piercen.
/pɪəs/, U.S. /pɪ(ə)rs/ The act or process of piercing (literal and figurative); penetration. Also: a hole made by piercing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > a hole bored, pierced, or perforated > made with a sharp-pointed instrument
pierce1583
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > [noun] > by boring, piercing, or perforating > with sharp-pointed instrument
stickingeOE
stabbingc1425
steeking1488
jobbinga1578
spitting1623
probing1665
impunction1712
spiking1775
skewering1794
jagging1815
pierce1820
eyelet holing1845
1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) sig. L This angrie bleeding with the pearce of my propositions, and with your owne maliciousnes, for the griefe of your ouerthrowe, will be well inoughe staunched with the legge of a Rabbet.
c1665 R. Pratt Note-bk. in R. T. Gunther Archit. Sir Roger Pratt (1928) 229 What difference in ye workman himself, between his laying brick when he stands upon the ground, when he works upon scaffolds, makes perses between windows, doors etc.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 89/2 Pearses.., the holes in the [horse] shooe.
1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 66 Like a lance, Waking an Indian from his cloudy hall With cruel pierce.
1851 Harper's Mag. Sept. 470/2 It had been soaring at an elevation far beyond the pierce of human vision.
1986 G. Bradley Terms to be Met 21 The instant of our understanding, its massive impact Faster than shutter speed, like the pierce of emotion.
1991 Here's Health Jan. 26/2 Fay's eyes are blue and intense with the penetrating pierce used by headmistresses.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
piercev.
/pɪəs/, U.S. /pɪ(ə)rs/α. Middle English peerse, Middle English percer (transmission error), Middle English percie, Middle English percy, Middle English pers, Middle English persee, Middle English persse, Middle English perte (transmission error), Middle English–1500s parse, Middle English–1500s peerce, Middle English–1500s peers, Middle English–1500s perce, Middle English–1500s perse, 1500s ypeircest (past participle, pseudo-archaic), 1500s–1600s pearce, 1500s–1600s pearse, 1500s–1600s pierse, 1500s–1700s peirce, 1500s– pierce, 1600s perst (past participle); Scottish pre-1700 pairse, pre-1700 pearce, pre-1700 pearcse, pre-1700 pearse, pre-1700 peirce, pre-1700 peirs, pre-1700 peirse, pre-1700 peirss, pre-1700 perce, pre-1700 perrs, pre-1700 pers, pre-1700 perse, pre-1700 perss, pre-1700 peyrse, pre-1700 pierse, 1800s pairce.
β. Middle English peresche, Middle English peressh, Middle English perische, Middle English perissche, Middle English perisse, Middle English perissh, Middle English perisshe, Middle English persch, Middle English persche, Middle English pershe, Middle English persshe, Middle English perys, Middle English perysse, Middle English peryssh, Middle English–1500s perch, Middle English–1500s perche, Middle English–1500s perishe, Middle English–1500s perryssh, Middle English–1500s peryshe, Middle English–1500s perysshe, 1500s perish, 1500s–1600s pearch; English regional (chiefly northern) 1800s– peach, 1800s– pearch, 1800s– peeach, 1800s– peerch, 1800s– perch.
1. † b. intransitive. To project or jut out sharply. Obsolete. rare.
a. intransitive. To penetrate; to pass or break through or into something, esp. as or in the manner of a sharp-pointed object; (also occasionally) to travel or make one's way through or into. Frequently with through, into, to, etc. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come in [verb (intransitive)] > penetrate
wade993
smitec1275
reachc1300
piercea1325
sinkc1330
enterc1350
soundc1374
thirl1398
racea1420
takea1425
penetrate1530
penetre?1533
ransack1562
strike1569
thread1670
raze1677
perforate1769
spit1850
riddle1856
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > become or make perforated [verb (intransitive)] > make (a) hole(s) > with something sharp > as a sharp instrument
biteOE
rivec1275
piercea1325
thringc1330
soundc1374
thirlc1374
lancec1400
racea1420
entail1590
empierce1797
stab1897
a1325 St. Michael (Corpus Cambr.) 536 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 419 (MED) Þat fur up anhei þat bi þe cloude is itend, Hit goþeleþ in þe water cloude as it þoru out went..Wanne þe fur perseþ þoru out, þat is þe leiting.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 85 Som of þe Iewes parsed [v.rr. perside; presede] among oþere and come with ynne þe paleys gate.
