# piece

Pronunciation: say "PEES" /piːs/

## Noun

1. A part of a larger whole, usually shaped so that it can be separated from the other parts.
   - Simple: A part of something bigger that can be taken away from the rest.
   - _The puzzle was missing a single piece near the center._
   - _He broke the chocolate bar into several pieces to share._
2. A single item of a particular kind, including one item made as a unit of work for payment.
   - Simple: One item of a particular kind, including one thing a worker is paid to make.
   - _This piece of furniture matches the rest of the collection._
   - _The collector owns several rare pieces from the same era._
3. A single creative work, whether a painting or sculpture, a musical composition, or a written work.
   - Simple: A work of art, like a painting, song, or story.
   - _The orchestra performed a challenging piece by a modern composer._
   - _Critics praised the sculptor's latest piece at the gallery opening._
4. An article published in a newspaper, magazine, or other press outlet.
   - Simple: An article in a newspaper or magazine, or on a news website.
   - _The journalist filed her piece minutes before the deadline._
   - _He wrote a hard-hitting piece criticizing the city council._
6. One of the figures used in chess, especially a higher-value figure rather than a pawn; by extension, the tokens used to play checkers, backgammon, and similar board games.
   - Simple: One of the objects you move on the board in chess or similar games.
   - _In chess, each piece moves according to its own rules._
   - _He sacrificed a piece to gain a positional advantage._
8. A firearm, especially a handgun carried on one's person. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: A gun, usually a handgun that a person carries around.
   - _He swore he never carried a piece on the job._
   - _She pulled her piece the moment the door swung open._
7. An artillery gun, such as a cannon or field gun used in warfare.
   - Simple: A large gun used by an army, like a cannon.
   - _The battery fired every piece at the advancing column._
   - _Crews cleaned their pieces between bombardments._
9. A coin, particularly a coin of lower value than a country's main monetary unit.
   - Simple: A coin, especially one worth less than the main unit of money.
   - _The merchant counted out several silver pieces as change._
   - _A single gold piece was worth a week's wages._
10. A musician or instrument counted as one member of a band or orchestra, chiefly after a number to say how big the ensemble is.
   - Simple: One musician or instrument in a band, used with a number to tell how big the band is.
   - _The club books a twelve-piece swing band every New Year's Eve._
   - _The orchestra was cut to thirty pieces when the funding dried up._
11. A shoddy or worthless object, especially a consumer product like a vehicle or appliance; a clipping of 'piece of crap.' *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: A badly made or useless thing, often a car or machine that keeps breaking.
   - _The mechanic shook his head and said the truck was a piece._
   - _We got the used truck for almost nothing, and it turned out to be a total piece; the transmission died within a month._
12. A distance, especially a fairly considerable one between two places. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A fairly long distance to walk or travel.
   - _It's a fair piece from here to the next gas station._
   - _They drove a good piece before stopping for lunch._
13. Partial or glancing contact with a pitched ball that fails to drive it well, often producing a foul ball or an easy out.
   - Simple: Weak or partial contact with a pitched ball, often making it go foul or get caught.
   - _She got a piece of the curveball but lifted it for an easy out._
   - _He got just a piece of the fastball, sending it foul down the line._
14. A sexual encounter; a vulgar usage derived from 'piece of ass' or 'piece of tail.' *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: A casual sexual encounter, named in a crude and offensive way.
   - _He spent all night at the bar trying to get a piece and went home alone._
   - _After three months on the oil rig, all the guys could talk about was getting a piece when they got back to town._
15. A quantity equal to one ounce of a recreational drug. *(slang)*
   - Simple: An ounce of an illegal drug, bought or sold in one lot.
   - _He couldn't afford a whole piece, so he and two friends pooled their money and split the ounce three ways._
   - _Prosecutors said he was moving four pieces of heroin a week, a quarter pound in all, out of a rented garage._
16. A handheld pipe used for smoking cannabis. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A small pipe used for smoking marijuana.
   - _He cleaned the resin out of his glass piece before refilling the bowl._
   - _They passed the piece around the circle, packing it again each time._
17. A toupee or wig, particularly one worn by a man. *(colloquial, Canada, US)*
   - Simple: A wig or hairpiece, especially one worn by a man.
   - _The actor's piece looked so natural that no one guessed he was balding._
   - _He never left the house without his piece firmly covering his thinning hair._
19. A bit of bread, such as a slice, eaten by itself, or a sandwich or other light snack. *(dialectal, Ireland, Scotland)*
   - Simple: A slice of bread eaten by itself, or a small snack or sandwich.
   - _The workers took their pieces outside to eat during the break._
   - _She spread thick butter on a piece for the hungry boy._
22. A pacifier given to a baby to suck on for comfort. *(US)*
   - Simple: A rubber or plastic object that a baby sucks on to stay calm.
23. A structured practice row, often used to evaluate a crew's performance.
   - Simple: A set practice row used to test how well rowers perform.
   - _The eight rowed a twenty-minute piece at race pace._
   - _Coaches compared each rower's splits across several pieces._

## Verb

5. To make, assemble, or mend something by joining pieces together or adding pieces, as in piecing together a story or piecing a quilt.
   - Simple: To make or fix something by putting pieces together or adding pieces.
   - _Working from scraps of her children's outgrown clothes, she pieced a quilt for her first grandchild._
   - _Investigators worked to piece the events into a coherent account._
20. To eat small amounts of food between meals; to snack or nibble. *(dialectal, US)*
   - Simple: To eat small bits of food between meals.
   - _Grandpa would piece all morning rather than sit down to a real meal._
   - _The children pieced between chores instead of waiting for supper._
21. To create a work of graffiti more elaborate than a simple tag. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To paint a large, detailed work of graffiti, not just a quick signature.
   - _He spent most nights piecing freight trains in the rail yard, covering whole cars in bright, interlocking letters._
   - _Writers who piece illegally still risk heavy fines._

## Noun

18. A person, especially one regarded with contempt or dismissal. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A person, often talked about in an unkind or insulting way.
   - _"She's a forward piece and will come to no good," the housekeeper muttered as the new governess swept past._
   - _Everyone in the village knew her as a scheming piece._
24. A castle or other fortified building, especially a stronghold. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A castle or other strong, fortified building.

## Origin

The word came from Middle English pece, from Old French piece, from Late Latin petia. It possibly goes back to a Gaulish word from Proto-Celtic meaning "piece" or "portion." It is related to French pièce, Spanish pieza, and Italian pezzo.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/piece (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).