The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section P and Q (part 3 of 5)

The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section P and Q (part 3 of 5)

Pitch, n. 1. A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand; as, a good pitch in quoits.

Pitch and toss, a game played by tossing up a coin, and calling "Heads or tails;" hence: To play pitch and toss with (anything), to be careless or trust to luck about it. "To play pitch and toss with the property of the country." G. Eliot. -- Pitch farthing. See Chuck farthing, under 5th Chuck.

2. (Cricket) That point of the ground on which the ball pitches or lights when bowled.

3. A point or peak; the extreme point or degree of elevation or depression; hence, a limit or bound.

Driven headlong from the pitch of heaven, down Into this deep.

Milton.

Enterprises of great pitch and moment.

Shak.

To lowest pitch of abject fortune.

Milton.

He lived when learning was at its highest pitch.

Addison.

The exact pitch, or limits, where temperance ends.

Sharp.

4. Height; stature. [Obs.] Hudibras.

5. A descent; a fall; a thrusting down.

6. The point where a declivity begins; hence, the declivity itself; a descending slope; the degree or rate of descent or slope; slant; as, a steep pitch in the road; the pitch of a roof.

7. (Mus.) The relative acuteness or gravity of a tone, determined by the number of vibrations which produce it; the place of any tone upon a scale of high and low.

Musical tones with reference to absolute pitch, are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet; with reference to relative pitch, in a series of tones called the scale, they are called one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Eight is also one of a new scale an octave higher, as one is eight of a scale an octave lower.

8. (Mining) The limit of ground set to a miner who receives a share of the ore taken out.

9. (Mech.) (a) The distance from center to center of any two adjacent teeth of gearing, measured on the pitch line; -- called also circular pitch. (b) The length, measured along the axis, of a complete turn of the thread of a screw, or of the helical lines of the blades of a screw propeller. (c) The distance between the centers of holes, as of rivet holes in boiler plates.

Concert pitch (Mus.), the standard of pitch used by orchestras, as in concerts, etc. -- Diametral pitch (Gearing), the distance which bears the same relation to the pitch proper, or circular pitch, that the diameter of a circle bears to its circumference; it is sometimes described by the number expressing the quotient obtained by dividing the number of teeth in a wheel by the diameter of its pitch circle in inches; as, 4 pitch, 8 pitch, etc. -- Pitch chain, a chain, as one made of metallic plates, adapted for working with a sprocket wheel. -- Pitch line, or Pitch circle (Gearing), an ideal line, in a toothed gear or rack, bearing such a relation to a corresponding line in another gear, with which the former works, that the two lines will have a common velocity as in rolling contact; it usually cuts the teeth at about the middle of their height, and, in a circular gear, is a circle concentric with the axis of the gear; the line, or circle, on which the pitch of teeth is measured. -- Pitch of a roof (Arch.), the inclination or slope of the sides expressed by the height in parts of the span; as, one half pitch; whole pitch; or by the height in parts of the half span, especially among engineers; or by degrees, as a pitch of 30∞, of 45∞, etc.; or by the rise and run, that is, the ratio of the height to the half span; as, a pitch of six rise to ten run. Equilateral pitch is where the two sloping sides with the span form an equilateral triangle. -- Pitch of a plane (Carp.), the slant of the cutting iron. -- Pitch pipe, a wind instrument used by choristers in regulating the pitch of a tune. -- Pitch point (Gearing), the point of contact of the pitch lines of two gears, or of a rack and pinion, which work together.

Pitch"-black` (?), a. Black as pitch or tar.

Pitch"blende` (?), n. [1st pitch + blende.] (Min.) A pitch-black mineral consisting chiefly of the oxide of uranium; uraninite. See Uraninite.

Pitch"-dark`, a. Dark as a pitch; pitch-black.

Pitch"er (?), n. 1. One who pitches anything, as hay, quoits, a ball, etc.; specifically (Baseball), the player who delivers the ball to the batsman.

2. A sort of crowbar for digging. [Obs.] Mortimer.

Pitch"er (?), n. [OE. picher, OF. pichier, OHG. pehhar, pehhri; prob. of the same origin as E. beaker. Cf. Beaker.] 1. A wide-mouthed, deep vessel for holding liquids, with a spout or protruding lip and a handle; a water jug or jar with a large ear or handle.

2. (Bot.) A tubular or cuplike appendage or expansion of the leaves of certain plants.

American pitcher plants, the species of Sarracenia. See Sarracenia. -- Australian pitcher plant, the Cephalotus follicularis, a low saxifragaceous herb having two kinds of radical leaves, some oblanceolate and entire, others transformed into little ovoid pitchers, longitudinally triple-winged and ciliated, the mouth covered with a lid shaped like a cockleshell. -- California pitcher plant, the Darlingtonia California. See Darlingtonia. -- Pitcher plant, any plant with the whole or a part of the leaves transformed into pitchers or cuplike organs, especially the species of Nepenthes. See Nepenthes.

Pitch"er*ful (?), n.; pl. Pitcherfuls (&?;). The quantity a pitcher will hold.

Pitch"-faced` (?), a. (Stone Cutting) Having the arris defined by a line beyond which the rock is cut away, so as to give nearly true edges; -- said of squared stones that are otherwise quarry-faced.

Pitch"fork` (?), n. A fork, or farming utensil, used in pitching hay, sheaves of grain, or the like.

Pitch"fork`, v. t. To pitch or throw with, or as with, a pitchfork.

He has been pitchforked into the footguards.

G. A. Sala.

Pitch"i*ness (?), n. [From Pitchy.] Blackness, as of pitch; darkness.

Pitch"ing, n. 1. The act of throwing or casting; a cast; a pitch; as, wild pitching in baseball.

2. The rough paving of a street to a grade with blocks of stone. Mayhew.

3. (Hydraul. Eng.) A facing of stone laid upon a bank to prevent wear by tides or currents.

Pitching piece (Carp.), the horizontal timber supporting the floor of a platform of a stairway, and against which the stringpieces of the sloping parts are supported.

Pitch"-ore` (?), n. (Min.) Pitchblende.

Pitch"stone` (?), n. (Geol.) An igneous rock of semiglassy nature, having a luster like pitch.

Pitch"work` (?), n. The work of a coal miner who is paid by a share of his product.

Pitch"y (?), a. [From 1st Pitch.] 1. Partaking of the qualities of pitch; resembling pitch.

2. Smeared with pitch.

3. Black; pitch-dark; dismal. "Pitchy night." Shak.

Pit"e*ous (?), a. [OE. pitous, OF. pitos, F. piteux. See Pity.] 1. Pious; devout. [Obs.]

The Lord can deliver piteous men from temptation.

Wyclif.

2. Evincing pity, compassion, or sympathy; compassionate; tender. "[She] piteous of his case." Pope.

She was so charitable and so pitous.

Chaucer.

3. Fitted to excite pity or sympathy; wretched; miserable; lamentable; sad; as, a piteous case. Spenser.

The most piteous tale of Lear.

Shak.

4. Paltry; mean; pitiful. "Piteous amends." Milton.

Syn. -- Sorrowful; mournful; affecting; doleful; woeful; rueful; sad; wretched; miserable; pitiable; pitiful; compassionate.

-- Pit"e*ous*ly, adv. -- Pit"e*ous*ness, n.

Pit"fall` (?), n. A pit deceitfully covered to entrap wild beasts or men; a trap of any kind. Sir T. North.

Pit"fall`ing, a. Entrapping; insnaring. [R.] "Full of . . . contradiction and pitfalling dispenses." Milton.

Pith (?), n. [AS. pi&?;a; akin to D. pit pith, kernel, LG. peddik. Cf. Pit a kernel.] 1. (Bot.) The soft spongy substance in the center of the stems of many plants and trees, especially those of the dicotyledonous or exogenous classes. It consists of cellular tissue.

2. (a) (Zoˆl.) The spongy interior substance of a feather. (b) (Anat.) The spinal cord; the marrow.

3. Hence: The which contains the strength of life; the vital or essential part; concentrated force; vigor; strength; importance; as, the speech lacked pith.

Enterprises of great pith and moment.

Shak.

Pith paper. Same as Rice paper, under Rice.

Pith, v. t. (Physiol.) To destroy the central nervous system of (an animal, as a frog), as by passing a stout wire or needle up and down the vertebral canal.

||Pi*the"ci (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; an ape.] (Zoˆl.) A division ||of mammals including the apes and monkeys. Sometimes used in the ||sense of Primates.

Pith"e*coid (?), a. [Gr. &?; an ape + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) 1. Of or pertaining to the genus Pithecia, or subfamily PithecinÊ, which includes the saki, ouakari, and other allied South American monkeys.

2. Of or pertaining to the anthropoid apes in particular, or to the higher apes of the Old World, collectively.

Pith"ful (?), a. Full of pith. [R.] W. Browne.

Pith"i*ly (?), adv. In a pithy manner.

Pith"i*ness, n. The quality or state of being pithy.

Pith"less, a. Destitute of pith, or of strength; feeble. Dryden. "Pithless argumentation." Glandstone.

Pit"-hole` (?), n. A pit; a pockmark.

Pith"some (?), a. Pithy; robust. [R.] "Pithsome health and vigor." R. D. Blackmore.

Pith"y (?), a. [Compar. Pithier (?); superl. Pithiest.] 1. Consisting wholly, or in part, of pith; abounding in pith; as, a pithy stem; a pithy fruit.

2. Having nervous energy; forceful; cogent.

This pithy speech prevailed, and all agreed.

Dryden.

In all these Goodman Fact was very short, but pithy.

Addison.

Pithy gall (Zoˆl.), a large, rough, furrowed, oblong gall, formed on blackberry canes by a small gallfly (Diastrophus nebulosus).

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Pit"i*a*ble (?), a. [Cf. OF. pitiable, F. pitoyable.] Deserving pity; wworthy of, or exciting, compassion; miserable; lamentable; piteous; as, pitiable persons; a pitiable condition; pitiable wretchedness.

Syn. -- Sorrowful; woeful; sad. See Piteous.

-- Pit"i*a*ble*ness, n. -- Pit"i*a*bly, adv.

Pit"i*er (?), n. One who pities. Gauden.

Pit"i*ful (?), a. 1. Full of pity; tender-hearted; compassionate; kind; merciful; sympathetic.

The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

James v. 11.

2. Piteous; lamentable; eliciting compassion.

A thing, indeed, very pitiful and horrible.

Spenser.

3. To be pitied for littleness or meanness; miserable; paltry; contemptible; despicable.

That's villainous, and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it.

Shak.

Syn. -- Despicable; mean; paltry. See Contemptible.

-- Pit"i*ful*ly, adv. -- Pit"i*ful*ness, n.

Pit"i*less, a. 1. Destitute of pity; hard-hearted; merciless; as, a pitilessmaster; pitiless elements.

2. Exciting no pity; as, a pitiless condition.

-- Pit"i*less*ly, adv. -- Pit"i*less*ness, n.

Pit"man (?), n.; pl. Pitmen (&?;). 1. One who works in a pit, as in mining, in sawing timber, etc.

2. (Mach.) The connecting rod in a sawmill; also, sometimes, a connecting rod in other machinery.

Pi*tot's" tube` (?). (Hydraul.) A bent tube used to determine the velocity of running water, by placing the curved end under water, and observing the height to which the fluid rises in the tube; a kind of current meter.

Pit"pan` (?), n. A long, flat- bottomed canoe, used for the navigation of rivers and lagoons in Central America. Squier.

Pit"pat` (?), n. & adv. See Pitapat.

Pit"ta (pt"t), n. (Zoˆl.) Any one of a large group of bright-colored clamatorial birds belonging to Pitta, and allied genera of the family PittidÊ. Most of the species are varied with three or more colors, such as blue, green, crimson, yellow, purple, and black. They are called also ground thrushes, and Old World ant thrushes; but they are not related to the true thrushes.

The pittas are most abundant in the East Indies, but some inhabit Southern Asia, Africa, and Australia. They live mostly upon the ground, and feed upon insects of various kinds.

Pit"ta*cal (pt"t*kl), n. [Gr. pi`tta, pi`ssa, pitch + kalo`s beautiful: cf. F. pittacale.] (Chem.) A dark blue substance obtained from wood tar. It consists of hydrocarbons which when oxidized form the orange-yellow eupittonic compounds, the salts of which are dark blue.

Pit"tance (pt"tans), n. [OE. pitance, pitaunce, F. pitance; cf. It. pietanza, LL. pitancia, pittantia, pictantia; perh. fr. L. pietas pity, piety, or perhaps akin to E. petty. Cf. Petty, and Pity.] 1. An allowance of food bestowed in charity; a mess of victuals; hence, a small charity gift; a dole. "A good pitaunce." Chaucer.

One half only of this pittance was ever given him in money.

Macaulay.

2. A meager portion, quantity, or allowance; an inconsiderable salary or compensation. "The small pittance of learning they received." Swift.

The inconsiderable pittance of faithful professors.

Fuller.

Pit"ted (-td), a. 1. Marked with little pits, as in smallpox. See Pit, v. t., 2.

2. (Bot.) Having minute thin spots; as, pitted ducts in the vascular parts of vegetable tissue.

Pit"ter (?), n. A contrivance for removing the pits from peaches, plums, and other stone fruit.

Pit"ter, v. i. To make a pattering sound; to murmur; as, pittering streams. [Obs.] R. Greene.

Pit"tle-pat`tle (?), v. i. To talk unmeaningly; to chatter or prattle. [R.] Latimer.

Pi*tu"i*ta*ry (?), a. [L. pituita phlegm, pituite: cf. F. pituitarie.] (Anat.) (a) Secreting mucus or phlegm; as, the pituitary membrane, or the mucous membrane which lines the nasal cavities. (b) Of or pertaining to the pituitary body; as, the pituitary fossa.

Pituitary body or gland (Anat.), a glandlike body of unknown function, situated in the pituitary fossa, and connected with the infundibulum of the brain; the hypophysis. -- Pituitary fossa (Anat.), the ephippium.

Pit"u*ite (?), n. [L. pituita: cf. F. pituite. Cf. Pip a disease of fowls.] Mucus, phlegm.

Pi*tu"i*tous (?), a. [L. pituitosus: cf. F. pituiteux.] Consisting of, or resembling, pituite or mucus; full of mucus; discharging mucus.

Pituitous fever (Med.), typhoid fever; enteric fever.

Pit"y (?), n.; pl. Pities (#). [OE. pite, OF. pitÈ, pitiÈ, F. pitiÈ, L. pietas piety, kindness, pity. See Pious, and cf. Piety.] 1. Piety. [Obs.] Wyclif.

2. A feeling for the sufferings or distresses of another or others; sympathy with the grief or misery of another; compassion; fellow-feeling; commiseration.

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.

Prov. xix. 17.

He . . . has no more pity in him than a dog.

Shak.

3. A reason or cause of pity, grief, or regret; a thing to be regretted. "The more the pity." Shak.

What pity is it That we can die but once to serve our country!

Addison.

In this sense, sometimes used in the plural, especially in the colloquialism: "It is a thousand pities."

Syn. -- Compassion; mercy; commiseration; condolence; sympathy, fellow-suffering; fellow-feeling. -- Pity, Sympathy, Compassion. Sympathy is literally fellow-feeling, and therefore requiers a certain degree of equality in situation, circumstances, etc., to its fullest exercise. Compassion is deep tenderness for another under severe or inevitable misfortune. Pity regards its object not only as suffering, but weak, and hence as inferior.

Pit"y (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pitied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pitying.] 1. To feel pity or compassion for; to have sympathy with; to compassionate; to commiserate; to have tender feelings toward (any one), awakened by a knowledge of suffering.

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

Ps. ciii. 13.

2. To move to pity; -- used impersonally. [Obs.]

It pitieth them to see her in the dust.

Bk. of Com. Prayer.

Pit"y, v. i. To be compassionate; to show pity.

I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy.

Jer. xiii. 14.

Pit"y*ing, a. Expressing pity; as, a pitying eye, glance, or word. -- Pit"y*ing*ly, adv.

||Pit`y*ri"a*sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?;, lit., bran.] ||(Med.) A superficial affection of the skin, characterized by ||irregular patches of thin scales which are shed in branlike ||particles.

||Pityriasis versicolor [NL.] (Med.), a parasitic disease of the skin, ||characterized by the development of reddish or brownish patches.

Pit"y*roid (?), a. [Gr. &?; bran + - oid.] Having the form of, or resembling, bran. Smart.

||Pi"˘ (?), adv. [It., fr. L. plus. See Plus.] (Mus.) A little more; ||as, pi˘ allegro, a little more briskly.

Piv"ot (?), n. [F.; prob. akin to It. piva pipe, F. pipe. See Pipe.] 1. A fixed pin or short axis, on the end of which a wheel or other body turns.

2. The end of a shaft or arbor which rests and turns in a support; as, the pivot of an arbor in a watch.

3. Hence, figuratively: A turning point or condition; that on which important results depend; as, the pivot of an enterprise.

4. (Mil.) The officer or soldier who simply turns in his place whike the company or line moves around him in wheeling; -- called also pivot man.

Pivot bridge, a form of drawbridge in which one span, called the pivot span, turns about a central vertical axis. -- Pivot gun, a gun mounted on a pivot or revolving carriage, so as to turn in any direction. -- Pivot tooth (Dentistry), an artificial crown attached to the root of a natural tooth by a pin or peg.

Piv"ot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pivoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Pivoting.] To place on a pivot. Clarke.

Piv"ot*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a pivot or turning point; belonging to, or constituting, a pivot; of the nature of a pivot; as, the pivotalopportunity of a career; the pivotal position in a battle.

Pix (?), n. & v. See Pyx.

{ Pix"y, Pix"ie } (?), n.; pl. Pixies (#). [For Pucksy, from Puck.] 1. An old English name for a fairy; an elf. [Written also picksy.]

2. (Bot.) A low creeping evergreen plant (Pyxidanthera barbulata), with mosslike leaves and little white blossoms, found in New Jersey and southward, where it flowers in earliest spring.

Pixy ring, a fairy ring or circle. [Prov. Eng.] -- Pixy stool (Bot.), a toadstool or mushroom. [Prov. Eng.]

Pix"y-led` (?), a. Led by pixies; bewildered.

||Piz`zi*ca"to (?). [It., pinched.] (Mus.) A direction to violinists to ||pluck the string with the finger, instead of using the bow. (Abrev. ||pizz.)

Piz"zle (?), n. [Cf. Prov. G. pissel, pesel, peisel, peserich, D. pees a tendon or spring.] The penis; -- so called in some animals, as the bull. Shak.

Pla`ca*bil"i*ty (?), n. [L. placabilitas: cf. F. placabilitÈ.] The quality or state of being placable or appeasable; placable disposition.

Pla"ca*ble (?), a. [L. placabilis, fr. placare to quiet, pacify: cf. F. placable. See Placate.] Capable of being appeased or pacified; ready or willing to be pacified; willing to forgive or condone.

Methought I saw him placable and mild.

Milton.

Pla"ca*ble*ness, n. The quality of being placable.

Pla*card" (?), n. [F., fr. plaquer to lay or clap on, plaque plate, tablet; probably from Dutch, cf. D. plakken to paste, post up, plak a flat piece of wood.] 1. A public proclamation; a manifesto or edict issued by authority. [Obs.]

All placards or edicts are published in his name.

Howell.

2. Permission given by authority; a license; as, to give a placard to do something. [Obs.] ller.

3. A written or printed paper, as an advertisement or a declaration, posted, or to be posted, in a public place; a poster.

4. (Anc. Armor) An extra plate on the lower part of the breastplate or backplate. PlanchÈ.

5. [Cf. Placket.] A kind of stomacher, often adorned with jewels, worn in the fifteenth century and later.

Pla*card", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Placarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Placarding.] 1. To post placards upon or within; as, to placard a wall, to placard the city.

2. To announce by placards; as, to placard a sale.

Plac"ate (?), n. Same as Placard, 4 & 5.

Pla"cate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Placated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Placating.] [L. placatus, p. p. of placare to placate, akin to placere to please. See Please.] To appease; to pacify; to concilate. "Therefore is he always propitiated and placated." Cudworth.

Pla*ca"tion (?), n. [L. placatio.] The act of placating. [R.] Puttenham (1589).

Place (?), n. [F., fr. L. platea a street, an area, a courtyard, from Gr. platei^a a street, properly fem. of platy`s, flat, broad; akin to Skr. pthu, Lith. platus. Cf. Flawn, Piazza, Plate, Plaza.] 1. Any portion of space regarded as measured off or distinct from all other space, or appropriated to some definite object or use; position; ground; site; spot; rarely, unbounded space.

Here is the place appointed.

Shak.

What place can be for us Within heaven's bound?

Milton.

The word place has sometimes a more confused sense, and stands for that space which any body takes up; and so the universe is a place.

Locke.

2. A broad way in a city; an open space; an area; a court or short part of a street open only at one end. "Hangman boys in the market place." Shak.

3. A position which is occupied and held; a dwelling; a mansion; a village, town, or city; a fortified town or post; a stronghold; a region or country.

Are you native of this place?

Shak.

4. Rank; degree; grade; order of priority, advancement, dignity, or importance; especially, social rank or position; condition; also, official station; occupation; calling. "The enervating magic of place." Hawthorne.

Men in great place are thrice servants.

Bacon.

I know my place as I would they should do theirs.

Shak.

5. Vacated or relinquished space; room; stead (the departure or removal of another being or thing being implied). "In place of Lord Bassanio." Shak.

6. A definite position or passage of a document.

The place of the scripture which he read was this.

Acts viii. 32.

7. Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding; as, he said in the first place.

8. Reception; effect; -- implying the making room for.

My word hath no place in you.

John viii. 37.

9. (Astron.) Position in the heavens, as of a heavenly body; -- usually defined by its right ascension and declination, or by its latitude and longitude.

Place of arms (Mil.), a place calculated for the rendezvous of men in arms, etc., as a fort which affords a safe retreat for hospitals, magazines, etc. Wilhelm. -- High place (Script.), a mount on which sacrifices were offered. "Him that offereth in the high place." Jer. xlviii. 35. -- In place, in proper position; timely. -- Out of place, inappropriate; ill-timed; as, his remarks were out of place. -- Place kick (Football), the act of kicking the ball after it has been placed on the ground. -- Place name, the name of a place or locality. London Academy. -- To give place, to make room; to yield; to give way; to give advantage. "Neither give place to the devil." Eph. iv. 27. "Let all the rest give place." Shak. -- To have place, to have a station, room, or seat; as, such desires can have no place in a good heart. -- To take place. (a) To come to pass; to occur; as, the ceremony will not take place. (b) To take precedence or priority. Addison. (c) To take effect; to prevail. "If your doctrine takes place." Berkeley. "But none of these excuses would take place." Spenser. - - To take the place of, to be substituted for.

Syn. -- Situation; seat; abode; position; locality; location; site; spot; office; employment; charge; function; trust; ground; room; stead.

Place (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Placed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Placing (?).] [Cf. F. placer. See Place, n.] 1. To assign a place to; to put in a particular spot or place, or in a certain relative position; to direct to a particular place; to fix; to settle; to locate; as, to place a book on a shelf; to place balls in tennis.

Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown.

Shak.

2. To put or set in a particular rank, office, or position; to surround with particular circumstances or relations in life; to appoint to certain station or condition of life; as, in whatever sphere one is placed.

Place such over them to be rulers.

Ex. xviii. 21.

3. To put out at interest; to invest; to loan; as, to place money in a bank.

4. To set; to fix; to repose; as, to place confidence in a friend. "My resolution 's placed." Shak.

5. To attribute; to ascribe; to set down.

Place it for her chief virtue.

Shak.

To place (a person), to identify him. [Colloq. U.S.]

Syn. -- See Put.

||Pla*ce"bo (?), n. [L., I shall please, fut. of placere to please.] 1. ||(R. C. Ch.) The first antiphon of the vespers for the dead.

2. (Med.) A prescription intended to humor or satisfy.

To sing placebo, to agree with one in his opinion; to be complaisant to. Chaucer.

Place"ful (?), a. In the appointed place. [Obs.]

Place"less, a. Having no place or office.

Place"man (?), n.; pl. Placemen (&?;). One who holds or occupies a place; one who has office under government. Sir W. Scott.

Place"ment (?), n. [Cf. F. placement.] 1. The act of placing, or the state of being placed.

2. Position; place.

Pla*cen"ta (?), n.; pl. L. PlacentÊ (#), E. Placentas (#). [L., a cake, Gr. &?; a flat cake, from &?; flat, fr. &?;, &?;, anything flat and broad.] 1. (Anat.) The vascular appendage which connects the fetus with the parent, and is cast off in parturition with the afterbirth.

In most mammals the placenta is principally developed from the allantois and chorion, and tufts of vascular villi on its surface penetrate the blood vessels of the parental uterus, and thus establish a nutritive and excretory connection between the blood of the fetus and that of the parent, though the blood itself does not flow from one to the other.

2. (Bot.) The part of a pistil or fruit to which the ovules or seeds are attached.

Pla*cen"tal (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to the placenta; having, or characterized by having, a placenta; as, a placental mammal.

2. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Placentalia.

Pla*cen"tal, n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Placentalia.

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||Plac`en*ta"li*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) A division of Mammalia ||including those that have a placenta, or all the orders above the ||marsupials.

Pla*cen"ta*ry (?), a. Having reference to the placenta; as, the placentary system of classification.

Plac`en*ta"tion (?), n. 1. (Anat.) The mode of formation of the placenta in different animals; as, the placentation of mammals.

2. (Bot.) The mode in which the placenta is arranged or composed; as, axile placentation; parietal placentation.

Plac`en*tif"er*ous (?), a. [Placenta + -ferous.] (Bot. & Zoˆl.) Having or producing a placenta.

Pla*cen"ti*form (?), a. [Placenta + -form.] (Bot.) Having the shape of a placenta, or circular thickened disk somewhat thinner about the middle.

Pla*cen"tious (?), a. [See Please.] Pleasing; amiable. [Obs.] "A placentious person." Fuller.

Place"-proud` (?), a. Proud of rank or office. Beau. & Fl.

Pla"cer (?), n. One who places or sets. Spenser.

Plac"er (?), n. [Sp.] A deposit of earth, sand, or gravel, containing valuable mineral in particles, especially by the side of a river, or in the bed of a mountain torrent. [U.S.]

||Pla"cet (?), n. [L. placet it pleases.] 1. A vote of assent, as of ||the governing body of a university, of an ecclesiastical council, ||etc.

2. The assent of the civil power to the promulgation of an ecclesiastical ordinance. Shipley.

The king . . . annulled the royal placet.

J. P. Peters.

Plac"id (?), a. [L. placidus, originally, pleasing, mild, from placere to please: cf. F. placide. See Please.] Pleased; contented; unruffied; undisturbed; serene; peaceful; tranquil; quiet; gentle. "That placid aspect and meek regard." Milton. "Sleeping . . . the placid sleep of infancy." Macaulay.

Pla*cid"i*ty (?), n. [L. placiditas: cf. F. placiditÈ.] The quality or state of being placid; calmness; serenity. Hawthorne.

Plac"id*ly (?), adv. In a placid manner.

Plac"id*ness, n. The quality or state of being placid.

Plac"it (?), n. [L. placitum. See Plea.] A decree or determination; a dictum. [Obs.] "The placits and opinions of other philosophers." Evelyn.

Plac"i*to*ry (?), a. [See Placit.] Of or pertaining to pleas or pleading, in courts of law. [Obs.] Clayton.

||Plac"i*tum (?), n.; pl. Placita (#). [LL. See Placit.] 1. A public ||court or assembly in the Middle Ages, over which the sovereign ||president when a consultation was held upon affairs of state. Brande ||& C.

2. (Old Eng. Law) A court, or cause in court.

3. (Law) A plea; a pleading; a judicial proceeding; a suit. Burrill.

Plack (?), n. [F. plaque a plate of metal. Cf. Plaque.] A small copper coin formerly current in Scotland, worth less than a cent.

With not a plack in the pocket of the poet.

Prof. Wilson.

Plack"et (?), n. [F. plaquer to lay or clap on. See Placard.] 1. A petticoat, esp. an under petticoat; hence, a cant term for a woman. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

2. The opening or slit left in a petticoat or skirt for convenience in putting it on; -- called also placket hole.

3. A woman's pocket.

Plac"o*derm (?), n. [Gr. &?;, &?;, tablet + &?; skin.] (Paleon.) One of the Placodermi.

Plac`o*der"mal (?), a. (Paleon.) Of or pertaining to the placoderms; like the placoderms.

||Plac`o*der"ma*ta (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Paleon.) Same as Placodermi.

||Plac`o*der"mi (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, a tablet + &?; ||skin.] (Paleon.) An extinct group of fishes, supposed to be ganoids. ||The body and head were covered with large bony plates. See Illust. ||under Pterichthys, and Coccosteus.

Plac`o*ga"noid (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Pertaining to the Placoganoidei.

||Plac`o*ga*noi"de*i (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, a tablet + NL. ||ganoidei. See Ganoidei.] (Zoˆl.) A division of ganoid fishes ||including those that have large external bony plates and a ||cartilaginous skeleton.

Plac"oid (?), a. [Gr. &?;, &?;, a tablet + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) Platelike; having irregular, platelike, bony scales, often bearing spines; pertaining to the placoids.

Plac"oid, n. (Zoˆl.) (a) Any fish having placoid scales, as the sharks. (b) One of the Placoides.

||Pla*coi"des (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) A group of fishes including the ||sharks and rays; the Elasmobranchii; -- called also Placoidei.

Pla*coid"i*an (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the placoids.

||Pla*coph"o*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. &?;, &?;, tablet + &?; to ||bear.] (Zoˆl.) A division of gastropod Mollusca, including the ||chitons. The back is covered by eight shelly plates. Called also ||Polyplacophora. See Illust. under Chiton, and Isopleura.

||Pla"ga (?), n.; pl. PlagÊ (#). [L. plga a blow, a welt, a stripe.] ||(Zoˆl.) A stripe of color.

Pla"gal (?), a. [F., from Gr. &?; sidewise, slanting.] (Mus.) Having a scale running from the dominant to its octave; -- said of certain old church modes or tunes, as opposed to those called authentic, which ran from the tonic to its octave.

Plagal cadence, a cadence in which the final chord on the tonic is preceded by the chord on the subdominant.

Pla"gate (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Having plagÊ, or irregular enlongated color spots.

Plage (?), n. [F., fr. L. plaga.] A region; country. [Obs.] "The plages of the north." Chaucer.

Pla"gia*rism (?), n. [Cf. F. plagiarisme.] 1. The act or practice of plagiarizing.

2. That which plagiarized.

Pla"gia*rist (?), n. One who plagiarizes; or purloins the words, writings, or ideas of another, and passes them off as his own; a literary thief; a plagiary.

Pla"gia*rize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plagiarized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plagiarizing.] To steal or purloin from the writings of another; to appropriate without due acknowledgement (the ideas or expressions of another).

Pla"gia*ry, v. i. To commit plagiarism.

Pla"gia*ry (?), n.; pl. Plagiaries (#). [L. plagiarius a kidnaper, a literary thief, fr. plagium kidnaping; cf. plaga a net, perh. akin to E. plait: cf. F. plagiaire.] 1. A manstealer; a kidnaper. [Obs.]

2. One who purloins another's expressions or ideas, and offers them as his own; a plagiarist. Dryden.

3. Plagiarism; literary thief. Milton.

Pla"gia*ry, a. 1. Kidnaping. [Obs.] E. Browne.

2. Practicing plagiarism. Bp. Hall.

Pla`gi*he"dral (?), a. [Gr. &?; oblique + &?; base, seat.] (Crystallog.) Having an oblique spiral arrangement of planes, as levogyrate and dextrogyrate crystals.

Pla`gi*o*ce*phal"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?; oblique + &?; the head.] (Anat.) Having an oblique lateral deformity of the skull.

Pla`gi*o*ceph"a*ly (?), n. (Anat.) Oblique lateral deformity of the skull.

Pla"gi*o*clase (?), n. [Gr. &?; oblique + &?; to break.] (Min.) A general term used of any triclinic feldspar. See the Note under Feldspar.

Pla"gi*o*nite (?), n. [Gr. &?; oblique. So called in allusion to its usually oblique crystallization.] (Min.) A sulphide of lead and antimony, of a blackish lead-gray color and metallic luster.

Pla`gi*o*stom"a*tous (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Same as Plagiostomous.

Pla"gi*o*stome (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Plagiostomi.

||Pla`gi*os"to*mi (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. &?; slanting + &?;, &?;, ||mouth.] (Zoˆl.) An order of fishes including the sharks and rays; -- ||called also Plagiostomata.

Pla`gi*os"to*mous (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Plagiostomi.

||Pla`gi*o*trem"a*ta (?), n. pl.; [NL., fr. Gr. &?; slanting + &?;, ||&?;, a hole.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Lepidosauria.

Pla`gi*o*trop"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?; aslant + &?; to turn.] (Bot.) Having the longer axis inclined away from the vertical line.

||Pla"gi*um (?), n. [L.] (Civil Law) Manstealing; kidnaping.

Pla*gose" (?), a. [L. plagosus. See Plague.] Fond of flogging; as, a plagose master. [R.]

Plague (?), n. [L. plaga a blow, stroke, plague; akin to Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to strike; cf. L. plangere to strike, beat. Cf. Plaint.] 1. That which smites, wounds, or troubles; a blow; a calamity; any afflictive evil or torment; a great trail or vexation. Shak.

And men blasphemed God for the plague of hail.

Wyclif.

The different plague of each calamity.

Shak.

2. (Med.) An acute malignant contagious fever, that often prevails in Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, and has at times visited the large cities of Europe with frightful mortality; hence, any pestilence; as, the great London plague. "A plague upon the people fell." Tennyson.

Cattle plague. See Rinderpest. -- Plague mark, Plague spot, a spot or mark of the plague; hence, a token of something incurable.

Plague, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plagued (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plaguing.] 1. To infest or afflict with disease, calamity, or natural evil of any kind.

Thus were they plagued And worn with famine.

Milton.

2. Fig.: To vex; to tease; to harass.

She will plague the man that loves her most.

Spenser.

Syn. -- To vex; torment; distress; afflict; harass; annoy; tease; tantalize; trouble; molest; embarrass; perplex.

Plague"ful (?), a. Abounding, or infecting, with plagues; pestilential; as, plagueful exhalations.

Plague"less, a. Free from plagues or the plague.

Pla"guer (?), n. One who plagues or annoys.

Pla"gui*ly (?), adv. In a plaguing manner; vexatiously; extremely. [Colloq.] "Ronsard is so plaguily stiff and stately." Landor.

Pla"guy (?), a. Vexatious; troublesome; tormenting; as, a plaguy horse. [Colloq.] Also used adverbially; as, "He is so plaguy proud." Shak.

Plaice (?), n. [F. plaise, plais, prob. fr. L. platessa flatish, plaice. See Place.] (Zoˆl.) (a) A European food fish (Pleuronectes platessa), allied to the flounder, and growing to the weight of eight or ten pounds or more. (b) A large American flounder (Paralichthys dentatus; called also brail, puckermouth, and summer flounder. The name is sometimes applied to other allied species. [Written also plaise.]

Plaice mouth, a mouth like that of a plaice; a small or wry mouth. [R.] B. Jonson.

Plaid (?), n. [Gael. plaide a blanket or plaid, contr. fr. peallaid a sheepskin, fr. peall a skin or hide. CF. Pillion.] 1. A rectangular garment or piece of cloth, usually made of the checkered material called tartan, but sometimes of plain gray, or gray with black stripes. It is worn by both sexes in Scotland.

2. Goods of any quality or material of the pattern of a plaid or tartan; a checkered cloth or pattern.

Plaid, a. Having a pattern or colors which resemble a Scotch plaid; checkered or marked with bars or stripes at right angles to one another; as, plaid muslin.

Plaid"ed, a. 1. Of the material of which plaids are made; tartan. "In plaided vest." Wordsworth.

2. Wearing a plaid. Campbell.

Plaid"ing (?), n. Plaid cloth.

Plain (?), v. i. [OE. playne, pleyne, fr. F. plaindre. See Plaint.] To lament; to bewail; to complain. [Archaic & Poetic] Milton.

We with piteous heart unto you pleyne.

Chaucer.

Plain, v. t. To lament; to mourn over; as, to plain a loss. [Archaic & Poetic] Sir J. Harrington.

Plain, a. [Compar. Plainer (?); superl. Plainest.] [F., level, flat, fr. L. planus, perhaps akin to E. floor. Cf. Llano, Piano, Plan, Plane level, a level surface.] 1. Without elevations or depressions; flat; level; smooth; even. See Plane.

The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

Isa. xl. 4.

2. Open; clear; unencumbered; equal; fair.

Our troops beat an army in plain fight.

Felton.

3. Not intricate or difficult; evident; manifest; obvious; clear; unmistakable. "'T is a plain case." Shak.

4. (a) Void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple. (b) Not highly cultivated; unsophisticated; free from show or pretension; simple; natural; homely; common. "Plain yet pious Christians." Hammond. "The plain people." A. Lincoln. (c) Free from affectation or disguise; candid; sincere; artless; honest; frank. "An honest mind, and plain." Shak. (d) Not luxurious; not highly seasoned; simple; as, plain food. (e) Without beauty; not handsome; homely; as, a plain woman. (f) Not variegated, dyed, or figured; as, plain muslin. (g) Not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune.

Plain battle, open battle; pitched battle. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Plain chant (Mus.) Same as Plain song, below. -- Plain chart (Naut.), a chart laid down on Mercator's projection. -- Plain dealer. (a) One who practices plain dealing. (b) A simpleton. [Obs.] Shak. -- Plain dealing. See under Dealing. -- Plain molding (Join.), molding of which the surfaces are plain figures. -- Plain sewing, sewing of seams by simple and common stitches, in distinct from fancy work, embroidery, etc.; -- distinguished also from designing and fitting garments. -- Plain song. (a) The Gregorian chant, or canto fermo; the prescribed melody of the Roman Catholic service, sung in unison, in tones of equal length, and rarely extending beyond the compass of an octave. (b) A simple melody. -- Plain speaking, plainness or bluntness of speech.

Syn. -- Level; flat; smooth; open; artless; unaffected; undisguised; frank; sincere; honest; candid; ingenuous; unembellished; downright; blunt; clear; simple; distinct; manifest; obvious; apparent. See Manifest.

Plain, adv. In a plain manner; plainly. "To speak short and pleyn." Chaucer. "To tell you plain." Shak.

Plain, n. [Cf. OF. plaigne, F. plaine. See Plain, a.] 1. Level land; usually, an open field or a broad stretch of land with an even surface, or a surface little varied by inequalities; as, the plain of Jordan; the American plains, or prairies.

Descending fro the mountain into playn.

Chaucer.

Him the Ammonite Worshiped in Rabba and her watery plain.

Milton.

2. A field of battle. [Obs.] Arbuthnot.

Lead forth my soldiers to the plain.

Shak.

Plain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plained (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Plaining.] [Cf. Plane, v.] 1. To plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface. [R.]

We would rake Europe rather, plain the East.

Wither.

2. To make plain or manifest; to explain.

What's dumb in show, I'll plain in speech.

Shak.

Plain"ant (?), n. [See 1st Plain.] (Law) One who makes complaint; the plaintiff. [Obs.]

Plain"-deal`ing (?), a. Practicing plain dealing; artless. See Plain dealing, under Dealing. Shak.

Plain"-heart`ed (?), a. Frank; sincere; artless. Milton. -- Plain"- heart`ed*ness, n.

Plain"ing, n. Complaint. [Poetic] Shak.

Plain"ing, a. Complaining. [Poetic] Bryant.

Plain"-laid` (?), a. (Naut.) Consisting of strands twisted together in the ordinary way; as, a plain-laid rope. See Illust. of Cordage.

Plain"ly, adv. In a plain manner; clearly.

Plain"ness, n. The quality or state of being plain.

Plains"man (?), n.; pl. - men (&?;). One who lives in the plains.

Plain"-spo`ken (?), a. Speaking with plain, unreserved sincerity; also, spoken sincerely; as, plain-spoken words. Dryden.

Plaint (?), n. [OE. plainte, pleynte, F. plainte, fr. L. plangere, planctum (plancta, fem. p. p.), to beat, beat the breast, lament. Cf. Complain, Plague, Plangent.] 1. Audible expression of sorrow; lamentation; complaint; hence, a mournful song; a lament. Chaucer."The Psalmist's mournful plaint." Wordsworth.

2. An accusation or protest on account of an injury.

There are three just grounds of war with Spain: one of plaint, two upon defense.

Bacon.

3. (Law) A private memorial tendered to a court, in which a person sets forth his cause of action; the exhibiting of an action in writing. Blackstone.

<! p. 1094 !>

Plaint"ful (?), a. Containing a plaint; complaining; expressing sorrow with an audible voice. "My plaintful tongue." Sir P. Sidney.

Plain"tiff (?), n. [F. plaintif making complaint, plaintive; in Old French equiv. to plaignant complainant, prosecutor, fr. plaindre. See Plaint, and cf. Plaintive.] (Law) One who commences a personal action or suit to obtain a remedy for an injury to his rights; -- opposed to defendant.

Plain"tiff, a. See Plaintive. [Obs.] Prior.

Plain"tive (?), a. [F. plaintif. See Plaintiff, n.] 1. Repining; complaining; lamenting. Dryden.

2. Expressive of sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad. "The most plaintive ditty." Landor.

-- Plain"tive*ly, adv. -- Plain"tive*ness, n.

Plaint"less (?), a. Without complaint; unrepining. "Plaintless patience." Savage.

Plai`sance" (?), n. [F.] See Pleasance.

Plaise (?), n. (Zoˆl.) See Plaice. [Obs.]

Plais"ter (?), n. [Obs.] See Plaster.

Plait (?), n. [OE. playte, OF. pleit, L. plicatum, plicitum, p. p. of plicare to fold, akin to plectere to plait. See Ply, and cf. Plat to weave, Pleat, Plight fold.] 1. A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat; as, a box plait.

The plaits and foldings of the drapery.

Addison.

2. A braid, as of hair or straw; a plat.

Polish plait. (Med.) Same as Plica.

Plait, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plaited; p. pr. & vb. n. Plaiting.] 1. To fold; to double in narrow folds; to pleat; as, to plait a ruffle.

2. To interweave the strands or locks of; to braid; to plat; as, to plait hair; to plait rope.

Plait"ed, a. Folded; doubled over; braided; figuratively, involved; intricate; artful.

Time shall unfold what plaited cunning hides.

Shak.

Plait"er (?), n. One who, or that which, plaits.

Plan (?), n. [F., fr. L. planus flat, level. See Plain, a.] 1. A draught or form; properly, a representation drawn on a plane, as a map or a chart; especially, a top view, as of a machine, or the representation or delineation of a horizontal section of anything, as of a building; a graphic representation; a diagram.

2. A scheme devised; a method of action or procedure expressed or described in language; a project; as, the plan of a constitution; the plan of an expedition.

God's plans like lines pure and white unfold.

M. R. Smith.

3. A method; a way of procedure; a custom.

The simple plan, That they should take who have the power, And they should keep who can.

Wordsworth.

Body plan, Floor plan, etc. See under Body, Floor, etc.

Syn. -- Scheme; draught; delineation; plot; sketch; project; design; contrivance; device. See Scheme.

Plan, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planning.] 1. To form a delineation of; to draught; to represent, as by a diagram.

2. To scheme; to devise; to contrive; to form in design; as, to plan the conquest of a country.

Even in penance, planning sins anew.

Goldsmith.

||Pla*na"ri*a (?), n.; pl. L. PlanariÊ (#), E. -rias (#). [NL. See ||Planary.] (Zoˆl.) Any species of turbellarian worms belonging to ||Planaria, and many allied genera. The body is usually flat, thin, and ||smooth. Some species, in warm countries, are terrestrial.

Pla*na"ri*an (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Planarida, or Dendrocúla; any turbellarian worm. -- Pla*na"ri*an, a.

||Pla*nar"i*da (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) A division of Turbellaria; the ||Dendrocúla.

Pla*na"ri*oid (?), a. [Planaria + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) Like the planarians.

Pla"na*ry (?), a. [L. planarius level. See Plane, a.] Of or pertaining to a plane. [R.]

Planch (?), n. [F. planche.] A plank. [Obs.] Ld. Berners.

Planch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planching.] [F. planche a board, plank. See Plank.] To make or cover with planks or boards; to plank. [Obs.] "To that vineyard is a planched gate." Shak.

Planch"er (?), n. [F., planche. See Planch.] 1. A floor of wood; also, a plank. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. (Arch.) The under side of a cornice; a soffit.

Planch"er, v. t. To form of planks. [Obs.] Golding.

Planch"et (?), n. [F. planchette a small board, dim. of planche. See Planch.] A flat piece of metal; especially, a disk of metal ready to be stamped as a coin.

Plan`chette" (?), n. [F. See Planchet.] 1. A circumferentor. See Circumferentor.

2. A small tablet of wood supported on casters and having a pencil attached. The characters produced by the pencil on paper, while the hand rests on the instrument and it is allowed to move, are sometimes translated as of oracular or supernatural import.

Planch"ing (?), n. The laying of floors in a building; also, a floor of boards or planks.

Plane (?), n. [F., fr. L. platanus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; broad; -- so called on account of its broad leaves and spreading form. See Place, and cf. Platane, Plantain the tree.] (Bot.) Any tree of the genus Platanus.

The Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) is a native of Asia. It rises with a straight, smooth, branching stem to a great height, with palmated leaves, and long pendulous peduncles, sustaining several heads of small close-sitting flowers. The seeds are downy, and collected into round, rough, hard balls. The Occidental plane (Platanus occidentalis), which grows to a great height, is a native of North America, where it is popularly called sycamore, buttonwood, and buttonball, names also applied to the California species (Platanus racemosa).

Plane (?), a. [L. planus: cf. F. plan. See Plan, a.] Without elevations or depressions; even; level; flat; lying in, or constituting, a plane; as, a plane surface.

In science, this word (instead of plain) is almost exclusively used to designate a flat or level surface.

Plane angle, the angle included between two straight lines in a plane. -- Plane chart, Plane curve. See under Chart and Curve. -- Plane figure, a figure all points of which lie in the same plane. If bounded by straight lines it is a rectilinear plane figure, if by curved lines it is a curvilinear plane figure. -- Plane geometry, that part of geometry which treats of the relations and properties of plane figures. -- Plane problem, a problem which can be solved geometrically by the aid of the right line and circle only. -- Plane sailing (Naut.), the method of computing a ship's place and course on the supposition that the earth's surface is a plane. -- Plane scale (Naut.), a scale for the use of navigators, on which are graduated chords, sines, tangents, secants, rhumbs, geographical miles, etc. -- Plane surveying, surveying in which the curvature of the earth is disregarded; ordinary field and topographical surveying of tracts of moderate extent. -- Plane table, an instrument used for plotting the lines of a survey on paper in the field. -- Plane trigonometry, the branch of trigonometry in which its principles are applied to plane triangles.

Plane, n. [F. plane, L. plana. See Plane, v. & a.] 1. (Geom.) A surface, real or imaginary, in which, if any two points are taken, the straight line which joins them lies wholly in that surface; or a surface, any section of which by a like surface is a straight line; a surface without curvature.

2. (Astron.) An ideal surface, conceived as coinciding with, or containing, some designated astronomical line, circle, or other curve; as, the plane of an orbit; the plane of the ecliptic, or of the equator.

3. (Mech.) A block or plate having a perfectly flat surface, used as a standard of flatness; a surface plate.

4. (Joinery) A tool for smoothing boards or other surfaces of wood, for forming moldings, etc. It consists of a smooth-soled stock, usually of wood, from the under side or face of which projects slightly the steel cutting edge of a chisel, called the iron, which inclines backward, with an apperture in front for the escape of shavings; as, the jack plane; the smoothing plane; the molding plane, etc.

Objective plane (Surv.), the horizontal plane upon which the object which is to be delineated, or whose place is to be determined, is supposed to stand. -- Perspective plane. See Perspective. -- Plane at infinity (Geom.), a plane in which points infinitely distant are conceived as situated. -- Plane iron, the cutting chisel of a joiner's plane. -- Plane of polarization. (Opt.) See Polarization. -- Plane of projection. (a) The plane on which the projection is made, corresponding to the perspective plane in perspective; -- called also principal plane. (b) (Descriptive Geom.) One of the planes to which points are referred for the purpose of determining their relative position in space. -- Plane of refraction or reflection (Opt.), the plane in which lie both the incident ray and the refracted or reflected ray.

Plane, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planing.] [Cf. F. planer, L. planare, fr. planus. See Plane, a., Plain, a., and cf. Planish.] 1. To make smooth; to level; to pare off the inequalities of the surface of, as of a board or other piece of wood, by the use of a plane; as, to plane a plank.

2. To efface or remove.

He planed away the names . . . written on his tables.

Chaucer.

3. Figuratively, to make plain or smooth. [R.]

What student came but that you planed her path.

Tennyson.

Plane`-par"al*lel (?), a. (Optics) Having opposite surfaces exactly plane and parallel, as a piece of glass.

Plan"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, planes; a planing machine; esp., a machine for planing wood or metals.

2. (Print.) A wooden block used for forcing down the type in a form, and making the surface even. Hansard.

Planer centers. See under Center.

Plan"er tree` (?). [From J. S. Planer, a German botanist.] (Bot.) A small-leaved North American tree (Planera aquatica) related to the elm, but having a wingless, nutlike fruit.

Plan"et (?), n. [OE. planete, F. planËte, L. planeta, fr. Gr. &?;, and &?; a planet; prop. wandering, fr. &?; to wander, fr. &?; a wandering.] 1. (Astron.) A celestial body which revolves about the sun in an orbit of a moderate degree of eccentricity. It is distinguished from a comet by the absence of a coma, and by having a less eccentric orbit. See Solar system.

The term planet was first used to distinguish those stars which have an apparent motion through the constellations from the fixed stars, which retain their relative places unchanged. The inferior planets are Mercury and Venus, which are nearer to the sun than is the earth; the superior planets are Mars, the asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which are farther from the sun than is the earth. Primary planets are those which revolve about the sun; secondary planets, or moons, are those which revolve around the primary planets as satellites, and at the same time revolve with them about the sun.

2. A star, as influencing the fate of a men.

There's some ill planet reigns.

Shak.

Planet gear. (Mach.) See Epicyclic train, under Epicyclic. -- Planet wheel, a gear wheel which revolves around the wheel with which it meshes, in an epicyclic train.

Plane" ta`ble (?). See under Plane, a.

Plan`e*ta"ri*um (?), n. [NL.: cf. F. planÈtaire. See Planetary.] An orrery. See Orrery.

Plan"et*a*ry (?), a. [Cf. L. planetarius an astrologer, F. planÈtaire planetary. See Planet.] 1. Of or pertaining to the planets; as, planetary inhabitants; planetary motions; planetary year.

2. Consisting of planets; as, a planetary system.

3. (Astrol.) Under the dominion or influence of a planet. "Skilled in the planetary hours." Drayton.

4. Caused by planets. "A planetary plague." Shak.

5. Having the nature of a planet; erratic; revolving; wandering. "Erratical and planetary life." Fuller.

Planetary days, the days of the week as shared among the planets known to the ancients, each having its day. Hutton. -- Planetary nebula, a nebula exhibiting a uniform disk, like that of a planet.

Plan"et*ed, a. Belonging to planets. [R.] Young.

{ Pla*net"ic (?), Pla*net"ic*al (?), } a. [L. planeticus, Gr. &?;.] Of or pertaining to planets. Sir T. Browne.

Plan"et*oid (?), n. [Planet + -oid.] (Astron.) A body resembling a planet; an asteroid.

Plan"et*oid*al (?), a. Pertaining to a planetoid.

Plane" tree` (?). (Bot.) Same as 1st Plane.

{ Plan"et-strick`en (?), Plan"et-struck` (?), } a. Affected by the influence of planets; blasted. Milton.

Like planet-stricken men of yore He trembles, smitten to the core By strong compunction and remorse.

Wordsworth.

Plan"et*ule (?), n. A little planet. [R.] Conybeare.

Plan"gen*cy (?), n. The quality or state of being plangent; a beating sound. [R.]

Plan"gent (?), a. [L. plangens, -entis, fr. plangere to beat. See Plaint.] Beating; dashing, as a wave. [R.] "The plangent wave." H. Taylor.

{ Plan"i- (?), Plan"o- (?) }. [L. planus. See Plane, a.] Combining forms signifying flat, level, plane; as planifolious, planimetry, plano- concave.

Plan`i*fo"li*ous (?), a. [Plani- + L. folium leaf.] (Bot.) Flat-leaved.

Plan"i*form (?), a. (Anat.) Having a plane surface; as, a planiform, gliding, or arthrodial articulation.

Pla*nim"e*ter (?), n. [Plani- + -meter. Cf. Planometer.] An instrument for measuring the area of any plane figure, however irregular, by passing a tracer around the bounding line; a platometer.

{ Plan`i*met"ric (?; 277), Plan`i*met"ric*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. planimÈtrique.] Of or pertaining to planimetry.

Pla*nim"e*try (?), n. [Cf. F. planimÈtrie.] The mensuration of plane surfaces; -- distinguished from stereometry, or the mensuration of volumes.

Plan"ing (?), a. & vb. n. fr. Plane, v. t.

Planing machine. (a) See Planer. (b) A complex machine for planing wood, especially boards, containing usually a rapidly revolving cutter, which chips off the surface in small shavings as the piece to be planed is passed under it by feeding apparatus.

Pla`ni*pen"nate (?), a. Of or pertaining to Planipennia.

||Pla`ni*pen"ni*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. planus plane + penna wing.] ||(Zoˆl.) A suborder of Neuroptera, including those that have broad, ||flat wings, as the ant-lion, lacewing, etc. Called also Planipennes.

Plan`i*pet"al*ous (?), a. [Plani- + petal.] (Bot.) Having flat petals.

Plan"ish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planishing.] [OF. planir, F. planer. See Plane, v., and -ish.] To make smooth or plane, as a metallic surface; to condense, toughen, and polish by light blows with a hammer.

Plan"ish*er (?), n. One who, or that which, planishes. Weale.

Plan"ish*ing, a. & vb. n. from Planish, v. t.

Planishing rolls (Coining), rolls between which metal strips are passed while cold, to bring them to exactly the required thickness.

Plan"i*sphere (?), n. [Plani- + sphere: cf. F. planisphËre. See Plain, and Sphere.] The representation of the circles of the sphere upon a plane; especially, a representation of the celestial sphere upon a plane with adjustable circles, or other appendages, for showing the position of the heavens, the time of rising and setting of stars, etc., for any given date or hour.

Plan`i*spher"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to a planisphere.

Plank (?), n. [OE. planke, OF. planque, planche, F. planche, fr. L. planca; cf. Gr. &?;, &?;, anything flat and broad. Cf. Planch.] 1. A broad piece of sawed timber, differing from a board only in being thicker. See Board.

2. Fig.: That which supports or upholds, as a board does a swimmer.

His charity is a better plank than the faith of an intolerant and bitter-minded bigot.

Southey.

3. One of the separate articles in a declaration of the principles of a party or cause; as, a plank in the national platform. [Cant]

Plank road, or Plank way, a road surface formed of planks. [U.S.] -- To walk the plank, to walk along a plank laid across the bulwark of a ship, until one overbalances it and falls into the sea; -- a method of disposing of captives practiced by pirates.

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Plank (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planking.] 1. To cover or lay with planks; as, to plank a floor or a ship. "Planked with pine." Dryden.

2. To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash; as, to plank money in a wager. [Colloq. U.S.]

3. To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.

4. (Wooden Manuf.) To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.

Planked shad, shad split open, fastened to a plank, and roasted before a wood fire.

Plank"ing, n. 1. The act of laying planks; also, planks, collectively; a series of planks in place, as the wooden covering of the frame of a vessel.

2. The act of splicing slivers. See Plank, v. t., 4.

Plank"-sheer` (?), n. (Shipbuilding) The course of plank laid horizontally over the timberheads of a vessel's frame.

Plan"less (?), a. Having no plan.

Plan"ner (?), n. One who plans; a projector.

Pla"no- (?). See Plani-.

Plan"o*blast (?), n. [Gr. &?; to wander + -blast.] (Zoˆl.) Any free-swimming gonophore of a hydroid; a hydroid medusa.

Pla"no-con"cave (?), a. [Plano- + concave.] Plane or flat on one side, and concave on the other; as, a plano-concave lens. See Lens.

Pla"no-con"ic*al (?), a. [Plano- + conical.] Plane or flat on one side, and conical on the other. Grew.

Pla"no-con"vex (?), a. [Plano- + convex.] Plane or flat on one side, and convex on the other; as, a plano-convex lens. See Convex, and Lens.

Pla"no-hor`i*zon"tal (?), a. [Plano- + horizontal.] Having a level horizontal surface or position. Lee.

Pla*nom"e*ter (?), n. [Plano- + -meter. Cf. Planimeter.] An instrument for gauging or testing a plane surface. See Surface gauge, under Surface.

Pla*nom"e*try (?), n. (Mech.) The art or process of producing or gauging a plane surface.

Pla"no-or*bic"u*lar (?), a. [Plano- + orbicular.] Plane or flat on one side, and spherical on the other.

||Pla*nor"bis (?), n. [NL., fr. L. planus flat + orbis a circle.] ||(Zoˆl.) Any fresh-water air-breathing mollusk belonging to Planorbis ||and other allied genera, having shells of a discoidal form.

Pla"no-su"bu*late (?), a. [Plano- + subulate.] Smooth and awl-shaped. See Subulate.

Plant (?), n. [AS. plante, L. planta.] 1. A vegetable; an organized living being, generally without feeling and voluntary motion, and having, when complete, a root, stem, and leaves, though consisting sometimes only of a single leafy expansion, or a series of cellules, or even a single cellule.

Plants are divided by their structure and methods of reproduction into two series, phÊnogamous or flowering plants, which have true flowers and seeds, and cryptogamous or flowerless plants, which have no flowers, and reproduce by minute one-celled spores. In both series are minute and simple forms and others of great size and complexity.

As to their mode of nutrition, plants may be considered as self-supporting and dependent. Self-supporting plants always contain chlorophyll, and subsist on air and moisture and the matter dissolved in moisture, and as a general rule they excrete oxygen, and use the carbonic acid to combine with water and form the material for their tissues. Dependent plants comprise all fungi and many flowering plants of a parasitic or saprophytic nature. As a rule, they have no chlorophyll, and subsist mainly or wholly on matter already organized, thus utilizing carbon compounds already existing, and not excreting oxygen. But there are plants which are partly dependent and partly self-supporting.

The movements of climbing plants, of some insectivorous plants, of leaves, stamens, or pistils in certain plants, and the ciliary motion of zoˆspores, etc., may be considered a kind of voluntary motion.

2. A bush, or young tree; a sapling; hence, a stick or staff. "A plant of stubborn oak." Dryden.

3. The sole of the foot. [R.] "Knotty legs and plants of clay." B. Jonson.

4. (Com.) The whole machinery and apparatus employed in carrying on a trade or mechanical business; also, sometimes including real estate, and whatever represents investment of capital in the means of carrying on a business, but not including material worked upon or finished products; as, the plant of a foundry, a mill, or a railroad.

5. A plan; an artifice; a swindle; a trick. [Slang]

It was n't a bad plant, that of mine, on Fikey.