c1395 G. Chaucer Squire's Tale 237 The swerd..wolde percen [v.r. perissh] thurgh out euery thyng.
c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 71 (MED) Þis maner of oile..of his actual heete..persiþ to þe ground of þe wounde.
a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) 2965 Thorough owt ye harnes persid ye spere.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 118 It is..as commendable to pearce to the bone, as to pare the skinne.
1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill 9 They haue not pearst into the maine lande.
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre iii. xiii. 130 King Richard..intended to pierce through Germanie by land, the next way home.
1698 J. Keill Exam. Theory Earth (1734) 241 It is suppos'd..that..the heat of the Sun must have peirced thro' the Crust of the Earth, and reached the Abyss.
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 94 My Lord Craven..pierced in with us, fighting gallantly in the Breach.
1797 Encycl. Brit. XI. 343/1 The long round worms..often pierce through the stomach and intestines.
1826 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 19 393 How pretty had it been to dally for a few passes, and then, unparryable as the Chevalier St. George, to pierce through heart and back.
1867 Times 10 Dec. 5/5 Amid this struggle of the two elements..could be seen piercing through its crevices a hungry tongue of flame.
1906 Geogr. Jrnl. 27 489 One of those exceptional days, when fog lies thick below and the summit pierces through into blue skies.
1992 Harrowsmith Aug. 66/3 The nail curved down the centre of the board rather than piercing through the other side.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > sharp unevenness > project as sharp prominence [verb (intransitive)]
beaka1549
point1612
tongue1856
pierce1872
spike1958
1872 W. Black Strange Adventures Phaeton II. xxi. 126 Near at hand, there were..narrow promontories, piercing out into the water.
2.
a. transitive. To penetrate or pass through or into (something), esp. as or in the manner of a sharp-pointed object; to run through or thrust into (a person or thing) with a sharp-pointed instrument; to stab, prick, or puncture. Frequently with a prepositional phrase indicating the site of the piercing or with through. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed
shearOE
sting993
stickOE
spita1225
wound?c1225
stitchc1230
pitcha1275
threstc1275
forprick1297
steekc1300
piercec1325
rivec1330
dag?a1400
jag?a1400
lancec1400
pickc1400
tamec1400
forpierce1413
punch1440
launch1460
thringc1485
empiercec1487
to-pierce1488
joba1500
ding1529
stob?1530
probe1542
enthrill1563
inthirlc1580
cloy1590
burt1597
pink1597
lancinate1603
perterebrate1623
puncture1675
spike1687
skiver1832
bepierce1840
gimlet1841
prong1848
javelin1859
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed > pierce or penetrate as a sharp thing
biteOE
delve?c1225
attamec1314
piercec1325
thrillc1330
ficche1388
traverse1477
through1578
splinter1821
stab1897
α.
β. c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) 5301 Þe nayles three, & þe croune, þat perschede cryst on ys passyoune.c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvii. 189 Were þe myddel of myn honde ymaymed or ypersshed [v.rr. ypersed, I-perisshed, y-perissed, perished].a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xv. 415 (MED) Thre hornes..So trenchaunt An scharpe were..they wolden perschen bothe Irne & steel.a1500 (a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 348 (MED) Feiþ..is so þynne, & eke liȝt to perische wiþ dart by sauȝt of þin enemye.?1511 Treat. Joseph of Armathy (de Worde) sig. Av His..handes & feet perysshed with the spere and nayles.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 9019 (MED) Þei it ne percede noȝt þat yre, þat blod vaste adoun drou.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. 451 I telle him schent, If he mai perce him with his tunge.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 3675 Þe thinnest was a nynche thicke quen þai ware þurȝe persed.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xiv. 292 Scottis men..With speris perssit thar armyng.
