pier

See also: Pier and píer

English

Etymology

Night Scene of Pier 9, Central Piers, Hong Kong

A small pier at a campsite in Canada

From Middle English pere (“bridge pillar”), from Medieval Latin pera, from Old Northern French pire (“breakwater”), from Vulgar Latin *petricus, from Latin petra, from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra, “stone”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɪə(ɹ)/
• (General American) enPR: pîr, IPA^(key): /pɪɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
• Homophone: peer

Noun

pier (plural piers)

1. 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.

2. A similar structure, especially at a seaside resort, used to provide entertainment.

   There is a gaming arcade on the pier.

   • 2023 March 22, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Island Line to reopen to Ryde Pier in June... possibly”, in RAIL, number 979, page 24:

     Ryde Pier's claim to fame is being the world's oldest seaside pleasure pier, with construction starting in 1813.

3. A structure supporting the junction between two spans of a bridge.
   • 1961 January, “Talking of Trains: The Severn Bridge disaster”, in Trains Illustrated, page 5:

     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.

4. (architecture) A rectangular pillar, or similar structure, that supports an arch, wall or roof, or the hinges of a gate.

Derived terms

• abutment pier
• Brighton pier
• chain pier
• end-of-pier
• end-of-the-pier
• finger pier
• pier glass
• pierless
• pierlike
• pier table
• rocking pier
• take a long walk off a short pier
• take a long walk on a short pier
• you don't fish off the company pier

 

Translations

raised platform built from the shore out over water

• Arabic: رَصِيف m (raṣīf)
• Armenian: պիրս (pirs), կառանացից (hy) (kaṙanacʻicʻ)
• Azerbaijani: iskele, pirs
• Belarusian: пры́стань f (prýstanʹ), пірс m (pirs)
• Bengali: জেটি (bn) (jeṭi)
• Bulgarian: при́стан (bg) m (prístan), кей (bg) m (kej)
• Burmese: ဆိပ် (my) (hcip)
• Catalan: moll (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 碼頭／码头 (zh) (mǎtóu)

• Czech: molo (cs) n
• Danish: mole (da) c
• Dutch: pier (nl) m
• Esperanto: piero
• Estonian: kai (et)
• Finnish: laituri (fi)
• French: jetée (fr) f
• Galician: peirao (gl) m, peirau m
• Georgian: პირსი (ṗirsi), ნავმისადგომი (ka) (navmisadgomi)
• German: Seebrücke (de) f, Anlegestelle (de) f, Kai (de) m
• Greek: μώλος (el) m (mólos), αποβάθρα (el) f (apováthra)
• Hebrew: מֵזַח (he) m (mézakh)
• Hindi: घाट (hi) m (ghāṭ)
• Hungarian: móló (hu)
• Icelandic: bryggja f
• Irish: cé f
• Italian: pontile (it) m, imbarcadero (it) m, molo (it) m
• Japanese: 桟橋 (ja) (さんばし, sanbashi), 波止場 (ja) (はとば, hatoba), 埠頭 (ja) (ふとう, futō)
• Kalmyk: пирстн (pirstn)
• Kazakh: пирс (pirs)
• Khmer: តីរវិថី (km) (təyraʔviʔtʰəy)
• Korean: 교각 (ko) (gyogak), 부두 (ko) (budu)
• Kyrgyz: пирс (pirs)
• Lao: ທ່າ (thā)
• Latin: mōlēs f
• Latvian: piestātne f, mols m
• Ligurian: meu m
• Lithuanian: molas m, pirsas (lt) m
• Macedonian: при́стан m (prístan), мост m (most)
• Norman: cauchie f (Guernsey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: brygge (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: brygge f, bryggje f

• Persian: اسکله (fa) (eskele)
• Polish: pomost (pl) m, molo (pl) n
• Portuguese: píer (pt) m, cais (pt) m
• Russian: при́стань (ru) f (prístanʹ), пирс (ru) m (pirs), прича́л (ru) m (pričál), мол (ru) m (mol)
• Scottish Gaelic: laimrig f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: пристаниште n