Dickens.

6. (Zoˆl.) (a) An oyster which has been bedded, in distinction from one of natural growth. (b) A young oyster suitable for transplanting. [Local, U.S.]

Plant bug (Zoˆl.), any one of numerous hemipterous insects which injure the foliage of plants, as Lygus lineolaris, which damages wheat and trees. -- Plant cutter (Zoˆl.), a South American passerine bird of the genus Phytotoma, family PhytotomidÊ. It has a serrated bill with which it cuts off the young shoots and buds of plants, often doing much injury. -- Plant louse (Zoˆl.), any small hemipterous insect which infests plants, especially those of the families AphidÊ and PsyllidÊ; an aphid.

Plant (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planted; p. pr. & vb. n. Planting.] [AS. plantian, L. plantare. See Plant, n.] 1. To put in the ground and cover, as seed for growth; as, to plant maize.

2. To set in the ground for growth, as a young tree, or a vegetable with roots.

Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees.

Deut. xvi. 21.

3. To furnish, or fit out, with plants; as, to plant a garden, an orchard, or a forest.

4. To engender; to generate; to set the germ of.

It engenders choler, planteth anger.

Shak.

5. To furnish with a fixed and organized population; to settle; to establish; as, to plant a colony.

Planting of countries like planting of woods.

Bacon.

6. To introduce and establish the principles or seeds of; as, to plant Christianity among the heathen.

7. To set firmly; to fix; to set and direct, or point; as, to plant cannon against a fort; to plant a standard in any place; to plant one's feet on solid ground; to plant one's fist in another's face.

8. To set up; to install; to instate.

We will plant some other in the throne.

Shak.

Plant, v. i. To perform the act of planting.

I have planted; Apollos watered.

1 Cor. iii. 6.

Plant"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being planted; fit to be planted. B. Edwards.

Plant"age (?), n. A word used once by Shakespeare to designate plants in general, or anything that is planted.

As true as steel, as plantage to the moon.

Shak. (Troil. iii. sc. 2).

Plan"tain (?), n. [Cf. F. plantain- arbre, plantanier, Sp. pl·ntano, pl·tano; prob. same word as plane tree.] 1. (Bot.) A treelike perennial herb (Musa paradisiaca) of tropical regions, bearing immense leaves and large clusters of the fruits called plantains. See Musa.

2. The fruit of this plant. It is long and somewhat cylindrical, slightly curved, and, when ripe, soft, fleshy, and covered with a thick but tender yellowish skin. The plantain is a staple article of food in most tropical countries, especially when cooked.

Plantain cutter, or Plantain eater (Zoˆl.), any one of several large African birds of the genus Musophaga, or family MusophagidÊ, especially Musophaga violacea. See Turaco. They are allied to the cuckoos. -- Plantain squirrel (Zoˆl.), a Java squirrel (Sciurus plantani) which feeds upon plantains. -- Plantain tree (Bot.), the treelike herb Musa paradisiaca. See def. 1 (above).

Plan"tain, n. [F., fr. L. plantago. Cf. Plant.] (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Plantago, but especially the P. major, a low herb with broad spreading radical leaves, and slender spikes of minute flowers. It is a native of Europe, but now found near the abode of civilized man in nearly all parts of the world.

Indian plantain. (Bot.) See under Indian. -- Mud plantain, a homely North American aquatic plant (Heteranthera reniformis), having broad, reniform leaves. -- Rattlesnake plantain, an orchidaceous plant (Goodyera pubescens), with the leaves blotched and spotted with white. -- Ribwort plantain. See Ribwort. -- Robin's plantain, the Erigeron bellidifolium, a common daisylike plant of North America. -- Water plantain, a plant of the genus Alisma, having acrid leaves, and formerly regarded as a specific against hydrophobia. Loudon.

Plant"al (?), a. [L. planta a plant.] Belonging to plants; as, plantal life. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Plan"tar (?), a. [L. plantaris, fr. planta the sole of the foot.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sole of the foot; as, the plantar arteries.

Plan*ta"tion (?), n. [L. plantatio: cf. F. plantation.] 1. The act or practice of planting, or setting in the earth for growth. [R.]

2. The place planted; land brought under cultivation; a piece of ground planted with trees or useful plants; esp., in the United States and West Indies, a large estate appropriated to the production of the more important crops, and cultivated by laborers who live on the estate; as, a cotton plantation; a coffee plantation.

3. An original settlement in a new country; a colony.

While these plantations were forming in Connecticut.

B. Trumbull.

Plant"-cane` (?), n. A stalk or shoot of sugar cane of the first growth from the cutting. The growth of the second and following years is of inferior quality, and is called rattoon.

Plant"-eat`ing (?), a. Eating, or subsisting on, plants; as, a plant-eating beetle.

Plant"ed (?), a. (Joinery) Fixed in place, as a projecting member wrought on a separate piece of stuff; as, a planted molding.

Plant"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, plants or sows; as, a planterof corn; a machine planter.

2. One who owns or cultivates a plantation; as, a sugar planter; a coffee planter.

3. A colonist in a new or uncultivated territory; as, the first planters in Virginia.

Plant"er*ship, n. The occupation or position of a planter, or the management of a plantation, as in the United States or the West Indies.

Plant"i*cle (?), n. [Dim. of Plant.] A young plant, or plant in embryo. E. Darwin.

||Plan`ti*gra"da (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) A subdivision of Carnivora ||having plantigrade feet. It includes the bears, raccoons, and allied ||species.

Plan"ti*grade (?), a. [L. planta sole of the foot + gradi to walk: cf. F. plantigrade.] (Zoˆl.) (a) Walking on the sole of the foot; pertaining to the plantigrades. (b) Having the foot so formed that the heel touches the ground when the leg is upright.

Plan"ti*grade, n. (Zoˆl.) A plantigrade animal, or one that walks or steps on the sole of the foot, as man, and the bears.

Plant"ing (?), n. 1. The act or operation of setting in the ground for propagation, as seeds, trees, shrubs, etc.; the forming of plantations, as of trees; the carrying on of plantations, as of sugar, coffee, etc.

2. That which is planted; a plantation.

Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.

Isa. lxi. 3.

3. (Arch.) The laying of the first courses of stone in a foundation. [Eng.]

Plant"less, a. Without plants; barren of vegetation.

Plant"let, n. A little plant.

Plan*toc"ra*cy (?), n. [Planter + -cracy, as in democracy.] Government by planters; planters, collectively. [R.]

Plant"ule (?), n. [F., dim. of plante a plant, L. planta.] (Bot.) The embryo which has begun its development in the act of germination.

||Plan"u*la (?), n.; pl. PlanulÊ (#). [L., a little plane.] 1. (Biol.) ||In embryonic development, a vesicle filled with fluid, formed from ||the morula by the divergence of its cells in such a manner as to give ||rise to a central space, around which the cells arrange themselves as ||an envelope; an embryonic form intermediate between the morula and ||gastrula. Sometimes used as synonymous with gastrula.

2. (Zoˆl.) The very young, free- swimming larva of the cúlenterates. It usually has a flattened oval or oblong form, and is entirely covered with cilia.

Planx"ty (?), n. [Cf. L. plangere to mourn aloud.] (Mus.) An Irish or Welsh melody for the harp, sometimes of a mournful character.

Plaque (?), n. [F. Cf. Plack, and see Placard.] Any flat, thin piece of metal, clay, ivory, or the like, used for ornament, or for painting pictures upon, as a slab, plate, dish, or the like, hung upon a wall; also, a smaller decoration worn on the person, as a brooch.

Plash (?), n. [OD. plasch. See Plash, v.] 1. A small pool of standing water; a puddle. Bacon. "These shallow plashes." Barrow.

2. A dash of water; a splash.

Plash, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Plashed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plashing.] [Cf. D. plassen, G. platschen. Cf. Splash.] To dabble in water; to splash. "Plashing among bedded pebbles." Keats.

Far below him plashed the waters.

Longfellow.

Plash, v. t. 1. To splash, as water.

2. To splash or sprinkle with coloring matter; as, to plash a wall in imitation of granite.

Plash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plashed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Plashing.] [OF. plaissier, plessier, to bend. Cf. Pleach.] To cut partly, or to bend and intertwine the branches of; as, to plash a hedge. Evelyn.

Plash, n. The branch of a tree partly cut or bent, and bound to, or intertwined with, other branches.

Plash"et (?), n. [Plash + - et.] A small pond or pool; a puddle.

Plash"ing, n. 1. The cutting or bending and intertwining the branches of small trees, as in hedges.

2. The dashing or sprinkling of coloring matter on the walls of buildings, to imitate granite, etc.

Plash"oot (?), n. A hedge or fence formed of branches of trees interlaced, or plashed. [Obs.] Carew.

Plash"y (?), a. [From 1st Plash.] 1. Watery; abounding with puddles; splashy. "Plashy fens." Milton. "The plashy earth." Wordsworth.

2. Specked, as if plashed with color. Keats.

Plasm (?), n. [L. plasma anything formed or molded, that which is molded, Gr. &?;, &?;, from &?; to form, mold: cf. F. plasme. Cf. Plasma.] 1. A mold or matrix in which anything is cast or formed to a particular shape. [R.] Woodward.

2. (Biol.) Same as Plasma.

Plas"ma (?), n. [See Plasm.] 1. (Min.) A variety of quartz, of a color between grass green and leek green, which is found associated with common chalcedony. It was much esteemed by the ancients for making engraved ornaments.

2. (Biol.) The viscous material of an animal or vegetable cell, out of which the various tissues are formed by a process of differentiation; protoplasm.

3. Unorganized material; elementary matter.

4. (Med.) A mixture of starch and glycerin, used as a substitute for ointments. U. S. Disp.

Blood plasma (Physiol.), the colorless fluid of the blood, in which the red and white blood corpuscles are suspended. -- Muscle plasma (Physiol.), the fundamental part of muscle fibers, a thick, viscid, albuminous fluid contained within the sarcolemma, which on the death of the muscle coagulates to a semisolid mass.

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{ Plas*mat"ic (?), Plas*mat"ic*al (?), } a. [Gr. &?;.] 1. Forming; shaping; molding. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

2. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to plasma; having the character of plasma; containing, or conveying, plasma.

Plas*ma"tion (?), n. [L. plasmatio.] The act of forming or molding. [R.] Grafton.

Plas*ma"tor (?), n. [L.] A former; a fashioner. [R.] "The sovereign plasmator, God Almighty." Urquhart.

Plas"ma*ture (?), n. Form; mold. [R.]

Plas"mic (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or connected with, plasma; plasmatic.

Plas"min (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A proteid body, separated by some physiologists from blood plasma. It is probably identical with fibrinogen.

Plas*mo"di*al (?), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to, or like, a plasmodium; as, the plasmodial form of a life cycle.

||Plas*mo"di*um (?), n.; pl. Plasmodia (#). [NL. See Plasma.] 1. ||(Biol.) A jellylike mass of free protoplasm, without any union of ||amúboid cells, and endowed with life and power of motion.

2. (Zoˆl.) A naked mobile mass of protoplasm, formed by the union of several amúbalike young, and constituting one of the stages in the life cycle of Mycetozoa and other low organisms.

Plas"mo*gen (?), n. [Plasma + -gen.] (Biol.) The important living portion of protoplasm, considered a chemical substance of the highest elaboration. Germ plasm and idioplasm are forms of plasmogen.

||Plas"son (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; to form.] (Biol.) The albuminous ||material composing the body of a cytode.

It is considered simpler than protoplasm of an ordinary cell in that it has not undergone differentiation into the inner cell nucleus and the outer cell substance. Haeckel.

Plas"ter (?), n. [AS., a plaster (in sense 1), fr. L. emplastrum, Gr. &?;, &?;, fr. &?; to daub on, stuff in; &?; in + &?; to mold: cf. OF. plastre a plaster (in sense 2), F. pl‚tre. Cf. Plastic, Emplaster, Piaster.] [Formerly written also plaister.] 1. (Med.) An external application of a consistency harder than ointment, prepared for use by spreading it on linen, leather, silk, or other material. It is adhesive at the ordinary temperature of the body, and is used, according to its composition, to produce a medicinal effect, to bind parts together, etc.; as, a porous plaster; sticking plaster.

2. A composition of lime, water, and sand, with or without hair as a bond, for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions of houses. See Mortar.

3. Calcined gypsum, or plaster of Paris, especially when ground, as used for making ornaments, figures, moldings, etc.; or calcined gypsum used as a fertilizer.

Plaster cast, a copy of an object obtained by pouring plaster of Paris mixed with water into a mold. -- Plaster of Paris. [So called because originally brought from a suburb of Paris.] (Chem.) Anhydrous calcium sulphate, or calcined gypsum, which forms with water a paste which soon sets or hardens, and is used for casts, moldings, etc. The term is loosely applied to any plaster stone or species of gypsum. -- Plaster of Paris bandage (Surg.), a bandage saturated with a paste of plaster of Paris, which on drying forms a perfectly fitting splint. -- Plaster stone, any species of gypsum. See Gypsum.

Plas"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plastered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plastering.] [Cf. OF. plastrer to plaster (in sense 2), F. pl‚trer.] 1. To cover with a plaster, as a wound or sore.

2. To overlay or cover with plaster, as the ceilings and walls of a house.

3. Fig.: To smooth over; to cover or conceal the defects of; to hide, as with a covering of plaster. Bale.

Plas"ter*er (?), n. 1. One who applies plaster or mortar. "Thy father was a plasterer." Shak.

2. One who makes plaster casts. "The plasterer doth make his figures by addition." Sir H. Wotton.

Plas"ter*ing, n. 1. Same as Plaster, n., 2.

2. The act or process of overlaying with plaster.

3. A covering of plaster; plasterwork.

Plas"ter*ly, a. Resembling plaster of Paris. [R.] "Out of gypseous or plasterly ground." Fuller.

Plas"ter*work` (?), n. Plastering used to finish architectural constructions, exterior or interior, especially that used for the lining of rooms. Ordinarly, mortar is used for the greater part of the work, and pure plaster of Paris for the moldings and ornaments.

Plas"ter*y, a. Of the nature of plaster.

The stone . . . is a poor plastery material.

Clough.

-plas"tic (-pls"tk). [Gr. &?; fit for molding, plastic, fr. &?; to mold, to form.] A combining form signifying developing, forming, growing; as, heteroplastic, monoplastic, polyplastic.

Plas"tic (pls"tk), a. [L. plasticus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to form, mold: cf. F. plastique.] 1. Having the power to give form or fashion to a mass of matter; as, the plastic hand of the Creator. Prior.

See plastic Nature working to his end.

Pope.

2. Capable of being molded, formed, or modeled, as clay or plaster; -- used also figuratively; as, the plastic mind of a child.

3. Pertaining or appropriate to, or characteristic of, molding or modeling; produced by, or appearing as if produced by, molding or modeling; -- said of sculpture and the kindred arts, in distinction from painting and the graphic arts.

Medallions . . . fraught with the plastic beauty and grace of the palmy days of Italian art.

J. S. Harford.

Plastic clay (Geol.), one of the beds of the Eocene period; -- so called because used in making pottery. Lyell. -- Plastic element (Physiol.), one that bears within the germs of a higher form. -- Plastic exudation (Med.), an exudation thrown out upon a wounded surface and constituting the material of repair by which the process of healing is effected. -- Plastic foods. (Physiol.) See the second Note under Food. -- Plastic force. (Physiol.) See under Force. -- Plastic operation, an operation in plastic surgery. -- Plastic surgery, that branch of surgery which is concerned with the repair or restoration of lost, injured, or deformed parts of the body.

Plas"tic*al (?), a. See Plastic. [R.]

Plas"tic*al*ly, adv. In a plastic manner.

Plas*tic"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. plasticitÈ.] 1. The quality or state of being plastic.

2. (Physiol.) Plastic force. Dunglison.

{ Plas"tid (?), Plas"tide (?), } n. [Gr. &?;, &?;, a creator.] 1. (Biol.) A formative particle of albuminous matter; a monad; a cytode. See the Note under Morphon. Haeckel.

2. (Bot.) One of the many minute granules found in the protoplasm of vegetable cells. They are divided by their colors into three classes, chloroplastids, chromoplastids, and leucoplastids.

||Plas`ti*do*zo"a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, creator + &?; ||animal.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Protoza.

Plas"ti*dule (?), n. [Dim. fr. Plastid.] (Biol.) One of the small particles or organic molecules of protoplasm. Haeckel.

Plas"tin (?), n. [Gr. &?; to form, mold.] (Biol.) A substance associated with nuclein in cell nuclei, and by some considered as the fundamental substance of the nucleus.

Plas*tog"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?;; &?; fored, molded + &?; to write.] 1. The art of forming figures in any plastic material.

2. Imitation of handwriting; forgery.

Plas"tron (?), n. [F. plastron breastplate, plastron, LL. plastra a thin plate of metal. See Plaster.] 1. A piece of leather stuffed or padded, worn by fencers to protect the breast. Dryden.

3. (Anc. Armor) An iron breastplate, worn under the hauberk.

3. (Anat.) The ventral shield or shell of tortoises and turtles. See Testudinata.

4. A trimming for the front of a woman's dress, made of a different material, and narrowing from the shoulders to the waist.

-plas"ty (?). [Gr. &?; to mold, form.] A combining form denoting the act or process of forming, development, growth; as, autoplasty, perineoplasty.

Plat (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Platted; p. pr. & vb. n. Platting.] [See Plait.] To form by interlaying interweaving; to braid; to plait. "They had platted a crown of thorns." Matt. xxvii. 29.

Plat, n. Work done by platting or braiding; a plait.

Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat.

Shak.

Plat, n. [Cf. Plat flat, which perh. caused this spelling, and Plot a piece of ground.] A small piece or plot of ground laid out with some design, or for a special use; usually, a portion of flat, even ground.

This flowery plat, the sweet recess of Eve.

Milton.

I keep smooth plat of fruitful ground.

Tennyson.

Plat, v. t. To lay out in plats or plots, as ground.

Plat, a. [F. plat. See Plate, n.] Plain; flat; level. [Obs.] Gower.

Plat, adv. 1. Plainly; flatly; downright. [Obs.]

But, sir, ye lie, I tell you plat.

Rom. of R.

2. Flatly; smoothly; evenly. [Obs.] Drant.

Plat, n. 1. The flat or broad side of a sword. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer.

2. A plot; a plan; a design; a diagram; a map; a chart. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] "To note all the islands, and to set them down in plat." Hakluyt.

Plat"an (?), n. [L. platanus. See Plane the tree.] [Written also platane.] The plane tree. Tennyson.

Plat"a*nist (?), n. [L. platanista a sort of fish, Gr. &?;: cf. F. plataniste.] (Zoˆl.) The soosoo.

||Plat"a*nus (?), n. [See Plane the tree.] (Bot.) A genus of trees; the ||plane tree.

Plat"band` (?), n. [F. plate- bande; plat, plate, flat, level + bande a band.] 1. A border of flowers in a garden, along a wall or a parterre; hence, a border.

2. (Arch.) (a) A flat molding, or group of moldings, the width of which much exceeds its projection, as the face of an architrave. (b) A list or fillet between the flutings of a column.

Plate (?), n. [OF. plate a plate of metal, a cuirsas, F. plat a plate, a shallow vessel of silver, other metal, or earth, fr. plat flat, Gr. &?;. See Place, n.] 1. A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.

2. Metallic armor composed of broad pieces.

Mangled . . . through plate and mail.

Milton.

3. Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver.

4. Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is genuine silver or gold.

5. A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.

6. [Cf. Sp. plata silver.] A piece of money, usually silver money. [Obs.] "Realms and islands were as plates dropp'd from his pocket." Shak.

7. A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate.

8. A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates.

9. That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc.

10. (Arch.) A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters.

11. (Her.) A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.

12. (Photog.) A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light.

13. A prize giving to the winner in a contest.

Plate is sometimes used in an adjectival sense or in combination, the phrase or compound being in most cases of obvious signification; as, plate basket or plate-basket, plate rack or plate-rack.

Home plate. (Baseball) See Home base, under Home. -- Plate armor. (a) See Plate, n., 2. (b) Strong metal plates for protecting war vessels, fortifications, and the like. -- Plate bone, the shoulder blade, or scapula. -- Plate girder, a girder, the web of which is formed of a single vertical plate, or of a series of such plates riveted together. -- Plate glass. See under Glass. -- Plate iron, wrought iron plates. -- Plate layer, a workman who lays down the rails of a railway and fixes them to the sleepers or ties. -- Plate mark, a special mark or emblematic figure stamped upon gold or silver plate, to indicate the place of manufacture, the degree of purity, and the like; thus, the local mark for London is a lion. -- Plate paper, a heavy spongy paper, for printing from engraved plates. Fairholt. -- Plate press, a press with a flat carriage and a roller, -- used for printing from engraved steel or copper plates. -- Plate printer, one who prints from engraved plates. -- Plate printing, the act or process of printing from an engraved plate or plates. -- Plate tracery. (Arch.) See under Tracery. - - Plate wheel (Mech.), a wheel, the rim and hub of which are connected by a continuous plate of metal, instead of by arms or spokes.

Plate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plated; p. pr. & vb. n. Plating.] 1. To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.

2. To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense.

Thus plated in habiliments of war.

Shak.

3. To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness.

4. To beat into thin, flat pieces, or laminÊ.

5. To calender; as, to plate paper.

Pla*teau" (?), n.; pl. F. Plateaux (F. &?;; E. &?;), E. Plateaus (#). [F., fr. OF. platel, properly a little plate. See Plate.] 1. A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table- land.

2. An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.

Plate"ful (?), n.; pl. Platefuls (&?;). Enough to fill a plate; as much as a plate will hold.

Plate"-gilled` (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Having flat, or leaflike, gills, as the bivalve mollusks.

Pla"tel (?), n. [OF. See Plateau.] A small dish.

Plat"en (?), n. [F. platine, fr. plat flat. See Plate, and cf. Platin.] (Mach.) (a) The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made. (b) Hence, an analogous part of a typewriter, on which the paper rests to receive an impression. (c) The movable table of a machine tool, as a planer, on which the work is fastened, and presented to the action of the tool; -- also called table.

Plat"er (?), n. One who plates or coats articles with gold or silver; as, a silver plater.

2. A machine for calendering paper.

Plat`er*esque" (?), a. [Sp. resco, from plata silver.] (Arch.) Resembling silver plate; -- said of certain architectural ornaments.

Plat"e*trope (?), n. [Gr. &?; breadth + &?; to turn.] (Anat.) One of a pair of a paired organs.

Plat"form` (?), n. [Plat, a. + -form: cf. F. plateforme.] 1. A plat; a plan; a sketch; a model; a pattern. Used also figuratively. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. A place laid out after a model. [Obs.]

lf the platform just reflects the order.

Pope.

3. Any flat or horizontal surface; especially, one that is raised above some particular level, as a framework of timber or boards horizontally joined so as to form a roof, or a raised floor, or portion of a floor; a landing; a dais; a stage, for speakers, performers, or workmen; a standing place.

4. A declaration of the principles upon which a person, a sect, or a party proposes to stand; a declared policy or system; as, the Saybrook platform; a political platform. "The platform of Geneva." Hooker.

5. (Naut.) A light deck, usually placed in a section of the hold or over the floor of the magazine. See Orlop.

Platform car, a railway car without permanent raised sides or covering; a f&?;at. -- Platform scale, a weighing machine, with a flat platform on which objects are weighed.

Plat"form`, v. t. 1. To place on a platform. [R.]

2. To form a plan of; to model; to lay out. [Obs.]

Church discipline is platformed in the Bible.

Milton.

Plat*hel"minth (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Platyelminthes.

||Plat`hel*min"thes (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Platyelminthes.

Plat"in (?), n. (Mach.) See Platen.

Plat"i*na (?), n. [Sp. or NL. See Platinum.] (Chem.) Platinum.

Platina mohr, platinum black. -- Platina yellow, a pigment prepared from platinum.

Plat"ing (?), n. 1. The art or process of covering anything with a plate or plates, or with metal, particularly of overlaying a base or dull metal with a thin plate of precious or bright metal, as by mechanical means or by electro-magnetic deposition.

2. A thin coating of metal laid upon another metal.

3. A coating or defensive armor of metal (usually steel) plates.

Pla*tin"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or containing, platinum; -- used specifically to designate those compounds in which the element has a higher valence, as contrasted with the platinous compounds; as, platinic chloride (PtCl4).

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Plat`i*ni*chlo"ric (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid consisting of platinic chloride and hydrochloric acid, and obtained as a brownish red crystalline substance, called platinichloric, or chloroplatinic, acid.

Plat`i*nif"er*ous (?), a. [Platinum + -ferous.] Yielding platinum; as, platiniferous sand.

Plat`i*ni*rid"i*um (?), n. (Chem. & Min.) A natural alloy of platinum and iridium occurring in grayish metallic rounded or cubical grains with platinum.

Plat"i*nize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Platinized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Platinizing (?).] To cover or combine with platinum.

Plat`i*no*chlo"ric (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid consisting of platinous chloride and hydrochloric acid, called platinochloric, or chloroplatinous, acid.

Plat`i*no*chlo"ride (?), n. (Chem.) A double chloride of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinochloric acid.

Plat`i*no*cy*an"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid compound of platinous cyanide and hydrocyanic acid. It is obtained as a cinnaber-red crystalline substance.

Plat`i*no*cy"a*nide (?), n. (Chem.) A double cyanide of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinocyanic acid.

Plat"i*node (?), n. [Platinum + Gr. &?; a way.] (Physics) A cathode. [R.]

Plat"i*noid (?), a. [Platinum + -oid.] Resembling platinum.

Plat"i*noid, n. (Chem.) An alloy of German silver containing tungsten; -- used for forming electrical resistance coils and standards.

Plat"i*no*type (?), n. [Platinum + -type.] (Photog.) 1. A permanent photographic picture or print in platinum black.

2. The process by which such pictures are produced.

Plat"i*nous (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or containing, platinum; -- used specifically to designate those compounds in which the element has a lower valence, as contrasted with the platinic compounds; as, platinous chloride (PtCl2).

Plat"i*num (?), n. [NL., fr. Sp. platina, from plata silver, LL. plata a thin plate of metal. See Plate, and cf. Platina.] (Chem.) A metallic element, intermediate in value between silver and gold, occurring native or alloyed with other metals, also as the platinum arsenide (sperrylite). It is heavy tin-white metal which is ductile and malleable, but very infusible, and characterized by its resistance to strong chemical reagents. It is used for crucibles, for stills for sulphuric acid, rarely for coin, and in the form of foil and wire for many purposes. Specific gravity 21.5. Atomic weight 194.3. Symbol Pt. Formerly called platina.

Platinum black (Chem.), a soft, dull black powder, consisting of finely divided metallic platinum obtained by reduction and precipitation from its solutions. It absorbs oxygen to a high degree, and is employed as an oxidizer. -- Platinum lamp (Elec.), a kind of incandescent lamp of which the luminous medium is platinum. See under Incandescent. -- Platinum metals (Chem.), the group of metallic elements which in their chemical and physical properties resemble platinum. These consist of the light platinum group, viz., rhodium, ruthenium, and palladium, whose specific gravities are about 12; and the heavy platinum group, viz., osmium, iridium, and platinum, whose specific gravities are over 21. -- Platinum sponge (Chem.), metallic platinum in a gray, porous, spongy form, obtained by reducing the double chloride of platinum and ammonium. It absorbs oxygen, hydrogen, and certain other gases, to a high degree, and is employed as an agent in oxidizing.

Plat"i*tude (?), n. [F., from plat flat. See Plate.] 1. The quality or state of being flat, thin, or insipid; flat commonness; triteness; staleness of ideas of language.

To hammer one golden grain of wit into a sheet of infinite platitude.

Motley.

2. A thought or remark which is flat, dull, trite, or weak; a truism; a commonplace.

Plat`i*tu`di*na"ri*an (?), n. One addicted to uttering platitudes, or stale and insipid truisms. "A political platitudinarian." G. Eliot.

Plat`i*tu"di*nize (?), v. i. To utter platitudes or truisms.

Plat`i*tu"di*nous (?), a. Abounding in platitudes; of the nature of platitudes; uttering platitudes. -- Plat`i*tu"di*nous*ness, n.

Plat"ly (?), a. Flatly. See Plat, a. [Obs.]

Plat"ness, n. Flatness. [Obs.] Palsgrave.

Pla*tom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; flat + -meter.] See Planimeter.

{ Pla*ton"ic (?), Pla*ton"ic*al (?), } a. [L. Platonicus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. platonique.] 1. Of or pertaining to Plato, or his philosophy, school, or opinions.

2. Pure, passionless; nonsexual; philosophical.

Platonic bodies, the five regular geometrical solids; namely, the tetrahedron, hexahedron or cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron. -- Platonic love, a pure, spiritual affection, subsisting between persons of opposite sex, unmixed with carnal desires, and regarding the mind only and its excellences; -- a species of love for which Plato was a warm advocate. -- Platonic year (Astron.), a period of time determined by the revolution of the equinoxes, or the space of time in which the stars and constellations return to their former places in respect to the equinoxes; -- called also great year. This revolution, which is caused by the precession of the equinoxes, is accomplished in about 26,000 years. Barlow.

Pla*ton"ic, n. A follower of Plato; a Platonist.

Pla*ton"ic*al*ly, adv. In a Platonic manner.

Pla"to*nism (?), n. [Cf. F. Platonisme.] 1. The doctrines or philosophy by Plato or of his followers.

Plato believed God to be an infinitely wise, just, and powerful Spirit; and also that he formed the visible universe out of preÎxistent amorphous matter, according to perfect patterns of ideas eternally existent in his own mind. Philosophy he considered as being a knowledge of the true nature of things, as discoverable in those eternal ideas after which all things were fashioned. In other words, it is the knowledge of what is eternal, exists necessarily, and is unchangeable; not of the temporary, the dependent, and changeable; and of course it is not obtained through the senses; neither is it the product of the understanding, which concerns itself only with the variable and transitory; nor is it the result of experience and observation; but it is the product of our reason, which, as partaking of the divine nature, has innate ideas resembling the eternal ideas of God. By contemplating these innate ideas, reasoning about them, and comparing them with their copies in the visible universe, reason can attain that true knowledge of things which is called philosophy. Plato's professed followers, the Academics, and the New Platonists, differed considerably from him, yet are called Platonists. Murdock.

2. An elevated rational and ethical conception of the laws and forces of the universe; sometimes, imaginative or fantastic philosophical notions.

Pla"to*nist (?), n. One who adheres to the philosophy of Plato; a follower of Plato. Hammond.

Pla"to*nize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Platonized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Platonizing.] To adopt the opinion of Plato or his followers. Milner.

Pla"to*nize, v. t. To explain by, or accomodate to, the Platonic philosophy. Enfield.

Pla"to*ni`zer (?), n. One who Platonizes.

Pla*toon" (?), n. [F. peloton a ball of thread, a knot or group of men, a platoon, from pelote a ball formed of things wound round. See Pellet.] (Mil.) (a) Formerly, a body of men who fired together; also, a small square body of soldiers to strengthen the angles of a hollow square. (b) Now, in the United States service, half of a company.

Platt (?), n. (Mining) See Lodge, n. Raymond.

Platt"deutsch` (?), n. The modern dialects spoken in the north of Germany, taken collectively; modern Low German. See Low German, under German.

Plat"ten (?), v. t. [See Plat, a.] (Glass Making) To flatten and make into sheets or plates; as, to platten cylinder glass.

Plat"ter (?), n. [From Plat to braid.] One who plats or braids.

Plat"ter, n. [Probably fr. OF. platel, F. plateau. See Plateau.] A large plate or shallow dish on which meat or other food is brought to the table.

The attendants . . . speedly brought in several large, smoking platters, filled with huge pieces of beef.

Sir W. Scott.

Plat"ter-faced` (?), a. Having a broad, flat face.

Plat"ting (?), n. Plaited strips or bark, cane, straw, etc., used for making hats or the like.

Plat"y (?), a. Like a plate; consisting of plates.

Plat"y- (?). A combining form from Gr. platy`s broad, wide, flat; as, platypus, platycephalous.

{ Plat`y*ce*phal"ic (?), Plat`y*ceph"a*lous (?), } a. [Platy + Gr. &?; head.] (Anat.) Broad-headed.

Plat`yc*ne"mic (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?; leg: cf. F. platycnÈmique.] (Anat.) Of, relating to, or characterized by, platycnemism.

Pla*tyc"ne*mism (?), n. (Anat.) Lateral flattening of the tibia.

Plat`y*cú"li*an (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?; hollow.] (Anat.) Flat at the anterior and concave at the posterior end; -- said of the centra of the vertebrÊ of some extinct dinouaurs.

||Plat`y*el*min"thes (?), n. pl. [NL. See Platy-, and Helminthes.] ||(Zoˆl.) A class of helminthes including the cestodes, or tapeworms, ||the trematodes, and the turbellarians. Called also flatworms.

||Plat`y*hel"mi*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Platyelminthes. ||[Written also Platyelmia.]

Pla*tym"e*ter (?), n. [Platy + -meter.] (Elec.) An apparatus for measuring the capacity of condensers, or the inductive capacity of dielectrics.

Plat"y*pod (?), n. [Platy + - pod.] (Zoˆl.) An animal having broad feet, or a broad foot.

||Pla*typ"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Prosobranchiata.

||Pla*typ"te*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; broad + &?; a wing.] ||(Zoˆl.) A division of Pseudoneuroptera including the species which ||have four broad, flat wings, as the termites, or white-ants, and the ||stone flies (Perla).

Plat"y*pus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; + &?; foot.] (Zoˆl.) The duck mole. See under Duck.

Plat"y*rhine (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?;, &?;, nose.] (Anat.) Having the nose broad; -- opposed to leptorhine. -- n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Platyrhini.

||Plat`y*rhi"ni (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; broad + &?;, &?;, nose.] ||(Zoˆl.) A division of monkeys, including the American species, which ||have a broad nasal septum, thirty-six teeth, and usually a prehensile ||tail. See Monkey. [Written also Platyrrhini.]

Plaud (?), v. t. To applaud. [Obs.] Chapman.

Plau"dit (?), n. [From L. plaudite do ye praise (which was said by players at the end of a performance), 2d pers. pl. imperative of plaudere. Cf. Plausible.] A mark or expression of applause; praise bestowed.

Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng.

Longfellow.

Syn. -- Acclamation; applause; encomium; commendation; approbation; approval.

Plau"di*to*ry (?), a. Applauding; commending.

Plau`si*bil"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. plausibilitÈ.] 1. Something worthy of praise. [Obs.]

Integrity, fidelity, and other gracious plausibilities.

E. Vaughan.

2. The quality of being plausible; speciousness.

To give any plausibility to a scheme.

De Quincey.

3. Anything plausible or specious. R. Browning.

Plau"si*ble (?), a. [L. plausibilis praiseworthy, from plaudere, plausum, to applaud, clap the hands, strike, beat.] 1. Worthy of being applauded; praiseworthy; commendable; ready. [Obs.] Bp. Hacket.

2. Obtaining approbation; specifically pleasing; apparently right; specious; as, a plausible pretext; plausible manners; a plausible delusion. "Plausible and popular arguments." Clarendon.

3. Using specious arguments or discourse; as, a plausible speaker.

Syn. -- Plausible, Specious. Plausible denotes that which seems reasonable, yet leaves distrust in the judgment. Specious describes that which presents a fair appearance to the view and yet covers something false. Specious refers more definitely to the act or purpose of false representation; plausible has more reference to the effect on the beholder or hearer. An argument may by specious when it is not plausible because its sophistry is so easily discovered.

Plau"si*ble*ize (?), v. t. To render plausible. [R.]

Plau"si*ble*ness, n. Quality of being plausible.

Plau"si*bly, adv. 1. In a plausible manner.

2. Contentedly, readily. [Obs.]

The Romans plausibly did give consent.

Shak.

Plau"sive (?), a. [L. plaudere, plausum, to applaud.] 1. Applauding; manifesting praise. Young.

2. Plausible, specious. [Obs.] Shak.

Play (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Played (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Playing.] [OE. pleien, AS. plegian, plegan, to play, akin to plega play, game, quick motion, and probably to OS. plegan to promise, pledge, D. plegen to care for, attend to, be wont, G. pflegen; of unknown origin. &radic;28. Cf. Plight, n.] 1. To engage in sport or lively recreation; to exercise for the sake of amusement; to frolic; to spot.

As Cannace was playing in her walk.

Chaucer.

The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day, Had he thy reason, would he skip and play!

Pope.

And some, the darlings of their Lord, Play smiling with the flame and sword.

Keble.

2. To act with levity or thoughtlessness; to trifle; to be careless.

"Nay," quod this monk, "I have no lust to pleye."

Chaucer.

Men are apt to play with their healths.

Sir W. Temple.

3. To contend, or take part, in a game; as, to play ball; hence, to gamble; as, he played for heavy stakes.

4. To perform on an instrument of music; as, to play on a flute.

One that . . . can play well on an instrument.

Ezek. xxxiii. 32.

Play, my friend, and charm the charmer.

Granville.

5. To act; to behave; to practice deception.

His mother played false with a smith.

Shak.

6. To move in any manner; especially, to move regularly with alternate or reciprocating motion; to operate; to act; as, the fountain plays.

The heart beats, the blood circulates, the lungs play.

Cheyne.

7. To move gayly; to wanton; to disport.

Even as the waving sedges play with wind.

Shak.

The setting sun Plays on their shining arms and burnished helmets.

Addison.

All fame is foreign but of true desert, Plays round the head, but comes not to the heart.

Pope.

8. To act on the stage; to personate a character.

A lord will hear your play to- night.

Shak.

Courts are theaters where some men play.

Donne.

To play into a person's hands, to act, or to manage matters, to his advantage or benefit. -- To play off, to affect; to feign; to practice artifice. -- To play upon. (a) To make sport of; to deceive.

Art thou alive? Or is it fantasy that plays upon our eyesight.

Shak.

(b) To use in a droll manner; to give a droll expression or application to; as, to play upon words.

Play, v. t. 1. To put in action or motion; as, to play cannon upon a fortification; to play a trump.

First Peace and Silence all disputes control, Then Order plays the soul.

Herbert.

2. To perform music upon; as, to play the flute or the organ.

3. To perform, as a piece of music, on an instrument; as, to play a waltz on the violin.

4. To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute; as, to play tricks.

Nature here Wantoned as in her prime, and played at will Her virgin fancies.

Milton.

5. To act or perform (a play); to represent in music action; as, to play a comedy; also, to act in the character of; to represent by acting; to simulate; to behave like; as, to play King Lear; to play the woman.

Thou canst play the rational if thou wilt.

Sir W. Scott.

6. To engage in, or go together with, as a contest for amusement or for a wager or prize; as, to play a game at baseball.

7. To keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it.

To play off, to display; to show; to put in exercise; as, to play off tricks. -- To play one's cards, to manage one's means or opportunities; to contrive. -- Played out, tired out; exhausted; at the end of one's resources. [Colloq.]

Play, n. 1. Amusement; sport; frolic; gambols.

2. Any exercise, or series of actions, intended for amusement or diversion; a game.

John naturally loved rough play.

Arbuthnot.

3. The act or practice of contending for victory, amusement, or a prize, as at dice, cards, or billiards; gaming; as, to lose a fortune in play.

4. Action; use; employment; exercise; practice; as, fair play; sword play; a play of wit. "The next who comes in play." Dryden.

5. A dramatic composition; a comedy or tragedy; a composition in which characters are represented by dialogue and action.

A play ought to be a just image of human nature.

Dryden.

6. The representation or exhibition of a comedy or tragedy; as, he attends ever play.

7. Performance on an instrument of music.

8. Motion; movement, regular or irregular; as, the play of a wheel or piston; hence, also, room for motion; free and easy action. "To give them play, front and rear." Milton.

The joints are let exactly into one another, that they have no play between them.

Moxon.

9. Hence, liberty of acting; room for enlargement or display; scope; as, to give full play to mirth.

Play actor, an actor of dramas. Prynne. -- Play debt, a gambling debt. Arbuthnot. -- Play pleasure, idle amusement. [Obs.] Bacon. -- A play upon words, the use of a word in such a way as to be capable of double meaning; punning. -- Play of colors, prismatic variation of colors. -- To bring into play, To come into play, to bring or come into use or exercise. -- To hold in play, to keep occupied or employed.

I, with two more to help me, Will hold the foe in play.

Macaulay.

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||Pla"ya (?), n. [Sp.] A beach; a strand; in the plains and deserts of ||Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, a broad, level spot, on which ||subsequently becomes dry by evaporation. Bartlett.

Play"bill` (?), n. A printed programme of a play, with the parts assigned to the actors.

Play"book` (?), n. A book of dramatic compositions; a book of the play. Swift.

Play"day` (?), n. A day given to play or diversion; a holiday. Swift.

Play"er (?), n. 1. One who plays, or amuses himself; one without serious aims; an idler; a trifler. Shak.

2. One who plays any game.

3. A dramatic actor. Shak.

4. One who plays on an instrument of music. "A cunning player on a harp." 1 Sam. xvi. 16.

5. A gamester; a gambler.

Play"fel`low (?), n. A companion in amusements or sports; a playmate. Shak.

Play"fere` (?), n. [Play + 1st fere.] A playfellow. [Obs.] [Also, playfeer, playphere.] Holinsheld.

Play"ful (?), a. Sportive; gamboling; frolicsome; indulging a sportive fancy; humorous; merry; as, a playful child; a playful writer. -- Play"ful*ly, adv. -- Play"ful*ness, n.

Play"game` (?), n. Play of children. Locke.

Play"go`er (?), n. One who frequents playhouses, or attends dramatic performances.

Play"go`ing, a. Frequenting playhouses; as, the playgoing public. -- n. The practice of going to plays.

Play"ground` (?), n. A piece of ground used for recreation; as, the playground of a school.

Play"house` (?), n. [AS. pleghs.] 1. A building used for dramatic exhibitions; a theater. Shak.

2. A house for children to play in; a toyhouse.

Play"ing, a. & vb. n. of Play.

Playing cards. See under Card.

Play"mak`er (?), n. A playwright. [R.]

Play"mate` (?), n. A companion in diversions; a playfellow.

Play"some (?), a. Playful; wanton; sportive. [R.] R. Browning. -- Play"some*ness, n. [R.]

Playte (?), n. (Naut.) See Pleyt.

Play"thing` (?), n. A thing to play with; a toy; anything that serves to amuse.

A child knows his nurse, and by degrees the playthings of a little more advanced age.

Locke.

Play"time` (?), n. Time for play or diversion.

Play"wright` (?), n. A maker or adapter of plays.

Play"writ`er (?), n. A writer of plays; a dramatist; a playwright. Lecky.

||Pla"za (?), n. [Sp. See Place.] A public square in a city or town.

Plea (?), n. [OE. plee, plai, plait, fr. OF. plait, plaid, plet, LL. placitum judgment, decision, assembly, court, fr. L. placitum that which is pleasing, an opinion, sentiment, from placere to please. See Please, and cf. Placit, Plead.] 1. (Law) That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause; in a stricter sense, an allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer; in a still more limited sense, and in modern practice, the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's declaration and demand. That which the plaintiff alleges in his declaration is answered and repelled or justified by the defendant's plea. In chancery practice, a plea is a special answer showing or relying upon one or more things as a cause why the suit should be either dismissed, delayed, or barred. In criminal practice, the plea is the defendant's formal answer to the indictment or information presented against him.

2. (Law) A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas. See under Common.

The Supreme Judicial Court shall have cognizance of pleas real, personal, and mixed.

Laws of Massachusetts.

3. That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification; an excuse; an apology. "Necessity, the tyrant's plea." Milton.

No plea must serve; 't is cruelty to spare.

Denham.

4. An urgent prayer or entreaty.

Pleas of the crown (Eng. Law), criminal actions.

Pleach (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleached (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Pleaching.] [Cf. OF. plaissier to bend, and also F. plisser to plait, L. plicare, plicitum, to fold, lay, or wind together. Cf. Plash to pleach.] To unite by interweaving, as branches of trees; to plash; to interlock. "The pleached bower." Shak.

Plead (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleaded (colloq. Plead (?) or Pled); p. pr. & vb. n. Pleading.] [OE. pleden, plaiden, OF. plaidier, F. plaider, fr. LL. placitare, fr. placitum. See Plea.] 1. To argue in support of a claim, or in defense against the claim of another; to urge reasons for or against a thing; to attempt to persuade one by argument or supplication; to speak by way of persuasion; as, to plead for the life of a criminal; to plead with a judge or with a father.

O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor!

Job xvi. 21.

2. (Law) To present an answer, by allegation of fact, to the declaration of a plaintiff; to deny the plaintiff's declaration and demand, or to allege facts which show that ought not to recover in the suit; in a less strict sense, to make an allegation of fact in a cause; to carry on the allegations of the respective parties in a cause; to carry on a suit or plea. Blackstone. Burrill. Stephen.

3. To contend; to struggle. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Plead (?), v. t. 1. To discuss, defend, and attempt to maintain by arguments or reasons presented to a tribunal or person having uthority to determine; to argue at the bar; as, to plead a cause before a court or jury.

Every man should plead his own matter.

Sir T. More.

In this sense, argue is more generally used by lawyers.

2. To allege or cite in a legal plea or defense, or for repelling a demand in law; to answer to an indictment; as, to plead usury; to plead statute of limitations; to plead not guilty. Kent.

3. To allege or adduce in proof, support, or vendication; to offer in excuse; as, the law of nations may be pleaded in favor of the rights of ambassadors. Spenser.

I will neither plead my age nor sickness, in excuse of faults.

Dryden.

Plead"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being pleaded; capable of being alleged in proof, defense, or vindication; as, a right or privilege pleadable at law. Dryden.

Plead"er (?), n. [F. plaideur.] 1. One who pleads; one who argues for or against; an advotate.

So fair a pleader any cause may gain.

Dryden.

2. (Law) One who draws up or forms pleas; the draughtsman of pleas or pleadings in the widest sense; as, a special pleader.

Plead"ing, n. The act of advocating, defending, or supporting, a cause by arguments.

Plead"ing*ly, adv. In a pleading manner.

Plead"ings (?), n. pl. (Law) The mutual pleas and replies of the plaintiff and defendant, or written statements of the parties in support of their claims, proceeding from the declaration of the plaintiff, until issue is joined, and the question made to rest on some single point. Blackstone.

Pleas"ance (?), n. [F. plaisance. See Please.] 1. Pleasure; merriment; gayety; delight; kindness. [Archaic] Shak. "Full great pleasance." Chaucer. "A realm of pleasance." Tennyson.

2. A secluded part of a garden. [Archaic]

The pleasances of old Elizabethan houses.

Ruskin.

Pleas"ant (?), a. [F. plaisant. See Please.] 1. Pleasing; grateful to the mind or to the senses; agreeable; as, a pleasant journey; pleasant weather.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Ps. cxxxiii. 1.

2. Cheerful; enlivening; gay; sprightly; humorous; sportive; as, pleasant company; a pleasant fellow.

From grave to light, from pleasant to serve.

Dryden.

Syn. -- Pleasing; gratifying; agreeable; cheerful; good- humored; enlivening; gay; lively; merry; sportive; humorous; jocose; amusing; witty. -- Pleasant, Pleasing, Agreeable. Agreeable is applied to that which agrees with, or is in harmony with, one's tastes, character, etc. Pleasant and pleasing denote a stronger degree of the agreeable. Pleasant refers rather to the state or condition; pleasing, to the act or effect. Where they are applied to the same object, pleasing is more energetic than pleasant; as, she is always pleasant and always pleasing. The distinction, however, is not radical and not rightly observed.

Pleas"ant, n. A wit; a humorist; a buffoon. [Obs.]

Pleas"ant*ly, adv. In a pleasant manner.

Pleas"ant*ness, n. The state or quality of being pleasant.

Pleas"ant*ry (?), n.; pl. Pleasantries (#). [F. plaisanterie. See Pleasant.] That which denotes or promotes pleasure or good humor; cheerfulness; gayety; merriment; especially, an agreeable playfulness in conversation; a jocose or humorous remark; badinage.

The grave abound in pleasantries, the dull in repartees and points of wit.

Addison.

The keen observation and ironical pleasantry of a finished man of the world.

Macaulay.

Pleas"ant-tongued` (?), a. Of pleasing speech.

Please (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleased; p. pr. & vb. n. Pleasing.] [OE. plesen, OF. plaisir, fr. L. placere, akin to placare to reconcile. Cf. Complacent, Placable, Placid, Plea, Plead, Pleasure.] 1. To give pleasure to; to excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to make glad; to gratify; to content; to satisfy.

I pray to God that it may plesen you.

Chaucer.

What next I bring shall please thee, be assured.

Milton.

2. To have or take pleasure in; hence, to choose; to wish; to desire; to will.

Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he.

Ps. cxxxv. 6.

A man doing as he wills, and doing as he pleases, are the same things in common speech.

J. Edwards.

3. To be the will or pleasure of; to seem good to; -- used impersonally. "It pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell." Col. i. 19.

To-morrow, may it please you.

Shak.

To be pleased in or with, to have complacency in; to take pleasure in. -- To be pleased to do a thing, to take pleasure in doing it; to have the will to do it; to think proper to do it. Dryden.

Please (?), v. i. 1. To afford or impart pleasure; to excite agreeable emotions.

What pleasing scemed, for her now pleases more.

Milton.

For we that live to please, must please to live.

Johnson.

2. To have pleasure; to be willing, as a matter of affording pleasure or showing favor; to vouchsafe; to consent.

Heavenly stranger, please to taste These bounties.

Milton.

That he would please 8give me my liberty.

Swift.

Pleased (?), a. Experiencing pleasure. -- Pleas"ed*ly (#), adv. -- Pleas"ed*ness, n.

Please"man (?), n. An officious person who courts favor servilely; a pickthank. [Obs.] Shak.

Pleas"er (?), n. One who pleases or gratifies.

Pleas"ing, a. Giving pleasure or satisfaction; causing agreeable emotion; agreeable; delightful; as, a pleasing prospect; pleasing manners. "Pleasing harmony." Shak. "Pleasing features." Macaulay. -- Pleas"ing*ly, adv. -- Pleas"ing*ness, n.

Syn. -- Gratifying; delightful; agreeable. See Pleasant.

Pleas"ing, n. An object of pleasure. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pleas"ur*a*ble (?), a. Capable of affording pleasure or satisfaction; gratifying; abounding in pleasantness or pleasantry.

Planting of orchards is very . . . pleasurable.

Bacon.

O, sir, you are very pleasurable.

B. Jonson.

-- Pleas"ur*a*ble*ness, n. -- Pleas"ur*a*bly, adv.

Pleas"ure (?), n. [F. plaisir, originally an infinitive. See Please.] 1. The gratification of the senses or of the mind; agreeable sensations or emotions; the excitement, relish, or happiness produced by the expectation or the enjoyment of something good, delightful, or satisfying; -- opposed to pain, sorrow, etc.

At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Ps. xvi. 11.

2. Amusement; sport; diversion; self- indulgence; frivolous or dissipating enjoyment; hence, sensual gratification; -- opposed to labor, service, duty, self-denial, etc. "Not sunk in carnal pleasure." Milton.

He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man.

Prov. xxi. 17.

Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

2 Tim. iii. 4.

3. What the will dictates or prefers as gratifying or satisfying; hence, will; choice; wish; purpose. "He will do his pleasure on Babylon." Isa. xlviii. 14.

Use your pleasure; if your love do not presuade you to come, let not my letter.

Shak.

4. That which pleases; a favor; a gratification. Shak.

Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure

Acts xxv. 9.

At pleasure, by arbitrary will or choice. Dryden. -- To take pleasure in, to have enjoyment in. Ps. cxlvii. 11.

Pleasure is used adjectively, or in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, pleasure boat, pleasure ground; pleasure house, etc.

Syn. -- Enjoyment; gratification; satisfaction; comfort; solace; joy; gladness; delight; will; choice; preference; purpose; command; favor; kindness.

Pleas"ure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleasured (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pleasuring.] To give or afford pleasure to; to please; to gratify. Shak.

[Rolled] his hoop to pleasure Edith.

Tennyson.

Pleas"ure, v. i. To take pleasure; to seek pursue pleasure; as, to go pleasuring.

Pleas"ure*ful (?), a. Affording pleasure. [R.]

Pleas"ure*less, a. Devoid of pleasure. G. Eliot.

Pleas"ur*er (?), n. A pleasure seeker. Dickens.

Pleas"ur*ist, n. A person devoted to worldly pleasure. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Pleat (plt), n. & v. t. See Plait.

Plebe (plb), n. [F. plËbe, fr. L. plebs.] 1. The common people; the mob. [Obs.]

The plebe with thirst and fury prest.

Sylvester.

2. [Cf. Plebeian.] A member of the lowest class in the military academy at West Point. [Cant, U.S.]

Ple*be"ian (pl*b"yan), a. [L. plebeius, from plebs, plebis, the common people: cf. F. plÈbÈien.] 1. Of or pertaining to the Roman plebs, or common people.

2. Of or pertaining to the common people; vulgar; common; as, plebeian sports; a plebeian throng.

Ple*be"ian, n. 1. One of the plebs, or common people of ancient Rome, in distinction from patrician.

2. One of the common people, or lower rank of men.

Ple*be"iance (?), n. 1. Plebeianism. [Obs.]

2. Plebeians, collectively. [Obs.]

Ple*be"ian*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. plÈbÈianisme.] 1. The quality or state of being plebeian.

2. The conduct or manners of plebeians; vulgarity.

Ple*be"ian*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plebeianized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plebeianizing.] To render plebeian, common, or vulgar.

Ple*bic"o*list (?), n. [L. plebs the common people + colere to cultivate.] One who flatters, or courts the favor of, the common people; a demagogue. [R.]

Pleb`i*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [L. plebs the common people + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.] A rendering plebeian; the act of vulgarizing. [R.]

You begin with the attempt to popularize learning . . . but you will end in the plebification of knowledge.

Coleridge.

Ple*bis"ci*ta*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to plebiscite. The Century.

Pleb"i*scite (?), n. [F. plÈbiscite, fr. L. plebiscitum.] A vote by universal male suffrage; especially, in France, a popular vote, as first sanctioned by the National Constitution of 1791. [Written also plebiscit.]

Plebiscite we have lately taken, in popular use, from the French.

Fitzed. Hall.

||Ple`bis*ci"tum (?), n. [L., fr. plebs, plebis, common people + scitum ||decree.] (Rom. Antiq.) A law enacted by the common people, under the ||superintendence of a tribune or some subordinate plebeian magistrate, ||without the intervention of the senate.

Plec"tile (?), a. [L. plectilis.] Woven; plaited. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

<! p. 1099 !>

Plec"tog*nath (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Plectognathi. - - n. One of the Plectognathi.

||Plec*to"gna*thi (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. &?; twisted (fr. &?; to ||plait, twist) + &?; jaw.] (Zoˆl.) An order of fishes generally having ||the maxillary bone united with the premaxillary, and the articular ||united with the dentary.

The upper jaw is immovably joined to the skull; the ventral fins are rudimentary or wanting; and the body is covered with bony plates, spines, or small rough ossicles, like shagreen. The order includes the diodons, filefishes, globefishes, and trunkfishes.

{ Plec`tog*nath"ic (?), Plec-tog"na*thous (?), } a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Plectognathi.

||Plec`to*spon"dy*li (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; plaited + &?;, &?;, ||a vertebra.] (Zoˆl.) An extensive suborder of fresh-water ||physostomous fishes having the anterior vertebrÊ united and much ||modified; the Eventognathi.

Plec`to*spon"dy*lous (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Plectospondyli.

||Plec"trum (?), n.; pl. L. Plectra (#), E. Plectrums (#). [L., fr. Gr. ||&?; anything to strike with, fr.&?; to strike.] A small instrument of ||ivory, wood, metal, or quill, used in playing upon the lyre and other ||stringed instruments.

Pled (?), imp. & p. p. of Plead [Colloq.] Spenser.

Pledge (?), n. [OF. plege, pleige, pledge, guaranty, LL. plegium, plivium; akin to OF. plevir to bail, guaranty, perhaps fr. L. praebere to proffer, offer (sc. fidem a trust, a promise of security), but cf. also E. play. &radic;28. Cf. Prebend, Replevin.] 1. (Law) The transfer of possession of personal property from a debtor to a creditor as security for a debt or engagement; also, the contract created between the debtor and creditor by a thing being so delivered or deposited, forming a species of bailment; also, that which is so delivered or deposited; something put in pawn.

Pledge is ordinarily confined to personal property; the title or ownership does not pass by it; possession is essential to it. In all these points it differs from a mortgage [see Mortgage]; and in the last, from the hypotheca of the Roman law. See Hypotheca. Story. Kent.

2. (Old Eng. Law) A person who undertook, or became responsible, for another; a bail; a surety; a hostage. "I am Grumio's pledge." Shak.

3. A hypothecation without transfer of possession.

4. Anything given or considered as a security for the performance of an act; a guarantee; as, mutual interest is the best pledge for the performance of treaties. "That voice, their liveliest pledge of hope." Milton.

5. A promise or agreement by which one binds one's self to do, or to refrain from doing, something; especially, a solemn promise in writing to refrain from using intoxicating liquors or the like; as, to sign the pledge; the mayor had made no pledges.

6. A sentiment to which assent is given by drinking one's health; a toast; a health.

Dead pledge. [A translation of LL. mortuum vadium.] (Law) A mortgage. See Mortgage. -- Living pledge. [A translation of LL. vivum vadium.] (Law) The conveyance of an estate to another for money borrowed, to be held by him until the debt is paid out of the rents and profits. -- To hold in pledge, to keep as security. -- To put in pledge, to pawn; to give as security.

Syn. -- See Earnest.

Pledge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pledged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pledging.] [Cf. OF. pleiger to give security. See Pledge, n.] 1. To deposit, as a chattel, in pledge or pawn; to leave in possession of another as security; as, to pledge one's watch.

2. To give or pass as a security; to guarantee; to engage; to plight; as, to pledge one's word and honor.

We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

The Declaration of Independence.

3. To secure performance of, as by a pledge. [Obs.]

To pledge my vow, I give my hand.

Shak.

4. To bind or engage by promise or declaration; to engage solemnly; as, to pledge one's self.

5. To invite another to drink, by drinking of the cup first, and then handing it to him, as a pledge of good will; hence, to drink the health of; to toast.

Pledge me, my friend, and drink till thou be'st wise.

Cowley.

Pledg*ee" (?), n. The one to whom a pledge is given, or to whom property pledged is delivered.

Pledge"less (?), a. Having no pledge.

{ Pledge*or", Pledg*or" } (?), n. (Law) One who pledges, or delivers anything in pledge; a pledger; -- opposed to pledgee.

This word analogically requires the e after g, but the spelling pledgor is perhaps commoner.

Pledg"er (?), n. One who pledges.

Pledg"er*y (?), n. [Cf. OF. pleigerie.] A pledging; suretyship. [Obs.]

Pledg"et (?), n. [Prov. E., a small plug.] 1. A small plug. [Prov. End.]

2. (Naut.) A string of oakum used in calking.

3. (Med.) A compress, or small flat tent of lint, laid over a wound, ulcer, or the like, to exclude air, retain dressings, or absorb the matter discharged.

||Ple*gep"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. (&?;) a stroke + -poda. In ||allusion to the rapid strokes of the vibrating cilia.] (Zoˆl.) Same ||as Infusoria.

