Adjacent Words

Piece definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PIECE, n. [Heb. to cut off or clip.]
1. A fragment or part of any thing separated from the whole, in any manner, by cutting, splitting, breaking or tearing; as, to cut in pieces, break in pieces, tear in pieces, pull in pieces, etc.; a piece of a rock; a piece of paper.
2. A part of any thing, though not separated, or separated only in idea; not the whole; a portion; as a piece of excellent knowledge.
3. A distinct part or quantity; a part considered by itself, or separated from the rest only by a boundary or divisional line; as a piece of land in the meadow or on the mountain.
4. A separate part; a thing or portion distinct from others of a like kind; as a piece of timber; a piece of cloth; a piece of paper hangings.
5. A composition, essay or writing of no great length; as a piece of poetry or prose; a piece of music.
6. A separate performance; a distinct portion of labor; as a piece of work.
7. A picture or painting.
If unnatural, the finest colors are but daubing,and the piece is a beautiful monster at the best.
8. A coin; as a piece of eight.
9. A gun or single part of ordnance. We apply the word to a cannon, a mortar, or a musket. Large guns are called battering pieces; smaller guns are called field pieces.
10. In heraldry, an ordinary or charge. The fess, the bend, the pale, the bar, the cross, the saltier, the chevron are called honorable pieces.
11. In ridicule or contempt. A piece of a lawyer is a smatterer.
12. A castle; a building. [Not in use.]
A-piece, to each; as, he paid the men a dollar a-piece.
Of a piece, like; of the same sort, as if taken from the same whole. They seemed all of a piece. Sometimes followed by with.
The poet must be of a piece with the spectators to gain reputation.
PIECE, v.t. To enlarge or mend by the addition of a piece; to patch; as, to piece a garment; to piece the time.
To piece out, to extend or enlarge by addition of a piece or pieces.
PIECE, v.i. To unite by coalescence of parts; to be compacted, as parts into a whole.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a separate part of a whole; "an important piece of the evidence"
2: an item that is an instance of some type; "he designed a new piece of equipment"; "she bought a lovely piece of china";
3: a portion of a natural object; "they analyzed the river into three parts"; "he needed a piece of granite" [syn: part, piece]
4: a musical work that has been created; "the composition is written in four movements" [syn: musical composition, opus, composition, piece, piece of music]
5: an instance of some kind; "it was a nice piece of work"; "he had a bit of good luck" [syn: piece, bit]
6: an artistic or literary composition; "he wrote an interesting piece on Iran"; "the children acted out a comic piece to amuse the guests"
7: a portable gun; "he wore his firearm in a shoulder holster" [syn: firearm, piece, small-arm]
8: a serving that has been cut from a larger portion; "a piece of pie"; "a slice of bread" [syn: piece, slice]
9: a distance; "it is down the road a piece"
10: a work of art of some artistic value; "this store sells only objets d'art"; "it is not known who created this piece" [syn: objet d'art, art object, piece]
11: a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition; "he was here for a little while"; "I need to rest for a piece"; "a spell of good weather"; "a patch of bad weather" [syn: while, piece, spell, patch]
12: a share of something; "a slice of the company's revenue" [syn: slice, piece]
13: game equipment consisting of an object used in playing certain board games; "he taught me to set up the men on the chess board"; "he sacrificed a piece to get a strategic advantage" [syn: man, piece] v
1: to join or unite the pieces of; "patch the skirt" [syn: patch, piece]
2: create by putting components or members together; "She pieced a quilt"; "He tacked together some verses"; "They set up a committee" [syn: assemble, piece, put together, set up, tack, tack together] [ant: break apart, break up, disassemble, dismantle, take apart]
3: join during spinning; "piece the broken pieces of thread, slivers, and rovings"
4: eat intermittently; take small bites of; "He pieced at the sandwich all morning"; "She never eats a full meal--she just nibbles" [syn: nibble, pick, piece]
5: repair by adding pieces; "She pieced the china cup" [syn: piece, patch]

