Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (part 42 of 60)
Note: Usually such coins are double-struck from polished dies, and the raised features are sometimes frosted. They thus have sharper features and more mirror-like fields than production coins (i.e. those coins struck for circulation); they are considered by coin collectors as the most desirable specimens of each coin, and usually sell at a premium to their corresponding production coins.
PROOF-ARM Proof`-arm", v. t.
Defn: To arm with proof armor; to arm securely; as, to proof-arm herself. [R.] Beau. & Fl.
PROOFLESS Proof"less, a.
Defn: Wanting sufficient evidence to induce belief; not proved. Boyle. -- Proof"less*ly, adv.
PROOF-PROOF Proof"-proof`, a.
Defn: Proof against proofs; obstinate in the wrong. "That might have shown to any one who was not proof-proof." Whateley.
PROOSTRACUM; PROOESTRACUM Pro*ös"tra*cum, n.; pl. Proöstraca. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The anterior prolongation of the guard of the phragmocone of belemnites and allied fossil cephalopods, whether horny or calcareous. See Illust. of Phragmocone.
PROOTIC; PROOETIC Pro*ö"tic, a. Etym: [Pref. pro- + Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: In front of the auditory capsule; -- applied especially to a bone, or center of ossification, in the periotic capsule. -- n.
Defn: A proötic bone.
PROP Prop, n.
Defn: A shell, used as a die. See Props.
PROP Prop, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Propped; p. pr. & vb. n. Propping.] Etym: [Akin to LG. & D. proppen to cram, stuff, thrust into, stop, G. pfropfen, Dan. proppe, Sw. proppa; of uncertain origin, cf. G. pfropfen to graft, fr. L. propago set, layer of a plant, slip, shoot. Cf. 3d. Prop, Propagate.]
Defn: To support, or prevent from falling, by placing something under or against; as, to prop up a fence or an old building; (Fig.) to sustain; to maintain; as, to prop a declining state. Shak. Till the bright mountains prop the incumbent sky. Pope. For being not propp'd by ancestry. Shak. I prop myself upon those few supports that are left me. Pope.
PROP Prop, n. Etym: [Akin to LG., D., & Dan. prop stopple, stopper, cork, Sw. propp, G. pfropf. See Prop, v.]
Defn: That which sustains an incumbent weight; that on which anything rests or leans for support; a support; a stay; as, a prop for a building. "Two props of virtue." Shak.
PROPAEDEUTIC; PROPAEDEUTICAL Pro`pæ*deu"tic, Pro`pæ*deu"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or conveying, preliminary instruction; introductory to any art or science; instructing beforehand.
PROPAEDEUTICS Pro`pæ*deu"tics, n.
Defn: The preliminary learning connected with any art or science; preparatory instruction.
PROPAGABLE Prop"a*ga*ble, a. Etym: [See Propagate.]
1. Capable of being propagated, or of being continued or multiplied by natural generation or production.
2. Capable of being spread or extended by any means; -- said of tenets, doctrines, or principles.
PROPAGANDA Prop`a*gan"da, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. L. de propaganda fide: cf. F. propagande. See Propagate.]
1. (R. C. Ch.) (a) A congregation of cardinals, established in 1622, charged with the management of missions. (b) The college of the Propaganda, instituted by Urban VIII. (1623- 1644) to educate priests for missions in all parts of the world.
2. Hence, any organization or plan for spreading a particular doctrine or a system of principles.
PROPAGANDISM Prop`a*gan"dism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. propagandisme.]
Defn: The art or practice of propagating tenets or principles; zeal in propagating one's opinions.
PROPAGANDIST Prop`a*gan"dist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. propagandiste.]
Defn: A person who devotes himself to the spread of any system of principles. "Political propagandists." Walsh.
PROPAGATE Prop"a*gate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Propagated; p. pr. & vb. n. Propagating.] Etym: [L. propagatus, p. p. of propagare to propagate, akin to propages, propago, a layer of a plant, slip, shoot. See Pro-, and cf. Pact, Prop, Prune, v. t.]
1. To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production; -- applied to animals and plants; as, to propagate a breed of horses or sheep; to propagate a species of fruit tree.
2. To cause to spread to extend; to impel or continue forward in space; as, to propagate sound or light.
3. To spread from person to person; to extend the knowledge of; to originate and spread; to carry from place to place; to disseminate; as, to propagate a story or report; to propagate the Christian religion. The infection was propagated insensibly. De Foe.
4. To multiply; to increase. [Obs.] Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, Which thou wilt propagate. Shak.
5. To generate; to produce. Motion propagated motion, and life threw off life. De Quincey.
Syn. -- To multiply; continue; increase; spread; diffuse; disseminate; promote.
PROPAGATE Prop"a*gate, v. i.
Defn: To have young or issue; to be produced or multiplied by generation, or by new shoots or plants; as, rabbits propagate rapidly. No need that thou Should'st propagate, already infinite. Milton.
PROPAGATION Prop`a*ga"tion, n. Etym: [L. propagatio: cf. F. propagation.]
1. The act of propagating; continuance or multiplication of the kind by generation or successive production; as, the propagation of animals or plants. There is not in nature any spontaneous generation, but all come by propagation. Ray.
2. The spreading abroad, or extension, of anything; diffusion; dissemination; as, the propagation of sound; the propagation of the gospel. Bacon.
PROPAGATIVE Prop"a*ga*tive, a.
Defn: Producing by propagation, or by a process of growth.
PROPAGATOR Prop"a*ga`tor, n. Etym: [L.: cf. F. propagateur.]
Defn: One who propagates; one who continues or multiplies.
PROPAGULUM Pro*pag"u*lum, n.; pl. Propagula. Etym: [NL. See Propagate.] (Bot.)
Defn: A runner terminated by a germinating bud.
PROPANE Pro"pane, n. Etym: [Propyl + methane.] (Chem.)
Defn: A heavy gaseous hydrocarbon, C3H8, of the paraffin series, occurring naturally dissolved in crude petroleum, and also made artificially; -- called also propyl hydride.
PROPARGYL Pro*par"gyl, n. Etym: [Propinyl + Gr. -yl. So called because one hydrogen atom may be replaced by silver.] (Chem.)
Defn: Same as Propinyl.
PROPAROXYTONE Pro`par*ox"y*tone, n. Etym: [Gr. Pro-, and Paroxytone.] (Gr. Gram.)
Defn: A word which has the acute accent on the antepenult.
PROPED Pro"ped, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- + L. pes, pedis, foot.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Proleg.
PROPEL Pro*pel", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Propelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Propelling.] Etym: [L. propellere, propulsum; pro forward + pellere to drive. See Pulse a beating.]
Defn: To drive forward; to urge or press onward by force; to move, or cause to move; as, the wind or steam propels ships; balls are propelled by gunpowder.
PROPELLER Pro*pel"ler, n.
1. One who, or that which, propels.
2. A contrivance for propelling a steam vessel, usually consisting of a screw placed in the stern under water, and made to revolve by an engine; a propeller wheel.
3. A steamboat thus propelled; a screw steamer. Propeller wheel,the screw, usually having two or more blades, used in propelling a vessel.
PROPEND Pro*pend", v. i. Etym: [L. propendere, propensum; pro forward, forth + pendere to hang. See Pendent.]
Defn: To lean toward a thing; to be favorably inclined or disposed; to incline; to tend. [R.] Shak. We shall propend to it, as a stone falleth down. Barrow.
PROPENDENCY Pro*pend"en*cy, n.
1. Propensity. [R.]
2. Attentive deliberation. [R.] Sir M. Hale.
PROPENDENT Pro*pend"ent, a. Etym: [L. propendens, p. pr.]
Defn: Inclining forward or toward. South.
PROPENE Pro"pene, n. Etym: [Propyl + ethylene.] (Chem.)
Defn: Same as Propylene.
PROPENSE Pro*pense" a. Etym: [L. propensus, p. p. See Propend.]
Defn: Leaning toward, in a moral sense; inclined; disposed; prone; as, women propense to holiness. Hooker. -- Pro*pense"ly, adv. -- Pro*pense"ness, n.
PROPENSION Pro*pen"sion, n. Etym: [L. propensio: cf. F. propension. See Propend, Propense.]
Defn: The quality or state of being propense; propensity. M. Arnold. Your full consent Gave wings to my propension. Shak.
PROPENSITY Pro*pen"si*ty, n.; pl. Propensities (.
Defn: The quality or state of being propense; natural inclination; disposition to do good or evil; bias; bent; tendency. "A propensity to utter blasphemy." Macaulay.
Syn. -- Disposition; bias; inclination; proclivity; proneness; bent; tendency.
PROPENYL Pro"pe*nyl, n. Etym: [Propene + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical hydrocarbon radical, C3H5, isomeric with allyl and glyceryl, and regarded as the essential residue of glycerin. Cf. Allyl, and Glyceryl.
PROPEPSIN Pro*pep"sin, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- + pepsin.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: See Persinogen.
PROPEPTONE Pro*pep"tone, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- + peptone.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A product of gastric digestion intermediate between albumin and peptone, identical with hemialbumose.
PROPER Prop"er, a. Etym: [OE. propre, F. propre, fr. L. proprius. Cf. Appropriate.]
1. Belonging to one; one's own; individual. "His proper good" [i. e., his own possessions]. Chaucer. "My proper son." Shak. Now learn the difference, at your proper cost, Betwixt true valor and an empty boast. Dryden.
2. Belonging to the natural or essential constitution; peculiar; not common; particular; as, every animal has his proper instincts and appetites. Those high and peculiar attributes . . . which constitute our proper humanity. Coleridge.
3. Befitting one's nature, qualities, etc.; suitable in all respect; appropriate; right; fit; decent; as, water is the proper element for fish; a proper dress. The proper study of mankind is man. Pope. In Athens all was pleasure, mirth, and play, All proper to the spring, and sprightly May. Dryden.
4. Becoming in appearance; well formed; handsome. [Archaic] "Thou art a proper man." Chaucer. Moses . . . was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child. Heb. xi. 23.
5. Pertaining to one of a species, but not common to the whole; not appellative; -- opposed to common; as, a proper name; Dublin is the proper name of a city.
6. Rightly so called; strictly considered; as, Greece proper; the garden proper.
7. (Her.)
Defn: Represented in its natural color; -- said of any object used as a charge. In proper, individually; privately. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. -- Proper flower or corolla (Bot.), one of the single florets, or corollets, in an aggregate or compound flower. -- Proper fraction (Arith.) a fraction in which the numerator is less than the denominator. -- Proper nectary (Bot.), a nectary separate from the petals and other parts of the flower. -- Proper noun (Gram.), a name belonging to an individual, by which it is distinguished from others of the same class; -- opposed to Ant: common noun; as, John, Boston, America. -- Proper perianth or involucre (Bot.), that which incloses only a single flower. -- Proper receptacle (Bot.), a receptacle which supports only a single flower or fructification.
PROPER Prop"er, adv.
Defn: Properly; hence, to a great degree; very; as, proper good. [Colloq & Vulgar]
PROPERATE Prop"er*ate, v. t. & i. Etym: [L. properatus, p. p. of properare to hasten.]
Defn: To hasten, or press forward. [Obs.]
PROPERATION Prop`er*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. properatio.]
Defn: The act of hastening; haste. [Obs.] T. Adams.
PROPERISPOME Pro*per"i*spome, n. (Gr. Gram.)
Defn: Properispomenon.
PROPERISPOMENON Pro*per`i*spom"e*non, n.; pl. Properispomena. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Perispomenon.] (Gr. Gram.)
Defn: A word which has the circumflex accent on the penult.
PROPERLY Prop"er*ly, adv.
1. In a proper manner; suitably; fitly; strictly; rightly; as, a word properly applied; a dress properly adjusted. Milton.
2. Individually; after one's own manner. [Obs.] Now, harkeneth, how I bare me properly. Chaucer.
PROPERNESS Prop"er*ness, n.
1. The quality of being proper.
2. Tallness; comeliness. [Obs.] Udall.
PROPERTIED Prop"er*tied, a.
Defn: Possessing property; holding real estate, or other investments of money. "The propertied and satisfied classes." M. Arnold.
PROPERTY Prop"er*ty, n.; pl. Properties. Etym: [OE. proprete, OF. propreté property, F. propreté neatness, cleanliness, propriété property, fr. L. proprietas. See Proper, a., and cf. Propriety.]
1. That which is proper to anything; a peculiar quality of a thing; that which is inherent in a subject, or naturally essential to it; an attribute; as, sweetness is a property of sugar. Property is correctly a synonym for peculiar quality; but it is frequently used as coextensive with quality in general. Sir W. Hamilton.
Note: In physical science, the properties of matter are distinguished to the three following classes: 1. Physical properties, or those which result from the relations of bodies to the physical agents, light, heat, electricity, gravitation, cohesion, adhesion, etc., and which are exhibited without a change in the composition or kind of matter acted on. They are color, luster, opacity, transparency, hardness, sonorousness, density, crystalline form, solubility, capability of osmotic diffusion, vaporization, boiling, fusion, etc. 2. Chemical properties, or those which are conditioned by affinity and composition; thus, combustion, explosion, and certain solutions are reactions occasioned by chemical properties. Chemical properties are identical when there is identity of composition and structure, and change according as the composition changes. 3. Organoleptic properties, or those forming a class which can not be included in either of the other two divisions. They manifest themselves in the contact of substances with the organs of taste, touch, and smell, or otherwise affect the living organism, as in the manner of medicines and poisons.
2. An acquired or artificial quality; that which is given by art, or bestowed by man; as, the poem has the properties which constitute excellence.
3. The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying, and disposing of a thing; ownership; title. Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood. Shak. Shall man assume a property in man Wordsworth.
4. That to which a person has a legal title, whether in his possession or not; thing owned; an estate, whether in lands, goods, or money; as, a man of large property, or small property.
5. pl.
Defn: All the adjuncts of a play except the scenery and the dresses of the actors; stage requisites. I will draw a bill of properties. Shak.
6. Propriety; correctness. [Obs.] Camden. Literary property. (Law) See under Literary. -- Property man, one who has charge of the "properties" of a theater.
PROPERTY Prop"er*ty, v. t.
1. To invest which properties, or qualities. [Obs.] Shak.
2. To make a property of; to appropriate. [Obs.] They have here propertied me. Shak.
PROPHANE Pro*phane", a. & v. t.
Defn: See Profane. [Obs.]
PROPHASIS Proph"a*sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Pro-, and Phasis.] (Med.)
Defn: Foreknowledge of a disease; prognosis.
PROPHECY Proph"e*cy, n.; pl. Prophecies, Etym: [OE. prophecie, OF. profecie, F. prophétie, L. prophetia, fr. Gr. , fr. Prophet.]
1. A declaration of something to come; a foretelling; a prediction; esp., an inspired foretelling. He hearkens after prophecies and dreams. Shak. Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man. 2. Pet. i. 21.
2. (Script.)
Defn: A book of prophecies; a history; as, the prophecy of Ahijah. 2 Chron. ix. 29.
3. Public interpretation of Scripture; preaching; exhortation or instruction.
PROPHESIER Proph"e*si`er, n.
Defn: A prophet. Shak.
PROPHESY Proph"e*sy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prophesied; p. pr. & vb. n. Prophesying.] Etym: [See Prophecy.]
1. To foretell; to predict; to prognosticate. He doth not prophesy good concerning me. 1 Kings xxii. 8. Then I perceive that will be verified Henry the Fifth did sometime prophesy. Shak.
2. To foreshow; to herald; to prefigure. Methought thy very gait did prophesy A royal nobleness; I must embrace thee. Shak.
PROPHESY Proph"e*sy, v. i.
1. To utter predictions; to make declaration of events to come. Matt. xv. 7.
2. To give instruction in religious matters; to interpret or explain Scripture or religious subjects; to preach; to exhort; to expound. Ezek. xxxvii. 7.
PROPHET Proph"et, n. Etym: [F. prophète, L. propheta, fr. Gr. Fame. ]
1. One who prophesies, or foretells events; a predicter; a foreteller.
2. One inspired or instructed by God to speak in his name, or announce future events, as, Moses, Elijah, etc.
3. An interpreter; a spokesman. [R.] Ex. vii. 1.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A mantis. School of the prophets (Anc. Jewish Hist.), a school or college in which young men were educated and trained for public teachers or members of the prophetic order. These students were called sons of the prophets.
PROPHETESS Proph"et*ess, n. Etym: [Cf. F. prophétesse, L. prophetissa.]
Defn: A female prophet.
PROPHETIC; PROPHETICAL Pro*phet"ic, Pro*phet"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. propheticus, Gr. prophétique.]
Defn: Containing, or pertaining to, prophecy; foretelling events; as, prophetic writings; prophetic dreams; -- used with of before the thing foretold. And fears are oft prophetic of the event. Dryden.
PROPHETICALITY Pro*phet`ic*al"i*ty, n.
Defn: Propheticalness.
PROPHETICALLY Pro*phet"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a prophetical manner; by way of prediction.
PROPHETICALNESS Pro*phet"ic*al*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being prophetical; power or capacity to foretell.
PROPHETIZE Proph"et*ize, v. i. Etym: [L. prophetizare, Gr. prophétiser. Cf. Prophesy.]
Defn: To give predictions; to foreshow events; to prophesy. [R.] "Prophetizing dreams." Daniel.
PROPHORIC Pro*phor"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Enunciative. [R.]
PROPHRAGMA Pro*phrag"ma, n.; pl. Prophragmata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An internal dorsal chitinous process between the first two divisions of the thorax of insects.
PROPHYLACTIC Proph`y*lac"tic, n. Etym: [Cf. F. prophylactique.] (Med.)
Defn: A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
PROPHYLACTIC; PROPHYLACTICAL Proph`y*lac"tic, Proph`y*lac"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. prophylactique.] (Med.)
Defn: Defending or preserving from disease; preventive. Coxe.
PROPHYLAXIS Proph`y*lax"is, n. Etym: [NL. See Prophylactic.] (Med.)
Defn: The art of preserving from, or of preventing, disease; the observance of the rules necessary for the preservation of health; preservative or preventive treatment.
PROPICE Pro*pice", a. Etym: [OE., fr. F. propice, See Propitious.]
Defn: Fit; propitious. [Obs.] E. Hall.
PROPIDENE Pro"pi*dene, n. Etym: [Propyl + ethylidene.] (Chem.)
Defn: The unsymmetrical hypothetical hydrocarbon radical, CH3.CH2.CH, analogous to ethylidene, and regarded as the type of certain derivatives of propane; -- called also propylidene.
PROPINATION Prop`i*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. propinatio. See Propine.]
Defn: The act of pledging, or drinking first, and then offering the cup to another. [Obs.] Abp. Potter.
PROPINE Pro*pine", v. t. Etym: [L. propinare, Gr.
1. To pledge; to offer as a toast or a health in the manner of drinking, that is, by drinking first and passing the cup. [Obs.] The lovely sorceress mixed, and to the prince Health, peace, and joy propined. C. Smart.
2. Hence, to give in token of friendship. [Obs.]
3. To give, or deliver; to subject. [Obs.] Fotherby.
PROPINE Pro*pine", n.
1. A pledge. [Obs. or Scot.]
2. A gift; esp., drink money. [Obs or Scot.]
PROPINE Pro"pine, n. Etym: [Propyl + ethine.] (Chem.)
Defn: Same as Allylene.
PROPINQUITY Pro*pin"qui*ty, n. Etym: [L. propinquitas, from propinquus near, neighboring, from prope near.]
1. Nearness in place; neighborhood; proximity.
2. Nearness in time. Sir T. Browne.
3. Nearness of blood; kindred; affinity. Shak.
PROPINYL Pro"pi*nyl, n. Etym: [Propine + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hydrocarbon radical regarded as an essential residue of propine and allied compounds.
PROPIOLATE Pro"pi*o*late, n.
Defn: A salt of propiolic acid.
PROPIOLIC Pro`pi*ol"ic, a. Etym: [Propionic + tetrolic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid (called also propargylic acid) of the acetylene or tetrolic series, analogous to propionic acid, and obtained as a white crystalline substance.C3H2O2, CH.C.COOH
PROPIONATE Pro"pi*o*nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of propionic acid.
PROPIONE Pro"pi*one, n. (Chem.)
Defn: The ketone of propionic acid, obtained as a colorless fragrant liquid.
PROPIONIC Pro`pi*on"ic, a. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. pi`wn fat.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an organic acid which is produced in the distillation of wood, in the fermentation of various organic substances, as glycerin, calcium lactate, etc., and is obtained as a colorless liquid having a sharp, pungent odor. Propionic acid is so called because it is the first or lowest member of the fatty acid series whose salts have a fatty feel.
PROPIONYL Pro"pi*o*nyl, n. (Chem.)
Defn: The hypothetical radical C3H5O, regarded as the essential residue of propionic acid and certain related compounds.
PROPITHECUS Prop`i*the"cus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus including the long-tailed, or diadem, indris. See Indris.
PROPITIABLE Pro*pi"ti*a*ble, a. Etym: [L. propitiabilis.]
Defn: Capable of being propitiated.
PROPITIATE Pro*pi"ti*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Propitiated; p. pr. & vb. n. Propitiating.] Etym: [L. propitiatus, p. p. of propitiare to propitiate, fr. propitius favorable. See Propitious.]
Defn: To appease to render favorable; to make propitious; to conciliate. Let fierce Achilles, dreadful in his rage, The god propitiate, and the pest assuage. Pope.
PROPITIATE Pro*pi"ti*ate, v. i.
Defn: To make propitiation; to atone.
PROPITIATION Pro*pi`ti*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. propitiatio: cf. F. propitiation.]
1. The act of appeasing the wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person; the act of making propitious.
2. (Theol.)
Defn: That which propitiates; atonement or atoning sacrifice; specifically, the influence or effects of the death of Christ in appeasing the divine justice, and conciliating the divine favor. He [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for our sins. 1 John ii. 2.
PROPITIATOR Pro*pi"ti*a`tor, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: One who propitiates or appeases.
PROPITIATORILY Pro*pi"ti*a*to*ri*ly, adv.
Defn: By way of propitiation.
PROPITIATORY Pro*pi"ti*a*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. propitiatorius: cf. F. propitiatoire.]
Defn: Having the power to make propitious; pertaining to, or employed in, propitiation; expiatory; as, a propitiatory sacrifice. Sharp.
PROPITIATORY Pro*pi"ti*a*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. propitiatorium.] (Jewish Antiq.)
Defn: The mercy seat; -- so called because a symbol of the propitiated Jehovah. Bp. Pearson.
PROPITIOUS Pro*pi"tious, a. Etym: [L. propitius, perhaps originally a term of augury meaning, flying forward (pro) or well; cf. Skr. pat to fly, E. petition, feather.]
1. Convenient; auspicious; favorable; kind; as, a propitious season; a propitious breeze.
2. Hence, kind; gracious; merciful; helpful; -- said of a person or a divinity. Milton. And now t' assuage the force of this new flame, And make thee [Love] more propitious in my need. Spenser.
Syn. -- Auspicious; favorable; kind. -- Propitious, Auspicious. Auspicious (from the ancient idea of auspices, or omens) denotes "indicative of success," or "favored by incidental occurrences;" as, an auspicious opening; an auspicious event. Propitious denotes that which efficaciously protect us in some undertaking, speeds our exertions, and decides our success; as, propitious gales; propitious influences. -- Pro*pi"tious*ly, adv. -- Pro*pi"tious*ness, n.
PROPLASM Pro"plasm, n. Etym: [L. proplasma, Gr.
Defn: A mold; a matrix. [R.] Woodward.
PROPLASTIC Pro*plas"tic, a.
Defn: Forming a mold.
PROPLASTICS Pro*plas"tics, n.
Defn: The art of making molds for castings. [R.]
PROPLEG Prop"leg`, n. Etym: [So called because it props up or supports the body.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Proleg.
PROPODIAL Pro*po"di*al, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the propodialia, or the parts of the limbs to which they belong.
PROPODIALE Pro*po`di*a"le, n.; pl. Propodialia.. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The bone of either the upper arm or the thing, the propodialia being the humerus and femur.
PROPODITE Prop"o*dite, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The sixth joint of a typical leg of a crustacean; usually, the penultimate joint.
PROPODIUM Pro*po"di*um, n.; pl. Propodia. Etym: [NL. See Propodiale.] (Zoöl.) (a) The anterior portion of the foot of a mollusk. (b) The segment which forms the posterior part of the thorax of a hymenopterous insect. [Written also propodeum.]
PROPOLIS Pro"po*lis, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
Defn: Same as Bee glue, under Bee.
PROPONE Pro*pone", v. t. Etym: [L. proponere to propose. See Propound.]
Defn: To propose; to bring forward.
PROPONENT Pro*po"nent, a. Etym: [L. proponens, p. pr.]
Defn: Making proposals; proposing.
PROPONENT Pro*po"nent, n.
1. One who makes a proposal, or lays down a proposition. Dryden.
2. (Law)
Defn: The propounder of a thing.
PROPORTION Pro*por"tion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. proportio; pro before + portio part or share. See Portion.]
1. The relation or adaptation of one portion to another, or to the whole, as respect magnitude, quantity, or degree; comparative relation; ratio; as, the proportion of the parts of a building, or of the body. The image of Christ, made after his own proportion. Ridley. Formed in the best proportions of her sex. Sir W. Scott. Documents are authentic and facts are true precisely in proportion to the support which they afford to his theory. Macaulay.
2. Harmonic relation between parts, or between different things of the same kind; symmetrical arrangement or adjustment; symmetry; as, to be out of proportion. "Let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith." Rom. xii. 6.
3. The portion one receives when a whole is distributed by a rule or principle; equal or proper share; lot. Let the women . . . do the same things in their proportions and capacities. Jer. Taylor.
4. A part considered comparatively; a share.
5. (Math.) (a) The equality or similarity of ratios, especially of geometrical ratios; or a relation among quantities such that the quotient of the first divided by the second is equal to that of the third divided by the fourth; -- called also geometrical proportion, in distinction from arithmetical proportion, or that in which the difference of the first and second is equal to the difference of the third and fourth.
Note: Proportion in the mathematical sense differs from ratio. Ratio is the relation of two quantities of the same kind, as the ratio of 5 to 10, or the ratio of 8 to 16. Proportion is the sameness or likeness of two such relations. Thus, 5 to 10 as 8 to 16; that is, 5 bears the same relation to 10 as 8 does to 16. Hence, such numbers are said to be in proportion. Proportion is expressed by symbols thus: a:b::c:d, or a:b = c:d, or a/b = c/d. (b) The rule of three, in arithmetic, in which the three given terms, together with the one sought, are proportional. Continued proportion, Inverse proportion, etc. See under Continued, Inverse, etc. -- Harmonical, or Musical, proportion, a relation of three or four quantities, such that the first is to the last as the difference between the first two is to the difference between the last two; thus, 2, 3, 6, are in harmonical proportion; for 2 is to 6 as 1 to 3. Thus, 24, 16, 12, 9, are harmonical, for 24:9::8:3. -- In proportion, according as; to the degree that. "In proportion as they are metaphysically true, they are morally and politically false." Burke.
PROPORTION Pro*por"tion, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Proportioned; p. pr. & vb. n. Proportioning.] Etym: [Cf. F. proportionner. Cf. Proportionate, v.]
1. To adjust in a suitable proportion, as one thing or one part to another; as, to proportion the size of a building to its height; to proportion our expenditures to our income. In the loss of an object we do not proportion our grief to the real value . . . but to the value our fancies set upon it. Addison.
2. To form with symmetry or suitableness, as the parts of the body. Nature had proportioned her without any fault. Sir P. Sidney.
3. To divide into equal or just shares; to apportion.
PROPORTIONABLE Pro*por"tion*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being proportioned, or made proportional; also, proportional; proportionate. -- Pro*por"tion*a*ble*ness, n. But eloquence may exist without a proportionable degree of wisdom. Burke. Proportionable, which is no longer much favored, was of our [i. e., English writers'] own coining. Fitzed. Hall.
PROPORTIONABLY Pro*por"tion*a*bly, adv.
Defn: Proportionally. Locke.
PROPORTIONAL Pro*por"tion*al, a. Etym: [L. proportionalis: cf. F. proportionnel.]
1. Having a due proportion, or comparative relation; being in suitable proportion or degree; as, the parts of an edifice are proportional. Milton.
2. Relating to, or securing, proportion. Hutton. 3. (Math.) Constituting a proportion; having the same, or a constant, ratio; as, proportional quantities; momentum is proportional to quantity of matter. Proportional logarithms, logistic logarithms. See under Logistic. -- Proportional scale, a scale on which are marked parts proportional to the logarithms of the natural numbers; a logarithmic scale. -- Proportional scales, compasses, dividers, etc. (Draughting), instruments used in making copies of drawings, or drawings of objects, on an enlarged or reduced scale.
PROPORTIONAL Pro*por"tion*al, n.
1. (Math.)
Defn: Any number or quantity in a proportion; as, a mean proportional.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: The combining weight or equivalent of an element. [Obs.]
PROPORTIONALITY Pro*por`tion*al"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. proportionnalité.]
Defn: The state of being in proportion. Coleridge.
PROPORTIONALLY Pro*por"tion*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In proportion; in due degree; adapted relatively; as, all parts of the building are proportionally large. Sir I. Newton.
PROPORTIONATE Pro*por"tion*ate, a. Etym: [L. proportionatus. See Proportion.]
Defn: Adjusted to something else according to a proportion; proportional. Longfellow. What is proportionate to his transgression. Locke.
PROPORTIONATE Pro*por"tion*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Proportionated; p. pr. & vb. n. Proportionating.] Etym: [Cf. Proportion, v.]
Defn: To make proportional; to adjust according to a settled rate, or to due comparative relation; to proportion; as, to proportionate punishment to crimes.
PROPORTIONATELY Pro*por"tion*ate*ly (, adv.
Defn: In a proportionate manner; with due proportion; proportionally.
PROPORTIONATENESS Pro*por"tion*ate*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being proportionate. Sir M. Hale.
PROPORTIONLESS Pro*por"tion*less, a.
Defn: Without proportion; unsymmetrical.
PROPORTIONMENT Pro*por"tion*ment, n.
Defn: The act or process of dividing out proportionally.
PROPOSAL Pro*pos"al, n. Etym: [From Propose.]
1. That which is proposed, or propounded for consideration or acceptance; a scheme or design; terms or conditions proposed; offer; as, to make proposals for a treaty of peace; to offer proposals for erecting a building; to make proposals of marriage. "To put forth proposals for a book." Macaulay.
2. (Law)
Defn: The offer by a party of what he has in view as to an intended business transaction, which, with acceptance, constitutes a contract.
Syn. -- Proffer; tender; overture. See Proposition.
PROPOSE Pro*pose", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Proposed; p. pr. & vb. n. Proposing.] Etym: [F. proposer; pref. pro- (L. pro for, forward) + poser to place. See Pose, v.]
1. To set forth. [Obs.] That being proposed brimfull of wine, one scarce could lift it up. Chapman.
2. To offer for consideration, discussion, acceptance, or adoption; as, to propose terms of peace; to propose a question for discussion; to propose an alliance; to propose a person for office.
3. To set before one's self or others as a purpose formed; hence, to purpose; to intend. I propose to relate, in several volumes, the history of the people of New England. Palfrey. To propose to one's self, to intend; to design.
PROPOSE Pro*pose", v. i.
1. To speak; to converse. [Obs.] There shalt thou find my cousin Beatrice, Proposing with the prince and Claudio. Shak.
2. To form or declare a purpose or intention; to lay a scheme; to design; as, man proposes, but God disposes.
3. To offer one's self in marriage.
PROPOSE Pro*pose", n. Etym: [F. propos, L. propositum. See Propound, Purpose, n.]
Defn: Talk; discourse. [Obs.] Shak.
PROPOSER Pro*pos"er, n.
1. One who proposes or offers anything for consideration or adoption.
2. A speaker; an orator. [Obs.] Shak.
PROPOSITION Prop`o*si"tion, n. Etym: [L. propositio: cf. F. proposition. See Propound.]
1. The act of setting or placing before; the act of offering. "Oblations for the altar of proposition." Jer. Taylor.
2. That which is proposed; that which is offered, as for consideration, acceptance, or adoption; a proposal; as, the enemy made propositions of peace; his proposition was not accepted.
3. A statement of religious doctrine; an article of faith; creed; as, the propositions of Wyclif and Huss. Some persons . . . change their propositions according as their temporal necessities or advantages do turn. Jer. Taylor.
4. (Gram. & Logic)
Defn: A complete sentence, or part of a sentence consisting of a subject and predicate united by a copula; a thought expressed or propounded in language; a from of speech in which a predicate is affirmed or denied of a subject; as, snow is white.
5. (Math.)
Defn: A statement in terms of a truth to be demonstrated, or of an operation to be performed.
Note: It is called a theorem when it is something to be proved, and a problem when it is something to be done.
6. (Rhet.)
Defn: That which is offered or affirmed as the subject of the discourse; anything stated or affirmed for discussion or illustration.
7. (Poetry)
Defn: The part of a poem in which the author states the subject or matter of it. Leaves of proposition (Jewish Antiq.), the showbread. Wyclif (Luke vi. 4).
Syn. -- Proposal; offer; statement; declaration. -- Proposition, Proposal. These words are both from the Latin verb proponere, to set forth, and as here compared they mark different forms or stages of a negotiation. A proposition is something presented for discussion or consideration; as, propositions of peace. A proposal is some definite thing offered by one party to be accepted or rejected by the other. If the proposition is favorably received, it is usually followed by proposals which complete the arrangement.
PROPOSITIONAL Prop`o*si"tion*al, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or in the nature of, a proposition; considered as a proposition; as, a propositional sense. I. Watts.
PROPOUND Pro*pound", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Propounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Propounding.] Etym: [From earlier propone, L. proponere, propositum, to set forth, propose, propound; pro for, before + ponere to put. See Position, and cf. Provost.]
1. To offer for consideration; to exhibit; to propose; as, to propound a question; to propound an argument. Shak. And darest thou to the Son of God propound To worship thee, accursed Milton. It is strange folly to set ourselves no mark, to propound no end, in the hearing of the gospel. Coleridge.
2. (Eccl.)
Defn: To propose or name as a candidate for admission to communion with a church.
PROPOUNDER Pro*pound"er, n.
Defn: One who propounds, proposes, or offers for consideration. Chillingworth.
PROPRETOR Pro*pre"tor, n. Etym: [L. propraetor; pro for, before + praetor a pretor.] (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A magistrate who, having been pretor at home, was appointed to the government of a province. [Written also proprætor.]
PROPRIETARY Pro*pri"e*ta*ry, n.; pl. Proprietaries. Etym: [L. proprietarius: cf. F. propriétaire. See Propriety, and cf. Proprietor.]
1. A proprietor or owner; one who has exclusive title to a thing; one who possesses, or holds the title to, a thing in his own right. Fuller.
2. A body proprietors, taken collectively.
3. (Eccl.)
Defn: A monk who had reserved goods and effects to himself, notwithstanding his renunciation of all at the time of profession.
PROPRIETARY Pro*pri"e*ta*ry, a. Etym: [L. proprietarius.]
Defn: Belonging, or pertaining, to a proprietor; considered as property; owned; as, proprietary medicine. Proprietary articles, manufactured articles which some person or persons have exclusive right to make and sell. U. S. Statutes.
PROPRIETOR Pro*pri"e*tor, n. Etym: [For older proprietary: cf. F. propriétarie.]
Defn: One who has the legal right or exclusive title to anything, whether in possession or not; an owner; as, the proprietor of farm or of a mill.
PROPRIETORIAL Pro*pri`e*to"ri*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to ownership; proprietary; as, proprietorial rights.
PROPRIETORSHIP Pro*pri"e*tor*ship, n.
Defn: The state of being proprietor; ownership.
PROPRIETRESS Pro*pri"e*tress, n.
Defn: A female proprietor.
PROPRIETY Pro*pri"e*ty, n.; pl. Proprieties. Etym: [F. propriété, L. proprietas, fr. proprius one's own, proper. See Property, Proper.]
1. Individual right to hold property; ownership by personal title; property. [Obs.] "Onles this propriety be exiled." Robynson (More's Utopia). So are the proprieties of a wife to be disposed of by her lord, and yet all are for her provisions, it being a part of his need to refresh and supply hers. Jer. Taylor.
2. That which is proper or peculiar; an inherent property or quality; peculiarity. [Obs.] Bacon. We find no mention hereof in ancient zoögraphers, . . . who seldom forget proprieties of such a nature. Sir T. Browne.
3. The quality or state of being proper; suitableness to an acknowledged or correct standard or rule; consonance with established principles, rules, or customs; fitness; appropriateness; as, propriety of behavior, language, manners, etc. "The rule of propriety," Locke.
PROPROCTOR Pro*proc"tor, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- + proctor.] [Eng. Univ.]
Defn: A assistant proctor. Hook.
PROPS Props, n. pl.
Defn: A game of chance, in which four sea shells, each called a prop, are used instead of dice.
PROPTERYGIUM Prop`te*ryg"i*um, n; pl. Propterygia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The anterior of three principal cartilages in the fins of some fishes. -- Prop`ter*yg"i*al, a.
PROPUGN Pro*pugn", v. t. Etym: [L. propugnare; pro for + pugnare to fight.]
Defn: To contend for; to defend; to vindicate. [Obs.] Hammond.
PROPUGNACLE Pro*pug"na*cle, n. Etym: [L. propugnaculum.]
Defn: A fortress. [Obs.] Howell.
PROPUGNATION Pro`pug*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. propugnatio.]
Defn: Means of defense; defense. [Obs.] Shak.
PROPUGNER Pro*pugn"er, n.
Defn: A defender; a vindicator. "Zealous propugners." Gov. of Tongue.
PROPULSATION Pro`pul*sa"tion, n. Etym: [L. propulsatio. See Propulse.]
Defn: The act of driving away or repelling; a keeping at a distance. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
PROPULSE Pro*pulse", v. t. Etym: [L. propulsare, v. intens. from propellere to propel. See Propel.]
Defn: To repel; to drive off or away. [Obs.] Cotgrave.
PROPULSION Pro*pul"sion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. propulsion. See Propel.]
1. The act driving forward or away; the act or process of propelling; as, steam propulsion.
2. An impelling act or movement. God works in all things; all obey His first propulsion. Whittier.
PROPULSIVE Pro*pul"sive, a.
Defn: Tending, or having power, to propel; driving on; urging. "[The] propulsive movement of the verse." Coleridge.
PROPULSORY Pro*pul"so*ry, a.
Defn: Propulsive.
PROPYL Pro"pyl, n. Etym: [Propionic + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: The hypothetical radical C3H7, regarded as the essential residue of propane and related compounds.
PROPYLAEUM Prop`y*læ"um, n.; pl. Propylæa. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Anc. Classical Arch.)
Defn: Any court or vestibule before a building or leading into any inclosure.
PROPYLENE Pro"pyl*ene, n. Etym: [Cf. F. propylène.] (Chem.)
Defn: A colorless gaseous hydrocarbon (C3H6) of the ethylene series, having a garlic odor. It occurs in coal gas, and is produced artificially in various ways. Called also propene.
PROPYLIC Pro*pyl"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or containing, propyl; as, propylic alcohol.
PROPYLIDENE Pro*pyl"i*dene, n. (Chem.)
Defn: See Propidene.
PROPYLON Prop"y*lon, n.; pl. Propyla. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Anc. Arch.)
Defn: The porch, vestibule, or entrance of an edifice.
PRO RATA Pro` ra"ta. Etym: [L.]
Defn: In proportion; proportionately; according to the share, interest, or liability of each.
PRORATABLE Pro*rat"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being prorated, or divided proportionately. [U.S.]
PRORATE Pro*rate", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prorated; p. pr. & vb. n. Prorating.] Etym: [From L. pro rata (sc. parte) according to a certain part, in proportion.]
Defn: To divide or distribute proportionally; to assess pro rata. [U.S.]
PRORE Prore, n. Etym: [L. prora, Gr. prora. See Prow, n.]
Defn: The prow or fore part of a ship. [Poetic] "Galleys with vermilion prores." Pope.
PRORECTOR Pro*rec"tor, n. Etym: [NL. See Pro-, and Rector.]
Defn: An officer who presides over the academic senate of a German university. Heyse.
PRORECTORATE Pro*rec"tor*ate, n.
Defn: The office of prorector.
PRORENAL Pro*re"nal, a. Etym: [Pref. pro- + renal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pronephric.
PROREPTION Pro*rep"tion, n. Etym: [L. prorepere, proreptum, to creep forth; pro + repere.]
Defn: A creeping on.
PRORHINAL Pro*rhi"nal, a. Etym: [Pref. pro- + rhinal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Situated in front of the nasal chambers.
PROROGATE Pro"ro*gate, v. t.
Defn: To prorogue. [R.]
PROROGATION Pro`ro*ga"tion, n. Etym: [L. prorogatio: cf. F. prorogation.]
1. The act of counting in duration; prolongation. [Obs.] South.
2. The act of proroguing; the ending of the session of Parliament, and postponing of its business, by the command of the sovereign. [Eng.]
Note: After an adjournment all things continue as they were at the adjournment; whereas, after a prorogation, bill introduced and nut passed are as if they had never been begun at all. Mozley & W.
PROROGUE Pro*rogue", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prorogued; p. pr. & vb. n. Proroguing.] Etym: [F. proroger, L. prorogare, prorogatum; pro forward + rogare to ask, to ask one for his opinion or vote, or about a law. See Rogation.]
1. To protract; to prolong; to extend. [Obs.] He prorogued his government. Dryden.
2. To defer; to delay; to postpone; as, to proroguedeath; to prorogue a marriage. Shak.
3. To end the session of a parliament by an order of the sovereign, thus deferring its business. Parliament was prorogued to [meet at] Westminster. Bp. Hall. The Parliament was again prorogued to a distant day. Macaulay.
Syn. -- To adjourn; postpone; defer. See Adjourn.
PRORUPTION Pro*rup"tion, n. Etym: [L. proruptio, fr. prorumpere, proruptum, to break forth; pro forth + rumpere to break.]
Defn: The act or state of bursting forth; a bursting out. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
PROSAIC; PROSAICAL Pro*sa"ic, Pro*sa"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. prosaius, from prosa prose: cf. F,. prosaïque. See Prose.]
1. Of or pertaining to prose; resembling prose; in the form of prose; unpoetical; writing or using prose; as, a prosaic composition. Cudworth.
2. Dull; uninteresting; commonplace; unimaginative; prosy; as, a prosaic person. Ed. Rev. -- Pro*sa"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Pro*sa"ic*al*ness, n.
PROSAICISM Pro*sa"i*cism, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being prosaic; a prosaic manner or style. [R.] Poe.
PROSAISM Pro"sa*ism, n.
Defn: That which is in the form of prose writing; a prosaic manner. Coleridge.
PROSAIST Pro"sa*ist, n.
Defn: A writer of prose; an unpoetical writer. "An estimable prosaist." I. Taylor.
PROSAL Pro"sal, a
Defn: Of or pertaining to prose; prosaic. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
PROSCENIUM Pro*sce"ni*um, n.; pl. Proscenia. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. Scene.]
1. (Anc. Theater)
Defn: The part where the actors performed; the stage.
2. (Modern Theater)
Defn: The part of the stage in front of the curtain; sometimes, the curtain and its framework. proscenium arch, the framework around the front of the stage.
PROSCOLEX Pro*sco"lex, n.; pl. Proscolices. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An early larval form of a trematode worm; a redia. See Redia.
PROSCRIBE Pro*scribe", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Proscribed; p. pr. & vb. n. Proscribing.] Etym: [L. proscribere, proscriptum, to write before, to publish, proscribe; pro before + scribere to write. See Scribe. The sense of this word originated in the Roman practice of writing the names of persons doomed to death, and posting the list in public.]
1. To doom to destruction; to put out of the protection of law; to outlaw; to exile; as, Sylla and Marius proscribed each other's adherents. Robert Vere, Earl of Oxford, . . . was banished the realm, and proscribed. Spenser.
2. To denounce and condemn; to interdict; to prohibit; as, the Puritans proscribed theaters. The Arian doctrines were proscribed and anathematized in the famous Council of Nice. Waterland.
PROSCRIBER Pro*scrib"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, proscribes, denounces, or prohibits.
PROSCRIPT Pro"script, n. Etym: [See Proscribe.]
1. A proscription; a prohibition; an interdict. [R.]
2. One who is proscribed. [R.]
PROSCRIPTION Pro*scrip"tion, n. Etym: [L. proscriptio: cf. F. proscription.]
1. The act of proscribing; a dooming to death or exile; outlawry; specifically, among the ancient Romans, the public offer of a reward for the head of a political enemy; as, under the triumvirate, many of the best Roman citizens fell by proscription. Every victory by either party had been followed by a sanguinary proscription. Macaulay.
2. The state of being proscribed; denunciation; interdiction; prohibition. Macaulay.
PROSCRIPTIONAL Pro*scrip"tion*al, a.
Defn: Proscriptive.
PROSCRIPTIONIST Pro*scrip"tion*ist, n.
Defn: One who proscribes.
PROSCRIPTIVE Pro*scrip"tive, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to proscription; consisting in, or of the nature of, proscription; proscribing. Burke. -- Pro*scrip"tive*ly, adv.
PROSE Prose, n. Etym: [F. prose, L. prosa, fr. prorsus, prosus, straight forward, straight on, for proversus; pro forward + versus, p. p. of vertere to turn. See Verse.]
1. The ordinary language of men in speaking or writing; language not cast in poetical measure or rhythm; -- contradistinguished from verse, or metrical composition. I speak in prose, and let him rymes make. Chaucer. Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme. Milton. I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry, that is; prose -- words in their best order; poetry -- the best order. Coleridge.
2. Hence, language which evinces little imagination or animation; dull and commonplace discourse.
3. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A hymn with no regular meter, sometimes introduced into the Mass. See Sequence.
PROSE Prose, a.
1. Pertaining to, or composed of, prose; not in verse; as, prose composition.
2. Possessing or exhibiting unpoetical characteristics; plain; dull; prosaic; as, the prose duties of life.
PROSE Prose, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prosed; p. pr. & vb. n. Prosing.]
1. To write in prose.
2. To write or repeat in a dull, tedious, or prosy way.
PROSE Prose, v. i.
1. To write prose. Prosing or versing, but chiefly this latter. Milton.
PROSECTOR Pro*sec"tor, n. Etym: [L., an anatomist, from prosecare to cut up; pro before + secare to cut.]
Defn: One who makes dissections for anatomical illustration; usually, the assistant of a professional anatomist.
PROSECUTABLE Pros"e*cu`ta*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being prosecuted; liable to prosecution.
PROSECUTE Pros"e*cute, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prosecuted; p. pr. & vb. n. Prosecuting.] Etym: [L. prosecutus, p. p. of prosequi to follow, pursue. See Pursue.]
1. To follow or pursue with a view to reach, execute, or accomplish; to endeavor to obtain or complete; to carry on; to continue; as, to prosecute a scheme, hope, or claim. I am beloved Hermia; Why should not I, then, prosecute my right Shak.
2. To seek to obtain by legal process; as, to prosecute a right or a claim in a court of law.
3. (Law)
Defn: To pursue with the intention of punishing; to accuse of some crime or breach of law, or to pursue for redress or punishment, before a legal tribunal; to proceed against judicially; as, to prosecute a man for trespass, or for a riot. To acquit themselves and prosecute their foes. Milton.
PROSECUTE Pros"e*cute, v. i.
1. To follow after. [Obs.] Latimer.
2. (Law)
Defn: To institute and carry on a legal prosecution; as, to prosecute for public offenses. Blackstone.
PROSECUTION Pros`e*cu"tion, n. Etym: [L. prosecutio a following.]
1. The act or process of prosecuting, or of endeavoring to gain or accomplish something; pursuit by efforts of body or mind; as, the prosecution of a scheme, plan, design, or undertaking; the prosecution of war. Keeping a sharp eye on her domestics . . . in prosecution of their various duties. Sir W. Scott.
2. (Law) (a) The institution and carrying on of a suit in a court of law or equity, to obtain some right, or to redress and punish some wrong; the carrying on of a judicial proceeding in behalf of a complaining party, as distinguished from defense. (b) The institution, or commencement, and continuance of a criminal suit; the process of exhibiting formal charges against an offender before a legal tribunal, and pursuing them to final judgment on behalf of the state or government, as by indictment or information. (c) The party by whom criminal proceedings are instituted. Blackstone. Burrill. Mozley & W.
PROSECUTOR Pros"e*cu`tor, n. Etym: [Cf. L.prosecutor an attendant.]
1. One who prosecutes or carries on any purpose, plan, or business.
2. (Law)
Defn: The person who institutes and carries on a criminal suit against another in the name of the government. Blackstone.
PROSECUTRIX Pros"e*cu`trix, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: A female prosecutor.
PROSELYTE Pros"e*lyte, n. Etym: [OE. proselite, OF. proselite, F. proselytus, Gr.
Defn: A new convert especially a convert to some religion or religious sect, or to some particular opinion, system, or party; thus, a Gentile converted to Judaism, or a pagan converted to Christianity, is a proselyte. Ye [Scribes and Pharisees] compass sea and land to make one proselyte. Matt. xxiii. 15. Fresh confidence the speculatist takes From every harebrained proselyte he makes. Cowper.
Syn. -- See Convert.
PROSELYTE Pros"e*lyte, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Proselyted; p. pr. & vb. n. Proselyting.]
Defn: To convert to some religion, opinion, or system; to bring over. Dr. H. More.
PROSELYTISM Pros"e*ly*tism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. prosélytisme.]
1. The act or practice of proselyting; the making of converts to a religion or a religious sect, or to any opinion, system, or party. They were possessed of a spirit of proselytism in the most fanatical degree. Burke.
2. Conversion to a religion, system, or party.
PROSELYTIZE Pros"e*ly*tize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. proselytized; p. pr. & vb. n. Proselytizing.]
Defn: To convert to some religion, system, opinion, or the like; to bring, or cause to come, over; to proselyte. One of those whom they endeavor to proselytize. Burke.
PROSELYTIZE Pros"e*ly*tize, v. i.
Defn: To make converts or proselytes.
PROSELYTIZER Pros"e*ly*ti`zer, n.
Defn: One who proselytes.
PROSEMAN Prose"man, n.
Defn: A writer of prose. [R.]
PROSEMINARY Pro*sem"i*na*ry, n.
Defn: A seminary which prepares pupils for a higher institution. T. Warton.
PROSEMINATION Pro*sem`i*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. proseminare, proseminatum, to disseminate.]
Defn: Propagation by seed. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.
PROSENCEPHALIC Pros*en`ce*phal"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the prosencephalon.
PROSENCEPHALON Pros`en*ceph"a*lon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. encephalon.] [Sometimes abbreviated to proen.] (Anat.) (a) The anterior segment of the brain, including the cerebrum and olfactory lobes; the forebrain. (b) The cerebrum. Huxley.
PROSENCHYMA Pros*en"chy*ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -enchyma, as in parenchyma.] (Bot.)
Defn: A general term applied to the tissues formed of elongated cells, especially those with pointed or oblique extremities, as the principal cells of ordinary wood.
PROSER Pros"er, n.
1. A writer of prose. [Obs.]
2. One who talks or writes tediously. Sir W. Scott.
PROSILIENCY Pro*sil"i*en*cy, n. Etym: [L. prosilere to leap forth.]
Defn: The act of leaping forth or forward; projection. "Such prosiliency of relief." Coleridge.
PROSILY Pros"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a prosy manner.
PROSIMETRICAL Pros`i*met"ric*al, a. Etym: [Prose + metrical.]
Defn: Consisting both of prose and verse. Clarke.
PROSIMIAE Pro*sim"i*æ, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pro-. and Simia.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Lemuroidea.
PROSINESS Pros"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being prosy; tediousness; tiresomeness.
PROSING Pros"ing, n.
Defn: Writing prose; speaking or writing in a tedious or prosy manner. Sir W. Scott.
PROSINGLY Pros"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: Prosily.
PROSIPHON Pro*si"phon, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- for + siphon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A minute tube found in the protocon
PROSIT Pro"sit, interj. [L., 3d pers. sing. subj. present of prodesse to do good; pro for + esse to be.]
Defn: Lit., may it do (you) good; -- a salutation used in well wishing, esp. among Germans, as in drinking healths.
PROSLAVERY Pro*slav"er*y, a. Etym: [Pref. pro- + slavery.]
Defn: Favoring slavery. -- n.
Defn: Advocacy of slavery.
PROSOBRANCH Pros"o*branch, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Prosobranchiata.
PROSOBRANCHIATA Pros`o*bran`chi*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The highest division, or subclass, of gastropod mollusks, including those that have the gills situated anteriorly, or forward of the heart, and the sexes separate.
PROSOCOELE Pros"o*coele, n. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The entire cavity of the prosencephalon. B. G. Wilder.
PROSOCOELIA Pros`o*coe"li*a, n.; pl. Prosocoelle, Etym: [NL.] (Anat.)
Defn: Same as Prosocoele.
PROSODIACAL Pros`o*di"a*cal, a.
Defn: Prosodical.
PROSODIACALLY Pros`o*di"a*cal*ly, adv.
Defn: Prosodically.
PROSODIAL Pro*so"di*al, a.
Defn: Prosodical.
PROSODIAN Pro*so"di*an, n.
Defn: A prosodist. Rush.
PROSODICAL Pro*sod"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. prosodique, L. prosodiacus.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to prosody; according to the rules of prosody. -- Pro*sod"ic*al*ly, adv.
PROSODIST Pros"o*dist, n.
Defn: One skilled in prosody.
PROSODY Pros"o*dy, n. Etym: [L. prosodia the tone or accent of a syllable, Gr. prosodie. See Ode.]
Defn: That part of grammar which treats of the quantity of syllables, of accent, and of the laws of versification or metrical composition.
PROSOMA Pro*so"ma, n.; pl. Prosomata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The anterior of the body of an animal, as of a cephalopod; the thorax of an arthropod.
PROSOPALGIA Pros`o*pal"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Facial neuralgia.
PROSOPOCEPHALA Pros`o*po*ceph`a*la, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Scaphopoda.