Ple"iad (?), n. One of the Pleiades.

Ple"ia*des (?; 277), n. pl. [L., fr. Gr. (&?;)] 1. (Myth.) The seven daughters of Atlas and the nymph Pleione, fabled to have been made by Jupiter a constellation in the sky.

2. (Astron.) A group of small stars in the neck of the constellation Taurus. Job xxxviii. 31.

Alcyone, the brightest of these, a star of the third magnitude, was considered by M‰dler the central point around which our universe is revolving, but there is no sufficient evidence of such motion. Only six pleiads are distinctly visible to the naked eye, whence the ancients supposed that a sister had concealed herself out of shame for having loved a mortal, Sisyphus.

Plein (?), a. Plan. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Plein, v. i. & t. To complain. See Plain. [Obs.]

Plein, a. [OF. & F., fr. L. plenus.] Full; complete. [Obs.] "Plein remission." Chaucer. -- Plein"ly, adv.

Plei"o*cene (?), a. (Geol.) See Pliocene.

Plei*oph"yl*lous (?), a. [Gr. &?; more + &?; leaf.] (Bot.) Having several leaves; -- used especially when several leaves or leaflets appear where normally there should be only one.

||Plei`o*sau"rus (?), n. [NL.] (Paleon.) Same as Pliosaurus.

Pleis"to*cene (?), a. [Gr. &?; most + &?; new.] (Geol.) Of or pertaining to the epoch, or the deposits, following the Tertiary, and immediately preceding man. -- n. The Pleistocene epoch, or deposits.

Ple"nal (?), a. [L. plenus full. Cf. Plenary.] Full; complete; as, a plenal view or act. [Obs.]

Ple"na*ri*ly (?), adv. In a plenary manner.

Ple"na*ri*ness, n. Quality or state of being plenary.

Plen"ar*ty (?), n. The state of a benefice when occupied. Blackstone.

Ple"na*ry (?), a. [LL. plenarius, fr. L. plenus full. See Plenty.] Full; entire; complete; absolute; as, a plenary license; plenary authority.

A treatise on a subject should be plenary or full.

I. Watts.

Plenary indulgence (R. C. Ch.), an entire remission of temporal punishment due to, or canonical penance for, all sins. -- Plenary inspiration. (Theol.) See under Inspiration.

Ple"na*ry, n. (Law) Decisive procedure. [Obs.]

Plene (?), Ê. [L. plenus full.] Full; complete; plenary. [Obs.]

Ple"ni*corn (?), n. [L. plenus full + cornu horn.] (Zoˆl.) A ruminant having solid horns or antlers, as the deer. Brande & C.

Plen`i*lu"na*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to the full moon. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Plen"i*lune (?), n. [L. plenilunium; plenus full + luna the moon.] The full moon. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

{ Ple*nip"o*tence (?), Ple*nip"o*ten*cy (?), } n. The quality or state of being plenipotent. [R.]

Ple*nip"o*tent (?), a. [L. plenus full + potens, -entis, potent.] Possessing full power. [R.] Milton.

Plen`i*po*ten"ti*a*ry (?), n.; pl. Plenipotentiaries (#). [LL. plenipotentiarius: cf. F. plÈnipotentiaire.] A person invested with full power to transact any business; especially, an ambassador or envoy to a foreign court, with full power to negotiate a treaty, or to transact other business.

Plen`i*po*ten"ti*a*ry, a. Containing or conferring full power; invested with full power; as, plenipotentiary license; plenipotentiary ministers. Howell.

Plen"ish (?), v. t. [See Replenish.] 1. To replenish. [Obs.] T. Reeve.

2. To furnish; to stock, as a house or farm. [Scot.]

Plen"ish*ing, n. Household furniture; stock. [Scot.]

Ple"nist (?), n. [L. plenus full; cf. F. plÈniste.] One who holds that all space is full of matter.

Plen"i*tude (?), n. [L. plenitudo, fr. plenus full; cf. F. plenitude.] 1. The quality or state of being full or complete; fullness; completeness; abundance; as, the plenitude of space or power.

2. Animal fullness; repletion; plethora. [Obs.]

Plen`i*tu`di*na"ri*an (?), n. A plenist.

Plen`i*tu"di*na*ry (?), a. Having plenitude; full; complete; thorough. [Obs.]

Plen"te*ous (?), a. [From Plenty.] 1. Containing plenty; abundant; copious; plentiful; sufficient for every purpose; as, a plenteous supply. "Reaping plenteous crop." Milton.

2. Yielding abundance; productive; fruitful. "The seven plenteous years." Gen. xli. 34.

3. Having plenty; abounding; rich.

The Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods.

Deut. xxviii. 11.

Syn. -- Plentiful; copious; full. See Ample.

-- Plen"te*ous*ly, adv. -- Plen"te*ous*ness, n.

Plen"te*vous (?), a. Plenteous. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Plen"ti*ful (?), a. 1. Containing plenty; copious; abundant; ample; as, a plentiful harvest; a plentiful supply of water.

2. Yielding abundance; prolific; fruitful.

If it be a long winter, it is commonly a more plentiful year.

Bacon.

3. Lavish; profuse; prodigal. [Obs.]

He that is plentiful in expenses will hardly be preserved from

Bacon.

-- Plen"ti*ful*ly, adv. -- Plen"ti*ful*ness, n.

Plen"ty (?), n.; pl. Plenties (#), in Shak. [OE. plentee, plente, OF. plentÈ, fr. L. plenitas, fr. plenus full. See Full, a., and cf. Complete.] Full or adequate supply; enough and to spare; sufficiency; specifically, abundant productiveness of the earth; ample supply for human wants; abundance; copiousness. "Plenty of corn and wine." Gen. xxvii. 28. "Promises Britain peace and plenty." Shak.

Houses of office stuffed with plentee.

Chaucer.

The teeming clouds Descend in gladsome plenty o'er the world.

Thomson.

Syn. -- Abundance; exuberance. See Abundance.

Plen"ty, a. Plentiful; abundant. [Obs. or Colloq.]

If reasons were as plenty as blackberries.

Shak. (Folio ed.)

Those countries where shrubs are plenty.

Goldsmith.

||Ple"num (?), n. [L., fr. plenus full.] That state in which every part ||of space is supposed to be full of matter; -- opposed to vacuum. G. ||Francis.

Ple`o*chro"ic (?), a. Having the property of pleochroism.

Ple*och"ro*ism (?), n. [Gr.&?; mor&?; + &?; color.] (Crystallog.) The property possessed by some crystals, of showing different colors when viewed in the direction of different axes.

Ple*och`ro*mat"ic (?), a. Pleochroic.

Ple`o*chro"ma*tism (?), n. Pleochroism.

Ple*och"ro*ous (?), a. Pleochroic.

Ple`o*mor"phic (?), a. Pertaining to pleomorphism; as, the pleomorphic character of bacteria.

Ple`o*mor"phism (?), n. [Gr. &?; more + &?; form.] 1. (Crystallog.) The property of crystallizing under two or more distinct fundamental forms, including dimorphism and trimorphism.

2. (Biol.) The theory that the various genera of bacteria are phases or variations of growth of a number of Protean species, each of which may exhibit, according to undetermined conditions, all or some of the forms characteristic of the different genera and species.

Ple`o*mor"phous (?), a. Having the property of pleomorphism.

Ple"o*nasm, (&?;), n. [L. pleonasmus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to be more than enough, to abound, fr.&?;, neut. of &?;, more, compar. of &?; much. See Full, a., and cf. Poly-, Plus.] (Rhet.) Redundancy of language in speaking or writing; the use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; as, I saw it with my own eyes.

Ple"o*nast (?), n. One who is addicted to pleonasm. [R.] C. Reade.

Ple"o*naste, n. [Gr.&?; abundant, rich; cf. F. plÈonaste.] (Min.) A black variety of spinel.

{ Ple`o*nas"tic (?), Ple`o*nas"tic*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. plÈonastique.] Of or pertaining to pleonasm; of the nature of pleonasm; redundant.

Ple`o*nas"tic*al*ly, adv. In a pleonastic manner.

Ple"o*pod (?), n.; pl. E. Pleopods (#), L. Pleopoda (#). [Gr. &?; to swim + -pod.] (Zoˆl.) One of the abdominal legs of a crustacean. See Illust. under Crustacea.

Ple"rome (?), n. [Gr. &?; that which fills up, fr. &?; to fill.] (Bot.) The central column of parenchyma in a growing stem or root.

Ple*roph"o*ry (?), n. [Gr. &?;; &?; full + &?; to bear.] Fullness; full persuasion. "A plerophory of assurance." Bp. Hall.

Ples"ance (?), n. Pleasance. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Plesh (?), n. A pool; a plash. [Obs.] Spenser.

Ple`si*mor"phism (?), n. [Gr. &?; near + &?; form.] (Crystallog.) The property possessed by some substances of crystallizing in closely similar forms while unlike in chemical composition.

Ple`si*o*mor"phous (?), a. Nearly alike in form.

Ple"si*o*saur (?), n. (Paleon.) One of the Plesiosauria.

||Ple`si*o*sau"ri*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Plesiosaurus.] (Paleon.) An ||extinct order of Mesozoic marine reptiles including the genera ||Plesiosaurus, and allied forms; -- called also Sauropterygia.

Ple`si*o*sau"ri*an (?), n. (Paleon.) A plesiosaur.

||Ple`si*o*sau"rus (?), n.; pl. Plesiosauri (#). [NL., fr. Gr &?; near ||+ &?; a lizard.] (Paleon.) A genus of large extinct marine reptiles, ||having a very long neck, a small head, and paddles for swimming. It ||lived in the Mesozoic age.

Ples*sim"e*ter (?), n. See Pleximeter.

Plete (?), v. t. & i. To plead. [Obs.] P. Plowman.

Pleth"o*ra (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to be or become full. Cf. Pleonasm.] 1. Overfullness; especially, excessive fullness of the blood vessels; repletion; that state of the blood vessels or of the system when the blood exceeds a healthy standard in quantity; hyperÊmia; -- opposed to anÊmia.

2. State of being overfull; excess; superabundance.

He labors under a plethora of wit and imagination.

Jeffrey.

Pleth`o*ret"ic (?), a. Plethoric. [Obs.] Johnson.

Ple*thor"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?;; cf. F. plÈthorique.] Haeving a full habit of body; characterized by plethora or excess of blood; as, a plethoric constitution; -- used also metaphorically. "Plethoric phrases." Sydney Smith. "Plethoric fullness of thought." De Quincey.

Ple*thor"ic*al (?), a. Plethoric. [R.] -- Ple*thor"ic*al*ly, adv. Burke.

Pleth"o*ry (?), n. Plethora. Jer. Taylor.

{ ||Pleth"ron (?), ||Pleth"rum (?), } n.; pl. Plethra (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?;.] (Gr. Antiq.) A long measure of 100 Greek, or 101 English, feet; also, a square measure of 10,000 Greek feet.

||Pleth"ys*mo*graph (?), n. [Gr. &?; an enlargement + -graph.] ||(Physiol.) An instrument for determining and registering the ||variations in the size or volume of a limb, as the arm or leg, and ||hence the variations in the amount of blood in the limb.

-- Pleth`ys*mo*graph"ic (#), a.

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Pleth`ys*mog"ra*phy (?), n. (Physiol.) The study, by means of the plethysmograph, of the variations in size of a limb, and hence of its blood supply.

||Pleu"ra (?), n., pl. of Pleuron.

Pleu"ra, n.; pl. L. PleurÊ (#), E. Pleuras (#). [NL., n. fem., fr. Gr. &?; a rib, the side.] 1. (Anat.) (a) The smooth serous membrane which closely covers the lungs and the adjacent surfaces of the thorax; the pleural membrane. (b) The closed sac formed by the pleural membrane about each lung, or the fold of membrane connecting each lung with the body wall.

2. (Zoˆl.) Same as Pleuron.

Pleu"ral (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the pleura or pleurÊ, or to the sides of the thorax.

||Pleu*ral"gi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; rib + &?; pain.] (Med.) Pain ||in the side or region of the ribs.

||Pleu`ra*poph"y*sis (?), n.; pl. Pleurapophyses (#). [NL. See Pleura, ||and Apophysis.] (Anat.) One of the ventral processes of a vertebra, ||or the dorsal element in each half of a hemal arch, forming, or ||corresponding to, a vertebral rib. -- Pleu*rap`o*phys"i*al (#), a. ||Owen.

Pleu*ren"chy*ma (?), n. [Gr. &?; side + &?;, as in parenchyma.] (Bot.) A tissue consisting of long and slender tubular cells, of which wood is mainly composed.

Pleu"ric (?), a. (Anat.) Pleural.

Pleu"ri*sy (?), n. [F. pleurÈsie, L. pleurisis, pleuritis, Gr pleyri^tis (sc. no`sos), fr. pleyra` rib, side.] (Med.) An inflammation of the pleura, usually accompanied with fever, pain, difficult respiration, and cough, and with exudation into the pleural cavity.

Pleurisy root. (Bot.) (a) The large tuberous root of a kind of milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) which is used as a remedy for pleuritic and other diseases. (b) The plant itself, which has deep orange-colored flowers; -- called also butterfly weed.

Pleu"rite (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Same as Pleuron.

{ Pleu*rit"ic (?), Pleu*rit"ic*al (?), } a. [L. pleuriticus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. pleurÈtique.] (Med.) (a) Of or pertaining to pleurisy; as, pleuritic symptoms. (b) Suffering from pleurisy.

||Pleu*ri"tis (?), n. [L.] (Med.) Pleurisy.

Pleu"ro- (?). [See Pleura.] A combining form denoting relation to a side; specif., connection with, or situation in or near, the pleura; as, pleuroperitoneum.

||Pleu`ro*brach"i*a (?), n. [NL. See Pleuro-, and Brachium.] (Zoˆl.) A ||genus of ctenophores having an ovate body and two long plumose ||tentacles.

Pleu"ro*branch (?), n. [See Pleuro- , and Branchia.] (Zoˆl.) Any one of the gills of a crustacean that is attached to the side of the thorax.

||Pleu`ro*bran"chi*a (?), n.; pl. PleuroeranchiÊ (#). [NL.] (Zoˆl.) ||Same as Pleurobranch.

Pleu"ro*carp (?), n. [Pleuro- + Gr. &?; fruit.] (Bot.) Any pleurocarpic moss.

{ Pleu`ro*car"pic (?), Pleu`ro*car"pous (?), } a. (Bot.) Side-fruited; -- said of those true mosses in which the pedicels or the capsules are from lateral archegonia; -- opposed to acrocarpous.

||Pleu`ro*cen"trum (?), n. [NL. see Pleuro-, and Centrum.] (Anat.) One ||of the lateral elements in the centra of the vertebrÊ in some fossil ||batrachians.

||Pleu*rod"e*res (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; the side + &?; the ||neck.] (Zoˆl.) A group of fresh-water turtles in which the neck can ||not be retracted, but is bent to one side, for protection. The ||matamata is an example.

Pleu"ro*dont (?), a. [Pleuro- + Gr. &?;, &?;, a tooth.] (Anat.) Having the teeth consolidated with the inner edge of the jaw, as in some lizards.

Pleu"ro*dont, n. (Zoˆl.) Any lizard having pleurodont teeth.

||Pleu`ro*dyn"i*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; side + &?; pain.] (Med.) A ||painful affection of the side, simulating pleurisy, usually due to ||rheumatism.

||Pleu"ron (?), n.; pl. Pleura (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a rib.] (Zoˆl.) ||(a) One of the sides of an animal. (b) One of the lateral pieces of a ||somite of an insect. (c) One of lateral processes of a somite of a ||crustacean.

Pleu`ro*nec"toid (?), a. [NL. Pleuronectes, name of a genus (fr. Gr. &?; rib + &?; a swimmer) + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) Pertaining to the PleuronectidÊ, or Flounder family.

Pleu`ro*per`i*car"di*al (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the pleura and pericardium.

Pleu`ro*per`ip*neu"mo*ny (?), n. [Pleuro- + peripneumony.] (Med.) Pleuropneumonia.

Pleu`ro*per`i*to*ne"al (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the pleural and peritoneal membranes or cavities, or to the pleuroperitoneum.

Pleu`ro*per`i*to*ne"um (?), n. [Pleuro- + peritoneum.] (Anat.) The pleural and peritoneal membranes, or the membrane lining the body cavity and covering the surface of the inclosed viscera; the peritoneum; -- used especially in the case of those animals in which the body cavity is not divided.

Peritoneum is now often used in the sense of pleuroperitoneum, the pleurÊ being regarded as a part of the peritoneum, when the body cavity is undivided.

Pleu`ro*pneu*mo"ni*a (?), n. [Pleuro- + pneumonia.] (Med.) Inflammation of the pleura and lungs; a combination of pleurisy and pneumonia, esp. a kind of contagions and fatal lung plague of cattle.

||Pleu*rop"te*ra (?), n. pl [NL., fr. Gr. &?; side + &?; wing.] (Zoˆl.) ||A group of Isectivora, including the colugo.

||Pleu`ro*sig"ma (?), n. [NL. See Pleuro-, and Sigma.] (Bot.) A genus ||of diatoms of elongated elliptical shape, but having the sides ||slightly curved in the form of a letter S. Pleurosigma angulatum has ||very fine striations, and is a favorite object for testing the high ||powers of microscopes.

||Pleu*ros"te*on (?), n.; pl. L. Pleurostea (#), E. -ons (#). [NL., fr. ||Gr. &?; a rib + &?; a bone.] (Anat.) The antero- lateral piece which ||articulates the sternum of birds.

||Pleu`ro*thot"o*nus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. pleyro`qen from the side + ||to`nos a stretching.] (Med.) A species of tetanus, in which the body ||is curved laterally. Quain. Dunglison.

||Pleu*rot"o*ma (?), n.; pl. L. PleurotomÊ (#), E. Pleurotomas (#). ||[NL., fr. Gr. &?; the side + tomh` a cut.] (Zoˆl.) Any marine ||gastropod belonging to Pleurotoma, and ether allied genera of the ||family PleurotmidÊ. The species are very numerous, especially in ||tropical seas. The outer lip has usually a posterior notch or slit.

Plev"in (?), n. [OF. plevine. See Replevin.] A warrant or assurance. [Obs.]

Plex"i*form (?), a. [Plexus + -form: cf. F. Plexiforme.] Like network; complicated. Quincy.

Plex*im"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; stroke, percussion (from &?; to strike) + -meter.] (Med.) A small, hard, elastic plate, as of ivory, bone, or rubber, placed in contact with body to receive the blow, in examination by mediate percussion. [Written also plexometer.]

Plex"ure (?), n. [See Plexus.] The act or process of weaving together, or interweaving; that which is woven together. H. Brooke.

Plex"us (?), n.; pl. L. Plexus, E. Plexuses (#). [L., a twining, braid, fr. plectere, plexum, to twine, braid.] 1. (Anat.) A network of vessels, nerves, or fibers.

2. (Math.) The system of equations required for the complete expression of the relations which exist between a set of quantities. Brande & C.

Pley (?), v. & n. See Play. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pley (?), a. Full See Plein. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pleyt (?), n. (Naut.) An old term for a river boat.

Pli`a*bil"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being pliable; flexibility; as, pliability of disposition. "Pliability of movement." Sir W. Scott.

Pli"a*ble (?), a. [F., fr. plier to bend, to fold. See Ply, v.] 1. Capable of being plied, turned, or bent; easy to be bent; flexible; pliant; supple; limber; yielding; as, willow is a pliable plant.

2. Flexible in disposition; readily yielding to influence, arguments, persuasion, or discipline; easy to be persuaded; -- sometimes in a bad sense; as, a pliable youth. "Pliable she promised to be." Dr. H. More.

-- Pli"a*ble*ness, n. -- Pli"a*bly, adv.

Pli"an*cy (?), n. The quality or state of being pliant in sense; as, the pliancy of a rod. "Avaunt all specious pliancy of mind." Wordsworth.

Pli"ant (?), a. [F. pliant, p. pr. of plier to bend. See Ply, v.] 1. Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to force or pressure without breaking; flexible; pliable; lithe; limber; plastic; as, a pliant thread; pliant wax. Also used figuratively: Easily influenced for good or evil; tractable; as, a pliant heart.

The will was then ductile and pliant to right reason.

South.

2. Favorable to pliancy. [R.] "A pliant hour." Shak. -- Pli"ant*ly, adv. -- Pli"ant*ness, n.

||Pli"ca (?), n. [LL., a fold, fr. L. plicare to fold. See Ply, v.] 1. ||(Med.) A disease of the hair (Plica polonica), in which it becomes ||twisted and matted together. The disease is of Polish origin, and is ||hence called also Polish plait. Dunglison.

2. (Bot.) A diseased state in plants in which there is an excessive development of small entangled twigs, instead of ordinary branches.

3. (Zoˆl.) The bend of the wing of a bird.

{ Pli"cate (?), Pli"ca*ted (?), } a. [L. plicatus, p. p. of plicare to fold.] Plaited; folded like a fan; as, a plicate leaf. -- Pli"cate*ly (#), adv.

Pli*ca"tion (?), n. A folding or fold; a plait. Richardson.

Plic"a*ture (?), n. [L. plicatura, fr. plicare to fold.] A fold; a doubling; a plication. Dr. H. More.

Plic`i*den"tine (?), n. [LL. plica fold + E. dentine.] (Anat.) A form of dentine which shows sinuous lines of structure in a transverse section of the tooth.

Plied (?), imp. & p. p. of Ply.

Pli"ers (?), n. pl. [From Ply to bend, fold.] A kind of small pinchers with long jaws, -- used for bending or cutting metal rods or wire, for handling small objects such as the parts of a watch, etc.

Pli"form (?), a. [Ply a fold + -form.] In the form of a ply, fold, or doubling. [Obs.] Pennant.

Plight (?), obs. imp. & p. p. of Plight, to pledge. Chaucer.

Plight, obs. imp. & p. p. of Pluck. Chaucer.

Plight, v. t. [OE. pliten; probably through Old French, fr. LL. plectare, L. plectere. See Plait, Ply.] To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait.[Obs.] "To sew and plight." Chaucer.

A plighted garment of divers colors.

Milton.

Plight (?), n. A network; a plait; a fold; rarely a garment. [Obs.] "Many a folded plight." Spenser.

Plight, n. [OE. pliht danger, engagement, AS. pliht danger, fr. pleÛn to risk; akin to D. plicht duty, G. pflicht, Dan. pligt. &radic;28. Cf. Play.] 1. That which is exposed to risk; that which is plighted or pledged; security; a gage; a pledge. "That lord whose hand must take my plight." Shak.

2. [Perh. the same word as plight a pledge, but at least influenced by OF. plite, pliste, ploit, ploi, a condition, state; cf. E. plight to fold, and F. pli a fold, habit, plier to fold, E. ply.] Condition; state; -- risk, or exposure to danger, often being implied; as, a luckless plight. "Your plight is pitied." Shak.

To bring our craft all in another plight

Chaucer.

Plight, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Plighting.] [AS. plihtan to expose to danger, pliht danger;cf. D. verplichten to oblige, engage, impose a duty, G. verpflichten, Sw. fˆrplikta, Dan. forpligte. See Plight, n.] 1. To pledge; to give as a pledge for the performance of some act; as, to plight faith, honor, word; -- never applied to property or goods. " To do them plighte their troth." Piers Plowman.

He plighted his right hand Unto another love, and to another land.

Spenser.

Here my inviolable faith I plight.

Dryden.

2. To promise; to engage; to betroth.

Before its setting hour, divide The bridegroom from the plighted bride.

Sir W. Scott.

Plight"er (?), n. One who, or that which, plights.

Plim (?), v. i. [Cf. Plump.] To swell, as grain or wood with water. [Prov. Eng.] Grose.

Plim"soll's mark` (?). (Naut.) A mark conspicuously painted on the port side of all British sea-going merchant vessels, to indicate the limit of submergence allowed by law; -- so called from Samuel Plimsoll, by whose efforts the act of Parliament to prevent overloading was procured.

Plinth (?), n. [L. plinthus, Gr. &?; a brick or tile, a plinth, perh. akin to E. flint: cf. F. plinthe.] (Arch.) In classical architecture, a vertically faced member immediately below the circular base of a column; also, the lowest member of a pedestal; hence, in general, the lowest member of a base; a sub-base; a block upon which the moldings of an architrave or trim are stopped at the bottom. See Illust. of Column.

Pli"o*cene (?), a. [Written also pleiocene.] [Gr. &?; more + &?; new, recent.] (Geol.) Of, pertaining to, or characterizing, the most recent division of the Tertiary age.

Pli"o*cene, n. (Geol.) The Pliocene period or deposits.

||Pli`o*hip"pus (?), n. [NL., fr. E. pliocene + Gr. &?; horse.] ||(Paleon.) An extinct genus of horses from the Pliocene deposits. Each ||foot had a single toe (or hoof), as in the common horse.

||Pli`o*sau"rus (?), n. [NL., from Gr. &?; greater + &?; lizard.] ||(Paleon.) An extinct genus of marine reptiles allied to Plesiosaurus, ||but having a much shorter neck.

Plitt (?), n. [Russ. plete.] An instrument of punishment or torture resembling the knout, used in Russia.

Ploc (?), n. [F.] (Naut.) A mixture of hair and tar for covering the bottom of a ship.

||Plo"ce (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?; complication, fr. &?; to entwine.] ||(Rhet.) A figure in which a word is separated or repeated by way of ||emphasis, so as not only to signify the individual thing denoted by ||it, but also its peculiar attribute or quality; as, "His wife's a ||wife indeed." Bailey.

Plod (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Plodded (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plodding.] [Gf. Gael. plod a clod, a pool; also, to strike or pelt with a clod or clods.] 1. To travel slowly but steadily; to trudge. Shak.

2. To toil; to drudge; especially, to study laboriously and patiently. "Plodding schoolmen." Drayton.

Plod, v. t. To walk on slowly or heavily.

The ploughman homeward plods his weary way.

Gray.

Plod"der (?), n. One who plods; a drudge.

Plod"ding (?), a. Progressing in a slow, toilsome manner; characterized by laborious diligence; as, a plodding peddler; a plodding student; a man of plodding habits. --Plod"ding*ly, adv.

Plonge (?), v. t. [See Plunge.] To cleanse, as open drains which are entered by the tide, by stirring up the sediment when the tide ebbs.

||Plon`gÈe" (?), n. [F. See Plunge.] (Mil.) A slope or sloping toward ||the front; as, the plongÈe of a parapet; the plongÈe of a shell in ||its course. [Sometimes written plonge.]

Plot (?), n. [AS. plot; cf. Goth. plats a patch. Cf. Plat a piece of ground.] 1. A small extent of ground; a plat; as, a garden plot. Shak.

2. A plantation laid out. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

3. (Surv.) A plan or draught of a field, farm, estate, etc., drawn to a scale.

Plot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plotted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plotting.] To make a plot, map, pr plan, of; to mark the position of on a plan; to delineate.

This treatise plotteth down Cornwall as it now standeth.

Carew.

Plot, n. [Abbrev. from complot.] 1. Any scheme, stratagem, secret design, or plan, of a complicated nature, adapted to the accomplishment of some purpose, usually a treacherous and mischievous one; a conspiracy; an intrigue; as, the Rye-house Plot.

I have overheard a plot of death.

Shak.

O, think what anxious moments pass between The birth of plots and their last fatal periods!

Addison.

2. A share in such a plot or scheme; a participation in any stratagem or conspiracy. [Obs.]

And when Christ saith, Who marries the divorced commits adultery, it is to be understood, if he had any plot in the divorce.

Milton.

3. Contrivance; deep reach of thought; ability to plot or intrigue. [Obs.] "A man of much plot." Denham.

4. A plan; a purpose. "No other plot in their religion but serve God and save their souls." Jer. Taylor.

5. In fiction, the story of a play, novel, romance, or poem, comprising a complication of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.

If the plot or intrigue must be natural, and such as springs from the subject, then the winding up of the plot must be a probable consequence of all that went before.

Pope.

Syn. -- Intrigue; stratagem; conspiracy; cabal; combination; contrivance.

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Plot (plt), v. i. 1. To form a scheme of mischief against another, especially against a government or those who administer it; to conspire. Shak.

The wicked plotteth against the just.

Ps. xxxvii. 12.

2. To contrive a plan or stratagem; to scheme.

The prince did plot to be secretly gone.

Sir H. Wotton.

Plot, v. t. To plan; to scheme; to devise; to contrive secretly. "Plotting an unprofitable crime." Dryden. "Plotting now the fall of others." Milton

Plot"ful (?), a. Abounding with plots.

Plo*tin"i*an (?), a.Of pertaining to the Plotinists or their doctrines.

Plo*ti"nist (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) A disciple of Plotinus, a celebrated Platonic philosopher of the third century, who taught that the human soul emanates from the divine Being, to whom it reunited at death.

Plot"-proof` (?), a. Secure against harm by plots. Shak.

Plot"ter (?), n. One who plots or schemes; a contriver; a conspirator; a schemer. Dryden.

Plough (?), n. & v. See Plow.

Plov"er (?), n. [OF. plovier, F. pluvier, prop., the rain bird, fr. LL. (assumed) pluviarius, fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to E. float, G. fliessen to flow. See Float.] 1. (Zoˆl.) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family CharadridÊ, and especially those belonging to the subfamily CharadrinsÊ. They are prized as game birds.

2. (Zoˆl.) Any grallatorial bird allied to, or resembling, the true plovers, as the crab plover (Dromas ardeola); the American upland, plover (Bartramia longicauda); and other species of sandpipers.

Among the more important species are the blackbellied, or blackbreasted, plover (Charadrius squatarola) of America and Europe; -- called also gray plover, bull-head plover, Swiss plover, sea plover, and oxeye; the golden plover (see under Golden); the ring or ringed plover (∆gialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping plover (∆gialitis meloda); Wilson's plover (∆. Wilsonia); the mountain plover (∆. montana); and the semipalmated plover (∆. semipalmata), are all small American species.

Bastard plover (Zoˆl.), the lapwing. -- Long-legged, or yellow- legged, plover. See Tattler. -- Plover's page, the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] -- Rock plover, or Stone plover, the black-bellied plover. [Prov. Eng.] -- Whistling plover. (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied plover.

{ Plow, Plough } (plou), n. [OE. plouh, plou, AS. plh; akin to D. ploeg, G. pflug, OHG. pfluog, pfluoh, Icel. plgr, Sw. plog, Dan. ploug, plov, Russ. plug', Lith. plugas.] 1. A well-known implement, drawn by horses, mules, oxen, or other power, for turning up the soil to prepare it for bearing crops; also used to furrow or break up the soil for other purposes; as, the subsoil plow; the draining plow.

Where fern succeeds ungrateful to the plow.

Dryden.

2. Fig.: Agriculture; husbandry. Johnson.

3. A carucate of land; a plowland. [Obs.] [Eng.]

Johan, mine eldest son, shall have plowes five.

Tale of Gamelyn.

4. A joiner's plane for making grooves; a grooving plane.

5. (Bookbinding) An implement for trimming or shaving off the edges of books.

6. (Astron.) Same as Charles's Wain.

Ice plow, a plow used for cutting ice on rivers, ponds, etc., into cakes suitable for storing. [U. S.] -- Mackerel plow. See under Mackerel. - - Plow alms, a penny formerly paid by every plowland to the church. Cowell. -- Plow beam, that part of the frame of a plow to which the draught is applied. See Beam, n., 9. -- Plow Monday, the Monday after Twelth Day, or the end of Christmas holidays. -- Plow staff. (a) A kind of long-handled spade or paddle for cleaning the plowshare; a paddle staff. (b) A plow handle. -- Snow plow, a structure, usually -shaped, for removing snow from sidewalks, railroads, etc., -- drawn or driven by a horse or a locomotive.

{ Plow, Plough, } v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plowed (ploud) or Ploughed; p. pr. & vb. n. Plowing or Ploughing.] 1. To turn up, break up, or trench, with a plow; to till with, or as with, a plow; as, to plow the ground; to plow a field.

2. To furrow; to make furrows, grooves, or ridges in; to run through, as in sailing.

Let patient Octavia plow thy visage up With her prepared nails.

Shak.

With speed we plow the watery way.

Pope.

3. (Bookbinding) To trim, or shave off the edges of, as a book or paper, with a plow. See Plow, n., 5.

4. (Joinery) To cut a groove in, as in a plank, or the edge of a board; especially, a rectangular groove to receive the end of a shelf or tread, the edge of a panel, a tongue, etc.

To plow in, to cover by plowing; as, to plow in wheat. -- To plow up, to turn out of the ground by plowing.

{ Plow, Plough } (plou), v. i. To labor with, or as with, a plow; to till or turn up the soil with a plow; to prepare the soil or bed for anything. Shak.

Doth the plowman plow all day to sow ?

Isa. xxviii. 24.

{ Plow"a*ble, Plough"a*ble } (?), a. Capable of being plowed; arable.

{ Plow"bote`, Plough"bote` } (?), n. (Eng. Law) Wood or timber allowed to a tenant for the repair of instruments of husbandry. See Bote.

{ Plow"boy`, Plough"boy` }, n. A boy that drives or guides a team in plowing; a young rustic.

{ Plow"er, Plough"er } (?), n. One who plows; a plowman; a cultivator.

{ Plow"foot`, Plough"foot` } (?), n. An adjustable staff formerly attached to the plow beam to determine the depth of the furrow. Piers Plowman.

{ Plow"gang`, Plough"gang` } (?), n. Same as Plowgate.

{ Plow"gate`, Plough"gate` } (?), n. The Scotch equivalent of the English word plowland.

Not having one plowgate of land.

Sir W. Scott.

{ Plow"head`, Plough"head` } (?), n. The clevis or draught iron of a plow.

{ Plow"land`, Ploug"land` } (?), n. 1. Land that is plowed, or suitable for tillage.

2. (O. Eng. Law) the quantity of land allotted for the work of one plow; a hide.

{ Plow"man, Plough"man } (?), n.; pl. -men (&?;). 1. One who plows, or who holds and guides a plow; hence, a husbandman. Chaucer. Macaulay.

2. A rustic; a countryman; a field laborer.

Plowman's spikenard (Bot.), a European composite weed (Conyza squarrosa), having fragrant roots. Dr. Prior.

{ Plow"point`, Plough"point` } (?), n. A detachable share at the extreme front end of the plow body.

{ Plow"share`, Plough"share" } (?), n. The share of a plow, or that part which cuts the slice of earth or sod at the bottom of the furrow.

Plowshare bone (Anat.), the pygostyle.

{ Plow"tail`, Plough"tail` } (?), n. The hind part or handle of a plow.

{ Plow"wright`, Plough"wright` } (?), n. One who makes or repairs plows.

Ploy (?), n. Sport; frolic. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Ploy, v. i. [Prob. abbrev. fr. deploy.] (Mil.) To form a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; -- the opposite of deploy. Wilhelm.

Ploy"ment (?), n. (Mil.) The act or movement of forming a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; -- the opposite of deployment.

Pluck (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plucked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plucking.] [AS. pluccian; akin to LG. & D. plukken, G. pfl¸cken, Icel. plokka, plukka, Dan. plukke, Sw. plocka. &?;27.] 1. To pull; to draw.

Its own nature . . . plucks on its own dissolution.

Je&?;. Taylor.

2. Especially, to pull with sudden force or effort, or to pull off or out from something, with a twitch; to twitch; also, to gather, to pick; as, to pluck feathers from a fowl; to pluck hair or wool from a skin; to pluck grapes.

I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude.

Milton.

E'en children followed, with endearing wile, And plucked his gown to share the good man's smile.

Goldsmith.

3. To strip of, or as of, feathers; as, to pluck a fowl.

They which pass by the way do pluck her.

Ps. lxxx.&?;2.

4. (Eng. Universities) To reject at an examination for degrees. C. BrontÈ.

To pluck away, to pull away, or to separate by pulling; to tear away. -- To pluck down, to pull down; to demolish; to reduce to a lower state. -- to pluck off, to pull or tear off; as, to pluck off the skin. -- to pluck up. (a) To tear up by the roots or from the foundation; to eradicate; to exterminate; to destroy; as, to pluck up a plant; to pluck up a nation. Jer. xii. 17. (b) To gather up; to summon; as, to pluck up courage.

Pluck, v. i. To make a motion of pulling or twitching; -- usually with at; as, to pluck at one's gown.

Pluck, n. 1. The act of plucking; a pull; a twitch.

2. [Prob. so called as being plucked out after the animal is killed; or cf. Gael. & Ir. pluc a lump, a knot, a bunch.] The heart, liver, and lights of an animal.

3. Spirit; courage; indomitable resolution; fortitude.

Decay of English spirit, decay of manly pluck.

Thackeray.

4. The act of plucking, or the state of being plucked, at college. See Pluck, v. t., 4.

5. (Zoˆl.) The lyrie. [Prov. Eng.]

Plucked (?), a. Having courage and spirit. [R.]

Pluck"er, n. 1. One who, or that which, plucks.

Thou setter up and plucker down of kings.

Shak.

2. A machine for straightening and cleaning wool.

Pluck"i*ly (?), adv. In a plucky manner.

Pluck"i*ness, n. The quality or state of being plucky.

Pluck"less, a. Without pluck; timid; faint-hearted.

Pluck"y (?), a. [Compar. Pluckier (?); superl. Pluckiest.] Having pluck or courage; characterized by pluck; displaying pluck; courageous; spirited; as, a plucky race.

If you're plucky, and not over subject to fright.

Barham.

Pluff (?), v. t. [Prob. of imitative origin.] To throw out, as smoke, dust, etc., in puffs. [Scot.]

Pluff, n. 1. A puff, as of smoke from a pipe, or of dust from a puffball; a slight explosion, as of a small quantity of gunpowder. [Scot.]

2. A hairdresser's powder puff; also, the act of using it. [Scot.]

Plug (?), n. [Akin to D. plug, G. pflock, Dan. plˆk, plug, Sw. plugg; cf. W. ploc.] 1. Any piece of wood, metal, or other substance used to stop or fill a hole; a stopple.

2. A flat oblong cake of pressed tobacco. [U. S.]

3. A high, tapering silk hat. [Slang, U.S.]

4. A worthless horse. [Slang, U.S.]

5. (Building) A block of wood let into a wall, to afford a hold for nails.

Fire plug, a street hydrant to which hose may be attached. [U. S.] -- Hawse plug (Naut.), a plug to stop a hawse hole. -- Plug and feather. (Stone Working) See Feather, n., 7. -- Plug centerbit, a centerbit ending in a small cylinder instead of a point, so as to follow and enlarge a hole previously made, or to form a counterbore around it. -- Plug rod (Steam Eng.) , a rod attached to the beam for working the valves, as in the Cornish engine. -- Plug valve (Mech.), a tapering valve, which turns in a case like the plug of a faucet.

Plug (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plugged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plugging (?).] To stop with a plug; to make tight by stopping a hole.

Plug"ger (?), n. One who, or that which, plugs.

Plug"ging, n. 1. The act of stopping with a plug.

2. The material of which a plug or stopple is made.

Plum (?), n. [AS. plme, fr. L. prunum; akin to Gr. &?;, &?;. Cf. Prune a dried plum.]

1. (Bot.) The edible drupaceous fruit of the Prunus domestica, and of several other species of Prunus; also, the tree itself, usually called plum tree.

The bullace, the damson, and the numerous varieties of plum, of our gardens, although growing into thornless trees, are believed to be varieties of the blackthorn, produced by long cultivation.

G. Bentham.

Two or three hundred varieties of plums derived from the Prunus domestica are described; among them the greengage, the Orleans, the purple gage, or Reine Claude Violette, and the German prune, are some of the best known.

Among the true plums are; Beach plum, the Prunus maritima, and its crimson or purple globular drupes, -- Bullace plum. See Bullace. -- Chickasaw plum, the American Prunus Chicasa, and its round red drupes. -- Orleans plum, a dark reddish purple plum of medium size, much grown in England for sale in the markets. -- Wild plum of America, Prunus Americana, with red or yellow fruit, the original of the Iowa plum and several other varieties.

Among plants called plum, but of other genera than Prunus, are; Australian plum, Cargillia arborea and C. australis, of the same family with the persimmon. -- Blood plum, the West African HÊmatostaphes Barteri. -- Cocoa plum, the Spanish nectarine. See under Nectarine. -- Date plum. See under Date. -- Gingerbread plum, the West African Parinarium macrophyllum. -- Gopher plum, the Ogeechee lime. -- Gray plum, Guinea plum. See under Guinea. -- Indian plum, several species of Flacourtia.

2. A grape dried in the sun; a raisin.

3. A handsome fortune or property; formerly, in cant language, the sum of £100,000 sterling; also, the person possessing it.

Plum bird, Plum budder (Zoˆl.), the European bullfinch. -- Plum gouger (Zoˆl.), a weevil, or curculio (Coccotorus scutellaris), which destroys plums. It makes round holes in the pulp, for the reception of its eggs. The larva bores into the stone and eats the kernel. -- Plum weevil (Zoˆl.), an American weevil which is very destructive to plums, nectarines, cherries, and many other stone fruits. It lays its eggs in crescent-shaped incisions made with its jaws. The larva lives upon the pulp around the stone. Called also turk, and plum curculio. See Illust. under Curculio.

||Plu"ma (pl"m), n.; pl. PlumÊ (-m). [L.] (Zoˆl.) A feather.

Plum"age (plm"j), n. [F., from plume a feather.] (Zoˆl.) The entire clothing of a bird.

It consist of the contour feathers, or the ordinary feathers covering the head, neck, and body; the tail feathers, with their upper and lower coverts; the wing feathers, including primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, with their coverts; and the down which lies beneath the contour feathers. See Illust. under Bird.

Plu*mas"sa*ry (?), n. [Cf. F. plumasseau.] A plume or collection of ornamental feathers.

||Plu`mas`sier" (?), n. [F.] One who prepares or deals in ornamental ||plumes or feathers.

Plumb (plm), n. [F. plomb, L. plumbum lead, a leaden ball or bullet; cf. Gr. mo`lybos, mo`libos, mo`lybdos. Cf. Plummet, Plunge.] A little mass or weight of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction; a plummet; a plumb bob. See Plumb line, below.

Plumb bob. See Bob, 4. -- Plumb joint, in sheet-metal work, a lap joint, fastened by solder. -- Plumb level. See under Level. -- Plumb line. (a) The cord by which a plumb bob is suspended; a plummet. (b) A line directed to the center of gravity of the earth. -- Plumb rule, a narrow board with a plumb line, used by builders and carpenters.

Plumb, a. Perpendicular; vertical; conforming the direction of a line attached to a plumb; as, the wall is plumb.

Plumb, adv. In a plumb direction; perpendicularly. "Plumb down he falls." Milton.

Plumb, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumbed (plmd); p. pr. & vb. n. Plumbing (plm"ng).] 1. To adjust by a plumb line; to cause to be perpendicular; as, to plumb a building or a wall.

2. To sound with a plumb or plummet, as the depth of water; hence, to examine by test; to ascertain the depth, quality, dimension, etc.; to sound; to fathom; to test.

He did not attempt to plumb his intellect.

Ld. Lytton.

3. To seal with lead; as, to plumb a drainpipe.

4. To supply, as a building, with a system of plumbing.

Plumb"age (plm"j; 48), n. Leadwork [R.]

Plum*ba"gin (plm*b"jn), n. [L. plumbago leadwort, fr. plumbum lead; cf. F. plombagin.] (Chem.) A crystalline substance said to be found in the root of a certain plant of the Leadwort (Plumbago) family.

<! p. 1102 !>

Plum`ba*gin"e*ous (plm`b*jn"*s), a. (Bot.) Pertaining to natural order (PlumbagineÊ) of gamopetalous herbs, of which Plumbago is the type. The order includes also the marsh rosemary, the thrift, and a few other genera.

Plum*bag"i*nous (?), a. Resembling plumbago; consisting of, or containing, plumbago; as, a plumbaginous slate.

Plum*ba"go, n. [L., from plumbum lead.] 1. (Min.) Same as Graphite.

2. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous plants with pretty salver-shaped corollas, usually blue or violet; leadwort.

{ Plum"be*an (?), Plum"be*ous (?), } a. [L. plumbeus, from plumbum the metal lead.] 1. Consisting of, or resembling, lead. J. Ellis.

2. Dull; heavy; stupid. [R.] J. P. Smith.

Plumb"er (?), n. [F. plombier. See Plumb.] One who works in lead; esp., one who furnishes, fits, and repairs lead, iron, or glass pipes, and other apparatus for the conveyance of water, gas, or drainage in buildings.

Plumb"er block` (?). A pillow block.

Plumb"er*y (?), n. [F. plomberie.] 1. The business of a plumber. [Obs.]

2. A place where plumbing is carried on; lead works.

Plum"bic (?), a. [From Plumbum.] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, resembling, or containing, lead; -- used specifically to designate those compounds in which it has a higher valence as contrasted with plumbous compounds; as, plumbic oxide.

Plum*bif"er*ous (?), a. [Plumbum + -ferous.] Producing or containing lead. Kirwan.

Plumb"ing (?), n. 1. The art of casting and working in lead, and applying it to building purposes; especially, the business of furnishing, fitting, and repairing pipes for conducting water, sewage, etc. Gwilt.

2. The lead or iron pipes, and other apparatus, used in conveying water, sewage, etc., in a building.

Plum"bism (?), n. [From Plumbum.] (Med.) A diseased condition, produced by the absorption of lead, common among workers in this metal or in its compounds, as among painters, typesetters, etc. It is characterized by various symptoms, as lead colic, lead line, and wrist drop. See under Colic, Lead, and Wrist.

Plum"bous (?), a. [From Plumbum.] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or containing, lead; -- used specifically to designate those compounds in which it has a lower valence as contrasted with plumbic compounds.

||Plum"bum (?), n. [L.] (Chem.) The technical name of lead. See Lead.

Plume (?), n. [F., fr. L. pluma. Cf. Fly, v.]

1. A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long, conspicuous, or handsome feather.

Wings . . . of many a colored plume.

Milton.

2. (Zoˆl.) An ornamental tuft of feathers.

3. A feather, or group of feathers, worn as an ornament; a waving ornament of hair, or other material resembling feathers.

His high plume, that nodded o'er his head.

Dryden.

4. A token of honor or prowess; that on which one prides himself; a prize or reward. "Ambitious to win from me some plume." Milton.

5. (Bot.) A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses.

Plume bird (Zoˆl.), any bird that yields ornamental plumes, especially the species of Epimarchus from New Guinea, and some of the herons and egrets, as the white heron of Florida (Ardea candidissima). -- Plume grass. (Bot) (a) A kind of grass (Erianthus saccharoides) with the spikelets arranged in great silky plumes, growing in swamps in the Southern United States. (b) The still finer E. RavennÊ from the Mediterranean region. The name is sometimes extended to the whole genus. -- Plume moth (Zoˆl.), any one of numerous small, slender moths, belonging to the family PterophoridÊ. Most of them have the wings deeply divided into two or more plumelike lobes. Some species are injurious to the grapevine. -- Plume nutmeg (Bot.), an aromatic Australian tree (Atherosperma moschata), whose numerous carpels are tipped with long plumose persistent styles.

Plume, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pluming.] [Cf. F. plumer to pluck, to strip, L. plumare to cover with feathers.] 1. To pick and adjust the plumes or feathers of; to dress or prink.

Pluming her wings among the breezy bowers.

W. Irving.

2. To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel. [Obs.] Bacon. Dryden.

3. To adorn with feathers or plumes. "Farewell the plumed troop." Shak.

4. To pride; to vaunt; to boast; -- used reflexively; as, he plumes himself on his skill. South.

Plumed adder (Zoˆl.), an African viper (Vipera, or Clotho cornuta), having a plumelike structure over each eye. It is venomous, and is related to the African puff adder. Called also horned viper and hornsman. -- Plumed partridge (Zoˆl.), the California mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus). See Mountain quail, under Mountain.

Plume"less (?), a. Without plumes.

Plume"let (?), n. [Plume + - let.] A small plume.

When rosy plumelets tuft the larch.

Tennyson.

Plum"er*y (?), n. Plumes, collectively or in general; plumage. [R.] Southey.

Plu"mi*corn (?), n. [L. pluma feather + cornu horn.] (Zoˆl.) An ear tuft of feathers, as in the horned owls.

Plu*mig"er*ous (?), a. [L. plumiger; pluma a feather + gerere to bear.] Feathered; having feathers. Bailey

Plu*mil"i*form (?), a. [L. plumula, or plumella a little feather (dim. of pluma feather) + -form.] Having the of a plume or feather. [R.]

Plu"mi*ped (?), a. [L. plumipes, -edis; pluma a feather + pes: cf. F. plumipËde.] (Zoˆl.) Having feet covered with feathers. -- n. A plumiped bird.

Plum"met (?), n. [OE. plommet, OF. plommet, fr. plom, plum, lead, F. plomb. See Plumb.] 1. A piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water.

I'll sink him deeper than e'er plummet sounded.

Shak.

2. A plumb bob or a plumb line. See under Plumb, n.

3. Hence, any weight.

4. A piece of lead formerly used by school children to rule paper for writing.

Plummet line, a line with a plummet; a sounding line.

Plum"ming (?), n. [See Plumb.] (Min.) The operation of finding, by means of a mine dial, the place where to sink an air shaft, or to bring an adit to the work, or to find which way the lode inclines.

Plum"my (?), a. [From Plum.] Of the nature of a plum; desirable; profitable; advantageous. [Colloq.] "For the sake of getting something plummy." G. Eliot.

{ Plu*mose" (?), Plu"mous (?), } a. [L. plumosus, fr. pluma feather: cf. F. plumeux.]

1. Having feathers or plumes.

2. Having hairs, or other p·rts, arranged along an axis like a feather; feathery; plumelike; as, a plumose leaf; plumose tentacles.

Plu"mo*site (?), n. (Min.) Same as Jamesonite.

Plu*mos"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being plumose.

Plump (plmp), a. [Compar. Plumper (-r); superl. Plumpest.] [OE. plomp rude, clumsy; akin to D. plomp, G., Dan., & Sw. plump; probably of imitative origin. Cf. Plump, adv.] Well rounded or filled out; full; fleshy; fat; as, a plump baby; plump cheeks. Shak.

The god of wine did his plump clusters bring.

T. Carew.

Plump, n. A knot; a cluster; a group; a crowd; a flock; as, a plump of trees, fowls, or spears. [Obs.]

To visit islands and the plumps of men.

Chapman.

Plump, v. i. [Cf. D. plompen, G. plumpen, Sw. plumpa, Dan. plumpe. See Plump, a.] 1. To grow plump; to swell out; as, her cheeks have plumped.

2. To drop or fall suddenly or heavily, all at once."Dulcissa plumps into a chair." Spectator.

3. To give a plumper. See Plumper, 2.

Plump, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plumping.] 1. To make plump; to fill (out) or support; -- often with up.

To plump up the hollowness of their history with improbable miracles.

Fuller.

2. To cast or let drop all at once, suddenly and heavily; as, to plump a stone into water.

3. To give (a vote), as a plumper. See Plumper, 2.

Plump, adv. [Cf. D. plomp, interj., G. plump, plumps. Cf. Plump, a. & v.] Directly; suddenly; perpendicularly. "Fall plump." Beau. & Fl.

Plump"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, plumps or swells out something else; hence, something carried in the mouth to distend the cheeks.

2. (English Elections) A vote given to one candidate only, when two or more are to be elected, thus giving him the advantage over the others. A person who gives his vote thus is said to plump, or to plump his vote.

3. A voter who plumps his vote. [Eng.]

4. A downright, unqualified lie. [Colloq. or Low]

Plump"ly, adv. Fully; roundly; plainly; without reserve. [Colloq.]

Plump"ness, n. The quality or state of being plump.

Plump"y (?), a. Plump; fat; sleek. "Plumpy Bacchus." Shak.

||Plu"mu*la (?), n.; pl. L. Plumule (#), E.-las (#). [L. See Plumule.] ||1. (Bot.) A plumule.

2. (Zoˆl.) A down feather.

Plu`mu*la"ceous (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Downy; bearing down.

Plu"mu*lar (?), a. (Bot.) Relating to a plumule.

||Plu`mu*la"ri*a (?), n.; pl. L. PlumularlÊ (#), E. Plumularias (#). ||[NL.] (Zoˆl.) Any hydroid belonging to Plumularia and other genera of ||the family PlumularidÊ. They generally grow in plumelike forms.

Plu`mu*la"ri*an (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Any Plumularia. Also used adjectively.

Plu"mule (?), n. [L. plumula, dim. of pluma a feather; cf. F. plumule.] 1. (Bot.) The first bud, or gemmule, of a young plant; the bud, or growing point, of the embryo, above the cotyledons. See Illust. of Radicle. Gray.

2. (Zoˆl.) (a) A down feather. (b) The aftershaft of a feather. See Illust. under Feather. (c) One of the featherlike scales of certain male butterflies.

Plu"mu*lose" (?), a. Having hairs branching out laterally, like the parts of a feather.

Plum"y (?), a. Covered or adorned with plumes, or as with plumes; feathery. "His plumy crest." Addison. "The plumy trees." J. S. Blackie.

Plun"der (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plundered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plundering.] [G. pl¸ndern to plunder, plunder frippery, baggage.] 1. To take the goods of by force, or without right; to pillage; to spoil; to sack; to strip; to rob; as, to plunder travelers.

Nebuchadnezzar plunders the temple of God.

South.

2. To take by pillage; to appropriate forcibly; as, the enemy plundered all the goods they found.

Syn. -- To pillage; despoil; sack; rifle; strip; rob.

Plun"der (?), n. 1. The act of plundering or pillaging; robbery. See Syn. of Pillage.

Inroads and plunders of the Saracens.

Sir T. North.

2. That which is taken by open force from an enemy; pillage; spoil; booty; also, that which is taken by theft or fraud. "He shared in the plunder." Cowper.

3. Personal property and effects; baggage or luggage. [Slang, Southwestern U.S.]

Plun"der*age (?), n. (Mar. Law) The embezzlement of goods on shipboard. Wharton.

Plun"der*er (?), n. One who plunders or pillages.

Plunge (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plunged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plunging (?).] [OE. ploungen, OF. plongier, F. plonger, fr. (assumed) LL. plumbicare, fr. L. plumbum lead. See Plumb.] 1. To thrust into water, or into any substance that is penetrable; to immerse; to cause to penetrate or enter quickly and forcibly; to thrust; as, to plunge the body into water; to plunge a dagger into the breast. Also used figuratively; as, to plunge a nation into war. "To plunge the boy in pleasing sleep." Dryden.

Bound and plunged him into a cell.

Tennyson.

We shall be plunged into perpetual errors.

I. Watts.

2. To baptize by immersion.

3. To entangle; to embarrass; to overcome. [Obs.]

Plunged and graveled with three lines of Seneca.

Sir T. Browne.

Plunge, v. i. 1. To thrust or cast one's self into water or other fluid; to submerge one's self; to dive, or to rush in; as, he plunged into the river. Also used figuratively; as, to plunge into debt.

Forced to plunge naked in the raging sea.

Dryden.

To plunge into guilt of a murther.

Tillotson.

2. To pitch or throw one's self headlong or violently forward, as a horse does.

Some wild colt, which . . . flings and plunges.

Bp. Hall.

3. To bet heavily and with seeming recklessness on a race, or other contest; in an extended sense, to risk large sums in hazardous speculations. [Cant]

Plunging fire (Gun.), firing directed upon an enemy from an elevated position.

Plunge, n. 1. The act of thrusting into or submerging; a dive, leap, rush, or pitch into, or as into, water; as, to take the water with a plunge.

2. Hence, a desperate hazard or act; a state of being submerged or overwhelmed with difficulties. [R.]

She was brought to that plunge, to conceal her husband's murder or accuse her son.

Sir P. Sidney.

And with thou not reach out a friendly arm, To raise me from amidst this plunge of sorrows?

Addison.

3. The act of pitching or throwing one's self headlong or violently forward, like an unruly horse.

4. Heavy and reckless betting in horse racing; hazardous speculation. [Cant]

Plunge bath, an immersion by plunging; also, a large bath in which the bather can wholly immerse himself. -- Plunge, or plunging, battery (Elec.), a voltaic battery so arranged that the plates can be plunged into, or withdrawn from, the exciting liquid at pleasure.

Plun"ger (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, plunges; a diver.

2. A long solid cylinder, used, instead of a piston or bucket, as a forcer in pumps.

3. One who bets heavily and recklessly on a race; a reckless speculator. [Cant]

4. (Pottery) A boiler in which clay is beaten by a wheel to a creamy consistence. Knight.

5. (Gun.) The firing pin of a breechloader.

Plunger bucket, a piston, without a valve, in a pump. -- Plunger pole, the pump rod of a pumping engine. -- Plunger pump, a pump, as for water, having a plunger, instead of a piston, to act upon the water. It may be single-acting or double-acting

Plun"ket (?), n. A kind of blue color; also, anciently, a kind of cloth, generally blue.

Plu"per`fect (?), a. [L. plus more + perfectus perfect; cf. F. plus-que-parfait, L. plusquamperfectum.] More than perfect; past perfect; -- said of the tense which denotes that an action or event was completed at or before the time of another past action or event. -- n. The pluperfect tense; also, a verb in the pluperfect tense.

Plu"ral (?), a. [L. pluralis, from plus, pluris, more; cf. F. pluriel, OF. plurel. See Plus.] Relating to, or containing, more than one; designating two or more; as, a plural word.

Plural faith, which is too much by one.

Shak.

Plural number (Gram.), the number which designates more than one. See Number, n., 8.

Plu"ral, n. (Gram.) The plural number; that form of a word which expresses or denotes more than one; a word in the plural form.

Plu"ral*ism (?), n. 1. The quality or state of being plural, or in the plural number.

2. (Eccl.) The state of a pluralist; the holding of more than one ecclesiastical living at a time. [Eng.]

Plu"ral*ist, n. (Eccl.) A clerk or clergyman who holds more than one ecclesiastical benefice. [Eng.]

Of the parochial clergy, a large proportion were pluralists.

Macaulay.

Plu*ral"i*ty (?), n.; pl. pluralities (#). [L. pluralitas: cf. F. pluralitÈ.] 1. The state of being plural, or consisting of more than one; a number consisting of two or more of the same kind; as, a plurality of worlds; the plurality of a verb.

2. The greater number; a majority; also, the greatest of several numbers; in elections, the excess of the votes given for one candidate over those given for another, or for any other, candidate. When there are more than two candidates, the one who receives the plurality of votes may have less than a majority. See Majority.

Take the plurality of the world, and they are neither wise nor good.

L'Estrange.

3. (Eccl.) See Plurality of benefices, below.

Plurality of benefices (Eccl.), the possession by one clergyman of more than one benefice or living. Each benefice thus held is called a plurality. [Eng.]

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Plu`ral*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of pluralizing. H. Spencer.

Plu"ral*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pluralized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pluralizing (?).] 1. To make plural by using the plural termination; to attribute plurality to; to express in the plural form.

2. To multiply; to make manifold. [R.]

Plu"ral*ize, v. i. 1. To take a plural; to assume a plural form; as, a noun pluralizes. Earle.

2. (Eccl.) To hold more than one benefice at the same time. [Eng.]

Plu"ral*i`zer (?), n. (Eccl.) A pluralist. [R.]

