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Unit vs. Piece — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Unit and Piece

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Definitions

Unit

An individual, group, structure, or other entity regarded as an elementary structural or functional constituent of a whole.

Piece

A portion of an object or of material, produced by cutting, tearing, or breaking the whole
A piece of cheese
The dish lay in pieces on the floor

Unit

A group regarded as a distinct entity within a larger group.

Piece

A written, musical, or artistic creation
A haunting piece of music

Unit

A mechanical part or module.
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Piece

An instance or example
A crucial piece of evidence

Unit

An entire apparatus or the equipment that performs a specific function.

Piece

A coin of specified value
A 10p piece

Unit

A precisely specified quantity in terms of which the magnitudes of other quantities of the same kind can be stated.

Piece

A figure or token used to make moves in a board game
A chess piece
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Unit

(Medicine) The quantity of a vaccine, serum, drug, or other agent necessary to produce a specific effect.

Piece

A firearm.

Unit

A fixed amount of scholastic study used as a basis for calculating academic credits, usually measured in hours of classroom instruction or laboratory work.

Piece

A woman.

Unit

A section of an academic course focusing on a selected theme
A unit on Native Americans.

Piece

A sandwich or other item of food taken as a snack.

Unit

The number immediately to the left of the decimal point in the Arabic numeral system.

Piece

Assemble something from parts or pieces
The dinosaur was pieced together from 119 bones

Unit

The lowest positive whole number; one.

Piece

Extend something
His coming and assisting them was like a cordial given to a dying man, which doth piece out his life

Unit

An element of a ring with a multiplicative inverse.

Piece

Patch (something)
If it be broken it must be pieced

Unit

(mathematics) Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one.

Piece

A thing considered as a unit or an element of a larger thing, quantity, or class; a portion
A piece of string.

Unit

(sciences) A standard measure of a quantity.
The centimetre is a unit of length.

Piece

A portion or part that has been separated from a whole
A piece of pie.

Unit

The number one.

Piece

An object that is one member of a group or class
A piece of furniture.

Unit

Ellipsis of international unit
This pill provides 500 units of Vitamin E.

Piece

An artistic, musical, or literary work or composition
"They are lively and well-plotted pieces, both in prose" (Tucker Brooke).

Unit

An organized group comprising people and/or equipment.
He was a member of a special police unit.

Piece

An instance; a specimen
A piece of sheer folly.

Unit

A member of a military organization.
The fifth tank brigade moved in with 20 units. (i.e., 20 tanks)

Piece

What one has to say about something; an opinion
Speak one's piece.

Unit

(commerce) An item which may be sold singly.
We shipped nearly twice as many units this month as last month.

Piece

A coin
A ten-cent piece.

Unit

Any piece of equipment, such as an appliance, power tool, stereo system, computer, tractor, or machinery.
This air-conditioner is the most efficient unit we sell.

Piece

One of the counters or figures used in playing various board games.

Unit

A measure of housing equivalent to the living quarters of one household; an apartment where a group of apartments is contained in one or more multi-storied buildings or a group of dwellings is in one or more single storey buildings, usually arranged around a driveway.
The new apartment complex will have 50 units.

Piece

Any one of the chess figures other than a pawn.

Unit

Any military element whose structure is prescribed by competent authority, such as a table of organization and equipment; specifically, part of an organization.

Piece

(Slang) A firearm, especially a rifle.

Unit

An organization title of a subdivision of a group in a task force.

Piece

(Informal) A given distance
"There was farm country down the road on the right a piece" (James Agee).

Unit

A standard or basic quantity into which an item of supply is divided, issued, or detailed. In this meaning, also called unit of issue.

Piece

To mend by adding pieces or a piece to
Piece a dress.

Unit

With regard to Reserve Components of the Armed Forces, denotes a Selected Reserve unit organized, equipped, and trained for mobilization to serve on active duty as a unit or to augment or be augmented by another unit. Headquarters and support functions without wartime missions are not considered units.

Piece

To join or unite the pieces of
He pieced together the vase. She pieced together an account of what had gone on during the stormy meeting.

Unit

(algebra) The identity element, neutral element.

Piece

A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form that it is able to be separated from other parts.
I’d like another piece of pie.
I've lost a piece of this jigsaw puzzle.

Unit

(algebra) An element having an inverse, an invertible element; an associate of the unity.
Regular element

Piece

A single item belonging to a class of similar items.
A piece of machinery
A piece of software
A useful piece of advice

Unit

(category theory) In an adjunction, a natural transformation from the identity functor of the domain of the left adjoint functor to the composition of the right adjoint functor with the left adjoint functor.

Piece

(chess) One of the figures used in playing chess, specifically a higher-value figure as distinguished from a pawn; by extension, a similar counter etc. in other games.

Unit

(geology) A volume of rock or ice of identifiable origin and age range that is defined by the distinctive and dominant, easily mapped and recognizable petrographic, lithologic or paleontologic features (facies) that characterize it.

Piece

A coin, especially one valued at less than the principal unit of currency.
A sixpenny piece

Unit

(UK) A unit of alcohol.

Piece

An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, musical composition, literary work, etc.
She played two beautiful pieces on the piano.

Unit

One kilowatt-hour (as recorded on an electricity meter).

Piece

An article published in the press.
Today's paper has an interesting piece on medical research.

