different between piercing vs shrewd

English

Etymology

pierce +? -ing

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p??s??/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??s??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)s??
• Hyphenation: piercing

Verb

piercing

1. present participle of pierce

Noun

piercing (countable and uncountable, plural piercings)

1. (uncountable) The action of the verb to pierce.
2. A hole made in the body so that jewellery/jewelry can be worn through it.

   ear piercing

3. An item of jewelry designed to be fitted through a piercing.

Translations

Adjective

piercing (comparative more piercing, superlative most piercing)

1. Appearing to look deeply into; penetrating.

   piercing eyes

2. Of temperature, extremely cold so that it penetrates through clothing and shelter.
3. Of sound, loud and sharp; shrill.

   The piercing noise of the children could be heard two blocks from the elementary school.

Derived terms

• armour-piercing, armor-piercing

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English piercing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pi?r.s??/
• Hyphenation: pier?cing

Noun

piercing m (plural piercings, diminutive piercinkje n)

1. piercing (ornament)

Derived terms

• lippiercing
• navelpiercing
• neuspiercing
• tepelpiercing
• wenkbrauwpiercing

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English piercing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pj??.si?/

Noun

piercing m (plural piercings)

1. a piercing

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English piercing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pir.sin?/, /?pir.sin/
• Hyphenation: pier?cing

Noun

piercing m (invariable)

1. piercing (jewellery worn through a hole in the skin or tongue)

Polish

Etymology

From English piercing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?ir.sink/

Noun

piercing m inan

1. piercing (jewellery worn through a hole in the skin or tongue)

Declension

Further reading

• piercing in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• piercing in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English piercing.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?pi?.s?/

Noun

piercing m (plural piercings)

1. piercing (jewellery worn through a hole in the skin or tongue)

Usage notes

Earrings (brincos) are not considered piercings.

Spanish

Etymology

From English piercing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pi?sin/, [?pi?.s?n]

Noun

piercing m (plural piercings)

1. piercing

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English piercing.

Noun

piercing c

1. piercing (body art)

Declension

Derived terms

• ansiktspiercing
• kroppspiercing

English

Alternative forms

• shrewde (obsolete)

Etymology

c. 1300, Middle English schrewed (“depraved; wicked”, literally “accursed”), from schrewen (“to curse; beshrew”), from schrewe, schrowe, screwe (“evil or wicked person/thing”), from Old English scr?awa (“wicked person”, literally “biter”). Equivalent to shrew +? -ed. More at shrew.

The sense of "cunning" developed in early 16^th c., gradually gaining a positive connotation by 17^th c.

Pronunciation

• enPR: shro?od, IPA^(key): /??u?d/

• Rhymes: -u?d

Adjective

shrewd (comparative shrewder, superlative shrewdest)

1. Showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters.
2. Artful, tricky or cunning.
3. (informal) Streetwise, street-smart.
4. Knowledgeable, intelligent, keen.
5. Nigh accurate.

6. Severe, intense, hard.

7. Sharp, snithy, piercing.

8. (archaic) Bad, evil, threatening.
   • 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act III Scene ii:

     Portia:

     There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper,

     That steals the colours from Bassanio's cheek:

     Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world

     Could turn so much the constitution

     Of any constant man. What, worse and worse!— […]

9. (obsolete) Portending, boding.
10. (archaic) Noxious, scatheful, mischievous.
11. (obsolete) Abusive, shrewish.
12. (archaic) Scolding, satirical, sharp.
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act II Scene i:

      Leonato: By my troth, niece, thou wilt never get thee a husband, if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue.

Derived terms

• shrewdly
• shrewdness

Translations