PROSOPOLEPSY Pros`o*po*lep"sy, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Respect of persons; especially, a premature opinion or prejudice against a person, formed from his external appearance. [R.] Addison.
PROSOPOPOEIA Pros`o*po*poe"ia, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Rhet.)
Defn: A figure by which things are represented as persons, or by which things inanimate are spoken of as animated beings; also, a figure by which an absent person is introduced as speaking, or a deceased person is represented as alive and present. It includes personification, but is more extensive in its signification.
PROSOPULMONATA Pros`o*pul`mo*na"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. pulmo a lung.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of pulmonate mollusks having the breathing organ situated on the neck, as in the common snail.
PROSPECT Pros"pect, n. Etym: [L. prospectus, fr. prospicere, prospectum, to look forward; pro before, forward + specere, spicere, look, to see: cf. OF. prospect. See Spy, v., and cf. Prospectus.]
1. That which is embraced by eye in vision; the region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook. His eye discovers unaware The goodly prospect of some foreign land. Milton.
2. Especially, a picturesque or widely extended view; a landscape; hence, a sketch of a landscape. I went to Putney . . . to take prospects in crayon. Evelyn.
3. A position affording a fine view; a lookout. [R.] Him God beholding from his prospect high. Milton.
4. Relative position of the front of a building or other structure; face; relative aspect. And their prospect was toward the south. Ezek. xl. 44.
5. The act of looking forward; foresight; anticipation; as, a prospect of the future state. Locke. Is he a prudent man as to his temporal estate, that lays designs only for a day, without any prospect to, or provision for, the remaining part of life Tillotson.
6. That which is hoped for; ground for hope or expectation; expectation; probable result; as, the prospect of success. "To brighter prospects born." Cowper. These swell their prospectsd exalt their pride, When offers are disdain'd, and love deny'd. Pope.
PROSPECT Pros"pect, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prospected; p. pr. & vb. n. Prospecting.]
Defn: To look over; to explore or examine for something; as, to prospect a district for gold.
PROSPECT Pros"pect, v. i.
Defn: To make a search; to seek; to explore, as for mines or the like; as, to prospect for gold.
PROSPECTION Pro*spec"tion, n.
Defn: The act of looking forward, or of providing for future wants; foresight.
PROSPECTIVE Pro*spec"tive, a. Etym: [L. prospectivus: cf. F. prospectif. See Prospect, n.]
1. Of or pertaining to a prospect; furnishing a prospect; perspective. [Obs.] Time's long and dark prospective glass. Milton.
2. Looking forward in time; acting with foresight; -- opposed to retrospective. The French king of Sweden are circumspect, industrious, and prospective, too, in this affair. Sir J. Child.
3. Being within view or consideration, as a future event or contingency; relating to the future: expected; as, a prospective benefit. Points on which the promises, at the time of ordination, had no prospective bearing. W. Jay.
PROSPECTIVE Pro*spec"tive, n.
1. The scene before or around, in time or in space; view; prospect. Sir H. Wotton.
2. A perspective glass. [Obs.] Chaucer. Beau. & Fl.
PROSPECTIVELY Pro*spec"tive*ly, adv.
Defn: In a prospective manner.
PROSPECTIVENESS Pro*spec"tive*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being prospective.
PROSPECTLESS Pros"pect*less, a.
Defn: Having no prospect.
PROSPECTOR Pros"pect*or, n. Etym: [L., one who looks out.]
Defn: One who prospects; especially, one who explores a region for minerals and precious metals.
PROSPECTUS Pro*spec"tus, n. Etym: [L., a prospect, sight, view: cf. F. prospectus. See Prospect.]
Defn: A summary, plan, or scheme of something proposed, affording a prospect of its nature; especially, an exposition of the scheme of an unpublished literary work.
PROSPER Pros"per, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prospered; p. pr. & vb. n. Prospering.] Etym: [F. prospérer v. i., or L. prosperare, v. i., or L. prosperare, v. t., fr. prosper or prosperus. See Prosperous.]
Defn: To favor; to render successful. "Prosper thou our handiwork." Bk. of Common Prayer. All things concur toprosper our design. Dryden.
PROSPER Pros"per, v. i.
1. To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain. They, in their earthly Canaan placed, Long time shall dwell and prosper. Milton.
2. To grow; to increase. [Obs.] Black cherry trees prosper even to considerable timber. Evelyn.
PROSPERITY Pros*per"i*ty, n. Etym: [F. prospérité, L. prosperitas. See Prosperous.]
Defn: The state of being prosperous; advance or gain in anything good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; attainment of the object desired; good fortune; success; as, commercial prosperity; national prosperity. Now prosperity begins to mellow. Shak. Prosperities can only be enjoyed by them who fear not at all to lose the Jer. Taylor.
Syn. -- Fortunate; successful; flourishing; thriving; favorable; auspicious; lucky. See Fortunate. -- Pros"per*ous*ly, adv. -- Pros"per*ous*ness, n.
PROSPEROUS Pros"per*ous, a. [L. prosperus or prosper, originally, answering to hope; pro according to + the root of sperare to hope. See Despair.]
1. Tending to prosperity; favoring; favorable; helpful.
A happy passage and a prosperous wind. Denham.
2. Being prospered; advancing in the pursuit of anything desirable; making gain, or increase; thriving; successful; as, a prosperous voyage; a prosperous undertaking; a prosperous man or nation.
By moderation either state to bear Prosperous or adverse. Milton.
Syn. -- Fortunate; successful; flourishing; thriving; favorable; auspicious; lucky. See Fortunate.
-- Pros"per*ous*ly, adv. --Pros"per*ous*ness, n.
PROSPHYSIS Pros"phy*sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A growing together of parts; specifically, a morbid adhesion of the eyelids to each other or to the eyeball. Dunglison.
PROSPICIENCE Pro*spi"cience, n. Etym: [L. prospicientia, fr. prospiciens, p. pr. of prospicere. See Prospect.]
Defn: The act of looking forward.
PROSTATE Pros"tate, a.Etym: [Gr. prostate.] (Anat.)
Defn: Standing before; -- applied to a gland which is found in the males of most mammals, and is situated at the neck of the bladder where this joins the urethra. -- n.
Defn: The prostate gland.
PROSTATIC Pro*stat"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the prostate gland. Prostatic catheter. (Med.) See under Catheter.
PROSTATITIS Pros`ta*ti"tis, n. Etym: [NL. See Prostate, and -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the prostate.
PROSTERNATION Pros`ter*na"tion, n. Etym: [F. See Prostration.]
Defn: Dejection; depression. [Obs.] Wiseman.
PROSTERNUM Pro*ster"num, n. Etym: [NL. See Pro- and Sternum.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The ventral plate of the prothorax of an insect.
PROSTHESIS Pros"the*sis, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Surg.)
Defn: The addition to the human body of some artificial part, to replace one that is wanting, as a log or an eye; -- called also prothesis.
2. (Gram.)
Defn: The prefixing of one or more letters to the beginning of a word, as in beloved.
PROSTHETIC Pros*thet"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to prosthesis; prefixed, as a letter or letters to a word.
PROSTIBULOUS Pros*tib"u*lous, a. Etym: [L. prostibulum prostitute.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to prostitutes or prostitution; meretricious. [Obs.] Bale.
PROSTITUTE Pros"ti*tute, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prostituted; p. pr. & vb. n. Prostituting.] Etym: [L. prostitutus, p. p. of prostituere to prostitute; pro before, forth + statuere to put, place. See Statute.]
1. To offer, as a woman, to a lewd use; to give up to lewdness for hire. "Do not prostitute thy daughter." Lev. xix. 29.
2. To devote to base or unworthy purposes; to give up to low or indiscriminate use; as, to prostitute talents; to prostitute official powers. Milton.
PROSTITUTE Pros"ti*tute, a. Etym: [L. prostitutus, p. p.]
Defn: Openly given up to lewdness; devoted to base or infamous purposes. Made bold by want, and prostitute for bread. Prior
PROSTITUTE Pros"ti*tute, n. Etym: [L. prostituta.]
1. A woman giver to indiscriminate lewdness; a strumpet; a harlot.
2. A base hireling; a mercenary; one who offers himself to infamous employments for hire. No hireling she, no prostitute to praise. Pope.
PROSTITUTION Pros`ti*tu"tion, n. Etym: [L. prostitutio: cf. F. prostitution.]
1. The act or practice of prostituting or offering the body to an indiscriminate intercourse with men; common lewdness of a woman.
2. The act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes what is in one's power; as, the prostitution of abilities; the prostitution of the press. "Mental prostitution." Byron.
PROSTITUTOR Pros"ti*tu`tor, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: One who prostitutes; one who submits himself, of or offers another, to vile purposes. Bp. Hurd.
PROSTOMIUM Pro*sto"mi*um, n.; pl. Prostomia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: That portion of the head of an annelid situated in front of the mouth. -- Pro*sto"mi*al, a.
PROSTRATE Pros"trate, a. Etym: [L. prostratus, p. p. of prosternere to prostrate; pro before, forward + sternere to spread out, throw down. See Stratum.]
1. Lying at length, or with the body extended on the ground or other surface; stretched out; as, to sleep prostrate Elyot. Groveling and prostrate on yon lake of fire. Milton.
2. Lying at mercy, as a supplicant. Dryden.
3. Lying in a humble, lowly, or suppliant posture. Prostrate fall Before him reverent, and there confess Humbly our faults. Milton.
4. (Bot.)
Defn: Trailing on the ground; procumbent.
PROSTRATE Pros"trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prostrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Prostrating.]
1. To lay fiat; to throw down; to level; to fell; as, to prostrate the body; to prostrate trees or plants. Evelyn.
2. to overthrow; to demolish; to destroy; to deprive of efficiency; to ruin; as, to prostrate a village; to prostrate a government; to prostrate law or justice.
3. To throw down, or cause to fall in humility or adoration; to cause to bow in humble reverence; used reflexively; as, he prostrated himself. Milman.
4. To cause to sink totally; to deprive of strength; to reduce; as, a person prostrated by fever.
PROSTRATION Pros*tra"tion, n. Etym: [L. prostratio: cf. F. prostration.]
1. The act of prostrating, throwing down, or laying fiat; as, the prostration of the body.
2. The act of falling down, or of bowing in humility or adoration; primarily, the act of falling on the face, but usually applied to kneeling or bowing in reverence and worship. A greater prostration of reason than of body. Shak.
3. The condition of being prostrate; great depression; lowness; dejection; as, a postration of spirits. "A sudden prostration of strength." Arbuthnot.
4. (Med.)
Defn: A latent, not an exhausted, state of the vital energies; great oppression of natural strength and vigor.
Note: Prostration, in its medical use, is analogous to the state of a spring lying under such a weight that it is incapable of action; while exhaustion is analogous to the state of a spring deprived of its elastic powers. The word, however, is often used to denote any great depression of the vital powers.
PROSTYLE Pro"style, a. Etym: [L. prostylus, Gr. prostyle.] (Arch.)
Defn: Having columns in front. -- n.
Defn: A prostyle portico or building.
PROSY Pros"y, a. [Compar. Prosier; superl. Prosiest.]
1. Of or pertaining to prose; like prose.
2. Dull and tedious in discourse or writing; prosaic.
PROSYLOGISM Pro*sy"lo*gism, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- + syllogism.] (Logic)
Defn: A syllogism preliminary or logically essential to another syllogism; the conclusion of such a syllogism, which becomes a premise of the following syllogism.
PROTACTIC Pro*tac"tic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Giving a previous narrative or explanation, as of the plot or personages of a play; introductory. = 32,500 yrs.) Also called brevium, Uranium X2 and UX2.
PROTAGON Pro"ta*gon, n. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. Protagonist. So called because it was the first definitely ascertained principle of the brain.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A nitrogenous phosphorized principle found in brain tissue. By decomposition it yields neurine, fatty acids, and other bodies.
PROTAGONIST Pro*tag"o*nist, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: One who takes the leading part in a drama; hence, one who takes lead in some great scene, enterprise, conflict, or the like. Shakespeare, the protagonist on the great of modern poetry. De Quincey.
PROTAMIN Pro"ta*min, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: An amorphous nitrogenous substance found in the spermatic fluid of salmon. It is soluble in water, which an alkaline reaction, and unites with acids and metallic bases.
PROTANDRIC Pro*tan"dric, a. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having male sexual organs while young, and female organs later in life. -- Pro*tan"trism, n.
PROTANDROUS Pro*tan"drous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Proterandrous.
PROTASIS Prot"a*sis, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. A proposition; a maxim. Johnson.
2. (Gram.)
Defn: The introductory or subordinate member of a sentence, generally of a conditional sentence; -- opposed to apodosis. See Apodosis.
3. The first part of a drama, of a poem, or the like; the introduction; opposed to epitasis. B. Jonson.
PROTATIC Pro*tat"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. protaticus, F. protatique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the protasis of an ancient play; introductory.
PROTEACEOUS Pro`te*a"ceous, a. Etym: [From Proteus.] (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Proteaceæ, an order of apetalous evergreen shrubs, mostly natives of the Cape of Good Hope or of Australia.
PROTEAN Pro"te*an, a.
1. Of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus. " Protean transformations." Cudworth.
2. Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms; as, an amoeba is a protean animalcule.
PROTEANLY Pro"te*an*ly, adv.
Defn: In a protean manner. Cudworth.
PROTECT Pro*tect", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Protected; p. pr. & vb. n. Protecting.] Etym: [L. protectus, p. p. of protegere, literally, to cover in front; pro before + tegere to cover. See Tegument.]
Defn: To cover or shield from danger or injury; to defend; to guard; to preserve in safety; as, a father protects his children. The gods of Greece protect you! Shak.
Syn. -- To guard; shield; preserve. See Defend.
PROTECTINGLY Pro*tect"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: By way of protection; in a protective manner.
PROTECTION Pro*tec"tion, n. Etym: [L. protectio: cf. F. protection.]
1. The act of protecting, or the state of being protected; preservation from loss, injury, or annoyance; defense; shelter; as, the weak need protection. To your protection I commend me, gods. Shak.
2. That which protects or preserves from injury; a defense; a shield; a refuge. Let them rise up . . . and be your protection. Deut. xxxii. 38.
3. A writing that protects or secures from molestation or arrest; a pass; a safe-conduct; a passport. He . . . gave them protections under his hand. Macaulay.
4. (Polit. Econ.)
Defn: A theory, or a policy, of protecting the producers in a country from foreign competition in the home market by the imposition of such discriminating duties on goods of foreign production as will restrict or prevent their importation; -- opposed to free trade. Writ of protection. (Law) (a) A writ by which the king formerly exempted a person from arrest; -- now disused. [Eng.] Blackstone. (b) A judicial writ issued to a person required to attend court, as party, juror, etc., intended to secure him from arrest in coming, staying, and returning.
Syn. -- Preservation; defense; guard; shelter; refuge; security; safety.
PROTECTIONISM Pro*tec"tion*ism, n. (Polit. Econ.)
Defn: The doctrine or policy of protectionists. See Protection, 4.
PROTECTIONIST Pro*tec"tion*ist, n. (Polit. Econ.)
Defn: One who favors protection. See Protection, 4.
PROTECTIVE Pro*tect"ive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. protectif.]
Defn: Affording protection; sheltering; defensive. " The favor of a protective Providence." Feltham. Protective coloring (Zoöl.), coloring which serves for the concealment and preservation of a living organism. Cf. Mimicry. Wallace. -- Protective tariff (Polit. Econ.), a tariff designed to secure protection (see Protection, 4.), as distinguished from a tariff designed to raise revenue. See Tariff, and Protection, 4.
PROTECTIVENESS Pro*tect"ive*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being protective. W. Pater.
PROTECTOR Pro*tect"or, n. Etym: [L.: cf. F. protecteur.]
1. One who, or that which, defends or shields from injury, evil, oppression, etc.; a defender; a guardian; a patron. For the world's protector shall be known. Waller.
2. (Eng. Hist.)
Defn: One having the care of the kingdom during the king's minority; a regent. Is it concluded he shall be protector ! Shak.
3. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A cardinal, from one of the more considerable Roman Catholic nations, who looks after the interests of his people at Rome; also, a cardinal who has the same relation to a college, religious order, etc. Lord Protector (Eng. Hist.), the title of Oliver Cromwell as supreme governor of the British Commonwealth (1653-1658).
PROTECTORAL Pro*tect"or*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a protector; protectorial; as, protectoral power.
PROTECTORATE Pro*tect"or*ate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. protectorat.]
1. Government by a protector; -- applied especially to the government of England by Oliver Cromwell.
2. The authority assumed by a superior power over an inferior or a dependent one, whereby the former protects the latter from invasion and shares in the management of its affairs.
PROTECTORIAL Pro`tec*to"ri*al, a. Etym: [Cf. L. protectorius.]
Defn: Same as Protectoral.
PROTECTORLESS Pro*tect"or*less, a.
Defn: Having no protector; unprotected.
PROTECTORSHIP Pro*tect"or*ship
Defn: , The office of a protector or regent; protectorate.
PROTECTRESS; PROTECTRIX Pro*tect"ress, Pro*tect"rix, n. Etym: [NL. protectrix.]
Defn: A woman who protects.
PROTEGE; PROTEGEE Pro`té`gé", n. m. Pro`té`gée", n. f. Etym: [F., p. p. of protéger. See Protect.]
Defn: One under the care and protection of another.
PROTEID Pro"te*id, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: One of a class of amorphous nitrogenous principles, containing, as a rule, a small amount of sulphur; an albuminoid, as blood fibrin, casein of milk, etc. Proteids are present in nearly all animal fluids and make up the greater part of animal tissues and organs. They are also important constituents of vegetable tissues. See 2d Note under Food. -- Pro"te*id, a.
PROTEIDEA Pro`te*id"e*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Proteus, and -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of aquatic amphibians having prominent external gills and four legs. It includes Proteus and Menobranchus (Necturus). Called also Proteoidea, and Proteida.
PROTEIFORM Pro*te"i*form, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Changeable in form; resembling a Proteus, or an amoeba.
PROTEIN Pro"te*in, n. Etym: [Gr. prw os first: cf. prwtei^on the first place.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A body now known as alkali albumin, but originally considered to be the basis of all albuminous substances, whence its name. Protein crystal. (Bot.) See Crystalloid, n., 2.
PROTEINACEOUS Pro`te*i*na"*ceous, a. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: Of or related to protein; albuminous; proteid.
PROTEINOUS Pro*te"i*nous, a.
Defn: Proteinaceuos.
PROTELES Pro"te*les, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South Africa genus of Carnivora, allied to the hyenas, but smaller and having weaker jaws and teeth. It includes the aard-wolf.
PROTEND Pro*tend" v. t. [imp. & p. p. Protended; p. pr. & vb. n. Protending.] Etym: [L. protendere, protensum; pro before, forth + tendere to stretch.]
Defn: To hold out; to stretch forth. [Obs.] With his protended lance he makes defence. Dryden .
PROTENSE Pro*tense", n. Etym: [See Protend.]
Defn: Extension.[Obs.] " By due degrees and long protense." Spenser.
PROTENSION Pro*ten"sion, n. Etym: [L. protensio.]
Defn: A drawing out; extension. [R.] Sir W. Hamilton.
PROTENSIVE Pro*ten"sive, a.
Defn: Drawn out; extended. [R.] Time is a protensive quantity. Sir W. Hamilton.
PROTEOLYSIS Pro`te*ol"y*sis, n. Etym: [NL. See Proteolytic.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: The digestion or dissolving of proteid matter by proteolytic ferments.
PROTEOLYTIC Pro`te*o*lyt"ic, a. Etym: [Proteid + Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: Converting proteid or albuminous matter into soluble and diffusible products, as peptones. " The proteolytic ferment of the pancreas." Foster.
PROTEOSE Pro"te*ose`, n. [Proteid + -ose.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: One of a class of soluble products formed in the digestion of proteids with gastric and pancreatic juice, and also by the hydrolytic action of boiling dilute acids on proteids. Proteoses are divided into the two groups, the primary and secondary proteoses.
PROTERANDROUS Pro`ter*an"drous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having the stamens come to maturity before the pistil; -- opposed to proterogynous.
PROTERANDRY Pro`ter*an"dry, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The condition of being proterandrous.
PROTERANTHOUS Pro`ter*an"thous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having flowers appearing before the leaves; -- said of certain plants. Gray.
PROTEROGLYPHA Pro`te*rog"ly*pha, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A suborder of serpents including those that have permanently erect grooved poison fangs, with ordinary teeth behind them in the jaws. It includes the cobras, the asps, and the sea snakes. Called also Proteroglyphia.
PROTEROGYNOUS Pro`ter*og"y*nous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having the pistil come to maturity before the stamens; protogynous; -- opposed to proterandrous.
PROTEROSAURUS Pro`te*ro*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct genus of reptiles of the Permian period. Called also Protosaurus.
PROTERVITY Pro*ter"vi*ty, n. Etym: [L. protervitas, from protervus violent.]
Defn: Peevishness; petulance. [Obs.] Fuller.
PROTEST Pro*test", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Protested; p. pr. & vb. n. Protesting.] Etym: [F. protester, L. protestari, pro before + testari to be a witness, testis a witness. See Testify.]
1. To affirm in a public or formal manner; to bear witness; to declare solemnly; to avow. He protest that his measures are pacific. Landor. The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Shak.
2. To make a solemn declaration (often a written one) expressive of opposition; -- with against; as, he protest against your votes. Denham. The conscience has power . . . to protest againts the exorbitancies of the passions. Shak.
Syn. -- To affirm; asseverate; assert; aver; attest; testify; declare; profess. See Affirm.
PROTEST Pro*test", v. t.
1. To make a solemn declaration or affirmation of; to proclaim; to display; as, to protest one's loyalty. I will protest your cowardice. Shak.
2. To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; to appeal to. Fiercely [they] opposed My journey strange, with clamorous uproar Protesting fate supreme. Milton. To protest a bill or note (Law), to make a solemn written declaration, in due form, on behalf of the holder, against all parties liable for any loss or damage to be sustained by the nonacceptance or the nonpayment of the bill or note, as the case may be. This should be made by a notary public, whose seal it is the usual practice to affix. Kent. Story.
PROTEST Pro"test, n. Etym: [Cf. F. protêt, It. protesto. See Protest, v.]
1. A solemn declaration of opinion, commonly a formal objection against some act; especially, a formal and solemn declaration, in writing, of dissent from the proceedings of a legislative body; as, the protest of lords in Parliament.
2. (Law) (a) A solemn declaration in writing, in due form, made by a notary public, usually under his notarial seal, on behalf of the holder of a bill or note, protesting against all parties liable for any loss or damage by the nonacceptance or nonpayment of the bill, or by the nonpayment of the note, as the case may be. (b) A declaration made by the master of a vessel before a notary, consul, or other authorized officer, upon his arrival in port after a disaster, stating the particulars of it, and showing that any damage or loss sustained was not owing to the fault of the vessel, her officers or crew, but to the perils of the sea, etc., ads the case may be, and protesting against them. (c) A declaration made by a party, before or while paying a tax, duty, or the like, demanded of him, which he deems illegal, denying the justice of the demand, and asserting his rights and claims, in order to show that the payment was not voluntary. Story. Kent.
PROTESTANCY Prot"es*tan*cy, n.
Defn: Protestantism. [R.]
PROTESTANT Prot"es*tant, n. Etym: [F. protestant, fr. L. protestans, -antis, p. pr. of protestare. See Protest, v.]
Defn: One who protests; -- originally applied to those who adhered to Luther, and protested against, or made a solemn declaration of dissent from, a decree of the Emperor Charles V. and the Diet of Spires, in 1529, against the Reformers, and appealed to a general council; -- now used in a popular sense to designate any Christian who does not belong to the Roman Catholic or the Greek Church.
PROTESTANT Prot"es*tant, a. Etym: [Cf. F. protestant.]
1. Making a protest; protesting.
2. Of or pertaining to the faith and practice of those Christians who reject the authority of the Roman Catholic Church; as, Protestant writers.
PROTESTANTICAL Prot`es*tant"ic*al, a.
Defn: Protestant. [Obs.]
PROTESTANTISM Prot"es*tant*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. protestantisme.]
Defn: The quality or state of being protestant, especially against the Roman Catholic Church; the principles or religion of the Protestants.
PROTESTANTLY Prot"es*tant*ly, adv.
Defn: Like a Protestant; in conformity with Protestantism. [R.] Milton.
PROTESTATION Prot`es*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. protestatio: cf. F. protestation. See Protest.]
1. The act of making a protest; a public avowal; a solemn declaration, especially of dissent. " The protestation of our faith." Latimer.
2. (Law)
Defn: Formerly, a declaration in common-law pleading, by which the party interposes an oblique allegation or denial of some fact, protesting that it does or does not exist, and at the same time avoiding a direct affirmation or denial.
PROTESTATOR Prot"es*ta`tor, n. Etym: [Cf. F. protestateur.]
Defn: One who makes protestation; a protester.
PROTESTER Pro*test"er, n.
1. One who protests; one who utters a solemn declaration. Shak.
2. (Law)
Defn: One who protests a bill of exchange, or note.
PROTESTINGLY Pro*test"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: By way of protesting.
PROTEUS Pro"te*us, n. Etym: [L., Gr.
1. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: A sea god in the service of Neptune who assumed different shapes at will. Hence, one who easily changes his appearance or principles.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) A genus of aquatic eel-shaped amphibians found in caves in Austria. They have permanent external gills as well as lungs. The eyes are small and the legs are weak. (b) A changeable protozoan; an amoeba.
PROTHALAMION; PROTHALAMIUM Pro`tha*la"mi*on, Pro`tha*la"mi*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: A song in celebration of a marriage. Drayton.
PROTHALLIUM Pro*thal"li*um, n.; pl. Prothallia. Etym: [NL.] (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Prothallus.
PROTHALLUS Pro*thal"lus, n.; pl. Prothalli. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The minute primary growth from the spore of ferns and other Pteridophyta, which bears the true sexual organs; the oöphoric generation of ferns, etc.
PROTHESIS Proth"e*sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
1. (Eccl.)
Defn: A credence table; -- so called by the Eastern or Greek Church.
2. (Med.)
Defn: See Prosthesis. Dunglison.
PROTHETIC Pro*thet"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to prothesis; as, a prothetic apparatus.
PROTHONOTARY; PROTONOTARY Pro*thon"o*ta*ry, or; Pro*ton"o*ta*ry, n.; pl. -ries. Etym: [LL. protonotarius, fr. Gr. prw os first + L. notarius a shorthand writer, a scribe: cf. F. protonotaire.]
1. A chief notary or clerk. " My private prothonotary." Herrick.
2. Formerly, a chief clerk in the Court of King's Bench and in the Court of Common Pleas, now superseded by the master. [Eng.] Wharton. Burrill.
3. A register or chief clerk of a court in certain States of the United States.
4. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: Formerly, one who had the charge of writing the acts of the martyrs, and the circumstances of their death; now, one of twelve persons, constituting a college in the Roman Curia, whose office is to register pontifical acts and to make and preserve the official record of beatifications.
5. (Gr. Ch.)
Defn: The chief secretary of the patriarch of Constantinople. Prothonotary warbler (Zoöl.), a small American warbler (Protonotaria citrea). The general color is golden yellow, the back is olivaceous, the rump and tail are ash-color, several outer tail feathers are partly white.
PROTHONOTARYSHIP Pro*thon"o*ta*ry*ship, n.
Defn: Office of a prothonotary.
PROTHORACIC Pro`tho*rac"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the prothorax.
PROTHORAX Pro*tho"rax, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- + thorax.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The first or anterior segment of the thorax in insects. See Illusts. of Butterfly and Coleoptera.
PRO THYALOSOMA Pro* thy`a*lo*so"ma, n.; pl. Prothyalosomata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The investing portion, or spherical envelope, surrounding the eccentric germinal spot of the germinal vesicle.
PROTHYALOSOME Pro*thy"a*lo*some, n. (Biol.)
Defn: Same as Prothyalosoma.
PROTIST Pro"tist, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Protista.
PROTISTA Pro*tis"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. prw`tistos first.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A provisional group in which are placed a number of low microscopic organisms of doubtful nature. Some are probably plants, others animals.
PROTISTON Pro*tis"ton, n.; pl. Protista. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Protista.
PROTO- Pro"to-. Etym: [Gr. prw os first, a superl. fr. Pro-.]
1. A combining form prefix signifying first, primary, primordial; as, protomartyr, the first martyr; protomorphic, primitive in form; protoplast, a primordial organism; prototype, protozoan.
2. (Chem.) (a) Denoting the first or lowest of a series, or the one having the smallest amount of the element to the name of which it is prefixed; as protoxide, protochloride, etc. (b) Sometimes used as equivalent to mono-, as indicating that the compound has but one atom of the element to the name of which it is prefixed. Also used adjectively.
PROTOCANONICAL Pro`to*ca*non"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the first canon, or that which contains the authorized collection of the books of Scripture; -- opposed to deutero-canonical.
PROTOCATECHUIC Pro`to*cat`e*chu"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an organic acid which is obtained as a white crystalline substance from catechin, asafetida, oil of cloves, etc., and by distillation itself yields pyrocatechin.
PROTOCERCAL Pro`to*cer"cal, a. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a caudal fin extending around the end of the vertebral column, like that which is first formed in the embryo of fishes; diphycercal.
PROTOCOCCUS Pro`to*coc"cus, n. Etym: [NL. See Proto-, and Coccus.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of minute unicellular algæ including the red snow plant (Protococcus nivalis).
PROTOCOL Pro"to*col, n. Etym: [F. protocole, LL. protocollum, fr. Gr. prw os the first (see Proto-) +
1. The original copy of any writing, as of a deed, treaty, dispatch, or other instrument. Burrill.
2. The minutes, or rough draught, of an instrument or transaction.
3. (Diplomacy) (a) A preliminary document upon the basis of which negotiations are carried on. (b) A convention not formally ratified. (c) An agreement of diplomatists indicating the results reached by them at a particular stage of a negotiation.
PROTOCOL Pro"to*col, v. t.
Defn: To make a protocol of.
PROTOCOL Pro"to*col, v. i.
Defn: To make or write protocols, or first draughts; to issue protocols. Carlyle.
PROTOCOLIST Pro"to*col`ist, n.
Defn: One who draughts protocols.
PROTOCONCH Pro"to*conch, n. Etym: [Proto- + conch.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The embryonic shell, or first chamber, of ammonites and other cephalopods.
PROTO-DORIC Pro`to-Dor*ic, a. Etym: [Proto- + Doric.] (Arch.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, architecture, in which the beginnings of the Doric style are supposed to be found.
PROTOGINE Pro"to*gine, n. Etym: [Proto- + root of Gr. protogyne.] (Min.)
Defn: A kind of granite or gneiss containing a silvery talcose mineral.
PROTOGYNOUS Pro*tog"y*nous, a. Etym: [Proto + Gr. gynh` a woman.] (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Proterogynous.
PROTOHIPPUS Pro`to*hip"pus, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of fossil horses from the Lower Pliocene. They had three toes on each foot, the lateral ones being small.
PROTOMARTYR Pro"to*mar`tyr, n. Etym: [LL., fr. Gr. protomartyr. See Proto-, and Martyr.]
Defn: The first martyr; the first who suffers, or is sacrificed, in any cause; -- applied esp. to Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
PROTOMERITE Pro`to*mer"ite, n. Etym: [Proto- + -mere + -ite.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The second segment of one of the Gregarinæ.
PROTOMETALS Pro`to*met"als, n. pl.
Defn: A finer form of metals, indicated by enhanced lines in their spark spectra (which are also observed in the spectra of some stars), obtained at the highest available laboratory temperatures (Lockyer); as protocalcium, protochromium, protocopper, protonickel, protosilicon, protostrontium, prototitanium, protovanadium. -- Pro`to*me*tal"ic (#), a.
PROTOMORPHIC Pro`to*mor"phic, a. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: Having the most primitive character; in the earliest form; as, a protomorphic layer of tissue. H. Spencer.
PROTONEMA Pro`to*ne"ma, n.; pl. Protonemata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The primary growth from the spore of a moss, usually consisting of branching confervoid filaments, on any part of which stem and leaf buds may be developed.
PROTONOTARY Pro*ton"o*ta*ry, n.
Defn: Same as Prothonotary.
PROTOORGANISM; PROTOOERGANISM Pro`to*ör"gan*ism, n. Etym: [Proto- + organism.] (Biol.)
Defn: An organism whose nature is so difficult to determine that it might be referred to either the animal or the vegetable kingdom.
PROTOPAPAS Pro`to*pap"as (, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Gr. Ch.)
Defn: A protopope.
PROTOPHYTE Pro"to*phyte, n. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Any unicellular plant, or plant forming only a plasmodium, having reproduction only by fission, gemmation, or cell division.
Note: The protophytes (Protophyta) are by some botanists considered an independent branch or class of the vegetable kingdom, and made to include the lowest forms of both fungi and algæ, as slime molds, Bacteria, the nostocs, etc. Cf. Carpophyte, and Oöphyte.
PROTOPHYTOLOGY Pro`to*phy*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Proto- + phytology.]
Defn: Paleobotany.
PROTOPINE Pro"to*pine, n. Etym: [Proto- + opium.] (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid found in opium in small quantities, and extracted as a white crystalline substance.
PROTOPLASM Pro"to*plasm, n. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The viscid and more or less granular material of vegetable and animal cells, possessed of vital properties by which the processes of nutrition, secretion, and growth go forward; the so-called " physical basis of life;" the original cell substance, cytoplasm, cytoblastema, bioplasm sarcode, etc.
Note: The lowest forms of animal and vegetable life (unicellular organisms) consist of simple or unaltered protoplasm; the tissues of the higher organisms, of differentiated protoplasm.
PROTOPLASMATIC Pro`to*plas*mat"ic, a.
Defn: Protoplasmic.
PROTOPLASMIC Pro`to*plas"mic, a.
1. Of or pertaining to the first formation of living bodies.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to protoplasm; consisting of, or resembling, protoplasm.
PROTOPLAST Pro"to*plast, n. Etym: [L. protoplastus the first man, Gr.
1. The thing first formed; that of which there are subsequent copies or reproductions; the original.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: A first-formed organized body; the first individual, or pair of individuals, of a species. A species is a class of individuals, each of which is hypothetically considered to be the descendant of the same protoplast, or of the same pair of protoplasts. Latham.
PROTOPLASTA Pro`to*plas"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of fresh-water rhizopods including those that have a soft body and delicate branched pseudopodia. The genus Gromia is one of the best-known.
PROTOPLASTIC Pro`to*plas"tic, a.
Defn: First-formed. Howell.
PROTOPODITE Pro*top"o*dite, n. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The basal portion, or two proximal and more or less consolidated segments, of an appendage of a crustacean.
PROTOPOPE Pro"to*pope, n. Etym: [Proto- + pope: cf. F. protopope, Russ. protopop'.] (Gr. Ch.)
Defn: One of the clergy of first rank in the lower order of secular clergy; an archpriest; -- called also protopapas.
PROTOPTERUS Pro*top"te*rus, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Komtok.
PROTOSALT Pro"to*salt, n. Etym: [Proto- + salt.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt derived from a protoxide base. [Obs.]
PROTOSILICATE Pro`to*sil"i*cate, n. Etym: [Proto- + silicate.] (Chem.)
Defn: A silicate formed with the lowest proportion of silicic acid, or having but one atom of silicon in the molecule.
PROTOSOMITE Pro`to*so"mite, n. Etym: [Proto- + somite.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the primitive segments, or metameres, of an animal.
PROTOSULPHIDE Pro`to*sul"phide, n. Etym: [Proto- + sulphide.] (Chem.)
Defn: That one of a series of sulphides of any element which has the lowest proportion of sulphur; a sulphide with but one atom of sulphur in the molecule.
PROTOSULPHURET Pro`to*sul"phu*ret, n. Etym: [Proto- + sulphuret.] (Chem.)
Defn: A protosulphide. [Obs.]
PROTOTHERIA Pro`to*the"ri*a n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Monotremata.
PROTOTRACHEATA Pro`to*tra`che*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Proto-, and Trachea.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Malacopoda.
PROTOTYPE Pro"to*type, n. Etym: [F., from L. prototypus original, primitive, Gr. Proto-, and Type]
Defn: An original or model after which anything is copied; the pattern of anything to be engraved, or otherwise copied, cast, or the like; a primary form; exemplar; archetype. They will turn their backs on it, like their great precursor and prototype. Burke.
PROTOVERTEBRA Pro`to*ver"te*bra, n.; pl. Protovertebræ . Etym: [Proto- + vertebra.] (Anat.)
Defn: One of the primitive masses, or segments, into which the mesoblast of the vertebrate embryo breaks up on either side of the anterior part of the notochord; a mesoblastic, or protovertebral, somite. See Illust. of Ectoderm.
Note: The protovertebræ were long regarded as rudiments of the permanent vertebræ, but they are now known to give rise to the dorsal muscles and other structures as well as the vertebral column. See Myotome.
PROTOVERTEBRAL Pro`to*ver"te*bral, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the protovertebræ.
PROTOXIDE Pro*tox"ide, n. Etym: [Proto- + oxide: cf. F. protoxide.] (Chem.)
Defn: That one of a series of oxides having the lowest proportion of oxygen. See Proto-, 2 (b). protoxide of nitrogen, laughing gas, now called hyponitrous oxideNO. See under Laughing.
PROTOXIDIZE Pro*tox"i*dize, v. t. (Chem.)
Defn: To combine with oxygen, as any elementary substance, in such proportion as to form a protoxide.
PROTOZOA Pro`to*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The lowest of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom.
Note: The entire animal consists of a single cell which is variously modified; but in many species a number of these simple zooids are united together so as to form a compound body or organism, as in the Foraminifera and Vorticellæ. The reproduction takes place by fission, or by the breaking up of the contents of the body after encystment, each portion becoming a distinct animal, or in other ways, but never by true eggs. The principal divisions are Rhizopoda, Gregarinæ, and Infusoria. See also Foraminifera, Heliozoa, Protoplasta, Radiolaria, Flagellata, Ciliata.
PROTOZOAN Pro`to*zo"an, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Protozoa. -- n.
Defn: One of the Protozoa.
PROTOZOIC Pro`to*zo"ic, a.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Protozoa.
2. (Geol.)
Defn: Containing remains of the earliest discovered life of the globe, which included mollusks, radiates and protozoans.
PROTOZOON; PROTOZOOEN Pro`to*zo"ön (-ôn), n.; pl. Protozoa. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.) (a) One of the Protozoa. (b) A single zooid of a compound protozoan.
PROTOZOONITE; PROTOZOOENITE Pro`to*zo"ö*nite, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the primary, or first-formed, segments of an embryonic arthropod.
PROTRACHEATA Pro*tra`che*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pro-, and Trachea.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Malacopoda.
PROTRACT Pro*tract", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Protracted; p. pr. vb. n. Protracting.] Etym: [L. protractus, p. p. of protrahere to forth, protract; pro forward + trahere to draw. See Portrait, Portray.]
1. To draw out or lengthen in time or (rarely) in space; to continue; to prolong; as, to protract an argument; to protract a war.
2. To put off to a distant time; to delay; to defer; as, to protract a decision or duty. Shak.
3. (Surv.)
Defn: To draw to a scale; to lay down the lines and angles of, with scale and protractor; to plot.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: To extend; to protrude; as, the cat can protract its claws; -- opposed to retract.
PROTRACT Pro*tract", n. Etym: [L. protractus.]
Defn: Tedious continuance or delay. [Obs.] Spenser.
PROTRACTED Pro*tract`ed, a.
Defn: Prolonged; continued. Protracted meeting,a religious meeting continued for many successive days. [U. S.] -- Pro*tract"ed*ly, adv. -- Pro*tract"ed*ness, n.
PROTRACTER Pro*tract"er, n.
Defn: A protractor.
PROTRACTILE Pro*tract"ile, a.
Defn: Capable of being protracted, or protruded; protrusile.
PROTRACTION Pro*trac"tion, n. Etym: [L. protractio.]
1. A drawing out, or continuing; the act of delaying the termination of a thing; prolongation; continuance; delay; as, the protraction of a debate. A protraction only of what is worst in life. Mallock.
2. (Surv.) (a) The act or process of making a plot on paper. (b) A plot on paper.
PROTRACTIVE Pro*tract"ive, a.
Defn: Drawing out or lengthening in time; prolonging; continuing; delaying. He suffered their protractive arts. Dryden.
PROTRACTOR Pro*tract"or, n.
1. One who, or that which, protracts, or causes protraction.
2. A mathematical instrument for laying down and measuring angles on paper, used in drawing or in plotting. It is of various forms, semicircular, rectangular, or circular.
3. (Surg.)
Defn: An instrument formerly used in extracting foreign or offensive matter from a wound.
4. (Anat.)
Defn: A muscle which extends an organ or part; -- opposed to retractor.
5. An adjustable pattern used by tailors. Knight.
PROTREPTICAL Pro*trep"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Adapted to persuade; hortatory; persuasive. [Obs.] Bp. Ward.
PROTRUDABLE Pro*trud"a*ble, a.
Defn: That may be protruded; protrusile. Darwin.
PROTRUDE Pro*trude", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Protruded; p. pr. & vb. n. Protruding.] Etym: [L. protrudere, protrusum; pro forward + trudere to thrust. See Threat.]
1. To thrust forward; to drive or force along. Locke.
2. To thrust out, as through a narrow orifice or from confinement; to cause to come forth. When . . . Spring protrudes the bursting gems. Thomson.
PROTRUDE Pro*trude", v. i.
Defn: To shoot out or forth; to be thrust forward; to extend beyond a limit; to project. The parts protrude beyond the skin. Bacon.
PROTRUSILE Pro*tru"sile, a.
Defn: Capable of being protruded or thrust out; protractile; protrusive.
PROTRUSION Pro*tru"sion, n.
1. The act of protruding or thrusting forward, or beyond the usual limit.
2. The state of being protruded, or thrust forward.
PROTRUSIVE Pro*tru"sive, a.
1. Thrusting or impelling forward; as, protrusive motion. E. Darwin.
2. Capable of being protruded; protrusile.
PROTRUSIVELY Pro*tru"sive*ly, adv.
Defn: In a protrusive manner.
PROTUBERANCE Pro*tu"ber*ance, n. Etym: [Cf. F. protubérance. See Protuberant.]
Defn: That which is protuberant swelled or pushed beyond the surrounding or adjacent surface; a swelling or tumor on the body; a prominence; a bunch or knob; an elevation. Solar protuberances (Astron.), certain rose-colored masses on the limb of the sun which are seen to extend beyond the edge of the moon at the time of a solar eclipse. They may be discovered with the spectroscope on any clear day. Called also solar prominences. See Illust. in Append.
Syn. -- Projection, Protuberance. protuberance differs from projection, being applied to parts that rise from the surface with a gradual ascent or small angle; whereas a projection may be at a right angle with the surface.
PROTUBERANCY Pro*tu"ber*an*cy, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being protuberant; protuberance; prominence.
PROTUBERANT Pro*tu"ber*ant, a. Etym: [L. protuberans, -antis, p. pr. of protuberare. See Protuberate.]
Defn: Prominent, or excessively prominent; bulging beyond the surrounding or adjacent surface; swelling; as, a protuberant joint; a protuberant eye. -- Pro*tu"ber*ant*ly, adv.
PROTUBERATE Pro*tu"ber*ate, v. i. Etym: [L. protuberare; pro forward + tuber a hump, protuberance. See Tuber.]
Defn: To swell, or be prominent, beyond the adjacent surface; to bulge out. S. Sharp.
PROTUBERATION Pro*tu`ber*a"tion, n.
Defn: The act of swelling beyond the surrounding surface. Cooke (1615).
PROTUBEROUS Pro*tu"ber*ous, a.
Defn: Protuberant. [R.]
PROTURETER Pro`tu*re"ter, n. Etym: [NL. See Proto-, Ureter.] (Anat.)
Defn: The duct of a pronephros. Haeckel.
PROTYLE Pro"tyle, n. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. (Chem. & Astron.)
Defn: The hypothetical homogeneous cosmic material of the original universe, supposed to have been differentiated into what are recognized as distinct chemical elements.
PROUD Proud, a. [Compar. Prouder; superl. Proudest.] Etym: [OE. proud, prout, prud, prut, AS. prut; akin to Icel. pruedhr stately, handsome, Dan. prud handsome. Cf. Pride.]
1. Feeling or manifesting pride, in a good or bad sense; as: (a) Possessing or showing too great self-esteem; overrating one's excellences; hence, arrogant; haughty; lordly; presumptuous. Nor much expect A foe so proud will first the weaker seek. Milton. O death, made proud with pure and princely beauty ! Shak. And shades impervious to the proud world's glare. Keble.
(b) Having a feeling of high self-respect or self-esteem; exulting (in); elated; -- often with of; as, proud of one's country. "Proud to be checked and soothed." Keble. Are we proud men proud of being proud Thackeray.
2. Giving reason or occasion for pride or self-gratulation; worthy of admiration; grand; splendid; magnificent; admirable; ostentatious. "Of shadow proud." Chapman. "Proud titles." Shak. " The proud temple's height." Dryden. Till tower, and dome, and bridge-way proud Are mantled with a golden cloud. Keble.
3. Excited by sexual desire; -- applied particularly to the females of some animals. Sir T. Browne.
Note: Proud is often used with participles in the formation of compounds which, for the most part, are self-explaining; as, proud- crested, proud-minded, proud-swelling. Proud flesh (Med.), a fungous growth or excrescence of granulations resembling flesh, in a wound or ulcer.
PROUDISH Proud"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat proud. Ash.
PROUDLING Proud"ling, n.
Defn: A proud or haughty person. Sylvester.
PROUDLY Proud"ly, adv.
Defn: In a proud manner; with lofty airs or mien; haughtily; arrogantly; boastfully. Proudly he marches on, and void of fear. Addison.
PROUDNESS Proud"ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being proud; pride. Set aside all arrogancy and proudness. Latimer.
PROUSTITE Proust"ite, n. Etym: [From the French chemist, J. L. Proust.] (Min.)
Defn: A sulphide of arsenic and silver of a beautiful cochineal-red color, occurring in rhombohedral crystals, and also massive; ruby silver.
PROVABLE Prov"a*ble, a. Etym: [See Prove, and cf. Probable.]
Defn: Capable of being proved; demonstrable. -- Prov"a*ble*ness, n. -- Prov"a*bly, adv.
PROVAND; PROANT Prov"and, Pro"ant, n. Etym: [See Provender.]
Defn: Provender or food. [Obs.] One pease was a soldier's provant a whole day. Beau. & Fl.
PROVANT Pro*vant", v. t.
Defn: To supply with provender or provisions; to provide for. [Obs.] Nash.
PROVANT Prov"ant, a.
Defn: Provided for common or general use, as in an army; hence, common in quality; inferior. "A poor provant rapier." B. Jonson.
PROVE Prove, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Proved; p. pr. & vb. n. Proving.] Etym: [OE. prover, F. prouver, fr. L. probare to try, approve, prove, fr. probus good, proper. Cf. Probable, Proof, Probe.]
1. To try or to ascertain by an experiment, or by a test or standard; to test; as, to prove the strength of gunpowder or of ordnance; to prove the contents of a vessel by a standard measure. Thou hast proved mine heart. Ps. xvii. 3.
2. To evince, establish, or ascertain, as truth, reality, or fact, by argument, testimony, or other evidence. They have inferred much from slender premises, and conjectured when they could not prove. J. H. Newman.
3. To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify; as, to prove a will.
4. To gain experience of the good or evil of; to know by trial; to experience; to suffer. Where she, captived long, great woes did prove. Spenser.
5. (Arith.)
Defn: To test, evince, ascertain, or verify, as the correctness of any operation or result; thus, in subtraction, if the difference between two numbers, added to the lesser number, makes a sum equal to the greater, the correctness of the subtraction is proved.
6. (Printing)
Defn: To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of; as, to prove a page.
Syn. -- To try; verify; justify; confirm; establish; evince; manifest; show; demonstrate.
PROVE Prove, v. i.
1. To make trial; to essay.
2. To be found by experience, trial, or result; to turn out to be; as, a medicine proves salutary; the report proves false. "The case proves mortal." Arbuthnot. So life a winter's morn may prove. Keble.
3. To succeed; to turn out as expected. [Obs.] "The experiment proved not." Bacon.
PROVECT Pro*vect", a. Etym: [L. provectus, p. p. of provehere to carry forward.]
Defn: Carried forward; advanced. [Obs.] "Provect in years." Sir T. Flyot.
PROVECTION Pro*vec"tion, n. Etym: [L. provectio an advancement.] (Philol.)
Defn: A carrying forward, as of a final letter, to a following word; as, for example, a nickname for an ekename.
PROVEDITOR Pro*ved"i*tor, n. Etym: [It. proveditore, provveditore, fr. provedere, L. providere. See Provide, and cf. Purveyor, Provedore.]
Defn: One employed to procure supplies, as for an army, a steamer, etc.; a purveyor; one who provides for another. Jer. Taylor.
PROVEDORE Prov"e*dore, n. Etym: [Cf. Sp. proveedor. See Proveditor.]
Defn: A proveditor; a purveyor. Busied with the duties of a provedore. W. Irving.
PROVEN Prov"en, p. p. or a.
Defn: Proved. "Accusations firmly proven in his mind." Thackeray. Of this which was the principal charge, and was generally believed to beproven, he was acquitted. Jowett (Thucyd. ). Not proven (Scots Law), a verdict of a jury that the guilt of the accused is not made out, though not disproved. Mozley & W.
PROVENANCE Prov"e*nance, n. [F., fr. provenir to originate, to come forth, L. provenire. Cf. Provenience.]
Defn: Origin; source; provenience.
Their age attested by their provenance and associations. A. H. Keane.
PROVENCAL Pro`ven`cal", a. Etym: [F., fr. Provence, fr. L. provincia province. See Provincial.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Provence or its inhabitants.
PROVENCAL Pro`ven`cal", n. Etym: [F.]
1. A native or inhabitant of Provence in France.
2. The Provencal language. See Langue d'oc.
PROVENCE ROSE Prov"ence rose`. Etym: [Provence the place + rose.] (a) The cabbage rose (Rosa centifolia). (b) A name of many kinds of roses which are hybrids of Rosa centifolia and R. Gallica.
PROVENCIAL Pro*ven"cial, a. Etym: [See Provençal.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Provence in France.
PROVEND Prov"end, n.
Defn: See Provand. [Obs.]
PROVENDER Prov"en*der, n. Etym: [OE. provende, F. provende, provisions, provender, fr. LL. praebenda (prae and pro being confused), a daily allowance of provisions, a prebend. See Prebend.]
1. Dry food for domestic animals, as hay, straw, corn, oats, or a mixture of ground grain; feed. "Hay or other provender." Mortimer. Good provender laboring horses would have. Tusser.
2. Food or provisions. [R or Obs.]
PROVENIENCE Pro*ve"ni*ence, n. [L. proveniens, -entis, p.pr. of provenire to come forth; pro forth + venire to come.]
Defn: Origin; source; place where found or produced; provenance; -- used esp. in the fine arts and in archæology; as, the provenience of a patera.
PROVENIENT Pro*ve"ni*ent, a. [L. proveniens, p.pr.]
Defn: Forthcoming; issuing. [Rare]
PROVENT Prov"ent, n.
Defn: See Provand. [Obs.]
PROVENTRICLE Pro*ven"tri*cle, n. (Anat.)
Defn: Proventriculus.
PROVENTRIULUS Pro`ven*tri"u*lus, n. Etym: [NL. See Pro-, and Ventricle.] (Anat.)
Defn: The glandular stomach of birds, situated just above the crop.
PROVER Prov"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, proves.
PROVERB Prov"erb, n. Etym: [OE. proverbe, F. proverbe, from L. proverbium; pro before, for + verbum a word. See Verb.]
1. An old and common saying; a phrase which is often repeated; especially, a sentence which briefly and forcibly expresses some practical truth, or the result of experience and observation; a maxim; a saw; an adage. Chaucer. Bacon.
2. A striking or paradoxical assertion; an obscure saying; an enigma; a parable. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. John xvi. 29.
3. A familiar illustration; a subject of contemptuous reference. Thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by word, among all nations. Deut. xxviii. 37.
4. A drama exemplifying a proverb. Book of Proverbs, a canonical book of the Old Testament, containing a great variety of wise maxims.
Syn. -- Maxim; aphorism; apothegm; adage; saw.
PROVERB Prov"erb, v. t.
1. To name in, or as, a proverb. [R.] Am I not sung and proverbed for a fool Milton.
2. To provide with a proverb. [R.] I am proverbed with a grandsire phrase. Shak.
PROVERB Prov"erb, v. i.
Defn: To write or utter proverbs. [R.]
PROVERBIAL Pro*ver"bi*al, a. Etym: [L. proverbialis: cf. F. proverbial.]
1. Mentioned or comprised in a proverb; used as a proverb; hence, commonly known; as, a proverbial expression; his meanness was proverbial. In case of excesses, I take the German proverbial cure, by a hair of the same beast, to be the worst. Sir W. Temple.
2. Of or pertaining to proverbs; resembling a proverb. "A proverbial obscurity." Sir T. Browne.
PROVERBIALISM Pro*ver"bi*al*ism, n.
Defn: A proverbial phrase.
PROVERBIALIST Pro*ver"bi*al*ist, n.
Defn: One who makes much use of proverbs in speech or writing; one who composes, collects, or studies proverbs.
PROVERBIALIZE Pro*ver"bi*al*ize, v. t. & i. Etym: [Cf. F. proverbialiser.]
Defn: To turn into a proverb; to speak in proverbs.
PROVERBIALLY Pro*ver"bi*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a proverbial manner; by way of proverb; hence, commonly; universally; as, it is proverbially said; the bee is proverbially busy.
PROVEXITY Pro*vex"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. provehere to advance. Cf. Provect.]
Defn: Great advance in age. [Obs.]
PROVIDE Pro*vide", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Provided; p. pr. & vb. n. Providing.] Etym: [L. providere, provisum; pro before + videre to see. See Vision, and cf. Prudent, Purvey.]
1. To look out for in advance; to procure beforehand; to get, collect, or make ready for future use; to prepare. "Provide us all things necessary." Shak.
