pierce

See also: Pierce

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɪɹs/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɪəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)s

Verb

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

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     I pierce […] her tender side.

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.
   • (Can we date this quote by Alexander Pope and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     pierced with grief

   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Can no prayers pierce thee?

Derived terms

• piercing

Descendants

• → Dutch: piercing
• Japanese: ピアス

Translations

to pierce — see puncture

puncture

• Aromanian: strãpungu, spitrundu, azvundzescu, ampihiur, cãrtiljedz
• Catalan: foradar (ca)
• Chinese:

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

• 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)

• Icelandic: nísta
• Irish: toll, poll m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: pungere (it), forare (it), perforare (it), bucare (it)
• Japanese: 刺す (ja) (さす, sasu)
• Latin: transigō
• Maori: tioka, oka, poka, wero
• Norwegian: punktere, trenge gjennom, perforere
• 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)
• Spanish: perforar (es)
• Swedish: punktera (sv), bryta (sv) genom, göra hål på

create a hole for jewelry

• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: ta hull
• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

• (deprecated template usage) Dyirbal: nyirrindan (Jalnguy)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• (deprecated template usage) Korean: 뚫다 (ttulhda)

Anagrams

• Peirce, piecer, recipe, recipé