?c1500 Killing of Children (Digby) 99 I shall not spare..with sharpe sword to perse them all bare.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 9477 Paris..Waited the wegh in his wit ouer, In what plase of his person to perse of his wede.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 v. iii. 56 If Percy be aliue, ile pierce him; if hee doe come in my way. View more context for this quotation
1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 125 Piercing the king of Scots through the eie.
1650 J. Lamont Diary (1830) 13 For bearing false witnes..his tounge pearced with a hott iyron.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Pierced Among Farrier, To pierce a horse's shoe lean, is to pierce it too near the Edge of the Iron.—To pierce it fat is to pierce it further in.
1779 J. Wilkes Corr. (1805) V. 208 Not infrequently a ray of truth pierces the Stygian gloom.
1827 Times 18 Sept. 3/3 Its back-bone had actually pierced the skin.
1840 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece VII. lvii. 216 Neoptolemus..pierced him in the groin.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Enid in Idylls of King 6 Could I so stand by, And see my dear lord..pierced to death?
1928 N. Stevenson Afr. Harvest 279 A sort of curried meat, pierced through with a skewer.
1991 T. Mo Redundancy of Courage (1992) xv. 169 Sharpened to a needle-point, it would pierce the sole of a combat boot with the ease of a Q-tip going into Vaseline.
b. transitive. In extended use. Of cold, a noise, light, etc.: to have an intense physical effect suggestive of the action of a sharp-pointed instrument; to penetrate with force or sharpness. Also occasionally intransitive. Cf. piercing adj. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > coldness > make cold [verb (transitive)] > nip or pierce (of cold)
piercec1387
nip1548
bite1552
sneap1598
nirl1808
c1387–95 G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. 2 Whan that Aprille with hise shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote.
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 242 (MED) Þis liȝt þat cam to men persid þis myst and made it clere.
1562 W. Bullein Dial. Sorenes f. 2, in Bulwarke of Defence Colde weather draweth nere,..Borias perseth.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. 0. 11 Steed threatens Steed, in high and boastfull Neighs Piercing the Nights dull Eare. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 116 A scabby Tetter on their pelts will stick, When the raw Rain has pierc'd 'em to the quick. View more context for this quotation
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. i. 16 The Sound of his Voice pierced my Ears like that of a Water-Mill.
1832 H. Martineau Ireland iii. 44 Gusts of wind..piercing her with cold through her scanty raiment.
1891 ‘Q’ Noughts & Crosses 123 Full in front of my window Sirius flashed with a whiteness that pierced the eye.
1935 H. Walpole Inquisitor iii. ii. 455 A ray of sun pierced straight to the copper weather-vane.
1991 B. Okri Famished Road (1992) vi. v. 374 I..heard of cries that pierced the ghetto air, of drumming and thunderous chants.
3. transitive. To succeed in penetrating; to gain entry into; to force one's way through or into; to break through (a defence or barrier). Formerly also: †to break up (a battle formation), to invade (obsolete). Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > penetrate
thirlc1175
delve?c1225
piercec1325
entera1500
penetrate1530
search1594
job1603
breaka1616
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 391 Corineus..made is wey bi eiþer side, & percede þe route.
c1400 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. xi. 312 (MED) Suche lewide iottis Percen [v.rr. Percyn, Percien, Perchen] wiþ a paternoster þe paleis of heuene.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1874) V. 95 Alexander persynge the costes of Ynde [L. Indiam penetravit] in xij yere.