Unit

(historical) A gold coin of the reign of James I, worth twenty shillings.

Piece

(military) An artillery gun.

Unit

A work unit.

Piece

A gun.
He's packin' a piece!

Unit

A physically large person.

Piece

A toupee or wig, especially when worn by a man.
The announcer is wearing a new piece.

Unit

A penis, especially a large one.

Piece

A slice or other quantity of bread, eaten on its own; a sandwich or light snack.

Unit

For each unit.
We have to keep our unit costs down if we want to make a profit.

Piece

A sexual encounter; from piece of ass or piece of tail.
I got a piece at lunchtime.

Unit

(mathematics) Having a size or magnitude of one.

Piece

A shoddy or worthless object usually applied to consumer products like vehicles or appliances.
Ugh, my new computer is such a piece. I'm taking it back to the store tomorrow.

Unit

A single thing or person.

Piece

A cannabis pipe.

Unit

The least whole number; one.
Units are the integral parts of any large number.

Piece

Used to describe a pitch that has been hit but not well, usually either being caught by the opposing team or going foul. Usually used in the past tense with get.
He got a piece of that one;
She got a piece of the ball...and it's going foul.

Unit

A gold coin of the reign of James I., of the value of twenty shillings.

Piece

An individual; a person.

Unit

Any determinate amount or quantity (as of length, time, heat, value) adopted as a standard of measurement for other amounts or quantities of the same kind.

Piece

(obsolete) A castle; a fortified building.

Unit

A single thing, as a magnitude or number, regarded as an undivided whole.

Piece

(US) A pacifier; a dummy.

Unit

Any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange;
The dollar is the United States unit of currency
A unit of wheat is a bushel
Change per unit volume

Piece

(colloquial) A distance.
A far piece
Located a fair piece away from their camp
A fair piece off

Unit

An individual or group or structure or other entity regarded as a structural or functional constituent of a whole;
The reduced the number of units and installations
The word is a basic linguistic unit

Piece

(rowing) A structured practice row, often used for performance evaluation.
At practice we rowed four 5,000 meter pieces.
That last piece was torture.

Unit

An organization regarded as part of a larger social group;
The coach said the offensive unit did a good job
After the battle the soldier had trouble rejoining his unit

Piece

An amount of work to be done at one time; a unit of piece work.

Unit

A single undivided whole;
An idea is not a unit that can be moved from one brain to another

Piece

(slang) An ounce of a recreational drug.

Unit

A single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else;
Units of nucleic acids

Piece

To assemble (something real or figurative).
These clues allowed us to piece together the solution to the mystery.

Unit

An assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity;
How big is that part compared to the whole?
The team is a unit

Piece

To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; often with out.
To piece a garment

Piece

(slang) To produce a work of graffiti more complex than a tag.

Piece

A fragment or part of anything separated from the whole, in any manner, as by cutting, splitting, breaking, or tearing; a part; a portion; as, a piece of sugar; to break in pieces.
Bring it out piece by piece.

Piece

A definite portion or quantity, as of goods or work; as, a piece of broadcloth; a piece of wall paper.

Piece

Any one thing conceived of as apart from other things of the same kind; an individual article; a distinct single effort of a series; a definite performance

Piece

An individual; - applied to a person as being of a certain nature or quality; often, but not always, used slightingly or in contempt.
Thy mother was a piece of virtue.
His own spirit is as unsettled a piece as there is in all the world.

Piece

One of the superior men, distinguished from a pawn.

Piece

A castle; a fortified building.

Piece

To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; as, to piece a garment; - often with out.

Piece

To unite; to join; to combine.
His adversaries . . . pieced themselves together in a joint opposition against him.

Piece

To unite by a coalescence of parts; to fit together; to join.

Piece

A separate part of a whole;
An important piece of the evidence

Piece

An item that is an instance of some type;
He designed a new piece of equipment
She bought a lovely piece of china

Piece

A portion of a natural object;
They analyzed the river into three parts
He needed a piece of granite

Piece

A musical work that has been created;
The composition is written in four movements

Piece

An instance of some kind;
It was a nice piece of work
He had a bit of good luck

Piece

An artistic or literary composition;
He wrote an interesting piece on Iran
The children acted out a comic piece to amuse the guests

Piece

A portable gun;
He wore his firearm in a shoulder holster

Piece

A serving that has been cut from a larger portion;
A piece of pie
A slice of bread

Piece

A distance;
It is down the road a piece

Piece

A work of art of some artistic value;
This store sells only objets d'art
It is not known who created this piece

Piece

A period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition;
He was here for a little while
I need to rest for a piece
A spell of good weather
A patch of bad weather

Piece

A share of something;
A slice of the company's revenue

Piece

Game equipment consisting of an object used in playing certain board games;
He taught me to set up the men on the chess board
He sacrificed a piece to get a strategic advantage

Piece

To join or unite the pieces of;
Patch the skirt

Piece

Make by putting pieces together;
She pieced a quilt
He tacked together some verses

Piece

Join during spinning;
Piece the broken pieces of thread, slivers, and rovings

Piece

Eat intermittently; take small bites of;
He pieced at the sandwich all morning
She never eats a full meal--she just nibbles

Piece

Repair by adding pieces;
She pieced the china cup

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