Plu"ral*ly, adv. In a plural manner or sense.

Plu"ri- (?). [See Plus.] A combining form from L. plus, pluris, more, many; as pluriliteral.

||Plu"ri*es (?), n. [So called from L. pluries many times, often, which ||occurs in the first clause.] (Law) A writ issued in the third place, ||after two former writs have been disregarded. Mozley & W.

Plu`ri*fa"ri*ous (?), a. [L. plurifarius, fr. L. plus, pluris, many. Cf. Bifarious.] Of many kinds or fashions; multifarious.

Plu`ri*fo"li*o*late (?), a. [Pluri- + foliolate.] (Bot.) Having several or many leaflets.

Plu`ri*lit"er*al (?), a. [Pluri- + literal.] Consisting of more letters than three. - - n. A pluriliteral word.

Plu`ri*loc"u*lar (?), a. [Pluri- + locular.] Having several cells or loculi; specifically (Bot.), having several divisions containing seeds; as, the lemon and the orange are plurilocular fruits.

Plurilocular sporangia (Bot.), many- celled sporangia, each cell containing a single spore, as in many algÊ.

Plu*rip"a*rous (?), a. [Pluri- + L. parere to bring forth.] Producing several young at a birth; as, a pluriparous animal.

Plu`ri*par"tite (?), a. [Pluri- + partite.] (Bot.) Deeply divided into several portions.

Plu`ri*pres"ence (?), n. [Pluri- + presence.] Presence in more places than one. [R.] Johnson.

Plu"ri*sy (?), n. [L. plus, pluris, more.] Superabundance; excess; plethora. [Obs.] Shak.

Plus (?), a. [L., more; akin to Gr. &?;, &?;, and E. full. See Full, a., and cf. Pi˘, Pleonasm.]

1. (Math.) More, required to be added; positive, as distinguished from negative; -- opposed to minus.

2. Hence, in a literary sense, additional; real; actual.

Success goes invariably with a certain plus or positive power.

Emerson.

Plus sign (Math.), the sign (+) which denotes addition, or a positive quantity.

Plush (?), n. [F. pluche, peluche (cf. It. peluzzo), fr. L. pilus hair. See pile hair, and cf. Peruke.] A textile fabric with a nap or shag on one side, longer and softer than the nap of velvet. Cowper.

Plush"y (?), a. Like plush; soft and shaggy. H. Kingsley.

Plu"tar*chy (?), n. [Gr. &?; wealth + -archy.] Plutocracy; the rule of wealth. [R.]

Plu"te*al (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to a pluteus.

||Plu"te*us (?), n.; pl. L. Plutei (#), E. Pluteuses (#). [L., a shed.] ||(Zoˆl.) The free-swimming larva of sea urchins and ophiurans, having ||several long stiff processes inclosing calcareous rods.

Plu"to (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;.] (Class. Myth.) The son of Saturn and Rhea, brother of Jupiter and Neptune; the dark and gloomy god of the Lower World.

Pluto monkey (Zoˆl.), a long- tailed African monkey (Cercopithecus pluto), having side whiskers. The general color is black, more or less grizzled; the frontal band is white.

Plu*toc"ra*cy (?), n. [Gr. &?;; &?; wealth + &?; to be strong, to rule, fr.&?; strength: cf. F. plutocratie.] A form of government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of the wealthy classes; government by the rich; also, a controlling or influential class of rich men.

Plu"to*crat (?), n. One whose wealth gives him power or influence; one of the plutocracy.

Plu`to*crat"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to plutocracy; as, plutocratic ideas. Bagehot.

Plu*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. &?; wealth + -logy.] The science which treats of wealth.

Plu*to"ni*an (?), a. [L. Plutonius, Gr. &?;: cf. F. plutonien.] Plutonic. Poe.

Plu*to"ni*an (?), n. (Geol.) A Plutonist.

Plu*ton"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. plutonique. See Pluto.] 1. Of or pertaining to Pluto; Plutonian; hence, pertaining to the interior of the earth; subterranean.

2. Of, pertaining to, or designating, the system of the Plutonists; igneous; as, the Plutonic theory.

Plutonic action (Geol.), the influence of volcanic heat and other subterranean forces under pressure. -- Plutonic rocks (Geol.), granite, porphyry, and some other igneous rocks, supposed to have consolidated from a melted state at a great depth from the surface. Cf. Intrusive rocks, under Intrusive. -- Plutonic theory. (Geol.) See Plutonism.

Plu"to*nism (?), n. [Cf. F. plutonisme.] The theory, early advanced in geology, that the successive rocks of the earth\'b6s crust were formed by igneous fusion; -- opposed to the Neptunian theory.

Plu"to*nist (?), n. [Cf. F. plutoniste.] One who adopts the geological theory of igneous fusion; a Plutonian. See Plutonism.

Plu"tus (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;.] (Class. Myth.) The son of Jason and Ceres, and the god of wealth. He was represented as bearing a cornucopia, and as blind, because his gifts were bestowed without discrimination of merit.

Plu"vi*al, a. [L. pluvialis, fr. pluvia rain: cf. F. pluvial. See Plover.] 1. Of or pertaining to rain; rainy. [R.]

2. (Geol.) Produced by the action of rain.

Plu"vi*al, n. [LL. pluviale a garment which keeps off the rain: cf. F. pluvial.] A priest's cope.

Plu`vi*am"e*ter (?), n. See Pluviometer.

Plu`vi*a*met"ric*al (?), a. See Pluviometrical.

Plu"vi*an (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The crocodile bird.

Plu`vi*om"e*ter (?), n. [L. pluvia rain + -meter: cf. F. pluviomËtre.] An instrument for ascertaining the amount of rainfall at any place in a given time; a rain gauge.

Plu`vi*o*met"ric*al (?), a. [Cf. F. pluviomÈtrique.] Of or pertaining to a pluviometer; determined by a pluviometer.

||Plu`vi`Ùse" (?), n. [F. See Pluvious.] The fifth month of the French ||republican calendar adopted in 1793. It began January 20, and ended ||February 18. See VendÈmiaire.

Plu"vi*ous (?), a. [L. pluviosus, pluvius, fr. pluvia rain: cf. F. pluvieux. See Pluvial, a.] Abounding in rain; rainy; pluvial. Sir T. Browne.

Ply (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plying (?).] [OE. plien, F. plier to fold, to bend, fr. L. plicare; akin to Gr. &?;, G. flechten. Cf. Apply, Complex, Display, Duplicity, Employ, Exploit, Implicate, Plait, Pliant, Flax.] 1. To bend. [Obs.]

As men may warm wax with handes plie.

Chaucer.

2. To lay on closely, or in folds; to work upon steadily, or with repeated acts; to press upon; to urge importunately; as, to ply one with questions, with solicitations, or with drink.

And plies him with redoubled strokes

Dryden.

He plies the duke at morning and at night.

Shak.

3. To employ diligently; to use steadily.

Go ply thy needle; meddle not.

Shak.

4. To practice or perform with diligence; to work at.

Their bloody task, unwearied, still they ply.

Waller.

Ply, v. i. 1. To bend; to yield. [Obs.]

It would rather burst atwo than plye.

Chaucer.

The willow plied, and gave way to the gust.

L'Estrange.

2. To act, go, or work diligently and steadily; especially, to do something by repeated actions; to go back and forth; as, a steamer plies between certain ports.

Ere half these authors be read (which will soon be with plying hard and daily).

Milton.

He was forced to ply in the streets as a porter.

Addison.

The heavy hammers and mallets plied.

Longfellow.

3. (Naut.) To work to windward; to beat.

Ply, n. [Cf. F. pli, fr. plier. See Ply, v.] 1. A fold; a plait; a turn or twist, as of a cord. Arbuthnot.

2. Bent; turn; direction; bias.

The late learners can not so well take the ply.

Bacon.

Boswell, and others of Goldsmith's contemporaries, . . . did not understand the secret plies of his character.

W. Irving.

The czar's mind had taken a strange ply, which it retained to the last.

Macaulay.

Ply is used in composition to designate folds, or the number of webs interwoven; as, a three-ply carpet.

Ply"er (?), n. One who, or that which, plies; specifically: (a) pl. A kind of balance used in raising and letting down a drawbridge. It consists of timbers joined in the form of a St. Andrew's cross. (b) pl. See Pliers.

Plyght (?), v. & n. See Plight. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Plym"outh Breth"ren (?). The members of a religious sect which first appeared at Plymouth, England, about 1830. They protest against sectarianism, and reject all official ministry or clergy. Also called Brethren, Christian Brethren, Plymouthists, etc. The Darbyites are a division of the Brethren.

Pne*om"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; to breathe + -meter.] (Physiol.) A spirometer.

{ Pneu*mat"ic (?), Pneu*mat"ic*al (?), } a. [L. pneumaticus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?;, &?;, wind, air, &?; to blow, breathe; cf. OHG. fnehan: cf. F. pneumatique. Cf. Pneumonia.] 1. Consisting of, or resembling, air; having the properties of an elastic fluid; gaseous; opposed to dense or solid.

The pneumatical substance being, in some bodies, the native spirit of the body.

Bacon.

2. Of or pertaining to air, or to elastic fluids or their properties; pertaining to pneumatics; as, pneumatic experiments. "Pneumatical discoveries." Stewart.

3. Moved or worked by pressure or flow of air; as, a pneumatic instrument; a pneumatic engine.

4. (Biol.) Fitted to contain air; Having cavities filled with air; as, pneumatic cells; pneumatic bones.

Pneumatic action, or Pneumatic lever (Mus.), a contrivance for overcoming the resistance of the keys and other movable parts in an organ, by causing compressed air from the wind chest to move them. -- Pneumatic dispatch, a system of tubes, leading to various points, through which letters, packages, etc., are sent, by the flow and pressure of air. -- Pneumatic elevator, a hoisting machine worked by compressed air. -- Pneumatic pile, a tubular pile or cylinder of large diameter sunk by atmospheric pressure. -- Pneumatic pump, an air-exhausting or forcing pump. -- Pneumatic railway. See Atmospheric railway, under Atmospheric. -- Pneumatic syringe, a stout tube closed at one end, and provided with a piston, for showing that the heat produced by compressing a gas will ignite substances. -- Pneumatic trough, a trough, generally made of wood or sheet metal, having a perforated shelf, and used, when filled with water or mercury, for collecting gases in chemical operations. -- Pneumatic tube. See Pneumatic dispatch, above.

Pneu`ma*tic"i*ty (?), n. (Biol.) The state of being pneumatic, or of having a cavity or cavities filled with air; as, the pneumaticity of the bones of birds.

Pneu*mat"ics (?), n. [Cf. F. pneumatique.]

1. That branch of science which treats of the mechanical properties of air and other elastic fluids, as of their weight, pressure, elasticity, etc. See Mechanics.

2. (Philos. & Theol.) The scientific study or knowledge of spiritual beings and their relations to God, angels, and men.

Pneu"ma*to- (n"m*t- or n*mt"-). A combining form from Gr. pney^ma, pney`matos, wind, air, breath, respiration; as, pneumatograph, pneumatology. [1913 Webster]

Pneu*mat"o*cele (?), n. [Pneumato- + Gr. &?; a tumor; cf. F. pneumatocËle.] (Med.) A distention of the scrotum by air; also, hernia of the lungs.

Pneu*mat"o*cyst (?), n. [Pneumato- + cyst.] (Zoˆl.) A cyst or sac of a siphonophore, containing air, and serving as a float, as in Physalia.

Pneu*mat"o*garm (?), n. [Pneumato- + -gram.] (Physiol.) A tracing of the respiratory movements, obtained by a pneumatograph or stethograph.

Pneu*mat"o*graph (?), n. [Pneumato- + -graph.] (Physiol.) An instrument for recording the movements of the thorax or chest wall during respiration; -- also called stethograph.

Pneu`ma*to*log"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. pneumatologique.] Of or pertaining to pneumatology.

Pneu`ma*tol"o*gist (?), n. [Cf. F. pneumatologiste.] One versed in pneumatology.

Pneu`ma*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Pneumato- + -logy: cf. F. pneumatologie.] 1. The doctrine of, or a treatise on, air and other elastic fluids. See Pneumatics, 1.

2. (Philos. & Theol.) The science of spiritual being or phenomena of any description.

Pneu`ma*tom"e*ter (?), n. [Pneumato- + -meter.] (Physiol.) An instrument for measuring the amount of force exerted by the lungs in respiration.

Pneu`ma*tom"e*try (?), n. See Spirometry.

Pneu*mat"o*phore (?), n. [Pneumato- + Gr. &?; to bear.] (Zoˆl.) One of the Pneumonophora.

Pneu`ma*to*tho"rax (?), n. [Pneumato- + thorax.] (Med.) See Pneumothorax.

Pneu"mo- (?). A combining form from Gr. pney`mwn, pney`monos, a lung; as, pneumogastric, pneumology.

Pneu`mo*coc"cus (?), n. [See Pneumo- , and Coccus.] (Biol.) A form of micrococcus found in the sputum (and elsewhere) of persons suffering with pneumonia, and thought to be the cause of this disease.

Pneu`mo*gas"tric (?), a. [Pneumo- + gastric.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the lungs and the stomach. -- n. The pneumogastric nerve.

Pneumogastric nerve (Anat.), one of the tenth pair of cranial nerves which are distributed to the pharynx, esophagus, larynx, lungs, heart, stomach, liver, and spleen, and, in fishes and many amphibia, to the branchial apparatus and also to the sides of the body.

Pneu"mo*graph (?), n. Same as Pneumatograph.

Pneu*mog"ra*phy (?), n. [Pneumo- + -graphy.] A description of the lungs. Dunglison.

Pneu*mol"o*gy (?), n. [Pneumo- + -logy.] (Anat.) The science which treats of the lungs.

Pneu*mom"e*ter (?), n. [Pneumo- + -meter.] (Physiol.) A spirometer.

Pneu*mom"e*try (?), n. Measurement of the capacity of the lungs for air. Dunglison.

Pneu*mo"ni*a (n*m"n*), n. [NL., fr. Gr. pneymoni`a, fr. pney`mwn, pl. pney`mones the lungs, also, pley`mwn, which is perh. the original form. Cf. Pneumatio, Pulmonary.] (Med.) Inflammation of the lungs.

Catarrhal pneumonia, or Broncho- pneumonia, is inflammation of the lung tissue, associated with catarrh and with marked evidences of inflammation of bronchial membranes, often chronic; -- also called lobular pneumonia, from its affecting single lobules at a time. -- Croupous pneumonia, or ordinary pneumonia, is an acute affection characterized by sudden onset with a chill, high fever, rapid course, and sudden decline; -- also called lobar pneumonia, from its affecting a whole lobe of the lung at once. See under Croupous. -- Fibroid pneumonia is an inflammation of the interstitial connective tissue lying between the lobules of the lungs, and is very slow in its course, producing shrinking and atrophy of the lungs.

Pneu*mon"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?;: cf. F. pneumonique.] (a) Of or pertaining to the lungs; pulmonic. (b) Of or pertaining to pneumonia; as, pneumonic symptoms.

Pneu*mon"ic, n. (Med.) A medicine for affections of the lungs.

Pneu`mo*nit"ic (?), a. (Med.) Of or pertaining to pneumonitis.

||Pneu`mo*ni"tis (?), n. [NL. See Pneumo-, and -itis.] (Med.) ||Inflammation of the lungs; pneumonia.

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Pneu`mo*nom"e*ter (?), n. [See Pneumo-, and -meter.] (Physiol.) A spirometer; a pneumometer.

||Pneu`mo*noph"o*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a lung + &?; to ||bear.] (Zoˆl.) The division of Siphonophora which includes the ||Physalia and allied genera; -- called also PneumatophorÊ.

Pneu"mo*ny (?), n. [Cf. F. pneumonie.] See Pneumonia.

||Pneu`mo*ˆt"o*ka (?), n. pl. [NL. See Pneumo-, and Oˆticoid.] (Zoˆl.) ||Same as Sauropsida.

||Pneu*moph"o*ra (?), n. pl. [NL. See Pneumonophora.] (Zoˆl.) (Zoˆl.) A ||division of holothurians having an internal gill, or respiratory ||tree.

Pneu`mo*skel"e*ton (?), n. [Pneumo- + skeleton.] (Zoˆl.) A chitinous structure which supports the gill in some invertebrates.

Pneu`mo*ther"a*py (?), n. [Gr. &?; air + therapy.] (Med.) The treatment of disease by inhalations of compressed or rarefied air.

Pneu`mo*tho"rax (?), n. [Gr. &?; air + E. thorax.] (Med.) A condition in which air or other gas is present in the cavity of the chest; -- called also pneumatothorax.

||Pni*ga"li*on (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; nightmare, fr. &?; to ||throttle.] (Med.) Nightmare.

Pnyx (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;.] (Gr. Antiq.) The place at Athens where the meetings of the people were held for making decrees, etc.

Po"a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; grass.] (Bot.) A genus of grasses, including a great number of species, as the kinds called meadow grass, Kentucky blue grass, June grass, and spear grass (which see).

Poach (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poached (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poaching.] [F. pocher to place in a pocket, to poach eggs (the yolk of the egg being as it were pouched in the white), from poche pocket, pouch. See Pouch, v. & n.] 1. To cook, as eggs, by breaking them into boiling water; also, to cook with butter after breaking in a vessel. Bacon.

2. To rob of game; to pocket and convey away by stealth, as game; hence, to plunder. Garth.

Poach, v. i. To steal or pocket game, or to carry it away privately, as in a bag; to kill or destroy game contrary to law, especially by night; to hunt or fish unlawfully; as, to poach for rabbits or for salmon.

Poach, v. t. [Cf. OF. pocher to thrust or dig out with the fingers, to bruise (the eyes), F. pouce thumb, L. pollex, and also E. poach to cook eggs, to plunder, and poke to thrust against.] 1. To stab; to pierce; to spear, \as fish. [Obs.] Carew.

2. To force, drive, or plunge into anything. [Obs.]

His horse poching one of his legs into some hollow ground.

Sir W. Temple.

3. To make soft or muddy by trampling Tennyson.

4. To begin and not complete. [Obs.] Bacon.

Poach, v. i. To become soft or muddy.

Chalky and clay lands . . . chap in summer, and poach in winter.

Mortimer.

Poach"ard (?), n. [From Poach to stab.] [Written also pocard, pochard.] (Zoˆl.) (a) A common European duck (Aythya ferina); -- called also goldhead, poker, and fresh-water, or red-headed, widgeon. (b) The American redhead, which is closely allied to the European poachard.

Red-crested poachard (Zoˆl.), an Old World duck (Branta rufina). -- Scaup poachard, the scaup duck. -- Tufted poachard, a scaup duck (Aythya, or Fuligula cristata), native of Europe and Asia.

Poach"er (?), n. 1. One who poaches; one who kills or catches game or fish contrary to law.

2. (Zoˆl.) The American widgeon. [Local, U.S.]

Sea poacher (Zoˆl.), the lyrie.

Poach"i*ness (?), n. The state of being poachy; marshiness.

Poach"y (?), a. [See Poach to stab.] Wet and soft; easily penetrated by the feet of cattle; -- said of land

{ Poak, Poake } (?), n. Waste matter from the preparation of skins, consisting of hair, lime, oil, etc.

Po"can (?), n. (Bot.) The poke (Phytolacca decandra); -- called also pocan bush.

Po"chard (?), n. (Zoˆl.) See Poachard.

Pock (?), n. [OE. pokke, AS. pocc, poc; akin to D. pok, G. pocke, and perh. to E. poke a pocket. Cf. Pox.] (Med.) A pustule raised on the surface of the body in variolous and vaccine diseases.

Of pokkes and of scab every sore.

Chaucer.

Pock"arred (?), a. See Pockmarked. [Obs.]

Pock"-bro`ken (?), a. Broken out, or marked, with smallpox; pock-fretten.

Pock"et (?), n. [OE. poket, Prov. F. & OF. poquette, F. pochette, dim. fr. poque, pouque, F. poche; probably of Teutonic origin. See Poke a pocket, and cf. Poach to cook eggs, to plunder, and Pouch.] 1. A bag or pouch; especially; a small bag inserted in a garment for carrying small articles, particularly money; hence, figuratively, money; wealth.

2. One of several bags attached to a billiard table, into which the balls are driven.

3. A large bag or sack used in packing various articles, as ginger, hops, cowries, etc.

In the wool or hop trade, the pocket contains half a sack, or about 168 Ibs.; but it is a variable quantity, the articles being sold by actual weight.

4. (Arch.) A hole or space covered by a movable piece of board, as in a floor, boxing, partitions, or the like.

5. (Mining.) (a) A cavity in a rock containing a nugget of gold, or other mineral; a small body of ore contained in such a cavity. (b) A hole containing water.

6. (Nat.) A strip of canvas, sewn upon a sail so that a batten or a light spar can placed in the interspace.

7. (Zoˆl.) Same as Pouch.

Pocket is often used adjectively, or in the formation of compound words usually of obvious signification; as, pocket comb, pocket compass, pocket edition, pocket handkerchief, pocket money, pocket picking, or pocket-picking, etc.

Out of pocket. See under Out, prep. -- Pocket borough, a borough "owned" by some person. See under Borough. [Eng.] -- Pocket gopher (Zoˆl.), any one of several species of American rodents of the genera Geomys, and Thomomys, family GeomydÊ. They have large external cheek pouches, and are fossorial in their habits. they inhabit North America, from the Mississippi Valley west to the Pacific. Called also pouched gopher. -- Pocket mouse (Zoˆl.), any species of American mice of the family SaccomyidÊ. They have external cheek pouches. Some of them are adapted for leaping (genus Dipadomys), and are called kangaroo mice. They are native of the Southwestern United States, Mexico, etc. -- Pocket piece, a piece of money kept in the pocket and not spent. -- Pocket pistol, a pistol to be carried in the pocket. -- Pocket sheriff (Eng. Law), a sheriff appointed by the sole authority of the crown, without a nomination by the judges in the exchequer. Burrill.

Pock"et (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pocketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pocketing.] 1. To put, or conceal, in the pocket; as, to pocket the change.

He would pocket the expense of the license.

Sterne.

2. To take clandestinely or fraudulently.

He pocketed pay in the names of men who had long been dead.

Macaulay.

To pocket a ball (Billiards), to drive a ball into a pocket of the table. -- To pocket an insult, affront, etc., to receive an affront without open resentment, or without seeking redress. "I must pocket up these wrongs." Shak.

Pock"et*book` (?), n. A small book or case for carrying papers, money, etc., in the pocket; also, a notebook for the pocket.

Pock"et*ful (?), n.; pl. Pocketfuls (&?;). As much as a pocket will hold; enough to fill a pocket; as, pocketfuls of chestnuts.

Pock"et*knife` (?), n.; pl. -knives (&?;). A knife with one or more blades, which fold into the handle so as to admit of being carried in the pocket.

Pock"-fret`ten (?), a. See Pockmarked.

Pock"i*ness (?), n. The state of being pocky.

Pock"mark (?), n. A mark or pit made by smallpox.

Pock"marked` (?), a. Marked by smallpox; pitted.

Pock"-pit`ted (?), a. Pockmarked; pitted.

Pock"-pud`ding (?), n. A bag pudding; a name of reproach or ridicule formerly applied by the Scotch to the English.

Pock"wood` (?), n. [So called because formerly used as a specific for the pock.] (Bot.) Lignum- vitÊ.

Pock"y (?), a. [Compar. Pockier (?); superl. Pockiest.] Full of pocks; affected with smallpox or other eruptive disease. Bp. Hall.

||Po"co (?), adv. [It.] (Mus.) A little; -- used chiefly in phrases ||indicating the time or movement; as, poco pi˘ allegro, a little ||faster; poco largo, rather slow.

||Poco a poco [It.] (Mus.) Little by little; as, poco a poco crescendo, ||gradually increasing in loudness.

Po"cock (?), n. Peacock. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Po`co*cu*ran"te (?), n. [It. poco curante caring little.] A careless person; a trifler. [R.]

Po`co*cu*ran"tism (?). n. Carelessness; apathy; indifference. [R.] Carlyle.

Po*co"son (?), n. Low, wooded grounds or swamps in Eastern Maryland and Virginia. [Written also poquoson.] Washington.

Poc"u*lent (?), a. [L. poculentus, fr. poculum a cup.] Fit for drink. [Obs.] "Some those herbs which are not esculent, are . . . poculent." Bacon.

Poc"u*li*form (?), a. [L. poculum a cup + -form: cf. F. poculiforme.] Having the shape of a goblet or drinking cup.

-pod (?). [See Foot.] A combining form or suffix from Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot; as, decapod, an animal having ten feet; phyllopod, an animal having leaflike feet; myriapod, hexapod.

Pod (?), n. [Probably akin to pudding, and perhaps the same word as pad a cushion; cf. also Dan. pude pillow, cushion, and also E. cod a husk, pod.] 1. A bag; a pouch. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Tusser.

2. (Bot.) A capsule of plant, especially a legume; a dry dehiscent fruit. See Illust. of Angiospermous.

3. (Zoˆl.) A considerable number of animals closely clustered together; -- said of seals.

Pod auger, or pod bit, an auger or bit the channel of which is straight instead of twisted.

Pod, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Podded; p. pr. & vb. n. Podding.] To swell; to fill; also, to produce pods.

-po*da (?). A New Latin plural combining form or suffix from Gr. &?;, &?;, foot; as, hexapoda, myriapoda. See -pod.

Pod"a*gra (?), n. [L. See Podagric.] (Med.) Gout in the joints of the foot; - - applied also to gout in other parts of body.

{ Po*dag"ric (?), Po*dag"ric*al (?), } a. [L. podagricus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; gout in the feet; &?;, &?;, Foot + &?; a catching.]

1. Pertaining to the gout; gouty; caused by gout.

2. Afflicted with gout. Sir T. Browne.

Pod"a*grous (?), a. Gouty; podagric.

Po*dal"gi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, foot + &?; pain.] (Med.) pain in the foot, due to gout, rheumatism, etc.

||Po*dar"thrum (?), n.; pl. Podarthra (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, foot ||+ &?; joint.] (Anat.) The foot joint; in birds, the joint between the ||metatarsus and the toes.

Pod"ded (?), a. Having pods.

Pod"der (?), n. One who collects pods or pulse.

Po*des"ta (?), n. [It. podest‡, fr. L. potestas power, magistracy. See Potent.]

1. One of the chief magistrates of the Italian republics in the Middle Ages. Brande & C.

2. A mayor, alderman, or other magistrate, in some towns of Italy.

||Po*de"ti*um (?), n.; pl. Podetia (#), E. Podetiums (#). [NL., fr. Gr. ||&?;, &?;, foot.] (Bot.) A stalk which bears the fructification in ||some lichens, as in the so-called reindeer moss.

Podge (?), n. [Cf. G. patsche puddle, mire.] 1. A puddle; a plash. Skinner.

2. Porridge. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Podg"y (?), a. Fat and short; pudgy.

Pod"i*cal (?), a. [L. podex, podicis, the anus.] (Zoˆl.) Anal; -- applied to certain organs of insects.

||Pod"i*ceps (?), n. [NL., fr. L. podex, podicis, anus + pes foot.] ||(Zoˆl.) See Grebe.

||Po"di*um (?), n.; pl. Podia (#). [L., fr. Gr. &?;, dim. of &?;, &?;, ||foot. See Pew.] 1. (Arch.) A low wall, serving as a foundation, a ||substructure, or a terrace wall. It is especially employed by ||archÊologists in two senses: (a) The dwarf wall surrounding the arena ||of an amphitheater, from the top of which the seats began. (b) The ||masonry under the stylobate of a temple, sometimes a mere foundation, ||sometimes containing chambers. See Illust. of Column.

2. (Zoˆl.) The foot.

Pod"ley (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A young coalfish.

Pod"o- (?). [See Foot.] A combining form or prefix from Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot; as, podocarp, podocephalous, podology.

Pod"o*branch (?), n. [See Podo-, and Branchia.] (Zoˆl.) One of the branchiÊ attached to the bases of the legs in Crustacea.

||Pod`o*bran"chi*a (?), n., pl. PodobranchiÊ (-). [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as ||Podobranch.

Pod"o*carp (?), n. [Podo- + Gr. karpo`s fruit.] (Bot.) A stem, or footstalk, supporting the fruit.

Pod`o*ceph"a*lous (?), a. [Podo- + Gr. &?; head.] (Bot.) Having a head of flowers on a long peduncle, or footstalk.

||Pod`o*gyn"i*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot + gynh` ||woman.] (Bot.) Same as Basigynium

||Pod`oph*thal"mi*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Podophthalmic.] (Zoˆl.) The ||stalk-eyed Crustacea, -- an order of Crustacea having the eyes ||supported on movable stalks. It includes the crabs, lobsters, and ||prawns. Called also Podophthalmata, and Decapoda.

{ Pod`oph*thal"mic (?), Pod`oph*thal"mous (?), } a. [Podo- + Gr. &?; an eye.] (Zoˆl.) (a) Having the eyes on movable footstalks, or pedicels. (b) Of or pertaining to the Podophthalmia.

Pod`oph*thal"mite (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The eyestalk of a crustacean.

Pod`o*phyl"lin (?), n. [From Podophyllum.] (Chem.) A brown bitter gum extracted from the rootstalk of the May apple (Podophyllum peltatum). It is a complex mixture of several substances.

Pod`o*phyl"lous (?), a. 1. (Zoˆl.) Having thin, flat, leaflike locomotive organs.

2. (Anat.) Pertaining to, or composing, the layer of tissue, made up of laminÊ, beneath a horse's hoof.

||Pod`o*phyl"lum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot + &?; leaf.] ||1. (Bot.) A genus of herbs of the Barberry family, having large ||palmately lobed peltate leaves and solitary flower. There are two ||species, the American Podohyllum peltatum, or May apple, the ||Himalayan P. Emodi.

2. (Med.) The rhizome and rootlet of the May apple (Podophyllum peltatum), -- used as a cathartic drug.

Pod"o*scaph (?), n. [Podo- + Gr. &?; boat.] A canoe-shaped float attached to the foot, for walking on water.

Pod"o*sperm (?), n. [Podo- + Gr. &?; seed: cf. F. podosperme.] (Bot.) The stalk of a seed or ovule.

||Pod`o*stom"a*ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot + &?;, ||&?;, mouth.] (Zoˆl.) An order of Bryozoa of which Rhabdopleura is the ||type. See Rhabdopleura.

||Pod`o*the"ca (?), n.; pl. PodothecÊ (#). [NL., fr. Gr. poy`s, podo`s, ||foot + &?; case.] (Zoˆl.) The scaly covering of the foot of a bird or ||reptile.

||Po*dri"da (?), n. [Sp., rotten.] A miscellaneous dish of meats. See ||Olla-podrida.

Po*du"ra (?), n.; pl. L. PodurÊ (#), E. Poduras (#). [NL.; Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot + &?; tail.] Any small leaping thysanurous insect of the genus Podura and related genera; a springtail.

Podura scale (Zoˆl.), one of the minute scales with which the body of a podura is covered. They are used as test objects for the microscope.

<! p. 1105 !>

Po*du"rid (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Any species of Podura or allied genera. -- a. Pertaining to the poduras.

Po"e (?), n. Same as Poi.

Po"e*bird` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The parson bird.

Pú"ci*le (?), n. Same as Poicile.

Pú`ci*lit"ic (?), a. [Gr. poiki`los many-colored, variegated.] (Geol.) (a) Mottled with various colors; variegated; spotted; -- said of certain rocks. (b) Specifically: Of or pertaining to, or characterizing, Triassic and Permian sandstones of red and other colors. [Also written poikilitic.]

Pú*cil"o*pod (?), n. [Cf. F. púcilopode.] (Zoˆl.) One of the Púcilopoda. Also used adjectively.

||Pú`ci*lop"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; variegated, manifold + ||-poda.] (Zoˆl.) (a) Originally, an artificial group including many ||parasitic Entomostraca, together with the horseshoe crabs ||(Limuloidea). (b) By some recent writers applied to the Merostomata.

Po"em (?), n. [L. poÎma, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to make, to compose, to write, especially in verse: cf. F. poÎme.] 1. A metrical composition; a composition in verse written in certain measures, whether in blank verse or in rhyme, and characterized by imagination and poetic diction; -- contradistinguished from prose; as, the poems of Homer or of Milton.

2. A composition, not in verse, of which the language is highly imaginative or impassioned; as, a prose poem; the poems of Ossian.

Po`em*at"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?;.] Pertaining to a poem, or to poetry; poetical. [R.] Coleridge.

Po*e"na*mu (?), n. (Min.) A variety of jade or nephrite, -- used in New Zealand for the manufacture of axes and weapons.

Pú*nol"o*gy (p*nl"*j), n. See Penology.

||Po*eph"a*ga (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. pohfa`gos grass eating; po`a ||grass + fagei^n to eat.] (Zoˆl.) A group of herbivorous marsupials ||including the kangaroos and their allies. -- Po*eph"a*gous (#), a.

Po"e*sy (?), n. [F. poÈsie (cf. It. poesia), L. poesis, from Gr. &?;. from &?; to make. Cf. Posy.]

1. The art of composing poems; poetical skill or faculty; as, the heavenly gift of poesy. Shak.

2. Poetry; metrical composition; poems.

Music and poesy used to quicken you.

Shak.

3. A short conceit or motto engraved on a ring or other thing; a posy. Bacon.

Po"et (?), n. [F. poÎte, L. poÎta, fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to make. Cf. Poem.] One skilled in making poetry; one who has a particular genius for metrical composition; the author of a poem; an imaginative thinker or writer.

The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven.

Shak.

A poet is a maker, as the word signifies.

Dryden.

Poet laureate. See under Laureate.

Po"et*as`ter (?), n. An inferior rhymer, or writer of verses; a dabbler in poetic art.

The talk of forgotten poetasters.

Macaulay.

Po"et*as`try (?), n. The works of a poetaster. [R.]

Po"et*ess, n. [Cf. F. poÈtesse.] A female poet.

{ Po*et"ic (?), Po*et"ic*al (?), } a. [L. poÎticus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. poÈtiquee.] 1. Of or pertaining to poetry; suitable for poetry, or for writing poetry; as, poetic talent, theme, work, sentiments. Shak.

2. Expressed in metrical form; exhibiting the imaginative or the rhythmical quality of poetry; as, a poetical composition; poetical prose.

Poetic license. See License, n., 4.

Po*et"ic*al*ly, adv. In a poetic manner.

Po*et"ics (?), n. [Cf. F. poÈtique, L. poÎtica, poÎtice, Gr. &?; (sc. &?;.] The principles and rules of the art of poetry. J. Warton.

Po*et"i*cule (?), n. A poetaster. Swinburne.

Po"et*ize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Poetized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poetizing.] [Cf. F. poÈtiser.] To write as a poet; to compose verse; to idealize.

I versify the truth, not poetize.

Donne.

Po"et*ry (?), n. [OF. poeterie. See Poet.] 1. The art of apprehending and interpreting ideas by the faculty of imagination; the art of idealizing in thought and in expression.

For poetry is the blossom and the fragrance of all human knowledge, human thoughts, human passions, emotions, language.

Coleridge.

2. Imaginative language or composition, whether expressed rhythmically or in prose. Specifically: Metrical composition; verse; rhyme; poems collectively; as, heroic poetry; dramatic poetry; lyric or Pindaric poetry. "The planetlike music of poetry." Sir P. Sidney.

She taketh most delight In music, instruments, and poetry.

Shak.

Po"et*ship, n. The state or personality of a poet. [R.]

Pog"gy (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) See Porgy. (b) A small whale.

Po"gy (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The menhaden.

Pogy is often confounded with porgy, and therefore incorrectly applied to various fishes.

Poh (?), interj. An exclamation expressing contempt or disgust; bah !

Po*ha"gen, n. (Zoˆl.) See Pauhaugen.

Po"i (?), n. A national food of the Hawaiians, made by baking and pounding the kalo (or taro) root, and reducing it to a thin paste, which is allowed to ferment.

{ Poi"ci*le (?), or Pú"ci*le (?) }, n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; (sc. &?;); cf. L. poecile.] The frescoed porch or gallery in Athens where Zeno taught. R. Browning.

Poign"an*cy (?), n. The quality or state of being poignant; as, the poignancy of satire; the poignancy of grief. Swift.

Poign"ant (?), a. [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.] 1. Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. "His poignant spear." Spenser. "Poynaunt sauce." Chaucer.

2. Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical.

His wit . . . became more lively and poignant.

Sir W. Scott.

Poign"ant*ly, adv. In a poignant manner.

Poi`ki*lit"ic (?), a. (Geol.) See Púcilitic.

Poi"ki*lo*cyte (poi"k*l*st), n. [Gr. poiki`los diversified, changeable + ky`tos hollow vessel.] (Physiol.) An irregular form of corpuscle found in the blood in cases of profound anÊmia, probably a degenerated red blood corpuscle.

{ Poi`ki*lo*ther"mal (-thr"mal), Poi`ki*lo*ther"mic (-thr"mk), } a. [Gr. poiki`los changeable + E. thermal, thermic.] (Physiol.) Having a varying body temperature. See Homoiothermal.

Poi`ki*lo*ther"mous (-ms), a. (Physiol.) Poikilothermal.

||Poin`ci*a"na (?), n. [NL. Named after M. de Poinci, a governor of the ||French West Indies.] (Bot.) A prickly tropical shrub (CÊsalpinia, ||formerly Poinciana, pulcherrima), with bipinnate leaves, and racemes ||of showy orange-red flowers with long crimson filaments.

The genus Poinciana is kept up for three trees of Eastern Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and India.

Poind (poind), v. t. [See Pound to confine.] 1. To impound, as cattle. [Obs. or Scot.] Flavel.

2. To distrain. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

Poind"er (-r), n. 1. The keeper of a cattle pound; a pinder. [Obs. or Scot.] T. Adams.

2. One who distrains property. [Scot.] Jamieson.

||Poin*set"ti*a (poin*st"t*), n. [NL. Named after Joel R. Poinsett of ||South Carolina.] (Bot.) A Mexican shrub (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with ||very large and conspicuous vermilion bracts below the yellowish ||flowers.

Point (point), v. t. & i. To appoint. [Obs.] Spenser.

Point, n. [F. point, and probably also pointe, L. punctum, puncta, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. See Pungent, and cf. Puncto, Puncture.] 1. That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin.

2. An instrument which pricks or pierces, as a sort of needle used by engravers, etchers, lace workers, and others; also, a pointed cutting tool, as a stone cutter's point; -- called also pointer.

3. Anything which tapers to a sharp, well- defined termination. Specifically: A small promontory or cape; a tract of land extending into the water beyond the common shore line.

4. The mark made by the end of a sharp, piercing instrument, as a needle; a prick.

5. An indefinitely small space; a mere spot indicated or supposed. Specifically: (Geom.) That which has neither parts nor magnitude; that which has position, but has neither length, breadth, nor thickness, -- sometimes conceived of as the limit of a line; that by the motion of which a line is conceived to be produced.

6. An indivisible portion of time; a moment; an instant; hence, the verge.

When time's first point begun Made he all souls.

Sir J. Davies.

7. A mark of punctuation; a character used to mark the divisions of a composition, or the pauses to be observed in reading, or to point off groups of figures, etc.; a stop, as a comma, a semicolon, and esp. a period; hence, figuratively, an end, or conclusion.

And there a point, for ended is my tale.

Chaucer.

Commas and points they set exactly right.

Pope.

8. Whatever serves to mark progress, rank, or relative position, or to indicate a transition from one state or position to another, degree; step; stage; hence, position or condition attained; as, a point of elevation, or of depression; the stock fell off five points; he won by tenpoints. "A point of precedence." Selden. "Creeping on from point to point." Tennyson.

A lord full fat and in good point.

Chaucer.

9. That which arrests attention, or indicates qualities or character; a salient feature; a characteristic; a peculiarity; hence, a particular; an item; a detail; as, the good or bad points of a man, a horse, a book, a story, etc.

He told him, point for point, in short and plain.

Chaucer.

In point of religion and in point of honor.

Bacon.

Shalt thou dispute With Him the points of liberty ?

Milton.

10. Hence, the most prominent or important feature, as of an argument, discourse, etc.; the essential matter; esp., the proposition to be established; as, the point of an anecdote. "Here lies the point." Shak.

They will hardly prove his point.

Arbuthnot.

11. A small matter; a trifle; a least consideration; a punctilio.

This fellow doth not stand upon points.

Shak.

[He] cared not for God or man a point.

Spenser.

12. (Mus.) A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time; as: (a) (Anc. Mus.) A dot or mark distinguishing or characterizing certain tones or styles; as, points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.; hence, a note; a tune. "Sound the trumpet - - not a levant, or a flourish, but a point of war." Sir W. Scott. (b) (Mod. Mus.) A dot placed at the right hand of a note, to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half, as to make a whole note equal to three half notes, a half note equal to three quarter notes.

13. (Astron.) A fixed conventional place for reference, or zero of reckoning, in the heavens, usually the intersection of two or more great circles of the sphere, and named specifically in each case according to the position intended; as, the equinoctial points; the solstitial points; the nodal points; vertical points, etc. See Equinoctial Nodal.

14. (Her.) One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon.

15. (Naut.) (a) One of the points of the compass (see Points of the compass, below); also, the difference between two points of the compass; as, to fall off a point. (b) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails. See Reef point, under Reef.

16. (Anc. Costume) A a string or lace used to tie together certain parts of the dress. Sir W. Scott.

17. Lace wrought the needle; as, point de Venise; Brussels point. See Point lace, below.

18. pl. (Railways) A switch. [Eng.]

19. An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer. [Cant, U. S.]

20. (Cricket) A fielder who is stationed on the off side, about twelve or fifteen yards from, and a little in advance of, the batsman.

21. The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game; as, the dog came to a point. See Pointer.

22. (Type Making) A standard unit of measure for the size of type bodies, being one twelfth of the thickness of pica type. See Point system of type, under Type.

23. A tyne or snag of an antler.

24. One of the spaces on a backgammon board.

25. (Fencing) A movement executed with the saber or foil; as, tierce point.

The word point is a general term, much used in the sciences, particularly in mathematics, mechanics, perspective, and physics, but generally either in the geometrical sense, or in that of degree, or condition of change, and with some accompanying descriptive or qualifying term, under which, in the vocabulary, the specific uses are explained; as, boiling point, carbon point, dry point, freezing point, melting point, vanishing point, etc.

At all points, in every particular, completely; perfectly. Shak. -- At point, In point, At, In, or On, the point, as near as can be; on the verge; about (see About, prep., 6); as, at the point of death; he was on the point of speaking. "In point to fall down." Chaucer. "Caius Sidius Geta, at point to have been taken, recovered himself so valiantly as brought day on his side." Milton. -- Dead point. (Mach.) Same as Dead center, under Dead. -- Far point (Med.), in ophthalmology, the farthest point at which objects are seen distinctly. In normal eyes the nearest point at which objects are seen distinctly; either with the two eyes together (binocular near point), or with each eye separately (monocular near point). -- Nine points of the law, all but the tenth point; the greater weight of authority. -- On the point. See At point, above. -- Point lace, lace wrought with the needle, as distinguished from that made on the pillow. -- Point net, a machine-made lace imitating a kind of Brussels lace (Brussels ground). -- Point of concurrence (Geom.), a point common to two lines, but not a point of tangency or of intersection, as, for instance, that in which a cycloid meets its base. -- Point of contrary flexure, a point at which a curve changes its direction of curvature, or at which its convexity and concavity change sides. -- Point of order, in parliamentary practice, a question of order or propriety under the rules. -- Point of sight (Persp.), in a perspective drawing, the point assumed as that occupied by the eye of the spectator. -- Point of view, the relative position from which anything is seen or any subject is considered. -- Points of the compass (Naut.), the thirty-two points of division of the compass card in the mariner's compass; the corresponding points by which the circle of the horizon is supposed to be divided, of which the four marking the directions of east, west, north, and south, are called cardinal points, and the rest are named from their respective directions, as N. by E., N. N. E., N. E. by N., N. E., etc. See Illust. under Compass. -- Point paper, paper pricked through so as to form a stencil for transferring a design. -- Point system of type. See under Type. -- Singular point (Geom.), a point of a curve which possesses some property not possessed by points in general on the curve, as a cusp, a point of inflection, a node, etc. -- To carry one's point, to accomplish one's object, as in a controversy. -- To make a point of, to attach special importance to. -- To make, or gain, a point, accomplish that which was proposed; also, to make advance by a step, grade, or position. -- To mark, or score, a point, as in billiards, cricket, etc., to note down, or to make, a successful hit, run, etc. -- To strain a point, to go beyond the proper limit or rule; to stretch one's authority or conscience. -- Vowel point, in Hebrew, and certain other Eastern and ancient languages, a mark placed above or below the consonant, or attached to it, representing the vowel, or vocal sound, which precedes or follows the consonant.

Point (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pointed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pointing.] [Cf. F. pointer. See Point, n.] 1. To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end; as, to point a dart, or a pencil. Used also figuratively; as, to point a moral.

2. To direct toward an abject; to aim; as, to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort.

3. Hence, to direct the attention or notice of.

Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them.

Pope.

4. To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate; as, to point a composition.

5. To mark (as Hebrew) with vowel points.

6. To give particular prominence to; to designate in a special manner; to indicate, as if by pointing; as, the error was pointed out. Pope.

He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech.

Dickens.

7. To indicate or discover by a fixed look, as game.

8. (Masonry) To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

9. (Stone Cutting) To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool.

To point a rope (Naut.), to taper and neatly finish off the end by interweaving the nettles. -- To point a sail (Naut.), to affix points through the eyelet holes of the reefs. -- To point off, to divide into periods or groups, or to separate, by pointing, as figures. -- To point the yards (of a vessel) (Naut.), to brace them so that the wind shall strike the sails obliquely. Totten.

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Point (point), v. i. 1. To direct the point of something, as of a finger, for the purpose of designating an object, and attracting attention to it; -- with at.

Now must the world point at poor Katharine.

Shak.

Point at the tattered coat and ragged shoe.

Dryden.

2. To indicate the presence of game by fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do.

He treads with caution, and he points with fear.

Gay.

3. (Med.) To approximate to the surface; to head; -- said of an abscess.

To point at, to treat with scorn or contempt by pointing or directing attention to. -- To point well (Naut.), to sail close to the wind; -- said of a vessel.

Point"al (?), n. [From Point: cf. F. pointal an upright wooden prop, OF. pointille a prick or prickle.]

1. (Bot.) The pistil of a plant.

2. A kind of pencil or style used with the tablets of the Middle Ages. "A pair of tablets [i. e., tablets] . . . and a pointel." Chaucer.

3. (Arch.) See Poyntel. [Obs. or R.]

Point`-blank" (?), n. [F. point point + blanc white.] 1. The white spot on a target, at which an arrow or other missile is aimed. [Obs.] Jonson.

2. (Mil.) (a) With all small arms, the second point in which the natural line of sight, when horizontal, cuts the trajectory. (b) With artillery, the point where the projectile first strikes the horizontal plane on which the gun stands, the axis of the piece being horizontal.

Point`-blank", a. 1. Directed in a line toward the object aimed at; aimed directly toward the mark.

2. Hence, direct; plain; unqualified; -- said of language; as, a point-blank assertion.

Point-blank range, the extent of the apparent right line of a ball discharged. -- Point-blank shot, the shot of a gun pointed directly toward the object to be hit.

Point`-blank", adv. In a point- blank manner.

To sin point-blank against God's word.

Fuller.

Point` d'ap`pui" (?). [F.] (Mil.) See under Appui.

{ Point`-de*vice", Point`-de*vise" } (?), a. [OE. at point devis; at at + point point, condition + devis exact, careful, OF. devis fixed, set. See Device.] Uncommonly nice and exact; precise; particular.

You are rather point-devise in your accouterments.

Shak.

Thus he grew up, in logic point-devise, Perfect in grammar, and in rhetoric nice.

Longfellow.

{ Point`-de*vice", Point`-de*vise", } adv. Exactly. [Obs.] Shak.

Point"ed (?), a. 1. Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock.

2. Characterized by sharpness, directness, or pithiness of expression; terse; epigrammatic; especially, directed to a particular person or thing.

His moral pleases, not his pointed wit.

Pope.

Pointed arch (Arch.), an arch with a pointed crown. -- Pointed style (Arch.), a name given to that style of architecture in which the pointed arch is the predominant feature; -- more commonly called Gothic.

-- Point"ed*ly, adv. -- Point"ed*ness, n.

Point"el (?), n. [From Point. Cf. Pointal.] See Pointal.

Point"er (?), n. One who, or that which, points. Specifically: (a) The hand of a timepiece. (b) (Zoˆl.) One of a breed of dogs trained to stop at scent of game, and with the nose point it out to sportsmen. (c) pl. (Astron.) The two stars (Merak and Dubhe) in the Great Bear, the line between which points nearly in the direction of the north star. See Illust. of Ursa Major. (b) pl. (Naut.) Diagonal braces sometimes fixed across the hold.

Point"ing, n. 1. The act of sharpening.

2. The act of designating, as a position or direction, by means of something pointed, as a finger or a rod.

3. The act or art of punctuating; punctuation.

4. The act of filling and finishing the joints in masonry with mortar, cement, etc.; also, the material so used.

5. The rubbing off of the point of the wheat grain in the first process of high milling.

6. (Sculpt.) The act or process of measuring, at the various distances from the surface of a block of marble, the surface of a future piece of statuary; also, a process used in cutting the statue from the artist's model.

Point`ing*stock` (?), n. An object of ridicule or scorn; a laughingstock. Shak.

Point"less, a. Having no point; blunt; wanting keenness; obtuse; as, a pointless sword; a pointless remark.

Syn. -- Blunt; obtuse, dull; stupid.

Point"less*ly, adv. Without point.

Point"let*ed (?), a. (Bot.) Having a small, distinct point; apiculate. Henslow.

Poin"trel (?), n. A graving tool. Knight.

Points"man (?), n.; pl. - men (-men). A man who has charge of railroad points or switches. [Eng.]

Poise (?), n. [OE. pois, peis, OF. pois, peis, F. poids, fr. L. pensum a portion weighed out, pendere to weigh, weigh out. Cf. Avoirdupois, Pendant, Poise, v.] [Formerly written also peise.] 1. Weight; gravity; that which causes a body to descend; heaviness. "Weights of an extraordinary poise." Evelyn.

2. The weight, or mass of metal, used in weighing, to balance the substance weighed.

3. The state of being balanced by equal weight or power; equipoise; balance; equilibrium; rest. Bentley.

4. That which causes a balance; a counterweight.

Men of unbounded imagination often want the poise of judgment.

Dryden.

Poise (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poised, (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Poising.] [OE. poisen, peisen, OF. & F. peser, to weigh, balance, OF. il peise, il poise, he weighs, F. il pËse, fr. L. pensare, v. intens. fr. pendere to weigh. See Poise, n., and cf. Pensive.] [Formerly written also peise.] 1. To balance; to make of equal weight; as, to poise the scales of a balance.

2. To hold or place in equilibrium or equiponderance.

Nor yet was earth suspended in the sky; Nor poised, did on her own foundation lie.

Dryden.

3. To counterpoise; to counterbalance.

One scale of reason to poise another of sensuality.

Shak.

To poise with solid sense a sprightly wit.

Dryden.

4. To ascertain, as by the balance; to weigh.

He can not sincerely consider the strength, poise the weight, and discern the evidence.

South.

5. To weigh (down); to oppress. [Obs.]

Lest leaden slumber peise me down to- morrow.

Shak.

Poise, v. i. To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt.

The slender, graceful spars Poise aloft in air.

Longfellow.

Pois"er (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The balancer of dipterous insects.

Poi"son (?), n. [F. poison, in Old French also, a potion, fr. L. potio a drink, draught, potion, a poisonous draught, fr. potare to drink. See Potable, and cf. Potion.] 1. Any agent which, when introduced into the animal organism, is capable of producing a morbid, noxious, or deadly effect upon it; as, morphine is a deadly poison; the poison of pestilential diseases.

2. That which taints or destroys moral purity or health; as, the poison of evil example; the poison of sin.

Poison ash. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Amyris (A. balsamifera) found in the West Indies, from the trunk of which a black liquor distills, supposed to have poisonous qualities. (b) The poison sumac (Rhus venenata). [U. S.] -- Poison dogwood (Bot.), poison sumac. -- Poison fang (Zoˆl.), one of the superior maxillary teeth of some species of serpents, which, besides having the cavity for the pulp, is either perforated or grooved by a longitudinal canal, at the lower end of which the duct of the poison gland terminates. See Illust. under Fang. -- Poison gland (Biol.), a gland, in animals or plants, which secretes an acrid or venomous matter, that is conveyed along an organ capable of inflicting a wound. -- Poison hemlock (Bot.), a poisonous umbelliferous plant (Conium maculatum). See Hemlock. -- Poison ivy (Bot.), a poisonous climbing plant (Rhus Toxicodendron) of North America. It is common on stone walls and on the trunks of trees, and has trifoliate, rhombic-ovate, variously notched leaves. Many people are poisoned by it, if they touch the leaves. See Poison sumac. Called also poison oak, and mercury. -- Poison nut. (Bot.) (a) Nux vomica. (b) The tree which yields this seed (Strychnos Nuxvomica). It is found on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts. -- Poison oak (Bot.), the poison ivy; also, the more shrubby Rhus diversiloba of California and Oregon. -- Poison sac. (Zoˆl.) Same as Poison gland, above. See Illust. under Fang. -- Poison sumac (Bot.), a poisonous shrub of the genus Rhus (R. venenata); -- also called poison ash, poison dogwood, and poison elder. It has pinnate leaves on graceful and slender common petioles, and usually grows in swampy places. Both this plant and the poison ivy (Rhus Toxicodendron) have clusters of smooth greenish white berries, while the red-fruited species of this genus are harmless. The tree (Rhus vernicifera) which yields the celebrated Japan lacquer is almost identical with the poison sumac, and is also very poisonous. The juice of the poison sumac also forms a lacquer similar to that of Japan.

Syn. -- Venom; virus; bane; pest; malignity. -- Poison, Venom. Poison usually denotes something received into the system by the mouth, breath, etc. Venom is something discharged from animals and received by means of a wound, as by the bite or sting of serpents, scorpions, etc. Hence, venom specifically implies some malignity of nature or purpose.

Poi"son, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poisoned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poisoning.] [Cf. OF. poisonner, F. empoissoner, L. potionare to give to drink. See Poison, n.]

1. To put poison upon or into; to infect with poison; as, to poison an arrow; to poison food or drink. "The ingredients of our poisoned chalice." Shak.

2. To injure or kill by poison; to administer poison to.

If you poison us, do we not die ?

Shak.

3. To taint; to corrupt; to vitiate; as, vice poisons happiness; slander poisoned his mind.

Whispering tongues can poison truth.

Coleridge.

Poi"son, v. i. To act as, or convey, a poison.

Tooth that poisons if it bite.

Shak.

Poi"son*a*ble (?), a. 1. Capable of poisoning; poisonous. [Obs.] "Poisonable heresies." Tooker.

2. Capable of being poisoned.

Poi"son*er (?), n. One who poisons. Shak.

Poi"son*ous (?), a. Having the qualities or effects of poison; venomous; baneful; corrupting; noxious. Shak. -- Poi"son*ous*ly, adv. -- Poi"son*ous*ness, n.

Poi"son*some (?), a. Poisonous.[Obs.] Holland.

Poi"sure (?), n. [See Poise.] Weight. [Obs.]

Poi"trel (?), n. [OE. poitrel, F. poitrail, fr. L. pectorale a breastplate, fr. pectoralis, a. See Pectoral, a.] (Anc. Armor) The breastplate of the armor of a horse. See Peytrel. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Poize (?), n. See Poise. [Obs.]

Po*kal" (?), n. [G.] A tall drinking cup.

Poke (?), n. (Bot.) A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca (P. decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries; -- called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.

Poke, n. [AS. poca, poha, pohha; akin to Icel. poki, OD. poke, and perh. to E. pock; cf. also Gael. poca, and OF. poque. Cf. Pock, Pocket, Pouch.] 1. A bag; a sack; a pocket. "He drew a dial from his poke." Shak.

They wallowed as pigs in a poke.

Chaucer.

2. A long, wide sleeve; -- called also poke sleeve.

To boy a pig a poke (that is, in a bag), to buy a thing without knowledge or examination of it. Camden.

Poke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poking.] [Cf. LG. poken to prick, pierce, thrust, pok a dagger, knife, D. pook, G. pocken to beat, also Ir. poc a blow, Gael. puc to push.] 1. To thrust or push against or into with anything pointed; hence, to stir up; to excite; as, to poke a fire.

He poked John, and said "Sleepest thou ?"

Chaucer.

2. To thrust with the horns; to gore.

3. [From 5th Poke, 3.] To put a poke on; as, to poke an ox. [Colloq. U. S.]

To poke fun, to excite fun; to joke; to jest. [Colloq.] -- To poke fun at, to make a butt of; to ridicule. [Colloq.]

Poke, v. i. To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, to poke about.

A man must have poked into Latin and Greek.

Prior.

Poke, n. 1. The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs. Ld. Lytton.

2. A lazy person; a dawdler; also, a stupid or uninteresting person. [Slang, U.S.] Bartlett.

3. A contrivance to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences. It consists of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward. [U.S.]

Poke bonnet, a bonnet with a straight, projecting front.

Poke"bag` (?), n. [So called in allusion to its baglike nest.] (Zoˆl.) The European long- tailed titmouse; -- called also poke-pudding. [Prov. Eng.]

Pok"er (?), n. [From Poke to push.] 1. One who pokes.

2. That which pokes or is used in poking, especially a metal bar or rod used in stirring a fire of coals.

3. A poking-stick. Decker.

4. (Zoˆl.) The poachard. [Prov. Eng.]

Poker picture, a picture formed in imitation of bisterwashed drawings, by singeing the surface of wood with a heated poker or other iron. Fairholt.

Pok"er, n. [Of uncertain etymol.] A game at cards derived from brag, and first played about 1835 in the Southwestern United States. Johnson's Cyc.

Pok"er, n. [Cf. Dan. pokker the deuce, devil, also W. pwci, a hobgoblin, bugbear, and E. puck.] Any imagined frightful object, especially one supposed to haunt the darkness; a bugbear. [Colloq. U. S.]

Pok"er*ish, a. Infested by pokers; adapted to excite fear; as, a pokerish place. [Colloq. U. S.]

There is something pokerish about a deserted dwelling.

Lowell.

Pok"er*ish, a. Stiff like a poker. [Colloq.]

Pok"et (?), n. A pocket. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Poke"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) See Poke, the plant.

Pok"ey (?), a. See Poky.

Pok"ing (?), a. Drudging; servile. [Colloq.]

Bred to some poking profession.

Gray.

Pok"ing-stick` (?), n. A small stick or rod of steel, formerly used in adjusting the plaits of ruffs. Shak.

Pok"y (?), a. [Written also pokey.] 1. Confined; cramped. [Prov. Eng.]

2. Dull; tedious; uninteresting. [Colloq.]

Po*lac"ca (?), n. [It. polacca, polaccra, polacra; cf. F. polaque, polacre, Sp. polacre,] [Written also polacre.] 1. (Naut.) A vessel with two or three masts, used in the Mediterranean. The masts are usually of one piece, and without tops, caps, or crosstrees.

2. (Mus.) See Polonaise.