1555 R. Eden in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde Pref. sig. aiiij Neyther dydde any of his shyppes sayle about the hole worlde, perce the Ocean, and trauerse the Equinoctial line.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 356 Where the might of Gabriel fought, And with fierce Ensignes pierc'd the deep array Of Moloc furious King. View more context for this quotation
1731 G. Medley tr. P. Kolb Present State Cape Good-Hope I. 83 Some of them..had pierc'd the country several ways by command.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xxv. 517 The confused multitude of the bravest warriors was pierced by the swords and javelins of the legionaries and auxiliaries.
1822 P. B. Shelley Hellas 20 Thrice their keen wedge of battle pierced our lines.
1878 H. M. Stanley Through Dark Continent II. xii. 334 The wide wild land which, by means of the greatest river of Africa, we have pierced.
1939 Fortune Nov. 90/2 The Siegfried Line could hardly have been ‘pierced’—though it might have been dented.
1993 I. Watson Warhammer 40,000 (BNC) 84 Then let that oil blaze That we may swiftly pierce all defences.
4.
a. transitive. To make a hole, tunnel, or other opening into or through (a thing); to perforate; to bore into or through. Formerly also: †to breach (a wall, etc.), to broach (a cask, etc.) (obsolete). Frequently in passive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate
through-shooteOE
borec1000
thirlc1000
through-boreOE
piercec1330
wimblec1440
entera1500
perforate1538
foraminate1599
terebrate1623
drilla1657
forate1657
pertund1657
perviate1657
drill1674
transforate1727
tirl1825
c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) 1014 In a þousand stede he let þe tonne perce.
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) ix. 160 This must be doon by persyng the mountayn [L. perforatis..terris], The water so to lede into the playn.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1865) I. 231 Marcus pereschenge the walle of the cite..taryede for Nanus.
a1500 Let. Alexander l. 297 in Mediaeval Stud. (1979) 41 131 Simulacres of gold of either or both goddis, whiche if thei wern holl or nat I coveityng to knowe, badde hem al to be bored and perced.
1579 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 429 Any suche butte or hogsed..pearched or drauin.
1656 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. II. v. 126 Whensoever he pierc'd a vessell of Wine, it was sowr'd before he spent it.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 200 A neat Brazen Door..pierced through to let in light from above.
1741 H. Fielding Shamela 22 [I] am obliged to sojourn this Night at a neighbouring Clergyman's; where we are to pierce a Virgin Barrel of Ale.
1798 Hull Advertiser 14 Apr. 2/4 Le Ceres, French ship privateer pierced for 14 guns.
1849 R. Curzon Visits Monasteries (1897) 140 The mountain of Quarantina..is pierced all over with the caves excavated by the ancient anchorites.
1898 R. Kipling Day's Work 4 At either end rose towers, of red brick, loopholed for musketry and pierced for big guns.
1959 Collins Mus. Encycl. 554/1 The pipe is stopped at one end, but the stopper is pierced by a hole.
1991 Power Sept. 45/3 Carbon steel aluminum bronze plates pierced by tens of thousands of precision-drilled holes.
b. transitive. To make (a hole or other opening) in something by pricking, stabbing, boring, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > by boring, piercing, or perforating
piercec1392
bore?1523
drive?a1525
thirl1609
drill1669
perforate1777
stick1834
puncture1851
sieve1875
pin1897
c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 22 (MED) Marke wt thy moeuable poynt in the lyne of the aux of saturnus a dep prikke, for in þt prikke shal be perced a smal hole.
a1500 in A. Zettersten Middle Eng. Lapidary (1968) 26 Whoo findeth here [sc. crysolite] & persith an hole in the myddes of hir & putteth thorow an here of an asse, he may with here make enchauntemente þe devell.
1538 T. Elyot Dict. at Foro To perce or boore a hole.
1629 F. Malthus Treat. Artific. Fire-works ii. v. 77 With your bodkin, pierce a hole to the composition.
1672 G. Sinclair Hydrostaticks 157 It may be enquired, what hazard would follow, upon supposition a small hole were pierced in the head of the Ark above.
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ix. 161 They Pierce holes, with a Piercer-Bit.
