Piece

A piece is a bit of something. If something can be cut or broken into several bits, these bits are called "pieces". "Piece" must not be confused with "peace" which is pronounced the same way.

Examples:

• "The cake was cut into eight pieces".
• "He dropped the vase which smashed into hundreds of little pieces".

The word "piece" can be used in lots of ways to mean "one thing" that belongs to a group of other things:

• A chair is a piece of furniture.
• A drill is a piece of equipment (something that is used).
• I need a piece of material.
• The game of chess is played with a chess board and chess pieces.

In music we talk about a "piece of music" meaning a short musical work:

• "I have to play three pieces for my piano examination".

See: Wikipedia: List of 1000 basic words.