pier

Night Scene of Pier 9, Central Piers, Hong Kong

A small pier at a campsite in Canada

From Middle English pere (“bridge pillar”), from Medieval Latin pera, from Old Northern French pira (“breakwater”), from Vulgar Latin *petricus, from Latin petra.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɪə/
• (General American) enPR: pîr, IPA^(key): /piɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
• Homophone: peer

pier (plural piers)

1. A raised platform built from the shore out over water, supported on piles; used to secure, or provide access to shipping; a jetty.
2. A similar structure, especially at a seaside resort, used to provide entertainment.
3. (US, nautical) A structure that projects tangentially from the shoreline to accommodate ships; often double-sided.
4. A structure supporting the junction between two spans of a bridge.
5. (architecture) A rectangular pillar, or similar structure, that supports an arch, wall or roof, or the hinges of a gate.

• jetty
• mole
• wharf

• Peri, peri, peri-, prie, ripe

• Rhymes: -ir

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From Middle Dutch pier, probably from the name Pierre.

pier m (plural pieren, diminutive piertje n)

1. (zoology) A worm, earthworm (in Flanders)

Borrowed from English pier.

pier m (plural pieren, diminutive piertje n)

1. (architecture) A pier, jetty

• wandelpier

• aanlegsteiger
• golfbreker
• hoofd
• steiger

Unknown; Flanders only

• piere (obsolete)

pier m (plural pieren, diminutive piertje n)

1. (archaic) A physical trap
2. (archaic) A figurative trap, ambush
3. (archaic) A place one is trapped in:
   1. a prison
   2. a rabbit den

• pieren
• (trap types) steenpier(e), vliegepier(e)
• pierkoorde

pier

1. first-person singular present indicative of pieren
2. imperative of pieren

• M. J. Koenen & J. Endepols, Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (tevens Vreemde-woordentolk), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1969 (26th edition) [Dutch dictionary in Dutch]

• prei
• riep

pier

1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of piō

pier

1. Alternative form of pere (“peer”)

pier

1. Alternative form of pere (“equal”)

pier

1. first-person singular present indicative of pieri
2. first-person singular present subjunctive of pieri

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) biera

pier f (plural piers)

1. (Sutsilvan) beer, ale

• gervosa