1763 Philos. Trans. 1762 (Royal Soc.) 52 513 A round hole was pierced through the carved oak.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 348 The hard matter on which the holes are to be pierced.
1884 Law Times 14 June 120/2 Valliant..pierced a doorway between the forge and the adjacent cottage.
1910 Trans. E. Riding Antiq. Soc. 16 41 Two holes have been pierced on each side of the projecting portion of the stern.
2002 Daily News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 22 June 2 One of the bullets pierced a hole the size of a quarter in Townsel's door.
c. transitive. spec. To make a hole in (the ears, nose, etc.) in order to insert a ring, stud, or other piece of jewellery.
ΚΠ
a1500 Let. Alexander l. 436 in Mediaeval Stud. (1979) 41 137 Oon more hier of stature þan .x. feete..to vs appiered, of whom the earis perced and ouches and bies þerin hangyng.
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads xiv. 192 In her eares (tenderly pierc't) she wore Pearles, great, and orient.
1750 J. Dunn tr. C. F. Lambert Coll. Curious Observ. xiii. 146 The nobility paint their bodies, and pierce their ears.
1779 W. Alexander Hist. Women xxii. 122 It has been the custom time immemorial, for women over the greatest part of the world to pierce their ears.
1848 Times 10 Nov. 6/5 Their ears are pierced for immense earrings.
1891 New Oxford (Pa.) Item 9 Oct. 3/5 Both men and women have their lower lips and the lobes of their ears pierced with holes.
1913 M. Roberts Salt of Sea ix. 215 His ears had been pierced for earrings, though he wore none.
1971 R. Scott Wedding Man i. 38 Even quite small girls had had their ears pierced.
2004 Sunday Times (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 11 Jan. 4 Edith..is about to pierce her tongue at the tattoo parlour.
5. transitive. To affect keenly or deeply with emotion (as pain, grief, etc.); to touch or move deeply. Frequently in to pierce one's heart.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > intense emotion > affect intensely [verb (transitive)]
thirlc1315
piercec1390
thrilla1400
strikec1475
throb1600
penetratea1616
heart-strikea1637
transfix1649
sink1771
shoot1842
c1390 in C. Horstmann Minor Poems Vernon MS (1892) i. 47 (MED) His deþ most beo to me ful dere And perce [v.r. perche] myn herte for pure pite.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 5158 (MED) It miȝt a persid any hert to here how scho wepid.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xix. 88 O lady clere! that perste me at the rote.
1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer Prol. f. cccxxv Rude wordes and boystous percen the herte of the herer to the inrest poynte.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 125 Can no prayers pearce thee? View more context for this quotation
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 194 I care for no man; nor can I be pierced with mens griefs. View more context for this quotation
1717 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad III. xi. 323 While pierc'd with Grief the much-lov'd Youth he view'd.
1798 S. T. Coleridge Nightingale in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 64 Some night-wandering Man, whose heart was pierc'd With the remembrance of a grievous wrong.
1833 Ld. Tennyson Fatima v My heart, pierced thro' with fierce delight.
1886 R. L. Stevenson Kidnapped xvi. 148 The people on board and those on the shore crying and lamenting one to another so as to pierce the heart.
1931 V. Woolf Waves 114 Scorn and ridicule pierce me.
1996 San Antonio Express-News (Nexis) 8 July 2 b A beautiful young lady whose tears reflected the emptiness that pierced her heart.
6. † c. transitive. To examine or look into (a matter). Obsolete. rare.
a. transitive. To penetrate with the sight, mind, or intellect; to see thoroughly into, discern; to understand, make sense of. Also †intransitive (obsolete).Formerly sometimes used with a concrete object, as in quot. a1618.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > penetrate, discern [verb (transitive)]
piercea1398
to look througha1525
insee1541
penetrate?1563
to see through ——1565
to look through ——1580
understand1587
to break through1597
fathom1633
unfathom1707
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 15 Seraphin is I-seide vertues multiuia & multifida..many weyes in þat he passiþ forth serchinge; many feyes in þat he perschith & findith [L. inuenit penetrando].