Merriam Webster's

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

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a (often foll. by of) one of the distinct portions forming part of or broken off from a larger object; a bit; a part (a piece of string). b each of the parts of which a set or category is composed (a five-piece band; a piece of furniture). 2 a coin of specified value (50p piece). 3 a a usu. short literary or musical composition or a picture. b a theatrical play. 4 an item, instance, or example (a piece of impudence; a piece of news). 5 a any of the objects used to make moves in board-games. b a chessman (strictly, other than a pawn). 6 a definite quantity in which a thing is sold. 7 (often foll. by of) an enclosed portion (of land etc.). 8 derog. sl. a woman. 9 US (foll. by of) sl. a financial share or investment in (has a piece of the new production). --v.tr. 1 (usu. foll. by together) form into a whole; put together; join (finally pieced his story together). 2 (usu. foll. by out) a eke out. b form (a theory etc.) by combining parts etc. 3 (usu. foll. by up) patch. 4 join (threads) in spinning. Phrases and idioms: break to pieces break into fragments. by the piece (paid) according to the quantity of work done. go to pieces collapse emotionally; suffer a breakdown. in one piece 1 unbroken. 2 unharmed. in pieces broken. of a piece (often foll. by with) uniform, consistent, in keeping. piece-goods fabrics, esp. Lancashire cottons, woven in standard lengths. a piece of cake see CAKE. piece of eight hist. a Spanish dollar, equivalent to 8 reals. piece of goods sl. derog. a woman. a piece of one's mind a sharp rebuke or lecture. piece of water a small lake etc. piece of work a thing made by working (cf. nasty piece of work). piece-rates a rate paid according to the amount produced. piece-work work paid for by the amount produced. say one's piece give one's opinion or make a prepared statement. take to pieces 1 break up or dismantle. 2 criticize harshly. Derivatives: piecer n. (in sense 4 of v.). Etymology: ME f. AF pece, OF piece f. Rmc, prob. of Gaulish orig.: cf. PEAT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Virtu Vir*tu" (?; 277), n. [It. virt[`u] virtue, excellence, from L. virtus. See Virtue.] A love of the fine arts; a taste for curiosities. --J. Spence. An article, or piece, of virtu, an object of art or antiquity; a curiosity, such as those found in museums or private collections. I had thoughts, in my chambers to place it in view, To be shown to my friends as a piece of virt[`u]. --Goldsmith.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Piece Piece, v. i. To unite by a coalescence of parts; to fit together; to join. ``It pieced better.'' --Bacon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Piece Piece, n. [OE. pece, F. pi[`e]ce, LL. pecia, petia, petium, probably of Celtic origin; cf. W. peth a thing, a part, portion, a little, Armor. pez, Gael. & Ir. cuid part, share. Cf. Petty.] 1. A fragment or part of anything separated from the whole, in any manner, as by cutting, splitting, breaking, or tearing; a part; a portion; as, a piece of sugar; to break in pieces. Bring it out piece by piece. --Ezek. xxiv. 6. 2. A definite portion or quantity, as of goods or work; as, a piece of broadcloth; a piece of wall paper. 3. Any one thing conceived of as apart from other things of the same kind; an individual article; a distinct single effort of a series; a definite performance; especially: (a) A literary or artistic composition; as, a piece of poetry, music, or statuary. (b) A musket, gun, or cannon; as, a battery of six pieces; a following piece. (c) A coin; as, a sixpenny piece; -- formerly applied specifically to an English gold coin worth 22 shillings. (d) A fact; an item; as, a piece of news; a piece of knowledge. 4. An individual; -- applied to a person as being of a certain nature or quality; often, but not always, used slightingly or in contempt. ``If I had not been a piece of a logician before I came to him.'' --Sir P. Sidney. Thy mother was a piece of virtue. --Shak. His own spirit is as unsettled a piece as there is in all the world. --Coleridge.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Piece Piece, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pieced; p. pr. & vb. n. Piecing.] 1. To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; as, to piece a garment; -- often with out. --Shak. 2. To unite; to join; to combine. --Fuller. His adversaries . . . pieced themselves together in a joint opposition against him. --Fuller.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pieces, piecing, pieced) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A piece of something is an amount of it that has been broken off, torn off, or cut off. ...a piece of cake. ...a few words scrawled on a piece of paper... Cut the ham into pieces... Do you want another piece? N-COUNT: usu N of n 2. A piece of an object is one of the individual parts or sections which it is made of, especially a part that can be removed. The equipment was taken down the shaft in pieces. = bit N-COUNT 3. A piece of land is an area of land. People struggle to get the best piece of land. N-COUNT: usu N of n 4. You can use piece of with many uncount nouns to refer to an individual thing of a particular kind. For example, you can refer to some advice as a piece of advice. When I produced this piece of work, my lecturers were very critical... ...an interesting piece of information. ...a sturdy piece of furniture... N-COUNT: N of n 5. You can refer to an article in a newspaper or magazine, some music written by someone, a broadcast, or a play as a piece. I disagree with Andrew Russell over his piece on British Rail. N-COUNT 6. You can refer to a work of art as a piece. (FORMAL) Each piece is unique, an exquisite painting of a real person, done on ivory... N-COUNT 7. You can refer to specific coins as pieces. For example, a 10p piece is a coin that is worth 10p. N-COUNT: supp N 8. The pieces which you use when you play a board game such as chess are the specially made objects which you move around on the board. N-COUNT 9. A piece of something is part of it or a share of it. (AM) They got a small piece of the net profits and a screen credit. QUANT: QUANT of def-n 10. see also museum piece, party piece, set piece 11. If you give someone a piece of your mind, you tell them very clearly that you think they have behaved badly. (INFORMAL) How very thoughtless. I'll give him a piece of my mind. PHRASE: V inflects 12. If something with several different parts is all of a piece, each part is consistent with the others. If one thing is of a piece with another, it is consistent with it. At its peak in the Thirties, Underground design and architecture was all of a piece... PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR with n 13. If someone or something is still in one piece after a dangerous journey or experience, they are safe and not damaged or hurt. ...providing that my brother gets back alive and in one piece from his mission. = intact PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v 14. You use to pieces in expressions such as 'smash to pieces', and mainly in British English 'fall to pieces' or 'take something to pieces', when you are describing how something is broken or comes apart so that it is in separate pieces. If the shell had hit the boat, it would have blown it to pieces... Do you wear your old clothes until they fall to pieces? PHRASE: PHR after v 15. If you go to pieces, you are so upset or nervous that you lose control of yourself and cannot do what you should do. (INFORMAL) She's a strong woman, but she nearly went to pieces when Arnie died. PHRASE: V inflects 16. a piece of the action: see action bits and pieces: see bit a piece of cake: see cake to pick up the pieces: see pick up