2. To supply; to afford; to contribute. Bring me berries, or such cooling fruit As the kind, hospitable woods provide. Milton.
3. To furnish; to supply; -- formerly followed by of, now by with. "And yet provided him of but one." Jer. Taylor. "Rome . . . was well provided with corn." Arbuthnot.
4. To establish as a previous condition; to stipulate; as, the contract provides that the work be well done.
5. To foresee.
Note: [A Latinism] [Obs.] B. Jonson.
6. To appoint to an ecclesiastical benefice before it is vacant. See Provisor. Prescott.
PROVIDE Pro*vide", v. i.
1. To procure supplies or means in advance; to take measures beforehand in view of an expected or a possible future need, especially a danger or an evil; -- followed by against or for; as, to provide against the inclemency of the weather; to provide for the education of a child. Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. Burke.
2. To stipulate previously; to condition; as, the agreement provides for an early completion of the work.
PROVIDED Pro*vid"ed, conj.
Defn: On condition; by stipulation; with the understanding; if; -- usually followed by that; as, provided that nothing in this act shall prejudice the rights of any person whatever. Provided the deductions are logical, they seem almost indifferent to their truth. G. H. Lewes.
Note: This word is strictly a participle, and the word being is understood, the participle provided agreeing with the whole sentence absolute, and being equivalent to this condition being previously stipulated or established.
PROVIDENCE Prov"i*dence, n. Etym: [L. providentia: cf. F. providence. See Provident, and cf. Prudence.]
1. The act of providing or preparing for future use or application; a making ready; preparation. Providence for war is the best prevention of it. Bacon.
2. Foresight; care; especially, the foresight and care which God manifests for his creatures; hence, God himself, regarded as exercising a constant wise prescience. The world was all before them, where to choose Their place of rest, and Providence their guide. Milton.
3. (Theol.)
Defn: A manifestation of the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures; an event ordained by divine direction. He that hath a numerous family, and many to provide for, needs a greater providence of God. Jer. Taylor.
4. Prudence in the management of one's concerns; economy; frugality. It is a high point of providence in a prince to cast an eye rather upon actions than persons. Quarles.
PROVIDENT Prov"i*dent, a. Etym: [L. providens, -entis, p. pr. of providere: cf. F. provident. See Provide, and cf. Prudent.]
Defn: Foreseeing wants and making provision to supply them; prudent in preparing for future exigencies; cautious; economical; -- sometimes followed by of; as, aprovident man; an animal provident of the future. And of our good and of our dignity, How provident he is. Milton.
Syn. -- Forecasting; cautious; careful; prudent; frugal; economical.
PROVIDENTIAL Prov`i*den"tial, a. Etym: [Cf. F. providentiel.]
Defn: Effected by, or referable to, divine direction or superintendence; as, the providential contrivance of thing; a providential escape. -- Prov"i*den"tial*ly, adv.
PROVIDENTLY Prov"i*dent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a provident manner.
PROVIDENTNESS Prov"i*dent*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being provident; carefulness; prudence; economy.
PROVIDER Pro*vid"er, n.
Defn: One who provides, furnishes, or supplies; one who procures what is wanted.
PROVIDORE Prov"i*dore, n. Etym: [See Provedore.]
Defn: One who makes provision; a purveyor. [R.] De Foe.
PROVINCE Prov"ince, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. provincia; prob. fr. pro before, for + the root of vincere to conquer. See Victor.]
1. (Roman Hist.)
Defn: A country or region, more or less remote from the city of Rome, brought under the Roman government; a conquered country beyond the limits of Italy. Wyclif (Acts xiii. 34). Milton.
2. A country or region dependent on a distant authority; a portion of an empire or state, esp. one remote from the capital. "Kingdoms and provinces." Shak.
3. A region of country; a tract; a district. Over many a tract of heaven they marched, and many a province wide. Milton. Other provinces of the intellectual world. I. Watts.
4. A region under the supervision or direction of any special person; the district or division of a country, especially an ecclesiastical division, over which one has jurisdiction; as, the province of Canterbury, or that in which the archbishop of Canterbury exercises ecclesiastical authority.
5. The proper or appropriate business or duty of a person or body; office; charge; jurisdiction; sphere. The woman'sprovince is to be careful in her economy, and chaste in her affection. Tattler.
6. Specif.: Any political division of the Dominion of Canada, having a governor, a local legislature, and representation in the Dominion parliament. Hence, colloquially, The Provinces, the Dominion of Canada.
PROVINCIAL Pro*vin"cial, a. Etym: [L. provincialis: cf. F. provincial. See Province, and cf. Provencal.]
1. Of or pertaining to province; constituting a province; as, a provincial government; a provincial dialect.
2. Exhibiting the ways or manners of a province; characteristic of the inhabitants of a province; not cosmopolitan; countrified; not polished; rude; hence, narrow; illiberal. "Provincial airs and graces." Macaulay.
3. Of or pertaining to an ecclesiastical province, or to the jurisdiction of an archbishop; not ecumenical; as, a provincial synod. Ayliffe.
4. Of or pertaining to Provence; Provencal. [Obs.] With two Provincial roses on my razed shoes. Shak.
PROVINCIAL Pro*vin"cial, n.
1. A person belonging to a province; one who is provincial.
2. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A monastic superior, who, under the general of his order, has the direction of all the religious houses of the same fraternity in a given district, called a province of the order.
PROVINCIALISM Pro*vin"cial*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. provincialisme.]
Defn: A word, or a manner of speaking, peculiar to a province or a district remote from the mother country or from the metropolis; a provincial characteristic; hence, narrowness; illiberality. M. Arnold.
PROVINCIALIST Pro*vin"cial*ist, n.
Defn: One who lives in a province; a provincial.
PROVINCIALITY Pro*vin`ci*al"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being provincial; peculiarity of language characteristic of a province. T. Warton.
PROVINCIALIZE Pro*vin"cial*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Provincialized; p. pr. & vb. n. Provincializing.]
Defn: To render provincial. M. Arnold.
PROVINCIALLY Pro*vin"cial*ly, adv.
Defn: In a provincial manner.
PROVINCIATE Pro*vin"ci*ate, v. t.
Defn: To convert into a province or provinces. [Obs.] Howell.
PROVINE Pro*vine", v. i. Etym: [F. provingner, fr. provin a set, layer of a plant, OF. provain, from L. propago, -aginis, akin to propagare to propagate. See Propagate, Prune, v. t.]
Defn: To lay a stock or branch of a vine in the ground for propagation. [Obs.] Johnson.
PROVISION Pro*vi"sion, n. Etym: [L. provisio: cf. F. provision. See Provide.]
1. The act of providing, or making previous preparation. Shak.
2. That which is provided or prepared; that which is brought together or arranged in advance; measures taken beforehand; preparation. Making provision for the relief of strangers. Bacon.
3. Especially, a stock of food; any kind of eatables collected or stored; -- often in the plural. And of provisions laid in large, For man and beast. Milton.
4. That which is stipulated in advance; a condition; a previous agreement; a proviso; as, the provisions of a contract; the statute has many provisions.
5. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A canonical term for regular induction into a benefice, comprehending nomination, collation, and installation.
6. (Eng. Hist.)
Defn: A nomination by the pope to a benefice before it became vacant, depriving the patron of his right of presentation. Blackstone.
PROVISION Pro*vi"sion, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Provisioned; p. pr. & vb. n. Provisioning.]
Defn: To supply with food; to victual; as, to provision a garrison. They were provisioned for a journey. Palfrey.
PROVISIONAL Pro*vi"sion*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. provisionnel.]
Defn: Of the nature of a provision; serving as a provision for the time being; -- used of partial or temporary arrangements; as, a provisional government; a provisional treaty.
PROVISIONALLY Pro*vi"sion*al*ly, adv.
Defn: By way of provision for the time being; temporarily. Locke.
PROVISIONARY Pro*vi"sion*a*ry, a.
Defn: Provisional. Burke.
PROVISO Pro*vi"so, n.; pl. Provisos. Etym: [L., (it) being provided, abl. of provisus, p. p. of providere. See Provide, and cf. Purview.]
Defn: An article or clause in any statute, agreement, contract, grant, or other writing, by which a condition is introduced, usually beginning with the word provided; a conditional stipulation that affects an agreement, contract, law, grant, or the like; as, the contract was impaired by its proviso. He doth deny his prisoners, But with proviso and exception. Shak.
PROVISOR Pro*vi"sor, n. Etym: [L., fr. providere: cf. F. proviseur. See Provide.]
1. One who provides; a purveyor. [Obs.] "The chief provisor of our horse." Ford.
2. (R. C. Ch.) (a) The purveyor, steward, or treasurer of a religious house. Cowell. (b) One who is regularly inducted into a benefice. See Provision, 5. P. Plowman.
3. (Eng. Hist.)
Defn: One who procures or receives a papal provision. See Provision, 6.
PROVISORILY Pro*vi"so*ri*ly, adv.
Defn: In a provisory manner; conditionally; subject to a proviso; as, to admit a doctrine provisorily. Sir W. Hamilton.
PROVISORSHIP Pro*vi"sor*ship, n.
Defn: The office or position of a provisor. [R.] J. Webster.
PROVISORY Pro*vi"so*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. provisoire.]
1. Of the nature of a proviso; containing a proviso or condition; conditional; as, a provisory clause.
2. Making temporary provision; provisional.
PROVOCATION Prov`o*ca"tion, n. Etym: [F. provocation, L. provocatio. See Provoke.]
1. The act of provoking, or causing vexation or, anger. Fabyan.
2. That which provokes, or excites anger; the cause of resentment; as, to give provocation. Paley.
3. Incitement; stimulus; as, provocation to mirth.
4. (Law)
Defn: Such prior insult or injury as may be supposed, under the circumstances, to create hot blood, and to excuse an assault made in retort or redress.
5. An appeal to a court.
Note: [A Latinism] [Obs.] Ayliffe.
PROVOCATIVE Pro*vo"ca*tive, a. Etym: [L. provocativus: cf. OF. provocatif.]
Defn: Serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; exciting.
PROVOCATIVE Pro*vo"ca*tive, n.
Defn: Anything that is provocative; a stimulant; as, a provocative of appetite.
PROVOCATIVENESS Pro*vo"ca*tive*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being provocative.
PROVOCATORY Pro*vo"ca*to*ry, a.
Defn: Provocative.
PROVOKABLE Pro*vok"a*ble, a.
Defn: That may be provoked.
PROVOKE Pro*voke", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Provoked; p. pr. & vb. n. Provoking.] Etym: [F. provoquer, L. provocare to call forth; pro forth + vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice, cry, call. See Voice.]
Defn: To call forth; to call into being or action; esp., to incense to action, a faculty or passion, as love, hate, or ambition; hence, commonly, to incite, as a person, to action by a challenge, by taunts, or by defiance; to exasperate; to irritate; to offend intolerably; to cause to retaliate. Obey his voice, provoke him not. Ex. xxiii. 21. Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath. Eph. vi. 4. Such acts Of contumacy will provoke the Highest To make death in us live. Milton. Can honor's voice provoke the silent dust Gray. To the poet the meaning is what he pleases to make it, what it provokes in his own soul. J. Burroughs.
Syn. -- To irritate; arouse; stir up; awake; excite; incite; anger. See Irritate.
PROVOKE Pro*voke", v. i.
1. To cause provocation or anger.
2. To appeal.
Note: [A Latinism] [Obs.] Dryden.
PROVOKEMENT Pro*voke"ment, n.
Defn: The act that which, provokes; one who excites anger or other passion, or incites to action; as, a provoker of sedition. Drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things. Shak.
PROVOKING Pro*vok"ing, a.
Defn: Having the power or quality of exciting resentment; tending to awaken passion or vexation; as, provoking words or treatment. -- Pro*vok"ing*ly, adv.
PROVOST Prov"ost, n. Etym: [OF. provost (L. prae and pro being confused), F. prevôt, fr. L. praepositus placed before, a chief, fr. praeponere to place before: cf. AS. prafost, profast. See Preposition, and cf. Propound.]
1. A person who is appointed to superintend, or preside over, something; the chief magistrate in some cities and towns; as, the provost of Edinburgh or of Glasgow, answering to the mayor of other cities; the provost of a college, answering to president; the provost or head of certain collegiate churches.
2. The keeper of a prison. [Obs.] Shak.
Note: In France, formerly, a provost was an inferior judge who had cognizance of civil causes. The grand provost of France, or of the household, had jurisdiction in the king's house, and over its officers. Provost marshal (often pronounced . (a) (Mil.) An officer appointed in every army, in the field, to secure the prisoners confined on charges of a general nature. He also performs such other duties pertaining to police and discipline as the regulations of the service or the commander's orders impose upon him. (b) (Nav.) An officer who has charge of prisoners on trial by court-martial, serves notices to witnesses, etc.
PROVOSTSHIP Prov"ost*ship, n.
Defn: The office of a provost.
PROW Prow, n. Etym: [F. proue (cf. Sp. & Pg. proa, It. prua), L. prora, Gr. Pro-, and cf. Prore.]
Defn: The fore part of a vessel; the bow; the stem; hence, the vessel itself. Wordsworth. The floating vessel swum Uplifted, and secure with beaked prow rode tilting o'er the waves. Milton.
PROW Prow, n.
Defn: See Proa.
PROW Prow, a. [Compar. Prower; superl. Prowest.] Etym: [OF.prou, preu, F. preux, fr. L. pro, prod, in prodesse to be useful. See Pro-, and cf. Prude.]
Defn: Valiant; brave; gallant; courageous. [Archaic] Tennyson. The prowest knight that ever field did fight. Spenser.
PROW Prow, n. Etym: [OE. & OF. prou. See Prow, a.]
Defn: Benefit; profit; good; advantage. [Obs.] That shall be for your hele and for your prow. Chaucer.
PROWESS Prow"ess, n. Etym: [OF. proece, proesce, F. prouesse. See Prow, a.]
Defn: Distinguished bravery; valor; especially, military bravery and skill; gallantry; intrepidity; fearlessness. Chaucer. Sir P. Sidney. He by his prowess conquered all France. Shak.
PROWL Prowl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prowled; p. pr. & vb. n. Prowling.] Etym: [OE. prollen to search about; of uncertain origin, perh. for proglen, a dim. of prog to beg, or proke to poke. Cf. Proke.]
1. To rove over, through, or about in a stealthy manner; esp., to search in, as for prey or booty. He prowls each place, still in new colors decked. Sir P. Sidney.
2. To collect by plunder; as, to prowl money. [Obs.]
PROWL Prowl, v. i.
Defn: To rove or wander stealthily, esp. for prey, as a wild beast; hence, to prey; to plunder.
PROWL Prowl, n.
Defn: The act of prowling. [Colloq.] Smart.
PROWLER Prowl"er, n.
Defn: One that prowls. Thomson.
PROWLING Prowl"ing, a.
Defn: Accustomed to prowl, or engaged in roving stealthily, as for prey. "A prowling wolf." Milton. -- Prowl"ing*ly, adv.
PROX Prox, n. Etym: [Cf. Proxy.]
Defn: "The ticket or list of candidates at elections, presented to the people for their votes." [Rhode Island] Bartlett.
PROXENE Prox"ene, n. Etym: [Cf. proxène.] (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: An officer who had the charge of showing hospitality to those who came from a friendly city or state.
PROXENET Prox"e*net, n. Etym: [L. proxeneta, Gr.
Defn: A negotiator; a factor. [R.] Dr. H. More.
PROXENETISM Prox`e*ne"tism, n. [Gr. agent + -ism; cf. F. proxénétisme.]
Defn: The action of a go-between or broker in negotiating immoral bargains between the sexes; procuring.
PROXIMAD Prox"i*mad, adv. Etym: [Proximal + L. ad to.] (Anat.)
Defn: Toward a proximal part; on the proximal side of; proximally.
PROXIMAL Prox"i*mal, a.
1. Toward or nearest, as to a body, or center of motion of dependence; proximate.
2. (Biol.) (a) Situated near the point of attachment or origin; as, the proximal part of a limb. (b) Of or pertaining to that which is proximal; as, the proximal bones of a limb. Opposed to distal.
PROXIMALLY Prox"i*mal*ly, adv. (Anat.)
Defn: On or toward a proximal part; proximad.
PROXIMATE Prox"i*mate, a. Etym: [L. proximatus, p. p. of proximare to come near, to approach, fr. proximus the nearest, nest, superl. of propior nearer, and prope, adv., near.]
Defn: Nearest; next immediately preceding or following. "Proximate ancestors." J. S. Harford. The proximate natural causes of it [the deluge]. T. Burnet. Proximate analysis (Chem.), an analysis which determines the proximate principles of any substance, as contrasted with an ultimate analysis. -- Proximate cause. (a) A cause which immediately precedes and produces the effect, as distinguished from the remote, mediate, or predisposing cause. I. Watts. (b) That which in ordinary natural sequence produces a specific result, no independent disturbing agencies intervening. -- Proximate principle (Physiol. Chem.), one of a class of bodies existing ready formed in animal and vegetable tissues, and separable by chemical analysis, as albumin, sugar, collagen, fat, etc.
Syn. -- Nearest; next; closest; immediate; direct.
PROXIMATELY Prox"i*mate*ly, adv.
Defn: In a proximate manner, position, or degree; immediately.
PROXIME Prox"ime, a. Etym: [L. proximus. See Proximate.]
Defn: Next; immediately preceding or following. [Obs.]
PROXIMIOUS Prox*im"i*ous, a.
Defn: Proximate. [Obs.]
PROXIMITY Prox*im"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. proximitas: cf. F. proximité See Proximate, and cf. Propinquity, Approach.]
Defn: The quality or state of being next in time, place, causation, influence, etc.; immediate nearness, either in place, blood, or alliance. If he plead proximity of blood That empty title is with ease withstood. Dryden.
PROXIMO Prox"i*mo. Etym: [L., on the next, abl. of proximus next.]
Defn: In the next month after the present; -- often contracted to prox.; as, on the 3d proximo.
PROXY Prox"y, n.; pl. Proxies. Etym: [Contr. from procuracy. Cf. Proctor.]
1. The agency for another who acts through the agent; authority to act for another, esp. to vote in a legislative or corporate capacity. I have no man's proxy: I speak only for myself. Burke.
2. The person who is substituted or deputed to act or vote for another. Every peer . . . may make another lord of parliament his proxy, to vote for him in his absence. Blackstone.
3. A writing by which one person authorizes another to vote in his stead, as in a corporation meeting.
4. (Eng. Law)
Defn: The written appointment of a proctor in suits in the ecclesiastical courts. Burrill.
5. (Eccl.)
Defn: See Procuration. [Obs.]
PROXY Prox"y, v. i.
Defn: To act or vote by proxy; to do anything by the agency of another. [R.]
PROXYSHIP Prox"y*ship, n.
Defn: The office or agency of a proxy.
PRUCE Pruce, n. Etym: [OE. for Prussia: cf. F. Prusse.]
Defn: Prussian leather. [Obs.] Dryden.
PRUDE Prude, n. Etym: [F., prudish, originally, discreet, modest; shortened from OF. prudefeme, preudefeme, a discreet or excellent woman; OF. preu, prou, excellent, brave + de of + fete woman. See Prow, a., Prowess.]
Defn: A woman of affected modesty, reserve, or coyness; one who is overscrupulous or sensitive; one who affects extraordinary prudence in conduct and speech. Less modest than the speech of prudes. Swift.
PRUDENCE Pru"dence, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. prudentia, contr. from providentia. See Prudent, and cf. Providence.]
Defn: The quality or state of being prudent; wisdom in the way of caution and provision; discretion; carefulness; hence, also, economy; frugality. Prudence is principally in reference to actions to be done, and due means, order, seasons, and method of doing or not doing. Sir M. Hale. Prudence supposes the value of the end to be assumed, and refers only to the adaptation of the means. It is the relation of right means for given ends. Whewell.
Syn. -- Wisdom; forecast; providence; considerateness; judiciousness; discretion; caution; circumspection; judgment. See Wisdom.
PRUDENCY Pru"den*cy, n.
Defn: Prudence. [Obs.] Hakluyt.
PRUDENT Pru"dent, a. Etym: [L. prudens, -entis, contr. from providens: cf. F. prudent. See Provident.]
1. Sagacious in adapting means to ends; circumspect in action, or in determining any line of conduct; practically wise; judicious; careful; discreet; sensible; -- opposed to rash; as, a prudent man; dictated or directed by prudence or wise forethought; evincing prudence; as, prudent behavior. Moses established a grave and prudent law. Milton.
2. Frugal; economical; not extravagant; as, a prudent woman; prudent expenditure of money.
Syn. -- Cautious; wary; circumspect; considerate; discreet; judicious; provident; economical; frugal.
PRUDENTIAL Pru*den"tial, a.
1. Proceeding from, or dictated or characterized by, prudence; prudent; discreet; sometimes, selfish or pecuniary as distinguished from higher motives or influences; as, prudential motives. " A prudential line of conduct." Sir W. Scott.
2. Exercising prudence; discretionary; advisory; superintending or executive; as, a prudential committee.
PRUDENTIAL Pru*den"tial, n.
Defn: That which relates to or demands the exercise of, discretion or prudence; -- usually in the pl. Many stanzas, in poetic measures, contain rules relating to common prudentials as well as to religion. I. Watts.
PRUDENTIALIST Pru*den"tial*ist, n.
Defn: One who is governed by, or acts from, prudential motives. [R.] Coleridge.
PRUDENTIALITY Pru*den`ti*al"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being prudential. Sir T. Browne.
PRUDENTIALLY Pru*den"tial*ly, adv.
Defn: In a prudential manner; prudently. South.
PRUDENTLY Pru"dent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a prudent manner.
PRUDERY Prud"er*y, n.; pl. Pruderies. Etym: [F. pruderie. See Prude.]
Defn: The quality or state of being prudish; excessive or affected scrupulousness in speech or conduct; stiffness; coyness. Cowper.
PRUDHOMME Prud*homme", n. Etym: [F. prud'homme. cf. Prude.]
Defn: A trustworthy citizen; a skilled workman. See Citation under 3d Commune, 1.
PRUDISH Prud"ish, a.
Defn: Like a prude; very formal, precise, or reserved; affectedly severe in virtue; as, a prudish woman; prudish manners. A formal lecture, spoke with prudish face. Garrick.
PRUDISHLY Prud"ish*ly, adv.
Defn: In a prudish manner.
PRUINATE Pru"i*nate, a.
Defn: Same as Pruinose.
PRUINOSE Pru"i*nose`, a. Etym: [L. pruinosus, fr. pruina hoarfrost.]
Defn: Frosty; covered with fine scales, hairs, dust, bloom, or the like, so as to give the appearance of frost.
PRUINOUS Pru"i*nous, a.
Defn: Frosty; pruinose.
PRUNE Prune, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pruned; p. pr. & vb. n. Pruning.] Etym: [OE. proine, probably fr. F. provigner to lay down vine stocks for propagation; hence, probably, the meaning, to cut away superfluous shoots. See Provine.]
1. To lop or cut off the superfluous parts, branches, or shoots of; to clear of useless material; to shape or smooth by trimming; to trim: as, to prune trees; to prune an essay. Thackeray. Taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be pruned and reformed. Bacon. Our delightful task To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers. Milton.
2. To cut off or cut out, as useless parts. Horace will our superfluous branches prune. Waller.
3. To preen; to prepare; to dress. Spenser. His royal bird Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak. Shak.
PRUNE Prune, v. i.
Defn: To dress; to prink; -used humorously or in contempt. Dryden.
PRUNE Prune, n. Etym: [F. prune, from L. prunum a plum. See Plum.]
Defn: A plum; esp., a dried plum, used in cookery; as, French or Turkish prunes; California prunes. German prune (Bot.), a large dark purple plum, of oval shape, often one-sided. It is much used for preserving, either dried or in sirup. Prune tree. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Prunus (P. domestica), which produces prunes. (b) The West Indian tree, Prunus occidentalis. -- South African prune (Bot.), the edible fruit of a sapindaceous tree (Pappea Capensis).
PRUNELLA Pru*nel"la, n. Etym: [NL., perhaps from G. bræune quinsy, croup.] (Med.) (a) Angina, or angina pectoris. (b) Thrush. Prunella salt (Old Chem.), niter fused and cast into little balls.
PRUNELLA; PRUNELLO Pru*nel"la, Pru*nel"lo, n. Etym: [F. prunelle, probably so called from its color resembling that of prunes. See Prune, n.]
Defn: A smooth woolen stuff, generally black, used for making shoes; a kind of lasting; -- formerly used also for clergymen's gowns.
PRUNELLE Pru*nelle", n. Etym: [F., dim. of prune. See Prune, n.]
Defn: A kind of small and very acid French plum; -- applied especially to the stoned and dried fruit.
PRUNELLO Pru*nel"lo, n. Etym: [F. prunelle, dim. of prune. See Prune a plum.]
Defn: A species of dried plum; prunelle.
PRUNER Prun"er, n.
1. One who prunes, or removes, what is superfluous.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of beetles whose larvæ gnaw the branches of trees so as to cause them to fall, especially the American oak pruner (Asemum moestum), whose larva eats the pith of oak branches, and when mature gnaws a circular furrow on the inside nearly to the bark. When the branches fall each contains a pupa.
PRUNIFEROUS Pru*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. prunum a plum + -ferous.]
Defn: Bearing plums.
PRUNING Prun"ing, n.
1. The act of trimming, or removing what is superfluous.
2. (Falconry)
Defn: That which is cast off by bird in pruning her feathers; leavings. Beau. & Fl. Pruning hook, or Pruning knife, cutting instrument used in pruning trees, etc. -- Pruning shears, shears for pruning trees, vines, etc.
PRUNUS Pru"nus, n. Etym: [L., a plum tree.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of trees with perigynous rosaceous flowers, and a single two-ovuled carpel which usually becomes a drupe in ripening.
Note: Originally, this genus was limited to the plums, then, by Linnæus, was made to include the cherries and the apricot. Later botanists separated these into several genera, as Prunus, Cerasus, and Armeniaca, but now, by Bentham and Hooker, the plums, cherries, cherry laurels, peach, almond, and nectarine are all placed in Prunus.
PRURIENCE; PRURIENCY Pru"ri*ence, Pru"ri*en*cy, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being prurient. The pruriency of curious ears. Burke. There is a prurience in the speech of some. Cowper.
PRURIENT Pru"ri*ent, a. Etym: [L. pruries, -entis, p. pr. of prurire to itch. Cf. Freeze.]
Defn: Uneasy with desire; itching; especially, having a lascivious curiosity or propensity; lustful. -- Pru"ri*ent*ly, adv. The eye of the vain and prurient is darting from object to object of illicit attraction. I. Taylor.
PRURIGINOUS Pru*rig"i*nous, a. Etym: [L. pruriginosus: cf. F. prurigineux.] (Med.)
Defn: Tending to, or caused by, prurigo; affected by, or of the nature of, prurigo.
PRURIGO Pru*ri"go, n. Etym: [L., an itching, the itch, fr. prurire to itch.] (Med.)
Defn: A papular disease of the skin, of which intense itching is the chief symptom, the eruption scarcely differing from the healthy cuticle in color.
PRURITUS Pru*ri"tus, n. Etym: [L.] (Med.)
Defn: Itching.
PRUSSIAN Prus"sian, a. Etym: [From Prussia, the country: cf. F. prussien.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Prussia. -- n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Prussia. Prussian blue (Chem.), any one of several complex double cyanides of ferrous and ferric iron; specifically, a dark blue amorphous substance having a coppery luster, obtained by adding a solution of potassium ferrocyanide (yellow prussiate of potash) to a ferric salt. It is used in dyeing, in ink, etc. Called also Williamson's blue, insoluble Prussian blue, Berlin blue, etc. -- Prussian carp (Zoöl.) See Gibel. -- Prussian green. (Chem.) Same as Berlin green, under Berlin.
PRUSSIATE Prus"si*ate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. prussiate.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of prussic acid; a cyanide. Red prussiate of potash. See Potassium ferricyanide, under Ferricyanide. Yellow prussiate of potash. See Potassium ferrocyanide, under Ferrocyanide.
PRUSSIC Prus"sic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. prussique.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: designating the acid now called hydrocyanic acid, but formerly called prussic acid, because Prussian blue is derived from it or its compounds. See Hydrocyanic.
PRUTENIC Pru*ten"ic, a. (Astron.)
Defn: Prussian; -- applied to certain astronomical tables published in the sixteenth century, founded on the principles of Copernicus, a Prussian.
PRY Pry, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. prize a lever. See Prize, n.]
Defn: A lever; also, leverage. [Local, U. S. & Eng.] Pry pole, the pole which forms the prop of a hoisting gin, and stands facing the windlass.
PRY Pry, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pried; p. pr. & vb. n. Prying.]
Defn: To raise or move, or attempt to raise or move, with a pry or lever; to prize. [Local, U. S. & Eng.]
PRY Pry, v. i. Etym: [OE. prien. Cf. Peer to peep.]
Defn: To peep narrowly; to gaze; to inspect closely; to attempt to discover something by a scrutinizing curiosity; -- often implying reproach. " To pry upon the stars." Chaucer. Watch thou and wake when others be asleep, To pry into the secrets of the state. Shak.
PRY Pry, n.
Defn: Curious inspection; impertinent peeping.
PRYAN Pry"an, n. (Mining)
Defn: See Prian.
PRYING Pry"ing, a.
Defn: Inspecting closely or impertinently.
Syn. -- Inquisitive; curious. See Inquisitive.
PRYINGLY Pry"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a prying manner.
PRYTANEUM Pryt`a*ne"um, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: A public building in certain Greek cities; especially, a public hall in Athens regarded as the home of the community, in which official hospitality was extended to distinguished citizens and strangers.
PRYTANIS Pryt"a*nis, n.; pl. Prytanes. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: A member of one of the ten sections into which the Athenian senate of five hundred was divided, and to each of which belonged the presidency of the senate for about one tenth of the year.
PRYTANY Pryt"a*ny, n. Etym: [Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: The period during which the presidency of the senate belonged to the prytanes of the section.
PRYTHEE Pryth"ee, interj.
Defn: See Prithee.
PSALM Psalm, n. Etym: [OE. psalm, salm, AS. sealm, L. psalmus, psalma, fr. Gr. psalme, salme, F. psaume.]
1. A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God. Humus devout and holy psalms Singing everlastingly. Milton.
2. Especially, one of the hymns by David and others, collected into one book of the Old Testament, or a modern metrical version of such a hymn for public worship.
PSALM Psalm, v. t.
Defn: To extol in psalms; to sing; as, psalming his praises. Sylvester.
PSALMIST Psalm"ist, n. Etym: [L. psalmista, Gr. psalmiste. See Psalm.]
1. A writer or composer of sacred songs; -- a title particularly applied to David and the other authors of the Scriptural psalms.
2. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A clerk, precentor, singer, or leader of music, in the church.
PSALMISTRY Psalm"ist*ry, n.
Defn: The use of psalms in devotion; psalmody.
PSALMODIC; PSALMODICAL Psal*mod"ic, Psal*mod"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. psalmodique.]
Defn: Relating to psalmody.
PSALMODIST Psal"mo*dist, n.
Defn: One who sings sacred songs; a psalmist.
PSALMODIZE Psal"mo*dize, v. i.
Defn: To practice psalmody. " The psalmodizing art." J. G. Cooper.
PSALMODY Psal"mo*dy, n. Etym: [Gr. psalmodie, LL. psalmodia. See Psalm, and Ode.]
Defn: The act, practice, or art of singing psalms or sacred songs; also, psalms collectively, or a collection of psalms.
PSALMOGRAPH Psal"mo*graph, n. Etym: [See Psalmographer.]
Defn: A writer of psalms; a psalmographer.
PSALMOGRAPHER; PSALMOGRAPHIST Psal*mog"ra*pher, Psal*mog"ra*phist, n. Etym: [L. psalmographus, Gr.
Defn: A writer of psalms, or sacred songs and hymns.
PSALMOGRAPHY Psal*mog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Cf. F. psalmographie.]
Defn: The act or practice of writing psalms, or sacred songs.
PSALTER Psal"ter, n. Etym: [OE. psauter, sauter, OF. sautier, psaltier, F. psautier, from L. psalterium. See Psaltery.]
1. The Book of Psalms; -- often applied to a book containing the Psalms separately printed.
2. Specifically, the Book of Psalms as printed in the Book of Common Prayer; among the Roman Catholics, the part of the Breviary which contains the Psalms arranged for each day of the week.
3. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A rosary, consisting of a hundred and fifty beads, corresponding to the number of the psalms.
PSALTERIAL Psal*te"ri*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the psalterium.
PSALTERIUM Psal*te"ri*um, n.; pl. Psalteria. Etym: [L., a psaltery.] (Anat.) (a) The third stomach of ruminants. See Manyplies. (b) The lyra of the brain.
PSALTERY Psal"ter*y, n.; pl. Psalteries. Etym: [OE. sautrie, OF. psalterie, F. psaltérion, L. psalterium psaltery, psalter, from Gr. Psalm, Psalter.]
Defn: A stringed instrument of music used by the Hebrews, the form of which is not known. Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Ps. xxxiii. 2.
PSAMMITE Psam"mite, n. Etym: [Gr. psammite.] (Min.)
Defn: A species of micaceous sandstone. -- Psam*mit"ic, a.
PSAROLITE Psar"o*lite, n. Etym: [Gr. -lite.] (Paleon.)
Defn: A silicified stem of tree fern, found in abundance in the Triassic sandstone.
PSELLISM Psel"lism, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Indistinct pronunciation; stammering.
PSEPHISM Pse"phism, n. Etym: [Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: A proposition adopted by a majority of votes; especially, one adopted by vote of the Athenian people; a statute. J. P. Mahaffy.
PSEUDAESTHESIA Pseu`dæs*the"si*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Æsthesia.] (Physiol.)
Defn: False or imaginary feeling or sense perception such as occurs in hypochondriasis, or such as is referred to an organ that has been removed, as an amputated foot.
PSEUDEMBRYO Pseu*dem"bry*o, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + embryo.] (Zoöl.) (a) A false embryo. (b) An asexual form from which the true embryo is produced by budding.
PSEUDEPIGRAPHIC; PSEUDEPIGRAPHIC Pseu*dep`i*graph"ic, Pseu*dep`i*graph"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to pseudepigraphy.
PSEUDEPIGRAPHOUS Pseu`de*pig"ra*phous, a. Etym: [Gr. Pseudo-, and Epigraphy.]
Defn: Inscribed with a false name. Cudworth.
PSEUDEPIGRAPHY Pseu`de*pig"ra*phy, n.
Defn: The ascription of false names of authors to works.
PSEUDHAEMAL Pseud*hæ"mal, a. Etym: [Pseudo- + hæmal.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Pertaining to the vascular system of annelids. Pseudhæmal fluid, the circulatory fluid, or blood, of annelids, analogous to the blood of vertebrates. It is often red, but is sometimes green or colorless. -- Pseudhæmal vessels, the blood vessels of annelids.
PSEUDO- Pseu"do-. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A combining form or prefix signifying false, counterfeit, pretended, spurious; as, pseudo-apostle, a false apostle; pseudo- clergy, false or spurious clergy; pseudo-episcopacy, pseudo-form, pseudo-martyr, pseudo-philosopher. Also used adjectively.
PSEUDOBACTERIA Pseu`do*bac*te"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [Pseudo- + bacteria.] (Biol.)
Defn: Microscopic organic particles, molecular granules, powdered inorganic substances, etc., which in form, size, and grouping resemble bacteria.
Note: The globules which divide and develop in form of chains are organized beings; when this does not occur, we are dealing with pseudobacteria. Sternberg.
PSEUDOBLEPSIS Pseu`do*blep"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: False or depraved sight; imaginary vision of objects. Forsyth.
PSEUDOBRANCH Pseu"do*branch, n. (Anat.)
Defn: Same as Pseudobranchia.
PSEUDOBRANCHIA Pseu`do*bran"chi*a, n.; pl. Pseudobranchiæ. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Branchia.] (Anat.)
Defn: A rudimentary branchia, or gill. -- Pseu`do*bran"chi*al, a.
PSEUDO-BULB Pseu"do-bulb`, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + bulb.] (Bot.)
Defn: An aërial corm, or thickened stem, as of some epiphytic orchidaceous plants.
PSEUDOCARP Pseu"do*carp, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: That portion of an anthocarpous fruit which is not derived from the ovary, as the soft part of a strawberry or of a fig.
PSEUDO-CHINA Pseu`do-chi"na, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + china.] (Bot.)
Defn: The false china root, a plant of the genus Smilax (S. Pseudo- china), found in America.
PSEUDOCOELE Pseu"do*coele, n.
Defn: Same as Pseudocoelia.
PSEUDOCOELIA Pseu`do*coe"li*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The fifth ventricle in the mammalian brain. See Ventricle. B. G. Wilder.
PSEUDO-CONE Pseu"do-cone`, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + cone.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the soft gelatinous cones found in the compound eyes of certain insects, taking the place of the crystalline cones of others.
PSEUDO-CUMENE Pseu`do-cu"mene, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + cumene.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hydrocarbon of the aromatic series, metameric with mesitylene and cumene, found in coal tar, and obtained as a colorless liquid.
PSEUDO-DIPTERAL Pseu`do-dip"ter*al, a. Etym: [Pseudo- + dipteral: cf. F. pseudodiptère.] (Arch.)
Defn: Falsely or imperfectly dipteral, as a temple with the inner range of columns surrounding the cella omitted, so that the space between the cella wall and the columns is very great, being equal to two intercolumns and one column. -- n.
Defn: A pseudo-dipteral temple.
PSEUDODOX Pseu"do*dox, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Not true in opinion or doctrine; false. -- n.
Defn: A false opinion or doctrine. "To maintain the atheistical pseudodox which judgeth evil good, and darkness light." T. Adams.
PSEUDOFILARIA Pseu`do*fi*la"ri*a, n.; pl. Pseudofilari. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Filaria.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the two elongated vibratile young formed by fission of the embryo during the development of certain Gregarinæ.
PSEUDO-GALENA Pseu`do-ga*le"na, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + galena.] (Min.)
Defn: False galena, or blende. See Blende (a).
PSEUDOGRAPH Pseu"do*graph, n. Etym: [See Pseudography.]
Defn: A false writing; a spurious document; a forgery.
PSEUDOGRAPHY Pseu*dog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: False writing; forgery.
PSEUDOHALTER Pseu`do*hal"ter, n.; pl. Pseudohalteres. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Halteres.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the rudimentary front wings of certain insects (Stylops). They resemble the halteres, or rudimentary hind wings, of Diptera.
PSEUDO-HEART Pseu"do-heart`, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + heart.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any contractile vessel of invertebrates which is not of the nature of a real heart, especially one of those pertaining to the excretory system.
PSEUDO-HYPERTHOPHIC Pseu`do-hy`per*thoph"ic, a. Etym: [Pseudo- + hypertrophic.] (Med.)
Defn: Falsely hypertrophic; as, pseudo-hypertrophic paralysis, a variety of paralysis in which the muscles are apparently enlarged, but are really degenerated and replaced by fat.
PSEUDOLOGIST Pseu*dol"o*gist, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: One who utters falsehoods; a liar.
PSEUDOLOGY Pseu*dol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. pseudologie.]
Defn: Falsehood of speech. Arbuthnot.
PSEUDO-METALLIC Pseu`do-me*tal"lic, a. Etym: [Pseudo- + metallic.]
Defn: Falsely or imperfectly metallic; -- said of a kind of luster, as in minerals.
PSEUDO-MONOCOTYLEDONOUS Pseu`do-mon`o*cot`y*led"on*ous, a. Etym: [Pseudo- + monocotyledonous.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having two coalescent cotyledons, as the live oak and the horse-chestnut.
PSEUDOMORPH Pseu"do*morph, n. Etym: [See Pseudomorphous.]
1. An irregular or deceptive form.
2. (Crystallog.)
Defn: A pseudomorphous crystal, as a crystal consisting of quartz, but having the cubic form of fluor spar, the fluor crystal having been changed to quartz by a process of substitution.
PSEUDOMORPHISM Pseu`do*mor"phism, n. (Crystallog.)
Defn: The state of having, or the property of taking, a crystalline form unlike that which belongs to the species.
PSEUDOMORPHOUS Pseu`do*mor"phous, a. Etym: [Gr. pseudomorphe.]
Defn: Not having the true form. Pseudomorphous crystal, one which has a form that does not result from its own powers of crystallization.
PSEUDONAVICELLA Pseu`do*nav`i*cel"la, n.; pl. Pseudonavicullæ. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pseudonavicula.
PSEUDONAVICULA Pseu`do*na*vic"u*la, n.; pl. Pseudonaviculæ. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. navicula, a genus of diatoms. See Navicular.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the minute spindle-shaped embryos of Gregarinæ and some other Protozoa.
PSEUDONEUROPTERA Pseu`do*neu*rop"te*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Neuroptera.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: division of insects (Zoöl.) reticulated wings, as in the Neuroptera, but having an active pupa state. It includes the dragon flies, May flies, white ants, etc. By some zoölogists they are classed with the Orthoptera; by others, with the Neuroptera.
PSEUDONEUROPTEROUS Pseu`do*neu*rop"ter*ous, a. (Zool.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Pseudoneuroptera.
PSEUDONYM Pseu"do*nym, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pseudonyme. See Pseudonymous.]
Defn: A fictitious name assumed for the time, as by an author; a pen name. [Written also pseudonyme.]
PSEUDONYMITY Pseu`do*nym"i*ty, n.
Defn: The using of fictitious names, as by authors.
PSEUDONYMOUS Pseu*don"y*mous, a. Etym: [Gr. pseudonyme. See Pseudo-, and Name.]
Defn: Bearing a false or fictitious name; as, a pseudonymous work. -- Pseu*don"y*mous*ly, adv. -- Pseu*don"y*mous*ness, n.
PSEUDO-PERIPTERAL Pseu`do-pe*rip"ter*al, a. Etym: [Pseudo- + peripteral: cf. F. pseudopériptère.] (Arch.)
Defn: Falsely or imperfectly peripteral, as a temple having the columns at the sides attached to the walls, and an ambulatory only at the ends or only at one end. -- n.
Defn: A pseudo-peripteral temple. Oxf. Gloss.
PSEUDO-PERIPTERAL Pseu`do-pe*rip"ter*al, a. [Pseudo- + peripteral: cf. F. pseudopériptère.] (Arch.)
Defn: Falsely or imperfectly peripteral, as a temple having the columns at the sides attached to the walls, and an ambulatory only at the ends or only at one end. -- n.
Defn: A pseudo-peripteral temple. Oxf. Gloss.
PSEUDOPOD Pseu"do*pod, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + -pod.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: Any protoplasmic filament or irregular process projecting from any unicellular organism, or from any animal or plant call.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A rhizopod.
PSEUDOPODIAL Pseu`do*po"di*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a pseudopod, or to pseudopodia. See Illust. of Heliozoa.
PSEUDOPODIUM Pseu`do*po"di*um, n.; pl. Pseudopodia (. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: Same as Pseudopod.
PSEUDOPUPA Pseu`do*pu"pa, n.; pl. L. Pseudopupæ, E. Pseudopupas. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Pupa.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A stage intermediate between the larva and pupa of bees and certain other hymenopterous insects.
PSEUDORHABDITE Pseu`do*rhab"dite, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the peculiar rodlike corpuscles found in the integument of certain Turbellaria. They are filled with a soft granular substance.
PSEUDO-ROMANTIC Pseu`do-ro*man"tic, a. Etym: Pseudo- + romantic.]
Defn: Falsely romantic. The false taste, the pseudo-romantic rage. De Quincey.
PSEUDOSCOPE Pseu"do*scope, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + -scope.] (Opt.)
Defn: An instrument which exhibits objects with their proper relief reversed; -- an effect opposite to that produced by the stereoscope. Wheatstone.
PSEUDOSCOPIC Pseu`do*scop"ic, a. (Opt.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or formed by, a pseudoscope; having its parts appearing with the relief reversed; as, a pseudoscopic image.
PSEUDOSCORPIONES Pseu`do*scor`pi*o"nes, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Scorpion.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of Arachnoidea having the palpi terminated by large claws, as in the scorpions, but destitute of a caudal sting; the false scorpions. Called also Pseudoscorpii, and Pseudoscorpionina. See Illust. of Book scorpion, under Book.
PSEUDOSPHERE Pseu"do*sphere`, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + sphere.] (Geom.)
Defn: The surface of constant negative curvature generated by the revolution of a tractrix. This surface corresponds in non-Euclidian space to the sphere in ordinary space. An important property of the surface is that any figure drawn upon it can be displaced in any way without tearing it or altering in size any of its elements.
PSEUDOSPORE Pseu"do*spore`, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + spore.] (Bot.)
Defn: A peculiar reproductive cell found in some fungi.
PSEUDOSTELLA Pseu`do*stel"la, n.; pl. -læ. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. stella star.] (Astron.)
Defn: Any starlike meteor or phenomenon. [R.]
PSEUDOSTOMA Pseu*dos"to*ma, n.; pl. Pseudostomata. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Stoma.] (Anat.)
Defn: A group of cells resembling a stoma, but without any true aperture among them.
PSEUDO-SYMMETRIC Pseu`do-sym*met"ric, a. (Crystallog.)
Defn: Exhibiting pseudo-symmetry.
PSEUDO-SYMMETRY Pseu`do-sym"me*try, n. Etym: [Pseudo- + symmetry.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: A kind of symmetry characteristic of certain crystals which from twinning, or other causes, come to resemble forms of a system other than that to which they belong, as the apparently hexagonal prisms of aragonite.
PSEUDOTETRAMERA Pseu`do*te*tram"e*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Tetramerous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of beetles having the fifth tarsal joint minute and obscure, so that there appear to be but four joints. -- Pseu`do*te*tram"er*al, a.
PSEUDOTINEA Pseu`do*tin"e*a (, n.; pl. Pseudotineæ. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Tinea.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The bee moth, or wax moth (Galleria).
PSEUDOTURBINAL Pseu`do*tur"bi*nal, a. Etym: [Pseudo- + turbinal.] (Anat.)
Defn: See under Turbinal.
PSEUDOVARY Pseu*do"va*ry, n.; pl. Pseudovaries. Etym: [Pseudo- + ovary.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The organ in which pseudova are produced; -- called also pseudovarium.
PSEUDOVUM Pseu*do"vum, n.; pl. Pseudova. Etym: [NL. See Pseudo-, and Ovum.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An egglike germ produced by the agamic females of some insects and other animals, and by the larvæ of certain insects. It is capable of development without fertilization. See Illust. of Pædogenesis.
PSHAW Pshaw, interj. Etym: [Of imitative origin.]
Defn: Pish! pooch! -- an exclamation used as an expression of contempt, disdain, dislike, etc. [Written also psha.]
PSHAW Pshaw, v. i.
Defn: To express disgust or contemptuous disapprobation, as by the exclamation " Pshaw!" The goodman used regularly to frown and pshaw wherever this topic was touched upon. Sir W. Scott.
PSILANTHROPIC Psi`lan*throp"ic, a. Etym: [see Psilanthropist.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or embodying, psilanthropy. "A psilanthropic explanation." Coleridge.
PSILANTHROPISM Psi*lan"thro*pism, n.
Defn: Psilanthropy.
PSILANTHROPIST Psi*lan"thro*pist, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: One who believes that Christ was a mere man. Smart.
PSILANTHROPY Psi*lan"thro*py, n.
Defn: The doctrine of the merely human existence of Christ.
PSILOLOGY Psi*lol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr -logy.]
Defn: Love of empty of empty talk or noise. Coleridge.
PSILOMELANE Psi*lom"e*lane, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A hydrous oxide of manganese, occurring in smooth, botryoidal forms, and massive, and having an iron-black or steel-gray color.
PSILOPAEDES Psi`lo*pæ"des, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: birds whose young at first have down on the pterylæ only; -- called also Gymnopædes.
PSILOPAEDIC Psi`lo*pæd"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having down upon the pterylæ only; -- said of the young of certain birds.
PSILOSOPHER Psi*los"o*pher, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A superficial or narrow pretender to philosophy; a sham philosopher.
PSITTACEOUS; PSITTACID Psit*ta"ceous, Psit"ta*cid, a. Etym: [L. psittacus a parrot, Gr. psittacide.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the parrots, or the Psittaci. -- n.
Defn: One of the Psittaci.
PSITTACI Psit"ta*ci, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The order of birds which comprises the parrots.
PSITTA-CO-FULVINE Psit`ta-co-ful"*vine, n. Etym: [Gr. fulvus yellow.]
Defn: A yellow pigment found in the feathers of certain parrots.
PSOAS Pso"as, n. Etym: [Gr. psoas.] (Anat.)
Defn: An internal muscle arising from the lumbar vertebræ and inserted into the femur. In man there are usually two on each side, and the larger one, or great psoas, forms a part of the iliopsoas.
PSORA Pso"ra, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A cutaneous disease; especially, the itch.
PSORIASIS Pso*ri"a*sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) (a) The state of being affected with psora. [Obs.] (b) A cutaneous disease, characterized by imbricated silvery scales, affecting only the superficial layers of the skin.
PSORIC Pso"ric, a. Etym: [L. psoricus, Gr. psorique.] (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to psora.
PSOROSPERM Pso"ro*sperm, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A minute parasite, usually the young of Gregarinæ, in the pseudonavicula stage.
PSYCHAGOGIC Psy`cha*gog"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. Psychagogue.]
Defn: Attractive; persuasive. J. Morley.
PSYCHAGOGUE Psy"cha*gogue, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A necromancer. [R.]
PSYCHAL Psy"chal, a. Etym: [See Psychical.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the soul; psychical. Bayne.
PSYCHANALYSIS Psy`cha*nal"y*sis, n. [Psycho-+ analysis.]
Defn: A method or process of psychotherapeutic analysis based on the work of Dr. Sigmund Freud (1856- --) of Vienna. The method rests upon the theory that hysteria is characteristically due to repression of desires consciously rejected but subconsciously persistent; it consists in a close analysis of the patient's mental history, stress being laid upon the dream life, and of treatment by means of suggestion. -- Psy*chan`a*lyt"ic (#), a. -- Psy`cha*nal"y*sist (#), n.
PSYCHE Psy"che, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Class Myth.)
Defn: A lovely maiden, daughter of a king and mistress of Eros, or Cupid. She is regarded as the personification of the soul.
2. The soul; the vital principle; the mind.
3. Etym: [F. psyché.]
Defn: A cheval glass.
PSYCHIAN Psy"chi*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any small moth of the genus Psyche and allied genera (family Psychidæ). The larvæ are called basket worms. See Basket worm, under Basket.
PSYCHIATRIA; PSYCHIATRY Psy*chi`a*tri"a, Psy*chi"a*try, n. Etym: [NL. psychiatria, fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: The application of the healing art to mental diseases. Dunglison.
PSYCHIATRIC Psy`chi*at"ric, a. (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to psychiatria.
PSYCHIC; PSYCHICAL Psy"chic, Psy"chic*al, a. Etym: [L. psychicus, Gr. psychique.]
1. Of or pertaining to the human soul, or to the living principle in man.
Note: This term was formerly used to express the same idea as psychological. Recent metaphysicians, however, have employed it to mark the difference between psychh` the living principle in man, and pney^ma the rational or spiritual part of his nature. In this use, the word describes the human soul in its relation to sense, appetite, and the outer visible world, as distinguished from spiritual or rational faculties, which have to do with the supersensible world. Heyse.
2. Of or pertaining to the mind, or its functions and diseases; mental; -- contrasted with physical. Psychical blindness, Psychical deafness (Med.), forms of nervous disease in which, while the senses of sight and hearing remain unimpaired, the mind fails to appreciate the significance of the sounds heard or the images seen. -- Psychical contagion, the transference of disease, especially of a functional nervous disease, by mere force of example. -- Psychical medicine, that department of medicine which treats of mental diseases.
PSYCHICS Psy"chics, n.
Defn: Psychology.
PSYCHISM Psy"chism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. psychisme.] (Philos.)
Defn: The doctrine of Quesne, that there is a fluid universally diffused, end equally animating all living beings, the difference in their actions being due to the difference of the individual organizations. Fleming.
PSYCHO- Psy"cho-.
Defn: A combining form from Gr. the soul, the mind, the understanding; as, psychology.
PSYCHOANALYSIS; PSYCHOANALYTIC Psy`cho*a*nal"y*sis, n. --Psy`cho*an`a*lyt"ic, a. etc.
Defn: = Psychanalysis, Psychanalytic.
PSYCHOGENESIS Psy`cho*gen"e*sis, n.
Defn: Genesis through an internal force, as opposed to natural selection.
PSYCHOGRAPHY Psy*chog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Psycho- + -graphy.]
1. A description of the phenomena of mind.
2. (Spiritualism)
Defn: Spirit writing.
PSYCHOLOGIC; PSYCHOLOGICAL Psy`cho*log"ic, Psy`cho*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. psychologique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to psychology. See Note under Psychic. -- Psy`cho*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
PSYCHOLOGIST Psy*chol"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. psychologiste.]
Defn: One who is versed in, devoted to, psychology.
PSYCHOLOGUE Psy"cho*logue, n.
Defn: A psychologist.
PSYCHOLOGY Psy*chol"o*gy, n. pl. Psychologies (. Etym: [Psycho- + -logy: cf. F. psychologie. See Psychical.]
Defn: The science of the human soul; specifically, the systematic or scientific knowledge of the powers and functions of the human soul, so far as they are known by consciousness; a treatise on the human soul. Psychology, the science conversant about the phenomena of the mind, or conscious subject, or self. Sir W. Hamilton.
PSYCHOMACHY Psy*chom"a*chy, n. Etym: [L. psychomachia, fr. Gr.
Defn: A conflict of the soul with the body.
PSYCHOMANCY Psy"cho*man`cy, n. Etym: [Psycho- + -mancy: cf. F. psychomancie.]
Defn: Necromancy.
PSYCHOMETRY Psy*chom"e*try, n. Etym: [Psycho- + -metry.] (Physiol.)
Defn: The art of measuring the duration of mental processes, or of determining the time relations of mental phenomena. -- Psy`cho*met"ric, a.