Po"lack (?), n. A Polander. Shak.

Po*la"cre (?), n. Same as Polacca, 1.

Po"land*er (?), n. A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Pole.

Po"lar (?), a. [Cf. F. polaire. See Pole of the earth.] 1. Of or pertaining to one of the poles of the earth, or of a sphere; situated near, or proceeding from, one of the poles; as, polar regions; polar seas; polar winds.

2. Of or pertaining to the magnetic pole, or to the point to which the magnetic needle is directed.

3. (Geom.) Pertaining to, reckoned from, or having a common radiating point; as, polar coˆrdinates.

Polar axis, that axis of an astronomical instrument, as an equatorial, which is parallel to the earths axis. -- Polar bear (Zoˆl.), a large bear (Ursus, or Thalarctos, maritimus) inhabiting the arctic regions. It sometimes measures nearly nine feet in length and weighs 1,600 pounds. It is partially amphibious, very powerful, and the most carnivorous of all the bears. The fur is white, tinged with yellow. Called also White bear. See Bear. -- Polar body, cell, or globule (Biol.), a minute cell which separates by karyokinesis from the ovum during its maturation. In the maturation of ordinary ova two polar bodies are formed, but in parthogenetic ova only one. The first polar body formed is usually larger than the second one, and often divides into two after its separation from the ovum. Each of the polar bodies removes maternal chromatin from the ovum to make room for the chromatin of the fertilizing spermatozoˆn; but their functions are not fully understood. -- Polar circles (Astron. & Geog.), two circles, each at a distance from a pole of the earth equal to the obliquity of the ecliptic, or about 23∞ 28&prime;, the northern called the arctic circle, and the southern the antarctic circle. -- Polar clock, a tube, containing a polarizing apparatus, turning on an axis parallel to that of the earth, and indicating the hour of the day on an hour circle, by being turned toward the plane of maximum polarization of the light of the sky, which is always 90∞ from the sun. -- Polar coˆrdinates. See under 3d Coˆrdinate. -- Polar dial, a dial whose plane is parallel to a great circle passing through the poles of the earth. Math. Dict. -- Polar distance, the angular distance of any point on a sphere from one of its poles, particularly of a heavenly body from the north pole of the heavens. -- Polar equation of a line or surface, an equation which expresses the relation between the polar coˆrdinates of every point of the line or surface. -- Polar forces (Physics), forces that are developed and act in pairs, with opposite tendencies or properties in the two elements, as magnetism, electricity, etc. -- Polar hare (Zoˆl.), a large hare of Arctic America (Lepus arcticus), which turns pure white in winter. It is probably a variety of the common European hare (L. timidus). -- Polar lights, the aurora borealis or australis. -- Polar, or Polaric, opposition or contrast (Logic), an opposition or contrast made by the existence of two opposite conceptions which are the extremes in a species, as white and black in colors; hence, as great an opposition or contrast as possible. -- Polar projection. See under Projection. -- Polar spherical triangle (Spherics), a spherical triangle whose three angular points are poles of the sides of a given triangle. See 4th Pole, 2. -- Polar whale (Zoˆl.), the right whale, or bowhead. See Whale.

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Po"lar (?), n. (Conic Sections) The right line drawn through the two points of contact of the two tangents drawn from a given point to a given conic section. The given point is called the pole of the line. If the given point lies within the curve so that the two tangents become imaginary, there is still a real polar line which does not meet the curve, but which possesses other properties of the polar. Thus the focus and directrix are pole and polar. There are also poles and polar curves to curves of higher degree than the second, and poles and polar planes to surfaces of the second degree.

Pol"ar*chy (?), n. See Polyarchy.

Po*lar"ic (?), a. See Polar. [R.]

Po"lar*i*ly (?), adv. In a polary manner; with polarity. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Po`lar*im"e*ter (?), n. [Polar + -meter.] (Opt.) An instrument for determining the amount of polarization of light, or the proportion of polarized light, in a partially polarized ray.

Po`lar*im"e*try (?), n. (Opt.) The art or process of measuring the polarization of light.

||Po*la"ris (?), n. [NL. See Polar.] (Astron.) The polestar. See North ||star, under North.

Po*lar"i*scope (?), n. [Polar + -scope.] (Opt.) An instrument consisting essentially of a polarizer and an analyzer, used for polarizing light, and analyzing its properties.

Po*lar`i*scop"ic (?), a. (Opt.) Of or pertaining to the polariscope; obtained by the use of a polariscope; as, polariscopic observations.

Po`lar*is"co*py (?), n. (Opt.) The art or rocess of making observations with the polariscope.

Po`lar*is"tic (?), a. Pertaining to, or exhibiting, poles; having a polar arrangement or disposition; arising from, or dependent upon, the possession of poles or polar characteristics; as, polaristic antagonism.

Po*lar"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. polaritÈ.] 1. (Physics) That quality or condition of a body in virtue of which it exhibits opposite, or contrasted, properties or powers, in opposite, or contrasted, parts or directions; or a condition giving rise to a contrast of properties corresponding to a contrast of positions, as, for example, attraction and repulsion in the opposite parts of a magnet, the dissimilar phenomena corresponding to the different sides of a polarized ray of light, etc.

2. (Geom.) A property of the conic sections by virtue of which a given point determines a corresponding right line and a given right line determines a corresponding point. See Polar, n.

Po"lar*i`za*ble (?), a. Susceptible of polarization.

Po`lar*i*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. polarisation.]

1. The act of polarizing; the state of being polarized, or of having polarity.

2. (Opt.) A peculiar affection or condition of the rays of light or heat, in consequence of which they exhibit different properties in different directions.

If a beam of light, which has been reflected from a plate of unsilvered glass at an angle of about 56∞, be received upon a second plate of glass similar to the former, and at the same angle of incidence, the light will be readily reflected when the two planes of incidence are parallel to each other, but will not be reflected when the two planes of incidence are perpendicular to each other. The light has, therefore, acquired new properties by reflection from the first plate of glass, and is called polarized light, while the modification which the light has experienced by this reflection is called polarization. The plane in which the beam of light is reflected from the first mirror is called the plane of polarization. The angle of polarization is the angle at which a beam of light must be reflected, in order that the polarization may be the most complete. The term polarization was derived from the theory of emission, and it was conceived that each luminous molecule has two poles analogous to the poles of a magnet; but this view is not now held. According to the undulatory theory, ordinary light is produced by vibrations transverse or perpendicular to the direction of the ray, and distributed as to show no distinction as to any particular direction. But when, by any means, these, vibrations are made to take place in one plane, the light is said to be plane polarized. If only a portion of the vibrations lie in one plane the ray is said to be partially polarized. Light may be polarized by several methods other than by reflection, as by refraction through most crystalline media, or by being transmitted obliquely through several plates of glass with parallel faces. If a beam of polarized light be transmitted through a crystal of quartz in the direction of its axis, the plane of polarization will be changed by an angle proportional to the thickness of the crystal. This phenomenon is called rotatory polarization. A beam of light reflected from a metallic surface, or from glass surfaces under certain peculiar conditions, acquires properties still more complex, its vibrations being no longer rectilinear, but circular, or elliptical. This phenomenon is called circular or elliptical polarization.

3. (Elec.) An effect produced upon the plates of a voltaic battery, or the electrodes in an electrolytic cell, by the deposition upon them of the gases liberated by the action of the current. It is chiefly due to the hydrogen, and results in an increase of the resistance, and the setting up of an opposing electro- motive force, both of which tend materially to weaken the current of the battery, or that passing through the cell.

Po"lar*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polarized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Polarizing (?).] [Cf. F. polariser.] To communicate polarity to.

Po"lar*i`zer (?), n. (Physics) That which polarizes; especially, the part of a polariscope which receives and polarizes the light. It is usually a reflecting plate, or a plate of some crystal, as tourmaline, or a doubly refracting crystal.

Po"lar*y (?), a. Tending to a pole; having a direction toward a pole. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

||Po`la`touche" (?), n. [F.] (Zoˆl.) A flying squirrel (Sciuropterus ||volans) native of Northern Europe and Siberia; -- called also minene.

Pol"der (?), n. [D.] A tract of low land reclaimed from the sea by of high embankments. [Holland & Belgium]

Pold"way` (?), n. [Cf. Poledavy.] A kind of coarse bagging, -- used for coal sacks. Weale.

Pole (?), n. [Cf. G. Pole a Pole, Polen Poland.] A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Polander.

Pole, n. [As. pl, L. palus, akin to pangere to make fast. Cf. Pale a stake, Pact.] 1. A long, slender piece of wood; a tall, slender piece of timber; the stem of a small tree whose branches have been removed; as, specifically: (a) A carriage pole, a wooden bar extending from the front axle of a carriage between the wheel horses, by which the carriage is guided and held back. (b) A flag pole, a pole on which a flag is supported. (c) A Maypole. See Maypole. (d) A barber's pole, a pole painted in stripes, used as a sign by barbers and hairdressers. (e) A pole on which climbing beans, hops, or other vines, are trained.

2. A measuring stick; also, a measure of length equal to 5&?; yards, or a square measure equal to 30&?; square yards; a rod; a perch. Bacon.

Pole bean (Bot.), any kind of bean which is customarily trained on poles, as the scarlet runner or the Lima bean. -- Pole flounder (Zoˆl.), a large deep-water flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus), native of the northern coasts of Europe and America, and much esteemed as a food fish; -- called also craig flounder, and pole fluke. -- Pole lathe, a simple form of lathe, or a substitute for a lathe, in which the work is turned by means of a cord passing around it, one end being fastened to the treadle, and the other to an elastic pole above. -- Pole mast (Naut.), a mast formed from a single piece or from a single tree. -- Pole of a lens (Opt.), the point where the principal axis meets the surface. -- Pole plate (Arch.), a horizontal timber resting on the tiebeams of a roof and receiving the ends of the rafters. It differs from the plate in not resting on the wall.

Pole, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poling.] 1. To furnish with poles for support; as, to pole beans or hops.

2. To convey on poles; as, to pole hay into a barn.

3. To impel by a pole or poles, as a boat.

4. To stir, as molten glass, with a pole.

Pole, n. [L. polus, Gr. &?; a pivot or hinge on which anything turns, an axis, a pole; akin to &?; to move: cf. F. pÙle.] 1. Either extremity of an axis of a sphere; especially, one of the extremities of the earth's axis; as, the north pole.

2. (Spherics) A point upon the surface of a sphere equally distant from every part of the circumference of a great circle; or the point in which a diameter of the sphere perpendicular to the plane of such circle meets the surface. Such a point is called the pole of that circle; as, the pole of the horizon; the pole of the ecliptic; the pole of a given meridian.

3. (Physics) One of the opposite or contrasted parts or directions in which a polar force is manifested; a point of maximum intensity of a force which has two such points, or which has polarity; as, the poles of a magnet; the north pole of a needle.

4. The firmament; the sky. [Poetic]

Shoots against the dusky pole.

Milton.

5. (Geom.) See Polarity, and Polar, n.

Magnetic pole. See under Magnetic. -- Poles of the earth, or Terrestrial poles (Geog.), the two opposite points on the earth's surface through which its axis passes. -- Poles of the heavens, or Celestial poles, the two opposite points in the celestial sphere which coincide with the earth's axis produced, and about which the heavens appear to revolve.

{ Pole"ax`, Pole"axe` } (?), n. [OE. pollax; cf. OD. pollexe. See Poll head, and Ax.] Anciently, a kind of battle-ax with a long handle; later, an ax or hatchet with a short handle, and a head variously patterned; -- used by soldiers, and also by sailors in boarding a vessel.

Pole"cat` (?), n. [Probably fr. F. poule hen, and originally, a poultry cat, because it feeds on poultry. See Poultry.] (Zoˆl.) (a) A small European carnivore of the Weasel family (Putorius fútidus). Its scent glands secrete a substance of an exceedingly disagreeable odor. Called also fitchet, foulmart, and European ferret. (b) The zorilla. The name is also applied to other allied species.

Pole"da`vy (?), n. [Etymology uncertain.] A sort of coarse canvas; poldway. [Obs.] Howell.

Pole"less, a. Without a pole; as, a poleless chariot.

Pol"e*march (?), n. [Gr. &?;; &?; war + &?; leader, from &?; to be first.] (Gr. Antiq.) In Athens, originally, the military commanderin-chief; but, afterward, a civil magistrate who had jurisdiction in respect of strangers and sojourners. In other Grecian cities, a high military and civil officer.

Po*lem"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?; warlike, fr.&?; war: cf. F. polÈmique.] 1. Of or pertaining to controversy; maintaining, or involving, controversy; controversial; disputative; as, a polemic discourse or essay; polemic theology.

2. Engaged in, or addicted to, polemics, or to controversy; disputations; as, a polemic writer. South.

Po*lem"ic, n. 1. One who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant.

The sarcasms and invectives of the young polemic.

Macaulay.

2. A polemic argument or controversy.

Po*lem"ic*al (?), a. Polemic; controversial; disputatious. -- Po*lem"ic*al*ly, adv.

Polemical and impertinent disputations.

Jer. Taylor.

Po*lem"i*cist (?), n. A polemic. [R.]

Po*lem"ics (?), n. [Cf. F. polÈmique.] The art or practice of disputation or controversy, especially on religious subjects; that branch of theological science which pertains to the history or conduct of ecclesiastical controversy.

Pol"e*mist (?), n. A polemic. [R.]

Pol`e*mo`ni*a"ceous (?), a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (PolemoniaceÊ), which includes Polemonium, Phlox, Gilia, and a few other genera.

||Pol`e*mo"ni*um (?). n. [NL., fr. Gr.&?; a kind of plant.] (Bot.) A ||genus of gamopetalous perennial herbs, including the Jacob's ladder ||and the Greek valerian.

Po*lem"o*scope (?), n. [Gr. &?; war + -scope: cf. F. polÈmoscope.] An opera glass or field glass with an oblique mirror arranged for seeing objects do not lie directly before the eye; -- called also diagonal, or side, opera glass.

Pol"e*my (?), n. [See Polemic.] Warfare; war; hence, contention; opposition. [Obs.]

||Po*len"ta (?), n. [It., fr. L. polenta peeled barley.] Pudding made ||of Indian meal; also, porridge made of chestnut meal. [Italy]

Pol"er (?), n. One who poles.

Pol"er, n. An extortioner. See Poller. [Obs.] Bacon.

Pole"star` (?), n. 1. Polaris, or the north star. See North star, under North.

2. A guide or director.

Pole"wards (?), adv. Toward a pole of the earth. "The regions further polewards." Whewell.

Pole"wig (?), n. [Cf. Polliwig.] (Zoˆl.) The European spotted goby (Gobius minutus); -- called also pollybait. [Prov. Eng.]

Po"ley (?), n. (Bot.) See Poly.

Po"ley, a. Without horns; polled. [Prov. Eng.] "That poley heifer." H. Kingsley.

Po"li*a*nite (?), n. [Gr. &?; to become gray.] (Min.) Manganese dioxide, occurring in tetragonal crystals nearly as hard as quartz.

Pol"i*cate (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Same as Pollicate.

Po*lice" (?), n. [F., fr. L. politia the condition of a state, government, administration, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to be a citizen, to govern or administer a state, fr. &?; citizen, fr. &?; city; akin to Skr. pur, puri. Cf. Policy polity, Polity.] 1. A judicial and executive system, for the government of a city, town, or district, for the preservation of rights, order, cleanliness, health, etc., and for the enforcement of the laws and prevention of crime; the administration of the laws and regulations of a city, incorporated town, or borough.

2. That which concerns the order of the community; the internal regulation of a state.

3. The organized body of civil officers in a city, town, or district, whose particular duties are the preservation of good order, the prevention and detection of crime, and the enforcement of the laws.

4. (Mil.) Military police, the body of soldiers detailed to preserve civil order and attend to sanitary arrangements in a camp or garrison.

5. The cleaning of a camp or garrison, or the state &?; a camp as to cleanliness.

Police commissioner, a civil officer, usually one of a board, commissioned to regulate and control the appointment, duties, and discipline of the police. -- Police constable, or Police officer, a policeman. -- Police court, a minor court to try persons brought before it by the police. -- Police inspector, an officer of police ranking next below a superintendent. -- Police jury, a body of officers who collectively exercise jurisdiction in certain cases of police, as levying taxes, etc.; -- so called in Louisiana. Bouvier. -- Police justice, or Police magistrate, a judge of a police court. -- Police offenses (Law), minor offenses against the order of the community, of which a police court may have final jurisdiction. -- Police station, the headquarters of the police, or of a section of them; the place where the police assemble for orders, and to which they take arrested persons.

Po*lice", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Policed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Policing.] 1. To keep in order by police.

2. (Mil.) To make clean; as, to police a camp.

Po*liced" (?), a. Regulated by laws for the maintenance of peace and order, enforced by organized administration. "A policed kingdom." Howell.

Po*lice"man (?), n.; pl. Policemen (&?;). A member of a body of police; a constable.

Po*li"cial (&?;), a. Relating to the police. [R.]

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Pol"i*cied (?), a. Policed. [Obs.] Bacon.

Pol"i*cy (?), n.; pl. Policies (#). [L. politia, Gr. &?;; cf. F. police, Of. police. See Police, n.] 1. Civil polity. [Obs.]

2. The settled method by which the government and affairs of a nation are, or may be, administered; a system of public or official administration, as designed to promote the external or internal prosperity of a state.

3. The method by which any institution is administered; system of management; course.

4. Management or administration based on temporal or material interest, rather than on principles of equity or honor; hence, worldly wisdom; dexterity of management; cunning; stratagem.

5. Prudence or wisdom in the management of public and private affairs; wisdom; sagacity; wit.

The very policy of a hostess, finding his purse so far above his clothes, did detect him.

Fuller.

6. Motive; object; inducement. [Obs.]

What policy have you to bestow a benefit where it is counted an injury?

Sir P. Sidney.

Syn. -- See Polity.

Pol"i*cy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Policied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Policying.] To regulate by laws; to reduce to order. [Obs.] "Policying of cities." Bacon.

Pol"i*cy, n. [F. police; cf. Pr. polissia, Sp. pÛlizia, It. pÛlizza; of uncertain origin; cf. L. pollex thumb (as being used in pressing the seal), in LL. also, seal; or cf. LL. politicum, poleticum, polecticum, L. polyptychum, account book, register, fr. Gr. &?; having many folds or leaves; &?; many + &?; fold, leaf, from &?; to fold; or cf. LL. apodixa a receipt.] 1. A ticket or warrant for money in the public funds.

2. The writing or instrument in which a contract of insurance is embodied; an instrument in writing containing the terms and conditions on which one party engages to indemnify another against loss arising from certain hazards, perils, or risks to which his person or property may be exposed. See Insurance.

3. A method of gambling by betting as to what numbers will be drawn in a lottery; as, to play policy.

Interest policy, a policy that shows by its form that the assured has a real, substantial interest in the matter insured. -- Open policy, one in which the value of the goods or property insured is not mentioned. -- Policy book, a book to contain a record of insurance policies. -- Policy holder, one to whom an insurance policy has been granted. -- Policy shop, a gambling place where one may bet on the numbers which will be drawn in lotteries. -- Valued policy, one in which the value of the goods, property, or interest insured is specified. -- Wager policy, a policy that shows on the face of it that the contract it embodies is a pretended insurance, founded on an ideal risk, where the insured has no interest in anything insured.

Pol"ing (?), n. [From Pole a stick.] 1. The act of supporting or of propelling by means of a pole or poles; as, the poling of beans; the poling of a boat.

2. (Gardening) The operation of dispersing worm casts over the walks with poles.

3. One of the poles or planks used in upholding the side earth in excavating a tunnel, ditch, etc.

Pol"ish (?), a. [From Pole a Polander.] Of or pertaining to Poland or its inhabitants. - - n. The language of the Poles.

Pol"ish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Polishing.] [F. polir, L. polire. Cf. Polite, -ish] 1. To make smooth and glossy, usually by friction; to burnish; to overspread with luster; as, to polish glass, marble, metals, etc.

2. Hence, to refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite; as, to polish life or manners. Milton.

To polish off, to finish completely, as an adversary. [Slang] W. H. Russell.

Pol"ish, v. i. To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface; as, steel polishes well. Bacon.

Pol"ish, n. 1. A smooth, glossy surface, usually produced by friction; a gloss or luster.

Another prism of clearer glass and better polish.

Sir I. Newton.

2. Anything used to produce a gloss.

3. Fig.: Refinement; elegance of manners.

This Roman polish and this smooth behavior.

Addison.

Pol"ish*a*ble (?), a. Capable of being polished.

Pol"ished (?), a. Made smooth and glossy, as by friction; hence, highly finished; refined; polite; as, polished plate; polished manners; polished verse.

Pol"ished*ness, n. The quality of being polished.

Pol"ish*er (?), n. One who, or that which, polishes; also, that which is used in polishing. Addison.

Pol"ish*ing, a. & n. from Polish.

Polishing iron, an iron burnisher; esp., a small smoothing iron used in laundries. -- Polishing slate. (a) A gray or yellow slate, found in Bohemia and Auvergne, and used for polishing glass, marble, and metals. (b) A kind of hone or whetstone; hone slate. -- Polishing snake, a tool used in cleaning lithographic stones. -- Polishing wheel, a wheel or disk coated with, or composed of, abrading material, for polishing a surface.

Pol"ish*ment (?), n. The act of polishing, or the state of being polished. [R.]

Po*lite" (?), a. [Compar. Politer (?); superl. Politest.] [L. politus, p. p. of polire to polish: cf. F. poli. See Polish, v.] 1. Smooth; polished. [Obs.]

Rays of light falling on a polite surface.

Sir I. Newton.

2. Smooth and refined in behavior or manners; well bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging; civil.

He marries, bows at court, and grows polite.

Pope.

3. Characterized by refinement, or a high degree of finish; as, polite literature. Macaulay.

Syn. -- Polished; refined; well bred; courteous; affable; urbane; civil; courtly; elegant; genteel.

Po*lite", v. t. To polish; to refine; to render polite. [Obs.] Ray.

Po*lite"ly (?), adv. 1. In a polished manner; so as to be smooth or glossy. [Obs.] Milton.

2. In a polite manner; with politeness.

Po*lite"ness, n. 1. High finish; smoothness; burnished elegance. [R.] Evelyn.

2. The quality or state of being polite; refinement of manners; urbanity; courteous behavior; complaisance; obliging attentions.

Syn. -- Courtesy; good breeding; refinement; urbanity; courteousness; affability; complaisance; civility; gentility; courtliness. -- Politeness, Courtesy. Politeness denotes that ease and gracefulness of manners which first sprung up in cities, connected with a desire to please others by anticipating their wants and wishes, and studiously avoiding whatever might give them pain. Courtesy is, etymologically, the politeness of courts. It displays itself in the address and manners; it is shown more especially in receiving and entertaining others, and is a union of dignified complaisance and kindness.

||Pol`i*tesse" (?), n. [F.] Politeness.

Pol"i*tic (?), a. [L. politicus political, Gr. &?; belonging to the citizens or to the state, fr.&?; citizen: cf. F. politique. See Police, and cf. ePolitical.] 1. Of or pertaining to polity, or civil government; political; as, the body politic. See under Body.

He with his people made all but one politic body.

Sir P. Sidney.

2. Pertaining to, or promoting, a policy, especially a national policy; well-devised; adapted to its end, whether right or wrong; -- said of things; as, a politic treaty. "Enrich'd with politic grave counsel." Shak.

3. Sagacious in promoting a policy; ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; devoted to a scheme or system rather than to a principle; hence, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious; and in a bad sense, artful; unscrupulous; cunning; -- said of persons.

Politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy.

Shak.

Syn. -- Wise; prudent; sagacious; discreet; provident; wary; artful; cunning.

Pol`i*tic, n. A politician. [Archaic] Bacon.

Swiftly the politic goes; is it dark? he borrows a lantern; Slowly the statesman and sure, guiding his feet by the stars.

Lowell.

Po*lit"i*cal (?), a. 1. Having, or conforming to, a settled system of administration. [R.] "A political government." Evelyn.

2. Of or pertaining to public policy, or to politics; relating to affairs of state or administration; as, a political writer. "The political state of Europe." Paley.

3. Of or pertaining to a party, or to parties, in the state; as, his political relations were with the Whigs.

4. Politic; wise; also, artful. [Obs.] Sterne.

Political economy, that branch of political science or philosophy which treats of the sources, and methods of production and preservation, of the material wealth and prosperity of nations.

Po*lit"i*cal*ism (?), n. Zeal or party spirit in politics.

Po*lit"i*cal*ly, adv. 1. In a political manner.

2. Politicly; artfully. [Obs.] Knolles.

Po*lit"i*cas`ter (?), n. [Cf. It. politicastro.] A petty politician; a pretender in politics. Milton.

Pol`i*ti"cian (?), n. [Cf. F. politicien.]

1. One versed or experienced in the science of government; one devoted to politics; a statesman.

While empiric politicians use deceit.

Dryden.

2. One primarily devoted to his own advancement in public office, or to the success of a political party; -- used in a depreciatory sense; one addicted or attached to politics as managed by parties (see Politics, 2); a schemer; an intriguer; as, a mere politician.

Like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not.

Shak.

The politician . . . ready to do anything that he apprehends for his advantage.

South.

Pol`i*ti"cian, a. Cunning; using artifice; politic; artful. "Ill-meaning politician lords." Milton.

Po*lit"i*cist (?), n. A political writer. [R.]

Pol"i*tic*ly (?), adv. In a politic manner; sagaciously; shrewdly; artfully. Pope.

Pol"i*tics (?), n. [Cf. F. politique, Gr. &?; (sc.&?;). See Politic.] 1. The science of government; that part of ethics which has to do with the regulation and government of a nation or state, the preservation of its safety, peace, and prosperity, the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals.

2. The management of a political party; the conduct and contests of parties with reference to political measures or the administration of public affairs; the advancement of candidates to office; in a bad sense, artful or dishonest management to secure the success of political candidates or parties; political trickery.

When we say that two men are talking politics, we often mean that they are wrangling about some mere party question.

F. W. Robertson.

Pol"i*tize (?), v. i. To play the politician; to dispute as politicians do. [Obs.] Milton.

Pol"i*ture (?), n. [L. politura, fr. polire to polish. See Polish, v.] Polish; gloss. [Obs.] Donne.

Pol"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Polities (#). [L. politia, Gr. &?;: cf. F. politie. See 1st Policy, Police.] 1. The form or constitution of the civil government of a nation or state; the framework or organization by which the various departments of government are combined into a systematic whole. Blackstone. Hooker.

2. Hence: The form or constitution by which any institution is organized; the recognized principles which lie at the foundation of any human institution.

Nor is possible that any form of polity, much less polity ecclesiastical, should be good, unless God himself be author of it.

Hooker.

3. Policy; art; management. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Syn. -- Policy. -- Polity, Policy. These two words were originally the same. Polity is now confined to the structure of a government; as, civil or ecclesiastical polity; while policy is applied to the scheme of management of public affairs with reference to some aim or result; as, foreign or domestic policy. Policy has the further sense of skillful or cunning management.

Po*litz`er*i*za"tion (?), n. (Med.) The act of inflating the middle ear by blowing air up the nose during the act of swallowing; -- so called from Prof. Politzer of Vienna, who first practiced it.

Pol"ive (?), n. A pulley. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pol"ka (?), n. [Pol. Polka a Polish woman: cf. F. & G. polka.] 1. A dance of Polish origin, but now common everywhere. It is performed by two persons in common time.

2. (Mus.) A lively Bohemian or Polish dance tune in 2-4 measure, with the third quaver accented.

Polka jacket, a kind of knit jacket worn by women.

Poll (?), n. [From Polly, The proper name.] A parrot; -- familiarly so called.

Poll, n. [Gr. &?; the many, the rabble.] One who does not try for honors, but is content to take a degree merely; a passman. [Cambridge Univ., Eng.]

Poll (?), n. [Akin to LG. polle the head, the crest of a bird, the top of a tree, OD. pol, polle, Dan. puld the crown of a hat.] 1. The head; the back part of the head. "All flaxen was his poll." Shak.

2. A number or aggregate of heads; a list or register of heads or individuals.

We are the greater poll, and in true fear They gave us our demands.

Shak.

The muster file, rotten and sound, upon my life, amounts not to fifteen thousand poll.

Shak.

3. Specifically, the register of the names of electors who may vote in an election.

4. The casting or recording of the votes of registered electors; as, the close of the poll.

All soldiers quartered in place are to remove . . . and not to return till one day after the poll is ended.

Blackstone.

5. pl. The place where the votes are cast or recorded; as, to go to the polls.

6. The broad end of a hammer; the but of an ax.

7. (Zoˆl.) The European chub. See Pollard, 3 (a).

Poll book, a register of persons entitled to vote at an election. -- Poll evil (Far.), an inflammatory swelling or abscess on a horse's head, confined beneath the great ligament of the neck. -- Poll pick (Mining), a pole having a heavy spike on the end, forming a kind of crowbar. -- Poll tax, a tax levied by the head, or poll; a capitation tax.

Poll, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Polling.] 1. To remove the poll or head of; hence, to remove the top or end of; to clip; to lop; to shear; as, to poll the head; to poll a tree.

When he [Absalom] pollled his head.

2 Sam. xiv. 26.

His death did so grieve them that they polled themselves; they clipped off their horse and mule's hairs.

Sir T. North.

2. To cut off; to remove by clipping, shearing, etc.; to mow or crop; -- sometimes with off; as, to poll the hair; to poll wool; to poll grass.

Who, as he polled off his dart's head, so sure he had decreed That all the counsels of their war he would poll off like it.

Chapman.

3. To extort from; to plunder; to strip. [Obs.]

Which polls and pills the poor in piteous wise.

Spenser.

4. To impose a tax upon. [Obs.]

5. To pay as one's personal tax.

The man that polled but twelve pence for his head.

Dryden.

6. To enter, as polls or persons, in a list or register; to enroll, esp. for purposes of taxation; to enumerate one by one.

Polling the reformed churches whether they equalize in number those of his three kingdoms.

Milton.

7. To register or deposit, as a vote; to elicit or call forth, as votes or voters; as, he polled a hundred votes more than his opponent.

And poll for points of faith his trusty vote.

Tickell.

8. (Law) To cut or shave smooth or even; to cut in a straight line without indentation; as, a polled deed. See Dee&?; poll. Burrill.

To poll a jury, to call upon each member of the jury to answer individually as to his concurrence in a verdict which has been rendered.

Poll, v. i. To vote at an election. Beaconsfield.

Pol"lack (?), n. [Cf. G. & D. pollack, and Gael. pollag a little pool, a sort of fish.] (Zoˆl.) (a) A marine gadoid food fish of Europe (Pollachius virens). Called also greenfish, greenling, lait, leet, lob, lythe, and whiting pollack. (b) The American pollock; the coalfish.

Poll"age (?), n. A head or poll tax; hence, extortion. [Obs.] Foxe.

Pol"lan (?), n. [Cf. Gael. pollag a kind of fish.] (Zoˆl.) A lake whitefish (Coregonus pollan), native of Ireland. In appearance it resembles a herring.

Pol"lard (?), n. [From Poll the head.] 1. A tree having its top cut off at some height above the ground, that may throw out branches. Pennant.

2. A clipped coin; also, a counterfeit. [Obs.] Camden.

3. (Zoˆl.) (a) A fish, the chub. (b) A stag that has cast its antlers. (c) A hornless animal (cow or sheep).

Pol"lard, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pollarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Pollarding.] To lop the tops of, as trees; to poll; as, to pollard willows. Evelyn.

Poll"ax` (?), n. A poleax. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Polled (?), a. Deprived of a poll, or of something belonging to the poll. Specifically: (a) Lopped; -- said of trees having their tops cut off. (b) Cropped; hence, bald; -- said of a person. "The polled bachelor." Beau. & Fl. (c) Having cast the antlers; -- said of a stag. (d) Without horns; as, polled cattle; polled sheep.

Pol"len (?), n. [L. pollen fine flour, fine dust; cf. Gr. &?;] 1. Fine bran or flour. [Obs.] Bailey.

2. (Bot.) The fecundating dustlike cells of the anthers of flowers. See Flower, and Illust. of Filament.

Pollen grain (Bot.), a particle or call of pollen. -- Pollen mass, a pollinium. Gray. -- Pollen sac, a compartment of an anther containing pollen, -- usually there are four in each anther. -- Pollen tube, a slender tube which issues from the pollen grain on its contact with the stigma, which it penetrates, thus conveying, it is supposed, the fecundating matter of the grain to the ovule.

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Pol`len*a"ri*ous (?), a. Consisting of meal or pollen.

Pol"lened (?), a. Covered with pollen. Tennyson.

Pol`len*if"er*ous (?), a. [Pollen + -ferous.] (Bot.) Producing pollen; polliniferous.

Pol"len*in (?), n. [Cf. F. pollÈnine.] (Chem.) A substance found in the pollen of certain plants. [R.]

Pol"len*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pollenized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pollenizing (?).] To supply with pollen; to impregnate with pollen.

Poll"er (?), n. [From Poll] One who polls; specifically: (a) One who polls or lops trees. (b) One who polls or cuts hair; a barber. [R.] (c) One who extorts or plunders. [Obs.] Baex>. (d) One who registplws votplws, or one who enters his name as a voter.

||Pol"lex (?), n.; pl. Pollices (#). [the thumb.] (Anat.) The first, or ||preaxial, digit of the fore limb, corresponding to the hallux in the ||hind limb; the thumb. In birds, the pollex is the joint which bears ||the bastard wing.

Pol"li*cate (?), a. [L. pollex, pollicis, a thumb.] (Zoˆl.) Having a curved projection or spine on the inner side of a leg joint; -- said of insects.

Pol*lic`i*ta"tion (?), n. [L. pollicitatio, fr. pollicitari to promise, v. intens. fr. polliceri to promise: cf. F. pollicitation.] 1. A voluntary engagement, or a paper containing it; a promise. Bp. Burnet.

2. (Roman Law) A promise without mutuality; a promise which has not been accepted by the person to whom it is made. Bouvier.

Pol"li*nate (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Pollinose.

Pol"li*nate (?), v. t. (Bot.) To apply pollen to (a stigma). -- Pol`li*na"tion (#), n. (Bot.)

||Pol*linc"tor (?), n. [L., fr. pollingere.] (Rom. Antiq.) One who ||prepared corpses for the funeral.

Poll"ing (?), n. [See Poll the head.] 1. The act of topping, lopping, or cropping, as trees or hedges.

2. Plunder, or extortion. [Obs.] E. Hall.

3. The act of voting, or of registering a vote.

Polling booth, a temporary structure where the voting at an election is done; a polling place.

Pol`li*nif"er*ous (?), a. [L. pollen, -inis, pollen + -ferous: cf. F. pollinifËre.] (Bot.) Producing pollen; polleniferous.

||Pol*lin"i*um (?), n.; pl. Pollinia (#). [NL. See Pollen.] (Bot.) A ||coherent mass of pollen, as in the milkweed and most orchids.

Pol"li*nose` (?), a. [L. pollen, -inis, dust.] (Zoˆl.) Having the surface covered with a fine yellow dust, like pollen.

{ Pol"li*wig (?), Pol"li*wog (?) }, n. [OE. polwigle. Cf. Poll head, and Wiggle.] (Zoˆl.) A tadpole; -- called also purwiggy and porwigle.

Pol"lock (?), n. [See Pollack.] (Zoˆl.) A marine gadoid fish (Pollachius carbonarius), native both of the European and American coasts. It is allied to the cod, and like it is salted and dried. In England it is called coalfish, lob, podley, podling, pollack, etc.

Pol"lu*cite (?), n. [See Pollux, and 4th Castor.] (Min.) A colorless transparent mineral, resembling quartz, occurring with castor or castorite on the island of Elba. It is a silicate of alumina and cÊsia. Called also pollux.

Pol*lute" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polluted; p. pr. & vb. n. Polluting.] [L. pollutus, p. p. of polluere to defile, to pollute, from a prep. appearing only in comp. + luere to wash. See Position, Lave.] 1. To make foul, impure, or unclean; to defile; to taint; to soil; to desecrate; -- used of physical or moral defilement.

The land was polluted with blood.

Ps. cvi. 38

Wickedness . . . hath polluted the whole earth.

2 Esd. xv. 6.

2. To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonor.

3. (Jewish Law) To render ceremonially unclean; to disqualify or unfit for sacred use or service, or for social intercourse.

Neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

Num. xviii. 32.

They have polluted themselves with blood.

Lam. iv. 14.

Syn. -- To defile; soil; contaminate; corrupt; taint; vitiate; debauch; dishonor; ravish.

Pol*lute", a. [L. pollutus.] Polluted. [R.] Milton.

Pol*lut"ed, a. Defiled; made unclean or impure; debauched. -- Pol*lut"ed*ly, adv. -- Pol*lut"ed*ness, n.

Pol*lut"er (?), n. One who pollutes. Dryden.

Pol*lut"ing, a. Adapted or tending to pollute; causing defilement or pollution. -- Pol*lut"ing*ly, adv.

Pol*lu"tion (?), n. [L. pollutio: cf. F. pollution.] 1. The act of polluting, or the state of being polluted (in any sense of the verb); defilement; uncleanness; impurity.

2. (Med.) The emission of semen, or sperm, at other times than in sexual intercourse. Dunglison.

||Pol"lux (?), n. [L., the twin brother of castor; also, the ||constellation.] 1. (Astron.) A fixed star of the second magnitude, in ||the constellation Gemini. Cf. 3d Castor.

2. (Min.) Same as Pollucite.

Pol"ly (?), n. A woman's name; also, a popular name for a parrot.

Pol"ly*wog (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A polliwig.

Po"lo (?), n. [Of Eastern origin; -- properly, the ball used in the game.] 1. A game of ball of Eastern origin, resembling hockey, with the players on horseback.

2. A similar game played on the ice, or on a prepared floor, by players wearing skates.

Po`lo*naise" (?), a. [F. polonais, polonaise, Polish.] Of or pertaining to the Poles, or to Poland. [Written also Polonese.]

Po`lo*naise" (?), n. [Written also Polonese and Polonoise.] 1. The Polish language.

2. An article of dress for women, consisting of a body and an outer skirt in one piece.

3. (Mus.) A stately Polish dance tune, in 3-4 measure, beginning always on the beat with a quaver followed by a crotchet, and closing on the beat after a strong accent on the second beat; also, a dance adapted to such music; a polacca.

Po`lo*nese" (?), a. & n. See Polonaise.

Po*lo"ny (?), n. [Prob. corrupt. fr. Bologna.] A kind of sausage made of meat partly cooked.

Pol"ron (?), n. See Pauldron.

Polt (?), n. [Cf. E. pelt, L. pultare to beat, strike.] A blow or thump. Halliwell. -- a. Distorted.

Pot foot, a distorted foot. Sir T. Herbert.

{ Polt"-foot` (?), Polt"-foot`ed (?), } a. Having a distorted foot, or a clubfoot or clubfeet. B. Jonson.

Pol*troon" (?), n. [F. poltron, from It. poltrone an idle fellow, sluggard, coward, poltro idle, lazy, also, bed, fr. OHG. polstar, bolstar, cushion, G. polster, akin to E. bolster. See Bolster.] An arrant coward; a dastard; a craven; a mean-spirited wretch. Shak.

Pol*troon", a. Base; vile; contemptible; cowardly.

Pol*troon"er*y (?), n. [F. poltronnerie; cf. It. poltroneria.] Cowardice; want of spirit; pusillanimity.

Pol*troon"ish, a. Resembling a poltroon; cowardly.

Pol"ve*rine (?), n. [It. polverino, fr. polvere &?;ust, L. pulvis, - veris. See Powder.] Glassmaker's ashes; a kind of potash or pearlash, brought from the Levant and Syria, -- used in the manufacture of fine glass.

Pol"wig (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A polliwig. Holland.

Pol"y- (?). [See Full, a.] A combining form or prefix from Gr. poly`s, many; as, polygon, a figure of many angles; polyatomic, having many atoms; polychord, polyconic.

Po"ly (?), n. [L. polium, the name of a plant, perhaps Teucrium polium, Gr. &?;.] (Bot.) A whitish woolly plant (Teucrium Polium) of the order LabiatÊ, found throughout the Mediterranean region. The name, with sundry prefixes, is sometimes given to other related species of the same genus. [Spelt also poley.]

Poly mountain. See Poly-mountain, in Vocabulary.

Pol`y*ac"id (?), a. [Poly- + acid.] (Chem.) Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monobasic acid; having more than one hydrogen atom capable of being replaced by acid radicals; -- said of certain bases; as, calcium hydrate and glycerin are polyacid bases.

Pol`y*a*cous"tic (?), a. [Poly- + acoustic: cf. F. polyacoustique.] Multiplying or magnifying sound. -- n. A polyacoustic instrument.

Pol`y*a*cous"tics (?), n. The art of multiplying or magnifying sounds.

||Pol`y*a"cron (?), n.; pl. Polyacra (#), E. Polyacrons (#). [NL., fr. ||Gr. poly`s many + 'a`kron summit.] (Geom.) A solid having many ||summits or angular points; a polyhedron.

||Pol`y*ac*tin"i*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Actinia.] (Zoˆl.) An ||old name for those Anthozoa which, like the actinias, have numerous ||simple tentacles.

||Pol`y*a*del"phi*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + &?; ||brother.] (Bot.) A LinnÊan class of plants having stamens united in ||three or more bodies or bundles by the filaments.

{ Pol`y*a*del"phi*an (?), Pol`y*a*del"phous (?), } a. (Bot.) Belonging to the class Polyadelphia; having stamens united in three or more bundles.

||Pol`y*an"dri*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polyandry.] (Bot.) A LinnÊan ||class of monoclinous or hermaphrodite plants, having many stamens, or ||any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.

Pol`y*an"dri*an (?), a. (Bot.) Polyandrous.

Pol`y*an"dric (?), a. [Cf. polyandrique.] Pertaining to, or characterized by, polyandry; mating with several males. "Polyandric societies." H. Spencer.

Pol`y*an"drous (?), a. (Bot.) Belonging to the class Polyandria; having many stamens, or any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.

Pol`y*an"dry (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?;, &?;, man, male: cf. F. polyandrie.] The possession by a woman of more than one husband at the same time; -- contrasted with monandry.

In law, this falls under the head of polygamy.

Pol`y*an"thus (?), n.; pl. Polyanthuses (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?; rich in flowers; poly`s many + &?; flower.] [Written also polyanthos.] (Bot.) (a) The oxlip. So called because the peduncle bears a many-flowered umbel. See Oxlip. (b) A bulbous flowering plant of the genus Narcissus (N. Tazetta, or N. polyanthus of some authors). See Illust. of Narcissus.

Pol"y*ar`chist (?), n. One who advocates polyarchy; -- opposed to monarchist. Cudworth.

Pol"y*ar`chy (?), n. [Poly- + -archy: cf. F. polyarchie. Cf. Polarchy.] A government by many persons, of whatever order or class. Cudworth.

Pol`y*a*tom"ic (?), a. [Poly- + atomic.] (Chem.) (a) Having more than one atom in the molecule; consisting of several atoms. (b) Having a valence greater than one. [Obs.]

Pol`y*au*tog"ra*phy (?), n. [Poly- + autography.] The act or practice of multiplying copies of one's own handwriting, or of manuscripts, by printing from stone, -- a species of lithography.

Pol`y*ba"sic (?), a. [Poly- + basic.] (Chem.) Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monacid base; having several hydrogen atoms capable of being replaced by basic radicals; -- said of certain acids; as, sulphuric acid is polybasic.

Pol`y*ba"site (?), n. [See Polybasic.] (Min.) An iron-black ore of silver, consisting of silver, sulphur, and antimony, with some copper and arsenic.

||Pol`y*bran"chi*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Branchia.] (Zoˆl.) A ||division of Nudibranchiata including those which have numerous ||branchiÊ on the back.

Pol`y*bro"mide (?), n. [Poly- + bromide.] (Chem.) A bromide containing more than one atom of bromine in the molecule.

Pol`y*car"pel*la*ry (?), a. (Bot.) Composed of several or numerous carpels; -- said of such fruits as the orange.

{ Pol`y*car"pic (?), Pol`y*car"pous (?), } a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; fruit.] (Bot.) (a) Bearing fruit repeatedly, or year after year. (b) Having several pistils in one flower.

||Pol`y*chÊ"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. poly`s many + &?; hair.] ||(Zoˆl.) One of the two principal groups of ChÊtopoda. It includes ||those that have prominent parapodia and fascicles of setÊ. See ||Illust. under Parapodia.

Pol`y*chlo"ride (?), n. [Poly- + chloride.] (Chem.) A chloride containing more than one atom of chlorine in the molecule.

Pol`y*chúr"a*ny (?), n. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; wide-ruling.] A government by many chiefs, princes, or rules. [Obs.] Cudworth.

Pol"y*chord (?), a. [Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; string, cord.] Having many strings.

Pol"y*chord, n. (Mus.) (a) A musical instrument of ten strings. (b) An apparatus for coupling two octave notes, capable of being attached to a keyed instrument.

Pol"y*chrest (?), n. [Gr. &?; useful for many purposes; poly`s many + &?; useful, fr. &?; to use: cf. F. polychreste.] (Med.) A medicine that serves for many uses, or that cures many diseases. [Obs.]

Polychrest salt (Old Med. Chem.), potassium sulphate, specifically obtained by fusing niter with sulphur.

Pol"y*chro*ism (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; color.] Same as Pleochroism.

Pol"y*chro*ite (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; color: cf. F. polychroÔte.] (Chem.) The coloring matter of saffron; -- formerly so called because of the change of color on treatment with certain acids; -- called also crocin, and safranin.

Pol`y*chro"mate (?), n. [See Polychromic.] (Chem.) A salt of a polychromic acid.

Pol`y*chro"mate, n. [See Polychromatic.] (Chem.) A compound which exhibits, or from which may be prepared, a variety of colors, as certain solutions derived from vegetables, which display colors by fluorescence.

Pol`y*chro*mat"ic (?), a. [Poly- + chromatic.] Showing a variety, or a change, of colors.

Polychromatic acid (Old Chem.), a substance obtained by the action of nitric acid on aloes.

Pol"y*chrome (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; color.] (Chem.) Esculin; -- so called in allusion to its fluorescent solutions. [R.]

Pol"y*chrome, a. [Cf. F. polychrome.] Executed in the manner of polychromy; as, polychrome printing.

Pol`y*chro"mic (?), a. [Poly- + (sense 1) Gr. &?;, or (sense 2) chromic.] 1. Polychromatic.

2. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, any one of several acids (known only in their salts) which contain more than one atom of chromium.

Pol`y*chro"mous (?), a. Of or pertaining to polychromy; many-colored; polychromatic.

Pol"y*chro`my (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; color.] (Anc. Art) The art or practice of combining different colors, especially brilliant ones, in an artistic way.

Pol`y*chro"ni*ous (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; for a long time, &?; time.] Enduring through a long time; chronic.

Pol`y*clin"ic (?), n. [Poly- + clinic.] (Med.) A clinic in which diseases of many sorts are treated; especially, an institution in which clinical instruction is given in all kinds of disease.

Pol`y*con"ic (?), a. [Poly- + conic.] Pertaining to, or based upon, many cones.

Polyconic projection (Map Making), a projection of the earth's surface, or any portion thereof, by which each narrow zone is projected upon a conical surface that touches the sphere along this zone, the conical surface being then unrolled. This projection differs from conic projection in that latter assumes but one cone for the whole map. Polyconic projection is that in use in the United States coast and geodetic survey.

Pol`y*cot`y*le"don (?), n. [Poly- + cotyledon: cf. F. polycotylÈdone.] (Bot.) A plant that has many, or more than two, cotyledons in the seed. -- Pol`y*cot`y*led"on*ous (#), a.

Pol`y*cot`y*led"on*a*ry (?), a. [Poly- + cotyledonary.] (Anat.) Having the villi of the placenta collected into definite patches, or cotyledons.

Po*lyc"ra*cy (?), n. [Poly- + -cracy, as in democracy.] Government by many rulers; polyarchy.

<! p. 1110 !>

Pol`y*crot"ic (pl`*krt"k), a. [Poly- + Gr. krotei^n to beat.] (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to polycrotism; manifesting polycrotism; as, a polycrotic pulse; a polycrotic pulse curve.

Po*lyc"ro*tism (?), n. (Physiol.) That state or condition of the pulse in which the pulse curve, or sphygmogram, shows several secondary crests or elevations; -- contrasted with monocrotism and dicrotism.

Pol`y*cys"tid (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) One of the Polycystidea. (b) One of the Polycystina. -- a. Pertaining to the Polycystidea, or the Polycystina.

||Pol`y*cys*tid"e*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Cystidea.] (Zoˆl.) ||A division of GregarinÊ including those that have two or more ||internal divisions of the body.

||Pol`y*cys*ti"na (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Cyst.] (Zoˆl.) A ||division of Radiolaria including numerous minute marine species. The ||skeleton is composed of silica, and is often very elegant in form and ||sculpture. Many have been found in the fossil state.

Pol`y*cys"tine (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Pertaining to the Polycystina. -- n. One of the Polycystina.

||Pol`y*cyt*ta"ri*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + &?;, dim. ||fr. &?; a hollow vessel.] (Zoˆl.) A division of Radiolaria. It ||includes those having one more central capsules.

Pol`y*dac"tyl*ism (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; finger: cf. F. polydactylisme.] (Anat.) The possession of more that the normal number of digits.

||Pol`y*dip"si*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s much + &?; thirst.] ||(Med.) Excessive and constant thirst occasioned by disease.

Pol`y*e"dron (?), n. See Polyhedron.

Pol`y*e"drous (?), a. See Polyhedral.

Pol`y*ei"dic (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; form.] (Zoˆl.) Passing through several distinct larval forms; -- having several distinct kinds of young.

Pol`y*ei"dism (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The quality or state of being polyeidic.

Pol`y*em"bry*o*nate (?), a. [Poly- + embryonate.] (Bot.) Consisting of, or having, several embryos; polyembryonic.

Pol`y*em`bry*on"ic (?), a. [Poly- + embryonic.] (Bot.) Polyembryonate.

Pol`y*em"bry*o*ny (?), n. [See Poly- , and Embryo.] (Bot.) The production of two or more embryos in one seed, due either to the existence and fertilization of more than one embryonic sac or to the origination of embryos outside of the embryonic sac.

Pol"y*foil (?), n. [Poly- + foil, n.] (Arch.) Same as Multifoil.

||Po*lyg"a*la (?), n. [L., milkwort, fr. Gr. &?;; poly`s much + &?; ||milk.] A genus of bitter herbs or shrubs having eight stamens and a ||two-celled ovary (as the Seneca snakeroot, the flowering wintergreen, ||etc.); milkwort.

Pol`y*ga*la"ceous (?), a. Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (PolygalaceÊ) of which Polygala is the type.

Po*lyg"a*lic (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, Polygala; specifically, designating an acrid glucoside (called polygalic acid, senegin, etc.), resembling, or possibly identical with, saponin.

||Pol`y*ga"mi*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polygamous.] (Bot.) (a) A LinnÊan ||class of plants, characterized by having both hermaphrodite and ||unisexual flowers on the same plant. (b) A name given by LinnÊus to ||file orders of plants having syngenesious flowers.

Pol`y*ga"mi*an (?), a. (Bot.) Polygamous.

Po*lyg"a*mist (?), n. [Cf. F. polygamiste, polygame, Gr. &?;, a.] One who practices polygamy, or maintains its lawfulness.

Po*lyg"a*mize (?), v. i. To practice polygamy; to marry several wives. Sylvester. Coleridge.

Po*lyg"a*mous (?), a. [Gr. &?; living &?; polygamy; poly`s many + &?; marriage. Cf. Bigamy.]

1. Of or pertaining to polygamy; characterized by, or involving, polygamy; having a plurality of wives; as, polygamous marriages; -- opposed to monogamous.

2. (Zoˆl.) Pairing with more than one female.

Most deer, cattle, and sheep are polygamous.

Darwin.

3. (Bot.) Belonging to the Polygamia; bearing both hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers on the same plant.

Po*lyg"a*my (?), n. [Gr. &?;; cf. F. polygamie.] 1. The having of a plurality of wives or husbands at the same time; usually, the marriage of a man to more than one woman, or the practice of having several wives, at the same time; -- opposed to monogamy; as, the nations of the East practiced polygamy. See the Note under Bigamy, and cf. Polyandry.

2. (Zoˆl.) The state or habit of having more than one mate.

3. (Bot.) The condition or state of a plant which bears both perfect and unisexual flowers.

Pol`y*gas"tri*an (pl`*gs"tr*an), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Polygastrica. [Obs.]

Pol`y*gas"tric (-trk), a. [Poly- + gastric: cf. F. polygastrique.] 1. (Anat.) Having several bellies; -- applied to muscles which are made up of several bellies separated by short tendons.

2. (Zoˆl.) Pertaining to the Polygastrica. [Obs.]

Pol`y*gas"tric (pl`*gs"trk), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Polygastrica.

||Pol`y*gas"tri*ca (-tr*k), n. pl. [NL. So called because they were ||supposed to have several stomachs, or digestive cavities.] (Zoˆl.) ||The Infusoria. [Obs.]

{ Pol`y*gen"e*sis (-jn"*ss), Po*lyg"e*ny (p*lj"*n), } n. [Poly- + genesis, or root of Gr. gi`gnesqai to be born.] (Biol.) The theory that living organisms originate in cells or embryos of different kinds, instead of coming from a single cell; -- opposed to monogenesis.

Pol`y*ge*net"ic (?), a. 1. Having many distinct sources; originating at various places or times.

2. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to polygenesis; polyphyletic.

Polygenetic mountain range (Geol.), one which is composite, or consists of two or more monogenetic ranges, each having had its own history of development. Dana.

Pol`y*gen"ic (-jn"k), a. (Biol.) Of or relating to polygeny; polygenetic.

Po*lyg"e*nism (p*lj"*nz'm), n. [Cf. F. polygÈnisme.] (Biol.) The doctrine that animals of the same species have sprung from more than one original pair.

Po*lyg"e*nist (-nst), n. (Biol.) One who maintains that animals of the same species have sprung from more than one original pair; -- opposed to monogenist.

Po*lyg"e*nous (?), a. [Poly- + -genous: cf. Gr. &?; of many families.] Consisting of, or containing, many kinds; as, a polygenous mountain. Kirwan.

Pol"y*glot (?), a. [Gr. poly`glwttos many-tongued; poly`s many + glw^tta, glw^ssa, tongue, language: cf. F. polyglotte.] 1. Containing, or made up, of, several languages; as, a polyglot lexicon, Bible.

2. Versed in, or speaking, many languages.

Pol"y*glot, n. 1. One who speaks several languages. [R.] "A polyglot, or good linguist." Howell.

2. A book containing several versions of the same text, or containing the same subject matter in several languages; esp., the Scriptures in several languages.

Enriched by the publication of polyglots.

Abp. Newcome.

Pol`y*glot"tous (?), a. [See Polyglot.] Speaking many languages; polyglot. [R.] "The polyglottous tribes of America." Max M¸ller.

Pol"y*gon (?), n. [Gr. poly`gwnos polygonal; poly`s many + gwni`a angle: cf. F. polygone.] (Geom.) A plane figure having many angles, and consequently many sides; esp., one whose perimeter consists of more than four sides; any figure having many angles.

Polygon of forces (Mech.), a polygonal figure, the sides of which, taken successively, represent, in length and direction, several forces acting simultaneously upon one point, so that the side necessary to complete the figure represents the resultant of those forces. Cf. Parallelogram of forces, under Parallelogram.

Pol`y*go*na"ceous (?), a. [See Polygonum.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of apetalous plants (PolygonaceÊ), of which the knotweeds (species of Polygonum) are the type, and which includes also the docks (Rumex), the buckwheat, rhubarb, sea grape (Coccoloba), and several other genera.

Po*lyg"o*nal (?), a. Having many angles.

Polygonal numbers, certain figurate numbers. See under Figurate.

Pol`y*go*neu"tic (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; offspring.] (Zoˆl.) Having two or more broods in a season.

Pol`y*go*nom"e*try (?), n. [Polygon + -metry.] The doctrine of polygons; an extension of some of the principles of trigonometry to the case of polygons.

Po*lyg"o*nous (?), a. Polygonal.

||Po*lyg"o*num (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a kind of plant; poly`s many + ||go`ny the knee, a joint of a plant. So called in allusion to the ||numerous joints.] (Bot.) A genus of plants embracing a large number ||of species, including bistort, knotweed, smartweed, etc.

Po*lyg"o*ny (?), n. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Polygonum.

||Pol`y*gor"di*us (?), n. [NL. See Poly-, and Gordius.] (Zoˆl.) A genus ||of marine annelids, believed to be an ancient or ancestral type. It ||is remarkable for its simplicity of structure and want of parapodia. ||It is the type of the order Archiannelida, or Gymnotoma. See Loeven's ||larva.

Pol"y*gram (?), n. [Gr. &?; marked with many stripes; poly`s many + &?; a line.] A figure consisting of many lines. [R.] Barlow.

Pol"y*graph (?), n. [Gr. &?; writing much; poly`s much, many + &?; to write: cf. F. polygraphe.] 1. An instrument for multiplying copies of a writing; a manifold writer; a copying machine.

2. In bibliography, a collection of different works, either by one or several authors. Brande & C.

{ Pol`y*graph"ic (?), Pol`y*graph"ic*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. polygraphique.] Pertaining to, or employed in, polygraphy; as, a polygraphic instrument.

2. Done with a polygraph; as, a polygraphic copy.

Po*lyg"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?;; poly`s much + gra`fein to write: cf. F. polygraphie.] 1. Much writing; writing of many books. [Obs.] Fuller.

2. The art of writing in various ciphers, and of deciphering the same. [R.]

3. The art or practice of using a polygraph.

Pol"y*grooved` (?), a. [Poly- + groove.] Having many grooves; as, a polygrooved rifle or gun (referring to the rifling).

Pol"y*gyn (?), n. [Cf. F. polygyne. See Polygyny.] (Bot.) A plant of the order Polygynia.

||Pol`y*gyn"i*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polygyny.] (Bot.) A LinnÊan order ||of plants having many styles.

{ Pol`y*gyn"i*an (?), Po*lyg"y*nous (?), } a. (Bot.) Having many styles; belonging to the order Polygynia.

Po*lyg"y*nist (?), n. One who practices or advocates polygyny. H. Spenser.

Po*lyg"y*ny (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; woman, wife.] The state or practice of having several wives at the same time; marriage to several wives. H. Spenser.

Pol`y*ha"lite (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; salt.] (Min.) A mineral usually occurring in fibrous masses, of a brick-red color, being tinged with iron, and consisting chiefly of the sulphates of lime, magnesia, and soda.

{ Pol`y*he"dral (?), Pol`y*hed"ric*al (?), } a. [See Polyhedron.] (Geom.) Having many sides, as a solid body.

Polyhedral angle, an angle bounded by three or more plane angles having a common vertex.

Pol`y*he"dron (?), n.; pl. E. Polyhedrons. (#), L. Polyhedra (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?; with many seats or sides; poly`s many + &?; a seat or side: cf. F. polyËdre.] 1. (Geom.) A body or solid contained by many sides or planes.

2. (Opt.) A polyscope, or multiplying glass.

Pol`y*he"drous (?), a. Polyhedral.

