piece
Preserved but no longer current.
A contemptuous term for a woman; a strumpet.—Shakspeare. Not always objectionable nowadays. A "barber’s clerk" does not object to hear his sweetheart or wife called "a nice PIECE;" and gentlemen of the counter-jumping fraternity describe their "young ladies" as "nice PIECES of goods."
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “piece” mean?
A contemptuous term for a woman; a strumpet.—Shakspeare. Not always objectionable nowadays. A "barber’s clerk" does not object to hear his sweetheart or wife called "a nice PIECE;" and gentlemen of the counter-jumping fraternity describe their "young ladies" as "nice PIECES of goods."
Is “piece” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.