piercing
[ peer-sing ]
/ ˈpɪər sɪŋ /
adjective
loud or shrill, as the quality of a voice.
extremely cold or bitter: a piercing wind.
appearing to gaze deeply or penetratingly into something: piercing eyes.
perceptive or aware; acute: a piercing mind.
sarcastic or caustic; cutting: piercing remarks.
OTHER WORDS FROM piercing
pierc·ing·ly, adverb pierc·ing·ness, noun un·pierc·ing, adjectiveWords nearby piercing
pier glass,
pier table,
pierce,
pierce's disease,
pierced,
piercing,
piercing saw,
piercy,
pierhead,
pieria,
pierian
Definition for piercing (2 of 2)
pierce
[ peers ]
/ pɪərs /
verb (used with object), pierced, pierc·ing.
verb (used without object), pierced, pierc·ing.
to force or make a way into or through something; penetrate: to pierce to the heart.
Origin of pierce
1250–1300; Middle English
percen < Old French
perc(i)er < Vulgar Latin
*pertūsiāre, verbal derivative of Latin
pertūsus, past participle of
pertundere to bore a hole through, perforate, equivalent to
per-
per- +
tundere to strike, beat
synonym study for pierce
1.
Pierce,
penetrate suggest the action of one object passing through another or making a way through and into another. The terms are used both concretely and figuratively. To
pierce is to perforate quickly, as by stabbing; it suggests the use of a sharp, pointed instrument which is impelled by force:
to pierce the flesh with a knife; a scream pierces one's ears.
Penetrate suggests a slow or difficult movement:
No ordinary bullet can penetrate an elephant's hide; to penetrate the depths of one's ignorance.
OTHER WORDS FROM pierce
pierce·a·ble, adjective pierc·er, noun un·pierce·a·ble, adjectiveExample sentences from the Web for piercing
British Dictionary definitions for piercing (1 of 3)
piercing
/ (ˈpɪəsɪŋ) /
adjective
(of a sound) sharp and shrill
(of eyes or a look) intense and penetrating
(of an emotion) strong and deeply affecting
(of cold or wind) intense or biting
noun
the art or practice of piercing body parts for the insertion of jewellery
an instance of the piercing of a body part
Derived forms of piercing
piercingly, adverbBritish Dictionary definitions for piercing (2 of 3)
pierce
/ (pɪəs) /
verb (mainly tr)
Derived forms of pierce
pierceable, adjective piercer, nounWord Origin for pierce
C13
percen, from Old French
percer, ultimately from Latin
pertundere, from
per through +
tundere to strike
British Dictionary definitions for piercing (3 of 3)
Pierce
/ (pɪəs) /
noun
Franklin. 1804–69, US statesman; 14th president of the US (1853–57)