- piece
-
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *pettia, of Gaulish origin; akin to Welsh peth thing
Date: 13th century
1. a part of a whole: as
a. fragment <pieces of broken glass> b. any of the individual members comprising a unit — often used in combination <a five-piece band> <a three-piece suit> c. portion, allocation <a piece of the jackpot> 2. an object or individual regarded as a unit of a kind or class <a piece of fruit> 3. a usually unspecified distance <down the road a piece> 4. a standard quantity (as of length, weight, or size) in which something is made or sold 5. a literary, journalistic, artistic, dramatic, or musical composition 6. firearm 7. coin; also token 8. a movable object used in playing a board game; specifically a chessman other than a pawn 9. opinion, view <spoke his piece> 10. a. usually vulgar an act of copulation b. usually vulgar the female partner in sexual intercourse 11. instance, example <silly piece of nonsense> <a nice piece of acting> Synonyms: see part II. transitive verb (pieced; piecing) Date: 15th century 1. to repair, renew, or complete by adding pieces ; patch 2. to join into a whole — often used with together <his new book…has been pieced together from talks — Merle Miller> • piecer noun
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.