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

pes: In the King James Version the word (singular and plural) represents a large number of different Hebrew words, many of which have more or less the same significance, e.g. piece of meat or flesh (Ge 15:10; 2Sa 6:19; Eze 24:4); of bread or cake (1Sa 2:36; 30:12; Jer 37:21); of ground or land (2Sa 23:11); of wall (Ne 3:11,19 ); of an ear (Am 3:12); of cloth or garment (1Ki 11:30); of millstone (Jud 9:53). It is used frequently in paraphrastic renderings of various Hebrew verbs: "break," "tear," "cut," etc., in pieces (Ge 44:28, etc.).

In the New Testament "piece" renders epiblema, "piece" or "patch of cloth" (Mt 9:16; Mr 2:21; Lu 5:36). It is also found in paraphrastic renderings--broken in pieces (Mr 5:4), pulled in pieces (Ac 23:10).

T. Lewis

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Part, fragment, bit, scrap. 2. Portion. 3. Thing. 4. Composition, writing, lucubration, literary production, work. 5. Coin. 6. Gun, fire-arm. 7. Painting, picture. 8. Drama, tragedy, comedy, melodrama or farce. II. v. a. 1. Patch. 2. Enlarge, add to, increase, augment, complete. 3. Unite, join, cement.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A wench. A damned good or bad piece; a girl who is more or less active and skilful in the amorous congress. Hence the (CAMBRIDGE) toast, May we never have a PIECE (peace) that will injure the constitution. Piece likewise means at Cambridge a close or spot of ground adjacent to any of the colleges, as Clare-hall Piece, etc. The spot of ground before King's College formerly belonged to Clare-hall. While Clare Piece belonged to King's, the master of Clare-hall proposed a swop, which being refused by the provost of King's, he erected before their gates a temple of CLOACINA. It will be unnecessary to say that his arguments were soon acceded to.

