pier Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
    dock; wharf; wharfage.
  2. noun (architecture) a vertical supporting structure (as a portion of wall between two doors or windows)
  3. noun a support for two adjacent bridge spans

WordNet

Pier noun
Etymology
OE. pere, OF. piere a stone, F. pierre, fr. L. petra, Gr. . Cf. Petrify.
Definitions
  1. (Arch.) (a) Any detached mass of masonry, whether insulated or supporting one side of an arch or lintel, as of a bridge; the piece of wall between two openings. (b) Any additional or auxiliary mass of masonry used to stiffen a wall. See Buttress.
  2. A projecting wharf or landing place.

Webster 1913