (transitive, figurative) To get to the heart or crux of (a matter).

   to pierce a mystery

5. (transitive, figurative) To penetrate; to affect deeply.

Derived terms

• armor-piercing shot
• piercing

Descendants

• → Dutch: piercing
• → Japanese: ピアス

Translations

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Japanese ピアス (piasu, “pierced earring”), itself from English pierce.

Noun

pierce (plural pierces)

1. (Japan) A pierced earring.

Anagrams

• Peirce, piecer, recipe, recipé