piece
/piːs/ noun, verb
Forms pieces piecing pieced peece
- noun A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form that it is able to be separated from other parts. “I’d like another piece of pie.”
- noun A single item belonging to a class of similar items. “a piece of machinery”
- noun (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.
- noun A coin, especially one valued at less than the principal unit of currency. “a sixpenny piece”
- noun An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, musical composition, literary work, etc. “period piece”
- noun An article published in the press. “Today's paper has an interesting piece on medical research.”
- noun (military) An artillery gun.
- noun (US, colloquial) A gun. “He's packin' a piece!”
- verb (transitive, usually with together) To assemble (something real or figurative). “These clues allowed us to piece together the solution to the mystery.”
- verb To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; often with out. “to piece a garment”
- verb (slang) To produce a work of graffiti more complex than a tag.
- verb (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
component part aspect portion game piece composition musical composition musical piece musical work piece of music work of music binky bink bo-bo comforter dodie dummy nookie paci pippy opus bit firearm small-arm slice objet d'art art object while spell patch
Etymology
From Middle English pece, peece, peice, from Old French piece, from Late Latin pecia, petia (“broken piece, fragment; parcel of land”), of uncertain origin. Possibly ultimately from Gaulish *pettyā, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis (“piece, portion, quota”). Compare Welsh peth (“thing, stuff, junk”), Breton pez (“thing”), Irish cuid (“part, portion”). Compare French pièce, Portuguese peça, Spanish pieza, Italian pezza, Italian pezzo. Displaced native Middle English sticche, stucche (“piece, fragment”) from Old English styċċe (“piece, portion”), whence also English styca.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A fragment or part of anything separated from the whole, in any manner, as by cutting, splitting, breaking, or tearing; a part; a portion; as, a piece of sugar; to break in pieces.
- noun A definite portion or quantity, as of goods or work; as, a piece of broadcloth; a piece of wall paper.
- verb To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; as, to piece a garment; --often with out. Shak.
- verb To unite; to join; to combine. Fuller.
Etymology [OE. pece, F. pièce, LL. pecia, petia, petium, probably of Celtic origin; cf. W. peth a thing, a part, portion, a little, Armor. pez, Gael. & Ir. cuid part, share. Cf. Petty.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “piece”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details