Pol`y*his"tor (?), n. [Gr. &?; very learned.] One versed in various learning. [R.]

Pol`y*hym"ni*a (?), n. [L., from Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; hymn.] (Anc. Myth.) The Muse of lyric poetry.

Pol`y*i"o*dide (?), n. (Chem.) A iodide having more than one atom of iodine in the molecule.

Po*lyl"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. &?;; poly`s much + &?; discourse.] Talkativeness. [R.]

Po*lyl"o*quent (?), a. [Poly- + L. loquens, p. pr. of logui to speak.] Garrulous; loquacious. [R.]

Pol`y*mas"tism (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; a breast.] (Anat.) The condition of having more than two mammÊ, or breasts.

Pol`y*math"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. polymathique. See Polymathy.] Pertaining to polymathy; acquainted with many branches of learning.

Po*lym"a*thist (?), n. One versed in many sciences; a person of various learning.

Po*lym"a*thy (?), n. [Gr. &?;; poly`s much + &?;, &?;, to learn.] The knowledge of many arts and sciences; variety of learning. Johnson.

Pol`y*me*nis"cous (?), a. [See Poly- , and Meniscus.] (Zoˆl.) Having numerous facets; -- said of the compound eyes of insects and crustaceans.

Pol"y*mer (?), n. [See Polymeric.] (Chem.) Any one of two or more substances related to each other by polymerism; specifically, a substance produced from another substance by chemical polymerization. [Formerly also written polymere.]

Pol`y*mer"ic (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; part.] (Chem.) Having the same percentage composition (that is, having the same elements united in the same proportion by weight), but different molecular weights; -- often used with with; thus, cyanic acid (CNOH), fulminic acid (C2N2O2H2), and cyanuric acid (C3N3O3H3), are polymeric with each other.

The figures expressing the number of atoms of each element in a number of polymeric substances are respectively multiples and factors of each other, or have some simple common divisor. The relation may be merely a numerical one, as in the example given above, or a chemical one, as in the case of aldehyde, paraldehyde, and metaldehyde.

Po*lym"er*ism (?), n. (Chem.) (a) The state, quality, or relation of two or more polymeric substances. (b) The act or process of forming polymers.

Pol`y*mer`i*za"tion (?), n. (Chem.) The act or process of changing to a polymeric form; the condition resulting from such change.

Pol"y*mer*ize (?), v. t. (Chem.) To cause polymerization of; to produce polymers from; to increase the molecular weight of, without changing the atomic proportions; thus, certain acids polymerize aldehyde.

Pol"y*mer*ize, v. i. (Chem.) To change into another substance having the same atomic proportions, but a higher molecular weight; to undergo polymerization; thus, aldehyde polymerizes in forming paraldehyde.

Po*lym"er*ous (?), a. 1. (Bot.) Having many parts or members in each set. Gray.

2. (Chem.) Polymeric. [Obs.]

Po*lym"ni*a (?), n. See Polyhymnia.

Pol"ym*nite (?), n. [Gr. &?; full of moss; poly`s much + &?; moss.] (Min.) A stone marked with dendrites and black lines, and so disposed as to represent rivers, marshes, etc.

Pol"y*morph (?), n. [Gr. &?; multiform; poly`s many + &?; form: cf. F. polymorphe.] (Crystallog.) A substance capable of crystallizing in several distinct forms; also, any one of these forms. Cf. Allomorph.

Pol`y*mor"phic (?), a. Polymorphous.

Pol`y*mor"phism (?), n. 1. (Crystallog.) Same as Pleomorphism.

2. (Biol.) (a) The capability of assuming different forms; the capability of widely varying in form. (b) Existence in many forms; the coexistence, in the same locality, of two or more distinct forms independent of sex, not connected by intermediate gradations, but produced from common parents.

||Pol`y*mor*pho"sis (?), n. [NL. See Poly-, and Morphosis.] (Zoˆl.) The ||assumption of several structural forms without a corresponding ||difference in function; -- said of sponges, etc.

Pol`y*mor"phous (?), a. 1. Having, or assuming, a variety of forms, characters, or styles; as, a polymorphous author. De Quincey.

2. (Biol.) Having, or occurring in, several distinct forms; -- opposed to monomorphic.

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Pol"y*mor`phy (?), n. Existence in many forms; polymorphism.

Po`ly-moun"tain (?), n. (Bot.) (a) Same as Poly, n. (b) The closely related Teucrium montanum, formerly called Polium montanum, a plant of Southern Europe. (c) The Bartsia alpina, a low purple-flowered herb of Europe.

||Pol`y*my"o*dÊ (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polymyoid.] (Zoˆl.) Same as ||Oscines.

Pol`y*my"o*dous (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Polymyoid.

Po*lym"y*oid (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?;, &?;, muscle + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) Having numerous vocal muscles; of or pertaining to the PolymyodÊ.

Pol"y*neme (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; thread.] (Zoˆl.) Any one of numerous species of tropical food fishes of the family PolynemidÊ. They have several slender filaments, often very long, below the pectoral fin. Some of them yield isinglass of good quality. Called also threadfish.

Pol`y*ne"moid (?), a. [Polyneme + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the polynemes, or the family PolynemidÊ.

Pol`y*ne"sian (?), a. Of or pertaining to Polynesia (the islands of the eastern and central Pacific), or to the Polynesians.

Pol`y*ne"sians (?), n. pl.; sing. Polynesian. (Ethnol.) The race of men native in Polynesia.

Po*lyn"i*a (?), n. [Russ. poluineia a warm place in water, i. e., a place which does not freeze.] The open sea supposed to surround the north pole. Kane.

Pol`y*no"mi*al (?), n. [Poly- + -nomial, as in monomial, binomial: cf. F. polynÙme.] (Alg.) An expression composed of two or more terms, connected by the signs plus or minus; as, a2 - 2ab + b2.

Pol`y*no"mi*al, a. 1. Containing many names or terms; multinominal; as, the polynomial theorem.

2. Consisting of two or more words; having names consisting of two or more words; as, a polynomial name; polynomial nomenclature.

Pol`y*nu"cle*ar (?), a. [Poly- + nuclear.] (Biol.) Containing many nuclei.

Pol`y*nu*cle"o*lar (?), a. [Poly- + nucleolar.] (Biol.) Having more than one nucleolus.

Pol`y*om"ma*tous (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?;, &?;, the eye.] Having many eyes.

Pol`y*on"o*mous (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?;, &?;, name: cf. Gr. &?;.] Having many names or titles; polyonymous. Sir W. Jones.

Pol`y*on"o*my (?), n. [Cf. Gr. &?; a multitude of names.] The use of a variety of names for the same object. G. S. Faber.

Pol"y*o*nym (?), n. 1. An object which has a variety of names.

2. A polynomial name or term.

Pol`y*on"y*mous, a. Polyonomous.

{ Pol`y*op"tron (?), Pol`y*op"trum (?), } n. [NL., from Gr. poly`s many + &?; seen.] (Opt.) A glass through which objects appear multiplied, but diminished in size. [R.]

Pol`y*o*ra"ma (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; a sight, view.] A view of many objects; also, a sort of panorama with dissolving views.

Pol"yp (?), n. [L. polypus, Gr. &?;, &?;, literally, many-footed; poly`s many + &?;, &?;, foot: cf. F. polype. See Poly- and Foot, and cf. Polypode, Polypody, Poulp.] (Zoˆl.) (a) One of the feeding or nutritive zooids of a hydroid or coral. (b) One of the Anthozoa. (c) pl. Same as Anthozoa. See Anthozoa, Madreporaria, Hydroid. [Written also polype.]

Fresh-water polyp, the hydra. -- Polyp stem (Zoˆl.), that portion of the stem of a siphonophore which bears the polypites, or feeding zooids.

Po*lyp"a*rous (?), a. [Poly- + L. parere to produce.] Producing or bearing a great number; bringing forth many.

Pol"y*pa*ry (?), n.; pl. Polyparies (#). [See Polyp.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Polypidom.

Pol"ype (?), n. [F.] (Zoˆl.) See Polyp.

Pol`y*pe"an (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to a polyp, or polyps.

Pol`y*pe*ryth"rin (?), n. [Polyp + Gr. &?; red.] (Physiol. Chem.) A coloring matter found in many simple Anthozoa and some hydroids.

Pol`y*pet"al*ous (?), a. [Poly- + petal.] (Bot.) Consisting of, or having, several or many separate petals; as, a polypetalous corolla, flower, or plant. Martyn.

Po*lyph"a*gous (?), a. [L. polyphagus, Gr. &?;; poly`s much, many + &?; to eat: cf. F. polyphage.] Eating, or subsisting on, many kinds of food; as, polyphagous animals.

Po*lyph""a*gy (?), n. The practice or faculty of subsisting on many kinds of food.

Pol`y*phar"ma*cy (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; the using of medicine, fr. &?; medicine: cf. F. polypharmacie.] (Med.) (a) The act or practice of prescribing too many medicines. (b) A prescription made up of many medicines or ingredients. Dunglison.

Pol`y*phe"mus (?), n. [L. Polyphemus the one-eyed Cyclops who was blinded by Ulysses.] (Zoˆl.) A very large American moth (Telea polyphemus) belonging to the Silkworm family (BombycidÊ). Its larva, which is very large, bright green, with silvery tubercles, and with oblique white stripes on the sides, feeds on the oak, chestnut, willow, cherry, apple, and other trees. It produces a large amount of strong silk. Called also American silkworm.

Pol"y*phone (?), n. A character or vocal sign representing more than one sound, as read, which is pronounced rd or rd.

Pol`y*phon"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; sound: cf. F. polyphone.] 1. Having a multiplicity of sounds.

2. Characterized by polyphony; as, Assyrian polyphonic characters.

3. (Mus.) Consisting of several tone series, or melodic parts, progressing simultaneously according to the laws of counterpoint; contrapuntal; as, a polyphonic composition; -- opposed to homophonic, or monodic.

Po*lyph"o*nism (?), n. Polyphony.

Po*lyph"o*nist (?), n. 1. A proficient in the art of multiplying sounds; a ventriloquist.

2. (Mus.) A master of polyphony; a contrapuntist.

Po*lyph"o*nous (?), a. Same as Polyphonic.

Po*lyph"o*ny (?), n. [Gr. &?;.] 1. Multiplicity of sounds, as in the reverberations of an echo.

2. Plurality of sounds and articulations expressed by the same vocal sign.

3. (Mus.) Composition in mutually related, equally important parts which share the melody among them; contrapuntal composition; -- opposed to homophony, in which the melody is given to one part only, the others filling out the harmony. See Counterpoint.

Pol"y*phore (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; to bear.] (Bot.) A receptacle which bears many ovaries.

Pol`y*phy*let"ic (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; clan.] (Biol.) Pertaining to, or characterized by, descent from more than one root form, or from many different root forms; polygenetic; -- opposed to monophyletic.

Po*lyph"yl*lous (?), a. [Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; leaf.] (Bot.) Many-leaved; as, a polyphyllous calyx or perianth.

||Pol"y*pi (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) The Anthozoa.

Pol"y*pide (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the ordinary zooids of the Bryozoa. [Spellt also polypid.]

Po*lyp"i*dom (?), n. [Polypus + L. domus house.] (Zoˆl.) A coral, or corallum; also, one of the coral-like structure made by bryozoans and hydroids.

||Po`ly`pier" (?), n. [F.] A polypidom.

||Pol`y*pif"e*ra (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) The Anthozoa.

Pol*y*pif"er*ous (?), a. [Polypus + -ferous.] (Zoˆl.) Bearing polyps, or polypites.

Pol`y*pip"a*rous (?), a. [Polypus + L. parere to produce.] (Zoˆl.) Producing polyps.

Pol"y*pite (?), n. 1. (Zoˆl.) (a) One of the feeding zooids, or polyps, of a coral, hydroid, or siphonophore; a hydranth. See Illust. of Campanularian. (b) Sometimes, the manubrium of a hydroid medusa.

2. (Paleon.) A fossil coral.

||Pol`y*pla*coph"o*ra (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Placophora.] ||(Zoˆl.) See Placophora.

Pol`y*plas"tic (?), a. [Poly- + -plastic.] (Biol.) Assuming, or having the power of assuming, many forms; as, a polyplastic element which does not preserve its original shape.

Pol`y*pode (?), n. [Cf. F. polypode. See Polypody.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Polypodium; polypody. [Written also polypod.]

Pol"y*pode, n. [Gr. &?;, &?;, the wood louse, milleped: cf. F. polypode. See Polyp.] (Zoˆl.) An animal having many feet; a myriapod.

Pol"y*po`di*um (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;, dim. of &?;. See Polyp, and cf. 2d Polypode.] (Bot.) A genus of plants of the order Filices or ferns. The fructifications are in uncovered roundish points, called sori, scattered over the inferior surface of the frond or leaf. There are numerous species.

Pol"y*po`dy (?), n. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Polypodium.

Pol"y*poid (?), a. [Polyp + - oid.] 1. (Zoˆl.) Like a polyp; having the nature of a polyp, but lacking the tentacles or other parts.

2. (Med.) Resembling a polypus in appearance; having a character like that of a polypus.

||Pol`y*po*me*du"sÊ (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polyp, and Medusa.] (Zoˆl.) ||Same as Hydrozoa.

Po*lyp"o*rous (?; 277), a. [Poly- + porous.] Having many pores. Wright.

||Po*lyp"o*rus (?), n.; pl. Polypori (#). [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + ||&?; a pore.] (Bot.) A genus of fungi having the under surface full of ||minute pores; also, any fungus of this genus.

Polyporus fomentarius was formerly dried and cut in slices for tinder, called amadou. P. betulinus is common in America, and forms very large thick white semicircular excrescences on birch trees. Several species of Polyporous are considered edible.

Pol"y*pous (?), a. [Cf. F. polypeux. See Polyp.] Of the nature of a polypus; having many feet or roots, like the polypus; affected with polypus.

{ Pol`y*prag*mat"ic (?), Pol`y*prag*mat"ic*al (?), } a. [Poly- + pragmatic, - ical.] Overbusy; officious. [R.] Heywood.

Pol`y*prag"ma*ty (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; business.] The state of being overbusy. [R.]

||Pol`y*pro`to*don"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + &?; first ||+ &?;, &?;, tooth.] (Zoˆl.) A division of marsupials in which there ||are more fore incisor teeth in each jaw.

||Po*lyp`te*roi"de*i (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polypterus, and -oid.] ||(Zoˆl.) A suborder of existing ganoid fishes having numerous fins ||along the back. The bichir, or Polypterus, is the type. See Illust. ||under Crossopterygian.

Po*lyp`te*rus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + &?; feather, wing.] (Zoˆl.) An African genus of ganoid fishes including the bichir.

||Pol`yp*to"ton (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?; having, or being in, many ||cases; poly`s many + &?; case.] (Rhet.) A figure by which a word is ||repeated in different forms, cases, numbers, genders, etc., as in ||Tennyson's line, -- "My own heart's heart, and ownest own, farewell."

Pol"y*pus (?), n.; pl. E. Polypuses (#), L. Polypi (#). [L. See Polyp.] 1. (Zoˆl.) Same as Polyp.

2. (Med.) A tumor, usually with a narrow base, somewhat resembling a pear, -- found in the nose, uterus, etc., and produced by hypertrophy of some portion of the mucous membrane.

Pol`y*rhi"zous (?), a. [Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; root.] (Bot.) Having numerous roots, or rootlets.

Pol`y*sche"ma*tist (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; form, manner.] Having, or existing in, many different forms or fashions; multiform.

Pol"y*scope (?), n. [Gr. &?; farseeing; poly`s much, many + &?; to view: cf. F. polyscope.] 1. (Opt.) A glass which makes a single object appear as many; a multiplying glass. Hutton.

2. (Med.) An apparatus for affording a view of the different cavities of the body.

Pol`y*sep"al*ous (?), a. [Poly- + sepal.] (Bot.) Having the sepals separate from each other.

Pol`y*si*lic"ic (?), a. [Poly- + silicic.] (Chem.) Of or pertaining to compounds formed by the condensation of two or more molecules of silicic acid.

Polysilicic acid (Chem.), any one of a series of acids formed by the condensation of two or more molecules of silicic acid, with elimination of water.

Pol"y*spast (?), n. [L. polyspaston, fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?; drawn by several cords; poly`s many + &?; to draw: cf. F. polyspaste.] (Surg.) A machine consisting of many pulleys; specifically, an apparatus formerly used for reducing luxations.

Pol`y*sper"mous (?), a. [Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; seed.] (Bot.) Containing many seeds; as, a polyspermous capsule or berry. Martyn.

Pol"y*sper`my (?), n. (Biol.) Fullness of sperm, or seed; the passage of more than one spermatozoˆn into the vitellus in the impregnation of the ovum.

Pol`y*spor"ous (?), a. [Poly- + spore.] (Bot.) Containing many spores.

||Pol`y*stom"a*ta (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. poly`s many + &?;, &?;, ||mouth.] (Zoˆl.) A division of trematode worms having more two ||suckers. Called also Polystomea and Polystoma.

Pol"y*stome (?), a. [Gr. &?; many- mouthed; poly`s + sto`ma mouth.] (Zoˆl.) Having many mouths.

Pol"y*stome, n. (Zoˆl.) An animal having many mouths; -- applied to Protozoa.

Pol"y*style (?), a. [Gr. &?; with many columns; poly`s many + &?; column: cf. F. polystyle.] (Arch.) Having many columns; -- said of a building, especially of an interior part or court; as, a polystyle hall. -- n. A polystyle hall or edifice.

Pol`y*sul"phide (?), n. [Poly- + sulphide.] (Chem.) A sulphide having more than one atom of sulphur in the molecule; -- contrasted with monosulphide.

Pol`y*sul"phu*ret (?), n. (Chem.) A polysulphide. [Obsoles.]

{ Pol`y*syl*lab"ic (?), Pol`y*syl*lab"ic*al (?), } a. [Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; syllable: cf. F. polysyllabique.] Pertaining to a polysyllable; containing, or characterized by, polysyllables; consisting of more than three syllables.

Pol`y*syl*lab"i*cism (?), n. Polysyllabism.

Pol`y*syl`la*bic"i*ty (?), n. Polysyllabism.

Pol`y*syl"la*bism (?), n. The quality or state of being polysyllabic.

Pol"y*syl`la*ble (?), n. [Poly- + syllable.] A word of many syllables, or consisting of more syllables than three; -- words of less than four syllables being called monosyllables, dissyllables, and trisyllables.

Pol`y*syn*det"ic (?), a. Characterized by polysyndeton, or the multiplication of conjunctions. -- Pol`y*syn*det"ic*al*ly (#), adv.

||Pol`y*syn"de*ton (?), n. [NL., from Gr. poly`s many + &?; bound ||together, fr. &?; to bind together; &?; with + &?; to bind.] (Rhet.) ||A figure by which the conjunction is often repeated, as in the ||sentence, "We have ships and men and money and stores." Opposed to ||asyndeton.

Pol`y*syn"the*sis (?), n. [Poly- + synthesis.] 1. The act or process of combining many separate elements into a whole.

2. (Philol.) The formation of a word by the combination of several simple words, as in the aboriginal languages of America; agglutination. Latham.

Pol`y*syn*thet"ic (-sn*tht"k), a. [Poly- + synthetic.] Characterized by polysynthesis; agglutinative.

Polysynthetic twinning (Min.), repeated twinning, like that of the triclinic feldspar, producing fine parallel bands in alternately reversed positions.

Pol`y*syn*thet"i*cism (-*sz'm), n. Polysynthesis.

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Pol`y*tech"nic (pl`*tk"nk), a. [Gr. poly`technos; poly`s many + te`chnh an art: cf. F. polytechnique.] Comprehending, or relating to, many arts and sciences; -- applied particularly to schools in which many branches of art and science are taught with especial reference to their practical application; also to exhibitions of machinery and industrial products.

Pol`y*tech"nic*al (?), a. Polytechnic.

Pol`y*tech"nics (?), n. The science of the mechanic arts.

||Pol`y*tha*la"mi*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polythalamous.] (Zoˆl.) A ||division of Foraminifera including those having a manychambered ||shell.

Pol`y*thal"a*mous (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; a chamber.] (Zoˆl.) Many-chambered; -- applied to shells of Foraminifera and cephalopods. See Illust. of Nautilus.

Pol"y*the*ism (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; cf. F. polythÈisme.] The doctrine of, or belief in, a plurality of gods.

In the Old Testament, the gradual development of polytheism from the primitive monotheism may be learned.

Shaff-Herzog.

Pol"y*the*ist, n. [Cf. F. polythÈiste.] One who believes in, or maintains the doctrine of, a plurality of gods.

{ Pol`y*the*is"tic (?), Pol`y*the*is"tic*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to polytheism; characterized by polytheism; professing or advocating polytheism; as, polytheistic worship; a polytheistic author, or nation. -- Pol`y*the*is"tic*al*ly, adv.

Pol"y*the*ize (?), v. i. To adhere to, advocate, or inculcate, the doctrine of polytheism. Milman.

Pol`y*the"lism (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. qhlh` a nipple.] (Anat.) The condition of having more than two teats, or nipples.

Po*lyt"o*cous (?), a. [Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; offspring.] 1. (Bot.) Bearing fruit repeatedly, as most perennial plants; polycarpic.

2. (Zoˆl.) Producing many or young.

Po*lyt"o*mous (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; a cutting, fr. &?; to cut.] (Bot.) Subdivided into many distinct subordinate parts, which, however, not being jointed to the petiole, are not true leaflets; -- said of leaves. Henslow.

Po*lyt"o*my (?), n. (Logic) A division into many members. F. Bowen.

Pol`y*tung"state (?), n. A salt of polytungstic acid.

Pol`y*tung"stic (?), a. (Chem.) Containing several tungsten atoms or radicals; as, polytungstic acid.

Polytungstic acid (Chem.), any one of several complex acids of tungsten containing more than one atom of tungsten.

Pol"y*type (?), n. [Poly- + - type.] (Print.) A cast, or facsimile copy, of an engraved block, matter in type, etc. (see citation); as, a polytype in relief.

By pressing the wood cut into semifluid metal, an intaglio matrix is produced: and from this matrix, in a similar way, a polytype in relief is obtained.

Hansard.

Pol"y*type, a. (Print.) Of or pertaining to polytypes; obtained by polytyping; as, a polytype plate.

Pol"y*type, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polytyped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Polytyping (?).] (Print.) To produce a polytype of; as, to polytype an engraving.

||Pol`y*u"ri*a (?), n. [NL. See Poly- , and Urine.] (Med.) A ||persistently excessive flow of watery urine, with low specific ||gravity and without the presence of either albumin or sugar. It is ||generally accompanied with more or less thirst.

Po*lyv"a*lent (?), a. [Poly- + L. valens, p. pr. See Valent.] (Chem.) Multivalent.

Pol"yve (?), n. [See Polive.] A pulley. [Obs.]

||Pol`y*zo"a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + &?; an animal.] ||(Zoˆl.) Same as Bryozoa. See Illust. under Bryozoa, and ||PhylactolÊmata.

Pol`y*zo"an (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) Any species of Polyzoa; one of the Polyzoa. (b) A polyzoˆn.

||Pol`y*zo*a"ri*um (?), n.; pl. Polyzoaria (#). [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as ||Polyzoary.

Pol`y*zo"a*ry (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The compound organism of a polyzoan.

Pol`y*zon"al (?), a. [Poly- + zonal.] Consisting of many zones or rings.

Polyzonal lens (Opt.), a lens made up of pieces arranged zones or rings, -- used in the lanterns of lighthouses.

||Pol`y*zo"ˆn (?), n.; pl. Polyzoa (#). [NL. See Polyzoan.] (Zoˆl.) One ||of the individual zooids forming the compound organism of a polyzoan.

Pom"ace (?; 277), n. [L. ponum a fruit, LL., an apple: cf. LL. pomagium, pomacium.] The substance of apples, or of similar fruit, crushed by grinding.

Po`ma*cen"troid (?), a. [Gr. &?; a cover + &?; a prickle + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) Pertaining to the PomacentridÊ, a family of bright-colored tropical fishes having spiny opercula; -- often called coral fishes.

Po*ma"ceous (?), a. [LL. ponum an apple.] 1. (Bot.) (a) Like an apple or pear; producing pomes. (b) Of or pertaining to a suborder (PomeÊ) of rosaceous plants, which includes the true thorn trees, the quinces, service berries, medlars, and loquats, as well as the apples, pears, crabs, etc.

2. Like pomace.

Po*made" (?; 277), n. [F. pommade pomatum, OF. pomade cider (cf. Sp. pomada, It. pomata, LL. pomata a drink made of apples), from L. pomum fruit, LL., an apple. Cf. Pomatum.] 1. Cider. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.

2. Perfumed ointment; esp., a fragrant unguent for the hair; pomatum; -- originally made from apples.

Po*man"der (?), n. [Sp. poma.] (a) A perfume to be carried with one, often in the form of a ball. (b) A box to contain such perfume, formerly carried by ladies, as at the end of a chain; -- more properly pomander box. [Obs.] Bacon.

Po"ma*rine (?), a. [Gr. &?; a lid + &?;, &?;, nose.] (Zoˆl.) Having the nostril covered with a scale.

Pomarine jager (Zoˆl.), a North Atlantic jager (Stercorarius pomarinus) having the elongated middle tail feathers obtuse. The adult is black.

Po*ma"tum (?), n. [See Pomade.] A perfumed unguent or composition, chiefly used in dressing the hair; pomade. Wiseman.

Po*ma"tum, v. t. To dress with pomatum.

Pome (?), n. [L. pomum a fruit: cf. F. pomme apple. Cf. Pomade.] 1. (Bot.) A fruit composed of several cartilaginous or bony carpels inclosed in an adherent fleshy mass, which is partly receptacle and partly calyx, as an apple, quince, or pear.

2. (R. C. Ch.) A ball of silver or other metal, which is filled with hot water, and used by the priest in cold weather to warm his hands during the service.

Pome, v. i. [Cf. F. pommer. See Pome, n.] To grow to a head, or form a head in growing. [Obs.]

Pome"gran`ate (?; 277), n. [OE. pomgarnet, OF. pome de grenate, F. grenade, L. pomum a fruit + granatus grained, having many grains or seeds. See Pome, and Garnet, Grain.] 1. (Bot.) The fruit of the tree Punica Granatum; also, the tree itself (see Balaustine), which is native in the Orient, but is successfully cultivated in many warm countries, and as a house plant in colder climates. The fruit is as large as an orange, and has a hard rind containing many rather large seeds, each one separately covered with crimson, acid pulp.

2. A carved or embroidered ornament resembling a pomegranate. Ex. xxviii. 33.

Pom"el (?), n. A pommel. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pom"e*lo (?), n. [Cf. Pompelmous.] A variety of shaddock, called also grape fruit.

Pome"ly (?), a. [OF. pomelÈ, F. pommelÈ. See Pome.] Dappled. [Obs.] "Pomely gray." Chaucer.

Pom`e*ra"ni*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Pomerania, a province of Prussia on the Baltic Sea. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Pomerania.

Pomeranian dog (Zoˆl.), the loup- loup, or Spitz dog.

Pome"wa`ter (?), n. A kind of sweet, juicy apple. [Written also pomwater.] Shak.

Pom"ey (?), n.; pl. Pomeys (#). [F. pommÈ grown round, or like an apple, p. p. of pommer to pome.] (Her.) A figure supposed to resemble an apple; a roundel, -- always of a green color.

Pom"fret (?), n. [Perhaps corrupt. fr. Pg. pampano a kind of fish.] (Zoˆl.) (a) One of two or more species of marine food fishes of the genus Stromateus (S. niger, S. argenteus) native of Southern Europe and Asia. (b) A marine food fish of Bermuda (Brama Raji).

Po*mif"er*ous (?), a. [L. pomifer; pomum fruit + ferre to bear: cf. F. pomifËre.] (Bot.) (a) Bearing pomes, or applelike fruits. (b) Bearing fruits, or excrescences, more or less resembling an apple.

Pom"mage (?; 48), n. See Pomage.

||Pom`mÈ" (?), a. [F. See Pomey.] (Her.) Having the ends terminating in ||rounded protuberances or single balls; -- said of a cross.

||Pomme` blanche" (?). [F., literally, white apple.] The prairie ||turnip. See under Prairie.

Pom"mel (?), n. [OE. pomel, OF. pomel, F. pommeau, LL. pomellus, fr. L. pomum fruit, LL. also, an apple. See Pome.] A knob or ball; an object resembling a ball in form; as: (a) The knob on the hilt of a sword. Macaulay. (b) The knob or protuberant part of a saddlebow. (c) The top (of the head). Chaucer. (d) A knob forming the finial of a turret or pavilion.

Pom"mel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pommeled (?) or Pommelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Pommeling or Pommelling.] To beat soundly, as with the pommel of a sword, or with something knoblike; hence, to beat with the fists. [Written also pummel.]

Pom*mel"ion (?), n. [See Pommel: cf. LL. pomilio pygmy.] (Mil.) The cascabel, or hindmost knob, of a cannon. [R.]

||Pom`met`tÈ" (?), a. [F.] Having two balls or protuberances at each ||end; -- said of a cross.

Po`mo*log"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. pomologique.] Of or pertaining to pomology.

Po*mol"o*gist (?), n. One versed in pomology; one who culticvates fruit trees.

Po*mol"o*gy (?), n. [L. pomum fruit + -logy: cf. F. pomologie.] The science of fruits; a treatise on fruits; the cultivation of fruits and fruit trees.

Po*mo"na (?), n. [L., from pomum fruit.] (Class. Myth.) The goddess of fruits and fruit trees.

Pomp (?), n. [OE. pompe, F. pompe, L. pompa, fr. Gr. &?; a sending, a solemn procession, pomp, fr. &?; to send. Cf. Pump a shoe.] 1. A procession distinguished by ostentation and splendor; a pageant. "All the pomps of a Roman triumph." Addison.

2. Show of magnificence; parade; display; power.

Syn. -- Display; parade; pageant; pageantry; splendor; state; magnificence; ostentation; grandeur; pride.

Pomp (?), v. i. To make a pompons display; to conduct. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Pom"pa*dour (?), n. A crimson or pink color; also, a style of dress cut low and square in the neck; also, a mode of dressing the hair by drawing it straight back from the forehead over a roll; -- so called after the Marchioness de Pompadour of France. Also much used adjectively.

Pom"pa*no (?), n. [Sp. p·mpano.] [Written also pampano.] (Zoˆl.) 1. Any one of several species of marine fishes of the genus Trachynotus, of which four species are found on the Atlantic coast of the United States; -- called also palometa.

They have a brilliant silvery or golden luster, and are highly esteemed as food fishes. The round pompano (T. thomboides) and the Carolina pompano (T. Carolinus) are the most common. Other species occur on the Pacific coast.

2. A California harvest fish (Stromateus simillimus), highly valued as a food fish.

Pompano shell (Zoˆl.), a small bivalve shell of the genus Donax; -- so called because eaten by the pompano. [Florida]

Pom*pat"ic (?), a. [L. pompaticus.] Pompous. [Obs.] Barrow.

Pom"pel*mous (?), n.; pl. Pompelmouses (#). [D. pompelmoes; cf. G. pompelmuse, F. pamplemousse, and F. pompolÈon.] (Bot.) A shaddock, esp. one of large size.

Pom"pet (?), n. [OF. pompette.] (Print.) The ball formerly used to ink the type.

Pom"pho*lyx (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?; a bubble, the slag on the surface of smelted ore, from &?; a blister.] 1. (Old Chem.) Impure zinc oxide.

2. (Med.) A skin disease in which there is an eruption of bullÊ, without inflammation or fever.

Pom*pil"lion (?), n. An ointment or pomatum made of black poplar buds. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

Pom"pi*on (?), n. [OF. pompon. See Pumpkin.] See Pumpion.

Pom"pire (?), n. [L. pomum a fruit, LL. also, an apple + pirum a pear.] A pearmain. [Obs.]

Pom*po"le*on (?), n. (Bot.) See Pompelmous.

Pom"pon (?), n. [F.] 1. Any trifling ornament for a woman's dress or bonnet.

2. (Mil.) A tuft or ball of wool, or the like, sometimes worn by soldiers on the front of the hat, instead of a feather.

Pom*pos"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Pomposities (&?;). The quality or state of being pompous; pompousness. Thackeray.

||Pom*po"so (?), a. & adv. [It.] (Mus.) Grand and dignified; in grand ||style.

Pomp"ous (?), a. [F. pompeux, L. pomposus. See Pomp.] 1. Displaying pomp; stately; showy with grandeur; magnificent; as, a pompous procession.

2. Ostentatious; pretentious; boastful; vainlorious; as, pompous manners; a pompous style. "Pompous in high presumption." Chaucer.

he pompous vanity of the old schoolmistress.

Thackeray.

-- Pom"ous*ly, adv. -- Pomp"ous*ness, n.

Pomp"tine (?), a. See Pontine.

Pom"wa`ter (?), n. Same as Pomewater.

Pon"cho (?), n.; pl. Ponchos (&?;). [Sp.] 1. A kind of cloak worn by the Spanish Americans, having the form of a blanket, with a slit in the middle for the head to pass through. A kind of poncho made of rubber or painted cloth is used by the mounted troops in the United States service.

2. A trade name for camlets, or stout worsteds.

Pond (?), n. [Probably originally, an inclosed body of water, and the same word as pound. See Pound an inclosure.] A body of water, naturally or artificially confined, and usually of less extent than a lake. "Through pond or pool." Milton.

Pond hen (Zoˆl.), the American coot. See Coot (a). -- Pond lily (Bot.), the water lily. See under Water, and Illust. under NymphÊa. -- Pond snail (Zoˆl.), any gastropod living in fresh-water ponds or lakes. The most common kinds are air- breathing snails (Pulmonifera) belonging to LimnÊa, Physa, Planorbis, and allied genera. The operculated species are pectinibranchs, belonging to Melantho, Valvata, and various other genera. -- Pond spice (Bot.), an American shrub (Tetranthera geniculata) of the Laurel family, with small oval leaves, and axillary clusters of little yellow flowers. The whole plant is spicy. It grows in ponds and swamps from Virginia to Florida. -- Pond tortoise, Pond turtle (Zoˆl.), any freshwater tortoise of the family EmydidÊ. Numerous species are found in North America.

<! p. 1113 !>

Pond (?), v. t. To make into a pond; to collect, as water, in a pond by damming.

Pond, v. t. [See Ponder.] To ponder. [Obs.]

Pleaseth you, pond your suppliant's plaint.

Spenser.

Pon"der (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pondered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pondering.] [L. ponderare, fr. pondus, ponderis, a weight, fr. pendere to weigh: cf. F. pondÈrer. See Pendant, and cf. Pound a weight.]

1. To weigh. [Obs.]

2. To weigh in the mind; to view with deliberation; to examine carefully; to consider attentively.

Ponder the path of thy feet.

Prov. iv. 26.

Syn. -- To Ponder, Consider, Muse. To consider means to view or contemplate with fixed thought. To ponder is to dwell upon with long and anxious attention, with a view to some practical result or decision. To muse is simply to think upon continuously with no definite object, or for the pleasure it gives. We consider any subject which is fairly brought before us; we ponder a concern involving great interests; we muse on the events of childhood.

Pon"der, v. i. To think; to deliberate; to muse; -- usually followed by on or over. Longfellow.

Pon`der*a*bil"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. pondÈrabilitÈ.] The quality or state of being ponderable.

Pon"der*a*ble (?), a. [L. ponderabilis: cf. F. pondÈrable.] Capable of being weighed; having appreciable weight. -- Pon"der*a*ble*ness, n.

Pon"der*al (?), a. [Cf. F. pondÈral.] Estimated or ascertained by weight; -- distinguished from numeral; as, a ponderal drachma. [R.] Arbuthnot.

Pon"der*ance (?), n. [L. ponderans, p. pr. of ponderare to weigh: cf. OF. ponderant of weight.] Weight; gravity. [R.] Gregory.

Pon"der*a*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to weight; as, a ponderary system. [R.] M'Culloch.

Pon"der*ate (?), v. t. [L. ponderatus, p. p. of ponderare. See Ponder.] To consider; to ponder. [R.]

Pon"der*ate, v. i. To have weight or influence. [R.]

Pon`der*a"tion (?), n. [L. ponderatio: cf. F. pondÈration.] The act of weighing. [R.] Arbuthnot.

Pon"der*er (?), n. One who ponders.

Pon"der*ing, a. Deliberating. -- Pon"der*ing*ly, adv.

Pon`der*os"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Ponderosities (#). [OF. ponderositÈ.] The quality or state of being ponderous; weight; gravity; heaviness, ponderousness; as, the ponderosity of gold. Ray.

Pon"der*ous (?), a. [L. ponderosus, from pondus, -eris, a weight: cf. F. pondÈreux. See Ponder.] 1. Very heavy; weighty; as, a ponderous shield; a ponderous load; the ponderous elephant.

The sepulcher . . . Hath oped his ponderous and marble jaws.

Shak.

2. Important; momentous; forcible. "Your more ponderous and settled project." Shak.

3. Heavy; dull; wanting; lightless or spirit; as, a ponderous style; a ponderous joke.

Ponderous spar (Min.), heavy spar, or barytes. See Barite.

Pon"der*ous*ly, adv. In a ponderous manner.

Pon"der*ous*ness, n. The quality or state of being ponderous; ponderosity.

Pond"fish` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Any one of numerous species of American fresh-water fishes belonging to the family CentrarchidÊ; -- called also pond perch, and sunfish.

The common pondfish of New England (Lepomis gibbosus) is called also bream, pumpkin seed, and sunny. See Sunfish. The long-eared pondfish (Lepomis auritus) of the Eastern United States is distinguished by its very long opercular flap.

Pond"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) Any aquatic plant of the genus Potamogeton, of which many species are found in ponds or slow-moving rivers.

Choke pondweed, an American water weed (Anarcharis, or Elodea, Canadensis.) See Anacharis. -- Horned pondweed, the Zannichellia palustris, a slender, branching aquatic plant, having pointed nutlets.

Pone (pn), n. [Of Amer. Indian origin.] A kind of johnnycake. [Written also paune.] [Southern U. S.]

Po"nent (?), a. [OF., fr. It. ponente, properly, setting (applied to the setting sun), fr. L. ponens, p. pr. of ponere to set, put.] Western; occidental. [R.]

Forth rush the levant and the ponent winds.

Milton.

Pon*gee" (?), n. [Of East Indian origin.] A fabric of undyed silk from India and China.

Pon*ghee" (?), n. [From the native name.] A Buddhist priest of the higher orders in Burmah. Malcom.

Pon"go (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Any large ape; especially, the chimpanzee and the orang- outang.

Pon"iard (?), n. [F. poignard (cf. It. pugnale, Sp. puÒal), fr. L. pugio, -onis; probably akin to pugnus fist, or fr. pugnus fist, as held in the fist. See Pugnacious.] A kind of dagger, -- usually a slender one with a triangular or square blade.

She speaks poniards, and every word stabs.

Shak.

Pon"iard, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poniarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Poniarding.] To pierce with a poniard; to stab. Cowper.

Po`ni*bil"i*ty (?), n. [L. ponere to place.] The capability of being placed or located. [Obs.] Barrow.

||Pons (?), n.; pl. Pontes (#). [L., a bridge.] (Anat.) A bridge; -- ||applied to several parts which connect others, but especially to the ||pons Varolii, a prominent band of nervous tissue situated on the ||ventral side of the medulla oblongata and connected at each side with ||the hemispheres of the cerebellum; the mesocephalon. See Brain.

||Pons asinorum. [L., literally, bridge of asses.] See Asses' bridge, ||under Ass.

Pon"tage (?; 48), n. [LL. pontagium, from L. pons, pontis, a bridge: cf. F. pontage.] (O. Eng. Law) A duty or tax paid for repairing bridges. Ayliffe.

Pon*tee" (?), n. [F. pontil, pontis.] (Glass Making) An iron rod used by glass makers for manipulating the hot glass; -- called also, puntil, puntel, punty, and ponty. See Fascet.

Pon"tic (?), a. [L. Ponticus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; the sea, especially, the Black Sea.] Of or pertaining to the Pontus, Euxine, or Black Sea.

||Pon"ti*fex (?), n.; pl. Pontifices (#). [L.] A high priest; a ||pontiff.

Pon"tiff (?), n. [F. pontife, L. pontifex, -ficis; pons, pontis, a bridge (perhaps originally, a way, path) + facere to make. Cf. Pontoon.] A high priest. Especially: (a) One of the sacred college, in ancient Rome, which had the supreme jurisdiction over all matters of religion, at the head of which was the Pontifex Maximus. Dr. W. Smith. (b) (Jewish Antiq.) The chief priest. (c) (R. C. Ch.) The pope.

Pon*tif"ic (?), a. [Cf. L. pontificius.] 1. Relating to, or consisting of, pontiffs or priests. "The pontific college with their augurs and flamens." Milton.

2. Of or pertaining to the pope; papal. Shenstone.

Pon*tif"ic*al (?), a. [L. pontificalis: cf. F. pontifical. See Pontiff.] 1. Of or pertaining to a pontiff, or high priest; as, pontifical authority; hence, belonging to the pope; papal.

2. Of or pertaining to the building of bridges. [R.]

Now had they brought the work by wondrous art Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock Over the vexed abyss.

Milton.

Pon*tif"ic*al, n. [F.] 1. A book containing the offices, or formulas, used by a pontiff. South.

2. pl. The dress and ornaments of a pontiff. "Dressed in full pontificals." Sir W. Scott.

Pon*tif`i*cal"i*ty (?), n. The state and government of the pope; the papacy. [R.] Bacon.

Pon*tif"ic*al*ly, adv. In a pontifical manner.

Pon*tif"i*cate (?), n. [L. pontificatus: cf. F. pontificat. See Pontiff.] 1. The state or dignity of a high priest; specifically, the office of the pope. Addison.

2. The term of office of a pontiff. Milman.

Pon*tif"i*cate (?), v. i. (R. C. Ch.) To perform the duty of a pontiff.

Pon"ti*fice (?), n. [L. pons, pontis, a bridge + facere to make. Cf. Pontiff.] Bridgework; structure or edifice of a bridge. [R.] Milton.

Pon`ti*fi"cial (?), a. [L. pontificius.] Papal; pontifical. [Obs.] "Pontificial writers." Burton.

Pon`ti*fi"cian (?), a. Of or pertaining to the pontiff or pope. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

Pon`ti*fi"cian, n. One who adheres to the pope or papacy; a papist. [Obs.] Bp. Montagu.

Pon"til (?), n. Same as Pontee.

Pon"tile (?), a. [L. pontilis pertaining to a bridge.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the pons Varolii. See Pons.

Pon"tine (?), a. [L. Pontinus or Pomptinus, an appellation given to a district in Latium, near Pometia.] Of or pertaining to an extensive marshy district between Rome and Naples. [Written also Pomptine.]

Pont"le*vis (?), n. [F., properly, a drawbridge.] (Man.) The action of a horse in rearing repeatedly and dangerously.

Pon*ton" (?), n. [F.] See Pontoon.

Pon*toon" (?), n. [F. ponton (cf. It. pontone), from L. ponto, -onis, fr. pons, pontis, a bridge, perhaps originally, a way, path: cf. Gr. &?; path, Skr. path, pathi, panthan. Cf. Punt a boat.] 1. (Mil.) A wooden flat-bottomed boat, a metallic cylinder, or a frame covered with canvas, India rubber, etc., forming a portable float, used in building bridges quickly for the passage of troops.

2. (Naut.) A low, flat vessel, resembling a barge, furnished with cranes, capstans, and other machinery, used in careening ships, raising weights, drawing piles, etc., chiefly in the Mediterranean; a lighter.

Pontoon bridge, a bridge formed with pontoons. -- Pontoon train, the carriages of the pontoons, and the materials they carry for making a pontoon bridge.

The French spelling ponton often appears in scientific works, but pontoon is more common form.

Pon*toon"ing, n. The act, art, or process of constructing pontoon bridges. "Army instruction in pontooning." Gen. W. T. Shermah.

Pont`vo*lant" (?; F. ?), n. [F. pont bridge + volant flying.] (Mil.) A kind of light bridge, used in sieges, for surprising a post or outwork which has but a narrow moat; a flying bridge.

Pon"ty (?), n. (Class Making) See Pontee.

Po"ny (?), n.; pl. Ponies (&?;). [Written also poney.] [Gael. ponaidh.] 1. A small horse.

2. Twenty-five pounds sterling. [Slang, Eng.]

3. A translation or a key used to avoid study in getting lessons; a crib. [College Cant]

4. A small glass of beer. [Slang]

Pony chaise, a light, low chaise, drawn by a pony or a pair of ponies. -- Pony engine, a small locomotive for switching cars from one track to another. [U.S.] -- Pony truck (Locomotive Engine), a truck which has only two wheels. -- Pony truss (Bridge Building), a truss which has so little height that overhead bracing can not be used.

Pood (?), n. [Russ. pud'.] A Russian weight, equal to forty Russian pounds or about thirty-six English pounds avoirdupois.

Poo"dle (?), n. [G. pudel.] (Zoˆl.) A breed of dogs having curly hair, and often showing remarkable intelligence in the performance of tricks.

Pooh (?), interj. [Of. imitative origin; cf. Icel. p.] Pshaw! pish! nonsense! -- an expression of scorn, dislike, or contempt.

Pooh`-pooh" (?), v. t. To make light of; to treat with derision or contempt, as if by saying pooh! pooh! [Colloq.] Thackeray.

||Poo"koo (?), n. [From the native name.] (Zoˆl.) A red African ||antelope (Kobus Vardoni) allied to the water buck.

Pool (?), n. [AS. pl; akin to LG. pool, pohl, D. poel, G. pfuhl; cf. Icel. pollr, also W. pwll, Gael. poll.] 1. A small and rather deep collection of (usually) fresh water, as one supplied by a spring, or occurring in the course of a stream; a reservoir for water; as, the pools of Solomon. Wyclif.

Charity will hardly water the ground where it must first fill a pool.

Bacon.

The sleepy pool above the dam.

Tennyson.

2. A small body of standing or stagnant water; a puddle. "The filthy mantled pool beyond your cell." Shak.

Pool, n. [F. poule, properly, a hen. See Pullet.] [Written also poule.] 1. The stake played for in certain games of cards, billiards, etc.; an aggregated stake to which each player has contributed a snare; also, the receptacle for the stakes.

2. A game at billiards, in which each of the players stakes a certain sum, the winner taking the whole; also, in public billiard rooms, a game in which the loser pays the entrance fee for all who engage in the game; a game of skill in pocketing the balls on a pool table.

This game is played variously, but commonly with fifteen balls, besides one cue ball, the contest being to drive the most balls into the pockets.

He plays pool at the billiard houses.

Thackeray.

3. In rifle shooting, a contest in which each competitor pays a certain sum for every shot he makes, the net proceeds being divided among the winners.

4. Any gambling or commercial venture in which several persons join.

5. A combination of persons contributing money to be used for the purpose of increasing or depressing the market price of stocks, grain, or other commodities; also, the aggregate of the sums so contributed; as, the pool took all the wheat offered below the limit; he put $10,000 into the pool.

6. (Railroads) A mutual arrangement between competing lines, by which the receipts of all are aggregated, and then distributed pro rata according to agreement.

7. (Law) An aggregation of properties or rights, belonging to different people in a community, in a common fund, to be charged with common liabilities.

Pin pool, a variety of the game of billiards in which small wooden pins are set up to be knocked down by the balls. -- Pool ball, one of the colored ivory balls used in playing the game at billiards called pool. -- Pool snipe (Zoˆl.), the European redshank. [Prov. Eng.] -- Pool table, a billiard table with pockets.

Pool, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pooled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pooling.] To put together; to contribute to a common fund, on the basis of a mutual division of profits or losses; to make a common interest of; as, the companies pooled their traffic.

Finally, it favors the poolingof all issues.

U. S. Grant.

Pool, v. i. To combine or contribute with others, as for a commercial, speculative, or gambling transaction.

Pool"er (?), n. A stick for stirring a tan vat.

Pool"ing, n. (Law) The act of uniting, or an agreement to unite, an aggregation of properties belonging to different persons, with a view to common liabilities or profits.

Poon (?), n. [Canarese ponne.] A name for several East Indian, or their wood, used for the masts and spars of vessels, as Calophyllum angustifolium, C. inophullum, and Sterculia fútida; -- called also peon.

Poo"nac (?), n. A kind of oil cake prepared from the cocoanut. See Oil cake, under Cake.

Poon"ga oil` (?). A kind of oil used in India for lamps, and for boiling with dammar for pitching vessels. It is pressed from the seeds of a leguminous tree (Pongamia glabra).

Poop (?), n. (Arch.) See 2d Poppy.

Poop, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pooped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pooping.] [Cf. D. poepen. See Pop.] To make a noise; to pop; also, to break wind.

Poop, n. [F. poupe; cf. Sp. & Pg. popa, It. poppa; all fr. L. puppis.] (Naut.) A deck raised above the after part of a vessel; the hindmost or after part of a vessel's hull; also, a cabin covered by such a deck. See Poop deck, under Deck. See also Roundhouse.

With wind in poop, the vessel plows the sea.

Dryden.

The poop was beaten gold.

Shak.

Poop, v. t. (Naut.) (a) To break over the poop or stern, as a wave. "A sea which he thought was going to poop her." Lord Dufferin. (b) To strike in the stern, as by collision.

Pooped (?), p. p. & a. (Naut.) (a) Having a poop; furnished with a poop. (b) Struck on the poop.

Poop"ing (?), n. (Naut.) The act or shock of striking a vessel's stern by a following wave or vessel.

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Poor (?), a. [Compar. Poorer (?; 254); superl. Poorest.] [OE. poure or povre, OF. povre, F. pauvre, L. pauper; the first syllable of which is probably akin to paucus few (see Paucity, Few), and the second to parare to prepare, procure. See Few, and cf. Parade, Pauper, Poverty.] 1. Destitute of property; wanting in material riches or goods; needy; indigent.

It is often synonymous with indigent and with necessitous denoting extreme want. It is also applied to persons who are not entirely destitute of property, but who are not rich; as, a poor man or woman; poor people.

2. (Law) So completely destitute of property as to be entitled to maintenance from the public.

3. Hence, in very various applications: Destitute of such qualities as are desirable, or might naturally be expected; as: (a) Wanting in fat, plumpness, or fleshiness; lean; emaciated; meager; as, a poor horse, ox, dog, etc. "Seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed." Gen. xli. 19. (b) Wanting in strength or vigor; feeble; dejected; as, poor health; poor spirits. "His genius . . . poor and cowardly." Bacon. (c) Of little value or worth; not good; inferior; shabby; mean; as, poor clothes; poor lodgings. "A poor vessel." Clarendon. (d) Destitute of fertility; exhausted; barren; sterile; -- said of land; as, poor soil. (e) Destitute of beauty, fitness, or merit; as, a poor discourse; a poor picture. (f) Without prosperous conditions or good results; unfavorable; unfortunate; unconformable; as, a poor business; the sick man had a poor night. (g) Inadequate; insufficient; insignificant; as, a poor excuse.

That I have wronged no man will be a poor plea or apology at the last day.

Calamy.

4. Worthy of pity or sympathy; -- used also sometimes as a term of endearment, or as an expression of modesty, and sometimes as a word of contempt.

And for mine own poor part, Look you, I'll go pray.

Shak.

Poor, little, pretty, fluttering thing.

Prior.

5. Free from self-assertion; not proud or arrogant; meek. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Matt. v. 3.

Poor law, a law providing for, or regulating, the relief or support of the poor. -- Poor man's treacle (Bot.), garlic; -- so called because it was thought to be an antidote to animal poison. [Eng] Dr. Prior. -- Poor man's weatherglass (Bot.), the red-flowered pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), which opens its blossoms only in fair weather. -- Poor rate, an assessment or tax, as in an English parish, for the relief or support of the poor. -- Poor soldier (Zoˆl.), the friar bird. -- The poor, those who are destitute of property; the indigent; the needy. In a legal sense, those who depend on charity or maintenance by the public. "I have observed the more public provisions are made for the poor, the less they provide for themselves." Franklin.

Poor (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A small European codfish (Gadus minutus); -- called also power cod.

Poor"box` (?), n. A receptacle in which money given for the poor is placed.

Poor"house` (?), n. A dwelling for a number of paupers maintained at public expense; an almshouse; a workhouse.

Poor"-john` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A small European fish, similar to the cod, but of inferior quality.

Poor-john and apple pies are all our fare.

Sir J. Harrington.

Poor"li*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being poorly; ill health.

Poor"ly, adv. 1. In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort; as, to live poorly.

2. With little or no success; indifferently; with little profit or advantage; as, to do poorly in business.

3. Meanly; without spirit.

Nor is their courage or their wealth so low, That from his wars they poorly would retire.

Dryden.

4. Without skill or merit; as, he performs poorly.

Poorly off, not well off; not rich.

Poor"ly, a. Somewhat ill; indisposed; not in health. "Having been poorly in health." T. Scott.

Poor"ness, n. The quality or state of being poor (in any of the senses of the adjective). Bacon.

Poor"-spir`it*ed (?), a. Of a mean spirit; cowardly; base. -- Poor"-spir`it*ed*ness, n.

Poor"-will` (?), n. [So called in imitation of its note.] (Zoˆl.) A bird of the Western United States (PhalÊnoptilus Nutalli) allied to the whip- poor-will.

Poor"-wil`lie (?), n. [So called in imitation of its note.] (Zoˆl.) The bar-tailed godwit. [Prov. Eng.]

Pop (?), n. [Of imitative origin. Cf. Poop.] 1. A small, sharp, quick explosive sound or report; as, to go off with a pop. Addison.

2. An unintoxicating beverage which expels the cork with a pop from the bottle containing it; as, ginger pop; lemon pop, etc. Hood.

3. (Zoˆl.) The European redwing. [Prov. Eng.]

Pop corn. (a) Corn, or maize, of peculiar excellence for popping; especially, a kind the grains of which are small and compact. (b) Popped corn; which has been popped.

Pop, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Popped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Popping.] 1. To make a pop, or sharp, quick sound; as, the muskets popped away on all sides.

2. To enter, or issue forth, with a quick, sudden movement; to move from place to place suddenly; to dart; -- with in, out, upon, off, etc.

He that killed my king . . . Popp'd in between the election and my hopes.

Shak.

A trick of popping up and down every moment.

Swift.

3. To burst open with a pop, when heated over a fire; as, this corn pops well.

Pop, v. t. 1. To thrust or push suddenly; to offer suddenly; to bring suddenly and unexpectedly to notice; as, to pop one's head in at the door.

He popped a paper into his hand.

Milton.

2. To cause to pop; to cause to burst open by heat, as grains of Indian corn; as, to pop corn or chestnuts.

To pop off, to thrust away, or put off promptly; as, to pop one off with a denial. Locke. -- To pop the question, to make an offer of marriage to a lady. [Colloq.] Dickens.

Pop (?), adv. Like a pop; suddenly; unexpectedly. "Pop goes his plate." Beau. & Fl.

Pope (?), n. [AS. ppa, L. papa father, bishop. Cf. Papa, Papal.] 1. Any ecclesiastic, esp. a bishop. [Obs.] Foxe.

2. The bishop of Rome, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. See Note under Cardinal.

3. A parish priest, or a chaplain, of the Greek Church.

4. (Zoˆl.) A fish; the ruff.

Pope Joan, a game at cards played on a round board with compartments. -- Pope's eye, the gland surrounded with fat in the middle of the thigh of an ox or sheep. R. D. Blackmore. -- Pope's nose, the rump, or uropygium, of a bird. See Uropygium.

Pope"dom (?), n. [AS. ppedm.] 1. The place, office, or dignity of the pope; papal dignity. Shak.

2. The jurisdiction of the pope.

Pope"ling (?), n. 1. A petty or deputy pope.

2. An adherent of the pope. [R.] Marlowe.

Pop"e*lote (?), n. A word variously explained as "a little puppet," "a little doll," or "a young butterfly." Cf. Popet. [Obs.]

So gay a popelote, so sweet a wench.

Chaucer.

Pop"er*y (?), n. The religion of the Roman Catholic Church, comprehending doctrines and practices; -- generally used in an opprobrious sense.

Pop"et (?), n. A puppet. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pop"gun` (?), n. A child's gun; a tube and rammer for shooting pellets, with a popping noise, by compression of air.

Pop"in*jay (?), n. [OE. popingay, papejay, OF. papegai, papegaut; cf. Pr. papagai, Sp. & Pg. papagayo, It. pappagallo, LGr. &?;, NGr. &?;; in which the first syllables are perhaps imitative of the bird's chatter, and the last either fr. L. gallus cock, or the same word as E. jay, F. geai. Cf. Papagay.]

1. (Zoˆl.) (a) The green woodpecker. (b) A parrot.

The pye and popyngay speak they know not what.

Tyndale.

2. A target in the form of a parrot. [Scot.]

3. A trifling, chattering, fop or coxcomb. "To be so pestered with a popinjay." Shak.

Pop"ish (?), a. Of or pertaining to the pope; taught or ordained by the pope; hence, of or pertaining to the Roman Catholic Church; -- often used opprobriously. -- Pop"ish*ly, adv. -- Pop"ish*ness, n.

Pop"lar (?), n. [OE. popler, OF. poplier, F. peuplier, fr. L. populus poplar.] (Bot.) 1. Any tree of the genus Populus; also, the timber, which is soft, and capable of many uses.

The aspen poplar is Populus tremula and P. tremuloides; Balsam poplar is P. balsamifera; Lombardy poplar (P. dilatata) is a tall, spiry tree; white poplar is Populus alba.

2. The timber of the tulip tree; -- called also white poplar. [U.S.]

Po*plex"y (?), n. Apoplexy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pop"lin (?), n. [F. popeline, papeline.] A fabric of many varieties, usually made of silk and worsted, -- used especially for women's dresses.

Irish poplin, a fabric with silk warp and worsted weft, made in Ireland.

Pop*lit"e*al (?; 277), a. [From L. poples, -itis, the ham.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the ham; in the region of the ham, or behind the knee joint; as, the popliteal space.

Pop*lit"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Popliteal.

Pop"per (?), n. A utensil for popping corn, usually a wire basket with a long handle.

Pop"per, n. A dagger. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pop"pet (?), n. 1. See Puppet.

2. (Naut.) One of certain upright timbers on the bilge ways, used to support a vessel in launching. Totten.

3. (Mach.) An upright support or guide fastened at the bottom only.

Poppet head, Puppet head. See Headstock (a).

Pop"pied (?), a. [See 1st Poppy.] 1. Mingled or interspersed with poppies. "Poppied corn." Keats.

2. Affected with poppy juice; hence, figuratively, drugged; drowsy; listless; inactive. [R.]

The poppied sails doze on the yard.

Lowell.

Pop"ping (?), a. & n. from Pop.

Popping crease. (Cricket) See under Crease.

Pop"ple (?), v. i. [Cf. Pop.] To move quickly up and down; to bob up and down, as a cork on rough water; also, to bubble. Cotton.

Pop"ple, n. 1. The poplar. [Prov. Eng. & Local, U. S.]

2. Tares. [Obs.] "To sow popple among wheat." Bale.

Pop"py (?), n.; pl. Poppies (#). [OE. popy, AS. popig, L. papaver.] (Bot.) Any plant or species of the genus Papaver, herbs with showy polypetalous flowers and a milky juice. From one species (Papaver somniferum) opium is obtained, though all the species contain it to some extent; also, a flower of the plant. See Illust. of Capsule.

