What does apiece mean?
"Apiece" is an adverb meaning "to or for each one," used to distribute a total quantity equally among the members of a group. It always follows the figure it modifies: if six friends split a bill of sixty dollars, each pays ten dollars apiece; if oranges sell for fifty cents apiece, that is the price per single fruit. The word functions as a compact alternative to "each" or "per person," and it carries a slightly commercial or distributive flavor, appearing often in contexts of pricing, wages, rations, and shares. Though written as one word today, it originated as the phrase "a piece" — literally "by the piece" — which hardened into a single adverb through centuries of use. Its closest relatives are "piece" itself and "piecemeal," both tracing back through Old French to a Germanic root. Distinctive and economical, "apiece" remains a staple of both everyday commerce and careful prose.
adverbTo or for each one; individually for every member of a group. Used after a quantity to indicate the amount allotted or owed by each person.
- Used after a quantity to indicate the amount belonging, costing, or owed to each individual in a group.
"The tickets cost twenty dollars apiece."
"The apples cost fifty cents apiece at the farm stand."
"Each shareholder received three certificates apiece."
Though it looks like a preposition glued to a noun, "apiece" is actually a single fossilized adverb — English fused "a" and "piece" so long ago that they now behave as one indivisible word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apiece
"Apiece" arose in Middle English from the phrase "a piece," meaning "by the piece" or "for each piece." The underlying noun "piece" entered English from Old French "pece" (modern French "pièce"), which likely derives from a Gaulish (Celtic) source related to bits cut or broken off. Over time the two-word phrase fused into the single adverb "apiece," preserving its original distributive sense of "for each one." Its etymological kin include "piece" and "piecemeal."
How apiece is actually used
"Apiece" always follows the quantity it qualifies (e.g. "five dollars apiece," never "apiece five dollars"). It is slightly more formal or emphatic than plain "each" and is especially common in commercial and distributive contexts involving prices or allotments.
Easily confused with apiece
"A piece" is a noun phrase meaning a single item or portion, while "apiece" is an adverb meaning 'for or to each one'.