pier
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
pier
- /pɪə/ UK
- /pɪː/ British, Southern, Standard
- /pɪjə/ British, Southern, Standard
- /pɪɹ/ US
- /piɾ/ Scotland
- /pɛː/
Sounds like peer, pair, pare, pear (all cheer–chair merger) · Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English pere (“bridge pillar, breakwater”), from either Anglo-Norman pere (“stone”, from Latin petra) or Old French *piere (Old Northern French pire, from either Late Latin *petricus or pēra "satchel"); compare Medieval Latin pira.
noun piers
- A raised platform built from the shore out over water, supported on piles; used to secure, or provide access to shipping; a jetty. Your boat is docked at the pier.
- A similar structure, especially at a seaside resort, used to provide entertainment. There is a gaming arcade on the pier.
- A structure supporting the junction between two spans of a bridge. The force of the explosion demolished one pair of piers and two spans of the bridge crashed down into the river on top of the barges.
- A rectangular pillar, or similar structure, that supports an arch, wall or roof, or the hinges of a gate.
- A long corridor-like building with multiple gates extending from an airport terminal. The new £216m pier will be used by all airlines currently operating out of T2, with more and more flights gradually moving over to the new pier once it becomes fully operational.