PSYCHO-MOTOR Psy`cho-mo"tor, a. Etym: [Psycho- + motor.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to movement produced by action of the mind or will.
PSYCHOPANNYCHISM Psy"cho*pan"ny*chism, n. Etym: [Psycho- + Gr. (Theol.)
Defn: The doctrine that the soul falls asleep at death, and does not wake until the resurrection of the body. -- Psy`cho*pan"ny*chism, n.
PSYCHOPATHY Psy*chop"a*thy, n. Etym: [Psycho- + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Mental disease. See Psychosis, 2. -- Psy`cho*path"ic, a. -- Psy*chop"a*thist, n.
PSYCHOPHYSICAL Psy`cho*phys"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to psychophysics; involving the action or mutual relations of the psychical and physical in man. Psychophysical time (Physiol.), the time required for the mind to transform a sensory impression into a motor impulse. It is an important part of physiological or reaction time. See under Reaction.
PSYCHOPHYSICS Psy`cho*phys"ics, n. Etym: [Psycho- + physics.]
Defn: The science of the connection between nerve action and consciousness; the science which treats of the relations of the psychical and physical in their conjoint operation in man; the doctrine of the relation of function or dependence between body and soul.
PSYCHOPOMP Psy"cho*pomp, n. Etym: [Gr. psychopompe.] (Myth.)
Defn: A leader or guide of souls . J. Fiske.
PSYCHOSIS Psy*cho"sis, n. Etym: [NL. See Psycho-.]
1. Any vital action or activity. Mivart.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A disease of the mind; especially, a functional mental disorder, that is, one unattended with evident organic changes.
PSYCHOTHERAPEUTICS Psy`cho*ther`a*peu"tics, n. [Psycho- + therapeutics.] (Med.)
Defn: The treatment of disease by acting on the mind, as by suggestion; mind cure; psychotherapy.
PSYCHOTHERAPY Psy`cho*ther"a*py, n. [Psycho-+ therapy.] (Med.)
Defn: Psychotherapeutics.
PSYCHOZOIC Psy`cho*zo"ic, a. Etym: [Psycho- + Gr. (Geol.)
Defn: Designating, or applied to the Era of man; as, the psychozoic era.
PSYCHROMETER Psy*chrom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. psychro`s cold + -meter: cf. F. psychromètre.]
Defn: An instrument for measuring the tension of the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere, being essentially a wet and dry bulb hygrometer.
PSYCHROMETRICAL Psy`chro*met"ric*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the psychrometer or psychrometry.
PSYCHROMETRY Psy*chrom"e*try, n.
Defn: Hygrometry.
PSYLLA Psyl"la, n.; pl. Psyllæ. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any leaping plant louse of the genus Psylla, or family Psyllidæ.
PTARMIGAN Ptar"mi*gan, n. Etym: [Gael. tarmachan; cf. Ir. tarmochan, tarmonach.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any grouse of the genus Lagopus, of which numerous species are known. The feet are completely feathered. Most of the species are brown in summer, but turn white, or nearly white, in winter.
Note: They chiefly inhabit the northern countries and high mountains of Europe, Asia, and America. The common European species is Lagopus mutus. The Scotch grouse, red grouse, or moor fowl (L. Scoticus), is reddish brown, and does not turn white in winter. The white, or willow, ptarmigan (L. albus) is found in both Europe and America.
PTENOGLOSSA Pte`no*glos"sa, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of gastropod mollusks having the teeth of the radula arranged in long transverse rows, somewhat like the barbs of a feather.
PTENOGLOSSATE Pte`no*glos"sate, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Ptenoglossa.
PTERANODON Pte*ran"o*don, n. Etym: [Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of American Cretaceous pterodactyls destitute of teeth. Several species are known, some of which had an expanse of wings of twenty feet or more.
PTERANODONTIA Pte*ran`o*don"ti*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Paleon.)
Defn: A group of pterodactyls destitute of teeth, as in the genus Pteranodon.
PTERICHTHYS Pte*rich"thys, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of Devonian fossil fishes with winglike appendages. The head and most of the body were covered with large bony plates. See Placodermi.
PTERIDOLOGIST Pter`i*dol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who is versed in pteridology.
PTERIDOLOGY Pter`i*dol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]
Defn: That department of botany which treats of ferns.
PTERIDOMANIA Pter`i*do*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [Gr. mania.]
Defn: A madness, craze, or strong fancy, for ferns. [R.] C. Kingsley.
PTERIDOPHYTA Pter`i*doph"y*ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A class of flowerless plants, embracing ferns, horsetails, club mosses, quillworts, and other like plants. See the Note under Cryptogamia. -- Pter"i*do*phyte`, n.
Note: This is a modern term, devised to replace the older ones acrogens and vascular Cryptogamia.
PTEROBRANCHIA Pter`o*bran"chi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of marine Bryozoa, having a bilobed lophophore and an axial cord. The genus Rhabdopleura is the type. Called also Podostomata. See Rhabdopleura.
PTEROCERAS Pte*roc"e*ras, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of large marine gastropods having the outer border of the lip divided into lobes; -- called also scorpion shell.
PTEROCLETES Pter`o*cle"tes, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr Pterocles, the typical genus, fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of birds including the sand grouse. They are in some respects intermediate between the pigeons and true grouse. Called also Pteroclomorphæ.
PTERODACTYL Pter`o*dac"tyl, n. Etym: [Gr. ptérodactyle.] (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct flying reptile; one of the Pterosauria. See Illustration in Appendix.
PTERODACTYLI Pter`o*dac"ty*li, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Paleon.)
Defn: Same as Pterosauria.
PTEROGLOSSAL Pter`o*glos"sal, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the tongue finely notched along the sides, so as to have a featherlike appearance, as the toucans.
PTERON Pte"ron, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The region of the skull, in the temporal fossa back of the orbit, where the great wing of the sphenoid, the temporal, the parietal, and the frontal hones approach each other.
PTEROPAPPI Pter`o*pap"pi, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zool.)
Defn: Same as Odontotormæ.
PTEROPHORE Pter"o*phore, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any moth of the genus Pterophorus and allied genera; a plume moth. See Plume moth, under Plume.
PTEROPOD Pter"o*pod, n. Etym: [Gr. ptéropode.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Pteropoda.
PTEROPODA Pte*rop"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A class of Mollusca in which the anterior lobes of the foot are developed in the form of broad, thin, winglike organs, with which they swim at near the surface of the sea.
Note: The Pteropoda are divided into two orders: Cymnosomata, which have the body entirely naked and the head distinct from the wings; and Thecosomata, which have a delicate transparent shell of various forms, and the head not distinct from the wings.
PTEROPODOUS Pte*rop"o*dous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Pteropoda.
PTEROSAUR Pter"o*saur, n. Etym: [Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A pterodactyl.
PTEROSAURIA Pter`o*sau"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct order of flying reptiles of the Mesozoic age; the pterodactyls; -- called also Pterodactyli, and Ornithosauria.
Note: The wings were formed, like those of bats, by a leathery expansion of the skin, principally supported by the greatly enlarged outer or " little" fingers of the hands. The American Cretaceous pterodactyls had no teeth. See Pteranodontia, and Pterodactyl.
PTEROSAURIAN Pter`o*sau"ri*an, a. (Paleon.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Pterosauria.
PTEROSTIGMA Pter`o*stig"ma, n.; pl. Pterostigmata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A thickened opaque spot on the wings of certain insects.
PTEROTIC Pte*ro"tic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to, or designating, a bone between the proötic and epiotic in the dorsal and outer part of the periotic capsule of many fishes. -- n.
Defn: The pterotic bone.
Note: The pterotic bone is so called because fancied in some cases to resemble in form a bird's wing
PTERYGIUM Pte*ryg"i*um, n.; pl. E. Pterygiums, L. Pterygia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A superficial growth of vascular tissue radiating in a fanlike manner from the cornea over the surface of the eye.
PTERYGOID Pter"y*goid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.] (Anat.) (a) Like a bird's wing in form; as, a pterygoid bone. (b) Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pterygoid bones, pterygoid processes, or the whole sphenoid bone. -- n.
Defn: A pterygoid bone. Pterygoid bone (Anat.), a bone which corresponds to the inner plate of the pterygoid process of the human skull, but which, in all vertebrates below mammals, is not connected with the posterior nares, but serves to connect the palatine bones with the point of suspension of the lower jaw. -- Pterygoid process (Anat.), a process projecting downward from either side of the sphenoid bone, in man divided into two plates, an inner and an outer. The posterior nares pass through the space, called the pterygoid fossa, between the processes.
PTERYGOMAXILLARY Pter`y*go*max"il*la*ry, a. Etym: [Pterygoid + maxillary.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the inner pterygoid plate, or pterygoid bone, and the lower jaw.
PTERYGOPALATINE Pter`y*go*pal"a*tine, a. Etym: [Pterygoid + palatine.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the pterygoid processes and the palatine bones.
PTERYGOPODIUM Pter`y*go*po"di*um, n.; pl. Pterygopodia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: A specially modified part of the ventral fin in male elasmobranchs, which serves as a copulatory organ, or clasper.
PTERYGOQUADRATE Pter`y*go*quad"rate, a. Etym: [Pterygoid + quadrate.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or representing the pterygoid and quadrate bones or cartilages.
PTERYLA Pte*ry"la, n.; pl. Pterylæ. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the definite areas of the skin of a bird on which feathers grow; -- contrasted with apteria.
PTERYLOGRAPHY Pter`y*log"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Pteryla + -graphy.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The study or description of the arrangement of feathers, or of the pterylæ, of birds.
PTERYLOSIS Pter`y*lo"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. NL. & E. pteryla.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The arrangement of feathers in definite areas.
PTILOCERQUE Ptil"o*cerque, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zool.)
Defn: The pentail.
PTILOPAEDES Ptil`o*pæ"des, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Dasypædes.
PTILOPAEDIC Ptil`o*pæd"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having nearly the whole surface of the skin covered with down; dasypædic; -- said of the young of certain birds.
PTILOPTERI Pti*lop"te*ri, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of birds including only the penguins.
PTILOSIS Pti*lo"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pterylosis.
PTISAN Ptis"an, n. Etym: [L. ptisana peeled barley, barley water, Gr. ptisane, tisane.]
1. A decoction of barley with other ingredients; a farinaceous drink.
2. (Med.)
Defn: An aqueous medicine, containing little, if any, medicinal agent; a tea or tisane.
PTOLEMAIC Ptol`e*ma"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Ptolemy, the geographer and astronomer. Ptolemaic system (Astron.), the system maintained by Ptolemy, who supposed the earth to be fixed in the center of the universe, with the sun and stars revolving around it. This theory was received for ages, until superseded by the Copernican system.
PTOLEMAIST Ptol"e*ma`ist, n.
Defn: One who accepts the astronomical system of Ptolemy.
PTOMAINE Pto"ma*ine, n. Etym: [From Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: One of a class of animal bases or alkaloids formed in the putrefaction of various kinds of albuminous matter, and closely related to the vegetable alkaloids; a cadaveric poison. The ptomaines, as a class, have their origin in dead matter, by which they are to be distinguished from the leucomaines.
PTOSIS Pto"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Drooping of the upper eyelid, produced by paralysis of its levator muscle.
PTYALIN Pty"a*lin, n. Etym: [Gr. Ptyalism.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: An unorganized amylolytic ferment, on enzyme, present in human mixed saliva and in the saliva of some animals.
PTYALISM Pty"a*lism, n. Etym: [Gr. ptyalisme.]
Defn: Salivation, or an excessive flow of saliva. Quain.
PTYALOGOGUE Pty*al"o*gogue, n. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A ptysmagogue.
PTYSMAGOGUE Ptys"ma*gogue, n. Etym: [Gr. ptysmagogue.] (Med.)
Defn: A medicine that promotes the discharge of saliva.
PTYXIS Ptyx"is, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The way in which a leaf is sometimes folded in the bud.
PUBBLE Pub"ble, a. Etym: [Perhaps fr. bubble.]
Defn: Puffed out, pursy; pudgy; fat. [Obs.] Drant.
PUBERAL Pu"ber*al, a. Etym: [From L. puber, pubes, grown up, adult.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to puberty.
PUBERTY Pu"ber*ty, n. Etym: [L. pubertas, fr. puber, pubes, adult: cf. F. puberté.]
1. The earliest age at which persons are capable of begetting or bearing children, usually considered, in temperate climates, to be about fourteen years in males and twelve in females.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The period when a plant first bears flowers.
PUBERULENT Pu*ber"u*lent, a. Etym: [See Pubis.] (Bot.)
Defn: Very minutely downy.
PUBES Pu"bes, n. Etym: [L., the hair which appears on the body at puberty, from pubes adult.]
1. (Anat.) (a) The hair which appears upon the lower part of the hypogastric region at the age of puberty. (b) Hence (as more commonly used), the lower part of the hypogastric region; the pubic region.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The down of plants; a downy or villous substance which grows on plants; pubescence.
PUBESCENCE Pu*bes"cence, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pubescence.]
1. The quality or state of being pubescent, or of having arrived at puberty. Sir T. Browne.
2. A covering of soft short hairs, or down, as one some plants and insects; also, the state of being so covered.
PUBESCENCY Pu*bes"cen*cy, n.
Defn: Pubescence.
PUBESCENT Pu*bes"cent, a. Etym: [L. pubescens, -entis, p. pr. of pubescere to reach puberty, to grow hairy or mossy, fr. pubes pubes: cf. F. pubescent.]
1. Arrived at puberty. That . . . the men (are) pubescent at the age of twice seven, is accounted a punctual truth. Sir T. Browne.
2. Covered with pubescence, or fine short hairs, as certain insects, and the leaves of some plants.
PUBIC Pu"bic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the pubes; in the region of the pubes; as, the pubic bone; the pubic region, or the lower part of the hypogastric region. See Pubes. (b) Of or pertaining to the pubis.
PUBIS Pu"bis, n. Etym: [NL. See Pubes.] (Anat.)
Defn: The ventral and anterior of the three principal bones composing either half of the pelvis; sharebone; pubic bone.
PUBLIC Pub"lic, a. Etym: [L. publicus, poblicus, fr. populus people: cf. F. public. See People.]
1. Of or pertaining to the people; belonging to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; -- opposed to private; as, the public treasury. To the public good Private respects must yield. Milton. He [Alexander Hamilton] touched the dead corpse of the public credit, and it sprung upon its feet. D. Webster.
2. Open to the knowledge or view of all; general; common; notorious; as, public report; public scandal. Joseph, . . . not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. Matt. i. 19.
3. Open to common or general use; as, a public road; a public house. "The public street." Shak. Public act or statute (Law), an act or statute affecting matters of public concern. Of such statutes the courts take judicial notice. -- Public credit. See under Credit. -- Public funds. See Fund, 3. -- Public house, an inn, or house of entertainment. -- Public law. (a) See International law, under International. (b) A public act or statute. -- Public nuisance. (Law) See under Nuisance. -- Public orator. (Eng. Universities) See Orator, 3. -- Public stores, military and naval stores, equipments, etc. -- Public works, all fixed works built by civil engineers for public use, as railways, docks, canals, etc.; but strictly, military and civil engineering works constructed at the public cost.
PUBLIC Pub"lic, n.
1. The general body of mankind, or of a nation, state, or community; the people, indefinitely; as, the American public; also, a particular body or aggregation of people; as, an author's public. The public is more disposed to censure than to praise. Addison.
2. A public house; an inn. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott. In public, openly; before an audience or the people at large; not in private or secrecy. "We are to speak in public." Shak.
PUBLICAN Pub"li*can, n. Etym: [L. publicanus: cf. F. publicain. See Public.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A farmer of the taxes and public revenues; hence, a collector of toll or tribute. The inferior officers of this class were often oppressive in their exactions, and were regarded with great detestation. As Jesus at meat . . . many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. Matt. 1x. 10. How like a fawning publican he looks! Shak.
2. The keeper of an inn or public house; one licensed to retail beer, spirits, or wine.
PUBLICATION Pub`li*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. publicatio confiscation: cf. F. publication. See Publish.]
1. The act of publishing or making known; notification to the people at large, either by words, writing, or printing; proclamation; divulgation; promulgation; as, the publication of the law at Mount Sinai; the publication of the gospel; the publication of statutes or edicts.
2. The act of offering a book, pamphlet, engraving, etc., to the public by sale or by gratuitous distribution. The publication of these papers was not owing to our folly, but that of others. Swift.
3. That which is published or made known; especially, any book, pamphlet, etc., offered for sale or to public notice; as, a daily or monthly publication.
4. An act done in public. [R. & Obs.] His jealousy . . . attends the business, the recreations, the publications, and retirements of every man. Jer. Taylor. Publication of a libel (Law), such an exhibition of a libel as brings it to the notice of at least one person other than the person libeled. -- Publication of a will (Law), the delivery of a will, as his own, by a testator to witnesses who attest it.
PUBLIC-HEARTED Pub"lic-heart`ed, a.
Defn: Public-spirited. [R.]
PUBLICIST Pub"li*cist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. publiciste.]
Defn: A writer on the laws of nature and nations; one who is versed in the science of public right, the principles of government, etc. The Whig leaders, however, were much more desirous to get rid of Episcopacy than to prove themselves consummate publicists and logicians. Macaulay.
PUBLICITY Pub*lic"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. publicité.]
Defn: The quality or state of being public, or open to the knowledge of a community; notoriety; publicness.
PUBLICITY PAMPHLET Publicity pamphlet.
Defn: A pamphlet which, in some States of the United States having the initiative or referendum, is mailed to the voters to inform them as to the nature of a measure submitted by the initiative or referendum. The pamphlet contains a copy of the proposed law and arguments for and against it by those favoring and opposing it, respectively.
PUBLICLY Pub"lic*ly, adv.
1. With exposure to popular view or notice; without concealment; openly; as, property publicly offered for sale; an opinion publicly avowed; a declaration publicly made.
2. In the name of the community. Addison.
PUBLIC-MINDED Pub"lic-mind`ed, a.
Defn: Public-spirited. -- Pub"lic-mind`ed*ness, n.
PUBLICNESS Pub"lic*ness, n.
1. The quality or state of being public, or open to the view or notice of people at large; publicity; notoriety; as, the publicness of a sale.
2. The quality or state of belonging to the community; as, the publicness of property. Boyle.
PUBLIC SCHOOL Public school. (a) In Great Britain, any of various schools maintained by the community, wholly or partly under public control, or maintained largely by endowment and not carried on chiefly for profit; specif., and commonly, any of various select and usually expensive endowed schools which give a liberal modern education or prepare pupils for the universities. Eton, Harrow, Rugby, and Winchester are of this class. (b) In the United States, a free primary, grammar, or high school maintained by the local government.
PUBLIC-SERVICE CORPORATION; QUASI-PUBLIC CORPORATION Public-service corporation or sometimes Quasi-public corporation.
Defn: A corporation, such as a railroad company, lighting company, water company, etc., organized or chartered to follow a public calling or to render services more or less essential to the general public convenience or safety.
PUBLIC-SPIRITED Pub"lic-spir`it*ed, a.
1. Having, or exercising, a disposition to advance the interest of the community or public; as, public-spirited men.
2. Dictated by a regard to public good; as, a public-spirited project or measure. Addison. -- Pub"lic-spir`it*ed*ly, adv. -- Pub"lic-spir`it*ed*ness, n.
PUBLISH Pub"lish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Published; p. pr. & vb. n. Publishing.] Etym: [F. publier, L. publicare, publicatum. See Public, and -ish.]
1. To make public; to make known to mankind, or to people in general; to divulge, as a private transaction; to promulgate or proclaim, as a law or an edict. Published was the bounty of her name. Chaucer. The unwearied sun, from day to day, Does his Creator's power display, And publishes to every land The work of an almighty hand. Addison.
2. To make known by posting, or by reading in a church; as, to publish banns of marriage.
3. To send forth, as a book, newspaper, musical piece, or other printed work, either for sale or for general distribution; to print, and issue from the press.
4. To utter, or put into circulation; as, to publish counterfeit paper. [U.S.] To publish a will (Law), to acknowledge it before the witnesses as the testator's last will and testament.
Syn. -- To announce; proclaim; advertise; declare; promulgate; disclose; divulge; reveal. See Announce.
PUBLISHABLE Pub"lish*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being published; suitable for publication.
PUBLISHER Pub"lish*er, n.
Defn: One who publishes; as, a publisher of a book or magazine. For love of you, not hate unto my friend, Hath made me publisher of this pretense. Shak.
PUBLISHMENT Pub"lish*ment, n.
1. The act or process of making publicly known; publication.
2. A public notice of intended marriage, required by the laws of some States. [U.S.]
PUCCOON Puc*coon", n. Etym: [From the American Indian name.] (Bot.)
Defn: Any one of several plants yielding a red pigment which is used by the North American Indians, as the bloodroot and two species of Lithospermum (L. hirtum, and L. canescens); also, the pigment itself.
PUCE Puce, a. Etym: [F., fr. puce a flea, L. pulex, pulicis.]
Defn: Of a dark brown or brownish purple color.
PUCEL Pu"cel, n.
Defn: See Pucelle. [Obs.]
PUCELAGE Pu"cel*age (; 48), n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Virginity. [R.]
PUCELLE Pu*celle", n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. pulicella, fr. L. pullus a young animal. See Pullet.]
Defn: A maid; a virgin. [Written also pucel.] [Obs.] Lady or pucelle, that wears mask or fan. B. Jonson. La Pucelle, the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc.
PUCERON Pu"ce*ron, n. Etym: [F., from puce a flea. See Puce.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any plant louse, or aphis.
PUCHERITE Pu"cher*ite, n. Etym: [So named from the Pucher Mine, in Saxony.] (Min.)
Defn: Vanadate of bismuth, occurring in minute reddish brown crystals.
PUCK Puck, n. Etym: [OE. pouke; cf. OSw. puke, Icel. puki an evil demon, W. pwca a hobgoblin. Cf. Poker a bugbear, Pug.]
1. (Mediæval Myth.)
Defn: A celebrated fairy, "the merry wanderer of the night;" -- called also Robin Goodfellow, Friar Rush, Pug, etc. Shak. He meeteth Puck, whom most men call Hobgoblin, and on him doth fall. Drayton.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The goatsucker. [Prov. Eng.]
PUCKA Puck"a, a. [Written also pukka.] [Hind. pakka cooked, ripe, solid.]
Defn: Good of its kind; -- variously used as implying substantial, real, fixed, sure, etc., and specif., of buildings, made of brick and mortar. [India]
It's pukka famine, by the looks of it. Kipling.
PUCKBALL Puck"ball`, n. Etym: [Puck + ball.]
Defn: A puffball.
PUCKER Puck"er, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Puckered; p. pr. & vb. n. Puckering.] Etym: [From Poke a pocket, small bag.]
Defn: To gather into small folds or wrinkles; to contract into ridges and furrows; to corrugate; -- often with up; as, to pucker up the mouth. "His skin [was] puckered up in wrinkles." Spectator.
PUCKER Puck"er, n.
1. A fold; a wrinkle; a collection of folds.
2. A state of perplexity or anxiety; confusion; bother; agitation. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]
PUCKERER Puck"er*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, puckers.
PUCKERY Puck"er*y, a.
1. Producing, or tending to produce, a pucker; as, a puckery taste. Lowell.
2. Inclined to become puckered or wrinkled; full of puckers or wrinkles.
PUCKFIST Puck"fist`, n.
Defn: A puffball.
PUCKISH Puck"ish, a. Etym: [From Puck.]
Defn: Resembling Puck; merry; mischievous. "Puckish freaks." J. R. Green.
PUCRAS Pu"cras, n. Etym: [From a native name in India.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Koklass.
PUD Pud, n.
Defn: Same as Pood.
PUD Pud, n.
Defn: The hand; the first. [Colloq.] Lamb.
PUDDENING Pud"den*ing, n. Etym: [Probably fr. pudden, for pudding, in allusion to its softness.] (Naut.) (a) A quantity of rope-yarn, or the like, placed, as a fender, on the bow of a boat. (b) A bunch of soft material to prevent chafing between spars, or the like.
PUDDER Pud"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puddered; p. pr. & vb. n. Puddering.] Etym: [Cf. Pother.]
Defn: To make a tumult or bustle; to splash; to make a pother or fuss; to potter; to meddle. Puddering in the designs or doings of others. Barrow. Others pudder into their food with their broad nebs. Holland.
PUDDER Pud"der, v. t.
Defn: To perplex; to embarrass; to confuse; to bother; as, to pudder a man. Locke.
PUDDER Pud"der, n.
Defn: A pother; a tumult; a confused noise; turmoil; bustle. "All in a pudder." Milton.
PUDDING Pud"ding, n. Etym: [Cf. F. boudin black pudding, sausage, L. botulus, botellus, a sausage, G. & Sw. pudding pudding, Dan. podding, pudding, LG. puddig thick, stumpy, W. poten, potten, also E. pod, pout, v.]
1. A species of food of a soft or moderately hard consistence, variously made, but often a compound of flour or meal, with milk and eggs, etc. And solid pudding against empty praise. Pope.
2. Anything resembling, or of the softness and consistency of, pudding.
3. An intestine; especially, an intestine stuffed with meat, etc.; a sausage. Shak.
4. Any food or victuals. Eat your pudding, slave, and hold your tongue. Prior.
5. (Naut.)
Defn: Same as Puddening. Pudding grass (Bot.), the true pennyroyal (Mentha Pulegium), formerly used to flavor stuffing for roast meat. Dr. Prior. -- Pudding pie, a pudding with meat baked in it. Taylor (1630). -- Pudding pipe (Bot.), the long, cylindrical pod of the leguminous tree Cassia Fistula. The seeds are separately imbedded in a sweetish pulp. See Cassia. -- Pudding sleeve, a full sleeve like that of the English clerical gown. Swift. -- Pudding stone. (Min.) See Conglomerate, n., 2. -- Pudding time. (a) The time of dinner, pudding being formerly the dish first eaten. [Obs.] Johnson. (b) The nick of time; critical time. [Obs.] Mars, that still protects the stout, In pudding time came to his aid. Hudibras.
PUDDING FISH; PUDDING WIFE Pud"ding fish, Pudding wife. [Prob. corrupted fr. the Sp. name in Cuba, pudiano verde.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large, handsomely colored, blue and bronze, labroid fish (Iridio, syn. Platyglossus, radiatus) of Florida, Bermuda, and the West Indies. Called also pudiano, doncella, and, at Bermuda, bluefish.
PUDDING-HEADED Pud"ding-head`ed, a.
Defn: Stupid. [Colloq.]
PUDDLE Pud"dle, n. Etym: [OE. podel; cf. LG. pudel, Ir. & Gael. plod pool.]
1. A small quantity of dirty standing water; a muddy plash; a small pool. Spenser.
2. Clay, or a mixture of clay and sand, kneaded or worked, when wet, to render it impervious to water. Puddle poet, a low or worthless poet. [R.] Fuller.
PUDDLE Pud"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Puddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Puddling.]
1. To make foul or muddy; to pollute with dirt; to mix dirt with (water). Some unhatched practice . . . Hath puddled his clear spirit. Shak.
2. (a) To make dense or close, as clay or loam, by working when wet, so as to render impervious to water. (b) To make impervious to liquids by means of puddle; to apply puddle to.
3. To subject to the process of puddling, as iron, so as to convert it from the condition of cast iron to that of wrought iron. Ure. Puddled steel, steel made directly from cast iron by a modification of the puddling process.
PUDDLE Pud"dle, v. i.
Defn: To make a dirty stir. [Obs.] R. Junius.
PUDDLE-BALL Pud"dle-ball`, n.
Defn: The lump of pasty wrought iron as taken from the puddling furnace to be hammered or rolled.
PUDDLE-BAR Pud"dle-bar", n.
Defn: An iron bar made at a single heat from a puddle-ball hammering and rolling.
PUDDLER Pud"dler, n.
Defn: One who converts cast iron into wrought iron by the process of puddling.
PUDDLING Pud"dling, n.
1. (Hydraul. Engin.) (a) The process of working clay, loam, pulverized ore, etc., with water, to render it compact, or impervious to liquids; also, the process of rendering anything impervious to liquids by means of puddled material. (b) Puddle. See Puddle, n., 2.
2. (Metal.)
Defn: The art or process of converting cast iron into wrought iron or steel by subjecting it to intense heat and frequent stirring in a reverberatory furnace in the presence of oxidizing substances, by which it is freed from a portion of its carbon and other impurities. Puddling furnace, a reverberatory furnace in which cast iron is converted into wrought iron or into steel by puddling.
PUDDLY Pud"dly, a.
Defn: Consisting of, or resembling, puddles; muddy; foul. "Thick puddly water." Carew.
PUDDOCK Pud"dock, n. Etym: [For paddock, or parrock, a park.]
Defn: A small inclosure. [Written also purrock.] [Prov. Eng.]
PUDENCY Pu"den*cy, n. Etym: [L. pudens, p. pr. of pudere to be ashamed.]
Defn: Modesty; shamefacedness. "A pudency so rosy." Shak.
PUDENDA Pu*den"da, n. pl. Etym: [L., from pudendus that of which one ought to be ashamed, fr. pudere to be ashamed.] (Anat.)
Defn: The external organs of generation.
PUDENDAL Pu*den"dal, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the pudenda, or pudendum.
PUDENDUM Pu*den"dum, n. Etym: [NL. See Pudenda.] (Anat.)
Defn: The external organs of generation, especially of the female; the vulva.
PUDGY Pudg"y, a.
Defn: Short and fat or sturdy; dumpy; podgy; as, a short, pudgy little man; a pudgy little hand. Thackeray.
PUDIC Pu"dic, a. Etym: [L.pudicus modest, fr. pudere to be ashamed: cf. F. pudique.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the external organs of generation.
PUDICAL Pu"dic*al, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Pudic.
PUDICITY Pu*dic"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pudicité, L. pudicitia.]
Defn: Modesty; chastity. Howell.
PUDU Pu"du, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A very small deer (Pudua humilis), native of the Chilian Andes. It has simple spikelike antlers, only two or three inches long.
PUE Pue v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pued; p. pr. & vb. n. Puing.]
Defn: To make a low whistling sound; to chirp, as birds. Halliwell.
PUEBLO Pueb"lo, n. Etym: [Sp., a village, L. populus people. See People.]
Defn: A communistic building erected by certain Indian tribes of Arizona and New Mexico. It is often of large size and several stories high, and is usually built either of stone or adobe. The term is also applied to any Indian village in the same region. Pueblo Indians (Ethnol.), any tribe or community of Indians living in pueblos. The principal Pueblo tribes are the Moqui, the Zuñi, the Keran, and the Tewan.
PUEFELLOW Pue"fel`low, n.
Defn: A pewfellow. [Obs.]
PUER Pu"er, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: The dung of dogs, used as an alkaline steep in tanning. Simmonds.
PUERCO Pu*er"co, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A hog. Puerco beds (Geol.), a name given to certain strata belonging to the earliest Eocene. They are developed in Northwestern New Mexico, along the Rio Puerco, and are characterized by their mammalian remains.
PUERILE Pu"er*ile, a. Etym: [L. puerilis, fr. puer a child, a boy: cf. F. puéril.]
Defn: Boyish; childish; trifling; silly. The French have been notorious through generations for their puerile affectation of Roman forms, models, and historic precedents. De Quincey.
Syn. -- Youthful; boyish; juvenile; childish; trifling; weak. See Youthful.
PUERILELY Pu"er*ile*ly, adv.
Defn: In a puerile manner; childishly.
PUERILENESS Pu"er*ile*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being puerile; puerility.
PUERILITY Pu`er*il"i*ty, n.; pl. Puerilities. Etym: [L. puerilitas: cf. F. puérilité.]
1. The quality of being puerile; childishness; puerileness. Sir T. Browne.
2. That which is puerile or childish; especially, an expression which is flat, insipid, or silly.
PUERPERAL Pu*er"per*al, a. Etym: [L. puerpera a lying-in woman; puer child + parere to bear: cf. F. puerpéral.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to childbirth; as, a puerperal fever.
PUERPEROUS Pu*er"per*ous, a.
Defn: Bearing children. [R.]
PUET Pu"et, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The pewit.
PUFF Puff, n. Etym: [Akin to G. & Sw. puff a blow, Dan. puf, D. pof; of imitative origin. Cf. Buffet.]
1. A sudden and single emission of breath from the mouth; hence, any sudden or short blast of wind; a slight gust; a whiff. " To every puff of wind a slave." Flatman.
2. Anything light and filled with air. Specifically: (a) A puffball. (b) kind of light pastry. (c) A utensil of the toilet for dusting the skin or hair with powder.
3. An exaggerated or empty expression of praise, especially one in a public journal. Puff adder. (Zoöl.) (a) Any South African viper belonging to Clotho and allied genera. They are exceedingly venomous, and have the power of greatly distending their bodies when irritated. The common puff adder (Vipera, or Clotho, arietans) is the largest species, becoming over four feet long. The plumed puff adder (C. cornuta) has a plumelike appendage over each eye. (b) A North American harmless snake (Heterodon platyrrhinos) which has the power of puffing up its body. Called also hog-nose snake, flathead, spreading adder, and blowing adder. Puff bird (Zoöl.), any bird of the genus Bucco, or family Bucconidæ. They are small birds, usually with dull-colored and loose plumage, and have twelve tail feathers. See Barbet (b).
PUFF Puff, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Puffing.] Etym: [Akin to G. puffen to pop, buffet, puff, D. poffen to pop, puffen to blow, Sw. puffa to push, to cuff, Dan. puffe to pop, thump. See Puff, n.]
1. To blow in puffs, or with short and sudden whiffs.
2. To blow, as an expression of scorn; -- with at. It is really to defy Heaven to puff at damnation. South.
3. To breathe quick and hard, or with puffs, as after violent exertion. The ass comes back again, puffing and blowing, from the chase. L' Estrange.
4. To swell with air; to be dilated or inflated. Boyle.
5. To breathe in a swelling, inflated, or pompous manner; hence, to assume importance. Then came brave Glory puffing by. Herbert.
PUFF Puff, v. t.
1. To drive with a puff, or with puffs. The clearing north will puff the clouds away. Dryden.
2. To repel with words; to blow at contemptuously. I puff the prostitute away. Dryden.
3. To cause to swell or dilate; to inflate; to ruffle with puffs; -- often with up; as a bladder puffed with air. The sea puffed up with winds. Shak.
4. To inflate with pride, flattery, self-esteem, or the like; -- often with up. Puffed up with military success. Jowett (Thucyd. )
5. To praise with exaggeration; to flatter; to call public attention to by praises; to praise unduly. " Puffed with wonderful skill." Macaulay.
PUFF Puff, a.
Defn: Puffed up; vain. [R.] Fanshawe.
PUFFBALL Puff"ball`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of ball-shaped fungus (Lycoperdon giganteum, and other species of the same genus) full of dustlike spores when ripe; -- called also bullfist, bullfice, puckfist, puff, and puffin.
PUFFER Puff"er, n.
1. One who puffs; one who praises with noisy or extravagant commendation.
2. One who is employed by the owner or seller of goods sold at suction to bid up the price; a by-bidder. Bouvier.
3. (Zoöl.) (a) Any plectognath fish which inflates its body, as the species of Tetrodon and Diodon; -- called also blower, puff-fish, swellfish, and globefish. (b) The common, or harbor, porpoise.
4. (Dyeing)
Defn: A kier.
PUFFERY Puff"er*y, n.
Defn: The act of puffing; bestowment of extravagant commendation.
PUFFIN Puf"fin, n. Etym: [Akin to puff.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An arctic sea bird Fratercula arctica) allied to the auks, and having a short, thick, swollen beak, whence the name; -- called also bottle nose, cockandy, coulterneb, marrot, mormon, pope, and sea parrot.
Note: The name is also applied to other related species, as the horned puffin (F. corniculata), the tufted puffin (Lunda cirrhata), and the razorbill. Manx puffin, the Manx shearwater. See under Manx.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The puffball.
3. A sort of apple. [Obs.] Rider's Dict. (1640).
PUFFINESS Puff"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being puffy.
PUFFING Puff"ing,
Defn: a. & n. from Puff, v. i. & t. Puffing adder. (Zoöl.) Same as Puff adder (b), under Puff. -- Puffing pig (Zoöl.), the common porpoise.
PUFFINGLY Puff"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a puffing manner; with vehement breathing or shortness of breath; with exaggerated praise.
PUFF-LEG Puff"-leg`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of beautiful humming birds of the genus Eriocnemis having large tufts of downy feathers on the legs.
PUFF-LEGGED Puff"-legged`, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a conspicuous tuft of feathers on the legs.
PUFFY Puff"y, a.
1. Swelled with air, or any soft matter; tumid with a soft substance; bloated; fleshy; as, a puffy tumor. " A very stout, puffy man." Thackeray.
2. Hence, inflated; bombastic; as, a puffy style.
PUG Pug, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pugged; p. pr. & vb. n. Pugging.] Etym: [Cf. G. pucken to thump. beat.]
1. To mix and stir when wet, as clay for bricks, pottery, etc.
2. To fill or stop with clay by tamping; to fill in or spread with mortar, as a floor or partition, for the purpose of deadening sound. See Pugging, 2.
PUG Pug, n.
1. Tempered clay; clay moistened and worked so as to be plastic.
2. A pug mill. Pug mill, a kind of mill for grinding and mixing clay, either for brickmaking or the fine arts; a clay mill. It consists essentially of an upright shaft armed with projecting knives, which is caused to revolve in a hollow cylinder, tub, or vat, in which the clay is placed.
PUG Pug, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. puck. See Puck.]
1. An elf, or a hobgoblin; also same as Puck. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
2. A name for a monkey. [Colloq.] Addison.
3. A name for a fox. [Prov. Eng.] C. Kingsley.
4. An intimate; a crony; a dear one. [Obs.] Lyly.
5. pl.
Defn: Chaff; the refuse of grain. [Obs.] Holland.
6. A prostitute. [Obs.] Cotgrave.
7. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a small breed of pet dogs having a short nose and head; a pug dog.
8. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any geometrid moth of the genus Eupithecia.
PUG-FACED Pug"-faced`, a.
Defn: Having a face like a monkey or a pug; monkey-faced.
PUGGAREE Pug"ga*ree, n.
Defn: Same as Puggry.
PUGGER Pug"ger, v. t.
Defn: To pucker. [Obs.]
PUGGERED Pug"gered, a.
Defn: Puckered. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
PUGGING Pug"ging, n. Etym: [See Pug, v. t.]
1. The act or process of working and tempering clay to make it plastic and of uniform consistency, as for bricks, for pottery, etc.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: Mortar or the like, laid between the joists under the boards of a floor, or within a partition, to deaden sound; -- in the United States usually called deafening.
PUGGING Pug"ging, a.
Defn: Thieving. [Obs.] Shak.
PUGGRY; PUGGREE Pug"gry, Pug"gree, n. [Written also puggaree, puggeree, etc.] [Hind. pagrsi turban.]
Defn: A light scarf wound around a hat or helmet to protect the head from the sun. [India] Yule.
A blue-gray felt hat with a gold puggaree. Kipling.
PUGH Pugh, interj.
Defn: Pshaw! pish! -- a word used in contempt or disdain.
PUGIL Pu"gil, n. Etym: [L. pugillus, pugillum, a handful, akin to pugnus the fist.]
Defn: As much as is taken up between the thumb and two first fingers. [Obs.] Bacon.
PUGILISM Pu"gil*ism, n. Etym: [L. pugil a pugilist, boxer, akin to pugnus the fist. Cf. Pugnacious, Fist.]
Defn: The practice of boxing, or fighting with the fist.
PUGILIST Pu"gil*ist, n. Etym: [L. pugil.]
Defn: One who fights with his fists; esp., a professional prize fighter; a boxer.
PUGILISTIC Pu`gil*is"tic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to pugillism.
PUGNACIOUS Pug*na"cious, a. Etym: [L. pugnax, -acis, fr. pugnare to fight. Cf. Pugilism, Fist.]
Defn: Disposed to fight; inclined to fighting; quarrelsome; fighting. --Pug*na"cious*ly, adv. -- Pug*na"cious*ness, n.
PUGNACITY Pug*nac"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. pugnacitas: cf. F. pugnacité.]
Defn: Inclination or readiness to fight; quarrelsomeness. " A national pugnacity of character." Motley.
PUG NOSE Pug" nose`.
Defn: A short, thick nose; a snubnose. -- Pug"-nosed`, a. Pug-nose eel (Zoöl.), a deep-water marine eel (Simenchelys parasiticus) which sometimes burrows into the flesh of the halibut.
PUH Puh, interj.
Defn: The same as Pugh.
PUISNE Puis"ne (pu"ny), a. Etym: [See Puny.]
1. Later in age, time, etc.; subsequent. [Obs.] " A puisne date to eternity." Sir M. Hale.
2. Puny; petty; unskilled. [Obs.]
3. (Law)
Defn: Younger or inferior in rank; junior; associate; as, a chief justice and three puisne justices of the Court of Common Pleas; the puisne barons of the Court of Exchequer. Blackstone.
PUISNE Puis"ne, n.
Defn: One who is younger, or of inferior rank; a junior; esp., a judge of inferior rank. It were not a work for puisnes and novices. Bp. Hall.
PUISNY Puis"ny, a.
Defn: Puisne; younger; inferior; petty; unskilled. [R.] A puisny tilter, that spurs his horse but on one side. Shak.
PUISSANCE Pu"is*sance, n. Etym: [F., fr.puissant. See Puissant, and cf. Potency, Potance, Potence.]
Defn: Power; strength; might; force; potency. " Youths of puissance." Tennyson. The power and puissance of the king. Shak.
Note: In Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton, puissance and puissant are usually dissyllables.
PUISSANT Pu"is*sant, a. Etym: [F., originally, a p. pr. formed fr. L. posse to be able: cf. L. potens powerful. See Potent.]
Defn: Powerful; strong; mighty; forcible; as, a puissant prince or empire. " Puissant deeds." Milton. Of puissant nations which the world possessed. Spenser. And worldlings in it are less merciful, And more puissant. Mrs. Browning.
PUISSANTLY Pu"is*sant*ly, adv.
Defn: In a puissant manner; powerfully; with great strength.
PUISSANTNESS Pu"is*sant*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being puissant; puissance; power.
PUIT Puit, n. Etym: [F. puits, from L. puteus well.]
Defn: A well; a small stream; a fountain; a spring. [Obs.] The puits flowing from the fountain of life. Jer. Taylor.
PUKE Puke, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puked; p. pr. & vb. n. Puking.] Etym: [Cf. G. spucken to spit, and E. spew.]
Defn: To eject the contests of the stomach; to vomit; to spew. The infant Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Shak.
PUKE Puke, v. t.
Defn: To eject from the stomach; to vomit up.
PUKE Puke, n.
Defn: A medicine that causes vomiting; an emetic; a vomit.
PUKE Puke, a. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: Of a color supposed to be between black and russet. Shak.
Note: This color has by some been regarded as the same with puce; but Nares questions the identity.
PUKER Puk"er, n.
1. One who pukes, vomits.
2. That which causes vomiting. Garth .
PUKKA Puk"ka, a.
Defn: Same as Pucka. [India]
PULAS Pu"las, n. Etym: [Skr. palaça.] (Bot.)
Defn: The East Indian leguminous tree Butea frondosa. See Gum Butea, under Gum. [Written also pales and palasa.]
PULCHRITUDE Pul"chri*tude, n. Etym: [L. pulchritudo, fr. pulcher beautiful.]
1. That quality of appearance which pleases the eye; beauty; comeliness; grace; loveliness. Piercing our heartes with thy pulchritude. Court of Love.
2. Attractive moral excellence; moral beauty. By the pulchritude of their souls make up what is wanting in the beauty of their bodies. Ray.
PULE Pule, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puled; p. pr. & vb. n. Puling.] Etym: [F. piauler; cf. L. pipilare, pipire, to peep, pip, chirp, and E. peep to chirp.]
1. To cry like a chicken. Bacon.
2. To whimper; to whine, as a complaining child. It becometh not such a gallant to whine and pule. Barrow.
PULER Pul"er, n.
Defn: One who pules; one who whines or complains; a weak person.
PULEX Pu"lex, n. Etym: [L., a flea.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of parasitic insects including the fleas. See Flea.
PULICENE Pu"li*cene, a. Etym: [From L. pulex, pulicis, a flea.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or abounding in, fleas; pulicose.
PULICOSE; PULICOUS Pu"li*cose`, Pu"li*cous, a. Etym: [L. pulicosus, from pulex, a flea.]
Defn: Abounding with fleas.
PULING Pul"ing, n.
Defn: A cry, as of a chicken,; a whining or whimpering. Leave this faint puling and lament as I do. Shak.
PULING Pul"ing, a.
Defn: Whimpering; whining; childish.
PULINGLY Pul"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With whining or complaint.
PULKHA Pulk"ha, n.
Defn: A Laplander's traveling sledge. See Sledge.
PULL Pull, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pulled; p. pr. & vb. n. Pulling.] Etym: [AS. pullian; cf. LG. pulen, and Gael. peall, piol, spiol.]
1. To draw, or attempt to draw, toward one; to draw forcibly. Ne'er pull your hat upon your brows. Shak. He put forth his hand . . . and pulled her in. Gen. viii. 9.
2. To draw apart; to tear; to rend. He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate. Lam. iii. 11.
3. To gather with the hand, or by drawing toward one; to pluck; as, to pull fruit; to pull flax; to pull a finch.
4. To move or operate by the motion of drawing towards one; as, to pull a bell; to pull an oar.
5. (Horse Racing)
Defn: To hold back, and so prevent from winning; as, the favorite was pulled.
6. (Print.)
Defn: To take or make, as a proof or impression; -- hand presses being worked by pulling a lever.
7. (Cricket)
Defn: To strike the ball in a particular manner. See Pull, n., 8. Never pull a straight fast ball to leg. R. H. Lyttelton. To pull and haul, to draw hither and thither. " Both are equally pulled and hauled to do that which they are unable to do. " South. -- To pull down, to demolish; to destroy; to degrade; as, to pull down a house. " In political affairs, as well as mechanical, it is easier to pull down than build up." Howell. " To raise the wretched, and pull down the proud." Roscommon. To pull a finch. See under Finch. To pull off, take or draw off.
PULL Pull, v. i.
Defn: To exert one's self in an act or motion of drawing or hauling; to tug; as, to pull at a rope. To pull apart, to become separated by pulling; as, a rope will pull apart. -- To pull up, to draw the reins; to stop; to halt. To pull through, to come successfully to the end of a difficult undertaking, a dangerous sickness, or the like.
PULL Pull, n.
1. The act of pulling or drawing with force; an effort to move something by drawing toward one. I awakened with a violent pull upon the ring which was fastened at the top of my box. Swift.
2. A contest; a struggle; as, a wrestling pull. Carew.
3. A pluck; loss or violence suffered. [Poetic] Two pulls at once; His lady banished, and a limb lopped off. Shak.
4. A knob, handle, or lever, etc., by which anything is pulled; as, a drawer pull; a bell pull.
5. The act of rowing; as, a pull on the river. [Colloq.]
6. The act of drinking; as, to take a pull at the beer, or the mug. [Slang] Dickens.
7. Something in one's favor in a comparison or a contest; an advantage; means of influencing; as, in weights the favorite had the pull. [Slang]
8. (Cricket)
Defn: A kind of stroke by which a leg ball is sent to the off side, or an off ball to the side. The pull is not a legitimate stroke, but bad cricket. R. A. Proctor.
PULLAIL Pul"lail, n. Etym: [F. poulaille.]
Defn: Poultry. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
PULLBACK Pull"back`, n.
1. That which holds back, or causes to recede; a drawback; a hindrance.
2. (Arch)
Defn: The iron hook fixed to a casement to pull it shut, or to hold it party open at a fixed point.
PULLDEVIL Pull"dev`il, n.
Defn: A number of fishhooks rigidly fastened back to be pulled through the water to catch fish.
PULLED Pulled a.
Defn: Plucked; pilled; moulting. " A pulled hen." Chaucer.
PULLEN Pul"len, n. Etym: [Cf. L. pullinus belonging to young animals. See Pullet.]
Defn: Poultry. [Obs.]
PULLER Pull"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, pulls. Proud setter up and puller down of kings. Shak.
PULLET Pul"let, n. Etym: [OE. polete, OF. polete, F. poulette, dim. of poule a hen, fr. L. pullus a young animal, a young fowl. See Foal, and cf. Poult, Poultry, Pool stake.]
Defn: A young hen, or female of the domestic fowl. Pullet sperm, the treadle of an egg. [Obs.] Shak.
PULLEY Pul"ley, n.; pl. Pulleys. Etym: [F. poulie, perhaps of Teutonic origin (cf. Poll, b. t.); but cf. OE. poleine, polive, pulley, LL. polanus, and F. poulain, properly, a colt, fr. L. pullus young animal, foal (cf. Pullet, Foal). For the change of sense, cf. F. poutre beam, originally, a filly, and E. easel.] (Mach.)
Defn: A wheel with a broad rim, or grooved rim, for transmitting power from, or imparting power to, the different parts of machinery, or for changing the direction of motion, by means of a belt, cord, rope, or chain.
Note: The pulley, as one of the mechanical powers, consists, in its simplest form, of a grooved wheel, called a sheave, turning within a movable frame or block, by means of a cord or rope attached at one end to a fixed point. The force, acting on the free end of the rope, is thus doubled, but can move the load through only half the space traversed by itself. The rope may also pass over a sheave in another block that is fixed. The end of the rope may be fastened to the movable block, instead of a fixed point, with an additional gain of power, and using either one or two sheaves in the fixed block. Other sheaves may be added, and the power multiplied accordingly. Such an apparatus is called by workmen a block and tackle, or a fall and tackle. See Block. A single fixed pulley gives no increase of power, but serves simply for changing the direction of motion. Band pulley, or Belt pulley, a pulley with a broad face for transmitting power between revolving shafts by means of a belt, or for guiding a belt. -- Cone pulley. See Cone pulley. -- Conical pulley, one of a pair of belt pulleys, each in the shape of a truncated cone, for varying velocities. -- Fast pulley, a pulley firmly attached upon a shaft. -- Loose pulley, a pulley loose on a shaft, to interrupt the transmission of motion in machinery. See Fast and loose pulleys, under Fast. Parting pulley, a belt pulley made in semicircular halves, which can be bolted together, to facilitate application to, or removal from, a shaft. -- Pulley block. Same as Block, n. 6. -- Pulley stile (Arch.), the upright of the window frame into which a pulley is fixed and along which the sash slides. Split pulley, a parting pulley.
PULLEY Pul"ley, b. t.
Defn: To raise or lift by means of a pulley. [R.] Howell.
PULLICATE Pul"li*cate, n.
Defn: A kind of checked cotton or silk handkerchief.
PULLMAN CAR Pull"man car`. Etym: [Named after Mr. Pullman, who introduced them.]
Defn: A kind of sleeping car; also, a palace car; -- often shortened to Pullman.
PULLULATE Pul"lu*late v. i. Etym: [L. pullulatus, p. p. of pullulare to sprout, from pullulus a young animal, a sprout, dim. of pullus. See pullet.]
Defn: To germinate; to bud; to multiply abundantly. Warburton.
PULLULATION Pul`lu*la"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pullulation.]
Defn: A germinating, or budding. Dr. H. More.
PULLUS Pul"lus, n.; pl. Pulli. Etym: [L.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A chick; a young bird in the downy stage.
PULMOBRANCHIATA; PULMOBRANCHIATE Pul`mo*bran`chi*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL.], Pul`mo*bran"chi*ate. (, a. & n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pulmonibranchiata, -ate.
PULMOCUTANEOUS Pul`mo*cu*ta"ne*ous, a. Etym: [L. pulmo a lung + E. cutaneous.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lungs and the akin; as, the pulmocutaneous arteries of the frog.
PULMOGASTEROPODA Pul`mo*gas`te*rop"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL. & E. Gasteropoda.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pulmonata.
PULMOGRADE Pul"mo*grade, a. Etym: [L. pulmo a lung + gradi to walk.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Swimming by the expansion and contraction, or lunglike movement, of the body, or of the disk, as do the medusæ.
PULMOMETER Pul*mom"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. pulmo a lung + -meter.] (Physiol.)
Defn: A spirometer.
PULMOMETRY Pul*mom"e*try, n. [L. pulmo a lung + -metry.]
Defn: The determination of the capacity of the lungs.
PULMONARIAN Pul"mo*na"ri*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any arachnid that breathes by lunglike organs, as the spiders and scorpions. Also used adjectively.
PULMONARY Pul"mo*na*ry, a. Etym: [L. pulmonarius, from pulmo, -onis, a lung; of uncertain origin, perh. named from its lightness, and akin to E. float: cf. F. pulmonaire. Cf. Pneumonia.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lungs; affecting the lungs; pulmonic. Pulmonary artery. See the Note under Artery.
PULMONARY Pul"mo*na*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pulmonaire. See Pulmonary, a. ] (Bot.)
Defn: Lungwort. Ainsworth.
PULMONATA Pul`mo*na"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from L. pulmo, -onis, a lung.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extensive division, or sub-class, of hermaphrodite gastropods, in which the mantle cavity is modified into an air- breathing organ, as in Helix, or land snails, Limax, or garden slugs, and many pond snails, as Limnæa and Planorbis.
PULMONATE Pul"mo*nate, a. (Zoöl.) (a) Having breathing organs that act as lungs. (b) Pertaining to the Pulmonata. -- n.
Defn: One of the Pulmonata.
PULMONATED Pul"mo*na`ted, a.
Defn: same as Pulmonate (a).
PULMONIBRANCHIATA Pul`mo*ni*bran`chi*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. pulmo, -onis, a lung + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pulmonata.
PULMONIBRANCHIATE Pul`mo*ni*bran"chi*ate, a. & n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pulmonate.
PULMONIC Pul*mon"ic, a. Etym: [L. pulmo, -onis, a lung: cf. F. pulmonique.]
Defn: Relating to, or affecting the lungs; pulmonary. -- n.
Defn: A pulmonic medicine.
PULMONIFERA Pul`mo*nif"e*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pulmoniferous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pulmonata.
PULMONIFEROUS Pul`mo*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. pulmo, -onis, a lung + -ferous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having lungs; pulmonate.
