[peer] 
| 1. | a structure built on posts extending from land out over water, used as a landing place for ships, an entertainment area, a strolling place, etc.; jetty. |
| 2. | (in a bridge or the like) a support for the ends of adjacent spans. |
| 3. | a square pillar. |
| 4. | a portion of wall between doors, windows, etc. |
| 5. | a pillar or post on which a gate or door is hung. |
| 6. | a support of masonry, steel, or the like for sustaining vertical pressure. |
| 7. | a long passageway or corridor that extends from a central area of a building, esp. one at an airport that leads to boarding gates. |
| pier (pîr) n.
[Middle English per, bridge support, partly from Norman French pere, piere (from Old French puiere, a support, from puie, from puier, to support, from Vulgar Latin *podiāre, from Latin podium, platform; see podium) and partly from Medieval Latin pera (from Old North French pire, piere, breakwater, possibly from Latin petra, rock, from Greek petrā; see per-2 in Indo-European roots).] |
