Piece, pēs, n. a part of anything: a single article: a definite quantity, as of cloth or paper: an amount of work to be done at one time: a separate performance: a literary or artistic composition: a gun: a coin: a man in chess or draughts: a person, generally a woman, in contempt.—v.t. to enlarge by adding a piece: to patch.—v.i. to unite by a joining of parts: to join.—n.pl. Piece′-goods, cotton, linen, woollen, or silk fabrics sold retail in varying lengths.—adj. Piece′less, not made of pieces: entire.—adv. Piece′meal, in pieces or fragments: by pieces: little by little: bit by bit: gradually.—adj. made of pieces: single: separate.—ns. Piec′ener, a piecer; Piec′ening, or Piec′ing, the act of mending, esp. the joining of the ends of yarn, thread, &c. so as to repair breaks; Piec′er, a boy or girl employed in a spinning-factory to join broken threads; Piece′work, work done by the piece or quantity rather than by time.—Pièce de résistance, principal piece: chief event or performance: chief dish at a dinner; Piece of eight, the Spanish peso duro ('hard dollar'), bearing the numeral 8, of the value of 8 reals (prob. the sign $ is derived from this); Piece out, to put together bit by bit; Piece up, to patch up.—Give a piece of one's mind, to give a rating frankly to any one's face; Of a piece, as if of the same piece, the same in nature, &c. [O. Fr. piece—Low L. petium, a piece of land—prob. L. pes, pedis, a foot.]
Pied, pīd, adj. variegated like a magpie: of various colours: spotted.—n. Pied′ness.
Pieled, pēld, adj. (Shak.) peeled, bare, bald.
Piend, pēnd, n. the sharp point or edge of a hammer: a salient angle.
Piepowder, pī′pow-dėr, n. an ancient court held in fairs and markets to administer justice in a rough-and-ready way to all comers—also Court of Dusty Foot.—adj. Pie′powdered, with dusty feet. [O. Fr. piepoudreux, a hawker, pied—L. pes, a foot, poudre, powder.]
Pier, pēr, n. the mass of stone-work between the openings in the wall of a building: an arch, bridge, &c.: a stone pillar on which the hinges of a gate are fixed: a mass of stone or wood-work projecting into the sea for landing purposes: a wharf.—ns. Pier′age, toll paid for using a pier; Pier′-glass, a mirror hung in the space between windows; Pier′-tā′ble, a table fitted for the space between two windows. [O. Fr. pierre, a stone—L. petra—Gr. petra, a rock.]
Pierce, pērs, v.t. to thrust or make a hole through: to enter, or force a way into: to touch or move deeply: to dive into, as a secret.—v.i. to penetrate.—adj. Pierce′able, capable of being pierced.—n. Pierc′er, one who, or that which, pierces: any sharp instrument used for piercing: a stiletto.—adj. Pierc′ing.—adv. Pierc′ingly.—n. Pierc′ingness. [O. Fr. percer, prob. pertuisier—pertuis, a hole—L. pertundĕre, pertusum, to thrust through.]
Pierian, pī-ē′ri-an, adj. pertaining to the Muses.—n. Pier′ides, the nine Muses. [L. Pierius—Mt. Pierus, in Thessaly, the haunt of the Muses.]
Pierrot, pye-rō′, n. a buffoon with loose long-sleeved white robe: an 18th-century women's low-cut basque, with sleeves. [Fr.]
Piet, pī′et, n. a pie or magpie. [Pie.]