Moby Thesaurus

Grand Guignol, Nachtmusik, Passion play, Tom show, absolute music, actor, adaptation, aesthetic distance, air, air varie, aleatory, aleatory music, alike, allotment, allowance, antagonist, antihero, antimasque, arrangement, art object, article, ass, assemble, audience success, autograph, automatic, babe, baby, bait, ballet, bawling-out, beat, big end, bigger half, bishop, bit, bit part, bite, blowgun, blowpipe, bolt, bomb, brainchild, break down, breeze, bric-a-brac, broad, broadcast drama, broken, budget, budget of news, burlesque show, butt, cast, castle, causerie, chamber music, chamber orchestra, character, charade, chessman, chick, chiding, chip, chunk, cinch, classic, clearance, cliff hanger, clip, clipping, closet drama, coil, coin, colleen, collop, comedy drama, commission, compass, compose, composition, computer printout, connect, contingent, copy, crack up, creation, critical success, crown, crumb, crumble, cue, cut, cutie, cutting, dame, damoiselle, damsel, daytime serial, deal, deep space, demoiselle, depths of space, descant, design, destiny, destroyed, dialogue, discourse, discussion, disintegrate, disquisition, dissertation, distance, ditty, divergence, dividend, division, document, documentary drama, dole, doll, dollop, double eagle, doubloon, draft, drama, dramalogue, dramatic play, dramatic series, draughtsman, dressing-down, ducat, duodrama, duologue, eagle, edited version, electronic music, end, engrossment, epic theater, equal share, essay, etude, examination, exclusive, excursus, exercise, experimental theater, exposition, extent, extravaganza, failure, fair copy, farness, fat part, fate, feature, feeder, fiction, filly, final draft, finished version, firearm, first approach, first draft, five-dollar gold piece, fix, flamethrower, flimsy, flop, fraction, fragment, frail, gal, gasser, gat, gather, girl, girlie, giveaway, go to pieces, gob, gobbet, gold piece, grotesque, guinea, gun, half, half crown, half eagle, halver, handgun, happening, hard money, harmonious, harmonization, heater, heavy, heifer, hell, helping, hero, heroine, hit, hit show, holding, holograph, homily, hot number, hoyden, hunk, identical, improvisational drama, in agreement, in harmony, in keeping, in pieces, incidental music, infinity, ingenue, instrumental music, interest, introductory study, invention, jeune fille, jill, jingle, junior miss, king, kitsch, knight, lass, lassie, lead, lead role, lead-pipe cinch, leading lady, leading man, leading woman, lecture, leeway, legitimate drama, length, letter, light-years, lines, literae scriptae, literary artefact, literary production, literature, little missy, lot, lucubration, lump, mademoiselle, maid, maiden, man, manuscript, margin, masque, master, masterpiece, masterwork, matter, measure, meat, meed, melodrama, melody, member, memoir, mend, mess, mileage, minstrel show, miracle, miracle play, miss, missy, mobile, modicum, moidore, moiety, monodrama, monograph, monologue, morality, morality play, morceau, morsel, museum piece, music, music drama, musical revue, musket, mystery, mystery play, napoleon, news item, nocturne, nonfiction, note, nude, nymphet, old master, opera, opus, orchestration, original, outline, pageant, pandect, panel show, pantomime, paper, paragraph, parcel, parchment, paring, parsecs, part, particle, pasticcio, pastiche, pastoral, pastoral drama, pawn, peashooter, penscript, percentage, person, personage, perspective, piece of ass, piece of cake, piece of meat, piece of money, piece of silver, piece of virtu, piece of writing, piece together, pistol, play, playlet, poem, portion, pound sovereign, preliminary study, printed matter, printout, problem play, production, program music, prolegomenon, proportion, protagonist, psychodrama, put together, quantity, quantum, queen, quiz show, quota, radio drama, rake-off, range, rasher, ration, reach, reading matter, rebuke, recension, remnant, remoteness, repeater, report, reprimand, research paper, restore, review, revolver, revue, ricercar, rifle, rod, role, roll, roll of coins, romp, rook, rouleau, ruined, run, sample, sawed-off shotgun, schoolgirl, schoolmaid, schoolmiss, scolding, scoop, score, scrap, screed, scrip, script, scrive, scroll, second draft, section, segment, sensational play, separation, serial, serving, sex goddess, sex object, sex queen, shard, share, shatter, shattered, shaving, shiver, shooting iron, short story, shotgun, show, shred, side, similar, sitcom, situation comedy, six-gun, six-shooter, sketch, skirt, skit, slice, slip, sliver, small share, smashed, smithereen, snack, snap, snatch, snip, snippet, soap, soap opera, sociodrama, sonata, sonatina, song, soubrette, sovereign, space, span, special article, specie, specimen, spectacle, splinter, spot news, stabile, stage play, stage show, stake, statue, still life, stitch, stock, story, straight drama, straight part, stretch, stride, string orchestra, string quartet, strip, stud, study, stump, subdeb, subdebutante, subteen, subteener, supporting character, supporting role, survey, suspense drama, swatch, tableau, tableau vivant, talk show, taste, tatter, teenybopper, teleplay, television drama, television play, ten-dollar gold piece, term paper, the same, the written word, theater of cruelty, theme, theme and variations, thesis, title role, token, tomato, tomboy, tongue-lashing, total theater, tract, tractate, transcript, transcription, treatise, treatment, trio, tune, twenty-dollar gold piece, typescript, uniform, unite, variation, variety show, vaudeville, vaudeville show, vehicle, version, villain, virgin, virtu, walk-on, walking part, way, ways, wedge, wench, what for, word-of-mouth success, work, work of art, writing, young creature, young thing