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Added 9 October 2026

pierce

/pɪɹs/ verb

In Latin: transigō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pierce at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To puncture; to break through.
The diver pierced the surface of the water with scarcely a splash.
To create a hole in the skin for the purpose of inserting jewelry.
Can you believe he pierced his tongue?
to break or interrupt abruptly
A dreadful scream pierced the silence.

noun

A piercing.

noun

A pierced earring.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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