PULMOTOR Pul"mo`tor, n. [L. pulmo lung + E. motor.]
Defn: An apparatus for producing artificial respiration by pumping oxygen or air or a mixture of the two into and out of the lungs, as of a person who has been asphyxiated by drowning, breathing poisonous gases, or the like, or of one who has been stunned by an electrical shock.
PULP Pulp, n. Etym: [L. pulpa flesh, pith, pulp of fruit: cf. F. pulpe.]
Defn: A moist, slightly cohering mass, consisting of soft, undissolved animal or vegetable matter. Specifically: (a) (Anat.) A tissue or part resembling pulp; especially, the soft, highly vascular and sensitive tissue which fills the central cavity, called the pulp cavity, of teeth. (b) (Bot.) The soft, succulent part of fruit; as, the pulp of a grape. (c) The exterior part of a coffee berry. B. Edwards. (d) The material of which paper is made when ground up and suspended in water.
PULP Pulp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pulped; p. pr. & vb. n. Pulping.]
1. To reduce to pulp.
2. To deprive of the pulp, or integument. The other mode is to pulp the coffee immediately as it comes from the tree. By a simple machine a man will pulp a bushel in a minute. B. Edwards.
PULPATOON Pul`pa*toon", n. Etym: [F. poulpeton, poupeton, a sort of ragout.]
Defn: A kind of delicate confectionery or cake, perhaps made from the pulp of fruit. [Obs.] Nares.
PULPINESS Pulp"i*ness, n.
Defn: the quality or state of being pulpy.
PULPIT Pul"pit, n. Etym: [L. pulpitum: cf. OF. pulpite, F. pulpitre.]
1. An elevated place, or inclosed stage, in a church, in which the clergyman stands while preaching. I stand like a clerk in my pulpit. Chaucer.
2. The whole body of the clergy; preachers as a class; also, preaching. I say the pulpit (in the sober use Of its legitimate, peculiar powers) Must stand acknowledged, while the world shall stand, The most important and effectual guard, Support, and ornament of virtue's cause. Cowper.
3. A desk, or platform, for an orator or public speaker.
PULPIT Pul"pit, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the pulpit, or preaching; as, a pulpit orator; pulpit eloquence.
PULPITED Pul"pit*ed, a.
Defn: Placed in a pulpit. [R.] Sit . . . at the feet of a pulpited divine. Milton.
PULPITEER Pul*pit*eer", n.
Defn: One who speaks in a pulpit; a preacher; -- so called in contempt. Howell. We never can think it sinful that Burns should have been humorous on such a pulpiteer. Prof. Wilson.
PULPITER Pul"pit*er, n.
Defn: A preacher. [Obs.]
PULPITICAL Pul*pit"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the pulpit; suited to the pulpit. [R.] -- Pul*pit"ic*al*ly, adv. [R.] Chesterfield.
PULPITISH Pul"pit*ish, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the pulpit; like preaching. Chalmers.
PULPITRY Pul"pit*ry, n.
Defn: The teaching of the pulpit; preaching. [R. & Obs.] " Mere pulpitry." Milton.
PULPOUS Pulp"ous, a. Etym: [L. pulposus: cf. F. pulpeux. See Pulp.]
Defn: Containing pulp; pulpy. " Pulpous fruit." J. Philips. -- Pulp"ous*ness, n.
PULPY Pulp"y, n.
Defn: Like pulp; consisting of pulp; soft; fleshy; succulent; as, the pulpy covering of a nut; the pulpy substance of a peach or a cherry.
PULQUE Pul"que, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: An intoxicating Mexican drink. See Agave.
PULSATE Pul"sate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pulsated; p. pr. & vb. n. Pulsating.] Etym: [L. pulsatus, p. p. of pulsare to beat, strike, v. intens. fr. pellere to beat, strike, drive. See Pulse a beating, and cf. Pulse, v.]
Defn: To throb, as a pulse; to beat, as the heart. The heart of a viper or frog will continue to pulsate long after it is taken from the body. E. Darwin.
PULSATILE Pul"sa*tile, a. Etym: [Cf. It. pulsatile, Sp. pulsatil.]
1. Capable of being struck or beaten; played by beating or by percussion; as, a tambourine is a pulsatile musical instrument.
2. Pulsating; throbbing, as a tumor.
PULSATILLA Pul`sa*til"la, n. Etym: [NL.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of ranunculaceous herbs including the pasque flower. This genus is now merged in Anemone. Some species, as Anemone Pulsatilla, Anemone pratensis, and Anemone patens, are used medicinally.
PULSATION Pul*sa"tion, n. Etym: [L. pulsatio a beating or striking: cf. F. pulsation.]
1. (Physiol.)
Defn: A beating or throbbing, especially of the heart or of an artery, or in an inflamed part; a beat of the pulse.
2. A single beat or throb of a series.
3. A stroke or impulse by which some medium is affected, as in the propagation of sounds.
4. (Law)
Defn: Any touching of another's body willfully or in anger. This constitutes battery. By the Cornelian law, pulsation as well as verberation is prohibited. Blackstone.
PULSATIVE Pul"sa*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pulsatif.]
Defn: Beating; throbbing.
PULSATOR Pul*sa"tor, n. Etym: [L.]
1. A beater; a striker.
2. (Mech.)
Defn: That which beats or throbs in working.
PULSATORY Pul"sa*to*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pulsatoire.]
Defn: Capable of pulsating; throbbing. Sir H. Wotton. .
PULSE Pulse, n. Etym: [OE. puls, L. puls, pultis, a thick pap or pottage made of meal, pulse, etc. See Poultice, and cf. Pousse.]
Defn: Leguminous plants, or their seeds, as beans, pease, etc. If all the world Should, in a pet of temperance, feed on pulse. Milton.
PULSE Pulse, n. Etym: [OE. pous, OF. pous, F. pouls, fr. L. pulsus (sc. venarum), the beating of the pulse, the pulse, from pellere, pulsum, to beat, strike; cf. Gr. Appeal, Compel, Impel, Push.]
1. (Physiol.)
Defn: The beating or throbbing of the heart or blood vessels, especially of the arteries.
Note: In an artery the pulse is due to the expansion and contraction of the elastic walls of the artery by the action of the heart upon the column of blood in the arterial system. On the commencement of the diastole of the ventricle, the semilunar valves are closed, and the aorta recoils by its elasticity so as to force part of its contents into the vessels farther onwards. These, in turn, as they already contain a certain quantity of blood, expand, recover by an elastic recoil, and transmit the movement with diminished intensity. Thus a series of movements, gradually diminishing in intensity, pass along the arterial system (see the Note under Heart). For the sake of convenience, the radial artery at the wrist is generally chosen to detect the precise character of the pulse. The pulse rate varies with age, position, sex, stature, physical and psychical influences, etc.
2. Any measured or regular beat; any short, quick motion, regularly repeated, as of a medium in the transmission of light, sound, etc.; oscillation; vibration; pulsation; impulse; beat; movement. The measured pulse of racing oars. Tennyson. When the ear receives any simple sound, it is struck by a single pulse of the air, which makes the eardrum and the other membranous parts vibrate according to the nature and species of the stroke. Burke. Pulse glass, an instrument consisting to a glass tube with terminal bulbs, and containing ether or alcohol, which the heat of the hand causes to boil; -- so called from the pulsating motion of the liquid when thus warmed. Pulse wave (Physiol.), the wave of increased pressure started by the ventricular systole, radiating from the semilunar valves over the arterial system, and gradually disappearing in the smaller branches. the pulse wave travels over the arterial system at the rate of about 29.5 feet in a second. H. N. Martin. -- To feel one's pulse. (a) To ascertain, by the sense of feeling, the condition of the arterial pulse. (b) Hence, to sound one's opinion; to try to discover one's mind.
PULSE Pulse, v. i.
Defn: To beat, as the arteries; to move in pulses or beats; to pulsate; to throb. Ray.
PULSE Pulse, v. t. Etym: [See Pulsate, Pulse a beating.]
Defn: To drive by a pulsation; to cause to pulsate. [R.]
PULSELESS Pulse"less, a.
Defn: Having no pulsation; lifeless.
PULSELESSNESS Pulse"less*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being pulseless.
PULSIFIC Pul*sif"ic, a. Etym: [Pulse + L. facere to make.]
Defn: Exciting the pulse; causing pulsation.
PULSIMETER Pul*sim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pulse + -meter.] (Physiol.)
Defn: A sphygmograph.
PULSION Pul"sion, n. Etym: [L. pulsio, fr. pellere, pulsum, to drive: cf. F. pulsion.]
Defn: The act of driving forward; propulsion; -- opposed to Ant: suction or Ant: traction. [R.]
PULSIVE Pul"sive, a.
Defn: Tending to compel; compulsory. [R.] "The pulsive strain of conscience." Marston.
PULSOMETER Pul*som"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pulse + -meter.]
1. A device, with valves, for raising water by steam, partly by atmospheric pressure, and partly by the direct action of the steam on the water, without the intervention of a piston; -- also called vacuum pump.
2. A pulsimeter.
PULT Pult, v. t.
Defn: To put. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
PULTACEOUS Pul*ta"ceous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pultacé. See 1st Pulse.]
Defn: Macerated; softened; nearly fluid.
PULTESSE; PULTISE Pul"tesse, Pul"tise, n.
Defn: Poultry. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PULU Pu"lu, n.
Defn: A vegetable substance consisting of soft, elastic, yellowish brown chaff, gathered in the Hawaiian Islands from the young fronds of free ferns of the genus Cibotium, chiefly C. Menziesii; -- used for stuffing mattresses, cushions, etc., and as an absorbent.
PULVERABLE Pul"ver*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being reduced to fine powder. Boyle.
PULVERACEOUS Pul`ver*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a finely powdered surface; pulverulent.
PULVERATE Pul"ver*ate, v. t. Etym: [L. pulveratus, p. p. of pulverare to pulverize. See Pulverize.]
Defn: To beat or reduce to powder or dust; to pulverize. [R.]
PULVERINE Pul"ver*ine, n. Etym: [L. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder; cf. F. pulvérin.]
Defn: Ashes of barilla. Ure.
PULVERIZABLE Pul"ver*i`za*ble, a.
Defn: Admitting of being pulverized; pulverable. Barton.
PULVERIZATION Pul`ver*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pulvérisation.]
Defn: The action of reducing to dust or powder.
PULVERIZE Pul"ver*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pulverized; p. pr. & vb. n. Pulverizing.] Etym: [F. pulvériser, L. pulverizare, fr. pulvis dust, powder. See Powder.]
Defn: To reduce of fine powder or dust, as by beating, grinding, or the like; as, friable substances may be pulverized by grinding or beating, but to pulverize malleable bodies other methods must be pursued.
PULVERIZE Pul"ver*ize, v. i.
Defn: To become reduced to powder; to fall to dust; as, the stone pulverizes easily.
PULVERIZER Pul"ver*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, pulverizes.
PULVEROUS Pul"ver*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. L. pulvereus, from pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder.]
Defn: Consisting of dust or powder; like powder.
PULVERULENCE Pul*ver"u*lence, n.
Defn: The state of being pulverulent; abundance of dust or powder; dustiness.
PULVERULENT Pul*ver"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. pulverulentus, fr. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder: cf. F. pulvérulent.]
Defn: Consisting of, or reducible to, fine powder; covered with dust or powder; powdery; dusty.
PULVIL Pul"vil, n. Etym: [It. polviglio, fr. L. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder: cf. Sp. polvillo.]
Defn: A sweet-scented powder; pulvillio. [Written also pulville.] [Obs.] Gay.
PULVIL Pul"vil, v. t.
Defn: To apply pulvil to. [Obs.] Congreve.
PULVILLIO; PULVILLO Pul*vil"li*o, Pul*vil"lo, n. Etym: [See Pulvil.]
Defn: A kind of perfume in the form of a powder, formerly much used, -- often in little bags. Smells of incense, ambergris, and pulvillios. Addison.
PULVILLUS Pul*vil"lus, n.; pl. Pulvilli. Etym: [L., a little cushion.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the minute cushions on the feet of certain insects.
PULVINAR Pul*vi"nar, n. Etym: [L., a cushion.] (Anat.)
Defn: A prominence on the posterior part of the thalamus of the human brain.
PULVINATE; PULVINATED Pul"vi*nate, Pul"vi*na`ted, a. Etym: [L. pulvinatus, fr. pulvinus a cushion, an elevation.]
1. (Arch.)
Defn: Curved convexly or swelled; as, a pulvinated frieze. Brande & C.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the form of a cushion.
PULVINIC Pul*vin"ic, a. Etym: [From Vulpinic, by transposition of the letters.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the decomposition of vulpinic acid, as a white crystalline substance.
PULVINULUS Pul*vin"u*lus, n.; pl. Pulvinuli. Etym: [L., a little mound.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pulvillus.
PUMA Pu"ma, n. Etym: [Peruv. puma.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large American carnivore (Felis concolor), found from Canada to Patagonia, especially among the mountains. Its color is tawny, or brownish yellow, without spots or stripes. Called also catamount, cougar, American lion, mountain lion, and panther or painter.
PUME Pume, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A stint.
PUMICATE Pu"mi*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pumicated; p. pr. & vb. n. Pumicating.] Etym: [L. pumicatus, p. p. of pumicare to pumicate, fr. pumex. See Pumice.]
Defn: To make smooth with pumice. [R.]
PUMICE Pum"ice, n. Etym: [L. pumex, pumicis, prob. akin to spuma foam: cf. AS. pumic-stan. Cf. Pounce a powder, Spume.] (Min.)
Defn: A very light porous volcanic scoria, usually of a gray color, the pores of which are capillary and parallel, giving it a fibrous structure. It is supposed to be produced by the disengagement of watery vapor without liquid or plastic lava. It is much used, esp. in the form of powder, for smoothing and polishing. Called also pumice stone.
PUMICED Pum"iced, a. (Far.)
Defn: Affected with a kind of chronic laminitis in which there is a growth of soft spongy horn between the coffin bone and the hoof wall. The disease is called pumiced foot, or pumice foot.
PUMICEOUS Pu*mi`ceous, a. Etym: [L. pumiceus.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to pumice; resembling pumice.
PUMICE STONE Pum"ice stone`.
Defn: Same as Pumice.
PUMICIFORM Pu*mic"i*form, a. Etym: [Pumice + -form.]
Defn: Resembling, or having the structure of, pumice.
PUMMACE Pum"mace, n.
Defn: Same as Pomace.
PUMMEL Pum"mel, n. & v. t.
Defn: Same as Pommel.
PUMP Pump (pûmp), n. Etym: [Probably so called as being worn for pomp or ornament. See Pomp.]
Defn: A low shoe with a thin sole. Swift.
PUMP Pump, n. Etym: [Akin to D. pomp, G. pumpe, F. pompe; of unknown origin.]
Defn: An hydraulic machine, variously constructed, for raising or transferring fluids, consisting essentially of a moving piece or piston working in a hollow cylinder or other cavity, with valves properly placed for admitting or retaining the fluid as it is drawn or driven through them by the action of the piston.
Note: for various kinds of pumps, see Air pump, Chain pump, and Force pump; also, under Lifting, Plunger, Rotary, etc. Circulating pump (Steam Engine), a pump for driving the condensing water through the casing, or tubes, of a surface condenser. -- Pump brake. See Pump handle, below. -- Pump dale. See Dale. -- Pump gear, the apparatus belonging to a pump. Totten. -- Pump handle, the lever, worked by hand, by which motion is given to the bucket of a pump. -- Pump hood, a semicylindrical appendage covering the upper wheel of a chain pump. -- Pump rod, the rod to which the bucket of a pump is fastened, and which is attached to the brake or handle; the piston rod. -- Pump room, a place or room at a mineral spring where the waters are drawn and drunk. [Eng.] -- Pump spear. Same as Pump rod, above. -- Pump stock, the stationary part, body, or barrel of a pump. -- Pump well. (Naut.) See Well.
PUMP Pump, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pumped (pûmt; 215); p. pr. & vb. n. pumping.]
1. To raise with a pump, as water or other liquid.
2. To draw water, or the like, from; to from water by means of a pump; as, they pumped the well dry; to pump a ship.
3. Figuratively, to draw out or obtain, as secrets or money, by persistent questioning or plying; to question or ply persistently in order to elicit something, as information, money, etc. But pump not me for politics. Otway.
PUMP Pump, v. i.
Defn: To work, or raise water, a pump.
PUMPAGE Pump"age, n.
Defn: That which is raised by pumps, or the work done by pumps. The pumpage last year amounted to . . . gallons. Sci. Amer.
PUMPER Pump"er, n.
Defn: One who pumps; the instrument or machine used in pumping. Boyle.
PUMPERNICKEL Pump"er*nick`el, n. Etym: [G.]
Defn: A sort of bread, made of unbolted rye, which forms the chief food of the Westphalian peasants. It is acid but nourishing.
PUMPET Pum"pet, n.
Defn: A pompet. Pumpet ball (Print.), a ball for inking types; a pompet.
PUMPING Pump"ing,
Defn: a. & n. from pump. Pumping engine, a steam engine and pump combined for raising water. See Steam engine.
PUMPION Pump"ion, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Pumpkin.
PUMPKIN Pump"kin, n. Etym: [For older pompion, pompon, OF. pompon, L. pepo, peponis, Gr. Cook, n.] (Bot.)
Defn: A well-known trailing plant (Cucurbita pepo) and its fruit, -- used for cooking and for feeding stock; a pompion. Pumpkin seed. (a) The flattish oval seed of the pumpkin. (b) (Zoöl.) The common pondfish.
PUMY Pu"my, a. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. pummer big, large, and E. pomey pommel.]
Defn: Large and rounded. [Obs.] A gentle stream, whose murmuring wave did play Amongst the pumy stones. Spenser.
PUN Pun, v. t. Etym: [See Pound to beat.]
Defn: To pound. [Obs.] He would pun thee into shivers with his fist. Shak.
PUN Pun, n. Etym: [Cf. Pun to pound, Pound to beat.]
Defn: A play on words which have the same sound but different meanings; an expression in which two different applications of a word present an odd or ludicrous idea; a kind of quibble or equivocation. Addison. A better put on this word was made on the Beggar's Opera, which, it was said, made Gay rich, and Rich gay. Walpole.
PUN Pun, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Punned; p. pr. & vb. n. Punning.]
Defn: To make puns, or a pun; to use a word in a double sense, especially when the contrast of ideas is ludicrous; to play upon words; to quibble. Dryden.
PUN Pun, v. t.
Defn: To persuade or affect by a pun. Addison.
PUNA Pu"na, n. [Sp., of Peruv. origin.]
Defn: A cold arid table-land, as in the Andes of Peru.
PUNCH Punch, n. Etym: [Hind. panch five, Skr. pacan. So called because composed of five ingredients, viz., sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See Five.]
Defn: A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice of lemon, with spice or mint; -- specifically named from the kind of spirit used; as rum punch, claret punch, champagne punch, etc. Milk punch, a sort of punch made with spirit, milk, sugar, spice, etc. -- Punch bowl, a large bowl in which punch is made, or from which it is served. -- Roman punch, a punch frozen and served as an ice.
PUNCH Punch, n. Etym: [Abbrev, fr. punchinello.]
Defn: The buffoon or harlequin of a puppet show. Punch and Judy, a puppet show in which a comical little hunchbacked Punch, with a large nose, engages in altercation with his wife Judy.
PUNCH Punch, n. Etym: [Prov. E. Cf. Punchy.]
1. A short, fat fellow; anything short and thick. I . . . did hear them call their fat child punch, which pleased me mightily, that word being become a word of common use for all that is thick and short. Pepys.
2. One of a breed of large, heavy draught horses; as, the Suffolk punch.
PUNCH Punch, v. t. Etym: [OE. punchen, perhaps the same word as E. punish: or cf. E. bunch.]
Defn: To thrust against; to poke; as, to punch one with the end of a stick or the elbow.
PUNCH Punch, n.
Defn: A thrust or blow. [Colloq.]
PUNCH Punch, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. puncheon.]
1. A tool, usually of steel, variously shaped at one end for different uses, and either solid, for stamping or for perforating holes in metallic plates and other substances, or hollow and sharpedged, for cutting out blanks, as for buttons, steel pens, jewelry, and the like; a die.
2. (Pile Driving)
Defn: An extension piece applied to the top of a pile; a dolly.
3. A prop, as for the roof of a mine. Bell punch. See under Bell. -- Belt punch (Mach.), a punch, or punch pliers, for making holes for lacings in the ends of driving belts. -- Punch press. See Punching machine, under Punch, v. i. -- Punch pliers, pliers having a tubular, sharp-edged steel punch attached to one of the jaws, for perforating leather, paper, and the like.
PUNCH Punch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punched; p. pr. & vb. n. Punching.] Etym: [From Punch, n., a tool; cf. F. poinçonner.]
Defn: To perforate or stamp with an instrument by pressure, or a blow; as, to punch a hole; to punch ticket. Punching machine, or Punching press, a machine tool for punching holes in metal or other material; -- called also punch press.
PUNCHEON Punch"eon, n. Etym: [F. poinçon awl, bodkin, crown, king-post, fr. L. punctio a pricking, fr. pungere to prick. See Pungent, and cf. Punch a tool, Punction.]
1. A figured stamp, die, or punch, used by goldsmiths, cutlers, etc.
2. (Carp.)
Defn: A short, upright piece of timber in framing; a short post; an intermediate stud. Oxf. Gloss.
3. A split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed; as, a floor made of puncheons. [U.S.] Bartlett.
4. Etym: [F. poinçon, perh. the same as poinçon an awl.]
Defn: A cask containing, sometimes 84, sometimes 120, gallons.
PUNCHER Punch"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, punches.
PUNCHIN Pun"chin, n.
Defn: See Puncheon.
PUNCHINELLO Pun`chi*nel"lo, n. Etym: [It. pulcinella, probably originally a word of endearment, dim. of pulcina, pulcino, a chicken, from L. pullicenus, pullus. See Pullet.]
Defn: A punch; a buffoon; originally, in a puppet show, a character represented as fat, short, and humpbacked. Spectator.
PUNCHY Punch"y, a. Etym: [Perhaps for paunchy, from paunch. See 3d Punch.]
Defn: Short and thick, or fat.
PUNCTATED; PUNCTATED Punc"ta*ted, Punc"ta*ted, a. Etym: [From L. punctum point. See Point .]
1. Pointed; ending in a point or points.
2. (Nat. Hist.)
Defn: Dotted with small spots of color, or with minute depressions or pits.
PUNCTATOR Punc*ta"tor, n.
Defn: One who marks with points. specifically, one who writes Hebrew with points; -- applied to a Masorite. E. Robinson.
PUNCTICULAR Punc*tic"u*lar, a.
Defn: Comprised in, or like, a point; exact. [Obs. & R.] Sir T. Browne.
PUNCTIFORM Punc"ti*form, a. Etym: [L. punctum point + -form.]
Defn: Having the form of a point.
PUNCTILIO Punc*til"io, n.; pl. Punctilios. Etym: [It. puntiglio, or Sp. puntillo, dim. fr. L. punctum point. See Point, n.]
Defn: A nice point of exactness in conduct, ceremony, or proceeding; particularity or exactness in forms; as, the punctilios of a public ceremony. They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices. Fuller .
PUNCTILIOUS Punc*til"ious, a. Etym: [Cf. It. puntiglioso, Sp. puntilloso.]
Defn: Attentive to punctilio; very nice or exact in the forms of behavior, etiquette, or mutual intercourse; precise; exact in the smallest particulars. "A punctilious observance of divine laws." Rogers. "Very punctilious copies of any letters. The Nation. Punctilious in the simple and intelligible instances of common life. I. Taylor. -- Punc*til"ious*ly, adv. -- Punc*til"ious*ness, n.
PUNCTION Punc"tion, n. Etym: [L. punctio, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick: cf. F. ponction. Cf. Puncheon.]
Defn: A puncturing, or pricking; a puncture.
PUNCTIST Punc"tist, n.
Defn: A punctator. E. Henderson.
PUNCTO Punc"to, n. Etym: [See Punto.]
1. A nice point of form or ceremony. Bacon.
2. A term applied to the point in fencing. Farrow.
PUNCTUAL Punc"tu*al, a. Etym: [F. ponctuel (cf. Sp.puntual, It. puntuale), from L. punctum point. See Point.]
1. Consisting in a point; limited to a point; unextended. [R.] "This punctual spot." Milton. The theory of the punctual existence of the soul. Krauth.
2. Observant of nice points; punctilious; precise. Punctual to tediousness in all that he relates. Bp. Burnet. So much on punctual niceties they stand. C. Pitt.
3. Appearing or done at, or adhering exactly to, a regular or an appointed time; precise; prompt; as, a punctual man; a punctual payment. "The race of the undeviating and punctual sun." Cowper. These sharp strokes [of a pendulum], with their inexorably steady intersections, so agree with our successive thoughts that they seem like the punctual stops counting off our very souls into the past. J. Martineau.
PUNCTUALIST Punc"tu*al*ist, n.
Defn: One who is very exact in observing forms and ceremonies. Milton.
PUNCTUALITY Punc`tu*al"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. ponctualité.]
Defn: The quality or state of being punctual; especially, adherence to the exact time of an engagement; exactness.
PUNCTUALLY Punc"tu*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a punctual manner; promptly; exactly.
PUNCTUALNESS Punc"tu*al*ness, n.
Defn: Punctuality; exactness.
PUNCTUATE Punc"tu*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punctuated; p. pr. & vb. n. Punctuating.] Etym: [Cf. F. ponctuer. See Punctual.]
Defn: To mark with points; to separate into sentences, clauses, etc., by points or stops which mark the proper pauses in expressing the meaning.
PUNCTUATION Punc`tu*a"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. ponctuation.] (Gram.)
Defn: The act or art of punctuating or pointing a writing or discourse; the art or mode of dividing literary composition into sentences, and members of a sentence, by means of points, so as to elucidate the author's meaning.
Note: Punctuation, as the term is usually understood, is chiefly performed with four points: the period [.], the colon [:], the semicolon [;], and the comma [,]. Other points used in writing and printing, partly rhetorical and partly grammatical, are the note of interrogation [], the note of exclamation [!], the parentheses [()], the dash [--], and brackets []. It was not until the 16th century that an approach was made to the present system of punctuation by the Manutii of Venice. With Caxton, oblique strokes took the place of commas and periods.
PUNCTUATIVE Punc"tu*a*tive, a.
Defn: Of or belonging to points of division; relating to punctuation. The punctuative intonation of feeble cadence. Rush.
PUNCTUATOR Punc"tu*a`tor, n.
Defn: One who punctuates, as in writing; specifically, a punctator.
PUNCTUIST Punc"tu*ist, n.
Defn: A punctator.
PUNCTULATE; PUNCTULATED Punc"tu*late, Punc"tu*la`ted, a. Etym: [L. punctulum, dim. of punctum point.]
Defn: Marked with small spots. The studs have their surface punctulated, as if set all over with other studs infinitely lesser. Woodward.
PUNCTUM Punc"tum, n. Etym: [L., a point.]
Defn: A point. Punctum cæcum. Etym: [L., blind point.] (Anat.) Same as Blind spot, under Blind. -- Punctum proximum, near point. See under Point. -- Punctum remotum, far point. See under Point. -- Punctum vegetationis Etym: [L., point of vegetation] (Bot.), the terminal cell of a stem, or of a leaf bud, from which new growth originates.
PUNCTURATION Punc`tu*ra"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of puncturing. See Acupuncture.
PUNCTURE Punc"ture, n. Etym: [L. punctura, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. See Pungent.]
1. The act of puncturing; perforating with something pointed.
2. A small hole made by a point; a slight wound, bite, or sting; as, the puncture of a nail, needle, or pin. A lion may perish by the puncture of an asp. Rambler.
PUNCTURE Punc"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punctured; p. pr. & vb. n. Puncturing.]
Defn: To pierce with a small, pointed instrument, or the like; to prick; to make a puncture in; as, to puncture the skin.
PUNCTURED Punc"tured, a.
1. Having the surface covered with minute indentations or dots.
2. (Med.)
Defn: Produced by puncture; having the characteristics of a puncture; as, a punctured wound.
PUNDIT Pun"dit, n. Etym: [Hind. pandit, Skr. pandita a learned man.]
Defn: A learned man; a teacher; esp., a Brahman versed in the Sanskrit language, and in the science, laws, and religion of the Hindoos; in Cashmere, any clerk or native official. [Written also pandit.] [India]
PUNDLE Pun"dle, n. Etym: [Cf. Bundle.]
Defn: A short and fat woman; a squab. [Obs.]
PUNESE Pu"nese, n. Etym: [F. punaise, fr. punais stinking, fr. L. putere.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bedbug. [R or Obs.]
PUNG Pung, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: A kind of plain sleigh drawn by one horse; originally, a rude oblong box on runners. [U.S.] Sledges or pungs, coarsely framed of split saplings, and surmounted with a large crockery crate. Judd. They did not take out the pungs to-day. E. E. Hale.
PUNGENCE Pun"gence, n. Etym: [See Pungent.]
Defn: Pungency.
PUNGENCY Pun"gen*cy, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being pungent or piercing; keenness; sharpness; piquancy; as, the pungency of ammonia. "The pungency of menaces." Hammond.
PUNGENT Pun"gent, a. Etym: [L. pungens, -entis, p. pr. of pungere, punctum, to prick. Cf. Compunction, Expunge, Poignant, Point, n., Puncheon, Punctilio, Punt, v. t.]
1. Causing a sharp sensation, as of the taste, smell, or feelings; pricking; biting; acrid; as, a pungent spice. Pungent radish biting infant's tongue. Shenstone. The pungent grains of titillating dust. Pope.
2. Sharply painful; penetrating; poignant; severe; caustic; stinging. With pungent pains on every side. Swift. His pungent pen played its part in rousing the nation. J. R. Green.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: Prickly-pointed; hard and sharp.
Syn. -- Acrid; piercing; sharp; penetrating; acute; keen; acrimonious; biting; stinging.
PUNGENTLY Pun"gent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a pungent manner; sharply.
PUNGLED Pun"gled, a. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: Shriveled or shrunken; -- said especially of grain which has lost its juices from the ravages of insects, such as the wheat midge, or Trips (Thrips cerealium).
PUNGY Pung"y, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: A small sloop or shallop, or a large boat with sails.
PUNIC Pu"nic, a. Etym: [L. Punicus pertaining to Carthage, or its inhabitants, fr. Poeni the Carthaginians.]
1. Of or pertaining to the ancient Carthaginians.
2. Characteristic of the ancient Carthaginians; faithless; treacherous; as, Punic faith. Yes, yes, his faith attesting nations own; 'T is Punic all, and to a proverb known. H. Brooke.
PUNICE Pu"nice, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Punese. [Obs. or R.]
PUNICE Pu"nice, v. t.
Defn: To punish. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PUNICEOUS; PUNICIAL Pu*ni"ceous, Pu*ni"cial, a. Etym: [L. puniceus, fr. Punicus Punic.]
Defn: Of a bright red or purple color. [R.]
PUNINESS Pu"ni*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being puny; littleness; pettiness; feebleness.
PUNISH Pun"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punished; p. pr. & vb. n. Punishing.] Etym: [OE. punischen, F. punir, from L. punire, punitum, akin to poena punishment, penalty. See Pain, and -ish.]
1. To impose a penalty upon; to afflict with pain, loss, or suffering for a crime or fault, either with or without a view to the offender's amendment; to cause to suffer in retribution; to chasten; as, to punish traitors with death; a father punishes his child for willful disobedience. A greater power Now ruled him, punished in the shape he sinned. Milton.
2. To inflict a penalty for (an offense) upon the offender; to repay, as a fault, crime, etc., with pain or loss; as, to punish murder or treason with death.
3. To injure, as by beating; to pommel. [Low]
Syn. -- To chastise; castigate; scourge; whip; lash; correct; discipline. See Chasten.
PUNISHABLE Pun"ish*a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. punissable.]
Defn: Deserving of, or liable to, punishment; capable of being punished by law or right; -- said of person or offenses. That time was, when to be a Protestant, to be a Christian, was by law as punishable as to be a traitor. Milton. -- Pun"ish*a*ble*ness, n.
PUNISHER Pun"ish*er, n.
Defn: One who inflicts punishment.
PUNISHMENT Pun"ish*ment, n.
1. The act of punishing.
2. Any pain, suffering, or loss inflicted on a person because of a crime or offense. I never gave them condign punishment. Shak. The rewards and punishments of another life. Locke.
3. (Law)
Defn: A penalty inflicted by a court of justice on a convicted offender as a just retribution, and incidentally for the purposes of reformation and prevention.
PUNITION Pu*ni"tion, n. Etym: [L. punitio: cf. F. punition. See Punish.]
Defn: Punishment. [R.] Mir. for Mag.
PUNITIVE Pu"ni*tive, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to punishment; involving, awarding, or inflicting punishment; as, punitive law or justice. If death be punitive, so, likewise, is the necessity imposed upon man of toiling for his subsistence. I. Taylor. We shall dread a blow from the punitive hand. Bagehot.
PUNITORY Pu"ni*to*ry, a.
Defn: Punishing; tending to punishment; punitive. God . . . may make moral evil, as well as natural, at the same time both prudential and punitory. A. Tucker.
PUNK Punk, n. Etym: [Cf. Spunk.]
1. Wood so decayed as to be dry, crumbly, and useful for tinder; touchwood.
2. A fungus (Polyporus fomentarius, etc.) sometimes dried for tinder; agaric.
3. An artificial tinder. See Amadou, and Spunk.
4. A prostitute; a strumpet. [Obsoles.] Shak.
PUNKA Pun"ka, n. Etym: [Hind. pankha fan.]
Defn: A machine for fanning a room, usually a movable fanlike frame covered with canvas, and suspended from the ceiling. It is kept in motion by pulling a cord. [Hindostan] [Written also punkah.] Malcom.
PUNKIE Punk"ie, n. [Orig. unknown.]
Defn: A minute biting fly of the genus Ceratopogon or allied genus of the family Chironomidæ, found in swarms in various densely wooded or mountaneous regions. [U. S.]
PUNKIN Pun"kin, n.
Defn: A pumpkin. [Colloq. U. S.]
PUNKLING Punk"ling, n.
Defn: A young strumpet. [Obs.]
PUNNER Pun"ner, n.
Defn: A punster. Beau. & Fl.
PUNNET Pun"net, n. Etym: [Cf. Ir. buinne a shoot, branch.]
Defn: A broad, shallow basket, for displaying fruit or flowers.
PUNNOLOGY Pun*nol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Pun + -logy.]
Defn: The art or practice of punning; paronomasia. [R.] Pope.
PUNSTER Pun"ster, n.
Defn: One who puns, or is skilled in, or given to, punning; a quibbler; a low wit.
PUNT Punt, v. i. Etym: [F. ponter, or It. puntare, fr. L. punctum point. See Point.]
Defn: To play at basset, baccara, faro. or omber; to gamble. She heard . . . of his punting at gaming tables. Thackeray.
PUNT Punt, n.
Defn: Act of playing at basset, baccara, faro, etc.
PUNT Punt, n. Etym: [AS., fr. L. ponto punt, pontoon. See Pontoon.] (Naut.)
Defn: A flat-bottomed boat with square ends. It is adapted for use in shallow waters.
PUNT Punt, v. t.
1. To propel, as a boat in shallow water, by pushing with a pole against the bottom; to push or propel (anything) with exertion. Livingstone.
2. (Football)
Defn: To kick (the ball) before it touches the ground, when let fall from the hands.
PUNT Punt, n. (Football)
Defn: The act of punting the ball.
PUNTELLO Pun*tel"lo, n.; pl. -li (#). [It., dim. of punto point.] (Sculpture)
Defn: One of the points sometimes drilled as guides for cutting away superfluous stone.
PUNTER Punt"er, n.Etym: [Cf. F. ponte. See Punt, v. t.]
Defn: One who punts; specifically, one who plays against the banker or dealer, as in baccara and faro. Hoyle.
PUNTER Punt"er, n.
Defn: One who punts a football; also, one who propels a punt.
PUNTIL; PUNTEL Pun"til, Pun"tel, n. (Glass Making)
Defn: See Pontee.
PUNTO Pun"to, n. Etym: [It. punto, L. punctum point. See Point.] (Fencing)
Defn: A point or hit. Punto diritto Etym: [It.], a direct stroke or hit. -- Punto reverso Etym: [It. riverso reverse], a backhanded stroke. Halliwell. "Ah, the immortal passado! the punto reverso!" Shak.
PUNT-OUT Punt"-out`, n. (American Football)
Defn: A punt made from the goal line by a player of the side which has made a touchdown to one of his own side for a fair catch, from which an attempt to kick a goal may be made.
PUNTY Pun"ty, n. (Glass Making)
Defn: See Pontee.
PUNY Pu"ny, a. [Compar. Punier; superl. Puniest.] Etym: [F. puîté younger, later born, OF. puisné; puis afterwards (L. post; see Post-) + né born, L. natus. See Natal, and cf. Puisne.]
Defn: Imperfectly developed in size or vigor; small and feeble; inferior; petty. A puny subject strikes at thy great glory. Shak. Breezes laugh to scorn our puny speed. Keble.
PUNY Pu"ny, n.
Defn: A youth; a novice. [R.] Fuller.
PUOY Puoy, n.
Defn: Same as Poy, n., 3.
PUP Pup, n. Etym: [See Puppy.] (Zoöl.) (a) A young dog; a puppy. (b) a young seal.
PUP Pup, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pupped; p. pr. & vb. n. Pupping.]
Defn: To bring forth whelps or young, as the female of the canine species.
PUPA Pu"pa, n.; pl. L. Pup, E. Pupas. Etym: [L. pupa girl. doll, puppet, fem. of pupus. Cf. Puppet.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any insect in that stage of its metamorphosis which usually immediately precedes the adult, or imago, stage.
Note: Among insects belonging to the higher orders, as the Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, the pupa is inactive and takes no food; in the lower orders it is active and takes food, and differs little from the imago except in the rudimentary state of the sexual organs, and of the wings in those that have wings when adult. The term pupa is sometimes applied to other invertebrates in analogous stages of development.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of air-breathing land snails having an elongated spiral shell. Coarctate, or Obtected, pupa, a pupa which is incased in the dried-up skin of the larva, as in many Diptera. -- Masked pupa, a pupa whose limbs are bound down and partly concealed by a chitinous covering, as in Lepidoptera.
PUPAL Pu"pal, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a pupa, or the condition of a pupa.
PUPATE Pu"pate, v. i. (Zoöl.)
Defn: To become a pupa.
PUPATION Pu*pa"tion, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: the act of becoming a pupa.
PUPE Pupe, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A pupa.
PUPELO Pu*pe"lo, n.
Defn: Cider brandy. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett.
PUPIGEROUS Pu*pig"er*ous, a. Etym: [Pupa + -gerous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Bearing or containing a pupa; -- said of dipterous larvæ which do not molt when the pupa is formed within them.
PUPIL Pu"pil, n. Etym: [F. pupille, n. fem., L. pupilla the pupil of the eye, originally dim. of pupa a girl. See Puppet, and cf. Pupil a scholar.] (Anat.)
Defn: The aperture in the iris; the sight, apple, or black of the eye. See the Note under Eye, and Iris. Pin-hole pupil (Med.), the pupil of the eye when so contracted (as it sometimes is in typhus, or opium poisoning) as to resemble a pin hole. Dunglison.
PUPIL Pu"pil, n. Etym: [F. pupille, n. masc. & fem., L. pupillus, pupilla, dim. of pupus boy, pupa girl. See Puppet, and cf. Pupil of the eye.]
1. A youth or scholar of either sex under the care of an instructor or tutor. Too far in years to be a pupil now. Shak. Tutors should behave reverently before their pupils. L'Estrange.
2. A person under a guardian; a ward. Dryden.
3. (Civil Law)
Defn: A boy or a girl under the age of puberty, that is, under fourteen if a male, and under twelve if a female.
Syn. -- Learner; disciple; tyro. -- See Scholar.
PUPILAGE Pu"pil*age, n.
Defn: The state of being a pupil. As sons of kings, loving in pupilage, Have turned to tyrants when they came to power. Tennyson.
PUPILLARITY Pu`pil*lar"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pupillarité. See Pupillary.] (Scots Law)
Defn: The period before puberty, or from birth to fourteen in males, and twelve in females.
PUPILLARY Pu"pil*la*ry, a. Etym: [L. pupillaris: cf. F.pupillaire. See Pupil.]
1. Of or pertaining to a pupil or ward. Johnson.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the pupil of the eye.
PUPILLOMETER Pu`pil*lom"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. pupilla pupil of the eye + -meter.] (Physiol.)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the size of the pupil of the pupil of the eye.
PUPIPARA Pu*pip"a*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pupiparous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Diptera in which the young are born in a stage like the pupa. It includes the sheep tick, horse tick, and other parasites. Called also Homaloptera.
PUPIPAROUS Pu*pip"a*rous, a. Etym: [Pupa + L. parere to bring forth.] (Zoöl.) (a) Bearing, or containing, a pupa; -- said of the matured larvæ, or larval skins, of certain Diptera. (b) Of or pertaining to the Pupipara.
PUPIVORA Pu*piv"o*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pupivorous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A group of parasitic Hymenoptera, including the ichneumon flies, which destroy the larvæ and pupæ of insects.
PUPIVOROUS Pu*piv"o*rous, a. Etym: [Pupa + L. vorare to devour.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Feeding on the pupæ of insects.
PUPLICAN Pup"li*can, n.
Defn: Publican. [Obs.]
PUPPET Pup"pet, n. Etym: [OE. popet, OF. poupette; akin to F. poupée a doll, probably from L. puppa, pupa, a girl, doll, puppet. Cf. Poupeton, Pupa, Pupil, Puppy.] [Written also poppet.]
1. A small image in the human form; a doll.
2. A similar figure moved by the hand or by a wire in a mock drama; a marionette; a wooden actor in a play. At the pipes of some carved organ move, The gilded puppets dance. Pope.
3. One controlled in his action by the will of another; a tool; -- so used in contempt. Sir W. Scott.
4. (Mach.)
Defn: The upright support for the bearing of the spindle in a lathe. Puppet master. Same as Puppetman. -- Puppet play, a puppet show. -- Puppet player, one who manages the motions of puppets. -- Puppet show, a mock drama performed by puppets moved by wires. -- Puppet valve, a valve in the form of a circular disk, which covers a hole in its seat, and opens by moving bodily away from the seat while remaining parallel with it, -- used in steam engines, pumps, safety valves, etc. Its edge is often beveled, and fits in a conical recess in the seat when the valve is closed. See the valves shown in Illusts. of Plunger pump, and Safety valve, under Plunger, and Safety.
PUPPETISH Pup"pet*ish, a.
Defn: Resembling a puppet in appearance or action; of the nature of a puppet.
PUPPETMAN Pup"pet*man, n.
Defn: A master of a puppet show.
PUPPETRY Pup"pet*ry, n.
Defn: Action or appearance resembling that of a puppet, or puppet show; hence, mere form or show; affectation. Puppetry of the English laws of divorce. Chambers.
PUPPY Pup"py, n.; pl. Puppies. Etym: [F. poupée doll, puppet. See Puppet, and cf. Pup, n.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The young of a canine animal, esp. of the common dog; a whelp.
2. A name of contemptuous reproach for a conceited and impertinent person. I found my place taken by an ill-bred, awkward puppy with a money bag under each arm. Addison.
PUPPY Pup"py, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puppied; p. pr. & vb. n. Puppying.]
Defn: To bring forth whelps; to pup.
PUPPYHOOD Pup"py*hood, n.
Defn: The time or state of being a puppy; the time of being young and undisciplined.
PUPPYISH Pup"py*ish, a.
Defn: Like a puppy.
PUPPYISM Pup"py*ism, n.
Defn: Extreme meanness, affectation, conceit, or impudence. A. Chalmers.
PUR Pur, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Purred; p. pr. & vb. n. Purring.] Etym: [Of imitative origin; cf. Prov. G. purren.]
Defn: To utter a low, murmuring, continued sound, as a cat does when pleased. [Written also purr.]
PUR Pur, v. t.
Defn: To signify or express by purring. Gray.
PUR Pur, n.
Defn: The low, murmuring sound made by a cat to express contentment or pleasure. [Written also purr.]
PURANA Pu*ra"na, n. Etym: [Skr. pura, properly. old, ancient, fr. pura formerly.]
Defn: One of a class of sacred Hindoo poetical works in the Sanskrit language which treat of the creation, destruction, and renovation of worlds, the genealogy and achievements of gods and heroes, the reigns of the Manus, and the transactions of their descendants. The principal Puranas are eighteen in number, and there are the same number of supplementary books called Upa Puranas.
PURANIC Pu*ran"ic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to the Puranas.
PURBECK BEDS Pur"beck beds`. Etym: [So called from the Isle of Purbeck in England.] (Geol.)
Defn: The strata of the Purbeck stone, or Purbeck limestone, belonging to the Oölitic group. See the Chart of Geology.
PURBECK STONE Pur"beck stone`. (Geol.)
Defn: A limestone from the Isle of Purbeck in England.
PURBLIND Pur"blind`, a. Etym: [For pure-blind, i. e., wholly blind. See Pure, and cf. Poreblind.]
1. Wholly blind. "Purblind Argus, all eyes and no sight." Shak.
2. Nearsighted, or dim-sighted; seeing obscurely; as, a purblind eye; a purblind mole. The saints have not so sharp eyes to see down from heaven; they be purblindand sand-blind. Latimer. O purblind race of miserable men. Tennyson. -- Pur"blind`ly, adv. -- Pur"blind`ness, n.
PURCELANE Purce"lane, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Purslane. [Obs.]
PURCHASABLE Pur"chas*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being bought, purchased, or obtained for a consideration; hence, venal; corrupt. Money being the counterbalance to all things purchasable by it, as much as you take off from the value of money, so much you add to the price of things exchanged. Locke.
PURCHASE Pur"chase (; 48), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purchased; p. pr. & vb. n. Purchasing.] Etym: [OE. purchasen, porchacen, OF. porchacier, purchacier, to pursue, to seek eagerly, F. pourchasser; OF. pour, por, pur, for (L. pro) + chacier to pursue, to chase. See Chase.]
1. To pursue and obtain; to acquire by seeking; to gain, obtain, or acquire. Chaucer. That loves the thing he can not purchase. Spenser. Your accent is Something finer than you could purchase in so removed a dwelling. Shak. His faults . . . hereditary Rather than purchased. Shak.
2. To obtain by paying money or its equivalent; to buy for a price; as, to purchase land, or a house. The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth. Gen. xxv. 10.
3. To obtain by any outlay, as of labor, danger, or sacrifice, etc.; as, to purchase favor with flattery. One poor retiring minute . . . Would purchase thee a thousand thousand friends. Shak. A world who would not purchase with a bruise Milton.
4. To expiate by a fine or forfeit. [Obs.] Not tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses. Shak.
5. (Law) (a) To acquire by any means except descent or inheritance. Blackstone. (b) To buy for a price.
6. To apply to (anything) a device for obtaining a mechanical advantage; to get a purchase upon, or apply a purchase to; as, to purchase a cannon.
PURCHASE Pur"chase, v. i.
1. To put forth effort to obtain anything; to strive; to exert one's self. [Obs.] Duke John of Brabant purchased greatly that the Earl of Flanders should have his daughter in marriage. Ld. Berners.
2. To acquire wealth or property. [Obs.] Sure our lawyers Would not purchase half so fast. J. Webster.
PURCHASE Pur"chase (; 48), n. Etym: [OE. purchds, F. pourchas eager pursuit. See Purchase, v. t.]
1. The act of seeking, getting, or obtaining anything. [Obs.] I'll . . . get meat to have thee, Or lose my life in the purchase. Beau. & Fl.
2. The act of seeking and acquiring property.
3. The acquisition of title to, or properly in, anything for a price; buying for money or its equivalent. It is foolish to lay out money in the purchase of repentance. Franklin.
4. That which is obtained, got, or acquired, in any manner, honestly or dishonestly; property; possession; acquisition. Chaucer. B. Jonson. We met with little purchase upon this coast, except two small vessels of Golconda. De Foe. A beauty-waning and distressed widow . . . Made prize and purchase of his lustful eye. Shak.
5. That which is obtained for a price in money or its equivalent. "The scrip was complete evidence of his right in the purchase." Wheaton.
6. Any mechanical hold, or advantage, applied to the raising or removing of heavy bodies, as by a lever, a tackle, capstan, and the like; also, the apparatus, tackle, or device by which the advantage is gained. A politician, to do great things, looks for a power -- what our workmen call a purchase. Burke.
7. (Law)
Defn: Acquisition of lands or tenements by other means than descent or inheritance, namely, by one's own act or agreement. Blackstone. Purchase criminal, robbery. [Obs.] Spenser. -- Purchase money, the money paid, or contracted to be paid, for anything bought. Berkeley. -- Worth, or At, [so many] years' purchase, a phrase by which the value or cost of a thing is expressed in the length of time required for the income to amount to the purchasing price; as, he bought the estate at a twenty years' purchase. To say one's life is not worth a day's purchase in the same as saying one will not live a day, or is in imminent peril.
PURCHASER Pur"chas*er, n.
1. One who purchases; one who acquires property for a consideration, generally of money; a buyer; a vendee.
2. (Law)
Defn: One who acquires an estate in lands by his own act or agreement, or who takes or obtains an estate by any means other than by descent or inheritance.
PURDAH Pur"dah, n. Etym: [Per. parda a curtain.]
Defn: A curtain or screen; also, a cotton fabric in blue and white stripes, used for curtains. McElrath.
PURE Pure, a. [Compar. Purer; superl. Purest.] Etym: [OE. pur, F. pur, fr. L. purus; akin to putus pure, clear, putare to clean, trim, prune, set in order, settle, reckon, consider, think, Skr. p to clean, and perh. E. fire. Cf. Putative.]
1. Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; free from mixture or combination; clean; mere; simple; unmixed; as, pure water; pure clay; pure air; pure compassion. The pure fetters on his shins great. Chaucer. A guinea is pure gold if it has in it no alloy. I. Watts.
2. Free from moral defilement or quilt; hence, innocent; guileless; chaste; -- applied to persons. "Keep thyself pure." 1 Tim. v. 22. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience. 1 Tim. i. 5.
3. Free from that which harms, vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect; -- applied to things and actions. "Pure religion and impartial laws." Tickell. "The pure, fine talk of Rome." Ascham. Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records. Macaulay.
4. (Script.)
Defn: Ritually clean; fitted for holy services. Thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. Lev. xxiv. 6.
5. (Phonetics)
Defn: Of a single, simple sound or tone; -- said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants. Pure-impure, completely or totally impure. "The inhabitants were pure-impure pagans." Fuller. -- Pure blue. (Chem.) See Methylene blue, under Methylene. -- Pure chemistry. See under Chemistry. -- Pure mathematics, that portion of mathematics which treats of the principles of the science, or contradistinction to applied mathematics, which treats of the application of the principles to the investigation of other branches of knowledge, or to the practical wants of life. See Mathematics. Davies & Peck (Math. Dict. ) -- Pure villenage (Feudal Law), a tenure of lands by uncertain services at the will of the lord. Blackstone.
Syn. -- Unmixed; clear; simple; real; true; genuine; unadulterated; uncorrupted; unsullied; untarnished; unstained; stainless; clean; fair; unspotted; spotless; incorrupt; chaste; unpolluted; undefiled; immaculate; innocent; guiltless; guileless; holy.
PURED Pured, a.
Defn: Purified; refined. [Obs.] "Bread of pured wheat." "Pured gold." Chaucer.
PUREE Pu`rée", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A dish made by boiling any article of food to a pulp and rubbing it through a sieve; as, a purée of fish, or of potatoes; especially, a soup the thickening of which is so treated.
PURELY Pure"ly, adv.
1. In a pure manner (in any sense of the adjective).
2. Nicely; prettily. [Archaic] Halliwell.
PURENESS Pure"ness, n.
Defn: The state of being pure (in any sense of the adjective).
PURFILE Pur"file, n. Etym: [See Purfle.]
Defn: A sort of ancient trimming of tinsel and thread for women's gowns; -- called also bobbinwork. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
PURFLE Pur"fle, v. t. Etym: [OF. pourfiler; pour for + fil a thread, L. filum. See Profile, and cf. Purl a border.]
1. To decorate with a wrought or flowered border; to embroider; to ornament with metallic threads; as, to purfle with blue and white. P. Plowman. A goodly lady clad in scarlet red, Purfled with gold and pearl of rich assay. Spenser.
2. (Her.)
Defn: To ornament with a bordure of emines, furs, and the like; also, with gold studs or mountings.
PURFLE; PURFLEW Pur"fle, Pur"flew, n.
1. A hem, border., or trimming, as of embroidered work.
2. (Her.)
Defn: A border of any heraldic fur.
PURFLED Pur"fled, a.
Defn: Ornamented; decorated; esp., embroidered on the edges. Purfled work (Arch.), delicate tracery, especially in Gothic architecture.
PURFLING Pur"fling, n.
Defn: Ornamentation on the border of a thing; specifically, the inlaid border of a musical instrument, as a violin.
PURGAMENT Pur"ga*ment, n. Etym: [L. purgamentum offscourings, washings, expiatory sacrifice. See Purge.]
1. That which is excreted; excretion. [Obs.]
2. (Med.)
Defn: A cathartic; a purgative. [Obs.] Bacon.
PURGATION Pur*ga"tion, n. Etym: [L. purgatio: cf. F. purgation. See Purge.]
1. The act of purging; the act of clearing, cleansing, or putifying, by separating and carrying off impurities, or whatever is superfluous; the evacuation of the bowels.
2. (Law)
Defn: The clearing of one's self from a crime of which one was publicly suspected and accused. It was either canonical, which was prescribed by the canon law, the form whereof used in the spiritual court was, that the person suspected take his oath that he was clear of the matter objected against him, and bring his honest neighbors with him to make oath that they believes he swore truly; or vulgar, which was by fire or water ordeal, or by combat. See Ordeal. Wharton. Let him put me to my purgation. Shak.
PURGATIVE Pur"ga*tive, a Etym: [L. purgativus: cf. F. purgatif.]
