Piers
/pɪərz/noun
Plural of pier, a structure extending into water or a support for a bridge or building.
Did you know?The English word *pier* was borrowed from Old French *pierre* meaning “stone,” so the word’s earliest sense is tied to solid masonry rather than the seaside structure we picture today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to produce, strike, or press forward; a root behind several words for stone and support through later branches”
Latin
Latin
petra
“rock, stone”
Old French
Old French
pierre
“stone”
Middle English
English
pier
“a pillar, support, or stone structure”
Modern English
English
pier
“a structure built out into water or a supporting post; plural: piers”