pier
/pɪə
/noun
1A platform on pillars projecting from the shore into the sea, typically incorporating entertainment arcades and places to eat.However, visits to arcades on piers or family amusement centres suggest that this form of gambling is no longer conducted within a family environment....
- The shops weren't as good, there were no amusement arcades and no pier or beach.
- The news of the overspend comes as work continues at the shore end of the pier to build a new entrance bridge across the road.
1.1A structure projecting from the shore into a river, lake, or the sea, used as a landing stage for boats.The grounds include a boat shed and pier with river and lake frontages, as well as lawn areas and a number of mature shrubs....
- A safety zone was established around all visiting Navy and foreign ships as they transited to their berths at Manhattan's piers on the Hudson River.
- Here, piers for lake boats delivering coal and oil to wholesale distributors, as well as building materials, were busy for many decades.
Synonyms
jetty, quay, wharf, dock, landing, landing stage, landing place, slipway, marina, waterfront, breakwater, mole, groyne, dyke, sea wall, embankment
1.2A breakwater or mole.The 1.1-acre site has access to a small bathing area and harbour enclosed by a concrete pier and a breakwater....
- The harbour entrance itself was guarded by two breakwater piers of heavy sandstone construction for most of their length.
- The trunnions and all the operational machinery are housed within the superstructure of the carina piers.
2British A long, narrow structure projecting from an airport terminal, giving passengers access to an aircraft.The project includes the construction of a new passenger terminal and adjacent facilities, including new piers for the aircraft, taxiways and runway lines, as well as a parking area for cars, among other items....
- It has supported a proposal for the provision of a low cost terminal D pier at Dublin Airport.
- No Aer Rianta airport will be chosen as the low-fares airline has not been given permission to build a new pier at Dublin Airport.
3A solid support designed to sustain vertical pressure, in particular:Also include some of the pier / vertical supports under the center area as well as the perimeter ones....
- The analysis will also result in a recommendation for the maximum end-bearing pressure for bedrock piers.
- The piers are designed as hollow box sections with an average height of 25 m.
3.1The pillar of an arch or supporting a bridge.Various foundation types have been adopted to support the bridge piers and abutments....
- ‘We could have built a conventional multi-span bridge supported by piers for about 20 per cent less,’ he said.
- He said: ‘These were then lifted one at a time into place on top of the supporting piers to form the bridge.’
Synonyms
support, cutwater, pile, piling, plinth, pedestal, foot, footing, abutment, buttress, stanchion, prop, stay, upright, pillar, post, column
3.2A wall between windows or other adjacent openings.The initial solution was the masonry vault, or a barrel-shaped, load-bearing span that supported the floor above, and rested on massive, and expensive, walls and piers....
- Meanwhile the two piers between the windows are equal in width.
- The window piers at Hampton Court are also too narrow to accommodate any of the illustrated tables except Figure 5.
Origin
Middle English: from medieval Latin pera, of unknown origin.