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Origin and history of pierce

pierce(v.)

c. 1300 (c. 1200 as a surname), percen, "make a hole in; force one's way through; thrust through with or as with a sharp or pointed instrument," from Anglo-French perser, Old French percier "pierce, transfix, drive through" (12c., Modern French percer), probably from Vulgar Latin *pertusiare, frequentative of Latin pertusus, past participle of pertundere "to thrust or bore through," from per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + tundere "to beat, pound," from PIE *tund-, from root *(s)teu- "to push, strike, knock, beat, thrust" (see obtuse). Related: Pierced; piercing.

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to pierce

obtuse(adj.)

early 15c., "dull, blunted, not sharp," from Latin obtusus "blunted, dull," also used figuratively, past participle of obtundere "to beat against, make dull," from ob "in front of; against" (see ob-) + tundere "to beat," from PIE *(s)tud-e- "to beat, strike, push, thrust," from root *(s)teu- "to push, stick, knock, beat" (source also of Latin tudes "hammer," Sanskrit tudati "he thrusts"). Sense of "stupid, not acutely sensitive or perceptive" is by c. 1500. In geometry, in reference to a plane angle greater than a right angle," 1560s. Related: Obtusely; obtuseness.

pierced(adj.)

"penetrated, entered by force, perforated," c. 1400, past-participle adjective from pierce (v.).

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thrill
early 14c., "to pierce, penetrate," metathesis of Old English þyrlian "to perforate, pierce," from þyrel "hole" (in Middle...Meaning "give a shivering, exciting feeling" is first recorded 1590s, via metaphoric notion of "pierce with emotion."...
pink
c. 1200, pungde "to pierce, puncture, stab with a pointed weapon," later (early 14c.)...horse," of uncertain origin; perhaps from a nasalized form of the Romanic stem that also yielded French piquer "to prick, pierce...Or perhaps from Old English pyngan and directly from its source, Latin pungere "to prick, pierce" (from suffixed form of...
transfix
1580s, "pierce through, impale," from French transfixer (15c.), from Latin transfixus "impaled," past participle of transfigere..."to impale, pierce through," from trans "across, beyond; through" (see trans-) + figere "to fix, fasten" (from PIE root...
broach
"to pierce," mid-14c., from Old French brochier "to spur," also "to penetrate sexually" (12c., Modern French brocher), from...To broach a cask is to pierce it for the purpose of drawing off the liquor, and hence, metaphorically, to broach a business...
pungent
originally figurative, of pain or grief, from Latin pungentem (nominative pungens), present participle of pungere "to prick, pierce...Middle English and early Modern English also had a now-obsolete verb punge "to prick, pierce; to smart, cause to sting,"...
pike
with a long shaft and a pointed metal head," 1510s, from French pique "a spear; pikeman," from piquer "to pick, puncture, pierce...An alternative explanation traces the Old French word (via Vulgar Latin *piccare "to prick, pierce") to Latin picus "woodpecker...
epigraph
inscription on a building, statue, etc.," from Greek epigraphē "an inscription," from epigraphein "to mark the surface, just pierce...
impress
late 14c., "have a strong effect on the mind or heart, to stamp deeply in the mind," from Latin impressus, past participle of imprimere "press into or upon, stamp," also figurative, from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + premere "to press, ho
horn
Old English horn "horn of an animal; projection, pinnacle," also "wind instrument" (originally one made from animal horns), from Proto-Germanic *hurni- (source also of German Horn, Dutch horen, Old Frisian horn, Gothic haurn), from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head." Late 14c. as "o
recipe
1580s, "medical prescription, a formula for the composing of a remedy written by a physician," from French récipé (15c.), from Latin recipe "take!" (this or that ingredient), second person imperative singular of recipere "to hold, contain" (see receive). It was the word written b

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