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)

(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 228732415:
  I pierce her open back, or tender side
(transitive) To create a hole in the skin for the purpose of inserting jewelry.
Can you believe he pierced his tongue?
(transitive) to break or interrupt abruptly
A scream pierced the silence.
(transitive, figurative) To get to the heart or crux of (a matter).
to pierce a mystery
(transitive, figurative) To penetrate; to affect deeply.
- 1715–1720, Homer; [Alexander] Pope, transl., “Book XI”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], OCLC 670734254:
  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 606515358, [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

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) (ttulhda)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Japanese ピアス (piasu, “pierced earring”), itself from English pierce.

Noun

pierce (plural pierces)

(Japan) A pierced earring.

Anagrams

Peirce, piecer, recipe, recipé