Defn: Having the power or quality of purging; cathartic. -- n. (Med.)
Defn: A purging medicine; a cathartic.
PURGATIVELY Pur"ga*tive*ly, adv.
Defn: In a purgative manner.
PURGATORIAL; PURGATORIAN Pur`ga*to"ri*al, Pur`ga*to"ri*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to purgatory; expiatory.
PURGATORIAN Pur`ga*to"ri*an, n.
Defn: One who holds to the doctrine of purgatory. Boswell.
PURGATORY Pur"ga*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. purgatorius.]
Defn: Tending to cleanse; cleansing; expiatory. Burke.
PURGATORY Pur"ga*to*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. purgatoire.]
Defn: A state or place of purification after death; according to the Roman Catholic creed, a place, or a state believed to exist after death, in which the souls of persons are purified by expiating such offenses committed in this life as do not merit eternal damnation, or in which they fully satisfy the justice of God for sins that have been forgiven. After this purgation from the impurities of sin, the souls are believed to be received into heaven.
PURGE Purge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purged; p. pr. & vb. n. Purging.] Etym: [F. purger, L. purgare; purus pure + agere to make, to do. See Pure, and Agent.]
1. To cleanse, clear, or purify by separating and carrying off whatever is impure, heterogeneous, foreign, or superfluous. "Till fire purge all things new." Milton.
2. (Med.)
Defn: To operate on as, or by means of, a cathartic medicine, or in a similar manner.
3. To clarify; to defecate, as liquors.
4. To clear of sediment, as a boiler, or of air, as a steam pipe, by driving off or permitting escape.
5. To clear from guilt, or from moral or ceremonial defilement; as, to purge one of guilt or crime. When that he hath purged you from sin. Chaucer. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Ps. li. 7.
6. (Law)
Defn: To clear from accusation, or the charge of a crime or misdemeanor, as by oath or in ordeal.
7. To remove in cleansing; to deterge; to wash away; -- often followed by away. Purge away our sins, for thy name's sake. Ps. lxxix. 9. We 'll join our cares to purge away Our country's crimes. Addison.
PURGE Purge, v. i.
1. To become pure, as by clarification.
2. To have or produce frequent evacuations from the intestines, as by means of a cathartic.
PURGE Purge, n. Etym: [Cf. F. purge. See Purge, v. t.]
1. The act of purging. The preparative for the purge of paganism of the kingdom of Northumberland. Fuller.
2. That which purges; especially, a medicine that evacuates the intestines; a cathartic. Arbuthnot.
PURGER Pur"ger, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, purges or cleanses; especially, a cathartic medicine.
PURGERY Pur"ger*y, n.
Defn: The part of a sugarhouse where the molasses is drained off from the sugar.
PURGING Pur"ging, a.
Defn: That purges; cleansing. Purging flax (Bot.), an annual European plant of the genus Linum (L. catharticum); dwarf wild flax; -- so called from its use as a cathartic medicine.
PURGING Pur"ging, n. (Med.)
Defn: The act of cleansing; excessive evacuations; especially, diarrhea.
PURI Pur"i, n. (Chem.)
Defn: See Euxanthin.
PURIFICATION Pu`ri*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [F. purification, L. purificatio. See Purify.]
1. The act of purifying; the act or operation of separating and removing from anything that which is impure or noxious, or heterogeneous or foreign to it; as, the purification of liquors, or of metals.
2. The act or operation of cleansing ceremonially, by removing any pollution or defilement. When the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished. Luke ii. 22.
3. A cleansing from guilt or the pollution of sin; the extinction of sinful desires, appetites, and inclinations.
PURIFICATIVE Pu"ri*fi*ca*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. purificatif.]
Defn: Having power to purify; tending to cleanse. [R.]
PURIFICATOR Pu"ri*fi*ca`tor, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, purifies; a purifier.
PURIFICATORY Pu*rif"i*ca*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. purificatorius.]
Defn: Serving or tending to purify; purificative.
PURIFIER Pu"ri*fi`er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, purifies or cleanses; a cleanser; a refiner.
PURIFORM Pu"ri*form, a. Etym: [L. pus, puris, pus + -form: cf. F. puriforme.] (Med.)
Defn: In the form of pus.
PURIFY Pu"ri*fy v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purified; p. pr. & vb. n. Purifying.] Etym: [F.purifier, L. purificare; purus pure + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Pure, and -fy.]
1. To make pure or clear from material defilement, admixture, or imperfection; to free from extraneous or noxious matter; as, to purify liquors or metals; to purify the blood; to purify the air.
2. Hence, in figurative uses: (a) To free from guilt or moral defilement; as, to purify the heart. And fit them so Purified to receive him pure. Milton.
(b) To free from ceremonial or legal defilement. And Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, . . . and purified the altar. Lev. viii. 15. Purify both yourselves and your captives. Num. xxxi. 19.
(c) To free from improprieties or barbarisms; as, to purify a language. Sprat.
PURIFY Pu"ri*fy, v. i.
Defn: To grow or become pure or clear.
PURIM Pu"rim, n. Etym: [Heb. pur, pl. purim, a lot.]
Defn: A Jewish festival, called also the Feast of Lots, instituted to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from the machinations of Haman. Esther ix. 26.
PURISM Pur"ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. purisme.]
Defn: Rigid purity; the quality of being affectedly pure or nice, especially in the choice of language; over-solicitude as to purity. "His political purism." De Quincey. The English language, however, . . . had even already become too thoroughly and essentially a mixed tongue for his doctrine of purism to be admitted to the letter. Craik.
PURIST Pur"ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. puriste.]
1. One who aims at excessive purity or nicety, esp. in the choice of language. He [Fox] . . . purified vocabulary with a scrupulosity unknown to any purist. Macaulay.
2. One who maintains that the New Testament was written in pure Greek. M. Stuart.
PURISTIC; PURISTICAL Pu*ris"tic, Pu*ris"tic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to purists or purism.
PURITAN Pu"ri*tan, n. Etym: [From Purity.]
1. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One who, in the time of Queen Elizabeth and the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and formal usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship than those established by law; -- originally, a term of reproach. The Puritans formed the bulk of the early population of New England.
Note: The Puritans were afterward distinguished as Political Puritans, Doctrinal Puritans, and Puritans in Discipline. Hume.
2. One who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; -- often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has overstrict notions. She would make a puritan of the devil. Shak.
PURITAN Pu"ri*tan, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Puritans; resembling, or characteristic of, the Puritans.
PURITANIC; PURITANICAL Pu`ri*tan"ic, Pu`ri*tan"ic*al, a.
1. Of or pertaining to the Puritans, or to their doctrines and practice.
2. Precise in observance of legal or religious requirements; strict; overscrupulous; rigid; -- often used by way of reproach or contempt. Paritanical circles, from which plays and novels were strictly excluded. Macaulay. He had all the puritanic traits, both good and evil. Hawthorne.
PURITANICALLY Pu`ri*tan"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a puritanical manner.
PURITANISM Pu"ri*tan*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrines, notions, or practice of Puritans.
PURITANIZE Pu"ri*tan*ize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puritanized; p. pr. & vb. n. Puritanizing.]
Defn: To agree with, or teach, the doctrines of Puritans; to conform to the practice of Puritans. Bp. Montagu.
PURITY Pu"ri*ty, n. Etym: [OE. purete, purte, OF. purté, F. pureté, from L. puritas, fr. purus pure. See Pure.]
Defn: The condition of being pure. Specifically: (a) freedom from foreign admixture or deleterious matter; as, the purity of water, of wine, of drugs, of metals. (b) Cleanness; freedom from foulness or dirt. "The purity of a linen vesture." Holyday. (c) Freedom from guilt or the defilement of sin; innocence; chastity; as, purity of heart or of life. (d) Freedom from any sinister or improper motives or views. (e) Freedom from foreign idioms, or from barbarous or improper words or phrases; as, purity of style.
PURKINJE'S CELLS Pur"kin*je's cells`. Etym: [From J. E. Purkinje, their discoverer.] (Anat.)
Defn: Large ganglion cells forming a layer near the surface of the cerebellum.
PURL Purl, v. t. Etym: [Contr. fr. purfile, purfle. See Purfle.]
Defn: To decorate with fringe or embroidery. "Nature's cradle more enchased and purled." B. Jonson.
PURL Purl, n.
1. An embroidered and puckered border; a hem or fringe, often of gold or silver twist; also, a pleat or fold, as of a band. A triumphant chariot made of carnation velvet, enriched withpurl and pearl. Sir P. Sidney .
2. An inversion of stitches in knitting, which gives to the work a ribbed or waved appearance. Purl stitch. Same as Purl, n., 2.
PURL Purl, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Purled; p. pr. & vb. n. Purling.] Etym: [Cf. Sw. porla, and E. pur to murmur as a cat.]
1. To run swiftly round, as a small stream flowing among stones or other obstructions; to eddy; also, to make a murmuring sound, as water does in running over or through obstructions. Swift o'er the rolling pebbles, down the hills, Louder and louder purl the falling rills. Pope.
2. Etym: [Perh. fr. F. perler to pearl, to bead. See Pearl, v. & n.]
Defn: To rise in circles, ripples, or undulations; to curl; to mantle. thin winding breath which purled up to the sky. Shak.
PURL Purl, n. Etym: [See 3d Purl.]
1. A circle made by the notion of a fluid; an eddy; a ripple. Whose stream an easy breath doth seem to blow, Which on the sparkling gravel runs in purles, As though the waves had been of silver curls. Drayton.
2. A gentle murmur, as that produced by the running of a liquid among obstructions; as, the purl of a brook.
3. Etym: [Perh. from F.perler, v. See Purl to mantle.]
Defn: Malt liquor, medicated or spiced; formerly, ale or beer in which wormwood or other bitter herbs had been infused, and which was regarded as tonic; at present, hot beer mixed with gin, sugar, and spices. "Drank a glass of purl to recover appetite." Addison. "Drinking hot purl, and smoking pipes." Dickens.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A tern. [Prov. Eng.]
PURLIEU Pur"lieu, n. Etym: [Corrupted (by influence of lieu place) fr. OF. puralée, poralée (equiv. to LL. perambulatio a survey of boundaries, originally, a going through); por (L. pro, confused, however, with L. per through) + alée. See Pro-, and Alley.] [Written also pourlieu.]
1. Originally, the ground near a royal forest, which, having been unlawfully added to the forest, was afterwards severed from it, and disafforested so as to remit to the former owners their rights. Then as a tiger, who by chance hath spied In some purlieu two gentle fawns at play. Milton.
2. Hence, the outer portion of any place; an adjacent district; environs; neighborhood. "The purlieus of St. James." brokers had been incessantly plying for custom in the purlieus of the court. Macaulay.
PURLIN; PURLINE Pur"lin, Pur"line, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Arch.)
Defn: In root construction, a horizontal member supported on the principals and supporting the common rafters.
PURLING Purl"ing, n. Etym: [See 3d Purl.]
Defn: The motion of a small stream running among obstructions; also, the murmur it makes in so doing.
PURLOIN Pur*loin", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purloined; p. pr. & vb. n. Purloining.] Etym: [OF. purloignier, porloignier, to retard, delay; pur, por, pour, for (L. pro) + loin far, far off (L. longe). See Prolong, and cf. Eloign.]
Defn: To take or carry away for one's self; hence, to steal; to take by theft; to filch. Had from his wakeful custody purloined The guarded gold. Milton. when did the muse from Fletcher scenes purloin Dryden.
PURLOIN Pur*loin", v. i.
Defn: To practice theft; to steal. Titus ii. 10.
PURLOINER Pur*loin"er, n.
Defn: One who purloins. Swift.
PURPARTY Pur"par`ty, n. Etym: [OF. pourpartie; pour for + partie a part; cf. OF. purpart a respective part.] (Law)
Defn: A share, part, or portion of an estate allotted to a coparcener. [Written also purpart, and pourparty.] I am forced to eat all the game of your purparties, as well as my own thirds. Walpole.
PURPLE Pur"ple, n.; pl. Purples. Etym: [OE. purpre, pourpre, OF. purpre, porpre, pourpre, F. pourpre, L. purpura purple fish, purple dye, fr. Gr. furere to rage, E. fury: cf. AS. purpure. Cf. Porphyry, Purpure.]
1. A color formed by, or resembling that formed by, a combination of the primary colors red and blue. Arraying with reflected purple and gold The clouds that on his western throne attend. Milton.
Note: The ancient words which are translated purple are supposed to have been used for the color we call crimson. In the gradations of color as defined in art, purple is a mixture of red and blue. When red predominates it is called violet, and when blue predominates, hyacinth.
2. Cloth dyed a purple color, or a garment of such color; especially, a purple robe, worn as an emblem of rank or authority; specifically, the purple rode or mantle worn by Roman emperors as the emblem of imperial dignity; as, to put on the imperial purple. Thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and purple, and scarlet. Ex. xxvi. 1.
3. Hence: Imperial sovereignty; royal rank, dignity, or favor; loosely and colloquially, any exalted station; great wealth. "He was born in the purple." Gibbon.
4. A cardinalate. See Cardinal.
5. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of large butterflies, usually marked with purple or blue, of the genus Basilarchia (formerly Limenitis) as, the banded purple (B. arthemis). See Illust. under Ursula.
6. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any shell of the genus Purpura.
7. pl.(Med.)
Defn: See Purpura.
8. pl.
Defn: A disease of wheat. Same as Earcockle.
Note: Purple is sometimes used in composition, esp. with participles forming words of obvious signification; as, purple-colored, purple- hued, purple-stained, purple-tinged, purple-tinted, and the like. French purple. (Chem.) Same as Cudbear. -- Purple of Cassius. See Cassius. -- Purple of mollusca (Zoöl.), a coloring matter derived from certain mollusks, which dyes wool, etc., of a purple or crimson color, and is supposed to be the substance of the famous Tyrian dye. It is obtained from Ianthina, and from several species of Purpura, and Murex. -- To be born in the purple, to be of princely birth; to be highborn.
PURPLE Pur"ple, a.
1. Exhibiting or possessing the color called purple, much esteemed for its richness and beauty; of a deep red, or red and blue color; as, a purple robe.
2. Imperial; regal; -- so called from the color having been an emblem of imperial authority. Hide in the dust thy purple pride. Shelley.
3. Blood-red; bloody. May such purple tears be alway shed. Shak. I view a field of blood, And Tiber rolling with a purple blood. Dryden. Purple bird (Zoöl.), the European purple gallinule. See under Gallinule. -- Purple copper ore. (Min.) See Bornite. -- Purple grackle (Zoöl.), the crow blackbird. See under Crow. -- Purple martin. See under Martin. -- Purple sandpiper. See under Sandpiper. -- Purple shell. See Ianthina.
PURPLE Pur"ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purpled; p. pr. & vb. n. Purpling.]
Defn: To make purple; to dye of purple or deep red color; as, hands purpled with blood. When morn Purples the east. Milton. Reclining soft in blissful bowers, Purpled sweet with springing flowers. Fenton.
PURPLEHEART Pur"ple*heart`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A strong, durable, and elastic wood of a purplish color, obtained from several tropical American leguminous trees of the genus Copaifera (C. pubiflora, bracteata, and officinalis). Used for decorative veneering. See Copaiba.
PURPLEWOOD Pur"ple*wood`, n.
Defn: Same as Purpleheart.
PURPLISH Pur"plish, a.
Defn: Somewhat purple. Boyle.
PURPORT Pur"port, n. Etym: [OF. purport; pur, pour, for (L. pro) + porter to bear, carry. See Port demeanor.]
1. Design or tendency; meaning; import; tenor. The whole scope and purport of that dialogue. Norris. With a look so piteous in purport As if he had been loosed out of hell. Shak.
2. Disguise; covering. [Obs.] For she her sex under that strange purport Did use to hide. Spenser.
PURPORT Pur"port, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purported; p. pr. & vb. n. Purporting.] Etym: [OF. purporter, pourporter. See Purport, n.]
Defn: To intend to show; to intend; to mean; to signify; to import; - - often with an object clause or infinitive. They in most grave and solemn wise unfolded Matter which little purported. Rowe.
PURPORTLESS Pur"port*less, a.
Defn: Without purport or meaning.
PURPOSE Pur"pose, n. Etym: [OF. purpos, pourpos, propos, L. propositum. See Propound.]
1. That which a person sets before himself as an object to be reached or accomplished; the end or aim to which the view is directed in any plan, measure, or exertion; view; aim; design; intention; plan. He will his firste purpos modify. Chaucer. As my eternal purpose hath decreed. Milton. The flighty purpose never is o'ertook Unless the deed go with it. Shak.
2. Proposal to another; discourse. [Obs.] Spenser.
3. Instance; example. [Obs.] L'Estrange. In purpose, Of purpose, On purpose, with previous design; with the mind directed to that object; intentionally. On purpose is the form now generally used.
Syn. -- design; end; intention; aim. See Design.
PURPOSE Pur"pose, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purposed; p. pr. & vb. n. Purposing.] Etym: [OF. purposer, proposer. See Propose.]
1. To set forth; to bring forward. [Obs.]
2. To propose, as an aim, to one's self; to determine upon, as some end or object to be accomplished; to intend; to design; to resolve; - - often followed by an infinitive or dependent clause. Chaucer. Did nothing purpose against the state. Shak. I purpose to write the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to a time which is within the memory of men still living. Macaulay.
PURPOSE Pur"pose, v. i.
Defn: To have a purpose or intention; to discourse. [Obs.] Spenser.
PURPOSEDLY Pur"posed*ly, adv.
Defn: In a purposed manner; according to purpose or design; purposely. A poem composed purposedly of the Trojan war. Holland.
PURPOSEFUL Pur"pose*ful, a.
Defn: Important; material. "Purposeful accounts." Tylor. -- Pur"pose*ful*ly, adv.
PURPOSELESS Pur"pose*less, a.
Defn: Having no purpose or result; objectless. Bp. Hall. -- Pur"pose*less*ness, n.
PURPOSELY Pur"pose*ly, adv.
Defn: With purpose or design; intentionally; with predetermination; designedly. In composing this discourse, I purposely declined all offensive and displeasing truths. Atterbury. So much they scorn the crowd, that if the throng By chance go right, they purposely go wrong. Pope.
PURPOSER Pur"pos*er, n.
1. One who brings forward or proposes anything; a proposer. [Obs.]
2. One who forms a purpose; one who intends.
PURPOSIVE Pur"po*sive, a.
Defn: Having or indicating purpose or design. "Purposive characters." Bastian. Purposive modification of structure in a bone. Owen. It is impossible that the frog should perform actions morepurposive than these. Huxley.
PURPRE Pur"pre, n. & a.
Defn: Purple. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PURPRESTURE Pur*pres"ture, n. Etym: [Probably corrupted (see Prest) fr. OF. pourprisure, fr. pourprendre: cf. LL. purprestura. Cf. Purprise.] (Law)
Defn: Wrongful encroachment upon another's property; esp., any encroachment upon, or inclosure of, that which should be common or public, as highways, rivers, harbors, forts, etc. [Written also pourpresture.]
PURPRISE Pur"prise, n. Etym: [OF. pourpris,fr. pourprendre to take away entirely; pour for + prendre to take.]
Defn: A close or inclosure; the compass of a manor. Bacon.
PURPURA Pur"pu*ra, n. Etym: [L., purple, purple fish: cf. F. purpura. See Purple.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: A disease characterized by livid spots on the skin from extravasated blood, with loss of muscular strength, pain in the limbs, and mental dejection; the purples. Dunglison.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of marine gastropods, usually having a rough and thick shell. Some species yield a purple dye.
PURPURATE Pur"pu*rate, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to purpura.
PURPURATE Pur"pu*rate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of purpuric acid.
PURPURE Pur"pure, n. Etym: [L. purpura purple. See Purple.] (Her.)
Defn: Purple, -- represented in engraving by diagonal lines declining from the right top to the left base of the escutcheon (or from sinister chief to dexter base).
PURPUREAL Pur*pu"re*al, a.
Defn: Of a purple color; purple.
PURPUREO- Pur*pu"re*o-.
Defn: A combining form signifying of a purple or purple-red color. Specif. (Chem.), used in designating certain brilliant purple-red compounds of cobaltic chloride and ammonia, similar to the roseocobaltic compounds. See Cobaltic.
PURPURIC Pur*pu"ric, a. Etym: [Cf. F. purpurique.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to purpura. Dunglison.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to or designating, a nitrogenous acid contained in uric acid. It is not known in the pure state, but forms well-known purple-red compounds (as murexide), whence its name.
Note: Purpuric acid was formerly used to designate murexan. See Murexan.
PURPURIN Pur"pu*rin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A dyestuff resembling alizarin, found in madder root, and extracted as an orange or red crystalline substance.
PURPURIPAROUS Pur`pu*rip"a*rous, a. Etym: [L. purpura purple + parere to produce.] (Biol.)
Defn: Producing, or connected with, a purple-colored secretion; as, the purpuriparous gland of certain gastropods.
PURPUROGENOUS Pur`pu*rog"e*nous, a. Etym: [L. purpura purple + -genous.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having the power to produce a purple color; as, the purpurogenous membrane, or choroidal epithelium, of the eye. See Visual purple, under Visual.
PURR Purr, v. i. & t.
Defn: To murmur as a cat. See Pur.
PURR Purr, n.
Defn: The low murmuring sound made by a cat; pur. See Pur.
PURRE Purre, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The dunlin. [Prov. Eng.]
PURREE Pur"ree, n. Etym: [Hind. peori yellow.] (Chem.)
Defn: A yellow coloring matter. See Euxanthin.
PURROCK Pur"rock, n.
Defn: See Puddock, and Parrock.
PURSE Purse, n. Etym: [OE. purs, pors, OF. burse, borse, bourse, F. bourse, LL. bursa, fr. Gr. Bourse, Bursch, Bursar, Buskin.]
1. A small bag or pouch, the opening of which is made to draw together closely, used to carry money in; by extension, any receptacle for money carried on the person; a wallet; a pocketbook; a portemonnaie. Chaucer. Who steals my purse steals trash. Shak.
2. Hence, a treasury; finances; as, the public purse.
3. A sum of money offered as a prize, or collected as a present; as, to win the purse; to make up a purse.
4. A specific sum of money; as: (a) In Turkey, the sum of 500 piasters. (b) In Persia, the sum of 50 tomans. Light purse, or Empty purse, poverty or want of resources. -- Long purse, or Heavy purse, wealth; riches. -- Purse crab (Zoöl.), any land crab of the genus Birgus, allied to the hermit crabs. They sometimes weigh twenty pounds or more, and are very strong, being able to crack cocoanuts with the large claw. They chiefly inhabit the tropical islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, living in holes and feeding upon fruit. Called also palm crab. -- Purse net, a fishing net, the mouth of which may be closed or drawn together like a purse. Mortimer. Purse pride, pride of money; insolence proceeding from the possession of wealth. Bp. Hall. -- Purse rat. (Zoöl.) See Pocket gopher, under Pocket. -- Sword and purse, the military power and financial resources of a nation.
PURSE Purse, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pursed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pursing.]
1. To put into a purse. I will go and purse the ducats straight. Shak.
2. To draw up or contract into folds or wrinkles, like the mouth of a purse; to pucker; to knit. Thou . . . didst contract and purse thy brow. Shak.
PURSE Purse, v. i.
Defn: To steal purses; to rob. [Obs. & R.] I'll purse: . . . I'll bet at bowling alleys. Beau. & Fl.
PURSEFUL Purse"ful, n.; pl. Pursefuls (.
Defn: All that is, or can be, contained in a purse; enough to fill a purse.
PURSE-PROUD Purse"-proud`, a.
Defn: Affected with purse pride; puffed up with the possession of riches.
PURSER Purs"er, n. Etym: [See Purse, and cf. Bursar.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: A commissioned officer in the navy who had charge of the provisions, clothing, and public moneys on shipboard; -- now called paymaster.
2. A clerk on steam passenger vessels whose duty it is to keep the accounts of the vessels, such as the receipt of freight, tickets, etc.
3. Colloquially, any paymaster or cashier. Purser's name (Naut.), a false name. [Slang]
PURSERSHIP Purs"er*ship, n.
Defn: The office of purser. Totten.
PURSET Purs"et, n.
Defn: A purse or purse net. B. Jonson.
PURSINESS Pur"si*ness, n.
Defn: State of being pursy.
PURSIVE Pur"sive, a.
Defn: Pursy. [Obs.] Holland.
PURSIVENESS Pur"sive*ness, n.
Defn: Pursiness. [Obs. & R.]
PURSLAIN Purs"lain, n.
Defn: Same as Purslane.
PURSLANE Purs"lane, n. Etym: [OF. porcelaine, pourcelaine (cf. It. porcellana), corrupted fr. L. porcilaca for portulaca.] (Bot.)
Defn: An annual plant (Portulaca oleracea), with fleshy, succulent, obovate leaves, sometimes used as a pot herb and for salads, garnishing, and pickling. Flowering purslane, or Great flowered purslane, the Portulaca grandiflora. See Portulaca. -- Purslane tree, a South African shrub (Portulacaria Afra) with many small opposite fleshy obovate leaves. -- Sea purslane, a seashore plant (Arenaria peploides) with crowded opposite fleshy leaves. -- Water purslane, an aquatic plant (Ludwiqia palustris) but slightly resembling purslane.
PURSUABLE Pur*su"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being, or fit to be, pursued, followed, or prosecuted. Sherwood.
PURSUAL Pur*su"al, n.
Defn: The act of pursuit. [R.]
PURSUANCE Pur*su"ance, n. Etym: [See Pursuant.]
1. The act of pursuing or prosecuting; a following out or after. Sermons are not like curious inquiries after new nothings, but pursuances of old truths. Jer. Taylor.
2. The state of being pursuant; consequence. In pursuance of, in accordance with; in prosecution or fulfillment of.
PURSUANT Pur*su"ant, a. Etym: [From Pursue: cf. OE. poursuiant. Cf. Pursuivant.]
Defn: Acting in consequence or in prosecution (of anything); hence, agreeable; conformable; following; according; -- with to or of. The conclusion which I draw from these premises, pursuant to the query laid down, is, etc. Waterland.
PURSUANT; PURSUANTLY Pur*su"ant, Pur*su"ant*ly, adv.
Defn: Agreeably; conformably.
PURSUE Pur*sue", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pursued; p. pr. & vb. n. Pursuing.] Etym: [OE. pursuen, porsuen, OF. porsivre, poursuivre, poursuir, F. poursuivre, fr. L. prosequi; pro forward + sequi to follow. See Sue, and cf. Prosecute, Pursuivant.]
1. To follow with a view to overtake; to follow eagerly, or with haste; to chase; as, to pursue a hare. We happiness pursue; we fly from pain. Prior. The happiness of men lies in purswing, Not in possessing. Longfellow.
2. To seek; to use or adopt measures to obtain; as, to pursue a remedy at law. The fame of ancient matrons you pursue. Dryden.
3. To proceed along, with a view to some and or object; to follow; to go in; as, Captain Cook pursued a new route; the administration pursued a wise course.
4. To prosecute; to be engaged in; to continue. " Insatiate to pursue vain war." Milton.
5. To follow as an example; to imitate.
6. To follow with enmity; to persecute; to call to account. The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have pursued me, they shall pursue you also. Wyclif (John xv. 20).
Syn. -- To follow; chase; seek; persist. See Follow.
PURSUE Pur*sue", v. i.
1. To go in pursuit; to follow. The wicked flee when no man pursueth. Prov. xxviii. 1. Men hotly pursued after the objects of their ambition. Earle.
2. To go on; to proceed, especially in argument or discourse; to continue.
Note: [A Gallicism] I have, pursues Carneades, wondered chemists should not consider. Boyle.
3. (Law)
Defn: To follow a matter judicially, as a complaining party; to act as a prosecutor. Burrill.
PURSUER Pur*su"er, n.
1. One who pursues or chases; one who follows in haste, with a view to overtake.
2. (Eccl. & Scots Law)
Defn: A plaintiff; a prosecutor.
PURSUIT Pur*suit", n. Etym: [F. poursuite, fr. poursuivre. See Pursue, v. t.]
1. The act of following or going after; esp., a following with haste, either for sport or in hostility; chase; prosecution; as, the pursuit of game; the pursuit of an enemy. Clarendon. Weak we are, and can not shun pursuit. Shak.
2. A following with a view to reach, accomplish, or obtain; endeavor to attain to or gain; as, the pursuit of knowledge; the pursuit of happiness or pleasure.
3. Course of business or occupation; continued employment with a view to same end; as, mercantile pursuits; a literary pursuit.
4. (Law)
Defn: Prosecution. [Obs.] That pursuit for tithes ought, and of ancient time did pertain to the spiritual court. Fuller. Curve of pursuit (Geom.), a curve described by a point which is at each instant moving towards a second point, which is itself moving according to some specified law.
PURSUIVANT Pur"sui*vant, n. Etym: [F. poursuivant, fr. poursuivre. See Pursue, and cf. Pursuant.] [Written also poursuivant.]
1. (Heralds' College)
Defn: A functionary of lower rank than a herald, but discharging similar duties; -- called also pursuivant at arms; an attendant of the heralds. Also used figuratively. The herald Hope, forerunning Fear, And Fear, the pursuivant of Hope. Longfellow.
2. The king's messenger; a state messenger. One pursuivant who attempted to execute a warrant there was murdered. Macaulay.
PURSUIVANT Pur"sui*vant, v. t.
Defn: To pursue. [Obs. & R.] Their navy was pursuivanted after with a horrible tempest. Fuller.
PURSY Pur"sy, a. Etym: [OF. pourcif, poulsif, poussif, fr. pousser to push, thrust, heave, OF. also poulser: cf. F. pousse the heaves, asthma. See Push.]
Defn: Fat and short-breathed; fat, short, and thick; swelled with pampering; as, pursy insolence. Shak. Pursy important he sat him down. Sir W. Scot.
PURTENANCE Pur"te*nance, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. appurtenance.]
Defn: That which pertains or belongs to something; esp., the heard, liver, and lungs of an animal. [Obs.] " The purtenaunces of purgatory." Piers Plowman. Roast [it] with fire, his head with his legs, and with the purtenance [Rev. Ver., inwards] thereof. Ex. xii. 9.
PURULENCE; PURULENCY Pu"ru*lence, Pu"ru*len*cy, n. Etym: [L. purulentia: cf. F. purulence.] (Med.)
Defn: The quality or state of being purulent; the generation of pus; also, the pus itself. Arbuthnot.
PURULENT Pu"ru*lent, a. Etym: [L. purulentus, fr. pus, puris, pus, matter: cf. F. purulent. See Pus.] (Med.)
Defn: Consisting of pus, or matter; partaking of the nature of pus; attended with suppuration; as, purulent inflammation.
PURULENTLY Pu"ru*lent*ly, v.
Defn: In a purulent manner.
PURVEANCE; PURVEIAUNCE Pur"ve*ance, Pur"vei*aunce`, n.
Defn: Purveyance. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PURVEY Pur*vey", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purveyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Purveying.] Etym: [OE. purveien, porveien, OF. porveeir, porveoir, F. pourvoir, fr. L. providere. See Provide, and cf. Purview.]
1. To furnish or provide, as with a convenience, provisions, or the like. Give no odds to your foes, but do purvey Yourself of sword before that bloody day. Spenser.
2. To procure; to get. I mean to purvey me a wife after the fashion of the children of Benjamin. Sir W. Scot.
PURVEY Pur*vey", v. i.
1. To purchase provisions; to provide; to make provision. Chaucer. Milton.
2. To pander; -- with to. " Their turpitude purveys to their malice." [R.] Burke.
PURVEYANCE Pur*vey"ance, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pourvoyance.]
1. The act or process of providing or procuring; providence; foresight; preparation; management. Chaucer. The ill purveyance of his page. Spenser.
2. That which is provided; provisions; food.
3. (Eng. Law)
Defn: A providing necessaries for the sovereign by buying them at an appraised value in preference to all others, and oven without the owner's consent. This was formerly a royal prerogative, but has long been abolished. Wharton.
PURVEYOR Pur*vey"or, n. Etym: [OE. porveour, OF. pourveor, F. pourvoyeur. See Purvey, and cf. Proveditor.]
1. One who provides victuals, or whose business is to make provision for the table; a victualer; a caterer.
2. An officer who formerly provided, or exacted provision, for the king's household. [Eng.]
3. a procurer; a pimp; a bawd. Addison.
PURVIEW Pur"view, n. Etym: [OF. purveu, pourveu, F. pourvu, provided, p. p. of OF. porveoir, F. pourvoir. See Purvey, View, and cf. Proviso.]
1. (a) (Law) The body of a statute, or that part which begins with " Be it enacted, " as distinguished from the preamble. Cowell. (b) Hence:
Defn: The limit or scope of a statute; the whole extent of its intention or provisions. Marshall. Profanations within the purview of several statutes. Bacon.
2. Limit or sphere of authority; scope; extent. In determining the extent of information required in the exercise of a particular authority, recourse must be had to the objects within the purview of that authority. Madison.
PUS Pus, n. Etym: [L., akin to Gr. foul: cf. F. pus. See Foul, a.] (Med.)
Defn: The yellowish white opaque creamy matter produced by the process of suppuration. It consists of innumerable white nucleated cells floating in a clear liquid.
PUSANE Pu"sane, n. (Anc. Armor)
Defn: A piece of armor for the breast; often, an addition to, or reënforcement of. the breastplate; -- called also pesane.
PUSEYISM Pu"sey*ism, n. (Ch. of Eng.)
Defn: The principles of Dr. Pusey and others at Oxford, England, as exhibited in various publications, esp. in a series which appeared from 1833 to 1841, designated " Tracts for the Times;" tractarianism. See Tractarianism.
PUSEYISTIC; PUSEYITE Pu"sey*is"tic, Pu"sey*ite, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Puseyism.
PUSEYITE Pu"sey*ite, n.
Defn: One who holds the principles of Puseyism; -- often used opprobriously.
PUSH Push, n. Etym: [Probably F. poche. See Pouch.]
Defn: A pustule; a pimple. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Bacon.
PUSH Push, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pushed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pushing.] Etym: [OE. possen, pussen, F. pousser, fr. L. pulsare, v. intens. fr. pellere, pulsum, to beat, knock, push. See Pulse a beating, and cf. Pursy.]
1. To press against with force; to drive or impel by pressure; to endeavor to drive by steady pressure, without striking; -- opposed to draw. Sidelong had pushed a mountain from his seat. Milton.
2. To thrust the points of the horns against; to gore. If the ox shall push a manservant or maidservant, . . . the ox shall be stoned. Ex. xxi. 32.
3. To press or urge forward; to drive; to push an objection too far. " To push his fortune." Dryden. Ambition pushes the soul to such actions as are apt to procure honor to the actor. Spectator. We are pushed for an answer. Swift.
4. To bear hard upon; to perplex; to embarrass.
5. To importune; to press with solicitation; to tease. To push down, to overthrow by pushing or impulse.
PUSH Push, v. i.
1. To make a thrust; to shove; as, to push with the horns or with a sword. Shak.
2. To make an advance, attack, or effort; to be energetic; as, a man must push in order to succeed. At the time of the end shall the kind of the south push at him and the king of the north shall come against him. Dan. xi. 40. War seemed asleep for nine long years; at length Both sides resolved to push, we tried our strength. Dryden.
3. To burst pot, as a bud or shoot. To push on, to drive or urge forward; to hasten. The rider pushed on at a rapid pace. Sir W. Scott.
PUSH Push, n.
1. A thrust with a pointed instrument, or with the end of a thing.
2. Any thrust. pressure, impulse, or force, or force applied; a shove; as, to give the ball the first push.
3. An assault or attack; an effort; an attempt; hence, the time or occasion for action. Exact reformation is not perfected at the first push. Milton. hen it comes to the push, tic no more than talk. L' Estrange.
4. The faculty of overcoming obstacles; aggressive energy; as, he has push, or he has no push. [Colloq.]
Syn. -- See Thrust.
PUSH BUTTON Push button. (Elec.)
Defn: A simple device, resembling a button in form, so arranged that pushing it closes an electric circuit, as of an electric bell.
PUSHER Push"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, pushes.
PUSHING Push"ing, a.
Defn: Pressing forward in business; enterprising; driving; energetic; also, forward; officious, intrusive. -- Push"ing*ly, adv.
PUSHPIN Push"pin`, n.
Defn: A child's game played with pins. L. Estrange.
PUSIL Pu"sil, a. Etym: [L. pusillus very little.]
Defn: Very small; little; petty. [Obs.] Bacon.
PUSILLANIMITY Pu`sil*la*nim"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. pusillanimitas: cf. F. pusillanimité.]
Defn: The quality of being pusillanimous; weakness of spirit; cowardliness. The badge of pusillanimity and cowardice. Shak. It is obvious to distinguished between an act of . . . pusillanimity and an act of great modesty or humility. South.
Syn. -- Cowardliness; cowardice; fear; timidity.
PUSILLANIMOUS Pu`sil*lan"i*mous, a. Etym: [L. pusillannimis; pusillus very little (dim. of pusus a little boy; cf. puer a boy, E. puerile) + animus the mind: cf. F. pusillanime. See Animosity.]
1. Destitute of a manly or courageous strength and firmness of mind; of weak spirit; mean-spirited; spiritless; cowardly; -- said of persons, as, a pussillanimous prince.
2. Evincing, or characterized by, weakness of mind, and want of courage; feeble; as, pusillanimous counsels. "A low and pusillanimous spirit." Burke.
Syn. -- Cowardly; dastardly; mean-spirited; fainthearted; timid; weak; feeble.
PUSILLANIMOUSLY Pu`sil*lan"i*mous*ly, adv.
Defn: With pusillanimity.
PUSLEY Pus"ley, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Purslane. [Colloq. U. S]
PUSS Puss (puss), n. Etym: [Cf. D. poes, Ir. & Gael. pus.]
1. A cat; -- a fondling appellation.
2. A hare; -- so called by sportsmen. Puss in the corner, a game in which all the players but one occupy corners of a room, or certain goals in the open air, and exchange places, the one without a corner endeavoring to get a corner while it is vacant, leaving some other without one. -- Puss moth (Zoöl.), any one of several species of stout bombycid moths belonging to Cerura, Harpyia, and allied genera, esp. Harpyia vinuli, of Europe. The larvæ are humpbacked, and have two caudal appendages.
PUSSY Pussy, n. Etym: [Dim. of puss.]
1. A pet name for a cat; also, an endearing name for a girl.
2. A catkin of the pussy willow.
3. The game of tipcat; -- also called pussy cat. Pussy willow (Bot.), any kind of willow having large cylindrical catkins clothed with long glossy hairs, especially the American Salix discolor; -- called also glaucous willow, and swamp willow.
PUSSY Pus"sy, a.
Defn: See Pursy. [Colloq. or Low]
PUSTULANT Pus"tu*lant, a. Etym: [L. pustulans, p. pr. See Pustulate, v. t.] (Med.)
Defn: Producing pustules. -- n.
Defn: A medicine that produces pustules, as croton oil.
PUSTULAR Pus"tu*lar, a.
Defn: 1. Of or pertaining to pustules; as, pustular prominences; pustular eruptions.
2. Covered with pustulelike prominences; pustulate.
PUSTULATE Pus"tu*late, v. t. Etym: [L. pustulatus, p. p. of pustulare to blister, fr. pustula. See Pustule.]
Defn: To form into pustules, or blisters.
PUSTULATE; PUSTULATED Pus"tu*late, Pus"tu*la`ted, a.
Defn: Covered with pustulelike prominences; pustular; pustulous; as, a pustulate leaf; a pustulate shell or coral.
PUSTULATION Pus*tu*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. pustulatio.]
Defn: The act of producing pustules; the state of being pustulated.
PUSTULE Pus"tule, n. Etym: [L. pustula, and pusula: cf. F. pustule.] (Med.)
Defn: A vesicle or an elevation of the cuticle with an inflamed base, containing pus. Malignant pustule. See under Malignant.
PUSTULOUS Pus"tu*lous, a. Etym: [L. pustulosus, fr. pustula a pustule: cf. F. pustuleux.]
Defn: Resembling, or covered with, pustules; pustulate; pustular.
PUT Put, n. Etym: [See Pit.]
Defn: A pit. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PUT Put, obs.
Defn: 3d pers. sing. pres. of Put, contracted from putteth. Chaucer.
PUT Put, n. Etym: [Cf. W. pwt any short thing, pwt o ddyn a squab of a person, pwtog a short, thick woman.]
Defn: A rustic; a clown; an awkward or uncouth person. Queer country puts extol Queen Bess's reign. Bramston. What droll puts the citizens seem in it all. F. Harrison.
PUT Put, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Put; p. pr. & vb. n. Putting.] Etym: [AS. potian to thrust: cf. Dan. putte to put, to put into, Fries. putje; perh. akin to W. pwtio to butt, poke, thrust; cf. also Gael. put to push, thrust, and E. potter, v. i.]
1. To move in any direction; to impel; to thrust; to push; -- nearly obsolete, except with adverbs, as with by (to put by = to thrust aside; to divert); or with forth (to put forth = to thrust out). His chief designs are . . . to put thee by from thy spiritual employment. Jer. Taylor.
2. To bring to a position or place; to place; to lay; to set; figuratively, to cause to be or exist in a specified relation, condition, or the like; to bring to a stated mental or moral condition; as, to put one in fear; to put a theory in practice; to put an enemy to fight. This present dignity, In which that I have put you. Chaucer. I will put enmity between thee and the woman. Gen. iii. 15. He put no trust in his servants. Job iv. 18. When God into the hands of their deliverer Puts invincible might. Milton. In the mean time other measures were put in operation. Sparks.
3. To attach or attribute; to assign; as, to put a wrong construction on an act or expression.
4. To lay down; to give up; to surrender. [Obs.] No man hath more love than this, that a man put his life for his friends. Wyclif (John xv. 13).
5. To set before one for judgment, acceptance, or rejection; to bring to the attention; to offer; to state; to express; figuratively, to assume; to suppose; -- formerly sometimes followed by that introducing a proposition; as, to put a question; to put a case. Let us now put that ye have leave. Chaucer. Put the perception and you put the mind. Berkeley. These verses, originally Greek, were put in Latin. Milton. All this is ingeniously and ably put. Hare.
6. To incite; to entice; to urge; to constrain; to oblige. These wretches put us upon all mischief. Swift. Put me not use the carnal weapon in my own defense. Sir W. Scott. Thank him who puts me, loath, to this revenge. Milton.
7. To throw or cast with a pushing motion "overhand," the hand being raised from the shoulder; a practice in athletics; as, to put the shot or weight.
8. (Mining)
Defn: To convey coal in the mine, as from the working to the tramway. Raymond. Put case, formerly, an elliptical expression for, put or suppose the case to be. Put case that the soul after departure from the body may live. Bp. Hall. -- To put about (Naut.), to turn, or change the course of, as a ship. -- To put away. (a) To renounce; to discard; to expel. (b) To divorce. -- To put back. (a) To push or thrust backwards; hence, to hinder; to delay. (b) To refuse; to deny. Coming from thee, I could not put him back. Shak. (c) To set, as the hands of a clock, to an earlier hour. (d) To restore to the original place; to replace. -- To put by. (a) To turn, set, or thrust, aside. "Smiling put the question by." Tennyson. (b) To lay aside; to keep; to sore up; as, to put by money. -- To put down. (a) To lay down; to deposit; to set down. (b) To lower; to diminish; as, to put down prices. (c) To deprive of position or power; to put a stop to; to suppress; to abolish; to confute; as, to put down rebellion of traitors. Mark, how a plain tale shall put you down. Shak. Sugar hath put down the use of honey. Bacon. (d) To subscribe; as, to put down one's name. -- To put forth. (a) To thrust out; to extend, as the hand; to cause to come or push out; as, a tree puts forth leaves. (b) To make manifest; to develop; also, to bring into action; to exert; as, to put forth strength. (c) To propose, as a question, a riddle, and the like. (d) To publish, as a book. -- To put forward. (a) To advance to a position of prominence responsibility; to promote. (b) To cause to make progress; to aid. (c) To set, as the hands of a clock, to a later hour. -- To put in. (a) To introduce among others; to insert; sometimes, to introduce with difficulty; as, to put in a word while others are discoursing. (b) (Naut.) To conduct into a harbor, as a ship. (c) (Law) To place in due form before a court; to place among the records of a court. Burrill. (d) (Med.) To restore, as a dislocated part, to its place. -- To put off. (a) To lay aside; to discard; as, to put off a robe; to put off mortality. "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet." Ex. iii. 5. (b) To turn aside; to elude; to disappoint; to frustrate; to baffle. I hoped for a demonstration, but Themistius hoped to put me off with an harangue. Boyle. We might put him off with this answer. Bentley. (c) To delay; to defer; to postpone; as, to put off repentance. (d) To get rid of; to dispose of; especially, to pass fraudulently; as, to put off a counterfeit note, or an ingenious theory. (e) To push from land; as, to put off a boat. -- To put on or upon. (a) To invest one's self with, as clothes; to assume. "Mercury . . . put on the shape of a man." L'Estrange. (b) To impute (something) to; to charge upon; as, to put blame on or upon another. (c) To advance; to promote. [Obs.] "This came handsomely to put on the peace." Bacon. (d) To impose; to inflict. "That which thou puttest on me, will I bear." 2 Kings xviii. 14. (e) To apply; as, to put on workmen; to put on steam. (f) To deceive; to trick. "The stork found he was put upon." L'Estrange. (g) To place upon, as a means or condition; as, he put him upon bread and water. "This caution will put them upon considering." Locke. (h) (Law) To rest upon; to submit to; as, a defendant puts himself on or upon the country. Burrill. -- To put out. (a) To eject; as, to put out and intruder. (b) To put forth; to shoot, as a bud, or sprout. (c) To extinguish; as, to put out a candle, light, or fire. (d) To place at interest; to loan; as, to put out funds. (e) To provoke, as by insult; to displease; to vex; as, he was put out by my reply. [Colloq.] (f) To protrude; to stretch forth; as, to put out the hand. (g) To publish; to make public; as, to put out a pamphlet. (h) To confuse; to disconcert; to interrupt; as, to put one out in reading or speaking. (i) (Law) To open; as, to put out lights, that is, to open or cut windows. Burrill. (j) (Med.) To place out of joint; to dislocate; as, to put out the ankle. (k) To cause to cease playing, or to prevent from playing longer in a certain inning, as in base ball. -- To put over. (a) To place (some one) in authority over; as, to put a general over a division of an army. (b) To refer. For the certain knowledge of that knowledge of that truthput you o'er to heaven and to my mother. Shak. (c) To defer; to postpone; as, the court put over the cause to the next term. (d) To transfer (a person or thing) across; as, to put one over the river. -- To put the hand to or unto. (a) To take hold of, as of an instrument of labor; as, to put the hand to the plow; hence, to engage in (any task or affair); as, to put one's hand to the work. (b) To take or seize, as in theft. "He hath not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods." Ex. xxii. 11. -- To put through, to cause to go through all conditions or stages of a progress; hence, to push to completion; to accomplish; as, he put through a measure of legislation; he put through a railroad enterprise. [U.S.] -- To put to. (a) To add; to unite; as, to put one sum to another. (b) To refer to; to expose; as, to put the safety of the state to hazard. "That dares not put it to the touch." Montrose. (c) To attach (something) to; to harness beasts to. Dickens. -- To put to a stand, to stop; to arrest by obstacles or difficulties. -- To put to bed. (a) To undress and place in bed, as a child. (b) To deliver in, or to make ready for, childbirth. -- To put to death, to kill. -- To put together, to attach; to aggregate; to unite in one. -- To put this and that (or two and two) together, to draw an inference; to form a correct conclusion. -- To put to it, to distress; to press hard; to perplex; to give difficulty to. "O gentle lady, do not put me to 't." Shak. -- To put to rights, to arrange in proper order; to settle or compose rightly. -- To put to the sword, to kill with the sword; to slay. -- To put to trial, or on trial, to bring to a test; to try. -- To put trust in, to confide in; to repose confidence in. -- To put up. (a) To pass unavenged; to overlook; not to punish or resent; to put up with; as, to put up indignities. [Obs.] "Such national injuries are not to be put up." Addison. (b) To send forth or upward; as, to put up goods for sale. (d) To start from a cover, as game. "She has been frightened; she has been put up." C. Kingsley. (e) To hoard. "Himself never put up any of the rent." Spelman. (f) To lay side or preserve; to pack away; to store; to pickle; as, to put up pork, beef, or fish. (g) To place out of sight, or away; to put in its proper place; as, put up that letter. Shak. (h) To incite; to instigate; -- followed by to; as, he put the lad up to mischief. (i) To raise; to erect; to build; as, to put up a tent, or a house. (j) To lodge; to entertain; as, to put up travelers. -- To put up a job, to arrange a plot. [Slang]
Syn. -- To place; set; lay; cause; produce; propose; state. -- Put, Lay, Place, Set. These words agree in the idea of fixing the position of some object, and are often used interchangeably. To put is the least definite, denoting merely to move to a place. To place has more particular reference to the precise location, as to put with care in a certain or proper place. To set or to lay may be used when there is special reference to the position of the object.
PUT Put (put; often pût in def. 3), v. i.
1. To go or move; as, when the air first puts up. [Obs.] Bacon.
2. To steer; to direct one's course; to go. His fury thus appeased, he puts to land. Dryden.
3. To play a card or a hand in the game called put. To put about (Naut.), to change direction; to tack. -- To put back (Naut.), to turn back; to return. "The French . . . had put back to Toulon." Southey. -- To put forth. (a) To shoot, bud, or germinate. "Take earth from under walls where nettles put forth." Bacon. (b) To leave a port or haven, as a ship. Shak. -- To put in (Naut.), to enter a harbor; to sail into port. -- To put in for. (a) To make a request or claim; as, to put in for a share of profits. (b) To go into covert; -- said of a bird escaping from a hawk. (c) To offer one's self; to stand as a candidate for. Locke. -- To put off, to go away; to depart; esp., to leave land, as a ship; to move from the shore. -- To put on, to hasten motion; to drive vehemently. -- To put over (Naut.), to sail over or across. -- To put to sea (Naut.), to set sail; to begin a voyage; to advance into the ocean. -- To put up. (a) To take lodgings; to lodge. (b) To offer one's self as a candidate. L'Estrange. -- To put up to, to advance to. [Obs.] "With this he put up to my lord." Swift. -- To put up with. (a) To overlook, or suffer without recompense, punishment, or resentment; as, to put up with an injury or affront. (b) To take without opposition or expressed dissatisfaction; to endure; as, to put up with bad fare.
PUT Put, n.
1. The act of putting; an action; a movement; a thrust; a push; as, the put of a ball. "A forced put." L'Estrange.
2. A certain game at cards. Young.
3. A privilege which one party buys of another to "put" (deliver) to him a certain amount of stock, grain, etc., at a certain price and date. [Brokers' Cant] A put and a call may be combined in one instrument, the holder of which may either buy or sell as he chooses at the fixed price. Johnson's Cyc.
PUT Put, n. Etym: [OF. pute.]
Defn: A prostitute. [Obs.]
PUTAGE Pu"tage (; 48), n. Etym: [OF. putage.]
Defn: Prostitution or fornication on the part of a woman.
PUTAMEN Pu*ta"men, n. Etym: [L.] (Bot.)
Defn: The shell of a nut; the stone of a drupe fruit. See Endocarp.
PUTANISM Pu"tan*ism, n. Etym: [F. putanisme, fr. putain harlot.]
Defn: Habitual lewdness or prostitution of a woman; harlotry.
PUTATIVE Pu"ta*tive, a. Etym: [L. putativus, fr. putare, putatum, to reckon, suppose, adjust, prune, cleanse. See Pure, and cf. Amputate, Compute, Dispute, Impute.]
Defn: Commonly thought or deemed; supposed; reputed; as, the putative father of a child. "His other putative (I dare not say feigned) friends." E. Hall. Thus things indifferent, being esteemed useful or pious, became customary, and then came for reverence into a putative and usurped authority. Jer. Taylor.
PUTCHUCK Put*chuck", n. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Pachak.
PUTEAL Pu"te*al, n. Etym: [L., fr. puteus well.] (Arch.)
Defn: An inclosure surrounding a well to prevent persons from falling into it; a well curb. Weale.
PUTELI Put"e*li, n.
Defn: Same as Patela.
PUTERY Pu"ter*y, n. Etym: [OF. puterie.]
Defn: Putage. [Obs.]
PUTID Pu"tid, a. Etym: [L. putidus: cf. F. putide. Cf. Putrid.]
Defn: Rotten; fetid; stinking; base; worthless. Jer. Taylor. "Thy putid muse." Dr. H. More.
PUTIDITY; PUTIDNESS Pu*tid"i*ty, Pu"tid*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being putrid.
PUTLOG Put"log`, n. (Arch.)
Defn: One of the short pieces of timber on which the planks forming the floor of a scaffold are laid, -- one end resting on the ledger of the scaffold, and the other in a hole left in the wall temporarily for the purpose. Oxf. Gloss.
PUT-OFF Put"-off`, n.
Defn: A shift for evasion or delay; an evasion; an excuse. L'Estrange.
PUTOUR Pu"tour, n. Etym: [See Put a prostitute.]
Defn: A keeper of a brothel; a procurer. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PUTREDINOUS Pu*tred"i*nous, a. Etym: [L. putredo rottenness, fr. putrere to be rotten. See Putrid.]
Defn: Proceeding from putrefaction, or partaking of the putrefactive process; having an offensive smell; stinking; rotten.
PUTREFACTION Pu`tre*fac"tion, n. Etym: [L. putrefactio: cf. F. putréfaction. See Putrefy.]
1. The act or the process of putrefying; the offensive decay of albuminous or other matter.
Note: Putrefaction is a complex phenomenon involving a multiplicity of chemical reactions, always accompanied by, and without doubt caused by, bacteria and vibriones; hence, putrefaction is a form of fermentation, and is sometimes called putrefaction fermentative. Putrefaction is not possible under conditions that preclude the development of living organisms. Many of the products of putrefaction are powerful poisons, and are called cadaveric poisons, or ptomaïnes.
