A device that measures and displays time, such as a clock or watch; any instrument used to keep or tell time.
Compound of 'time' + 'piece.' 'Time' comes from Old English and has Germanic roots; 'piece' comes from Old French 'piece' (a part or fragment). The compound suggests time is something that can be broken into measurable pieces.
The invention of the pocket watch in the 1500s changed human society as much as smartphones did—suddenly people could coordinate activities precisely, revolutionizing trains, factories, and warfare because everyone had the exact same time.
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