Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for PIECE
PIECE, n. [Fr. pièce; It. pezzo; Sp. pieza; Port. peça; Ir. piosa; Arm. pez. If the elements of this word are Bz, it may be from the Heb. Ch. Syr. and Ar. בצע, to cut off or clip.]
- 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, &c.; a piece of a rock; a piece of paper.
- A part of any thing, though not separated, or separated only in idea; not the whole; a portion; as, a piece of excellent knowledge. – Tillotson.
- 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.
- 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.
- A composition, essay or writing of no great length; as, a piece of poetry or prose; a piece of music.
- A separate performance; a distinct portion of labor; as, a piece of work.
- A picture or painting. If unnatural, the finest colors are hot daubing, and the piece is a beautiful monster at the best. – Dryden.
- A coin; as, a piece of eight.
- 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.
- In heraldry, an ordinary or charge. The fess, the bend, the pale, the bar, the cross, the saltier, the chevron are called honorable pieces.
- In ridicule or contempt. A piece of a lawyer is a smatterer.
- A castle; a building. [Not in use.] – Spenser. 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. – Dryden.
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