2. The condition of being putrefied; also, that which putrefied. "Putrefaction's breath." Shelley.
PUTREFACTIVE Pu`tre*fac"tive, a. Etym: [Cf. putréfactif. See Putrefy.]
1. Of or pertaining to putrefaction; as, the putrefactive smell or process. Wiseman.
2. Causing, or tending to promote, putrefaction. -- Pu``tre*fac"tive*ness, n.
PUTREFY Pu"tre*fy, v. t. [Written also putrify.] [imp. & p. p. Putrefied (; p. pr. & vb. n. Putrefying (.] Etym: [F. putréfier; L. putrere to be rotten + -ficare (in. comp.) to make; cf. L. putrefacere. See Putrid, and -fy.]
1. To render putrid; to cause to decay offensively; to cause to be decomposed; to cause to rot.
2. To corrupt; to make foul. Private suits do putrefy the public good. Bacon. They would but stink, and putrefy the air. Shak.
3. To make morbid, carious, or gangrenous; as, to putrefy an ulcer or wound.
PUTREFY Pu"tre*fy, v. i.
Defn: To become putrid; to decay offensively; to rot. Isa. 1. 6.
PUTRESCE Pu*tresce", v. i. [See Putrescent.]
Defn: To become putrescent or putrid; to putrefy.
Ordinarily sewage does not putresce until from twenty-four to sixty hours after its discharge. Nature.
PUTRESCENCE Pu*tres"cence, n.
Defn: The state of being putrescent; putrescent matter.
PUTRESCENT Pu*tres"cent, a. Etym: [L. putrescens, p. pr.of putrescere to grow rotten, v. incho. fr. putrere to be rotten. See Putrid.]
1. Becoming putrid or rotten. Externally powerful, although putrescent at the core. Motley.
2. Of or pertaining to the process of putrefaction; as, a putrescent smell.
PUTRESCIBLE Pu*tres"ci*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of putrefaction; liable to become putrid; as, putrescible substances.
PUTRESCIBLE Pu*tres"ci*ble, n.
Defn: A substance, usually nitrogenous, which is liable to undergo decomposition when in contact with air and moisture at ordinary temperatures.
PUTRESCIN Pu*tres"cin, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A nontoxic diamine, C4H12N2, formed in the putrefaction of the flesh of mammals and some other animals.
PUTRID Pu"trid, a. Etym: [L. putridus, fr. putrere to be rotten, fr.puter, or putris, rotten, fr. putere to stink, to be rotten: cf. F. putride. See Pus, Foul, a.]
1. Tending to decomposition or decay; decomposed; rotten; -- said of animal or vegetable matter; as, putrid flesh. See Putrefaction.
2. Indicating or proceeding from a decayed state of animal or vegetable matter; as, a putrid smell. Putrid fever (Med.), typhus fever; -- so called from the decomposing and offensive state of the discharges and diseased textures of the body. -- Putrid sore throat (Med.), a gangrenous inflammation of the fauces and pharynx.
PUTRIDITY Pu*trid"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. putridité.]
Defn: The quality of being putrid; putrefaction; rottenness.
PUTRIDNESS Pu"trid*ness, n.
Defn: Putridity. Floyer.
PUTRIFACTED Pu"tri*fac`ted, a. Etym: [See Putrefy.]
Defn: Putrefied. [Obs.] What vermin bred of putrifacted slime. Marston.
PUTRIFICATION Pu`tri*fi*ca"tion, n.
Defn: Putrefaction.
PUTRIFY Pu"tri*fy, v. t. & i.
Defn: To putrefy.
PUTRILAGE Pu"tri*lage, n. Etym: [F. putrilage, L. putrilago putrefaction.]
Defn: That which is undergoing putrefaction; the products of putrefaction.
PUTRY Pu"try, a.
Defn: Putrid. [Obs.] Marston.
PUTRY Pu"try, n.
Defn: Putage. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PUTT Putt, n. [Cf. Put, v. t.] (Golf)
Defn: A stroke made on the putting green to play the ball into a hole.
PUTT Putt, v. i. (Golf)
Defn: To make a putt.
PUTTEE Put"tee, n.
Defn: Same as Putty, a kind of gaiter.
PUTTER Put"ter, n.
1. One who puts or plates.
2. Specifically, one who pushes the small wagons in a coal mine, and the like. [Prov. Eng.]
PUTTER Put"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puttered; p. pr. & vb. n. Puttering.] Etym: [See Potter.]
Defn: To act inefficiently or idly; to trifle; to potter.
PUTTER-ON Put"ter-on`, n.
Defn: An instigator. Shak.
PUTTIER Put"ti*er, n.
Defn: One who putties; a glazier.
PUTTING Put"ting, n.
Defn: The throwing of a heavy stone, shot, etc., with the hand raised or extended from the shoulder; -- originally, a Scottish game. Putting stone, a heavy stone used in the game of putting.
PUTTING GREEN Putt"ing green. (Golf)
Defn: The green, or plot of smooth turf, surrounding a hole. "The term putting green shall mean the ground within twenty yards of the hole, excepting hazards." Golf Rules.
PUTTOCK Put"tock, n. Etym: [Cf. Pout a young bird, Poult.] (Zoöl.) (a) The European kite. (b) The buzzard. (c) The marsh harrier. [Prov. Eng.]
PUTTOCK Put"tock, n. (Naut.)
Defn: See Futtock. [Obs.]
PUTTY Put"ty, n. Etym: [F. potée, fr. pot pot; what was formerly called putty being a substance resembling what is now called putty powder, and in part made of the metal of old pots. See Pot.]
Defn: A kind of thick paste or cement compounded of whiting, or soft carbonate of lime, and linseed oil, when applied beaten or kneaded to the consistence of dough, -- used in fastening glass in sashes, stopping crevices, and for similar purposes. Putty powder, an oxide of tin, or of tin and lead in various proportions, much used in polishing glass, metal, precious stones, etc.
PUTTY Put"ty, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Puttied; p. pr. & vb. n. Puttying.]
Defn: To cement, or stop, with putty.
PUTTY-FACED Put"ty-faced`, a.
Defn: White-faced; -- used contemptuously. Clarke.
PUTTYROOT Put"ty*root`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: An American orchidaceous plant (Aplectrum hyemale) which flowers in early summer. Its slender naked rootstock produces each year a solid corm, filled with exceedingly glutinous matter, which sends up later a single large oval evergreen plaited leaf. Called also Adam-and-Eve.
PUT-UP Put"-up, a.
Defn: Arranged; plotted; -- in a bad sense; as, a put-up job. [Colloq.]
PUY Pu"y, n.
Defn: See Poy.
PUZZEL Puz"zel, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pucelle a virgin.]
Defn: A harlot; a drab; a hussy. [Obs.] Shak.
PUZZLE Puz"zle, n. Etym: [For opposal, in the sense of problem. See Oppose, Pose, v.]
1. Something which perplexes or embarrasses; especially, a toy or a problem contrived for testing ingenuity; also, something exhibiting marvelous skill in making.
2. The state of being puzzled; perplexity; as, to be in a puzzle.
PUZZLE Puz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Puzzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Puzzling.]
1. To perplex; to confuse; to embarrass; to put to a stand; to nonplus. A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others. Dr. H. More. He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders. Addison.
2. To make intricate; to entangle. They disentangle from the puzzled skein. Cowper. The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled in mazes, and perplexed with error. Addison.
3. To solve by ingenuity, as a puzzle; -- followed by out; as, to puzzle out a mystery.
Syn. -- To embarrass; perplex; confuse; bewilder; confound. See Embarrass.
PUZZLE Puz"zle, v. i.
1. To be bewildered, or perplexed. A puzzling fool, that heeds nothing. L'Estrange.
2. To work, as at a puzzle; as, to puzzle over a problem.
PUZZLEDOM Puz"zle*dom, n.
Defn: The domain of puzzles; puzzles, collectively. C. Kingsley.
PUZZLE-HEADED Puz"zle-head`ed, a.
Defn: Having the head full of confused notions. Johnson.
PUZZLEMENT Puz"zle*ment, n.
Defn: The state of being puzzled; perplexity. Miss Mitford.
PUZZLER Puz"zler, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, puzzles or perplexes. Hebrew, the general puzzler of old heads. Brome.
PUZZLINGLY Puz"zling*ly, adv.
Defn: In a puzzling manner.
PUZZOLAN; PUZZOLANA Puz"zo*lan, Puz`zo*la"na, n.
Defn: See Pozzuolana.
PYAEMIA Py*æ"mi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A form of blood poisoning produced by the absorption into the blood of morbid matters usually originating in a wound or local inflammation. It is characterized by the development of multiple abscesses throughout the body, and is attended with irregularly recurring chills, fever, profuse sweating, and exhaustion.
PYAEMIC Py*æ"mic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to pyæmia; of the nature of pyæmia.
PYCNASPIDEAN Pyc`nas*pid"e*an, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the posterior side of the tarsus covered with small irregular scales; -- said of certain birds.
PYCNIDIUM Pyc*nid"i*um, n.; pl. Pycnidia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: In certain fungi, a flask-shaped cavity from the surface of the inner walls of which spores are produced.
PYCNITE Pyc"nite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A massive subcolumnar variety of topaz.
PYCNODONT Pyc"no*dont, n. Etym: [Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: Any fossil fish belonging to the Pycnodontini. They have numerous round, flat teeth, adapted for crushing.
PYCNODONTINI Pyc`no*don"ti*ni, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extinct order of ganoid fishes. They had a compressed body, covered with dermal ribs (pleurolepida) and with enameled rhomboidal scales.
PYCNOGONID Pyc*nog"o*nid, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Pycnogonida.
PYCNOGONIDA Pyc`no*gon"i*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A class of marine arthropods in which the body is small and thin, and the eight legs usually very long; -- called also Pantopoda.
Note: The abdomen is rudimentary, and the triangular mouth is at the end of a tubular proboscis. Many of them live at great depths in the sea, and the largest of them measure two feet across the extended legs.
PYCNOMETER Pyc*nom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Physics)
Defn: A specific gravity bottle; a standard flask for measuring and comparing the densities of liquids. [Also written pyknometer.]
PYCNOSTYLE Pyc"no*style, a. Etym: [Gr. pycnostyle.] (Anc. Arch.)
Defn: See under Intercolumniation. -n.
Defn: A pycnostyle colonnade.
PYE Pye, n.
Defn: See 2d Pie (b).
PYEBALD Pye"bald`, a.
Defn: See Piebald.
PYELITIS Py`e*li"tis. n. Etym: [Gr. basin + -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the pelvis of the kidney.
PYEMIA Py*e"mi*a, n. (Med.)
Defn: See PyÆmia.
PYET Py"et, n.
Defn: A magpie; a piet. [Prov. Eng.] Here cometh the worthy prelate as pert as a pyet. Sir W. Scott.
PYGAL Py"gal, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Situated in the region of the rump, or posterior end of the backbone; -- applied especially to the posterior median plates in the carapace of chelonians.
PYGARG; PYGARGUS Py"garg, Py*gar"gus,Etym: [L. pygargus, Gr. pygargue.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A quadruped, probably the addax, an antelope having a white rump. Deut. xiv. 5.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The female of the hen harrier. (b) The sea eagle.
PYGIDIUM Py*gid"i*um, n.; pl. Pygidia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The caudal plate of trilobites, crustacean, and certain insects. See Illust. of Limulus and Trilobite.
PYGMY; PYGMEAN Pyg"my, Pyg*me"an, a. Etym: [L. pygmaeus. See Pygmy.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a pygmy; resembling a pygmy or dwarf; dwarfish; very small. " Like that Pygmean race." Milton. Pygmy antelope (Zoöl.), the kleeneboc. -- Pygmy goose (Zoöl.), any species of very small geese of the genus Nettapus, native of Africa, India, and Australia. -- Pygmy owl (Zoöl.), the gnome. Pygmy parrot (Zoöl.), any one of several species of very small green parrots (Nasiternæ), native of New Guinea and adjacent islands. They are not larger than sparrows. Pygmy chimpanzee, a species of anthropoid ape (Pan paniscus) resembling the chimpanzee, but somewhat smaller; also called bonobo. It is considered (1996) as having the closest genetic relationship to humans of any other animal. It is found in forests in Zaire, and is an endangered species.
PYGMY Pyg"my, n.; pl. Pygmies. Etym: [L. pygmaeus, Gr. Pugnacious, Fist.] [Written also pigmy.]
1. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: One of a fabulous race of dwarfs who waged war with the cranes, and were destroyed.
2. Hence, a short, insignificant person; a dwarf. Pygmies are pygmies still, though perched on Alps. And pyramids are pyramids in vales. Young.
PYGOBRANCHIA Py`go*bran"chi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. pugh` the rump + (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of opisthobranchiate mollusks having the branchiæ in a wreath or group around the anal opening, as in the genus Doris.
PYGOPOD Py"go*pod, n. Etym: [Gr. -pod.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Pygopodes.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of serpentiform lizards of the family Pygopodidæ, which have rudimentary hind legs near the anal cleft, but lack fore legs.
PYGOPODES Py*gop"o*des, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of swimming birds which includes the grebes, divers, auks, etc., in which the legs are placed far back.
PYGOPODOUS Py*gop"o*dous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Pygopodes.
PYGOSTYLE Py"go*style, n. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The plate of bone which forms the posterior end of the vertebral column in most birds; the plowshare bone; the vomer. It is formed by the union of a number of the last caudal vertebræ, and supports the uropigium.
PYIN Py"in, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. (Chem.)
Defn: An albuminoid constituent of pus, related to mucin, possibly a mixture of substances rather than a single body.
PYJAMA Py*ja"ma, n. Etym: [Hind. pae-jama, literally, leg clothing.]
Defn: In India and Persia, thin loose trowsers or drawers; in Europe and America, drawers worn at night, or a kind of nightdress with legs. [Written also paijama.]
PYJAMAS; PAJAMAS Py*ja"mas, or, chiefly U. S., Pa*ja"mas, n. pl.
Defn: A garment, similar to the Oriental pyjama (which see), adopted among Europeans, Americans, and other Occidentals, for wear in the dressing room and during sleep; also, a suit of drawers and blouse for such wear.
PYKAR Pyk"ar, n.
Defn: An ancient English fishing boat.
PYLA Py"la n.; pl. L. Pylæ, E. Pylas. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The passage between the iter and optocoele in the brain. B. G. Wilder.
PYLAGORE Pyl"a*gore, n. Etym: [Gr. pylagore.] (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: a deputy of a State at the Amphictyonic council.
PYLANGIUM Py*lan"gi*um, n.; pl. Pylangia (. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The first and undivided part of the aortic trunk in the amphibian heart. -- Py*lan"gi*al, a.
PYLON Py"lon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (a) A low tower, having a truncated pyramidal form, and flanking an ancient Egyptian gateway. Massive pylons adorned with obelisks in front. J. W. Draper.
(b) An Egyptian gateway to a large building (with or without flanking towers).
PYLORIC Py*lor"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pylorique.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pylorus; as, the pyloric end of the stomach.
PYLORUS Py*lo"rus, n.; pl. Pylori. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Anat.) (a) The opening from the stomach into the intestine. (b) A posterior division of the stomach in some invertebrates.
PYNE Pyne, n. & v.
Defn: See Pine. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PYNOUN Py*noun", n.
Defn: A pennant. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PYOCYANIN Py`o*cy"a*nin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. (Chem.)
Defn: A blue coloring matter found in the pus from old sores, supposed to be formed through the agency of a species of bacterium (Bacillus pyocyaneus).C13H10N2O
PYOGENIC Py`o*gen"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Producing or generating pus.
PYOID Py"oid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.] (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to pus; of the nature of, or like, pus. Pyoid corpuscles (Med.), cells of a size larger than pus corpuscles, containing two or more of the latter.
PYOPNEUMOTHORAX Py`op*neu`mo*tho"rax, n. Etym: [Gr. pneumothorax.] (Med.)
Defn: Accumulation of air, or other gas, and of pus, in the pleural cavity.
PYOT Py"ot, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The magpie. See Piet.
PYOXANTHOSE Py`o*xan"those, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. (Chem.)
Defn: A greenish yellow crystalline coloring matter found with pyocyanin in pus.
PYRACANTH Pyr"a*canth, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The evergreen thorn (Cratægus Pyracantha), a shrub native of Europe.
PYRAL Py"ral, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a pyre. [R.]
PYRALID Pyr"a*lid, n. Etym: [L. pyralis, -idis, a kind of winged insect.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any moth of the family Pyralidæ. The species are numerous and mostly small, but some of them are very injurious, as the bee moth, meal moth, hop moth, and clover moth.
PYRAMID Pyr"a*mid, n. Etym: [L. pyramis, -idis, fr. Gr. pyramide.]
1. A solid body standing on a triangular, square, or polygonal base, and terminating in a point at the top; especially, a structure or edifice of this shape.
2. (Geom.)
Defn: A solid figure contained by a plane rectilineal figure as base and several triangles which have a common vertex and whose bases are sides of the base.
3. pl. (Billiards)
Defn: The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot. [Eng.] Altitude of a pyramid (Geom.), the perpendicular distance from the vertex to the plane of the base. -- Axis of a pyramid (Geom.), a straight line drawn from the vertex to the center of the base. -- Earth pyramid. (Geol.) See Earth pillars, under Earth. -- Right pyramid (Geom.) a pyramid whose axis is perpendicular to the base.
PYRAMIDAL Py*ram`i*dal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pyramidal.]
1. Of or pertaining to a pyramid; in the form of a a pyramid; pyramidical; as, pyramidal cleavage. The mystic obelisks stand up Triangular, pyramidal. Mrs. Browning.
2. (Crystallog.)
Defn: Same as Tetragonal. Pyramidal numbers (Math.), certain series of figurate numbers expressing the number of balls or points that may be arranged in the form of pyramids. Thus 1, 4, 10, 20, 35, etc., are trangular pyramidal numbers; and 1, 5, 14, 30, 55, etc., are square pyramidal numbers.
PYRAMIDAL Py*ram"i*dal, n. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the carpal bones. See Cuneiform, n., 2 (b).
PYRAMIDALLY Py*ram"i*dal*ly, adv.
Defn: Like a pyramid.
PYRAMIDIC; PYRAMIDICAL Pyr`a*mid"ic, Pyr`a*mid"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a pyramid; having the form of a pyramid; pyramidal. " A pyramidical rock." Goldsmith. "Gold in pyramidic plenty piled." Shenstone. -- Pyr`a*mid"ic*al*ly, adv. Pyr`a*mild"ic*al*ness, n.
PYRAMIDION Pyr`a*mid"i*on, n.; pl. Pyramidia. Etym: [NL., from L. pyramis. See Pyramid.]
Defn: The small pyramid which crowns or completes an obelisk.
PYRAMIDOID Py*ram"i*doid, n. Etym: [Gr. -id: cf. F. pyramidoïde.]
Defn: A solid resembling a pyramid; -- called also pyramoid. Barlow.
PYRAMIS Pyr"a*mis, n.; pl. Pyramides. Etym: [L.]
Defn: A pyramid.
PYRAMOID Pyr"a*moid, n.
Defn: See Pyramidoid.
PYRARGYRITE Py*rar"gy*rite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: Ruby silver; dark red silver ore. It is a sulphide of antimony and silver, occurring in rhombohedral crystals or massive, and is of a dark red or black color with a metallic adamantine luster.
PYRAZINE; PYRAZIN Pyr"a*zine, n. Also -zin. [Pyridine + Gr. not + life.] (Org. Chem.)
Defn: A feebly basic solid, C4H4N2, obtained by distilling piperazine with zinc dust, and in other ways. Also, by extension, any of various derivatives of the same.
PYRE Pyre, n. Etym: [L. pure, Gr. Fire.]
Defn: A funeral pile; a combustible heap on which the dead are burned; hence, any pile to be burnt. For nine long nights, through all the dusky air, The pyres thick flaming shot a dismal glare. Pope.
PYRENA Py*re"na, n.; pl. Pyrenæ. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A nutlet resembling a seed, or the kernel of a drupe. Gray.
PYRENE Py"rene, n. Etym: [Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: One of the less volatile hydrocarbons of coal tar, obtained as a white crystalline substance, C16H10.
PYRENE Py"rene, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Pyrena.
PYRENEAN Pyr`e*ne"an, a. Etym: [L. Pyrenaei (sc. montes) the Pyrenees, fr. Pyrene, Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Pyrenees, a range of mountains separating France and Spain. -- n.
Defn: The Pyrenees. Shak.
PYRENOID Py*re"noid, n. Etym: [Gr. Pyrena, and -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A transparent body found in the chromatophores of certain Infusoria.
PYRETHRIN Pyr"eth*rin, n. Etym: [NL. Pyrethrum, generic name of feverfew, Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: A substance resembling, and isomeric with, ordinary camphor, and extracted from the essential oil of feverfew; -- called also Pyrethrum camphor.
PYRETHRINE Pyr"eth*rine, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid extracted from the root of the pellitory of Spain (Anacyclus pyrethrum).
PYRETIC Py*ret"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. pyrétique.] (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to fever; febrile.
PYRETOLOGY Pyr`e*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. F. pyrétologie.] (Med.)
Defn: A discourse or treatise on fevers; the doctrine of fevers. Hooper.
PYREXIA Py*rex"i*a, n.; pl. Pyrexiæ. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: The febrile condition.
PYREXIAL; PYREXICAL Py*rex"i*al, Py*rex"ic*al, a. (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to fever; feverish.
PYRGOM Pyr"gom, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A variety of pyroxene; -- called also fassaite.
PYRHELIOMETER Pyr*he`li*om"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the direct heating effect of the sun's rays.
PYRIDIC Py*rid"ic, a. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: Related to, or formed from, pyridin or its homologues; as, the pyridic bases.
PYRIDINE Pyr"i*dine, n. Etym: [From Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A nitrogenous base, C5H5N, obtained from the distillation of bone oil or coal tar, and by the decomposition of certain alkaloids, as a colorless liquid with a peculiar pungent odor. It is the nucleus of a large number of organic substances, among which several vegetable alkaloids, as nicotine and certain of the ptomaïnes, may be mentioned. See Lutidine.
PYRIDYL Pyr"i*dyl, n. Etym: [Pyridine + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical radical, C5H4N, regarded as the essential residue of pyridine, and analogous to phenyl.
PYRIFORM Pyr"i*form, a. Etym: [L. pyrum, pirum, a pear + -form: cf. F. pyriforme, piriforme.]
Defn: Having the form of a pear; pear-shaped.
PYRITACEOUS Pyr`i*ta"ceous, a. (Min.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to pyrites. See Pyritic.
PYRITE Pyr"ite, n.; pl. Pyrites. Etym: [Cf. F. pyrite. See Pyrites.] (Min.)
Defn: A common mineral of a pale brass-yellow color and brilliant metallic luster, crystallizing in the isometric system; iron pyrites; iron disulphide. Hence sable coal his massy couch extends, And stars of gold the sparkling pyrite blends. E. Darwin.
PYRITES Py*ri"tes, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. Pyre.] (Min.)
Defn: A name given to a number of metallic minerals, sulphides of iron, copper, cobalt, nickel, and tin, of a white or yellowish color.
Note: The term was originally applied to the mineral pyrite, or iron pyrites, in allusion to its giving sparks when struck with steel. Arsenical pyrites, arsenopyrite. -- Auriferous pyrites. See under Auriferous. -- Capillary pyrites, millerite. -- Common pyrites, isometric iron disulphide; pyrite. -- Hair pyrites, millerite. -- Iron pyrites. See Pyrite. -- Magnetic pyrites, pyrrhotite. -- Tin pyrites, stannite. -- White iron pyrites, orthorhombic iron disulphide; marcasite. This includes cockscomb pyrites (a variety of marcasite, named in allusion to its form), spear pyrites, etc. -- Yellow, or Copper, pyrites, the sulphide of copper and iron; chalcopyrite.
PYRITIC; PYRITICAL Py*rit"ic, Py*rit"ic*al, a. (Min.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to pyrites; consisting of, or resembling, pyrites.
PYRITIFEROUS Pyr`i*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Pyrites + -ferous.] (Min.)
Defn: Containing or producing pyrites.
PYRITIZE Pyr"i*tize, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. pyritiser.]
Defn: To convert into pyrites.
PYRITOHEDRAL Pyr`i*to*he"dral, a. Etym: [See Pyritohedron.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: Like pyrites in hemihedral form.
PYRITOHEDRON Pyr`i*to*he"dron, n. Etym: [Pyrite + Gr. (Crystallog.)
Defn: The pentagonal dodecahedron, a common form of pyrite.
PYRITOID Pyr"i*toid, n. Etym: [Pyrite + -oid.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: Pyritohedron. [R.]
PYRITOLOGY Pyr`i*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]
Defn: The science of blowpipe analysis.
PYRITOUS Pyr"i*tous, a.
Defn: Pyritic.
PYRO-; PYR- Pyro-, Pyr-. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Combining forms designating fire or heat; specifically (Chem.), used to imply an actual or theoretical derivative by the action of heat; as in pyrophosphoric, pyrosulphuric, pyrotartaric, pyrotungstic, etc.
PYRO Py"ro, n. (Photog.)
Defn: Abbreviation of pyrogallic acid. [Colloq.]
PYROACETIC Pyr`o*a*ce"tic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + acetic: cf. F. pyroacétique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, and designating, a substance (acetone) obtained by the distillation of the acetates. It is now called also pyroacetic ether, and formerly was called pyroacetic spirit.
PYROACID Pyr`o*ac"id, n. Etym: [Pyro- + acid.] (Chem.)
Defn: An acid obtained by sybjecting another acid to the action of heat. Cf. Pyro-.
PYROANTIMONATE Pyr`o*an`ti*mo"nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyroantimonic acid.
PYROANTIMONIC Pyr`o*an`ti*mon"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + antimonic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of antimony analogous to pyrophosphoric acid.
PYROARSENATE Pyr`o*ar"se*nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyroarsenic acid.
PYROARSENIC Pyr`o*ar*sen"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + arsenic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to or designating, an acid of arsenic analogous to pyrophosphoric acid.
PYROBORATE Pyr`o*bo"rate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyroboric acid.
PYROBORIC Pyr`o*bo"ric, a. Etym: [Pyro- + boric.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to derived from, or designating, an acid, H2B4O7 (called also tetraboric acid), which is the acid ingredient of ordinary borax, and is obtained by heating boric acid.
PYROCATECHIN Pyr`o*cat"e*chin, n. Etym: [Pyro- + catechu.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white crystalline substance, C6H4(OH)2, of the phenol series, found in various plants; -- so called because first obtained by distillation of gum catechu. Called also catechol, oxyphenol. etc.
PYROCHLORE Pyr"o*chlore, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A niobate of calcium, cerium, and other bases, occurring usually in octahedrons of a yellowish or brownish color and resinous luster; -- so called from its becoming grass-green on being subjected to heat under the blowpipe.
PYROCITRIC Pyr`o*cit"ric, a. Etym: [Pyro- + citric: cf. F. pyrocitrique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, any one of three acids obtained by the distillation of citric acid, and called respectively citraconic, itaconic, and mesaconic acid.
PYROCOLL Pyr"o*coll, n. Etym: [Puro- + Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: A yellow crystalline substance allied to pyrrol, obtained by the distillation of gelatin.
PYROELECTRIC Pyr`o*e*lec"tric, a. Etym: [Pyro- + electric.] (Physics)
Defn: Pertaining to, or dependent on, pyroelectricity; receiving electric polarity when heated.
PYROELECTRIC Pyr`o*e*lec"tric, n. (Physics)
Defn: A substance which becomes electrically polar when heated, exhibiting opposite charges of statical electricity at two separate parts, especially the two extremities.
PYROELECTRICITY Pyr`o*e`lec*tric"i*ty, n. (Physics)
Defn: Electricity developed by means of heat; the science which treats of electricity thus developed.
PYROGALLATE Pyr`o*gal"late, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyrogallic acid; an ether of pyrogallol.
PYROGALLIC Pyr`o*gal"lic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + gallic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid called pyrogallol. See Pyrogallol.
PYROGALLOL Pyr`o*gal"lol, n. Etym: [Pyrogallic + -ol.] (Chem.)
Defn: A phenol metameric with phloroglucin, obtained by the distillation of gallic acid as a poisonous white crystalline substance having acid properties, and hence called also pyrogallic acid. It is a strong reducer, and is used as a developer in photography and in the production of certain dyes.
PYROGEN Pyr"o*gen, n. Etym: [See Pyrogenous.]
1. Electricity. [R.]
2. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A poison separable from decomposed meat infusions, and supposed to be formed from albuminous matter through the agency of bacteria.
PYROGENIC Pyr`o*gen"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + -gen + -ic.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Producing heat; -- said of substances, as septic poisons, which elevate the temperature of the body and cause fever.
PYROGENOUS Py*rog"e*nous, a. Etym: [Gr. genous: cf. F. purogène, Gr.
Defn: Produced by fire; igneous. Mantell. .
PYROGNOSTIC Pyr`og*nos"tic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. (Min.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to characters developed by the use of heat; pertaining to the characters of minerals when examined before the blowpipe; as, the pyrognostic characters of galena.
PYROGNOSTICS Pyr`og*nos"tics, n. pl. (Min.)
Defn: The characters of a mineral observed by the use of the blowpipe, as the degree of fusibility, flame coloration, etc.
PYROGRAPH Py"ro*graph, n.
Defn: A production of pyrography.
PYROGRAPHY Py*rog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Pyro- + -graphy.]
Defn: A process of printing, ornamenting, or carving, by burning with heated instruments.
PYROGRAVURE Py`ro*gra*vure", n. [Pyro- + F. gravure engraving.]
Defn: Pyrography; also, a design or picture made by pyrography.
PYROLATOR Py*rol"a*tor, n. Etym: [See Pyrolatry.]
Defn: A fire worshiper. [R.] Southey.
PYROLATRY Py*rol"a*try, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. pyrolâtrie.]
Defn: The worship of fire. Young.
PYROLIGNEOUS; PYROLIGNIC Pyr`o*lig"ne*ous, Pyr`o*lig"nic, a. Etym: [Pyro-+ L. lignum wood: cf. F. pyroligneux.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, the acid liquid obtained in the distillation of wood, consisting essentially of impure acetic acid.
PYROLIGNITE Py`ro*lig"nite, n.
Defn: A crude acetate produced by treating pyroligneous acid with a metal or basic compound; as, pyrolignite of iron (iron liquor).
PYROLIGNOUS Pyr`o*lig"nous, a.
Defn: Same as Pyroligneous.
PYROLITHIC Pyr`o*lith"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + lithic.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Same as Pyrouric, or Cyanuric.
PYROLOGIST Py*rol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who is versed in, or makes a study of, pyrology.
PYROLOGY Py*rol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Pyro- + -logy: cf. F. pyrologie.]
Defn: That branch of physical science which treats of the properties, phenomena, or effects of heat; also, a treatise on heat.
PYROLUSITE Pyr`o*lu"site, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. (Min.)
Defn: Manganese dioxide, a mineral of an iron-black or dark steel- gray color and metallic luster, usually soft. Pyrolusite parts with its oxygen at a red heat, and is extensively used in discharging the brown and green tints of glass (whence its name).
PYROMAGNETIC Pyr`o*mag*net"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + magnetic.] (Physics)
Defn: Acting by the agency of heat and magnetism; as, a pyromagnetic machine for producing electric currents.
PYROMALATE Pyr`o*ma"late, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyromalic acid. [Obs.]
PYROMALIC Pyr`o*ma"lic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + malic.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid now called maleic acid.
PYROMANCY Pyr"o*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. pyromancie.]
Defn: Divination by means of fire.
PYROMANIA Pyr"o*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [Pyro- + mania.]
Defn: An insane disposition to incendiarism.
PYROMANTIC Pyr"o*man"tic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to pyromancy.
PYROMANTIC Pyr`o*man"tic, n. Etym: [Cf. Gr.
Defn: One who pretends to divine by fire. Sir T. Herbert.
PYROMETER Py*rom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pyro- + -meter: cf. F. pyromètre.]
1. (Physics)
Defn: An instrument used for measuring the expansion of solid bodies by heat.
2. (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for measuring degrees of heat above those indicated by the mercurial thermometer.
Note: It is usually constructed so as to register the change which the heat to be measured produces in the length of some expansible substance, as a metallic rod, or in the intensity of a thermo- electric current.
PYROMETRIC; PYROMETRICAL Pyr`o*met"ric, Pyr`o*met"ric*al a. Etym: [Cf. F. pyrométrique.] (Physics)
Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained by, the pyrometer; as, pyrometrical instruments; pyrometrical measurements.
PYROMETRY Py*rom"e*try, n.
Defn: The art of measuring degrees of heat, or the expansion of bodies by heat.
PYROMORPHITE Pyr`o*mor"phite, n. Etym: [G. pyromorphit, from Gr. (Min.)
Defn: Native lead phosphate with lead chloride, occurring in bright green and brown hexagonal crystals and also massive; -- so called because a fused globule crystallizes in cooling.
PYROMORPHOUS Pyr`o*mor"phous, a. Etym: [Pyro- + -morphous.] (Min.)
Defn: Having the property of crystallizing by the agency of fire.
PYROMUCATE Pyr`o*mu"cate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyromucic acid.
PYROMUCIC Pyr`o*mu"cic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + mucic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid obtained as a white crystalline substance by the distillation of mucic acid, or by the oxidation of furfurol.
PYRONE Py`rone, n. [G. pyron, an abbr. of pyrokoman.] (Org. Chem.)
Defn: An unsaturated cyclic compound, C5H4O2, of which two varieties are known, a and g. g-pyrone is the parent substance of several natural yellow dyestuffs.
PYRONOMICS Pyr`o*nom"ics, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr.
Defn: The science of heat.
PYROPE Pyr"ope, n. Etym: [L. pyropus a kind of red bronze, fr. Gr. pyrope.] (Min.)
Defn: A variety of garnet, of a poppy or blood-red color, frequently with a tinge of orange. It is used as a gem. See the Note under Garnet.
PYROPHANE Pyr"o*phane, n. Etym: [See Pyrophanous.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral which is opaque in its natural state, but is said to change its color and become transparent by heat.
PYROPHANOUS Py*roph"a*nous, a. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr.
Defn: Rendered transparent by heat.
PYROPHONE Pyr"o*phone, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr.
Defn: A musical instrument in which the tones are produced by flames of hydrogen, or illuminating gas, burning in tubes of different sizes and lengths.
PYROPHORIC; PYROPHOROUS Pyr`o*phor"ic, Py*roph"o*rous, a. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr.
Defn: Light-producing; of or pertaining to pyrophorus. Pyrophoric iron (Chem.), finely reduced iron, which ignites spontaneously on contact with air.
PYROPHORUS Py*roph"o*rus, n. Etym: [NL. See Pyrophorous.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Any one of several substances or mixtures which phosphoresce or ignite spontaneously on exposure to air, as a heated mixture of alum, potash, and charcoal, or a mixture of charcoal and finely divided lead.
PYROPHOSPHATE Pyr"o*phos"phate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyrophosphoric acid.
PYROPHOSPHORIC Pyr`o*phos*phor"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + phosphoric.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid, H4P2O7, which is obtained as a white crystalline substance. Its salts are obtained by heating the phosphates.
PYROPHYLLITE Py*roph"yl*lite, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A mineral, usually of a white or greenish color and pearly luster, consisting chiefly of the hydrous silicate of alumina.
PYROSCOPE Pyr"o*scope, n. Etym: [Pyro- + -scope: cf. F. pyroscope.] (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the intensity of heat radiating from a fire, or the cooling influence of bodies. It is a differential thermometer, having one bulb coated with gold or silver leaf. [R.]
PYROSIS Py*ro"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr Gr. (Med.)
Defn: See Water brash, under Brash.
PYROSMALITE Py*ros"ma*lite, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. -like. ] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral, usually of a pale brown or of a gray or grayish green color, consisting chiefly of the hydrous silicate of iron and manganese; -- so called from the odor given off before the blowpipe.
PYROSOME Pyr"o*some, n. Etym: [Pyro- + -some body.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any compound ascidian of the genus Pyrosoma. The pyrosomes form large hollow cylinders, sometimes two or three feet long, which swim at the surface of the sea and are very phosphorescent.
PYROSULPHATE Pyr`o*sul"phate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyrosulphuric acid.
PYROSULPHURIC Pyr`o*sul*phu"ric, a. Etym: [Pyro- + -sulphuric.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid called also disulphuric acid) obtained by distillation of certain sulphates, as a colorless, thick, oily liquid, H2S2O7 resembling sulphuric acid. It is used in the solution of indigo, in the manufacture of alizarin, and in dehydration.
PYROTARTARIC Pyr`o*tar*tar"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + tartaric.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained as a white crystalline substance by the distillation of tartaric acid.
PYROTARTRATE Pyr`o*tar"trate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of pyrotartaric acid.
PYROTECHNIAN Pyr`o*tech"ni*an, n.
Defn: A pyrotechnist.
PYROTECHNIC; PYROTECHNICAL Pyr`o*tech"nic, Pyr`o*tech"nic*al, a. Etym: [Pyro- + technic, technical: cf. F. pyrotechnique. See Fire, Technical.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to fireworks, or the art of forming them. Pyrotechnical sponge. See under Sponge.
PYROTECHNICIAN Pyr`o*tech*ni"cian, n.
Defn: A pyrotechnist.
PYROTECHNICS Pyr`o*tech"nics, n.
Defn: The art of making fireworks; the manufacture and use of fireworks; pyrotechny.
PYROTECHNIST Pyr`o*tech"nist, n.
Defn: One skilled in pyrotechny; one who manufactures fireworks. Steevens.
PYROTECHNY Pyr`o*tech`ny, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pyrotechnie.]
1. The use and application of fire in science and the arts. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.
2. Same as Pyrotechnics.
PYROTHONIDE Py*roth"o*nide, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A kind of empyreumatic oil produced by the combustion of textures of hemp, linen, or cotton in a copper vessel, -- formerly used as a remedial agent. Dunglison.
PYROTIC Py*rot"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. pyrotique.]
Defn: Caustic. See Caustic. -- n. (Med.)
Defn: A caustic medicine.
PYROTRITARTARIC Pyr`o*tri`tar*tar"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + tri- + tartaric.] (Chem.)
Defn: Designating an acid which is more commonly called uric acid.
PYROTUNGSTIC Pyr`o*tung"stic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Polytungstic. See Metatungstic.
PYROURIC; PYROUERIC Pyr`o*ü"ric, a. Etym: [Pyro- + uric.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid now called cyanuric acid. See Cyanuric.
PYROVANADIC Pyr`o*va*nad"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + vanadic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of vanadium, analogous to pyrophosphoric acid.
PYROXANTHIN Pyr`o*xan"thin, n. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: A yellow crystalline hydrocardon extracted from crude wood spirit; -- called also eblanin.
PYROXENE Pyr"ox*ene, n. Etym: [F. pyroxène, from Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A common mineral occurring in monoclinic crystals, with a prismatic angle of nearly 90º, and also in massive forms which are often laminated. It varies in color from white to dark green and black, and includes many varieties differing in color and composition, as diopside, malacolite, salite, coccolite, augite, etc. They are all silicates of lime and magnesia with sometimes alumina and iron. Pyroxene is an essential constituent of many rocks, especially basic igneous rocks, as basalt, gabbro, etc.
Note: The pyroxene group contains pyroxene proper, also the related orthorhombic species, enstatite, bronzite, hypersthene, and various monoclinic and triclinic species, as rhodonite, etc.
PYROXENIC Pyr`ox*en"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pyroxénique.]
Defn: Containing pyroxene; composed chiefly of pyroxene.
PYROXENITE Py*rox"e*nite, n. (Min.)
Defn: A rock consisting essentially of pyroxene.
PYROXYLE Py*rox"yle, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pyroxyle.]
Defn: See Pyroxylic, -yl.
PYROXYLIC Pyr`ox*yl"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. (Old Chem.)
Defn: Derived from wood by distillation; -- formerly used in designating crude wood spirit.
PYROXYLIN Py*rox"y*lin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A substance resembling gun cotton in composition and properties, but distinct in that it is more highly nitrified and is soluble in alcohol, ether, etc.; -- called also pyroxyle.
PYRRHIC Pyr"rhic, a. Etym: [L. pyrrhichius, Gr.
1. Of or pertaining to an ancient Greek martial dance. " ye have the pyrrhic dance as yet." Byron.
2. (Pros.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a pyrrhic, or to pyrrhics; containing pyrrhic; as, a pyrrhic verse.
PYRRHIC Pyr"rhic, n.
1. Etym: [Gr. pyrrhique, fem.]
Defn: An ancient Greek martial dance, to the accompaniment of the flute, its time being very quick.
2. Etym: [L. pyrrhichius (sc. pes), Gr. pyrrhique, masc.] (Pros.)
Defn: A foot consisting of two short syllables.
PYRRHICIST Pyr"rhi*cist, n. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: One two danced the pyrrhic.
PYRRHONEAN; PYRRHONIC Pyr*rho"ne*an, Pyr*rhon"ic, a. Etym: [L. Pyrrhonêus: cf. F. pyrrhonien.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to pyrrhonism.
PYRRHONISM Pyr"rho*nism, n. Etym: [From Pyrrho, the founder of a school of skeptics in Greece (about 300 b. c.): cf. F. pyrrhonisme.]
Defn: Skepticism; universal doubt.
PYRRHONIST Pyr"rho*nist, n.
Defn: A follower of Pyrrho; a skeptic.
PYRRHOTINE; PYRRHOTITE Pyr"rho*tine, Pyr"rho*tite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A bronze-colored mineral, of metallic luster. It is a sulphide of iron, and is remarkable for being attracted by the magnet. Called also magnetic pyrites.
PYRROL Pyr"rol, n. Etym: [Gr. oleum oil.] (Chem.)
Defn: A nitrogenous base found in coal tar, bone oil, and other distillates of organic substances, and also produced synthetically as a colorless liquid, C4H5N, having on odor like that of chloroform. It is the nucleus and origin of a large number of derivatives. So called because it colors a splinter of wood moistened with hydrochloric acid a deep red.
PYRROLINE Pyr"ro*line, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A nitrogenous base, C4H7N, obtained as a colorless liquid by the reduction of pyrrol.
PYRULA Pyr"u*la, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. pyrus a pear.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of large marine gastropods. having a pear-shaped shell. It includes the fig-shells. See Illust. in Appendix.
PYRURIC Py*ru"ric, a.
Defn: Same as Pyroüric.
PYRUS Py"rus, n. Etym: [L. pyrus, or better pirus, pear tree.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of rosaceous trees and shrubs having pomes for fruit. It includes the apple, crab apple, pear, chokeberry, sorb, and mountain ash.
PYRUVIC Py*ru"vic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + L. uva a grape.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid (called also pyroracemic acid) obtained, as a liquid having a pungent odor, by the distillation of racemic acid.
PYRUVIL Py*ru"vil, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A complex nitrogenous compound obtained by heating together pyruvic acid and urea.
PYTHAGOREAN Pyth`a*go"re*an, a. Etym: [L. Pythagoreus, Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Pythagoras (a Greek philosopher, born about 582 b. c.), or his philosophy. The central thought of the Pythagorean philosophy is the idea of number, the recognition of the numerical and mathematical relations of things. Encyc. Brit. Pythagorean proposition (Geom.), the theorem that the square described upon the hypothenuse of a plane right-angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares described upon the other two sides. -- Pythagorean system (Astron.), the commonly received system of astronomy, first taught by Pythagoras, and afterward revived by Copernicus, whence it is also called the Copernican system. -- Pythagorean letter. See Y.
PYTHAGOREAN Pyth`a*go"re*an, n.
Defn: A follower of Pythagoras; one of the school of philosophers founded by Pythagoras.
PYTHAGOREANISM Pyth`a*go"re*an*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrines of Pythagoras or the Pythagoreans. As a philosophic school Pythagoreanism became extinct in Greece about the middle of the 4th century [B. C.]. Encyc. Brit.
PYTHAGORIC; PYTHAGORICAL Pyth`a*gor"ic, Pyth`a*gor"ic*al, a.Etym: [L. Pythagoricus, Gr. pythagorique.]
Defn: See Pythagorean, a.
PYTHAGORISM Py*thag"o*rism, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: The doctrines taught by Pythagoras.
Note: Pythagoras made numbers the basis of his philosophical system, as well physical as metaphysical. The doctrine of the transmigration of souls (metempsychosis) is associated closely with name of Pythagoras.
PYTHAGORIZE Py*thag"o*rize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pythagorized; p. pr. & vb. n. Pythagorizing.] Etym: [Gr.
Defn: To speculate after the manner of Pythagoras.
PYTHIAD Pyth"i*ad, n. Etym: [See Pythian.] (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: The period intervening between one celebration of the Pythian games and the next.
PYTHIAN Pyth"i*an, a. Etym: [L. Pythius, Gr. pythien.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Delphi, to the temple of Apollo, or to the priestess of Apollo, who delivered oracles at Delphi. Pythian games (Gr. Antiq.), one of the four great national festivals of ancient Greece, celebrated near Delphi, in honor of Apollo, the conqueror of the dragon Python, at first once in eight years, afterward once in four.
PYTHOCENIC Pyth`o*cen"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Producing decomposition, as diseases which are supposed to be accompanied or caused by decomposition.
PYTHON Py"thon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. Python the serpent slain near Delphi by Apollo, Gr.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of very large snakes of the genus Python, and allied genera, of the family Pythonidæ. They are nearly allied to the boas. Called also rock snake.
Note: The pythons have small pelvic bones, or anal spurs, two rows of subcaudal scales, and pitted labials. They are found in Africa, Asia, and the East Indies.
2. A diviner by spirits. "[Manasses] observed omens, and appointed pythons." 4 Kings xxi. 6 (Douay version).
PYTHONESS Pyth"o*ness, n. Etym: [L. pythonissa: cf. F. pythonisse. See Pythian.]
1. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: The priestess who gave oracular answers at Delphi in Greece.
2. Any woman supposed to have a spirit of divination; a sort of witch. Bp. Hall.
PYTHONIC Py*thon"ic, a. Etym: [L. pythonicus, Gr. Pythian.]
Defn: Prophetic; oracular; pretending to foretell events.
PYTHONISM Pyth"o*nism, n.
Defn: The art of predicting events after the manner of the priestess of Apollo at Delphi; equivocal prophesying.
PYTHONIST Pyth"o*nist, n.
Defn: A conjurer; a diviner.
PYTHONOMORPHA Pyth`o*no*mor"pha, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Python, and -morphous.] (Paleon.)
Defn: Same as Mosasauria.
PYURIA Py*u"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A morbid condition in which pus is discharged in the urine.
PYX Pyx, )n. Etym: [L. pyxis a box, Gr. Box a receptacle.] [Written also pix.]
1. ( R. C. Ch.)
Defn: The box, case, vase, or tabernacle, in which the host is reserved.
2. A box used in the British mint as a place of deposit for certain sample coins taken for a trial of the weight and fineness of metal before it is sent from the mint. Mushet.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: The box in which the compass is suspended; the binnacle. Weale.
4. (Anat.)
Defn: Same as Pyxis. Pyx cloth (R. C. Ch., a veil of silk or lace covering the pyx. Trial of the pyx, the annual testing, in the English mint, of the standard of gold and silver coins. Encyc. Brit.
PYX Pyx, v. t.
Defn: To test as to weight and fineness, as the coins deposited in the pyx. [Eng.] Mushet.
PYXIDATE Pyx"i*date, a.
Defn: Having a pyxidium.
PYXIDIUM Pyx*id"i*um, n.; pl. Pyxidia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Pyx.] (Bot.) (a) A pod which divides circularly into an upper and lower half, of which the former acts as a kind of lid, as in the pimpernel and purslane. (b) The theca of mosses.
PYXIE Pyx"ie, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Pixy.
PYXIS Pyx*is, n. Etym: [L.]
1. A box; a pyx.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A pyxidium.
3. (Anat.)
Defn: The acetabulum. See Acetabulum, 2.
Q
Defn: , the seventeenth letter of the English alphabet, has but one sound (that of k), and is always followed by u, the two letters together being sounded like kw, except in some words in which the u is silent. See Guide to Pronunciation, § 249. Q is not found in Anglo-Saxon, cw being used instead of qu; as in cwic, quick; cwen, queen. The name (ku) is from the French ku, which is from the Latin name of the same letter; its form is from the Latin, which derived it, through a Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician, the ultimate origin being Egyptian. Etymologically, q or qu is most nearly related to a (ch, tch), p, q, and wh; as in cud, quid, L. equus, ecus, horse, Gr. equine, hippic; L. quod which, E. what; L. aquila, E. eaqle; E. kitchen, OE. kichene, AS. cycene, L. coquina.
QUA Qua, conj. Etym: [L., abl. of qui who.]
Defn: In so far as; in the capacity or character of; as. It is with Shelley's biographers qua biographers that we have to deal. London Spectator.
QUAB Quab, n. Etym: [Cf. D. kwab eelpout, Dan. quabbe, G. quabbe, quappe, LG. quabbe a fat lump of flesh, and L. capito a kind of fish with a large head, fr. caput the head, also E. squab.]
Defn: An unfledged bird; hence, something immature or unfinished. Ford.
QUAB Quab, v. i.
Defn: See Quob, v. i.
QUA-BIRD Qua"-bird`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American night heron. See under Night.
QUACHA Qua"cha, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The quagga.
QUACK Quack, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Qvacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Quacking.] Etym: [Of imitative origin; cf. D. kwaken, G. quacken, quaken, Icel. kvaka to twitter.]
1. To utter a sound like the cry of a duck.
2. To make vain and loud pretensions; to boast. " To quack of universal cures." Hudibras.
3. To act the part of a quack, or pretender.
QUACK Quack, n.
1. The cry of the duck, or a sound in imitation of it; a hoarse, quacking noise. Chaucer.
2. Etym: [Cf. Quacksalver.]
Defn: A boastful pretender to medical skill; an empiric; an ignorant practitioner.
3. Hence, one who boastfully pretends to skill or knowledge of any kind not possessed; a charlatan. Quacks political; quacks scientific, academical. Carlyle.
QUACK Quack, a.
Defn: Pertaining to or characterized by, boasting and pretension; used by quacks; pretending to cure diseases; as, a quack medicine; a quack doctor.
QUACKERY Quack"er*y, n.; pl. Quackeries (.
Defn: The acts, arts, or boastful pretensions of a quack; false pretensions to any art; empiricism. Carlyle.
QUACK GRASS Quack" grass`. (Bot.)
Defn: See Quitch grass.
QUACKISH Quack"ish, a.
Defn: Like a quack; boasting; characterized by quackery. Burke.
QUACKISM Quack"ism, n.
Defn: Quackery. Carlyle.
QUACKLE Quac"kle, v. i. & t. [imp. & p. p. Quackled; p. pr. & vb. n. Quackling.] Etym: [Cf.Querken.]
Defn: To suffocate; to choke. [Prov. Eng.]
QUACKSALVER Quack"sal*ver, n. Etym: [D. kwakzalver; cf. kwakzalven to quack or boast of one's salves. See Quack, Salve, n.]
Defn: One who boasts of his skill in medicines and salves, or of the efficacy of his prescriptions; a charlatan; a quack; a mountebank. [Obs.] Burton.
QUAD; QUADE Quad, Quade, a. Etym: [Akin to AS. cwæd, cwead, dung, evil, G. kot, dung, OHG. quat.]
Defn: Evil; bad; baffling; as, a quade wind. [Obs.] Sooth play, quad play, as the Fleming saith. Chaucer.
QUAD Quad, n. (Print.)
Defn: A quadrat.
QUAD Quad, n. (Arch.)
Defn: A quadrangle; hence, a prison. [Cant or Slang]
QUADRA Quad"ra, n.; pl. Quadræ. Etym: [L., a square, the socle, a platband, a fillet.] (Arch.) (a) The plinth, or lowest member, of any pedestal, podium, water table, or the like. (b) A fillet, or listel.
QUADRABLE Quad"ra*ble, a.Etym: [See Quadrate.] (Math.)
Defn: That may be sqyared, or reduced to an equivalent square; -- said of a surface when the area limited by a curve can be exactly found, and expressed in a finite number of algebraic terms.
QUADRAGENARIOUS Quad`ra*ge*na"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. quadragenarius, fr. qyadrageni forty each.]
Defn: Consisting of forty; forty years old.
QUADRAGENE Quad"ra*gene, n. Etym: [LL. quadragena, fr. L. quadrageni forty each, akin to quadraginta forty.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: An indulgence of forty days, corresponding to the forty days of ancient canonical penance.
QUADRAGESIMA Quad`ra*ges"i*ma, n. Etym: [L., fr. quadragesimus the fortieth, fr. quadraginta forty; akin to quattuor four. See Four.] (Eccl.)
Defn: The forty days of fast preceding Easter; Lent. Quadragesima Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, about forty days before Easter.
QUADRAGESIMAL Quad`ra*ges"i*mal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quadragésimal.]
Defn: Belonging to Lent; used in Lent; Lenten.
QUADRAGESIMALS Quad`ra*ges"i*mals, n. pl.
Defn: Offerings formerly made to the mother church of a diocese on Mid-Lent Sunday.
QUADRANGLE Quad"ran`gle, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. quadrangulum; quattuor four + angulus an angle. See Four, and Angle a corner.]
1. (Geom.)
Defn: A plane figure having four angles, and consequently four sides; any figure having four angles.
2. A square or quadrangular space or inclosure, such a space or court surrounded by buildings, esp. such a court in a college or public school in England.
QUADRANGULAR Quad*ran"gu*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quadrangulaire.]
Defn: Having four angles, and consequently four sides; tetragonal. -- Quad*ran"gu*lar*ly, adv.
QUADRANS Quad"rans, n.; pl. Quadrantes. Etym: [L.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A fourth part of the coin called an as. See 3d As, 2.
2. The fourth of a penny; a farthing. See Cur.
QUADRANT Quad"rant, n. Etym: [L. quadrans, -antis, a fourth part, a fourth of a whole, fr. quattuor four: cf. F. quadrant, cadran. See Four, and cf. Cadrans.]
1. The fourth part; the quarter. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
2. (Geom.)
Defn: The quarter of a circle, or of the circumference of a circle, an arc of 90º, or one subtending a right angle at the center.