  Roman: pristanište (sh) n

• Slovak: mólo n
• Spanish: muelle (es) m, embarcadero m, malecón (es) m
• Swedish: brygga (sv) c, pir (sv)
• Tagalog: piyer
• Tajik: бандар (bandar), искала (iskala)
• Thai: ท่า (th) (tâa)
• Turkish: iskele (tr)
• Ukrainian: при́стань f (prýstanʹ), пірс (uk) m (pirs)
• Urdu: گھاٹ m (ghāṭ)
• Uzbek: pirs (uz), pristan (uz), iskala
• Vietnamese: bến tàu (vi)
• Walloon: djetêye (wa) f
• Welsh: pier (cy) m
• Yiddish: דאָק m (dok), מאָל m (mol)

similar structure used to provide entertainment

• Dutch: pier (nl) m
• Finnish: laituri (fi)
• French: jetée (fr) f
• Japanese: 桟橋 (ja) (さんばし, sanbashi)
• Polish: molo (pl) n
• Swedish: brygga (sv)
• Welsh: pier (cy) m

structure used to accommodate ships

• Bulgarian: пристан (bg) m (pristan)
• Finnish: laituri (fi)
• French: ponton (fr) m
• Polish: pirs (pl) m
• Scottish Gaelic: laimrig f
• Swedish: pir (sv), brygga (sv)

structure supporting the junction between two spans of a bridge

• Bulgarian: опора (bg) f (opora)
• Czech: pilíř (cs) m
• Dutch: pijler (nl) m
• Esperanto: piero
• Finnish: pilari (fi)
• French: pile (fr) f
• German: Brückenpfeiler (de) m
• Italian: pilastro (it) m, pontile (it) m
• Japanese: 橋脚 (ja) (きょうきゃく, kyōkyaku)
• Korean: 교각 (ko) (gyogak)
• Norwegian: brupilar
• Polish: filar (pl) m
• Portuguese: pilar (pt) m
• Russian: сва́я (ru) f (svája), бык (ru) m (byk)
• Spanish: pilar (de puente) m
• Swedish: bropelare c
• Walloon: pilasse (wa) f, pilé (wa) m

rectangular pillar, or similar structure, that supports an arch, wall or roof

• Bulgarian: коло́на (bg) f (kolóna), стълб (bg) m (stǎlb)
• Finnish: pilari (fi)
• French: pilier (fr) m
• German: Pfeiler (de) m
• Irish: piara m
• Italian: pilastro (it) m
• Japanese: 柱 (ja) (はしら, hashira)
• Korean: 교각 (ko) (gyogak)
• Polish: filar (pl) m
• Portuguese: pilastra (pt) f
• Russian: столб (ru) m (stolb), просте́нок (ru) m (prosténok)
• Spanish: pilar (es) m
• Swedish: pelare (sv)
• Walloon: pilé (wa) m, pilasse (wa) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} ბურჯი (burǯi)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 교각 (ko) (gyogak)

See also

• jetty
• mole
• wharf

Anagrams

• Peri, peri, peri-, prie, ripe

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ir

• audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch pier, probably from the name Pierre.

Noun

pier m (plural pieren, diminutive piertje n)

1. (zoology) A worm, earthworm (in Flanders)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English pier.

Noun

pier m (plural pieren, diminutive piertje n)

1. (architecture) A pier, jetty

Derived terms

• wandelpier

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: pir

See also

• aanlegsteiger
• golfbreker
• hoofd
• steiger

Etymology 3

Unknown; Flanders only

Alternative forms

• piere (obsolete)

Noun

pier m (plural pieren, diminutive piertje n)

1. (archaic) A physical trap
2. (archaic) A figurative trap, ambush
3. (archaic) A place one is trapped in:
   1. a prison
   2. a rabbit den

Derived terms

• pieren
• (trap types) steenpier(e), vliegepier(e)
• pierkoorde

Verb

pier

1. inflection of pieren:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. imperative

References

• M. J. Koenen & J. Endepols, Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (tevens Vreemde-woordentolk), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1969 (26th edition) [Dutch dictionary in Dutch]

Anagrams

• prei
• riep

Latin

Verb

pier

1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of piō

Middle English

Noun

pier

1. Alternative form of pere (“peer”)

Adjective

pier

1. Alternative form of pere (“equal”)

Romanian

Verb

pier

1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of pieri

Romansch

Alternative forms

• biera (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader)

Noun

pier f (plural piers)

1. (Sutsilvan) beer, ale

Synonyms

• gervosa

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pi̯er]

Noun

pier

1. genitive plural of pero
2. genitive plural of pera