English → Latin
“pierce” in Latin
perforōto bore or pierce through; to perforate; to penetrateforōto bore; to pierceterebrōto bore through, pierce, perforatetrānsfodiōto thrust, stab or run through, transfix, transpiercecōnfodiōto dig (thoroughly), dig up or over, dig round about, turn over (of land), prepare by digging; to strike down by stabbincōnfīgōto fasten together (especially with nails); to transfixtrānsverberōto strike through, pierce through; to transfixpercutiōto strike, beat; to make an impression on the mind, touch, please, delight, astonish, shock; to killvulnerōto wound, injure, hurtpectuschest, breast; heart, breast, as the seat of emotion; soul, spirit, mind, understanding
The English word pierce itself goes back to Latin tundō, through *pertūsiō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
pierce
To bore through, perforare (general term to make a hole through, pectora, latus ense, etc.; also, to pierce [= make] windows, lumina, Cic.): forare (post-Augustan, very rare): efforare (only Col., truncum): terebrare (with a borer or otherwise): perterebrare (with a borer).
To stick anything through, trajicere, transfodere, confodere, configere, transverberare (e.g., venabulo): percutere. To pierce anybody with a sword, alicui latus transfodere gladio; aliquem gladio transfigere (poetically, alicujus pectus gladio or ferro haurire): with a dagger, aliquem sica conncere, aliquem pugione percutere (for which Tac. has fodere only): one’s heart with a knife, cultrum in corde alicujus defigere.
ImPROP., to wound deeply (e.g., the heart), percutere, vulnerare.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for pierce?
- The usual Latin words for “pierce” are perforō, forō, terebrō; also trānsfodiō, cōnfodiō, cōnfīgō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.