pierce

See also: Pierce

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɪɹs/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɪəs/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /pɜː(ɹ)s/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• 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

   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Theodore and Honoria, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     I pierce her open back, or tender side

   • 1926, A[rthur] [S]tanley Eddington, “Survey of the Problem”, in The Internal Constitution of the Stars, page 1:

     What appliance can pierce through the outer layers of a star and test the conditions within?

2. (transitive) To create a hole in the skin for the purpose of inserting jewelry.

   Can you believe he pierced his tongue?

3. (transitive) to break or interrupt abruptly

   A scream pierced the silence.

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.
   • 1715–1720, Homer, [Alexander] Pope, transl., “Book XI”, in The Iliad of Homer, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC:

     pierced with grief

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

     Can no prayers pierce thee?

   • 2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 75:

     The flatness of the landscape facilitates views right across the Firth of Forth to Fife, before the railway begins to pierce the Edinburgh suburbs.

Derived terms

• armor-piercing shot
• piercing

Descendants

• → Dutch: piercing
• → Japanese: ピアス

Translations

to pierce — see puncture

puncture

• Arabic: ثَقَبَ (ṯaqaba)
• Aromanian: strãpungu, spitrundu, azvundzescu, ampihiur, cãrtiljedz
• Bulgarian: пробивам (bg) (probivam)
• Catalan: foradar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 刺穿 (zh) (cìchuān), 穿 (zh) (chuān)

• Fataluku: apasono
• Finnish: lävistää (fi), puhkaista (fi)
• French: percer (fr)
• German: durchstechen (de), lochen (de)
• Greek: τρυπώ (el) (trypó), διαπερνώ (el) (diapernó), διεισδύω (el) (dieisdýo), τορέω (toréo)

  Ancient: τορέω (toréō), πείρω (peírō)

• Icelandic: nísta
• Irish: toll, poll m
• Italian: pungere (it), forare (it), perforare (it), bucare (it)
• Japanese: 刺す (ja) (さす, sasu)
• Kabuverdianu: fura, fróde, fradu
• Korean: 뚫다 (ko) (ttulta)
• Latin: transigō
• Malayalam: തുളയ്ക്കുക (ml) (tuḷaykkuka)
• Maori: tioka, oka, poka, wero
• Norwegian: punktere, trenge gjennom, perforere
• Old English: þȳrlian
• Oromo: waraanuu
• Portuguese: furar (pt), perfurar (pt)
• Romanian: străpunge (ro)
• Russian: протыка́ть (ru) impf (protykátʹ), проткну́ть (ru) pf (protknútʹ), прока́лывать (ru) impf (prokályvatʹ), проколо́ть (ru) pf (prokolótʹ), пронза́ть (ru) impf (pronzátʹ), пронзи́ть (ru) pf (pronzítʹ)
• Santali: ᱥᱳ (so)
• Serbo-Croatian: probušiti (sh)
• Sicilian: pirciari (scn), sfunnari, spirtusiari
• Spanish: perforar (es)
• Swahili: -dunga (sw)
• Swedish: punktera (sv), bryta genom, göra hål på
• Tamil: குத்து (ta) (kuttu)
• Tetum: sona

create a hole for jewelry

• Arabic: ثَقَبَ (ṯaqaba)
• Bulgarian: пробождам (bg) (proboždam)
• French: percer (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: piercen (de)
• Greek: τρυπώ (el) (trypó)
• Hebrew: רָצַע (he) (ratzá')
• Italian: perforare (it)
• Japanese: 刺す (ja) (さす, sasu)
• Korean: 뚫다 (ko) (ttulta)
• Malayalam: തുളയിടുക (tuḷayiṭuka)
• Norwegian: ta hull
• Old English: þȳrlian
• Russian: прока́лывать (ru) impf (prokályvatʹ), проколо́ть (ru) pf (prokolótʹ), протыка́ть (ru) impf (protykátʹ), проткну́ть (ru) pf (protknútʹ)
• Spanish: perforar (es), agujerear (es)
• Swedish: ta hål (sv), pierca (sv)
• Turkish: deldirmek (tr)

interrupt

• Finnish: lävistää (fi)
• French: percer (fr)
• Greek: διαπερνώ (el) (diapernó)
• Italian: squarciare (it)
• Russian: прерыва́ть (ru) (preryvátʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dyirbal: ^{(please verify)} nyirrindan (Jalnguy)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 뚫다 (ko) (ttulta)

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