Where does “pier” come from?

Pier comes from Middle English pere, from Old French per, from Latin pirum, originally meaning a pear fruit, later extended to a structure resembling a pear's shape.

pier (English): A raised platform built from the shore out over...

Definitions

  1. A raised platform built from the shore out over...

Ancestry of “pier”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishpereA pear; A thing of little import or worth; A...
2Medieval Latinperabag, satchel; wallet; scrip
3Old Northern Frenchpire
4Latinpetricus
5Latinpetrastone, rock
6Ancient Greekπέτραrock formation: cliff, ledge, cave, ridge; stone

Words derived from “pier

Every word from Ancient Greek πέτρα
pier — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer