Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pierce” come from?

Pierce comes from Middle English perce, from Latin pertusus, the past participle of perendere, meaning to thrust or bore through.

pierce (English): to puncture; to break through; to create a hole...

Definitions

  1. to puncture; to break through; to create a hole...

Ancestry of “pierce”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpercepierce
2Old Frenchpercierto pierce
3Latinpertusiāre—
4Latinpertūsus—
5Latinpertunderesecond-person singular future passive indicative...
6LatinpertundoI bore through, perforate
7LatintundoI beat, strike, buffet; I pound, bruise, crush,...
8Proto-Italictundōbeat, strike
9Proto-Indo-European(s)tewd-to push, to hit
10Proto-Indo-Europeanstew-to praise, laud

Words derived from “pierce”

  • piercing
  • piercingly
  • piercer
  • pierceth
  • transpierce
  • piercest
  • unpierceable
  • pierceable
  • piercingness
  • piercement
  • piercee
  • empierce
  • impierceable
  • impierce
  • ear-piercing
  • pirsin
  • piercing
  • пирсинг
  • piercing
  • piercing
  • pírcing
  • ピアス
  • piercen
  • piercing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European stew- →