California poppy (Bot.), any yellow- flowered plant of the genus Eschscholtzia. -- Corn poppy. See under Corn. -- Horn, or Horned, poppy. See under Horn. -- Poppy bee (Zoˆl.), a leaf-cutting bee (Anthocopa papaveris) which uses pieces cut from poppy petals for the lining of its cells; -- called also upholsterer bee. -- Prickly poppy (Bot.), Argemone Mexicana, a yellow-flowered plant of the Poppy family, but as prickly as a thistle. -- Poppy seed, the seed the opium poppy (P. somniferum). -- Spatling poppy (Bot.), a species of Silene (S. inflata). See Catchfly.

{ Pop"py (?), Pop"py*head` (?), } n. [F. poupÈe doll, puppet. See Puppet.] (Arch.) A raised ornament frequently having the form of a final. It is generally used on the tops of the upright ends or elbows which terminate seats, etc., in Gothic churches.

Pop"u*lace (?), n. [F. populace, fr. It. popolaccio, popolazzo, fr. popolo people, L. populus. See People.] The common people; the vulgar; the multitude, -- comprehending all persons not distinguished by rank, office, education, or profession. Pope.

To . . . calm the peers and please the populace.

Daniel.

They . . . call us Britain's barbarous populaces.

Tennyson.

Syn. -- Mob; people; commonalty.

Pop"u*la*cy (?), n. Populace. [Obs.] Feltham.

Pop"u*lar (?), a. [L. popularis, fr. populus people: cf. F. populaire. See People.] 1. Of or pertaining to the common people, or to the whole body of the people, as distinguished from a select portion; as, the popular voice; popular elections. "Popular states." Bacon. "So the popular vote inclines." Milton.

The men commonly held in popular estimation are greatest at a distance.

J. H. Newman.

2. Suitable to common people; easy to be comprehended; not abstruse; familiar; plain.

Homilies are plain popular instructions.

Hooker.

3. Adapted to the means of the common people; possessed or obtainable by the many; hence, cheap; common; ordinary; inferior; as, popular prices; popular amusements.

The smallest figs, called popular figs, . . . are, of all others, the basest and of least account.

Holland.

4. Beloved or approved by the people; pleasing to people in general, or to many people; as, a popular preacher; a popular law; a popular administration.

5. Devoted to the common people; studious of the favor of the populace. [R.]

Such popular humanity is treason.

Addison.

6. Prevailing among the people; epidemic; as, a popular disease. [Obs.] Johnson.

Popular action (Law), an action in which any person may sue for penalty imposed by statute. Blackstone.

||Pop`u*la"res (?), n. pl. [L.] The people or the people's party, in ||ancient Rome, as opposed to the optimates.

Pop`u*lar"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Popularities (#). [L. popularitas an effort to please the people: cf. F. popularitÈ.] 1. The quality or state of being popular; especially, the state of being esteemed by, or of being in favor with, the people at large; good will or favor proceeding from the people; as, the popularity of a law, statesman, or a book.

A popularity which has lasted down to our time.

Macaulay.

2. The quality or state of being adapted or pleasing to common, poor, or vulgar people; hence, cheapness; inferiority; vulgarity.

This gallant laboring to avoid popularity falls into a habit of affectation.

B. Jonson.

3. Something which obtains, or is intended to obtain, the favor of the vulgar; claptrap.

Popularities, and circumstances which . . . sway the ordinary judgment.

Bacon.

4. The act of courting the favor of the people. [Obs.] "Indicted . . . for popularity and ambition." Holland.

5. Public sentiment; general passion. [R.]

A little time be allowed for the madness of popularity to cease.

Bancroft.

Pop`u*lar*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of making popular, or of introducing among the people.

Pop"u*lar*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Popularized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Popularizing (?).] [Cf. F. populariser.] To make popular; to make suitable or acceptable to the common people; to make generally known; as, to popularize philosophy. "The popularizing of religious teaching." Milman.

Pop"u*lar*i`zer (?), n. One who popularizes.

Pop"u*lar*ly, adv. In a popular manner; so as to be generally favored or accepted by the people; commonly; currently; as, the story was popularity reported.

The victor knight, Bareheaded, popularly low had bowed.

Dryden.

Pop"u*lar*ness, n. The quality or state of being popular; popularity. Coleridge.

Pop"u*late (?), a. [L. populus people. See People.] Populous. [Obs.] Bacon.

Pop"u*late (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Populated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Populating.] To furnish with inhabitants, either by natural increase or by immigration or colonization; to cause to be inhabited; to people.

Pop"u*late, v. i. To propagate. [Obs.]

Great shoals of people which go on to populate.

Bacon.

Pop`u*la"tion (?), n. [L. populatio: cf. F. population.] 1. The act or process of populating; multiplication of inhabitants.

2. The whole number of people, or inhabitants, in a country, or portion of a country; as, a population of ten millions.

Pop"u*la`tor (?), n. One who populates.

Pop"u*li*cide` (?), n. [L. populus people + caedere to kill.] Slaughter of the people. [R.]

Pop"u*lin (?), n. [L. populus poplar: cf. F. populine.] (Chem.) A glycoside, related to salicin, found in the bark of certain species of the poplar (Populus), and extracted as a sweet white crystalline substance.

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Pop`u*los"i*ty (?), n. [L. populositas: cf. F. populositÈ.] Populousness.[Obs.]

Pop"u*lous (?), a. [L. populosus, fr. populus people: cf. F. populeux.] 1. Abounding in people; full of inhabitants; containing many inhabitants in proportion to the extent of the country.

Heaven, yet populous, retains Number sufficient to possess her realms.

Milton.

2. Popular; famous. [Obs.] J. Webster.

3. Common; vulgar. [Obs.] Arden of Feversham.

4. Numerous; in large number. [Obs.] "The dust . . . raised by your populous troops." Shak.

-- Pop"u*lous*ly, adv. -- Pop"u*lous*ness, n.

Po*raille" (?), n. [OF. pouraille. See Poor.] Poor people; the poor. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Por"bea`gle (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A species of shark (Lamna cornubica), about eight feet long, having a pointed nose and a crescent-shaped tail; -- called also mackerel shark. [Written also probeagle.]

Por"cate (?), a. [L. porca a ridge between two furrows.] (Zoˆl.) Having grooves or furrows broader than the intervening ridges; furrowed.

Por"ce*lain (?), n. (Bot.) Purslain. [Obs.]

Por"ce*lain (277), n. [F. porcelaine, It. porcellana, orig., the porcelain shell, or Venus shell (CyprÊa porcellana), from a dim. fr. L. porcus pig, probably from the resemblance of the shell in shape to a pig's back. Porcelain was called after this shell, either on account of its smoothness and whiteness, or because it was believed to be made from it. See Pork.] A fine translucent or semitransculent kind of earthenware, made first in China and Japan, but now also in Europe and America; -- called also China, or China ware.

Porcelain, by being pure, is apt to break.

Dryden.

Ivory porcelain, porcelain with a surface like ivory, produced by depolishing. See Depolishing. -- Porcelain clay. See under Clay. -- Porcelain crab (Zoˆl.), any crab of the genus Porcellana and allied genera (family PorcellanidÊ). They have a smooth, polished carapace. -- Porcelain jasper. (Min.) See Porcelanite. -- Porcelain printing, the transferring of an impression of an engraving to porcelain. -- Porcelain shell (Zoˆl.), a cowry.

Por"ce*lain*ized (?), a. (Geol.) Baked like potter's lay; -- applied to clay shales that have been converted by heat into a substance resembling porcelain.

{ Por`ce*la"ne*ous (?), Por`cel*la"ne*ous (?), } a. 1. Of or pertaining to porcelain; resembling porcelain; as, porcelaneous shells.

2. (Zoˆl.) Having a smooth, compact shell without pores; -- said of certain Foraminifera.

Por"ce*la*nite (?), n. [Cf. F. porcelanite.] (Min.) A semivitrified clay or shale, somewhat resembling jasper; -- called also porcelain jasper.

{ Por"ce*la`nous (?), Por"cel*la`nous (?), } a. Porcelaneous. Ure.

Porch (?), n. [F. porche, L. porticus, fr. porta a gate, entrance, or passage. See Port a gate, and cf. Portico.] 1. (Arch.) A covered and inclosed entrance to a building, whether taken from the interior, and forming a sort of vestibule within the main wall, or projecting without and with a separate roof. Sometimes the porch is large enough to serve as a covered walk. See also Carriage porch, under Carriage, and Loggia.

The graceless Helen in the porch I spied Of Vesta's temple.

Dryden.

2. A portico; a covered walk. [Obs.]

Repair to Pompey's porch, where you shall find find us.

Shak.

The Porch, a public portico, or great hall, in Athens, where Zeno, the philosopher, taught his disciples; hence, sometimes used as equivalent to the school of the Stoics. It was called "h poiki`lh stoa`. [See Poicile.]

Por"cine (?), a. [L. porcinus, from porcus a swine. See Pork.] Of or pertaining to swine; characteristic of the hog. "Porcine cheeks." G. Eliot.

Por"cu*pine (?), n. [OE. porkepyn, porpentine, OF. porc-espi, F. porc- Èpic (cf. It. porco spino, porco spinoso, Sp. puerco espino, puerco espin, fr. L. porcus swine + spina thorn, spine). The last part of the French word is perhaps a corruption from the It. or Sp.; cf. F. Èpi ear, a spike of grain, L. spica. See Pork, Spike a large nail, Spine.] 1. (Zoˆl.) Any Old Word rodent of the genus Hystrix, having the back covered with long, sharp, erectile spines or quills, sometimes a foot long. The common species of Europe and Asia (Hystrix cristata) is the best known.

2. (Zoˆl.) Any species of Erethizon and related genera, native of America. They are related to the true porcupines, but have shorter spines, and are arboreal in their habits. The Canada porcupine (Erethizon dorsatus) is a well known species.

Porcupine ant-eater (Zoˆl.), the echidna. -- Porcupine crab (Zoˆl.), a large spiny Japanese crab (Acantholithodes hystrix). -- Porcupine disease (Med.). See Ichthyosis. -- Porcupine fish (Zoˆl.), any plectognath fish having the body covered with spines which become erect when the body is inflated. See Diodon, and Globefish. -- Porcupine grass (Bot.), a grass (Stipa spartea) with grains bearing a stout twisted awn, which, by coiling and uncoiling through changes in moisture, propels the sharp-pointed and barbellate grain into the wool and flesh of sheep. It is found from Illinois westward. See Illustration in Appendix. -- Porcupine wood (Bot.), the hard outer wood of the cocoa palm; -- so called because, when cut horizontally, the markings of the wood resemble the quills of a porcupine.

Pore (?), n. [F., fr. L. porus, Gr. &?; a passage, a pore. See Fare, v.] 1. One of the minute orifices in an animal or vegetable membrane, for transpiration, absorption, etc.

2. A minute opening or passageway; an interstice between the constituent particles or molecules of a body; as, the pores of stones.

Pore, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pored (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poring.] [OE. poren, of uncertain origin; cf. D. porren to poke, thrust, Gael. purr.] To look or gaze steadily in reading or studying; to fix the attention; to be absorbed; -- often with on or upon, and now usually with over."Painfully to pore upon a book." Shak.

The eye grows weary with poring perpetually on the same thing.

Dryden.

Pore"blind` (?), a. [Probably influenced by pore, v. See Purblind.] Nearsighted; shortsighted; purblind. [Obs.] Bacon.

Por"er (?), n. One who pores.

Por"gy (?), n.; pl. Porgies (#). [See Paugie.] (Zoˆl.) (a) The scup. (b) The sailor's choice, or pinfish. (c) The margate fish. (d) The spadefish. (e) Any one of several species of embiotocoids, or surf fishes, of the Pacific coast. The name is also given locally to several other fishes, as the bur fish. [Written also porgee, porgie, and paugy.]

||Po*rif"e*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. porus pore + ferre to bear.] ||(Zoˆl.) A grand division of the Invertebrata, including the sponges; ||-- called also SpongiÊ, Spongida, and Spongiozoa. The principal ||divisions are CalcispongiÊ, Keratosa or FibrospongiÊ, and Silicea.

Po*rif"er*an (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Polifera.

||Po*rif`e*ra"ta (?), n. pl. [NL.] The Polifera.

Po"ri*form (?), a. [L. porus pore + -form: cf. F. poriforme.] Resembling a pore, or small puncture.

Po"rime (?), n. [Gr. &?; practicable.] (Math.) A theorem or proposition so easy of demonstration as to be almost self-evident. [R.] Crabb.

Por"i*ness (?), n. Porosity. Wiseman.

Po"rism (?), n. [Gr. &?; a thing procured, a deduction from a demonstration, fr. &?; to bring, provide: cf. F. porisme.] 1. (Geom.) A proposition affirming the possibility of finding such conditions as will render a certain determinate problem indeterminate or capable of innumerable solutions. Playfair.

2. (Gr. Geom.) A corollary. Brande & C.

Three books of porisms of Euclid have been lost, but several attempts to determine the nature of these propositions and to restore them have been made by modern geometers.

{ Po`ris*mat"ic (?), Po`ris*mat"ic*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to a porism; poristic.

{ Po*ris"tic (?), Po*ris"tic*al (?), } a.[Gr. &?; for providing, &?; provided.] Of or pertaining to a porism; of the nature of a porism.

Po"rite (?), n. [Cf. F. porite. See Pore, n.] (Zoˆl.) Any coral of the genus Porites, or family PoritidÊ.

||Po*ri"tes (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. po`ros a pore.] (Zoˆl.) An important ||genus of reef-building corals having small twelve-rayed calicles, and ||a very porous coral. Some species are branched, others grow in large ||massive or globular forms.

Pork (?), n. [F. porc, L. porcus hog, pig. See Farrow a litter of pigs, and cf. Porcelain, Porpoise.] The flesh of swine, fresh or salted, used for food.

Pork"er (?), n. A hog. Pope.

Pork"et (?), n. [Dim. of F. porc. See Pork.] A young hog; a pig. [R.] Dryden. W. Howitt.

Pork"ling (?), n. A pig; a porket. Tusser.

Pork"wood` (?), n. (Bot.) The coarse-grained brownish yellow wood of a small tree (Pisonia obtusata) of Florida and the West Indies. Also called pigeon wood, beefwood, and corkwood.

Por`ne*ras"tic (?), a. [Gr. &?; harlot + &?; to love.] Lascivious; licentious. [R.] F. Harrison.

Por`no*graph"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to pornography; lascivious; licentious; as, pornographic writing.

Por*nog"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?; a harlot + -graphy.] 1. Licentious painting or literature; especially, the painting anciently employed to decorate the walls of rooms devoted to bacchanalian orgies.

2. (Med.) A treatise on prostitutes, or prostitution.

Po*ros"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. porositÈ.] The quality or state of being porous; -- opposed to density.

Po*rot"ic (?), n. [Gr. &?; callus.] (Med.) A medicine supposed to promote the formation of callus.

Por"ous (?), a. [Cf. F. poreux. See Pore, n.] Full of pores; having interstices in the skin or in the substance of the body; having spiracles or passages for fluids; permeable by liquids; as, a porous skin; porous wood. "The veins of porous earth." Milton.

Por"ous*ly, adv. In a porous manner.

Por"ous*ness, n. 1. The quality of being porous.

2. The open parts; the interstices of anything. [R.]

They will forcibly get into the porousness of it.

Sir K. Digby.

Por"pen*tine (?), n. Porcupine. [Obs.] Shak.

Por"pesse (?), n. A porpoise. [Obs.]

Por`phy*ra"ceous (?), a. Porphyritic.

Por"phyre (?), n. Porphyry. [Obs.] Locke.

Por"phy*rite (?), n. (Min.) A rock with a porphyritic structure; as, augite porphyrite.

Por`phy*rit"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. porphyritique.] (Min.) Relating to, or resembling, porphyry, that is, characterized by the presence of distinct crystals, as of feldspar, quartz, or augite, in a relatively fine-grained base, often aphanitic or cryptocrystalline.

Por`phy*ri*za"tion (?), n. The act of porphyrizing, or the state of being porphyrized.

Por`phy*rize (?), v. t. [Cf. F. porphyriser, Gr. &?; to purplish.] To cause to resemble porphyry; to make spotted in composition, like porphyry.

Por`phy*ro*gen"i*tism (?), n. [LL. porphyro genitus, fr. Gr. &?;; &?; purple + root of &?; to be born.] The principle of succession in royal families, especially among the Eastern Roman emperors, by which a younger son, if born after the accession of his father to the throne, was preferred to an elder son who was not so born. Sir T. Palgrave.

Por"phy*ry (?), n.; pl. Porphyries (#). [F. porphyre, L. porphyrites, fr. Gr. &?; like purple, fr. &?; purple. See Purple.] (Geol.) A term used somewhat loosely to designate a rock consisting of a fine-grained base (usually feldspathic) through which crystals, as of feldspar or quartz, are disseminated. There are red, purple, and green varieties, which are highly esteemed as marbles.

Porphyry shell (Zoˆl.), a handsome marine gastropod shell (Oliva porphyria), having a dark red or brown polished surface, marked with light spots, like porphyry.

||Por"pi*ta (?), n. [NL., from Gr. &?; brooch.] (Zoˆl.) A genus of ||bright-colored Siphonophora found floating in the warmer parts of the ||ocean. The individuals are round and disk-shaped, with a large zooid ||in the center of the under side, surrounded by smaller nutritive and ||reproductive zooids, and by slender dactylozooids near the margin. ||The disk contains a central float, or pneumatocyst.

Por"poise (?), n. [OE. porpeys, OF. porpeis, literally, hog fish, from L. porcus swine + piscis fish. See Pork, and Fish.] 1. (Zoˆl.) Any small cetacean of the genus PhocÊna, especially P. communis, or P. phocÊna, of Europe, and the closely allied American species (P. Americana). The color is dusky or blackish above, paler beneath. They are closely allied to the dolphins, but have a shorter snout. Called also harbor porpoise, herring hag, puffing pig, and snuffer.

2. (Zoˆl.) A true dolphin (Delphinus); -- often so called by sailors.

Skunk porpoise, or Bay porpoise (Zoˆl.), a North American porpoise (Lagenorhynchus acutus), larger than the common species, and with broad stripes of white and yellow on the sides. See Illustration in Appendix.

||Por`po*ri"no (?), n. [It.] A composition of quicksilver, tin, and ||sulphur, forming a yellow powder, sometimes used by mediÊval artists, ||for the sake of economy, instead of gold. Fairholt.

Por"pus (?), n. A porpoise. [Obs.] Swift.

Por*ra"ceous (?), a. [L. porraceus, from porrum, porrus, a leek.] Resembling the leek in color; greenish. [R.] "Porraceous vomiting." Wiseman.

Por*rect" (?), a. [L. porrectus, p. p. of porrigere to stretch out before one's self, to but forth.] Extended horizontally; stretched out.

Por*rec"tion (?), n. [L. porrectio: cf. F. porrection.] The act of stretching forth.

Por"ret (?), n. [F. porrette, fr. L. porrum, porrus, leek. See Porraceous.] A scallion; a leek or small onion. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Por"ridge (?), n. [Probably corrupted fr. pottage; perh. influenced by OE. porree a kind of pottage, OF. porrÈe, fr. L. porrum, porrus, leek. See Pottage, and cf. Porringer.] A food made by boiling some leguminous or farinaceous substance, or the meal of it, in water or in milk, making of broth or thin pudding; as, barley porridge, milk porridge, bean porridge, etc.

Por"rin*ger (?), n. [OE. pottanger, for pottager; cf. F. potager a soup basin. See Porridge.] A porridge dish; esp., a bowl or cup from which children eat or are fed; as, a silver porringer. Wordsworth.

Port (?), n. [From Oporto, in Portugal, i. e., &?; porto the port, L. portus. See Port harbor.] A dark red or purple astringent wine made in Portugal. It contains a large percentage of alcohol.

Port, n. [AS. port, L. portus: cf. F. port. See Farm, v., Ford, and 1st, 3d, & 4h Port.] 1. A place where ships may ride secure from storms; a sheltered inlet, bay, or cove; a harbor; a haven. Used also figuratively.

<! p. 1116 !>

Peering in maps for ports and piers and roads.

Shak.

We are in port if we have Thee.

Keble.

2. In law and commercial usage, a harbor where vessels are admitted to discharge and receive cargoes, from whence they depart and where they finish their voyages.

Free port. See under Free. -- Port bar. (Naut,) (a) A boom. See Boom, 4, also Bar, 3. (b) A bar, as of sand, at the mouth of, or in, a port. -- Port charges (Com.), charges, as wharfage, etc., to which a ship or its cargo is subjected in a harbor. -- Port of entry, a harbor where a customhouse is established for the legal entry of merchandise. -- Port toll (Law), a payment made for the privilege of bringing goods into port. -- Port warden, the officer in charge of a port; a harbor master.

Port (?), n. [F. porte, L. porta, akin to portus; cf. AS. porte, fr. L. porta. See Port a harbor, and cf. Porte.] 1. A passageway; an opening or entrance to an inclosed place; a gate; a door; a portal. [Archaic]

Him I accuse The city ports by this hath entered.

Shak.

Form their ivory port the cherubim Forth issuing.

Milton.

2. (Naut.) An opening in the side of a vessel; an embrasure through which cannon may be discharged; a porthole; also, the shutters which close such an opening.

Her ports being within sixteen inches of the water.

Sir W. Raleigh.

3. (Mach.) A passageway in a machine, through which a fluid, as steam, water, etc., may pass, as from a valve to the interior of the cylinder of a steam engine; an opening in a valve seat, or valve face.

Air port, Bridle port, etc. See under Air, Bridle, etc. -- Port bar (Naut.), a bar to secure the ports of a ship in a gale. -- Port lid (Naut.), a lid or hanging for closing the portholes of a vessel. -- Steam port, &and; Exhaust port (Steam Engine), the ports of the cylinder communicating with the valve or valves, for the entrance or exit of the steam, respectively.

Port, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ported; p. pr. & vb. n. Porting.] [F. porter, L. portare to carry. See Port demeanor.] 1. To carry; to bear; to transport. [Obs.]

They are easily ported by boat into other shires.

Fuller.

2. (Mil.) To throw, as a musket, diagonally across the body, with the lock in front, the right hand grasping the small of the stock, and the barrel sloping upward and crossing the point of the left shoulder; as, to port arms.

Began to hem him round with ported spears.

Milton.

Port arms, a position in the manual of arms, executed as above.

Port, n. [F. port, fr. porter to carry, L. portare, prob. akin to E. fare, v. See Port harbor, and cf. Comport, Export, Sport.] The manner in which a person bears himself; deportment; carriage; bearing; demeanor; hence, manner or style of living; as, a proud port. Spenser.

And of his port as meek as is a maid.

Chaucer.

The necessities of pomp, grandeur, and a suitable port in the world.

South.

Port, n. [Etymology uncertain.] (Naut.) The larboard or left side of a ship (looking from the stern toward the bow); as, a vessel heels to port. See Note under Larboard. Also used adjectively.

Port, v. t. (Naut.) To turn or put to the left or larboard side of a ship; -- said of the helm, and used chiefly in the imperative, as a command; as, port your helm.

||Por"ta (?), n.; pl. PortÊ (#). [L., a gate. See Port a hole.] (Anat.) ||(a) The part of the liver or other organ where its vessels and nerves ||enter; the hilus. (b) The foramen of Monro. B. G. Wilder.

Port`a*bil"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being portable; fitness to be carried.

Port"a*ble (?), a. [L. portabilis, fr. portare to carry: cf. F. portable. See Port demeanor.] 1. Capable of being borne or carried; easily transported; conveyed without difficulty; as, a portable bed, desk, engine. South.

2. Possible to be endured; supportable. [Obs.]

How light and portable my pain seems now!

Shak.

Portable forge. See under Forge. -- Portable steam engine. See under Steam engine.

Port"a*ble*ness, n. The quality or state of being portable; portability.

Por"tace (?; 48), n. See Portass. [Obs.]

Port"age (?; 48), n. [From 2d Port.] (Naut.) (a) A sailor's wages when in port. (b) The amount of a sailor's wages for a voyage.

Port"age, n. [3d Port.] A porthole. [Obs.] Shak.

Por"tage (?), n. [F., from porter to carry. See Port to carry.] 1. The act of carrying or transporting.

2. The price of carriage; porterage. Bp. Fell.

3. Capacity for carrying; tonnage. [Obs.] Hakluyt.

4. A carry between navigable waters. See 3d Carry.

Por"tage (?), v. t. & i. To carry (goods, boats, etc.) overland between navigable waters.

Por"tage group` (?). [So called from the township of Portage in New York.] (Geol.) A subdivision of the Chemung period in American geology. See Chart of Geology.

Por"ta*gue (?), n. [See Portuguese.] A Portuguese gold coin formerly current, and variously estimated to be worth from three and one half to four and one half pounds sterling. [Obs.] [Written also portegue and portigue.]

Ten thousand portagues, besides great pearls.

Marlowe.

Por"tal (?), n. [OF. portal, F. portail, LL. portale, fr. L. porta a gate. See Port a gate.] 1. A door or gate; hence, a way of entrance or exit, especially one that is grand and imposing.

Thick with sparkling orient gems The portal shone.

Milton.

From out the fiery portal of the east.

Shak.

2. (Arch.) (a) The lesser gate, where there are two of different dimensions. (b) Formerly, a small square corner in a room separated from the rest of the apartment by wainscoting, forming a short passage to another apartment. (c) By analogy with the French portail, used by recent writers for the whole architectural composition which surrounds and includes the doorways and porches of a church.

3. (Bridge Building) The space, at one end, between opposite trusses when these are terminated by inclined braces.

4. A prayer book or breviary; a portass. [Obs.]

Portal bracing (Bridge Building), a combination of struts and ties which lie in the plane of the inclined braces at a portal, serving to transfer wind pressure from the upper parts of the trusses to an abutment or pier of the bridge.

Por"tal (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a porta, especially the porta of the liver; as, the portal vein, which enters the liver at the porta, and divides into capillaries after the manner of an artery.

Portal is applied to other veins which break up into capillaries; as, the renal portal veins in the frog.

||Por`ta*men"to (?), n. [It., fr. portare to carry.] (Mus.) In singing, ||or in the use of the bow, a gradual carrying or lifting of the voice ||or sound very smoothly from one note to another; a gliding from tone ||to tone.

Por"tance (?), n. See Port, carriage, demeanor. [Obs.] Spenser. Shak.

Por"tass (?), n. [OF. porte-hors a kind of prayer book, so called from being portable; cf. LL. portiforium.] A breviary; a prayer book. [Written variously portace, portasse, portesse, portise, porthose, portos, portus, portuse, etc.] [Obs.] Spenser. Camden.

By God and by this porthors I you swear.

Chaucer.

Por"tate (?), a. [L. portatus, p. p. of portare to carry.] (Her.) Borne not erect, but diagonally athwart an escutcheon; as, a cross portate.

Por"ta*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. portatif.] 1. Portable. [Obs.]

2. (Physics) Capable of holding up or carrying; as, the portative force of a magnet, of atmospheric pressure, or of capillarity.

Port"cluse (?), n. A portcullis. [Obs.]

Port`cray"on (?), n. [F. porte- crayon; porter to carry + crayon a crayon.] A metallic handle with a clasp for holding a crayon.

Port*cul"lis (?), n. [OF. porte coulisse, coleÔce, a sliding door, fr. L. colare, colatum, to filter, to strain: cf. F. couler to glide. See Port a gate, and cf. Cullis, Colander.] 1. (Fort.) A grating of iron or of timbers pointed with iron, hung over the gateway of a fortress, to be let down to prevent the entrance of an enemy. "Let the portcullis fall." Sir W. Scott.

She . . . the huge portcullis high updrew.

Milton.

2. An English coin of the reign of Elizabeth, struck for the use of the East India Company; -- so called from its bearing the figure of a portcullis on the reverse.

Port*cul"lis, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Portcullised (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Portcullising.] To obstruct with, or as with, a portcullis; to shut; to bar. [R.] Shak.

Porte (?), n. [F. porte a gate, L. porta. See Port a gate.] The Ottoman court; the government of the Turkish empire, officially called the Sublime Porte, from the gate (port) of the sultan's palace at which justice was administered.

||Porte"-co`chËre" (?), n. [F. See Port a gate, and Coach.] (Arch.) A ||large doorway allowing vehicles to drive into or through a building. ||It is common to have the entrance door open upon the passage of the ||porte-cochËre. Also, a porch over a driveway before an entrance door.

Port"ed (?), a. Having gates. [Obs.]

We took the sevenfold-ported Thebes.

Chapman.

Por"te*gue (?), n. See Portague. [Obs.]

Porte"mon*naie` (?), n. [F., fr. porter to carry + monnaie money.] A small pocketbook or wallet for carrying money.

Por*tend" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Portended; p. pr. & vb. n. Portending.] [L. portendre, portentum, to foretell, to predict, to impend, from an old preposition used in comp. + tendere to stretch. See Position, Tend.] 1. To indicate (events, misfortunes, etc.) as in future; to foreshow; to foretoken; to bode; -- now used esp. of unpropitious signs. Bacon.

Many signs portended a dark and stormy day.

Macaulay.

2. To stretch out before. [R.] "Doomed to feel the great Idomeneus' portended steel." Pope.

Syn. -- To foreshow; foretoken; betoken; forebode; augur; presage; foreshadow; threaten.

Por*ten"sion (?), n. The act of foreshowing; foreboding. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Por*tent" (?; 277), n. [L. portentum. See Portend.] That which portends, or foretoken; esp., that which portends evil; a sign of coming calamity; an omen; a sign. Shak.

My loss by dire portents the god foretold.

Dryden.

Por*tent"ive (?), a. Presaging; foreshadowing.

Por*tent"ous (?), a. [L. portentosus.] 1. Of the nature of a portent; containing portents; foreshadowing, esp. foreshadowing ill; ominous.

For, I believe, they are portentous things.

Shak.

Victories of strange and almost portentous splendor.

Macaulay.

2. Hence: Monstrous; prodigious; wonderful; dreadful; as, a beast of portentous size. Roscommon.

-- Por*tent"ous*ly, adv. -- Por*tent"ous*ness, n.

Por"ter (?), n. [F. portier, L. portarius, from porta a gate, door. See Port a gate.] A man who has charge of a door or gate; a doorkeeper; one who waits at the door to receive messages. Shak.

To him the porter openeth.

John x. 3.

Por"ter, n. [F. porteur, fr. porter to carry, L. portare. See Port to carry.] 1. A carrier; one who carries or conveys burdens, luggage, etc.; for hire.

2. (Forging) A bar of iron or steel at the end of which a forging is made; esp., a long, large bar, to the end of which a heavy forging is attached, and by means of which the forging is lifted and handled in hammering and heating; -- called also porter bar.

3. A malt liquor, of a dark color and moderately bitter taste, possessing tonic and intoxicating qualities.

Porter is said to be so called as having been first used chiefly by the London porters, and this application of the word is supposed to be not older than 1750.

Por"ter*age (?), n. 1. The work of a porter; the occupation of a carrier or of a doorkeeper.

2. Money charged or paid for the carriage of burdens or parcels by a porter.

Por"ter*ess, n. See Portress.

Por"ter*house, n. A house where porter is sold.

Porterhouse steak, a steak cut from a sirloin of beet, including the upper and under part.

Por"tesse (?), n. See Porteass. [Obs.] Tyndale.

Port"fire` (?), n. A case of strong paper filled with a composition of niter, sulphur, and mealed powder, -- used principally to ignite the priming in proving guns, and as an incendiary material in shells.

Port*fol"io (?), n. [F. portefeuille; porter to carry + feuille a leaf. See Port to carry, and Folio.] 1. A portable case for holding loose papers, prints, drawings, etc.

2. Hence: The office and functions of a minister of state or member of the cabinet; as, to receive the portfolio of war; to resign the portfolio.

Port"glave (?), n. [F. porte- glaive; porter to carry + glaive a sword.] A sword bearer. [Obs.]

{ Port"greve` (?), Port"grave` (?), }[AS. portgerfa; port a harbor + gerfa a reeve or sheriff. See Reeve a steward, and cf. Portreeve.] In old English law, the chief magistrate of a port or maritime town.; a portreeve. [Obs.] Fabyan.

Port"hole` (?), n. (Naut.) An embrasure in a ship's side. See 3d Port.

Port"hook` (?), n. (Naut.) One of the iron hooks to which the port hinges are attached. J. Knowles.

Port"hors` (?), n. See Portass. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Por"ti*co, n.; pl. Porticoes (#) or Porticos. [It., L. porticus. See Porch.] (Arch.) A colonnade or covered ambulatory, especially in classical styles of architecture; usually, a colonnade at the entrance of a building.

Por"ti*coed (?), a. Furnished with a portico.

||Por`tiËre"" (?), n. [F., fr. porte gate, door. See Port a gate.] A ||curtain hanging across a doorway.

Por"ti*gue (?), n. See Portague. Beau. & Fl.

Por"tin*gal (?), a. Of or pertaining to Portugal; Portuguese. [Obs.] -- n. A Portuguese. [Obs.]

Por"tion (?), n. [F., from L. portio, akin to pars, partis, a part. See Part, n.] 1. That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.

2. A part considered by itself, though not actually cut off or separated from the whole.

These are parts of his ways; but how little a portion is heard of him!

Job xxvi. 14.

Portions and parcels of the dreadful past.

Tennyson.

3. A part assigned; allotment; share; fate.

The lord of that servant . . . will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Luke xii. 46.

Man's portion is to die and rise again.

Keble.

4. The part of an estate given to a child or heir, or descending to him by law, and distributed to him in the settlement of the estate; an inheritance.

Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.

Luke xv. 12.

5. A wife's fortune; a dowry. Shak.

Syn. -- Division; share; parcel; quantity; allotment; dividend. -- Portion, Part. Part is generic, having a simple reference to some whole. Portion has the additional idea of such a division as bears reference to an individual, or is allotted to some object; as, a portion of one's time; a portion of Scripture.

Por"tion, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Portioned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Portioning.] 1. To separate or divide into portions or shares; to parcel; to distribute.

And portion to his tribes the wide domain.

Pope.

2. To endow with a portion or inheritance.

Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest.

Pope.

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Por"tion*er (?), n. 1. One who portions.

2. (Eccl.) See Portionist, 2.

Por"tion*ist (?), n. 1. A scholar at Merton College, Oxford, who has a certain academical allowance or portion; -- corrupted into postmaster. Shipley.

2. (Eccl.) One of the incumbents of a benefice which has two or more rectors or vicars.

Por"tion*less, a. Having no portion.

Por"tise (?), n. See Portass. [Obs.]

Port"land ce*ment" (?). A cement having the color of the Portland stone of England, made by calcining an artificial mixture of carbonate of lime and clay, or sometimes certain natural limestones or chalky clays. It contains a large proportion of clay, and hardens under water.

Port"land stone" (?). A yellowish-white calcareous freestone from the Isle of Portland in England, much used in building.

Port"land vase` (?). A celebrated cinerary urn or vase found in the tomb of the Emperor Alexander Severus. It is owned by the Duke of Portland, and kept in the British Museum.

Port"last (?), n. (Naut.) The portoise. See Portoise.

Port"li*ness (?), n. 1. The quality or state of being portly; dignity of mien or of personal appearance; stateliness.

Such pride is praise; such portliness is honor.

Spenser.

2. Bulkiness; corpulence.

Port"ly, a. [From Port demeanor.] 1. Having a dignified port or mien; of a noble appearance; imposing.

2. Bulky; corpulent. "A portly personage." Dickens.

Port"man (?), n.; pl. Portmen (&?;). An inhabitant or burgess of a port, esp. of one of the Cinque Ports.

Port*man"teau (?), n.; pl. Portmanteaus (#). [F. porte-manteau; porter to carry + manteau a cloak, mantle. See Port to carry, and Mantle.] A bag or case, usually of leather, for carrying wearing apparel, etc., on journeys. Thackeray.

Port*man"tle (?), n. A portmanteau. [Obs.]

Port"mote` (?), n. In old English law, a court, or mote, held in a port town. [Obs.] Blackstone.

Por"toir (?), n. [OF., fr. porter to bear.] One who, or that which, bears; hence, one who, or that which, produces. [Obs.]

Branches . . . which were portoirs, and bare grapes.

Holland.

Por"toise (?), n. [Perhaps fr. OF. porteis portative, portable.] (Naut.) The gunwale of a ship.

To lower the yards a-portoise, to lower them to the gunwale. -- To ride a portoise, to ride an anchor with the lower yards and topmasts struck or lowered, as in a gale of wind.

Por"tos (?), n. See Portass. [Obs.]

Port"pane (?), n. [From L. portare to carry + panis bread; prob. through French.] A cloth for carrying bread, so as not to touch it with the hands. [Obs.]

Por"trait (?), n. [F., originally p. p. of portraire to portray. See Portray.] 1. The likeness of a person, painted, drawn, or engraved; commonly, a representation of the human face painted from real life.

In portraits, the grace, and, we may add, the likeness, consists more in the general air than in the exact similitude of every feature.

Sir J. Reynolds.

The meaning of the word is sometimes extended so as to include a photographic likeness.

2. Hence, any graphic or vivid delineation or description of a person; as, a portrait in words.

Portrait bust, or Portrait statue, a bust or statue representing the actual features or person of an individual; -- in distinction from an ideal bust or statue.

Por"trait, v. t. To portray; to draw. [Obs.] Spenser.

Por"trait*ist, n. A portrait painter. [R.] Hamerton.

Por"trai*ture (?; 135), n. [F. portraiture.] 1. A portrait; a likeness; a painted resemblance; hence, that which is copied from some example or model.

For, by the image of my cause, I see The portraiture of his.

Shak.

Divinity maketh the love of ourselves the pattern; the love of our neighbors but the portraiture.

Bacon.

2. Pictures, collectively; painting. [Obs.] Chaucer.

3. The art or practice of making portraits. Walpole.

Por"trai*ture, v. t. To represent by a portrait, or as by a portrait; to portray. [R.] Shaftesbury.

Por*tray" (?), v. t. [Written also pourtray.] [imp. & p. p. portrayed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Portraying.] [OE. pourtraien, OF. portraire, pourtraire, F. portraire, fr. L. protrahere, protractum, to draw or drag forth; pro forward, forth + trahere to draw. See Trace, v. t., and cf. Protract.] 1. To paint or draw the likeness of; as, to portray a king on horseback.

Take a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem.

Ezek. iv. 1.

2. Hence, figuratively, to describe in words.

3. To adorn with pictures. [R.]

Spear and helmets thronged, and shields Various with boastful arguments potrayed.

Milton.

Por*tray"al (?), n. The act or process of portraying; description; delineation.

Por*tray"er (?), n. One who portrays. Chaucer.

Port"reeve` (?), n. A port warden.

Por"tress (?), n. A female porter. Milton.

Port-roy"al*ist (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) One of the dwellers in the Cistercian convent of Port Royal des Champs, near Paris, when it was the home of the Jansenists in the 17th century, among them being Arnauld, Pascal, and other famous scholars. Cf. Jansenist.

Port"sale` (?), n. [Port gate + sale.] Public or open sale; auction. [Obs.] Holland.

Por"tu*a*ry (?; 135), n. [Cf. Portass.] (R. C. Ch.) A breviary. [Eng.]

Por"tu*guese (?), a. [Cf. F. portugais, Sp. portugues, Pg. portuguez.] Of or pertaining to Portugal, or its inhabitants. -- n. sing. & pl. A native or inhabitant of Portugal; people of Portugal.

Portuguese man-of-war. (Zoˆl.) See Physalia.

||Por`tu*la"ca (?), n. [L., purslane.] (Bot.) A genus of polypetalous ||plants; also, any plant of the genus.

Portulaca oleracea is the common purslane. P. grandiflora is a South American herb, widely cultivated for its showy crimson, scarlet, yellow, or white, ephemeral blossoms.

Por`tu*la*ca"ceous (?), a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (PortulacaceÊ), of which Portulaca is the type, and which includes also the spring beauty (Claytonia) and other genera.

Por"wi`gle (?), n. See Polliwig.

Por"y (?), a. Porous; as, pory stone. [R.] Dryden.

||Po`sÈ" (?), a. [F., placed, posed.] (Her.) Standing still, with all ||the feet on the ground; -- said of the attitude of a lion, horse, or ||other beast.

Pose (?), n. [AS. gepose; of uncertain origin; cf. W. pas a cough, Skr. ks to cough, and E. wheeze.] A cold in the head; catarrh. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pose (?), n. [F. pose, fr. poser. See Pose, v. t.] The attitude or position of a person; the position of the body or of any member of the body; especially, a position formally assumed for the sake of effect; an artificial position; as, the pose of an actor; the pose of an artist's model or of a statue.

Pose, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Posed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Posing.] [F. poser to place, to put, L. pausare to pause, in LL. also, to place, put, fr. L. pausa a pause, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to make to cease, prob. akin to E. few. In compounds, this word appears corresponding to L. ponere to put, place, the substitution in French having been probably due to confusion of this word with L. positio position, fr. ponere. See Few, and cf. Appose, Dispose, Oppose, Pause, Repose, Position.] To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect; to arrange the posture and drapery of (a person) in a studied manner; as, to pose a model for a picture; to pose a sitter for a portrait.

Pose, v. i. To assume and maintain a studied attitude, with studied arrangement of drapery; to strike an attitude; to attitudinize; figuratively, to assume or affect a certain character; as, she poses as a prude.

He . . . posed before her as a hero.

Thackeray.

Pose, v. t. [Shortened from appose, for oppose. See 2d Appose, Oppose.] 1. To interrogate; to question. [Obs.] "She . . . posed him and sifted him." Bacon.

2. To question with a view to puzzling; to embarrass by questioning or scrutiny; to bring to a stand.

A question wherewith a learned Pharisee thought to pose and puzzle him.

Barrow.

Posed (?), a. Firm; determined; fixed. "A most posed . . . and grave behavior." [Obs.] Urquhart.

Pos"er (?), n. One who, or that which, puzzles; a difficult or inexplicable question or fact. Bacon.

Po"sied (?), a. Inscribed with a posy.

In poised lockets bribe the fair.

Gay.

Pos"ing*ly (?), adv. So as to pose or puzzle.

Pos"it (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Posited; p. pr. & vb. n. Positing.] [L. ponere, positum, to place. See Position.] 1. To dispose or set firmly or fixedly; to place or dispose in relation to other objects. Sir M. Hale.

2. (Logic) To assume as real or conceded; as, to posit a principle. Sir W. Hamilton.

Po*si"tion (?), n. [F. position, L. positio, fr. ponere, positum, to put, place; prob. for posino, fr. an old preposition used only in comp. (akin to Gr. &?;) + sinere to leave, let, permit, place. See Site, and cf. Composite, Compound, v., Depone, Deposit, Expound, Impostor, Opposite, Propound, Pose, v., Posit, Post, n.]

1. The state of being posited, or placed; the manner in which anything is placed; attitude; condition; as, a firm, an inclined, or an upright position.

We have different prospects of the same thing, according to our different positions to it.

Locke.

2. The spot where a person or thing is placed or takes a place; site; place; station; situation; as, the position of man in creation; the fleet changed its position.

3. Hence: The ground which any one takes in an argument or controversy; the point of view from which any one proceeds to a discussion; also, a principle laid down as the basis of reasoning; a proposition; a thesis; as, to define one's position; to appear in a false position.

Let not the proof of any position depend on the positions that follow, but always on those which go before.

I. Watts.

4. Relative place or standing; social or official rank; as, a person of position; hence, office; post; as, to lose one's position.

5. (Arith.) A method of solving a problem by one or two suppositions; -- called also the rule of trial and error.

Angle of position (Astron.), the angle which any line (as that joining two stars) makes with another fixed line, specifically with a circle of declination. -- Double position (Arith.), the method of solving problems by proceeding with each of two assumed numbers, according to the conditions of the problem, and by comparing the difference of the results with those of the numbers, deducing the correction to be applied to one of them to obtain the true result. -- Guns of position (Mil.), heavy fieldpieces, not designed for quick movements. -- Position finder (Mil.), a range finder. See under Range. -- Position micrometer, a micrometer applied to the tube of an astronomical telescope for measuring angles of position in the field of view. -- Single position (Arith.), the method of solving problems, in which the result obtained by operating with an assumed number is to the true result as the number assumed is to the number required. -- Strategic position (Mil.), a position taken up by an army or a large detachment of troops for the purpose of checking or observing an opposing force.

Syn. -- Situation; station; place; condition; attitude; posture; proposition; assertion; thesis.

Po*si"tion (?), v. t. To indicate the position of; to place. [R.] Encyc. Brit.

Po*si"tion*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to position.

Ascribing unto plants positional operations.

Sir T. Browne.

Pos"i*tive (?), a. [OE. positif, F. positif, L. positivus. See Position.] 1. Having a real position, existence, or energy; existing in fact; real; actual; -- opposed to negative. "Positive good." Bacon.

2. Derived from an object by itself; not dependent on changing circumstances or relations; absolute; -- opposed to relative; as, the idea of beauty is not positive, but depends on the different tastes individuals.

3. Definitely laid down; explicitly stated; clearly expressed; -- opposed to implied; as, a positive declaration or promise.

Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward's son.

Bacon.

4. Hence: Not admitting of any doubt, condition, qualification, or discretion; not dependent on circumstances or probabilities; not speculative; compelling assent or obedience; peremptory; indisputable; decisive; as, positive instructions; positive truth; positive proof. "'T is positive 'gainst all exceptions." Shak.

5. Prescribed by express enactment or institution; settled by arbitrary appointment; said of laws.

In laws, that which is natural bindeth universally; that which is positive, not so.

Hooker.

6. Fully assured; confident; certain; sometimes, overconfident; dogmatic; overbearing; -- said of persons.

Some positive, persisting fops we know, That, if once wrong, will needs be always.

Pope.

7. Having the power of direct action or influence; as, a positive voice in legislation. Swift.

8. (Photog.) Corresponding with the original in respect to the position of lights and shades, instead of having the lights and shades reversed; as, a positive picture.

9. (Chem.) (a) Electro- positive. (b) Hence, basic; metallic; not acid; -- opposed to negative, and said of metals, bases, and basic radicals.

Positive crystals (Opt.), a doubly refracting crystal in which the index of refraction for the extraordinary ray is greater than for the ordinary ray, and the former is refracted nearer to the axis than the latter, as quartz and ice; -- opposed to negative crystal, or one in which this characteristic is reversed, as Iceland spar, tourmaline, etc. -- Positive degree (Gram.), that state of an adjective or adverb which denotes simple quality, without comparison or relation to increase or diminution; as, wise, noble. -- Positive electricity (Elec), the kind of electricity which is developed when glass is rubbed with silk, or which appears at that pole of a voltaic battery attached to the plate that is not attacked by the exciting liquid; -- formerly called vitreous electricity; -- opposed to negative electricity. -- Positive eyepiece. See under Eyepiece. -- Positive law. See Municipal law, under Law. -- Positive motion (Mach.), motion which is derived from a driver through unyielding intermediate pieces, or by direct contact, and not through elastic connections, nor by means of friction, gravity, etc.; definite motion. -- Positive philosophy. See Positivism. -- Positive pole. (a) (Elec.) The pole of a battery or pile which yields positive or vitreous electricity; -- opposed to negative pole. (b) (Magnetism) The north pole. [R.] -- Positive quantity (Alg.), an affirmative quantity, or one affected by the sign plus [+]. -- Positive rotation (Mech.), left-handed rotation. -- Positive sign (Math.), the sign [+] denoting plus, or more, or addition.

Pos"i*tive, n. 1. That which is capable of being affirmed; reality. South.

2. That which settles by absolute appointment.

3. (Gram.) The positive degree or form.

4. (Photog.) A picture in which the lights and shades correspond in position with those of the original, instead of being reversed, as in a negative. R. Hunt.

5. (Elec.) The positive plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.

Pos"i*tive*ly, adv. In a positive manner; absolutely; really; expressly; with certainty; indubitably; peremptorily; dogmatically; -- opposed to negatively.

Good and evil which is removed may be esteemed good or evil comparatively, and positively simply.

Bacon.

Give me some breath, some little pause, my lord, Before I positively speak herein.

Shak.

I would ask . . . whether . . . the divine law does not positively require humility and meekness.

Sprat.

Positively charged or electrified (Elec.), having a charge of positive electricity; -- opposed to negatively electrified.

Pos"i*tive*ness, n. The quality or state of being positive; reality; actualness; certainty; confidence; peremptoriness; dogmatism. See Positive, a.

Positiveness, pedantry, and ill manners.

Swift.

The positiveness of sins of commission lies both in the habitude of the will and in the executed act too; the positiveness of sins of omission is in the habitude of the will only.

Norris.

Pos"i*tiv*ism (?), n. A system of philosophy originated by M. Auguste Comte, which deals only with positives. It excludes from philosophy everything but the natural phenomena or properties of knowable things, together with their invariable relations of coexistence and succession, as occurring in time and space. Such relations are denominated laws, which are to be discovered by observation, experiment, and comparison. This philosophy holds all inquiry into causes, both efficient and final, to be useless and unprofitable.

Pos"i*tiv*ist, n. A believer in positivism. -- a. Relating to positivism.

Pos`i*tiv"i*ty (?), n. Positiveness. J. Morley.

Pos"i*ture (?; 135), n. See Posture. [Obs.]

Pos"net (?), n. [OF. poÁonet, dim. of poÁon a pot, a vessel.] A little basin; a porringer; a skillet.

{ Pos`o*log"ic (?), Pos`o*log"ic*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. posologique.] Pertaining to posology.

Po*sol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. &?; how much + -logy: cf. F. posologie.] (Med.) The science or doctrine of doses; dosology.

<! p. 1118 !>

Pos"po*lite (?), n. [Pol. pospolite ruszenie a general summons to arms, an arriere-ban; pospolity general + ruszenie a stirring.] A kind of militia in Poland, consisting of the gentry, which, in case of invasion, was summoned to the defense of the country.

Poss (?), v. t. [See Push.] To push; to dash; to throw. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

A cat . . . possed them [the rats] about.

Piers Plowman.

Pos"se (?), n. See Posse comitatus.

In posse. See In posse in the Vocabulary.

||Pos"se com`i*ta"tus (?). [L. posse to be able, to have power + LL. ||comitatus a county, from comes, comitis, a count. See County, and ||Power.]

1. (Law) The power of the county, or the citizens who may be summoned by the sheriff to assist the authorities in suppressing a riot, or executing any legal precept which is forcibly opposed. Blackstone.

2. A collection of people; a throng; a rabble. [Colloq.]

The word comitatus is often omitted, and posse alone used. "A whole posse of enthusiasts." Carlyle.

As if the passion that rules were the sheriff of the place, and came off with all the posse.

Locke.

Pos*sess" (?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Possessed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Possessing.] [L. possessus, p. p. of possidere to have, possess, from an inseparable prep. (cf. Position) + sedere to sit. See Sit.] 1. To occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one's own keeping; to have and to hold.

Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.

Jer. xxxii. 15.

Yet beauty, though injurious, hath strange power, After offense returning, to regain Love once possessed.

Milton.

2. To have the legal title to; to have a just right to; to be master of; to own; to have; as, to possess property, an estate, a book.

I am yours, and all that I possess.

Shak.

3. To obtain occupation or possession of; to accomplish; to gain; to seize.

How . . . to possess the purpose they desired.

Spenser.

4. To enter into and influence; to control the will of; to fill; to affect; -- said especially of evil spirits, passions, etc. "Weakness possesseth me." Shak.

Those which were possessed with devils.

Matt. iv. 24.

For ten inspired, ten thousand are possessed.

Roscommon.

5. To put in possession; to make the owner or holder of property, power, knowledge, etc.; to acquaint; to inform; -- followed by of or with before the thing possessed, and now commonly used reflexively.

I have possessed your grace of what I purpose.

Shak.

Record a gift . . . of all he dies possessed Unto his son.

Shak.

We possessed our selves of the kingdom of Naples.

Addison.

To possess our minds with an habitual good intention.

Addison.

Syn. -- To have; hold; occupy; control; own. -- Possess, Have. Have is the more general word. To possess denotes to have as a property. It usually implies more permanence or definiteness of control or ownership than is involved in having. A man does not possess his wife and children: they are (so to speak) part of himself. For the same reason, we have the faculties of reason, understanding, will, sound judgment, etc.: they are exercises of the mind, not possessions.

Pos*ses"sion (?), n. [F. possession, L. possessio.] 1. The act or state of possessing, or holding as one's own.

2. (Law) The having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command; actual seizin or occupancy; ownership, whether rightful or wrongful.

Possession may be either actual or constructive; actual, when a party has the immediate occupancy; constructive, when he has only the right to such occupancy.

3. The thing possessed; that which any one occupies, owns, or controls; in the plural, property in the aggregate; wealth; dominion; as, foreign possessions.

When the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Matt. xix. 22.

Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

Acts v. 1.

The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

Ob. 17.

4. The state of being possessed or controlled, as by an evil spirit, or violent passions; madness; frenzy; as, demoniacal possession.

How long hath this possession held the man?

Shak.

To give possession, to put in another's power or occupancy. -- To put in possession. (a) To invest with ownership or occupancy; to provide or furnish with; as, to put one in possession of facts or information. (b) (Law) To place one in charge of property recovered in ejectment or writ of entry. -- To take possession, to enter upon, or to bring within one's power or occupancy. -- Writ of possession (Law), a precept directing a sheriff to put a person in peaceable possession of property recovered in ejectment or writ of entry.

Pos*ses"sion, v. t. To invest with property. [Obs.]

Pos*ses"sion*a*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to possession; arising from possession.

Pos*ses"sion*er (?), n. 1. A possessor; a property holder. [Obs.] "Possessioners of riches." E. Hall.

Having been of old freemen and possessioners.

Sir P. Sidney.

2. An invidious name for a member of any religious community endowed with property in lands, buildings, etc., as contrasted with mendicant friars. [Obs.] Wyclif.

Pos`ses*si"val (?), a. Of or pertaining to the possessive case; as, a possessival termination. Earle.

Pos*sess"ive (?), a. [L. possessivus: cf. F. possessif.] Of or pertaining to possession; having or indicating possession.

Possessive case (Eng. Gram.), the genitive case; the case of nouns and pronouns which expresses ownership, origin, or some possessive relation of one thing to another; as, Homer's admirers; the pear's flavor; the dog's faithfulness. -- Possessive pronoun, a pronoun denoting ownership; as, his name; her home; my book.

Pos*sess"ive (?), n. 1. (Gram.) The possessive case.

2. (Gram.) A possessive pronoun, or a word in the possessive case.

Pos*sess"ive*ly, adv. In a possessive manner.

Pos*sess"or (?), n. [L.: cf. F. possesseur.] One who possesses; one who occupies, holds, owns, or controls; one who has actual participation or enjoyment, generally of that which is desirable; a proprietor. "Possessors of eternal glory." Law.

As if he had been possessor of the whole world.

Sharp.

Syn. -- Owner; proprietor; master; holder; occupant.

Pos*sess"o*ry (?), a. [L. possessorius: cf. F. possessoire.] Of or pertaining to possession, either as a fact or a right; of the nature of possession; as, a possessory interest; a possessory lord.

Possessory action or suit (Law), an action to regain or obtain possession of something. See under Petitory.

Pos"set (?), n. [W. posel curdled milk, posset.] A beverage composed of hot milk curdled by some strong infusion, as by wine, etc., -- much in favor formerly. "I have drugged their posset." Shak.

Pos"set, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Posseted; p. pr. & vb. n. Posseting.] 1. To curdle; to turn, as milk; to coagulate; as, to posset the blood. [Obs.] Shak.

2. To treat with possets; to pamper. [R.] "She was cosseted and posseted." O. W. Holmes.

Pos`si*bil"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Possibilities (#). [F. possibilitÈ, L. possibilitas.] 1. The quality or state of being possible; the power of happening, being, or existing. "All possibility of error." Hooker. "Latent possibilities of excellence." Johnson.

2. That which is possible; a contingency; a thing or event that may not happen; a contingent interest, as in real or personal estate. South. Burrill.

Pos"si*ble (?), a. [F., fr. L. possibilis, fr. posse to be able, to have power; potis able, capable + esse to be. See Potent, Am, and cf. Host a landlord.] Capable of existing or occurring, or of being conceived or thought of; able to happen; capable of being done; not contrary to the nature of things; -- sometimes used to express extreme improbability; barely able to be, or to come to pass; as, possibly he is honest, as it is possible that Judas meant no wrong.

With God all things are possible.

Matt. xix. 26.

Syn. -- Practicable; likely. See Practicable.

Pos"si*bly, adv. In a possible manner; by possible means; especially, by extreme, remote, or improbable intervention, change, or exercise of power; by a chance; perhaps; as, possibly he may recover.

Can we . . . possibly his love desert?

Milton.

When possibly I can, I will return.

Shak.

Pos"sum (?), n. [Shortened from opossum.] (Zoˆl.) An opossum. [Colloq. U. S.]

To play possum, To act possum, to feign ignorance, indifference or inattention, with the intent to deceive; to dissemble; -- in allusion to the habit of the opossum, which feigns death when attacked or alarmed.

Post- (pst). [L. post behind, after; cf. Skr. paÁcbehind, afterwards.] A prefix signifying behind, back, after; as, postcommissure, postdot, postscript.

Post, a. [F. aposter to place in a post or position, generally for a bad purpose.] Hired to do what is wrong; suborned. [Obs.] Sir E. Sandys.

Post, n. [AS., fr. L. postis, akin to ponere, positum, to place. See Position, and cf. 4th Post.] 1. A piece of timber, metal, or other solid substance, fixed, or to be fixed, firmly in an upright position, especially when intended as a stay or support to something else; a pillar; as, a hitching post; a fence post; the posts of a house.

They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses.

Ex. xii. 7.

Then by main force pulled up, and on his shoulders bore, The gates of Azza, post and massy bar.

Milton.

Unto his order he was a noble post.

Chaucer.

Post, in the sense of an upright timber or strut, is used in composition, in such words as king-post, queen- post, crown-post, gatepost, etc.

2. The doorpost of a victualer's shop or inn, on which were chalked the scores of customers; hence, a score; a debt. [Obs.]

When God sends coin I will discharge your post.

S. Rowlands.

From pillar to post. See under Pillar. -- Knight of the post. See under Knight. -- Post hanger (Mach.), a bearing for a revolving shaft, adapted to be fastened to a post. -- Post hole, a hole in the ground to set the foot of a post in. -- Post mill, a form of windmill so constructed that the whole fabric rests on a vertical axis firmly fastened to the ground, and capable of being turned as the direction of the wind varies. -- Post and stall (Coal Mining), a mode of working in which pillars of coal are left to support the roof of the mine.

Post, n. [F. poste, LL. posta station, post (where horses were kept), properly, a fixed or set place, fem. fr. L. positus placed, p. p. of ponere. See Position, and cf. Post a pillar.] 1. The place at which anything is stopped, placed, or fixed; a station. Specifically: (a) A station, or one of a series of stations, established for the refreshment and accommodation of travelers on some recognized route; as, a stage or railway post. (b) A military station; the place at which a soldier or a body of troops is stationed; also, the troops at such a station. (c) The piece of ground to which a sentinel's walk is limited.

