Apiece

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /əˈpiːs/

Definitions

1. Refers to an individual portion that is assigned from a larger quantity to each participant in a distribution
2. Denotes an individual share or amount designated for every participant
3. Used to indicate a specific portion allotted to each member or object

Etymology: "Apiece" is a univerbation: the phrase "a piece" (meaning "each one" or "for each") was fused into a single word. The noun "piece" came into Middle English as "pece," borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French "pece" or "piece," meaning "part of a whole." The noun's ultimate origin is uncertain, with proposals linking it to a Late Latin word meaning "fragment" or to a Gaulish word that goes back to a Proto-Celtic root meaning "portion" or "quota." In Late Middle English, speakers used "a pece" in the sense of "each item" or "each one," so that "they had two apples a pece" meant each person received two. Over time, the "a" and "pece" merged into one word, giving us "apiece," which keeps the older sense of a share allotted to each.

Synonyms: each, per unit