Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - piece

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *pettia, of Gaulish origin; akin to Welsh peth thing  Date: 13th century  1. a part of a whole: as  a. fragment ~s of broken glass  b. any of the individual members comprising a unit — often used in combination a five-~ band a three-~ suit  c. portion, allocation a ~ of the jackpot  2. an object or individual regarded as a unit of a kind or class a ~ of fruit  3. a usually unspecified distance down the road a ~  4. a standard quantity (as of length, weight, or size) in which something is made or sold  5. a literary, journalistic, artistic, dramatic, or musical composition  6. firearm  7. coin; also token  8. a movable object used in playing a board game; specifically a chessman other than a pawn  9. opinion, view spoke his ~  10.  a. usually vulgar an act of copulation  b. usually vulgar the female partner in sexual intercourse  11. instance, example silly ~ of nonsense a nice ~ of acting  Synonyms: see part  II. transitive verb  (~d; piecing)  Date: 15th century  1. to repair, renew, or complete by adding ~s ; patch  2. to join into a whole — often used with together his new book…has been ~d together from talks — Merle Miller  • ~r noun