2. A messenger who goes from station; an express; especially, one who is employed by the government to carry letters and parcels regularly from one place to another; a letter carrier; a postman.

In certain places there be always fresh posts, to carry that further which is brought unto them by the other.

Abp. Abbot.

I fear my Julia would not deign my lines, Receiving them from such a worthless post.

Shak.

3. An established conveyance for letters from one place or station to another; especially, the governmental system in any country for carrying and distributing letters and parcels; the post office; the mail; hence, the carriage by which the mail is transported.

I send you the fair copy of the poem on dullness, which I should not care to hazard by the common post.

Pope.

4. Haste or speed, like that of a messenger or mail carrier. [Obs.] "In post he came." Shak.

5. One who has charge of a station, especially of a postal station. [Obs.]

He held office of postmaster, or, as it was then called, post, for several years.

Palfrey.

6. A station, office, or position of service, trust, or emolument; as, the post of duty; the post of danger.

The post of honor is a private station.

Addison.

7. A size of printing and writing paper. See the Table under Paper.

Post and pair, an old game at cards, in which each player a hand of three cards. B. Jonson. -- Post bag, a mail bag. -- Post bill, a bill of letters mailed by a postmaster. -- Post chaise, or Post coach, a carriage usually with four wheels, for the conveyance of travelers who travel post. -- Post day, a day on which the mall arrives or departs. -- Post hackney, a hired post horse. Sir H. Wotton. -- Post horn, a horn, or trumpet, carried and blown by a carrier of the public mail, or by a coachman. -- Post horse, a horse stationed, intended, or used for the post. -- Post hour, hour for posting letters. Dickens. -- Post office. (a) An office under governmental superintendence, where letters, papers, and other mailable matter, are received and distributed; a place appointed for attending to all business connected with the mail. (b) The governmental system for forwarding mail matter. -- Postoffice order. See Money order, under Money. -- Post road, or Post route, a road or way over which the mail is carried. -- Post town. (a) A town in which post horses are kept. (b) A town in which a post office is established by law. -- To ride post, to ride, as a carrier of dispatches, from place to place; hence, to ride rapidly, with as little delay as possible. -- To travel post, to travel, as a post does, by relays of horses, or by keeping one carriage to which fresh horses are attached at each stopping place.

Post (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Posted; p. pr. & vb. n. Posting.] 1. To attach to a post, a wall, or other usual place of affixing public notices; to placard; as, to post a notice; to post playbills.

Formerly, a large post was erected before the sheriff's office, or in some public place, upon which legal notices were displayed. This way of advertisement has not entirely gone of use.

2. To hold up to public blame or reproach; to advertise opprobriously; to denounce by public proclamation; as, to post one for cowardice.

On pain of being posted to your sorrow Fail not, at four, to meet me.

Granville.

3. To enter (a name) on a list, as for service, promotion, or the like.

4. To assign to a station; to set; to place; as, to post a sentinel. "It might be to obtain a ship for a lieutenant, . . . or to get him posted." De Quincey.

5. (Bookkeeping) To carry, as an account, from the journal to the ledger; as, to post an account; to transfer, as accounts, to the ledger.

You have not posted your books these ten years.

Arbuthnot.

6. To place in the care of the post; to mail; as, to post a letter.

7. To inform; to give the news to; to make (one) acquainted with the details of a subject; -- often with up.

Thoroughly posted up in the politics and literature of the day.

Lond. Sat. Rev.

To post off, to put off; to delay. [Obs.] "Why did I, venturously, post off so great a business?" Baxter. -- To post over, to hurry over. [Obs.] Fuller.

Post, v. i. [Cf. OF. poster. See 4th Post.] 1. To travel with post horses; figuratively, to travel in haste. "Post seedily to my lord your husband." Shak.

And post o'er land and ocean without rest.

Milton.

2. (Man.) To rise and sink in the saddle, in accordance with the motion of the horse, esp. in trotting. [Eng.]

Post, adv. With post horses; hence, in haste; as, to travel post.

Post`-ab*do"men (?), n. [Pref. post- + abdomen.] (Zoˆl.) That part of a crustacean behind the cephalothorax; -- more commonly called abdomen.

Post"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being carried by, or as by, post. [Obs.] W. Montagu.

Post"act` (?), n. An act done afterward.

Post"age (?), n. The price established by law to be paid for the conveyance of a letter or other mailable matter by a public post.

Postage stamp, a government stamp required to be put upon articles sent by mail in payment of the postage, esp. an adhesive stamp issued and sold for that purpose.

Post"al (?), a. [Cf. F. postal.] Belonging to the post office or mail service; as, postal arrangements; postal authorities.

Postal card, or Post card, a card sold by the government for transmission through the mails, at a lower rate of postage than a sealed letter. The message is written on one side of the card, and the direction on the other. -- Postal money order. See Money order, under Money. -- Postal note, an order payable to bearer, for a sum of money (in the United States less than five dollars under existing law), issued from one post office and payable at another specified office. -- Postal Union, a union for postal purposes entered into by the most important powers, or governments, which have agreed to transport mail matter through their several territories at a stipulated rate.

Post*a"nal (?), a. [Pref. post- + anal.] (Anat.) Situated behind, or posterior to, the anus.

Post*ax"i*al (?), a. [Pref. post- + axial.] (Anat.) Situated behind any transverse axis in the body of an animal; caudal; posterior; especially, behind, or on the caudal or posterior (that is, ulnar or fibular) side of, the axis of a vertebrate limb.

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Post"boy` (?), n. 1. One who rides post horses; a position; a courier.

2. A boy who carries letters from the post.

Post"-cap`tain (?), n. A captain of a war vessel whose name appeared, or was "posted," in the seniority list of the British navy, as distinguished from a commander whose name was not so posted. The term was also used in the United States navy; but no such commission as post-captain was ever recognized in either service, and the term has fallen into disuse.

||Post"ca`va (?), n.; pl. PostcavÊ . [NL. See Post-, and Cave, n.] ||(Anat.) The inferior vena cava. -- Post"ca`val (#), a. B. G. Wilder.

Post*clav"i*cle (?), n. [Pref. post- + clavicle.] (Anat.) A bone in the pectoral girdle of many fishes projecting backward from the clavicle. -- Post`*cla*vic"u*lar (#), a.

Post*com"mis*sure (?), n. [Pref. post- + commisure.] (Anat.) A transverse commisure in the posterior part of the roof of the third ventricle of the brain; the posterior cerebral commisure. B. G. Wilder.

Post`com*mun"ion (?), n. [Pref. post- + communion.] 1. (Ch. of Eng. & Prot. Epis. Ch.) The concluding portion of the communion service.

2. (R. C. Ch.) A prayer or prayers which the priest says at Mass, after the ablutions.

||Post*cor"nu (?), n.; pl. Postcornua (#). [NL. See Post-, and Cornu.] ||(Anat.) The posterior horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain. B. ||G. Wilder.

Post"date` (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Postdated; p. pr. & vb. n. Postdating.] [Pref. post- + date.] 1. To date after the real time; as, to postdate a contract, that is, to date it later than the time when it was in fact made.

2. To affix a date to after the event.

Post"date`, a. Made or done after the date assigned.

Of these [predictions] some were postdate; cunningly made after the thing came to pass.

Fuller.

Post"date`, n. A date put to a bill of exchange or other paper, later than that when it was actually made.

{ Post`di*lu"vi*al (?), Post`di*lu"vi*an (?), } a. [Pref. post- + diluvial, diluvian.] Being or happening after the flood in Noah's days.

Post`di*lu"vi*an, n. One who lived after the flood.

Post"-dis*sei"zin (?), n. [Pref. post- + disseizin.] (O. Eng. Law) A subsequent disseizin committed by one of lands which the disseizee had before recovered of the same disseizor; a writ founded on such subsequent disseizin, now abolished. Burrill. Tomlins.

Post`-dis*sei"zor (?), n. [Pref. post- + disseizor.] (O. Eng. Law) A person who disseizes another of lands which the disseizee had before recovered of the same disseizor. Blackstone.

||Post"e*a (?), n. [L., after these or those (things), afterward.] ||(Law) The return of the judge before whom a cause was tried, after a ||verdict, of what was done in the cause, which is indorsed on the nisi ||prius record. Wharton.

Pos"tel (?), n. Apostle. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Post`en*ceph"a*lon (?), n. (Anat.) The metencephalon.

Post"en*try (?), n. [Pref. post- + entry.] 1. A second or subsequent, at the customhouse, of goods which had been omitted by mistake.

2. (Bookkeeping) An additional or subsequent entry.

Post"er (?), n. 1. A large bill or placard intended to be posted in public places.

2. One who posts bills; a billposter.

Post"er, n. 1. One who posts, or travels expeditiously; a courier. "Posters of the sea and land." Shak.

2. A post horse. "Posters at full gallop." C. Lever.

Pos*te"ri*or (ps*t"r*r), a. [L. posterior, compar. of posterus coming after, from post after. See Post-.] 1. Later in time; hence, later in the order of proceeding or moving; coming after; -- opposed to prior.

Hesiod was posterior to Homer.

Broome.

2. Situated behind; hinder; -- opposed to anterior.

3. (Anat.) At or toward the caudal extremity; caudal; -- in human anatomy often used for dorsal.

4. (Bot.) On the side next the axis of inflorescence; -- said of an axillary flower. Gray.

Pos*te`ri*or"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. postÈrioritÈ.] The state of being later or subsequent; as, posteriority of time, or of an event; -- opposed to priority.

Pos*te"ri*or*ly (?), adv. Subsequently in time; also, behind in position.

Pos*te"ri*ors (?), n. pl. The hinder parts, as of an animal's body. Swift.

Pos*ter"i*ty (?), n. [L. posteritas: cf. F. postÈritÈ. See Posterior.] 1. The race that proceeds from a progenitor; offspring to the furthest generation; the aggregate number of persons who are descended from an ancestor of a generation; descendants; -- contrasted with ancestry; as, the posterity of Abraham.

If [the crown] should not stand in thy posterity.

Shak.

2. Succeeding generations; future times. Shak.

Their names shall be transmitted to posterity.

Shak.

Their names shall be transmitted to posterity.

Smalridge.

Pos"tern (?), n. [OF. posterne, posterle, F. poterne, fr. L. posterula, fr. posterus coming after. See Posterior.] 1. Originally, a back door or gate; a private entrance; hence, any small door or gate.

He by a privy postern took his flight.

Spenser.

Out at the postern, by the abbey wall.

Shak.

2. (Fort.) A subterraneous passage communicating between the parade and the main ditch, or between the ditches and the interior of the outworks. Mahan.

Pos"tern, a. Back; being behind; private. "The postern door." Dryden.

Pos"te*ro- (&?;). A combining form meaning posterior, back; as, postero-inferior, situated back and below; postero-lateral, situated back and at the side.

Post`ex*ist" (?), v. i. [Pref. post- + exist.] To exist after; to live subsequently. [Obs. or R.]

Post`ex*ist"ence (?), n. Subsequent existence.

Post`ex*ist"ent (?), a. Existing or living after. [R.] "Postexistent atoms." Cudworth.

Post"fact` (?), a. [See Post-, and Fact.] Relating to a fact that occurs after another.

Post"fact`, n. A fact that occurs after another. "Confirmed upon the postfact." Fuller.

||Post`fac"tum (?), n. [LL.] (Rom. & Eng. Law) Same as Postfact.

Post"-fine` (?), n. [Pref. post- + fine.] (O. Eng. Law) A duty paid to the king by the cognizee in a fine of lands, when the same was fully passed; -- called also the king's silver.

Post"fix (?), n.; pl. Postfixes (#). [Pref. post- + -fix, as in prefix: cf. F. postfixe.] (Gram.) A letter, syllable, or word, added to the end of another word; a suffix. Parkhurst.

Post*fix" (?), v. t. To annex; specifically (Gram.), to add or annex, as a letter, syllable, or word, to the end of another or principal word; to suffix. Parkhurst.

Post*fron"tal (?), a. [Pref. post- + frontal.] (Anat.) Situated behind the frontal bone or the frontal region of the skull; -- applied especially to a bone back of and below the frontal in many animals. -- n. A postfrontal bone.

||Post*fur"ca (?), n.; pl. PostfurcÊ (#). [NL., fr. post behind + furca ||a fork.] (Zoˆl.) One of the internal thoracic processes of the ||sternum of an insect.

Post*gen"i*ture (?; 135), n. [Pref. post- + L. genitura birth, geniture.] The condition of being born after another in the same family; -- distinguished from primogeniture. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Post*gle"noid (?), a. [Pref. post- + glenoid.] (Anat.) Situated behind the glenoid fossa of the temporal bone.

Post`haste" (?), n. Haste or speed in traveling, like that of a post or courier. Shak.

Post`haste, adv. With speed or expedition; as, he traveled posthaste; to send posthaste. Shak.

Pos*thet"o*my (?), n. [Gr. po`sqh prepuce + te`mnein to cut.] (Med.) Circumcision. Dunglison.

Post"house` (?), n. 1. A house established for the convenience of the post, where relays of horses can be obtained.

2. A house for distributing the malls; a post office.

{ Post"hume (?), Post"humed (?), } a. Posthumous. [Obs.] I. Watts. Fuller.

Post"hu*mous (?; 277), a. [L. posthumus, postumus, properly, last; hence, late born (applied to children born after the father's death, or after he had made his will), superl. of posterus, posterior. See Posterior.] 1. Born after the death of the father, or taken from the dead body of the mother; as, a posthumous son or daughter.

2. Published after the death of the author; as, posthumous works; a posthumous edition.

3. Being or continuing after one's death; as, a posthumous reputation. Addison. Sir T. Browne.

Post"hu*mous*ly, adv. In a posthumous manner; after one's decease.

Pos"tic (?), a. [L. posticus, fr. post after, behind.] Backward. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Pos"ti*cous (?), a. [L. posticus.] (Bot.) (a) Posterior. (b) Situated on the outer side of a filament; -- said of an extrorse anther.

Pos"til (?), n. [F. postille, apostille, LL. postilla, probably from L. post illa (sc. verba) after those (words). Cf. Apostil.] 1. Originally, an explanatory note in the margin of the Bible, so called because written after the text; hence, a marginal note; a comment.

Langton also made postils upon the whole Bible.

Foxe.

2. (R. C. Ch. & Luth. Ch.) A short homily or commentary on a passage of Scripture; as, the first postils were composed by order of Charlemagne.

Pos"til, v. t. [Cf. LL. postillare.] To write marginal or explanatory notes on; to gloss. Bacon.

Pos"til, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Postiled (&?;) or Postilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Postiling or Postilling.] To write postils, or marginal notes; to comment; to postillate.

Postiling and allegorizing on Scripture.

J. H. Newman.

Pos"til*er (?), n. [Written also postiller.] One who writers marginal notes; one who illustrates the text of a book by notes in the margin. Sir T. Browne.

Pos*til"ion (?), n. [F. postillon, It. postiglione, fr. posta post. See Post a postman.] One who rides and guides the first pair of horses of a coach or post chaise; also, one who rides one of the horses when one pair only is used. [Written also postillion.]

Pos"til*late (?), v. t. [LL. postillatus, p. p. of postillare.] To explain by marginal notes; to postil.

Tracts . . . postillated by his own hand.

C. Knight.

Pos"til*late, v. i. 1. To write postils; to comment.

2. To preach by expounding Scripture verse by verse, in regular order.

Pos`til*la"tion (?), n. [LL. postillatio.] The act of postillating; exposition of Scripture in preaching.

Pos"til*la`tor (?), n. [LL.] One who postillates; one who expounds the Scriptures verse by verse.

Pos"til*ler (?), n. See Postiler.

Post"ing (?), n. 1. The act of traveling post.

2. (Bookkeeping) The act of transferring an account, as from the journal to the ledger.

Posting house, a post house.

Post`li*min"i*ar (?), a. [See Postliminium.] Contrived, done, or existing subsequently. "Postliminious after applications of them to their purposes." South.

Post`li*min"i*a*ry (?), a. Pertaining to, or involving, the right of postliminium.

{ ||Post`li*min"i*um (?), Post*lim"i*ny (?), } n. [L. postliminium, post after + limen, liminis, a threshold.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) The return to his own country, and his former privileges, of a person who had gone to sojourn in a foreign country, or had been banished, or taken by an enemy. Burrill.

2. (Internat. Law) The right by virtue of which persons and things taken by an enemy in war are restored to their former state when coming again under the power of the nation to which they belonged. Kent.

Post"lude (?), n. [Pref. post- + -lude, as in prelude.] (Med.) A voluntary at the end of a service.

Post"man (?), n.; pl. Postmen (&?;). 1. A post or courier; a letter carrier.

2. (Eng. Law) One of the two most experienced barristers in the Court of Exchequer, who have precedence in motions; -- so called from the place where he sits. The other of the two is called the tubman. Whishaw.

Post"mark` (?), n. The mark, or stamp, of a post office on a letter, giving the place and date of mailing or of arrival.

Post"mark`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Postmarked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Postmarking.] To mark with a post-office stamp; as, to postmark a letter or parcel.

Post"mas`ter (?), n. 1. One who has charge of a station for the accommodation of travelers; one who supplies post horses.

2. One who has charge of a post office, and the distribution and forwarding of mails.

Post"mas`ter-gen"er*al (?), n.; pl. Postmasters-general. The chief officer of the post-office department of a government. In the United States the postmaster-general is a member of the cabinet.

Post"mas`ter*ship, n. The office of postmaster.

Post`me*rid"i*an (?), a. [L. postmeridianus; post after + meridianus. See Meridian.] 1. Coming after the sun has passed the meridian; being in, or belonging to, the afternoon. (Abbrev. P. M.)

2. Fig., belonging to the after portion of life; late. [R.]

||Post-mor"tem (?), a. [L., after death.] After death; as, post-mortem ||rigidity.

Post-mortem examination (Med.), an examination of the body made after the death of the patient; an autopsy.

||Post*na"res (?), n. pl. [NL. See Post-, and Nares.] (Anat.) The ||posterior nares. See Nares.

Post*na"tal (?), a. [Pref. post- + natal.] After birth; subsequent to birth; as, postnatal infanticide; postnatal diseases.

Post"nate (?), a. [LL. postnatus second or subsequently born; L. post after + natus born.] Subsequent. "The graces and gifts of the spirit are postnate." [Archaic] Jer. Taylor.

Post" note` (?). (Com.) A note issued by a bank, payable at some future specified time, as distinguished from a note payable on demand. Burrill.

Post*nup"tial (?), a. [Pref. post- + nuptial.] Being or happening after marriage; as, a postnuptial settlement on a wife. Kent.

{ Post-o"bit (?), n., or Post-o"bit bond` }. [Pref. post- + obit.] (Law) A bond in which the obligor, in consideration of having received a certain sum of money, binds himself to pay a larger sum, on unusual interest, on the death of some specified individual from whom he has expectations. Bouvier.

||Post*ob`lon*ga"ta (?), n. [NL. See Post-, and Oblongata.] (Anat.) The ||posterior part of the medulla oblongata. B. G. Wilder.

Post*oc"u*lar (?), a. & n. [Pref. post- + ocular.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Postorbital.

Post" of`fice (?), n. See under 4th Post.

Post*o"ral (?), a. [Pref. post- + oral.] (Anat.) Situated behind, or posterior to, the mouth.

Post*or"bit*al (?), a. [Pref. post- + orbital.] (Anat. & Zoˆl.) Situated behind the orbit; as, the postorbital scales of some fishes and reptiles. -- n. A postorbital bone or scale.

Post"paid` (?), a. Having the postage prepaid, as a letter.

Post*pal"a*tine (?), a. [Pref. post- + palatine.] (Anat.) Situated behind the palate, or behind the palatine bones.

Post*pli"o*cene (?), a. (Geol.) [Pref. post- + pliocene.] Of or pertaining to the period immediately following the Pliocene; Pleistocene. Also used as a noun. See Quaternary.

Post*pone" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Postponed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Postponing.] [L. postponere, postpositum; post after + ponere to place, put. See Post-, and Position.] 1. To defer to a future or later time; to put off; also, to cause to be deferred or put off; to delay; to adjourn; as, to postpone the consideration of a bill to the following day, or indefinitely.

His praise postponed, and never to be paid.

Cowper.

2. To place after, behind, or below something, in respect to precedence, preference, value, or importance.

All other considerations should give way and be postponed to this.

Locke.

Syn. -- To adjourn; defer; delay; procrastinate.

Post*pone"ment (?), n. The act of postponing; a deferring, or putting off, to a future time; a temporary delay. Macaulay.

Post*pon"ence (?), n. [From L. postponens, p. pr.] The act of postponing, in sense 2. [Obs.] Johnson.

Post*pon"er (?), n. One who postpones.

Post*pose" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Postposed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Postposing.] [F. postposer. See Post-, and Pose, v. t.] To postpone. [Obs.] Fuller.

Post*pos"it (?), v. t. [L. postpositus, p. p. See Postpone.] To postpone. [Obs.] Feltham.

Post`po*si"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. postposition. See Postpone.] 1. The act of placing after, or the state of being placed after. "The postposition of the nominative case to the verb." Mede.

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2. A word or particle placed after, or at the end of, another word; -- distinguished from preposition.

Post`po*si"tion*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to postposition.

Post*pos"i*tive (?), a. [See Postpone.] Placed after another word; as, a postpositive conjunction; a postpositive letter. - - Post*pos"i*tive*ly, adv.

Post*pran"di*al (?), a. [Pref. post- + prandial.] Happening, or done, after dinner; after- dinner; as, postprandial speeches.

Pos*tre`mo*gen"i*ture (?; 135), n. [L. postremus last + genitura birth, geniture.] The right of the youngest born. Mozley & W.

Post`re*mote" (?), a. [Pref. post- + remote.] More remote in subsequent time or order.

Post"rid`er (?), n. One who rides over a post road to carry the mails. Bancroft.

||Post*scap"u*la (?), n. [NL. See Post-, and Scapula.] (Anat.) The part ||of the scapula behind or below the spine, or mesoscapula.

Post*scap"u*lar (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the postscapula; infraspinous.

||Post*sce"ni*um (?), n. [L., fr. post + scena a scene.] The part of a ||theater behind the scenes; the back part of the stage of a theater.

Post*scribe" (?), v. t. [L. postscribere. See Postscript.] To make a postscript. [R.] T. Adams.

Post"script (?), n. [L. postscriptus, (assumed) p. p. of postscribere to write after; post after + scribere to write: cf. F. postscriptum. See Post-, and Scribe.] A paragraph added to a letter after it is concluded and signed by the writer; an addition made to a book or composition after the main body of the work has been finished, containing something omitted, or something new occurring to the writer. [Abbrev. P. S.]

Post"script*ed, a. Having a postscript; added in a postscript. [R.] J. Q. Adams.

||Post`scu*tel"lum (?), n. [NL. See Post-, and Scutellum.] (Zoˆl.) The ||hindermost dorsal piece of a thoracic somite of an insect; the plate ||behind the scutellum.

Post*sphe"noid (?), a. [Pref. post- + sphenoid.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the posterior part of the sphenoid bone.

Post-tem"po*ral (?), a. [Pref. post- + temporal.] (Anat.) Situated back of the temporal bone or the temporal region of the skull; -- applied especially to a bone which usually connects the supraclavicle with the skull in the pectoral arch of fishes. -- n. A post-temporal bone.

Post*ter"ti*a*ry (?), a. [Pref. post- + tertiary.] (Geol.) Following, or more recent than, the Tertiary; Quaternary.

||Post"-tra`gus (?), n. [NL. See Post-, and Tragus.] (Anat.) A ridge ||within and behind the tragus in the ear of some animals.

Post`-tym*pan"ic (?), a. [Pref. post- + tympanic.] (Anat.) Situated behind the tympanum, or in the skull, behind the auditory meatus.

Pos"tu*lant (?; 135), n. [F., fr. L. postulans, p. pr. of postulare. See Postulate.] One who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate.

Pos"tu*late (?), n. [L. postulatum a demand, request, prop. p. p. of postulare to demand, prob. a dim. of poscere to demand, prob. for porcscere; akin to G. forschen to search, investigate, Skr. prach to ask, and L. precari to pray: cf. F. postulat. See Pray.] 1. Something demanded or asserted; especially, a position or supposition assumed without proof, or one which is considered as self-evident; a truth to which assent may be demanded or challenged, without argument or evidence.

2. (Geom.) The enunciation of a self- evident problem, in distinction from an axiom, which is the enunciation of a self-evident theorem.

The distinction between a postulate and an axiom lies in this, -- that the latter is admitted to be self-evident, while the former may be agreed upon between two reasoners, and admitted by both, but not as proposition which it would be impossible to deny.

Eng. Cyc.

Pos"tu*late, a. Postulated. [Obs.] Hudibras.

Pos"tu*late (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Postulated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Postulating.] 1. To beg, or assume without proof; as, to postulate conclusions.

2. To take without express consent; to assume.

The Byzantine emperors appear to have . . . postulated a sort of paramount supremacy over this nation.

W. Tooke.

3. To invite earnestly; to solicit. [Obs.] Bp. Burnet.

Pos"tu*la`ted (?), a. Assumed without proof; as, a postulated inference. Sir T. Browne.

Pos`tu*la"tion (?), n. [L. postulatio: cf. F. postulation.] The act of postulating, or that which is postulated; assumption; solicitation; suit; cause.

Pos"tu*la*to*ry (?), a. [L. postulatorius.] Of the nature of a postulate. Sir T. Browne.

||Pos`tu*la"tum (?), n.; pl. Postulata (#). [L. See Postulate, n.] A ||postulate. Addison.

Pos"tu*mous (?), a. See Posthumous. [R.]

Pos"tur*al (?; 135), a. Of or pertaining to posture.

Pos"ture (?; 135), n. [F., fr. L. positura, fr. ponere, positum, to place. See Position.] 1. The position of the body; the situation or disposition of the several parts of the body with respect to each other, or for a particular purpose; especially (Fine Arts), the position of a figure with regard to the several principal members by which action is expressed; attitude.

Atalanta, the posture of whose limbs was so lively expressed . . . one would have sworn the very picture had run.

Sir P. Sidney.

In most strange postures We have seen him set himself.

Shak.

The posture of a poetic figure is a description of his heroes in the performance of such or such an action.

Dryden.

2. Place; position; situation. [Obs.] Milton.

His [man's] noblest posture and station in this world.

Sir M. Hale.

3. State or condition, whether of external circumstances, or of internal feeling and will; disposition; mood; as, a posture of defense; the posture of affairs.

The several postures of his devout soul.

Atterbury.

Syn. -- Attitude; position. See Attitude.

Pos"ture (?; 135), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Postured (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Posturing.] To place in a particular position or attitude; to dispose the parts of, with reference to a particular purpose; as, to posture one's self; to posture a model. Howell.

Pos"ture, v. i. 1. To assume a particular posture or attitude; to contort the body into artificial attitudes, as an acrobat or contortionist; also, to pose.

2. Fig.: To assume a character; as, to posture as a saint.

Pos`tur*er (?), n. One who postures.

||Post*zyg`a*poph"y*sis (?), n.; pl. Postzygapophyses (#). [NL. See ||Post- , and Zygapophysis.] (Anat.) A posterior zygapophysis.

Po"sy (?), n.; pl. Posies (#). [Contr. fr. poesy.] 1. A brief poetical sentiment; hence, any brief sentiment, motto, or legend; especially, one inscribed on a ring. "The posy of a ring." Shak.

2. [Probably so called from the use of flowers as having an enigmatical significance. Wedgwood.] A flower; a bouquet; a nosegay. "Bridegroom's posies." Spenser.

We make a difference between suffering thistles to grow among us, and wearing them for posies.

Swift.

Pot (?), n. [Akin to LG. pott, D. pot, Dan. potte, Sw. potta, Icel. pottr, F. pot; of unknown origin.] 1. A metallic or earthen vessel, appropriated to any of a great variety of uses, as for boiling meat or vegetables, for holding liquids, for plants, etc.; as, a quart pot; a flower pot; a bean pot.

2. An earthen or pewter cup for liquors; a mug.

3. The quantity contained in a pot; a potful; as, a pot of ale. "Give her a pot and a cake." De Foe.

4. A metal or earthenware extension of a flue above the top of a chimney; a chimney pot.

5. A crucible; as, a graphite pot; a melting pot.

6. A wicker vessel for catching fish, eels, etc.

7. A perforated cask for draining sugar. Knight.

8. A size of paper. See Pott.

Jack pot. See under 2d Jack. -- Pot cheese, cottage cheese. See under Cottage. -- Pot companion, a companion in drinking. -- Pot hanger, a pothook. -- Pot herb, any plant, the leaves or stems of which are boiled for food, as spinach, lamb's-quarters, purslane, and many others. -- Pot hunter, one who kills anything and everything that will help to fill has bag; also, a hunter who shoots game for the table or for the market. -- Pot metal. (a) The metal from which iron pots are made, different from common pig iron. (b) An alloy of copper with lead used for making large vessels for various purposes in the arts. Ure. (c) A kind of stained glass, the colors of which are incorporated with the melted glass in the pot. Knight. -- Pot plant (Bot.), either of the trees which bear the monkey-pot. -- Pot wheel (Hydraul.), a noria. -- To go to pot, to go to destruction; to come to an end of usefulness; to become refuse. [Colloq.] Dryden. J. G. Saxe.

Pot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Potted; p. pr. & vb. n. Potting.] To place or inclose in pots; as: (a) To preserve seasoned in pots. "Potted fowl and fish." Dryden. (b) To set out or cover in pots; as, potted plants or bulbs. (c) To drain; as, to pot sugar, by taking it from the cooler, and placing it in hogsheads, etc., having perforated heads, through which the molasses drains off. B. Edwards. (d) (Billiards) To pocket.

Pot, v. i. To tipple; to drink. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

It is less labor to plow than to pot it.

Feltham.

Po"ta*ble (?), a. [F., fr. L. potabilis, fr. potare to drink; akin to Gr. po`tos a drinking, po`sis a drink, Skr. p to drink, OIr. ibim I drink. Cf. Poison, Bib, Imbibe.] Fit to be drunk; drinkable. "Water fresh and potable." Bacon. -- n. A potable liquid; a beverage. "Useful in potables." J. Philips.

Po"ta*ble*ness, n. The quality of being drinkable.

Pot"age (?; 48), n. See Pottage.

Pot"a*ger (?), n. [F. fr. potage soup, porridge. See Pottage.] A porringer. [Obs.] Grew.

Po*tag"ro (?), n. See Potargo.

Pot"ale` (?), n. The refuse from a grain distillery, used to fatten swine.

Po*ta"mi*an (?), n. [Gr. &?; river.] (Zoˆl.) A river tortoise; one of a group of tortoises (Potamites, or Trionychoidea) having a soft shell, webbed feet, and a sharp beak. See Trionyx.

Pot`a*mog"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?; river + -graphy.] An account or description of rivers; potamology.

Pot`a*mol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. &?; river + -logy.] A scientific account or discussion of rivers; a treatise on rivers; potamography.

||Pot`a*mo*spon"gi*Ê (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; river + &?; a ||sponge.] (Zoˆl.) The fresh-water sponges. See Spongilla.

Po"tance (?), n. [F. potence. See Potence, Potency.] (Watch Making) The stud in which the bearing for the lower pivot of the verge is made.

Po*tar"go (?), n. [Cf. Botargo.] A kind of sauce or pickle. King.

Pot"ash` (?), n. [Pot + ash.] (Chem.) (a) The hydroxide of potassium hydrate, a hard white brittle substance, KOH, having strong caustic and alkaline properties; -- hence called also caustic potash. (b) The impure potassium carbonate obtained by leaching wood ashes, either as a strong solution (lye), or as a white crystalline (pearlash).

Pot"ash`es (?), n. pl. (Chem.) Potash. [Obs.]

Po*tas"sa (?), n. [NL., fr. E. potash.] (Chem.) (a) Potassium oxide. [Obs.] (b) Potassium hydroxide, commonly called caustic potash.

Pot`ass*am"ide (?), n. [Potassium + amide.] (Chem.) A yellowish brown substance obtained by heating potassium in ammonia.

Po*tas"sic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or containing, potassium.

Po*tas"si*um (?), n. [NL. See Potassa, Potash.] (Chem.) An Alkali element having atomic number 19, occurring abundantly but always combined, as in the chloride, sulphate, carbonate, or silicate, in the minerals sylvite, kainite, orthoclase, muscovite, etc. Atomic weight 39.1. Symbol K (Kalium).

It is reduced from the carbonate as a soft white metal, lighter than water, which oxidizes with the greatest readiness, and, to be preserved, must be kept under liquid hydrocarbons, as naphtha or kerosene. Its compounds are very important, being used in glass making, soap making, in fertilizers, and in many drugs and chemicals.

Potassium permanganate, the salt KMnO4, crystallizing in dark red prisms having a greenish surface color, and dissolving in water with a beautiful purple red color; -- used as an oxidizer and disinfectant. The name chameleon mineral is applied to this salt and also to potassium manganate. -- Potassium bitartrate. See Cream of tartar, under Cream.

Pot`ass*ox"yl (?), n. [Potassium + oxygen + -yl.] (Chem.) The radical KO, derived from, and supposed to exist in, potassium hydroxide and other compounds.

Po*ta"tion (?), n. [L. potatio, fr. potare. See Potable.] 1. The act of drinking. Jer. Taylor.

2. A draught. "Potations pottle deep." Shak.

3. Drink; beverage. "Thin potations." Shak.

Po*ta"to (?), n.; pl. Potatoes (#). [Sp. patata potato, batata sweet potato, from the native American name (probably batata) in Hayti.] (Bot.) (a) A plant (Solanum tuberosum) of the Nightshade family, and its esculent farinaceous tuber, of which there are numerous varieties used for food. It is native of South America, but a form of the species is found native as far north as New Mexico. (b) The sweet potato (see below).

Potato beetle, Potato bug. (Zoˆl.) (a) A beetle (Doryphora decemlineata) which feeds, both in the larval and adult stages, upon the leaves of the potato, often doing great damage. Called also Colorado potato beetle, and Doryphora. See Colorado beetle. (b) The Lema trilineata, a smaller and more slender striped beetle which feeds upon the potato plant, bur does less injury than the preceding species. -- Potato fly (Zoˆl.), any one of several species of blister beetles infesting the potato vine. The black species (Lytta atrata), the striped (L. vittata), and the gray (L. cinerea, or Fabricii) are the most common. See Blister beetle, under Blister. -- Potato rot, a disease of the tubers of the potato, supposed to be caused by a kind of mold (Peronospora infestans), which is first seen upon the leaves and stems. -- Potato weevil (Zoˆl.), an American weevil (Baridius trinotatus) whose larva lives in and kills the stalks of potato vines, often causing serious damage to the crop. -- Potato whisky, a strong, fiery liquor, having a hot, smoky taste, and rich in amyl alcohol (fusel oil); it is made from potatoes or potato starch. -- Potato worm (Zoˆl.), the large green larva of a sphinx, or hawk moth (Macrosila quinquemaculata); -- called also tomato worm. See Illust. under Tomato. -- Seaside potato (Bot.), Ipomúa Pes-CaprÊ, a kind of morning-glory with rounded and emarginate or bilobed leaves. [West Indies] -- Sweet potato (Bot.), a climbing plant (Ipomúa Balatas) allied to the morning-glory. Its farinaceous tubers have a sweetish taste, and are used, when cooked, for food. It is probably a native of Brazil, but is cultivated extensively in the warmer parts of every continent, and even as far north as New Jersey. The name potato was applied to this plant before it was to the Solanum tuberosum, and this is the "potato" of the Southern United States. -- Wild potato. (Bot.) (a) A vine (Ipomúa pandurata) having a pale purplish flower and an enormous root. It is common in sandy places in the United States. (b) A similar tropical American plant (I. fastigiata) which it is thought may have been the original stock of the sweet potato.

Po*ta"tor (?), n. [L.] A drinker. [R.] Southey.

Po"ta*to*ry (?), a. [L. potatorius, from potare to drink.] Of or pertaining to drinking. Ld. Lytton.

Pot"-bel`lied (?), a. Having a protuberant belly, like the bottom of a pot.

Pot"-bel`ly (?), n. A protuberant belly.

Pot"boil`er (?), n. A term applied derisively to any literary or artistic work, and esp. a painting, done simply for money and the means of living. [Cant]

Pot"boy` (?), n. A boy who carries pots of ale, beer, etc.; a menial in a public house.

Potch (?), v. i. [Cf. Poach to stab.] To thrust; to push. [Obs.] "I 'll potch at him some way." Shak.

Potch, v. t. See Poach, to cook. [Obs.] Wiseman.

Potch"er (?), n. One who, or that which, potches.

Potcher engine (Paper Making), a machine in which washed rags are stirred in a bleaching solution.

Pot"e*ca*ry (?), n. An apothecary. [Obs.]

Po*teen" (?), n. [Cf. Ir. potaim, poitim, I drink, poitin a small pot.] Whisky; especially, whisky illicitly distilled by the Irish peasantry. [Written also potheen, and potteen.]

Po"te*lot (?), n. [F.,; cf. G. pottloth black lead.] (Old Chem. & Min.) Molybdenum sulphide.

Po"tence (?), n. [F., fr. LL. potentia staff, crutch, L., might, power. See Potency.] Potency; capacity. [R.] Sir W. Hamilton.

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Po"ten*cy (?), n. [L. potentia, from potens, -entis, potent. See Potent, and cf. Potance, Potence, Puissance.] The quality or state of being potent; physical or moral power; inherent strength; energy; ability to effect a purpose; capability; efficacy; influence. "Drugs of potency." Hawthorne.

A place of potency and away o' the state.

Shak.

Po"tent (?), a. [L. potens, - entis, p. pr. of posse to be able, to have power, fr. potis able, capable (akin to Skr. pati master, lord) + esse to be. See Host a landlord, Am, and cf. Despot, Podesta, Possible, Power, Puissant.] 1. Producing great physical effects; forcible; powerful' efficacious; as, a potent medicine. "Harsh and potent injuries." Shak.

Moses once more his potent rod extends.

Milton.

2. Having great authority, control, or dominion; puissant; mighty; influential; as, a potent prince. "A potent dukedom." Shak.

Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors.

Shak.

3. Powerful, in an intellectual or moral sense; having great influence; as, potent interest; a potent argument.

Cross potent. (Her.) See Illust. (7) of Cross.

Syn. -- Powerful; mighty; puissant; strong; able; efficient; forcible; efficacious; cogent; influential.

Po"tent, n. 1. A prince; a potentate. [Obs.] Shak.

2. [See Potence.] A staff or crutch. [Obs.]

3. (Her.) One of the furs; a surface composed of patches which are supposed to represent crutch heads; they are always alternately argent and azure, unless otherwise specially mentioned.

Counter potent (Her.), a fur differing from potent in the arrangement of the patches.

Po"ten*ta*cy (?), n. [See Potentate.] Sovereignty. [Obs.]

Po"ten*tate (?), n. [LL. potentatus, fr. potentare to exercise power: cf. F. potentat. See Potent, a.] One who is potent; one who possesses great power or sway; a prince, sovereign, or monarch.

The blessed and only potentate.

1 Tim. vi. 15.

Cherub and seraph, potentates and thrones.

Milton.

Po*ten"tial (?), a. [Cf. F. potentiel. See Potency.] 1. Being potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result; efficacious; influential. [Obs.] "And hath in his effect a voice potential." Shak.

2. Existing in possibility, not in actuality. "A potential hero." Carlyle.

Potential existence means merely that the thing may be at ome time; actual existence, that it now is.

Sir W. Hamilton.

Potential cautery. See under Cautery. -- Potential energy. (Mech.) See the Note under Energy. -- Potential mood, or mode (Gram.), that form of the verb which is used to express possibility, liberty, power, will, obligation, or necessity, by the use of may, can, must, might, could, would, or should; as, I may go; he can write.

Po*ten"tial, n. 1. Anything that may be possible; a possibility; potentially. Bacon.

2. (Math.) In the theory of gravitation, or of other forces acting in space, a function of the rectangular coordinates which determine the position of a point, such that its differential coefficients with respect to the coˆrdinates are equal to the components of the force at the point considered; -- also called potential function, or force function. It is called also Newtonian potential when the force is directed to a fixed center and is inversely as the square of the distance from the center.

3. (Elec.) The energy of an electrical charge measured by its power to do work; hence, the degree of electrification as referred to some standard, as that of the earth; electro-motive force.

Po*ten`ti*al"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being potential; possibility, not actuality; inherent capability or disposition, not actually exhibited.

Po*ten"tial*ly (?), adv. 1. With power; potently. [Obs.]

2. In a potential manner; possibly, not positively.

The duration of human souls is only potentially infinite.

Bentley.

Po*ten"ti*ate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Potentiated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Potentiating.] To render active or potent. Coleridge.

Po*ten`ti*om"e*ter (?), n. [Potential + -meter.] (Elec.) An instrument for measuring or comparing electrial potentials or electro-motive forces.

Po"ten*tize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Potentized; p. pr. & vb. n. Potentizing.] To render the latent power of (anything) available. Dunglison.

Po"tent*ly (?), adv. With great force or energy; powerfully; efficaciously. "You are potently opposed." Shak.

Po"tent*ness, n. The quality or state of being potent; powerfulness; potency; efficacy.

Po"tes*tate (?), n. A chief ruler; a potentate. [Obs.] Wyclif. "An irous potestate." Chaucer.

Po*tes"ta*tive (?), a. [L. potestativus, fr. potestas power: cf. F. potestatif. See Potent.] Authoritative. [Obs.] Bp. Pearson.

Pot"gun` (?), n. 1. A pot-shaped cannon; a mortar. [Obs.] "Twelve potguns of brass." Hakluyt.

2. A popgun. [Obs.] Swift.

Poth"e*ca*ry (?), n. An apothecary. [Obs.]

Po*theen" (?), n. See Poteen.

Poth"er (?), n. [Cf. D. peuteren to rummage, poke. Cf. Potter, Pudder.] Bustle; confusion; tumult; flutter; bother. [Written also potter, and pudder.] "What a pother and stir!" Oldham. "Coming on with a terrible pother." Wordsworth.

Poth"er, v. i. To make a bustle or stir; to be fussy.

Poth"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pothered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pothering.] To harass and perplex; to worry. "Pothers and wearies himself." Locke.

Pot"hole` (?), n. A circular hole formed in the rocky beds of rivers by the grinding action of stones or gravel whirled round by the water in what was at first a natural depression of the rock.

Pot"hook` (?), n. 1. An S-shaped hook on which pots and kettles are hung over an open fire.

2. A written character curved like a pothook; (pl.) a scrawled writing. "I long to be spelling her Arabic scrawls and pothooks." Dryden.

Pot"house` (?), n. An alehouse. T. Warton.

{ ||Po`ti*cho*ma"ni*a (?), ||Po`ti*cho*ma"nie (?), } n. [F. potichomanie; potiche a porcelain vase + manie mania.] The art or process of coating the inside of glass vessels with engravings or paintings, so as to give them the appearance of painted ware.

Po"tion (?), n. [L. potio, from potare to drink: cf. F. potion. See Poison.] A draught; a dose; usually, a draught or dose of a liquid medicine. Shak.

Po"tion (?), v. t. To drug. [Obs.] Speed.

Pot"lid` (?), n. The lid or cover of a pot.

Potlid valve, a valve covering a round hole or the end of a pipe or pump barrel, resembling a potlid in form.

Pot"luck` (?), n. Whatever may chance to be in the pot, or may be provided for a meal.

A woman whose potluck was always to be relied on.

G. Eliot.

To take potluck, to take what food may chance to be provided.

Pot"man (?), n.; pl. Potmen (&?;). 1. A pot companion. [Obs.] Life of A. Wood (1663).

2. A servant in a public house; a potboy.

||Po*too" (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A large South American goatsucker (Nyctibius ||grandis).

||Po`to*roo" (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Any small kangaroo belonging to ||Hypsiprymnus, Bettongia, and allied genera, native of Australia and ||Tasmania. Called also kangaroo rat.

Pot"pie` (?), n. A meat pie which is boiled instead of being baked.

Pot`pour`ri" (?), n. [F., fr. pot pot + pourri, p. p. of pourrir to rot, L. putrere. Cf. Olla-podrida.] A medley or mixture. Specifically: (a) A ragout composed of different sorts of meats, vegetables, etc., cooked together. (b) A jar or packet of flower leaves, perfumes, and spices, used to scent a room. (c) A piece of music made up of different airs strung together; a medley. (d) A literary production composed of parts brought together without order or bond of connection.

Pots"dam group` (&?;). (Geol.) A subdivision of the Primordial or Cambrian period in American geology; -- so named from the sandstone of Potsdam, New York. See Chart of Geology.

{ Pot"shard` (?), Pot"share` (?), } n. A potsherd. [Obs.] Spenser.

Pot"sherd` (?), n. [Pot + sherd or shard.] A piece or fragment of a broken pot. Job ii. 8.

Pot"stone` (?), n. (Min.) A variety of steatite sometimes manufactured into culinary vessels.

Pot"-sure` (-shr), a. Made confident by drink. [Obs.]

Pott (?), n. A size of paper. See under Paper.

Pot"tage (?; 48), n. [F. potage, fr. pot pot. See Pot, and cf. Porridge, Porringer.] A kind of food made by boiling vegetables or meat, or both together, in water, until soft; a thick soup or porridge. [Written also potage.] Chaucer.

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils.

Gen. xxv. 34.

Pot"tain (?), n. Old pot metal. [Obs.] Holland.

Pot*teen" (?), n. See Poteen.

Pot"ter (?), n. [Cf. F. potier.] 1. One whose occupation is to make earthen vessels. Ps. ii. 9.

The potter heard, and stopped his wheel.

Longfellow.

2. One who hawks crockery or earthenware. [Prov. Eng.] De Quincey.

3. One who pots meats or other eatables.

4. (Zoˆl.) The red-bellied terrapin. See Terrapin.

Potter's asthma (Med.), emphysema of the lungs; -- so called because very prevalent among potters. Parkers. -- Potter's clay. See under Clay. -- Potter's field, a public burial place, especially in a city, for paupers, unknown persons, and criminals; -- so named from the field south of Jerusalem, mentioned in Matt. xxvii. 7. -- Potter's ore. See Alquifou. -- Potter's wheel, a horizontal revolving disk on which the clay is molded into form with the hands or tools. "My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel." Shak. -- Potter wasp (Zoˆl.), a small solitary wasp (Eumenes fraternal) which constructs a globular nest of mud and sand in which it deposits insect larvÊ, such as cankerworms, as food for its young.

Pot"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pottered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pottering.] [Cf. W. pwtio to poke, or OD. poteren to search one thoroughly, Sw. pÂta, peta, to pick, E. pother, put.] 1. To busy one's self with trifles; to labor with little purpose, energy, of effect; to trifle; to pother.

Pottering about the Mile End cottages.

Mrs. Humphry Ward.

2. To walk lazily or idly; to saunter.

Pot"ter, v. t. To poke; to push; also, to disturb; to confuse; to bother. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Pot"tern (?), a. Of or pertaining to potters.

Pottern ore, a species of ore which, from its aptness to vitrify like the glazing of potter's wares, the miners call by this name. Boyle.

Pot"ter*y (?), n.; pl. Potteries (#). [F. poterie, fr. pot. See Pot.] 1. The vessels or ware made by potters; earthenware, glazed and baked.

2. The place where earthen vessels are made.

Pot"ting (?), n. 1. Tippling. [Obs.] Shak.

2. The act of placing in a pot; as, the potting of plants; the potting of meats for preservation.

3. The process of putting sugar in casks for cleansing and draining. [West Indies] B. Edwards.

Pot"tle (?), n. [OE. potel, OF. potel, dim. of pot. See Pot.] 1. A liquid measure of four pints.

2. A pot or tankard. Shak.

A dry pottle of sack before him.

Sir W. Scott.

3. A vessel or small basket for holding fruit.

He had a . . . pottle of strawberries in one hand.

Dickens.

Pottle draught, taking a pottle of liquor at one draught. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

||Pot"to (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) A nocturnal mammal (Perodictius potto) of ||the Lemur family, found in West Africa. It has rudimentary ||forefingers. Called also aposoro, and bush dog. (b) The kinkajou.

Pott's" dis*ease" (?). (Med.) Caries of the vertebrÊ, frequently resulting in curvature of the spine and paralysis of the lower extremities; -- so named from Percival Pott, an English surgeon.

Pott's fracture, a fracture of the lower end of the fibula, with displacement of the tibia. Dunglison.

Pot"u*lent (?), a. [L. potulentus, fr. potus a drinking, drink, fr. potare to drink.] 1. Fit to drink; potable. [Obs.] Johnson.

2. Nearly drunk; tipsy. [Obs.]

Pot"-val`iant (?), a. Having the courage given by drink. Smollett.

Pot"-wal`lop*er (?), n. 1. A voter in certain boroughs of England, where, before the passage of the reform bill of 1832, the qualification for suffrage was to have boiled (walloped) his own pot in the parish for six months.

2. One who cleans pots; a scullion. [Slang, U. S.]

Pouch (?), n. [F. poche a pocket, pouch, bag; probably of Teutonic origin. See Poke a bag, and cf. Poach to cook eggs, to plunder.] 1. A small bag; usually, a leathern bag; as, a pouch for money; a shot pouch; a mail pouch, etc.

2. That which is shaped like, or used as, a pouch; as: (a) A protuberant belly; a paunch; -- so called in ridicule. (b) (Zoˆl.) A sac or bag for carrying food or young; as, the cheek pouches of certain rodents, and the pouch of marsupials. (c) (Med.) A cyst or sac containing fluid. S. Sharp. (d) (Bot.) A silicle, or short pod, as of the shepherd's purse. (e) A bulkhead in the hold of a vessel, to prevent grain, etc., from shifting.

Pouch mouth, a mouth with blubbered or swollen lips.

Pouch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pouched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pouching.] 1. To put or take into a pouch.

2. To swallow; -- said of fowls. Derham.

3. To pout. [Obs.] Ainsworth.

4. To pocket; to put up with. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

Pouched (?), a. (Zoˆl.) (a) Having a marsupial pouch; as, the pouched badger, or the wombat. (b) Having external cheek pouches; as, the pouched gopher. (c) Having internal cheek pouches; as, the pouched squirrels.

Pouched dog. (Zoˆl.) See Zebra wolf, under Zebra. -- Pouched frog (Zoˆl.), the nototrema, the female of which has a dorsal pouch in which the eggs are hatched, and in which the young pass through their brief tadpole stage. -- Pouched gopher, or Pouched rat. (Zoˆl.) See Pocket gopher, under Pocket. -- Pouched mouse. (Zoˆl.) See Pocket mouse, under Pocket.

Pou"chet box` (?). See Pouncet box.

Pouch"-mouthed` (?), a. Having a pouch mouth; blobber-lipped.

Pou*chong" (?), n. A superior kind of souchong tea. De Colange.

Pouch"-shell` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A small British and American pond snail (Bulinus hypnorum).

Pou"dre (?), n. [See Powder.] Dust; powder. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Poudre marchant [see Merchant], a kind of flavoring powder used in the Middle Ages. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pou*drette" (?), n. [F., dim. of poudre dust, powder. See Powder.] A manure made from night soil, dried and mixed with charcoal, gypsum, etc.

Pou*laine" (?), n. [F. soulier ‡ la poulaine.] A long pointed shoe. See Cracowes.

Poul"da`vis (?), n. Same as Poledavy. [Obs.]

Poul"der (?), n. & v. Powder. [Obs.]

Poul"dron (?), n. See Pauldron.

{ Poulp, Poulpe (?) }, n. [F. poulpe, fr. L. polypus. See Polyp.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Octopus.

Musk poulp (Zoˆl.), a Mediterranean octopod (Eledone moschata) which emits a strong odor of musk.

Poult (?), n. [OF. pulte, F. poulet, dim. of poule fowl. See Pullet.] A young chicken, partridge, grouse, or the like. King. Chapman.

Starling the heath poults or black game.

R. Jefferise.

Poul"ter (?), n. [OE. pulter. See Poult.] A poulterer. [Obs.] Shak.

Poul"ter*er (?), n. One who deals in poultry.

Poul"tice (?), n. [L. puls, pl. pultes, a thick pap; akin to Gr. po`ltos. Cf. Pulse seeds.] A soft composition, as of bread, bran, or a mucilaginous substance, to be applied to sores, inflamed parts of the body, etc.; a cataplasm. "Poultice relaxeth the pores." Bacon.

Poul"tice, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poulticed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poulticing (?).] To apply a poultice to; to dress with a poultice.

Poul"tive (?), n. A poultice. [Obs.] W. Temple.

Poul"try (?), n. [From Poult.] Domestic fowls reared for the table, or for their eggs or feathers, such as cocks and hens, capons, turkeys, ducks, and geese.

Pounce (?), n. [F. ponce pumice, pounce, fr. L. pumex, -icis, pumice. See Pumice.] 1. A fine powder, as of sandarac, or cuttlefish bone, -- formerly used to prevent ink from spreading on manuscript.

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2. Charcoal dust, or some other colored powder for making patterns through perforated designs, -- used by embroiderers, lace makers, etc.

Pounce box, a box for sprinkling pounce. -- Pounce paper, a transparent paper for tracing.

Pounce (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pounded (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pouncing (?).] To sprinkle or rub with pounce; as, to pounce paper, or a pattern.

Pounce, n. [Prob. through French, from an assumed LL. punctiare to prick, L. pungere, punctum. See Puncheon, Punch, v. t.] 1. The claw or talon of a bird of prey. Spenser. Burke.

2. A punch or stamp. [Obs.] "A pounce to print money with." Withals.

3. Cloth worked in eyelet holes. [Obs.] Homilies.

Pounce, v. t. 1. To strike or seize with the talons; to pierce, as with the talons. [Archaic]

Stooped from his highest pitch to pounce a wren.

Cowper.

Now pounce him lightly, And as he roars and rages, let's go deeper.

J. Fletcher.

2. To punch; to perforate; to stamp holes in, or dots on, by way of ornament. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.

Pounce, v. i. To fall suddenly and seize with the claws; -- with on or upon; as, a hawk pounces upon a chicken. Also used figuratively.

Derision is never so agonizing as when it pounces on the wanderings of misguided sensibility.

Jeffrey.

Pounced (?), a. 1. Furnished with claws or talons; as, the pounced young of the eagle. Thomson.

2. Ornamented with perforations or dots. [Obs.] "Gilt bowls pounced and pierced." Holinshed.

Poun"cet box` (?). [Cf. F. poncette, fr. ponce pounce. See Pounce a powder.] A box with a perforated lid, for sprinkling pounce, or for holding perfumes. Shak.

Poun"cing (?), n. 1. The art or practice of transferring a design by means of pounce.

2. Decorative perforation of cloth. [Obs.]

Pound (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Pounding.] [OE. pounen, AS. punian to bruise. Cf. Pun a play on words.] 1. To strike repeatedly with some heavy instrument; to beat.

With cruel blows she pounds her blubbered cheeks.

Dryden.

2. To comminute and pulverize by beating; to bruise or break into fine particles with a pestle or other heavy instrument; as, to pound spice or salt.

Pound, v. i. 1. To strike heavy blows; to beat.

2. (Mach.) To make a jarring noise, as in running; as, the engine pounds.

Pound, n. [AS. pund an inclosure: cf. forpyndan to turn away, or to repress, also Icel. pynda to extort, torment, Ir. pont, pond, pound. Cf. Pinder, Pinfold, Pin to inclose, Pond.] 1. An inclosure, maintained by public authority, in which cattle or other animals are confined when taken in trespassing, or when going at large in violation of law; a pinfold. Shak.

2. A level stretch in a canal between locks.

3. (Fishing) A kind of net, having a large inclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.

Pound covert, a pound that is close or covered over, as a shed. -- Pound overt, a pound that is open overhead.

Pound, v. t. To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound. Milton.

Pound, n.; pl. Pounds (#), collectively Pound or Pounds. [AS. pund, fr. L. pondo, akin to pondus a weight, pendere to weigh. See Pendant.] 1. A certain specified weight; especially, a legal standard consisting of an established number of ounces.

The pound in general use in the United States and in England is the pound avoirdupois, which is divided into sixteen ounces, and contains 7,000 grains. The pound troy is divided into twelve ounces, and contains 5,760 grains. 144 pounds avoirdupois are equal to 175 pounds troy weight. See Avoirdupois, and Troy.

2. A British denomination of money of account, equivalent to twenty shillings sterling, and equal in value to about $4.86. There is no coin known by this name, but the gold sovereign is of the same value.

The pound sterling was in Saxon times, about a. d. 671, a pound troy of silver, and a shilling was its twentieth part; consequently the latter was three times as large as it is at present. Peacham.

Pound"age (?), n. 1. A sum deducted from a pound, or a certain sum paid for each pound; a commission.

2. A subsidy of twelve pence in the pound, formerly granted to the crown on all goods exported or imported, and if by aliens, more. [Eng.] Blackstone.

3. (Law) The sum allowed to a sheriff or other officer upon the amount realized by an execution; -- estimated in England, and formerly in the United States, at so much of the pound. Burrill. Bouvier.

Pound"age, v. t. To collect, as poundage; to assess, or rate, by poundage. [R.]

Pound"age, n. [See 3d Pound.] 1. Confinement of cattle, or other animals, in a public pound.

2. A charge paid for the release of impounded cattle.

Pound"al (?), n. [From 5th Pound.] (Physics & Mech.) A unit of force based upon the pound, foot, and second, being the force which, acting on a pound avoirdupois for one second, causes it to acquire by the of that time a velocity of one foot per second. It is about equal to the weight of half an ounce, and is 13,825 dynes.

Pound"-breach` (?), n. The breaking of a public pound for releasing impounded animals. Blackstone.

Pound"cake` (?), n. A kind of rich, sweet cake; -- so called from the ingredients being used by pounds, or in equal quantities.

Pound"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, pounds, as a stamp in an ore mill.

2. An instrument used for pounding; a pestle.

3. A person or thing, so called with reference to a certain number of pounds in value, weight, capacity, etc.; as, a cannon carrying a twelve-pound ball is called a twelve pounder.

Before the English reform act of 1867, one who was an elector by virtue of paying ten pounds rent was called a ten pounder.

Pound"ing (?), n. 1. The act of beating, bruising, or breaking up; a beating.

2. A pounded or pulverized substance. [R.] "Covered with the poundings of these rocks." J. S. Blackie.

Pound"keep`er (?), n. The keeper of a pound.

Pound"*rate` (?), n. A rate or proportion estimated at a certain amount for each pound; poundage.

Poup (?), v. i. See Powp. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pou*part's" lig"a*ment (?). (Anat.) A ligament, of fascia, extending, in most mammals, from the ventral side of the ilium to near the symphysis of the pubic bones.

Pou"pe*ton (?), n. [See Puppet.] A puppet, or little baby. [Obs.] Palsgrave.

Pour (?), a. Poor. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pour (?), v. i. To pore. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pour (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poured (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pouring.] [OE. pouren, of uncertain origin; cf. W. bwrw to cast, throw, shed, bwrw gwlaw to rain.] 1. To cause to flow in a stream, as a liquid or anything flowing like a liquid, either out of a vessel or into it; as, to pour water from a pail; to pour wine into a decanter; to pour oil upon the waters; to pour out sand or dust.

2. To send forth as in a stream or a flood; to emit; to let escape freely or wholly.

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