/pees/ , n. , v. , pieced, piecing .
n.
1. a separate or limited portion or quantity of something: a piece of land; a piece of chocolate.
2. a quantity of some substance or material forming a single mass or body: a nice piece of lumber.
3. a more or less definite portion or quantity of a whole: to cut a blueberry pie into six pieces.
4. a particular length, as of certain goods prepared for the market: cloth sold by the piece.
5. an amount of work forming a single job: to be paid by the piece and not by the hour.
6. an example of workmanship, esp. of artistic production, as a picture or a statue: The museum has some interesting pieces by Picasso.
7. a literary composition, usually short, in prose or verse.
8. a literary selection for recitation: Each child had a chance to recite a piece.
9. a musical composition.
10. one of the parts that, when assembled, form a whole: the pieces of a clock.
11. an individual article of a set or collection: a set of dishes containing 100 pieces.
12. Chess , Checkers.
a. one of the figures, disks, blocks, or the like, of wood, ivory, or other material, used in playing, as on a board or table.
b. (in chess) a superior man, as distinguished from a pawn: to take a rook, a bishop, and other pieces.
13. a token, charm, or amulet: a good-luck piece.
14. an individual thing of a particular class or kind: a piece of furniture; a piece of drawing paper.
15. an example, specimen, or instance of something: a fine piece of workmanship.
16. one of the parts into which a thing is destructively divided or broken; a part, fragment, or shred: to tear a letter into pieces.
17. Mil.
a. a soldier's rifle, pistol, etc.
b. a cannon or other unit of ordnance: field piece.
18. a coin: a five-cent piece.
19. Midland and Southern U.S. a distance: I'm going down the road a piece.
20. Chiefly North Midland U.S. a snack.
21. Also called piece of ass . Slang ( vulgar ).
a. coitus.
b. a person considered as a partner in coitus.
22. give someone a piece of one's mind . See mind (def. 20).
23. go to pieces ,
a. to break into fragments.
b. to lose control of oneself; become emotionally or physically upset: When he flunked out of medical school he went to pieces.
24. of a piece , of the same kind; harmonious; consistent. Also, of one piece .
25. piece of the action . See action (def. 22).
26. speak one's piece , to express one's opinion; reveal one's thoughts upon a subject: I decided to speak my piece whether they liked it or not.
v.t.
27. to mend (a garment, article, etc.) by adding, joining, or applying a piece or pieces; patch.
28. to complete, enlarge, or extend by an added piece or something additional (often fol. by out ): to piece out a library with new books.
29. to make by or as if by joining pieces (often fol. by together ): to piece a quilt; to piece together a musical program.
30. to join together, as pieces or parts: to piece together the fragments of a broken dish.
31. to join as a piece or addition to something: to piece new wire into the cable.
32. to assemble into a meaningful whole by combining available facts, information, details, etc.: He pieced the story together after a lot of effort.
v.i.
33. Chiefly North Midland U.S. to eat small portions of food between meals; snack.
[ 1175-1225; ME pece pettia; akin to Breton pez piece, Welsh, Cornish peth thing ]
Syn. 1. section, segment, scrap, fragment. See part. 28. augment.
Ant. 1. whole.