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 5537 (MED) Þan gert he gomes for to..grayth him a tonn Of grene glitterand glas..Þat he miȝt sitt in..& with his seȝt persee.
a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 318 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 104 Ernes..Quhilk in ye firmament..Perses ye sone with yair sicht selcouth to herd.
1563 T. Gale Certaine Wks. Chirurg. iv. To Rdr. sig. Aaaiiii The hard names of medicines by oft reding will be persed.
1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. ii. xiii. §8. 442 [This] is wide of S. Pauls meaning, so farre as my weake vnderstanding can pierce it.
a1618 W. Raleigh Prerogatiue Parl. (1628) 47 My Lord, learn of me, that there is none of you all, that can pierce [printed piecre] the King.
1718 G. Sewell Proclam. Cupid 17 High God,..Who pierces Nature with unslumb'ring Eyes.
1749 S. Johnson Vanity Human Wishes 8 Attentive..to..pierce each Scene with Philosophick eye.
1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision III. xxviii. liii Contemplating, I fail to pierce the cause.
a1853 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1857) 3rd Ser. iii. 37 He pierced the mysteries of nature.
1944 Times 3 Mar. 2/4 There is no branch of human knowledge in which we can pierce the mysteries of the future so clearly as in the trend of population.
1985 M. Green I Believe in Holy Spirit 15 It seems to me to be both useless and presumptuous to attempt to pierce the incognito of the essential Godhead.
b. intransitive. Of the sight, mind, or intellect: to penetrate into something, or to the meaning of something; to see into.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > show perspicacity [verb (intransitive)]
piercea1425
penetrate1540
insee1598
a1425 (a1400) Northern Pauline Epist. (1916) 2 Cor. iii. 14 (MED) Þeyre resoun is dulle and may not perse as long as þey leue not.
1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. Gal. iv. f. xv Ye cleaue to the litterall meanyng onely, and pearce not to the spiritual sence therof.
1576 A. Fleming tr. C. Plinius Novocomensis in Panoplie Epist. 242 So farre foorth as my dimme and darke eyesight is able to pearce into the view of his vertues.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII i. i. 68 I cannot tell What Heauen hath giuen him: let some Grauer eye Pierce into that. View more context for this quotation
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 71 There was no piercing with the Eye..into the Plantation.
1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. ix. 225 The remark of a writer who had pierced into its darkest recesses.
1849 H. D. Thoreau Week Concord & Merrimack Rivers 159 When our vision pierces deeper into space, and detects a remoter star, we call that new also.
a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) II. xxii. 506 Behind the smile his gaze—grave, sympathetic—pierced into her soul, seeking the meaning he knew she would never put into words.
2001 India-West (Nexis) 1 June 27 She said, she was able to pierce through to the inner meanings of cinema.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > investigate, examine [verb (transitive)]
underseekc897
speerc900
lookeOE
askOE
seeOE
teem witnessc1200
seeka1300
fand13..
inquirec1300
undergoc1315
visit1338
pursuea1382
searcha1382
examinec1384
assay1387
ensearchc1400
vesteyea1425
to have in waitc1440
perpend1447
to bring witnessc1475
vey1512
investigate?1520
recounta1530
to call into (also in) question1534
finger1546
rip1549
sight1556
vestigatea1561
to look into ——1561
require1563
descry?1567
sound1579
question1590
resolve1593
surview1601
undersearch1609
sift1611
disquire1621
indagate1623
inspect1623
pierce1640
shrive1647
in-looka1649
probe1649
incern1656
quaeritate1657
inquisite1674
reconnoitre1740
explore1774
to bring to book1786
look-see1867
scrutate1882
to shake down1915
sleuth1939
screen1942
1640 J. Yorke Battels in Union of Honour 12 Presently a Parliament was called at London, where matters being pierced againe, the King's side grew stronger dayly.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.1583
v.a1325