v.
- make a hole in or through with a sharp pointed object.
- force or cut a way through:
a shrill voice pierced the air.
-
[as adj. piercing]
very sharp, cold, or high-pitched.
▸very astute or intelligent.
Derivative
- piercer n.
- piercingly adv.
Etymology
ME: from OFr. percer, based on L. pertus-, pertundere ‘bore through’.