3. (Anal. (Geom.)
Defn: One of the four parts into which a plane is divided by the coördinate axes. The upper right-hand part is the first quadrant; the upper left-hand part the second; the lower left-hand part the third; and the lower right-hand part the fourth quadrant.
4. An instrument for measuring altitudes, variously constructed and mounted for different specific uses in astronomy, surveying, gunnery, etc., consisting commonly of a graduated arc of 90º, with an index or vernier, and either plain or telescopic sights, and usually having a plumb line or spirit level for fixing the vertical or horizontal direction. Gunner's quadrant, an instrument consisting of a graduated limb, with a plumb line or spirit level, and an arm by which it is applied to a cannon or mortar in adjusting it to the elevation required for attaining the desired range. -- Gunter's quadrant. See Gunter's quadrant, in the Vocabulary. Hadley's quadrant, a hand instrument used chiefly at sea to measure the altitude of the sun or other celestial body in ascertaining the vessel's position. It consists of a frame in the form of an octant having a graduated scale upon its arc, and an index arm, or alidade pivoted at its apex. Mirrors, called the index glass and the horizon glass, are fixed one upon the index arm and the other upon one side of the frame, respectively. When the instrument is held upright, the index arm may be swung so that the index glass will reflect an image of the sun upon the horizon glass, and when the reflected image of the sun coincides, to the observer's eye, with the horizon as seen directly through an opening at the side of the horizon glass, the index shows the sun's altitude upon the scale; -- more properly, but less commonly, called an octant. -- Quadrant of altitude, an appendage of the artificial globe, consisting of a slip of brass of the length of a quadrant of one of the great circles of the globe, and graduated. It may be fitted to the meridian, and being movable round to all points of the horizon, serves as a scale in measuring altitudes, azimuths, etc.
QUADRANTAL Quad*ran"tal, a. Etym: [L. quadrantalis containing the fourth fourth part of a measure.] (Geom.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a quadrant; also, included in the fourth part of a circle; as, quadrantal space. Quadrantal triangle, a spherical triangle having one side equal to a quadrant or arc of 90º. -- Quadrantal versor, a versor that expresses rotation through one right angle.
QUADRANTAL Quad*ran"tal, n. Etym: [L.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A cubical vessel containing a Roman cubic foot, each side being a Roman square foot; -- used as a measure.
2. A cube. [R.]
QUADRAT Quad"rat, n. Etym: [F. quadrat, cadrat. See Quadrate.]
1. (Print.)
Defn: A block of type metal lower than the letters, -- used in spacing and in blank lines. [Abbrev. quad.]
2. An old instrument used for taking altitudes; -- called also geometrical square, and line of shadows.
QUADRATE Quad"rate, a. Etym: [L. quadratus squared, p. p. of quadrare to make four-cornered, to make square, to square, to fit, suit, from quadrus square, quattuor four. See Quadrant, and cf. Quadrat, Quarry an arrow, Square.]
1. Having four equal sides, the opposite sides parallel, and four right angles; square. Figures, some round, some triangle, some quadrate. Foxe.
2. Produced by multiplying a number by itself; square. " Quadrate and cubical numbers." Sir T. Browne.
3. Square; even; balanced; equal; exact. [Archaic] " A quadrate, solid, wise man." Howell.
4. Squared; suited; correspondent. [Archaic] " A generical description quadrate to both." Harvey. Quadrate bone (Anat.), a bone between the base of the lower jaw and the skull in most vertebrates below the mammals. In reptiles and birds it articulates the lower jaw with the skull; in mammals it is represented by the malleus or incus.
QUADRATE Quad"rate, n. Etym: [L. quadratum. See Quadrate, a.]
1. (Geom.)
Defn: A plane surface with four equal sides and four right angles; a square; hence, figuratively, anything having the outline of a square. At which command, the powers militant That stood for heaven, in mighty quadrate joined. Milton.
2. (Astrol.)
Defn: An aspect of the heavenly bodies in which they are distant from each other 90º, or the quarter of a circle; quartile. See the Note under Aspect, 6.
3. (Anat.)
Defn: The quadrate bone.
QUADRATE Quad"rate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quadrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Quadrating.] Etym: [See Quadrate, a.]
Defn: To square; to agree; to suit; to correspond; -- followed by with. [Archaic] The objections of these speculatists of its forms do not quadrate with their theories. Burke.
QUADRATE Quad"rate, v. t.
Defn: To adjust (a gun) on its carriage; also, to train (a gun) for horizontal firing.
QUADRATIC Quad*rat"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quadratique.]
1. Of or pertaining to a square, or to squares; resembling a quadrate, or square; square.
2. (Crystallog.)
Defn: Tetragonal.
3. (Alg.)
Defn: Pertaining to terms of the second degree; as, a quadratic equation, in which the highest power of the unknown quantity is a square.
QUADRATICS Quad*rat"ics, n. (Alg.)
Defn: That branch of algebra which treats of quadratic equations.
QUADRATOJUGAL Quad*ra`to*ju"gal, a. (Anat.) (a) Of or pertaining to the quadrate and jugal bones. (b) Of or pertaining to the quadratojugal bone. -- n.
Defn: The quadratojugal bone. Quadratojugal bone (Anat.), a bone at the base of the lower jaw in many animals.
QUADRATRIX Quad*ra"trix, n.; pl. -trixes, or -trices. Etym: [NL.] (Geom.)
Defn: A curve made use of in the quadrature of other curves; as the quadratrix, of Dinostratus, or of Tschirnhausen.
QUADRATURE Quad"ra*ture, n. Etym: [L. quadratura: cf. F. quadrature. See Quadrate, a.]
1. (Math.)
Defn: The act of squaring; the finding of a square having the same area as some given curvilinear figure; as, the quadrature of a circle; the operation of finding an expression for the area of a figure bounded wholly or in part by a curved line, as by a curve, two ordinates, and the axis of abscissas.
2. A quadrate; a square. Milton.
3. (Integral Calculus)
Defn: The integral used in obtaining the area bounded by a curve; hence, the definite integral of the product of any function of one variable into the differential of that variable.
4. (Astron.)
Defn: The position of one heavenly body in respect to another when distant from it 90º, or a quarter of a circle, as the moon when at an equal distance from the points of conjunction and opposition. Quadrature of the moon (Astron.), the position of the moon when one half of the disk is illuminated. -- Quadrature of an orbit (Astron.), a point in an orbit which is at either extremity of the latus rectum drawn through the empty focus of the orbit.
QUADREL Quad"rel, n. Etym: [It. quadrello, LL. quadrellus, fr. L. quadrus square. See Quadrate, and cf. Quarrel an arrow.]
1. A square piece of turf or peat. [Prov. Eng.]
2. A square brick, tile, or the like.
QUADRENNIAL Quad*ren"ni*al, a. Etym: [L. quadriennium a space of four years; quattuor four + annus year; cf. L. quadriennis. See Quadrate, and Annual.]
1. Comprising four years; as, a quadrennial period.
2. Occurring once in four years, or at the end of every four years; as, quadrennial games.
QUADRENNIALLY Quad*ren"ni*al*ly, adv.
Defn: Once in four years.
QUADRENNIUM Quad*ren"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Quadrennial.]
Defn: A space or period of four years.
QUADRI- Quad"ri-. Etym: [L., from quattuor four. See Four.]
Defn: A combining form meaning four, four times, fourfold; as, quadricapsular, having four capsules.
QUADRIBASIC Quad`ri*ba"sic, a. Etym: [Quadri- + basic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Same as Tetrabasic.
QUADRIBLE Quad"ri*ble, a.
Defn: Quadrable. [R.]
QUADRIC Quad"ric, a. (Math.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the second degree.
QUADRIC Quad"ric, n. (a) (Alg.) A quantic of the second degree. See Quantic. (b) (Geom.) A surface whose equation in three variables is of the second degree. Spheres, spheroids, ellipsoids, paraboloids, hyperboloids, also cones and cylinders with circular bases, are quadrics.
QUADRICAPSULAR Quad`ri*cap"su*lar, a. Etym: [Quadri- + capsular.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having four capsules.
QUADRICEPS Quad"ri*ceps, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. qyattuor four + caput head.] (Anat.)
Defn: The great extensor muscle of the knee, divided above into four parts which unite in a single tendon at the knee.
QUADRICIPITAL Quad`ri*cip"i*tal, n. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the quadriceps.
QUADRICORN Quad"ri*corn, n. Etym: [See Quadricornous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any quadricornous animal.
QUADRICORNOUS Quad`ri*cor"nous, a. Etym: [Quadri- + L. cornu horn: cf. F. quadricorne.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having four horns, or hornlike organs; as, a quadricornous beetle.
QUADRICOSTATE Quad`ri*cos"tate, a. Etym: [Quadri- + costate.]
Defn: Having four ribs.
QUADRIDENTATE Quad`ri*den"tate, a. Etym: [Quadri- + dentate.]
Defn: Having four teeth; as, a quadridentate leaf.
QUADRIENNIAL Quad`ri*en"ni*al, a.
Defn: Same as Quadrennial.
QUADRIFARIOUS Quad`ri*fa"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. quadrifarius fourfold, fr. quattuor four: cf. F. quadrifarié. Cf. Multifarious.]
Defn: Arranged in four rows or ranks; as, quadrifarious leaves. Loudon.
QUADRIFID Quad"ri*fid, a. Etym: [L. quadrifidus; quattuor four + findere to cleave: cf. F. quadrifide.]
Defn: Divided, or deeply cleft, into four parts; as, a quadrifid perianth; a quadrifid leaf.
QUADRIFOIL; QUADRIFOLIATE Quad"ri*foil, Quad`ri*fo"li*ate, a. Etym: [Quadri- + L. folium leaf.] (Bot.)
Defn: Four-leaved; having the leaves in whorls of four.
QUADRIFURCATED Quad`ri*fur"ca*ted, a. Etym: [Quadri- + furcated.]
Defn: Having four forks, or branches.
QUADRIGA Quad*ri"ga, n.; pl. Quadrigæ. Etym: [L. See Quadrijugous.] (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast.
QUADRIGEMINAL; QUADRIGEMINOUS Quad`ri*gem"i*nal, Quad`ri*gem"i*nous, a. Etym: [Quadri- + L. gemini twins.]
Defn: Fourfold; having four similar parts, or two pairs of similar parts. Quadrigeminal bodies (Anat.), two pairs of lobes, or elevations, on the dorsal side of the midbrain of most mammals; the optic lobes. The anterior pair are called the nates, and the posterior the testes.
QUADRIGENARIOUS Quad`ri*ge*na"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. quadrigeni, quadringeni, four hundred each.]
Defn: Consisting of four hundred.
QUADRIJUGATE Quad*rij"u*gate, a.
Defn: Same as Quadrijugous.
QUADRIJUGOUS Quad*rij"u*gous, a. Etym: [L. quadrijugus of a team of four; quattuor four + jugum yoke.] (Bot.)
Defn: Pinnate, with four pairs of leaflets; as, a quadrijugous leaf.
QUADRILATERAL Quad`ri*lat"er*al, a. Etym: [L. quadrilaterus: cf. F. quadrilatère, quadrilatéral. See Quadri- and Lateral.]
Defn: Having four sides, and consequently four angles; quadrangular.
QUADRILATERAL Quad`ri*lat"er*al, n.
1. (Geom.)
Defn: A plane figure having four sides, and consequently four angles; a quadrangular figure; any figure formed by four lines.
2. An area defended by four fortresses supporting each other; as, the Venetian quadrilateral, comprising Mantua, Peschiera, Verona, and Legnano. Complete quadrilateral (Geom.), the figure made up of the six straight lines that can be drawn through four points, A., B, C, I, the lines being supposed to be produced indefinitely.
QUADRILATERALNESS Quad`ri*lat"er*al*ness, n.
Defn: The property of being quadrilateral.
QUADRILITERAL Quad`ri*lit"er*al, a. Etym: [Quadri- + literal.]
Defn: Consisting of four letters.
QUADRILLE Qua*drille", n. Etym: [F. quadrille, n. fem., fr. Sp. cuadrilla meeting of four or more persons or It. quadriglia a band of soldiers, a sort of dance; dim. fr. L. quadra a square, fr. quattuor four. See Quadrate.]
1. A dance having five figures, in common time, four couples of dancers being in each set.
2. The appropriate music for a quadrille.
QUADRILLE Qua*drille", n. Etym: [F. quadrille, n. masc., cf. It. quadriglio; or perhaps from the Spanish. See Quadrille a dance.]
Defn: A game played by four persons with forty cards, being the remainder of an ordinary pack after the tens, nines, and eights are discarded. Hoyle.
QUADRILLION Quad*ril"lion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. quater four times, akin to quattuor four, E. four; -- formed like million. See Four, Million.]
Defn: According to the French notation, which is followed also upon the Continent and in the United States, a unit with fifteen ciphers annexed; according to the English notation, the number produced by involving a million to the fourth power, or the number represented by a unit with twenty-four ciphers annexed. See the Note under Numeration.
QUADRILOBATE; QUADRILOBED Quad`ri*lo"bate, Quad`ri*lobed, a. Etym: [Quadri- + lobe: cf. F. quadrilobé.]
Defn: Having four lobes; as, a quadrilobate leaf.
QUADRILOCULAR Quad`ri*loc"u*lar, a. Etym: [Quadri- + locular: cf. F. quadriloculaire.]
Defn: Having four cells, or cavities; as, a quadrilocular heart.
QUADRIN Quad"rin, n. Etym: [OF., fr. L. quadrini four each, fr. quattuor four.]
Defn: A small piece of money, in value about a farthing, or a half cent. [Obs.]
QUADRINODAL Quad`ri*nod"al, a. Etym: [Quadri- + nodal.] (Math.)
Defn: Possessing four nodes; as, quadrinodal curves.
QUADRINOMIAL Quad`ri*no"mi*al, n. Etym: [Quadri- + nomial, as in binomial: cf. F. quadrinôme.] (Alg.)
Defn: A polynomial of four terms connected by the signs plus or minus.
QUADRINOMICAL Quad`ri*nom"ic*al, a.
Defn: Quadrinomial.
QUADRINOMINAL Quad`ri*nom"i*nal, a. Etym: [Quadri- + nominal.] (Alg.)
Defn: Quadrinomial. Sir W. R. Hamilton.
QUADRIPARTITE Quad*rip"ar*tite, a. Etym: [L. quadripartitus, p. p. of quadripartire to divide into four parts; quattuor four + partire to divide: cf. F. quadripartite.]
Defn: Divided into four parts.
QUADRIPARTITELY Quad*rip"ar*tite*ly, adv.
Defn: In four parts.
QUADRIPARTITION Quad`ri*par*ti"tion, n. Etym: [L. quadripartitio: cf. F. quadripartition.]
Defn: A division or distribution by four, or into four parts; also, a taking the fourth part of any quantity or number.
QUADRIPENNATE Quad`ri*pen"nate, a. Etym: [Quadri- + pennate.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having four wings; -- said of insects.
QUADRIPHYLLOUS Quad*riph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Quadri + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having four leaves; quadrifoliate.
QUADRIREME Quad"ri*reme, n. Etym: [L. quadriremis; quattuor four + remus an oar: cf. F. quadrirème.] (Antiq.)
Defn: A galley with four banks of oars or rowers.
QUADRISECTION Quad`ri*sec"tion, n. Etym: [Quadri- + section.]
Defn: A subdivision into four parts.
QUADRISULCATE Quad`ri*sul"cate, a. Etym: [Quadri + sulcate.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having four hoofs; as, a quadrisulcate foot; a quadrisulcate animal.
QUADRISYLLABIC; QUADRI-SYLLABICAL Quad`ri*syl*lab"ic, Quad`ri-syl*lab"ic*al,
Defn: Having four syllables; of or pertaining to quadrisyllables; as, a quadrisyllabic word.
QUADRISYLLABLE Quad`ri*syl"la*ble, n. Etym: [Quadri- + syllable: cf. F. quadrisyllabe.]
Defn: A word consisting of four syllables. De Quincey.
QUADRIVALENCE Quad*riv"a*lence, n. (Chem.)
Defn: The quality or state of being quadrivalent; tetravalence.
QUADRIVALENT Quad*riv"a*lent, a. Etym: [Quadri- + L. valens, -entis, p. pr. See Valence.] (Chem.)
Defn: Having a valence of four; capable of combining with, being replaced by, or compared with, four monad atoms; tetravalent; -- said of certain atoms and radicals; thus, carbon and silicon are quadrivalent elements.
QUADRIVALVE Quad"ri*valve, a. Etym: [Quadri- + valve: cf. F. quadrivalve.] (Bot.)
Defn: Dehiscent into four similar parts; four-valved; as, a quadrivalve pericarp.
QUADRIVALVE Quad"ri*valve, n. (Arch.)
Defn: A door, shutter, or the like, having four folds.
QUADRIVALVULAR Quad`ri*val"vu*lar, a.
Defn: Having four valves; quadrivalve.
QUADRIVIAL Quad*riv"i*al, a. Etym: [L. quadrivium a place where four ways meet; quattuor four + via way.]
Defn: Having four ways meeting in a point. B. Jonson.
QUADRIVIAL Quad*riv"i*al, n.
Defn: One of the four "liberal arts" making up the quadrivium.
QUADRIVIUM Quad*riv"i*um, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: The four "liberal arts," arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy; -- so called by the schoolmen. See Trivium.
QUADROON Quad*roon", n. Etym: [F. quarteron, or Sp. cuarteron. See Quarter a fourth part, and cf. Quarteron.]
Defn: The offspring of a mulatto and a white person; a person quarter-blooded. [Written also quarteron, quarteroon, and quateron.]
QUADROXIDE Quad*rox"ide, n. Etym: [Quadri- + oxide.] (Chem.)
Defn: A tetroxide. [R.]
QUADRUMANA Quad*ru"ma*na, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Quadrumane.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of the Primates comprising the apes and monkeys; -- so called because the hind foot is usually prehensile, and the great toe opposable somewhat like a thumb. Formerly the Quadrumana were considered an order distinct from the Bimana, which last included man alone.
QUADRUMANE Quad"ru*mane, n. Etym: [L. quattuor four + manus a hand: cf. F. quadrumane.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Quadrumana.
QUADRUMANOUS Quad*ru"ma*nous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having four hands; of or pertaining to the Quadrumana.
QUADRUPED Quad"ru*ped, a. Etym: [L. quadrupes, -pedis; quattuor four + pes, pedis, a foot: cf. F. quadrupède. See Quadrate, and Foot.]
Defn: Having four feet.
QUADRUPED Quad"ru*ped, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An animal having four feet, as most mammals and reptiles; -- often restricted to the mammals.
QUADRUPEDAL Quad*ru"pe*dal, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having four feet; of or pertaining to a quadruped.
QUADRUPLANE Quad"ru*plane, n. [L. quadru-in comp. + E. plane.]
Defn: An aëroplane with four superposed main supporting surfaces.
QUADRUPLE Quad"ru*ple, a. Etym: [L. quadruplus, from quattuor four: cf. F. quadruple. See Quadrate, and cf. Double.]
Defn: Fourfold; as, to make quadruple restitution; a quadruple alliance. Quadruple time (Mus.), that in which each measure is divided into four equal parts.
QUADRUPLE Quad"ru*ple, n. Etym: [Cf. F. quadruple, L. quadruplum.]
Defn: four times the sum or number; a fourfold amount; as, to receive to quadruple of the amount in damages.
QUADRUPLE Quad"ru*ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quadrupled; p. pr. & vb. n. Quadrupling.] Etym: [L. quadruplare: cf. F. quadrupler.]
Defn: To multiply by four; to increase fourfold; to double; to double twice. A. Smith.
QUADRUPLE Quad"ru*ple, v. i.
Defn: To be multiplied by four; to increase fourfold; to become four times as much.
QUADRUPLET Quad"ru*plet, n. [From Quadruple.]
1. A collection or combination of four of a kind.
2. pl. Four children born in the same labor.
3. A cycle for carrying four riders, so arranged that all the reders can assist in the propulsion.
QUADRUPLEX Quad"ru*plex, a. Etym: [L., from quattuor four + plicare to fold.]
Defn: Fourfold; folded or doubled twice. Quadruplex system (Electric Telegraph), a system by which four messages, two in each direction, may be sent simultaneously over the wire.
QUADRUPLICATE Quad*ru"pli*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quadruplicated; p. pr. & vb. n. Quadruplicating.] Etym: [L. quadruplicatus, p. p. of quadruplicare, fr. quadrupleQuadruplex.]
Defn: To make fourfold; to double twice; to quadruple.
QUADRUPLICATE Quad*ru"pli*cate, a. Etym: [L. quadruplicatus, p. p.]
1. Fourfold; doubled twice; four times repeated; as, a quadruplicate ratio, or a quadruplicate proportion.
2. (Math.)
Defn: Raised to the fourth power. [R.]
QUADRUPLICATION Quad`ru*pli*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. quadruplicatio: cf. F. quadruplication.]
Defn: The act of making fourfold; a taking four times the simple sum or amount.
QUADRUPLY Quad"ru*ply, adv.
Defn: To a fourfold quantity; so as to be, or cause to be, quadruple; as, to be quadruply recompensed.
QUAERE Quæ"re, v. imperative. Etym: [L., imperative of quaerere to seek.]
Defn: Inquire; question; see; -- used to signify doubt or to suggest investigation.
QUAESTOR Quæs"tor, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: Same as Questor.
QUAFF Quaff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quaffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Quaffing.] Etym: [For quach, fr. Gael. & Ir. cuach a drinking cup; cf. L. caucus a drinking vessel. Cf. Quaigh.]
Defn: To drink with relish; to drink copiously of; to swallow in large draughts. "Quaffed off the muscadel." Shak. They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet Quaff immortality and joy. Milton.
QUAFF Quaff, v. i.
Defn: To drink largely or luxuriously. Twelve days the gods their solemn revels keep, And quaff with blameless Ethiops in the deep. Dryden.
QUAFFER Quaff"er, n.
Defn: One who quaffs, or drinks largely.
QUAG Quag, n.
Defn: A quagmire. [R.] "Crooked or straight, through quags or thorny dells." Cowper.
QUAGGA Quag"ga, n. Etym: [Hottentot.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South African wild ass (Equus, or Hippotigris, quagga). The upper parts are reddish brown, becoming paler behind and behind and beneath, with dark stripes on the face, neck, and fore part of the body.
QUAGGY Quag"gy, a.Etym: [See Quag, Quagmire.]
Defn: Of the nature of a quagmire; yielding or trembling under the foot, as soft, wet earth; spongy; boggy. "O'er the watery strath, or quaggy moss." Collins.
QUAGMIRE Quag"mire`, n. Etym: [Quake + mire.]
Defn: Soft, wet, miry land, which shakes or yields under the feet. "A spot surrounded by quagmires, which rendered it difficult of access." Palfrey.
Syn. -- Morass; marsh; bog; swamp; fen; slough.
QUAHOG; QUAHAUG Qua"hog, Qua"haug, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. Narragansett Indian poquaûhock.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American market clam (Venus mercenaria). It is sold in large quantities, and is highly valued as food. Called also round clam, and hard clam.
Note: The name is also applied to other allied species, as Venus Mortoni of the Gulf of Mexico.
QUAIGH; QUAICH Quaigh, Quaich, n. Etym: [Gael.cuach. Cf. Quaff.]
Defn: A small shallow cup or drinking vessel. [Scot.] [Written also quegh.]
QUAIL Quail, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Qualled; p. pr. & vb. n. Qualling.] Etym: [AS.cwelan to die, perish; akin to cwalu violent death, D. kwaal pain, G. qual torment, OHG. quelan to suffer torment, Lith. gelti to hurt, gela pain. Cf. Quell.]
1. To die; to perish; hence, to wither; to fade. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. To become quelled; to become cast down; to sink under trial or apprehension of danger; to lose the spirit and power of resistance; to lose heart; to give way; to shrink; to cower. The atheist power shall quail, and confess his fears. I. Taylor. Stouter hearts than a woman's have quailed in this terrible winter. Longfellow.
Syn. -- to cower; flinch; shrink; quake; tremble; blench; succumb; yield.
QUAIL Quail, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Quell.]
Defn: To cause to fail in spirit or power; to quell; to crush; to subdue. [Obs.] Spenser.
QUAIL Quail, v. i. Etym: [OF. coaillier, F. cailler, from L. coagulare. See Coagulate.]
Defn: To curdle; to coagulate, as milk. [Obs.] Holland.
QUAIL Quail, n. Etym: [OF. quaille, F. caille, LL. quaquila, qualia, qualea, of Dutch or German origin; cf. D. kwakkel, kwartel, OHG. wahtala, G. wachtel.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any gallinaceous bird belonging to Coturnix and several allied genera of the Old World, especially the common European quail (C. communis), the rain quail (C. Coromandelica) of India, the stubble quail (C. pectoralis), and the Australian swamp quail (Synoicus australis).
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several American partridges belonging to Colinus, Callipepla, and allied genera, especially the bobwhite (called Virginia quail, and Maryland quail), and the California quail (Calipepla Californica).
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of Turnix and allied genera, native of the Old World, as the Australian painted quail (Turnix varius). See Turnix.
4. A prostitute; -- so called because the quail was thought to be a very amorous bird.[Obs.] Shak. Bustard quail (Zoöl.), a small Asiatic quail-like bird of the genus Turnix, as T. taigoor, a black-breasted species, and the hill bustard quail (T. ocellatus). See Turnix. -- Button quail (Zoöl.), one of several small Asiatic species of Turnix, as T. Sykesii, which is said to be the smallest game bird of India. -- Mountain quail. See under Mountain. -- Quail call, a call or pipe for alluring quails into a net or within range. -- Quail dove (Zoöl.), any one of several American ground pigeons belonging to Geotrygon and allied genera. -- Quail hawk (Zoöl.), the New Zealand sparrow hawk (Hieracidea Novæ-Hollandiæ). -- Quail pipe. See Quail call, above. -- Quail snipe (Zoöl.), the dowitcher, or red-breasted snipe; -- called also robin snipe, and brown snipe. -- Sea quail (Zoöl.), the turnstone. [Local, U. S.]
QUAILY Quail"y, n. Etym: [Cf. Quail the bird.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The upland plover. [Canadian]
QUAINT Quaint, a. Etym: [OE. queint, queynte, coint, prudent, wise, cunning, pretty, odd, OF. cointe cultivated, amiable, agreeable, neat, fr. L. cognitus known, p. p. of cognoscere to know; con + noscere (for gnoscere) to know. See Know, and cf. Acquaint, Cognition.]
1. Prudent; wise; hence, crafty; artful; wily. [Obs.] Clerks be full subtle and full quaint. Chaucer.
2. Characterized by ingenuity or art; finely fashioned; skillfully wrought; elegant; graceful; nice; neat. [Archaic] " The queynte ring." " His queynte spear." Chaucer. " A shepherd young quaint." Chapman. Every look was coy and wondrous quaint. Spenser. To show bow quaint an orator you are. Shak.
3. Curious and fanciful; affected; odd; whimsical; antique; archaic; singular; unusual; as, quaint architecture; a quaint expression. Some stroke of quaint yet simple pleasantry. Macaulay. An old, long-faced, long-bodied servant in quaint livery. W. Irving.
Syn. -- Quaint, Odd, Antique. Antique is applied to that which has come down from the ancients, or which is made to imitate some ancient work of art. Odd implies disharmony, incongruity, or unevenness. An odd thing or person is an exception to general rules of calculation and procedure, or expectation and common experience. In the current use of quaint, the two ideas of odd and antique are combined, and the word is commonly applied to that which is pleasing by reason of both these qualities. Thus, we speak of the quaint architecture of many old buildings in London; or a quaint expression, uniting at once the antique and the fanciful.
QUAINTISE Quain"tise, n. Etym: [OF. cointise.]
1. Craft; subtlety; cunning. [Obs.] Chaucer. R. of Glouces.
2. Elegance; beauty. [Obs.] Chaucer.
QUAINTLY Quaint"ly, adv.
Defn: In a quaint manner. Shak.
QUAINTNESS Quaint"ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being quaint. Pope.
QUAIR Quair, n. Etym: [See 3d Quire.]
Defn: A quire; a book. [Obs.] " The king's quhair." James I. (of Scotland).
QUAKE Quake, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Quaking.] Etym: [AS. cwacian; cf. G. quackeln. Cf. Quagmire.]
1. To be agitated with quick, short motions continually repeated; to shake with fear, cold, etc.; to shudder; to tremble. Quaking for dread." Chaucer. She stood quaking like the partridge on which the hawk is ready to seize. Sir P. Sidney.
2. To shake, vibrate, or quiver, either from not being solid, as soft, wet land, or from violent convulsion of any kind; as, the earth quakes; the mountains quake. " Over quaking bogs." Macaulay.
QUAKE Quake, v. t. Etym: [Cf. AS. cweccan to move, shake. See Quake, v. t.]
Defn: To cause to quake. [Obs.] Shak.
QUAKE Quake, n.
Defn: A tremulous agitation; a quick vibratory movement; a shudder; a quivering.
QUAKER Quak"er, n.
1. One who quakes.
2. One of a religious sect founded by George Fox, of Leicestershire, England, about 1650, -- the members of which call themselves Friends. They were called Quakers, originally, in derision. See Friend, n., 4. Fox's teaching was primarily a preaching of repentance . . . The trembling among the listening crowd caused or confirmed the name of Quakers given to the body; men and women sometimes fell down and lay struggling as if for life. Encyc. Brit.
3. (Zoöl.) (a) The nankeen bird. (b) The sooty albatross. (c) Any grasshopper or locust of the genus (Edipoda; -- so called from the quaking noise made during flight. Quaker buttons. (Bot.) See Nux vomica. -- Quaker gun, a dummy cannon made of wood or other material; -- so called because the sect of Friends, or Quakers, hold to the doctrine, of nonresistance. -- Quaker ladies (Bot.), a low American biennial plant (Houstonia cærulea), with pretty four-lobed corollas which are pale blue with a yellowish center; -- also called bluets, and little innocents.
QUAKERESS Quak"er*ess, n.
Defn: A woman who is a member of the Society of Friends.
QUAKERISH Quak"er*ish, a.
Defn: Like or pertaining to a Quaker; Quakerlike.
QUAKERISM Quak"er*ism, n.
Defn: The peculiar character, manners, tenets, etc., of the Quakers.
QUAKERLIKE Quak"er*like, a.
Defn: Like a Quaker.
QUAKERLY Quak"er*ly, a.
Defn: Resembling Quakers; Quakerlike; Quakerish. Macaulay.
QUAKERY Quak"er*y, n.
Defn: Quakerism. [Obs.] Hallywell.
QUAKETAIL Quake"tail`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A wagtail.
QUAKINESS Quak"i"ness, n.
Defn: The state of being quaky; liability to quake.
QUAKING Quak"ing,
Defn: a. & n. from Quake, v. Quaking aspen (Bot.), an American species of poplar (Populus tremuloides), the leaves of which tremble in the lightest breeze. It much resembles the European aspen. See Aspen. -- Quaking bog, a bog of forming peat so saturated with water that it shakes when trodden upon. -- Quaking grass. (Bot.) (a) One of several grasses of the genus Briza, having slender-stalked and pendulous ovate spikelets, which quake and rattle in the wind. Briza maxima is the large quaking grass; B. media and B. minor are the smaller kinds. (b) Rattlesnake grass (Glyceria Canadensis).
QUAKINGLY Quak"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a quaking manner; fearfully. Sir P. Sidney.
QUAKY Quak"y, a.
Defn: Shaky, or tremulous; quaking.
QUALIFIABLE Qual"i*fi`a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being qualified; abatable; modifiable. Barrow.
QUALIFICATION Qual`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. qualification. See Qualify.]
1. The act of qualifying, or the condition of being qualified.
2. That which qualifies; any natural endowment, or any acquirement, which fits a person for a place, office, or employment, or which enables him to sustian any character with success; an enabling quality or circumstance; requisite capacity or possession. There is no qualification for government but virtue and wisdom, actual or presumptive. Burke.
3. The act of limiting, or the state of being limited; that which qualifies by limiting; modification; restriction; hence, abatement; diminution; as, to use words without any qualification.
QUALIFICATIVE Qual"i*fi*ca*tive, n.
Defn: That which qualifies, modifies, or restricts; a qualifying term or statement. How many qualificatives, correctives, and restrictives he inserteth in this relation. Fuller.
QUALIFICATOR Qual"i*fi*ca`tor, n. Etym: [LL.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: An officer whose business it is to examine and prepare causes for trial in the ecclesiastical courts.
QUALIFIED Qual"i*fied, a.
1. Fitted by accomplishments or endowments.
2. Modified; limited; as, a qualified statement. Qualified fee (Law), a base fee, or an estate which has a qualification annexed to it, the fee ceasing with the qualification, as a grant to A and his heirs, tenants of the manor of Dale. -- Qualified indorsement (Law), an indorsement which modifies the liability of the indorser that would result from the general principles of law, but does not affect the negotiability of the instrument. Story. -- Qualified negative (Legislation), a limited veto power, by which the chief executive in a constitutional government may refuse assent to bills passed by the legislative body, which bills therefore fail to become laws unless upon a reconsideration the legislature again passes them by a certain majority specified in the constitution, when they become laws without the approval of the executive. Qualified property (Law), that which depends on temporary possession, as that in wild animals reclaimed, or as in the case of a bailment.
Syn. -- Competent; fit; adapted. -- Qualified, Competent. Competent is most commonly used with respect to native endowments and general ability suited to the performance of a task or duty; qualified with respect to specific acquirements and training.
QUALIFIEDLY Qual"i*fied`ly, adv.
Defn: In the way of qualification; with modification or qualification.
QUALIFIEDNESS Qual"i*fied`ness, n.
Defn: The state of being qualified.
QUALIFIER Qual"i*fi`er
Defn: , One who, or that which, qualifies; that which modifies, reduces, tempers or restrains.
QUALIFY Qual"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Qualified; p. pr. & vb. n. Qualifying.] Etym: [F. qualifier, LL. qualificare, fr. L. qualis how constituted, as + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Quality, and -Fy.]
1. To make such as is required; to give added or requisite qualities to; to fit, as for a place, office, occupation, or character; to furnish with the knowledge, skill, or other accomplishment necessary for a purpose; to make capable, as of an employment or privilege; to supply with legal power or capacity. He had qualified himself for municipal office by taking the oaths to the sovereigns in possession. Macaulay.
2. To give individual quality to; to modulate; to vary; to regulate. It hath no larynx . . . to qualify the sound. Sir T. Browne.
3. To reduce from a general, undefined, or comprehensive form, to particular or restricted form; to modify; to limit; to restrict; to restrain; as, to qualify a statement, claim, or proposition.
4. Hence, to soften; to abate; to diminish; to assuage; to reduce the strength of, as liquors. I do not seek to quench your love's hot fire, But qualify the fire's extreme rage. Shak.
5. To soothe; to cure; -- said of persons. [Obs.] In short space he has them qualified. Spenser.
Syn. -- To fit; equip; prepare; adapt; capacitate; enable; modify; soften; restrict; restrain; temper.
QUALIFY Qual"i*fy, v. i.
1. To be or become qualified; to be fit, as for an office or employment.
2. To obtain legal power or capacity by taking the oath, or complying with the forms required, on assuming an office.
QUALITATIVE Qual"i*ta*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. LL. gualitativus, F. qualitatif.]
Defn: Relating to quality; having the character of quality. -- Qual"i*ta*tive*ly, adv. Qualitative analysis (Chem.), analysis which merely determines the constituents of a substance without any regard to the quantity of each ingredient; -- contrasted with quantitative analysis.
QUALITIED Qual"i*tied, a.
Defn: Furnished with qualities; endowed. [Obs.] "He was well qualitied." Chapman.
QUALITY Qual"i*ty, n.; pl. Qualities. Etym: [F. qualité, L. qualitas, fr. qualis how constituted, as; akin to E. which. See Which.]
1. The condition of being of such and such a sort as distinguished from others; nature or character relatively considered, as of goods; character; sort; rank. We lived most joyful, obtaining acquaintance with many of the city not of the meanest quality. Bacon
2. Special or temporary character; profession; occupation; assumed or asserted rank, part, or position. I made that inquiry in quality of an antiquary. Gray.
3. That which makes, or helps to make, anything such as it is; anything belonging to a subject, or predicable of it; distinguishing property, characteristic, or attribute; peculiar power, capacity, or virtue; distinctive trait; as, the tones of a flute differ from those of a violin in quality; the great quality of a statesman.
Note: Qualities, in metaphysics, are primary or secondary. Primary are those essential to the existence, and even the conception, of the thing, as of matter or spirit Secondary are those not essential to such a conception.
4. An acquired trait; accomplishment; acquisition. He had those qualities of horsemanship, dancing, and fencing which accompany a good breeding. Clarendon.
5. Superior birth or station; high rank; elevated character. "Persons of quality." Bacon. Quality binding, a kind of worsted tape used in Scotland for binding carpets, and the like. The quality, those of high rank or station, as distinguished from the masses, or common people; the nobility; the gentry. I shall appear at the masquerade dressed up in my feathers, that the quality may see how pretty they will look in their traveling habits. Addison.
Syn. -- Property; attribute; nature; peculiarity; character; sort; rank; disposition; temper.
QUALM Qualm, n. Etym: [AS. cwealm death, slaughter, pestilence, akin to OS. & OHG. qualm. See Quail to cower.]
1. Sickness; disease; pestilence; death. [Obs.] thousand slain and not of qualm ystorve [dead]. Chaucer.
2. A sudden attack of illness, faintness, or pain; an agony. " Qualms of heartsick agony." Milton.
3. Especially, a sudden sensation of nausea. For who, without a qualm, hath ever looked On holy garbage, though by Homer cooked Roscommon.
4. A prick or scruple of conscience; uneasiness of conscience; compunction. Dryden.
QUALMISH Qualm"ish, a.
Defn: Sick at the stomach; affected with nausea or sickly languor; inclined to vomit. Shak. -- Qualm"ish*ly, adv. -- Qualm"ish*ness, n.
QUAMASH Quam"ash, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Camass.
QUAMOCLIT Quam"o*clit, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Formerly, a genus of plants including the cypress vine (Quamoclit vulgaris, now called Ipomoea Quamoclit). The genus is now merged in Ipomoea.
QUANDARY Quan"da*ry, n.; pl. Quandaries. Etym: [Prob. fr. OE. wandreth adversity, perplexity, Icel. wandræedhi difficulty, trouble, fr. vandr difficult.]
Defn: A state of difficulty or perplexity; doubt; uncertainty.
QUANDARY Quan"da*ry, v. t.
Defn: To bring into a state of uncertainty, perplexity, or difficulty. [Obs.] Otway.
QUANDONG Quan"dong, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The edible drupaceous fruit of an Australian tree (Fusanus acuminatus) of the Sandalwood family; -- called also quandang.
QUANDY Quan"dy, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The old squaw. [Local, U. S.]
QUANNET Quan"net, n.
Defn: A flat file having the handle at one side, so as to be used like a plane.
QUANT Quant, n.
Defn: A punting pole with a broad flange near the end to prevent it from sinking into the mud; a setting pole.
QUANTIC Quan"tic, n. Etym: [L. quantus how much. See Quantity.] (Math.)
Defn: A homogeneous algebraic function of two or more variables, in general containing only positive integral powers of the variables, and called quadric, cubic, quartic, etc., according as it is of the second, third, fourth, fifth, or a higher degree. These are further called binary, ternary, quaternary, etc., according as they contain two, three, four, or more variables; thus, the quantic is a binary cubic.
QUANTIFICATION Quan`ti*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [See Quantity.]
Defn: Modification by a reference to quantity; the introduction of the element of quantity. The quantification of the predicate belongs in part to Sir William Hamilton; viz., in its extension to negative propositions. De Quincey.
QUANTIFY Quan"ti*fy v. t. Etym: [L. quantus now much + -fy.]
Defn: To modify or qualify with respect to quantity; to fix or express the quantity of; to rate.
QUANTITATIVE Quan"ti*ta*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quantitatif.]
Defn: Relating to quantity. -- Quan"ti*ta*tive*ly, adv. Quantitative analysis (Chem.), analysis which determines the amount or quantity of each ingredient of a substance, by weight or by volume; -- contrasted with qualitative analysis.
QUANTITIVE Quan"ti*tive, a. Etym: [See Quantity.]
Defn: Estimable according to quantity; quantitative. Sir K. Digby.
QUANTITIVELY Quan"ti*tive*ly, adv.
Defn: So as to be measurable by quantity; quantitatively.
QUANTITY Quan"ti*ty, n.; pl. Quantities. Etym: [F. quantite, L. quantitas, fr. quantus bow great, how much, akin to quam bow, E. how, who. See Who.]
1. The attribute of being so much, and not more or less; the property of being measurable, or capable of increase and decrease, multiplication and division; greatness; and more concretely, that which answers the question "How much"; measure in regard to bulk or amount; determinate or comparative dimensions; measure; amount; bulk; extent; size. Hence, in specific uses: (a) (Logic) The extent or extension of a general conception, that is, the number of species or individuals to which it may be applied; also, its content or comprehension, that is, the number of its constituent qualities, attributes, or relations. (b) (Gram.) The measure of a syllable; that which determines the time in which it is pronounced; as, the long or short quantity of a vowel or syllable. (c) (Mus.) The relative duration of a tone.
2. That which can be increased, diminished, or measured; especially (Math.), anything to which mathematical processes are applicable.
Note: Quantity is discrete when it is applied to separate objects, as in number; continuous, when the parts are connected, either in succession, as in time, motion, etc., or in extension, as by the dimensions of space, viz., length, breadth, and thickness.
3. A determinate or estimated amount; a sum or bulk; a certain portion or part; sometimes, a considerable amount; a large portion, bulk, or sum; as, a medicine taken in quantities, that is, in large quantities. The quantity of extensive and curious information which he had picked up during many months of desultory, but not unprofitable, study. Macaulay. Quantity of estate (Law), its time of continuance, or degree of interest, as in fee, for life, or for years. Wharton (Law Dict. ) -- Quantity of matter, in a body, its mass, as determined by its weight, or by its momentum under a given velocity. -- Quantity of motion (Mech.), in a body, the relative amount of its motion, as measured by its momentum, varying as the product of mass and velocity. -- Known quantities (Math.), quantities whose values are given. -- Unknown quantities (Math.), quantities whose values are sought.
QUANTIVALENCE Quan*tiv"a*lence, n. Etym: [L. quantus how much + E. valence.] (Chem.)
Defn: Valence. [Archaic]
QUANTIVALENT Quan*tiv"a*lent, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to quantivalence. [Archaic]
QUANTUM Quan"tum, n.; pl. Quanta. Etym: [L., neuter of quantus how great, how much. See Quantity,]
1. Quantity; amount. "Without authenticating . . . the quantum of the charges." Burke.
2. (Math.)
Defn: A definite portion of a manifoldness, limited by a mark or by a boundary. W. K. Clifford. Quantum meruit ( Etym: [L., as much as he merited] (Law), a count in an action grounded on a promise that the defendant would pay to the plaintiff for his service as much as he should deserve. -- Quantum sufficit (, or Quantum suff. Etym: [L., as much suffices] (Med.), a sufficient quantity. -- Quantum valebat ( Etym: [L., as much at it was worth] (Law), a count in an action to recover of the defendant, for goods sold, as much as they were worth. Blackstone.
QUAP Quap, v. i.
Defn: To quaver. [Obs.] See Quob.
QUAQUAVERSAL Qua`qua*ver"sal, a. Etym: [L. quaqua wheresoever, whithersoever + versus, p. p. of vertere to turn.]
1. Turning or dipping in any or every direction.
2. (Geol.)
Defn: Dipping toward all points of the compass round a center, as beds of lava round a crater.
QUAR Quar, n.
Defn: A quarry. [Prov. Eng.] B. Jonson.
QUARANTINE Quar"an*tine, n. Etym: [F. quarantaine, OF. quaranteine, fr. F. quarante forty, L. quadraginta, akin to quattuor four, and E. four: cf. It. quarantina, quarentine. See Four, and cf. Quadragesima.]
1. A space of forty days; -- used of Lent.
2. Specifically, the term, originally of forty days, during which a ship arriving in port, and suspected of being infected a malignant contagious disease, is obliged to forbear all intercourse with the shore; hence, such restraint or inhibition of intercourse; also, the place where infected or prohibited vessels are stationed.
Note: Quarantine is now applied also to any forced stoppage of travel or communication on account of malignant contagious disease, on land as well as by sea.
3. (Eng. Law)
Defn: The period of forty days during which the widow had the privilege of remaining in the mansion house of which her husband died seized. Quarantine flag, a yellow flag hoisted at the fore of a vessel or hung from a building, to give warning of an infectious disease; -- called also the yellow jack, and yellow flag.
QUARANTINE Quar`an*tine", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quarantined; p. pr. & vb. n. Quarantining.]
Defn: To compel to remain at a distance, or in a given place, without intercourse, when suspected of having contagious disease; to put under, or in, quarantine.
QUARL Quarl, n. Etym: [Cf. G. qualle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A medusa, or jellyfish. [R.] The jellied quarl that flings At once a thousand streaming stings. J. R. Drake.
QUARREL Quar"rel, n. Etym: [OE. quarel, OF. quarrel, F. carreau, LL. quadrellus, from L. quadrus square. See Quadrate, and cf. Quadrel, Quarry an arrow, Carrel.]
1. An arrow for a crossbow; -- so named because it commonly had a square head. [Obs.] To shoot with arrows and quarrel. Sir J. Mandeville. Two arblasts, . . . with windlaces and quarrels. Sir W. Scott.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: Any small square or quadrangular member; as: (a) A square of glass, esp. when set diagonally. (b) A small opening in window tracery, of which the cusps, etc., make the form nearly square. (c) A square or lozenge-shaped paving tile.
3. A glazier's diamond. Simmonds.
4. A four-sided cutting tool or chisel having a diamond-shaped end.
QUARREL Quar"rel, n. Etym: [OE. querele, OF. querele, F. querelle, fr. L. querela, querella, a complaint, fr. queri to complain. See Querulous.]
1. A breach of concord, amity, or obligation; a falling out; a difference; a disagreement; an antagonism in opinion, feeling, or conduct; esp., an angry dispute, contest, or strife; a brawl; an altercation; as, he had a quarrel with his father about expenses. I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant. Lev. xxvi. 25. On open seas their quarrels they debate. Dryden.
2. Ground of objection, dislike, difference, or hostility; cause of dispute or contest; occasion of altercation. Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him. Mark vi. 19. No man hath any quarrel to me. Shak. He thought he had a good quarrel to attack him. Holinshed.
3. Earnest desire or longing. [Obs.] Holland. To pick a quarrel. See under Pick, v. t.
Syn. -- Brawl; broil; squabble; affray; feud; tumult; contest; dispute; altercation; contention; wrangle.
QUARREL Quar"rel, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quarreled or Quarrelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Quarreling or Quarrelling.]
1. To violate concord or agreement; to have a difference; to fall out; to be or become antagonistic. Our people quarrel with obedience. Shak. But some defect in her Did quarrel with the noblest grace she owed. Shak.
2. To dispute angrily, or violently; to wrangle; to scold; to altercate; to contend; to fight. Beasts called sociable quarrel in hunger and lust. Sir W. Temple.
3. To find fault; to cavil; as, to quarrel with one's lot. I will not quarrel with a slight mistake. Roscommon.
QUARREL Quar"rel, v. t.
1. To quarrel with. [R.] "I had quarelled my brother purposely." B. Jonson.
2. To compel by a quarrel; as, to quarrel a man out of his estate or rights.
QUARREL Quar"rel, n. Etym: [Written also quarreller.]
Defn: One who quarrels or wrangles; one who is quarrelsome. Shak.
QUARRELET Quar"rel*et, n.
Defn: A little quarrel. See 1st Quarrel, 2. [Obs.] "Quarrelets of pearl [teeth]." Herrick.
QUARRELING Quar"rel*ing, a.
Defn: Engaged in a quarrel; apt or disposed to quarrel; as, quarreling factions; a quarreling mood. -- Quar"rel*ing*ly, adv.
QUARRELLOUS Quar"rel*lous, a. Etym: [OF. querelous, F. querelleux, L. querulosus and querulus, fr. queri to complain. See 2d Quarrel.]
Defn: Quarrelsome. [Obs.] [Written also quarrellous.] Shak.
QUARRELSOME Quar"rel*some, a.
Defn: Apt or disposed to quarrel; given to brawls and contention; easily irritated or provoked to contest; irascible; choleric.
Syn. -- Pugnacious; irritable; irascible; brawling; choleric; fiery; petulant. -- Quar"rel*some*ly, adv. -- Quar"rel*some*ness, n.
QUARRIED Quar"ried, a.
Defn: Provided with prey. Now I am bravely quarried. Beau. & Fl.
QUARRIER Quar"ri*er, n.
Defn: A worker in a stone quarry.
QUARRY Quar"ry, n. Etym: [OE. quarre, OF. quarré square, F. carré, from L. quadratus square, quadrate, quadratum a square. See Quadrate, and cf. Quarrel an arrow.]
Defn: Same as 1st Quarrel. [Obs.] Fairfax.
QUARRY Quar"ry, a. Etym: [OF. quarré.]
Defn: Quadrate; square. [Obs.]
QUARRY Quar"ry, n.; pl. Quarries. Etym: [OE. querre, OF. cuiriée, F. curée, fr. cuir hide, leather, fr. L. corium; the quarry given to the dogs being wrapped in the akin of the beast. See Cuirass.]
1. (a) A part of the entrails of the beast taken, given to the hounds. (b) A heap of game killed.
2. The object of the chase; the animal hunted for; game; especially, the game hunted with hawks. "The stone-dead quarry." Spenser. The wily quarry shunned the shock. Sir W. Scott.
QUARRY Quar"ry, v. i.
Defn: To secure prey; to prey, as a vulture or harpy. L'Estrange.
QUARRY Quar"ry, n. Etym: [OE. quarrere, OF. quariere, F. carrière, LL. quadraria a quarry, whence squared (quadrati) stones are dug, fr. quadratus square. See Quadrate.]
Defn: A place, cavern, or pit where stone is taken from the rock or ledge, or dug from the earth, for building or other purposes; a stone pit. See 5th Mine (a).
QUARRY Quar"ry, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quarried; p. pr. & vb. n. Quarrying.]
Defn: To dig or take from a quarry; as, to quarry marble.
QUARRY-FACED Quar"ry-faced`, a. (Stone Masonry)
Defn: Having a face left as it comes from the quarry and not smoothed with the chisel or point; -- said of stones.
QUARRY-MAN Quar"ry-man, n.; pl. Quarrymen (.
Defn: A man who is engaged in quarrying stones; a quarrier.
QUART Quart, n. Etym: [F. quart, n. masc., fr. L. quartus the fourth, akin to quattuor four. See Four, and cf. 2d Carte, Quarto.]
Defn: The fourth part; a quarter; hence, a region of the earth. [Obs.] Camber did possess the western quart. Spenser.
QUART Quart, n. Etym: [F. quarte, n. fem., fr. quart fourth. See Quart a quarter.]
1. A measure of capacity, both in dry and in liquid measure; the fourth part of a gallon; the eighth part of a peck; two pints.
Note: In imperial measure, a quart is forty English fluid ounces; in wine measure, it is thirty-two American fluid ounces. The United States dry quart contains 67.20 cubic inches, the fluid quart 57.75. The English quart contains 69.32 cubic inches.
2. A vessel or measure containing a quart.
QUART Quart, n. Etym: [See Quart a quarter.]
Defn: In cards, four successive cards of the same suit. Cf. Tierce, 4. Hoyle.
QUARTAN Quar"tan, a. Etym: [F. quartain, in fièvre quartaine, L. quartanus, fr. quartus the fourth. See Quart.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the fourth; occurring every fourth day, reckoning inclusively; as, a quartan ague, or fever.
QUARTAN Quar"tan, n.
1. (Med.)
Defn: An intermittent fever which returns every fourth day, reckoning inclusively, that is, one in which the interval between paroxysms is two days.
2. A measure, the fourth part of some other measure.
QUARTANE Quar"tane, n. Etym: [L. quartus the fourth.] (Chem.)
Defn: Butane, each molecule of which has four carbon atoms.
QUARTATION Quar*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. quartus the fourth: cf. F. quartation. So called because usually enough silver is added to make the amount of gold in the alloyed button about one fourth.] (Chem. & Assaying)
Defn: The act, process, or result (in the process of parting) of alloying a button of nearly pure gold with enough silver to reduce the fineness so as to allow acids to attack and remove all metals except the gold; -- called also inquartation. Compare Parting.
QUARTE Quarte, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Same as 2d Carte.
QUARTENE Quar"tene, n. Etym: [Ouartane + ethylene.] (Chem.)
Defn: Same as Butylene.
QUARTENYLIC Quar"ten*yl"ic, a. Etym: [Quartene + -yl + -ic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of the acrylic acid series, metameric with crotonic acid, and obtained as a colorless liquid; -- so called from having four carbon atoms in the molecule. Called also isocrotonic acid.
QUARTER Quar"ter, n. Etym: [F. quartier, L. quartarius a fourth part, fr. quartus the fourth. See Quart.]
1. One of four equal parts into which anything is divided, or is regarded as divided; a fourth part or portion; as, a quarter of a dollar, of a pound, of a yard, of an hour, etc. Hence, specifically: (a) The fourth of a hundred-weight, being 25 or 28 pounds, according as the hundredweight is reckoned at 100 or 112 pounds. (b) The fourth of a ton in weight, or eight bushels of grain; as, a quarter of wheat; also, the fourth part of a chaldron of coal. Hutton. (c) (Astron.) The fourth part of the moon's period, or monthly revolution; as, the first quarter after the change or full. (d) One limb of a quadruped with the adjacent parts; one fourth part of the carcass of a slaughtered animal, including a leg; as, the fore quarters; the hind quarters. (e) That part of a boot or shoe which forms the side, from the heel to the vamp. (f) (Far.) That part on either side of a horse's hoof between the toe and heel, being the side of the coffin. (g) A term of study in a seminary, college, etc, etc.; properly, a fourth part of the year, but often longer or shorter. (h) pl. (Mil.)
Defn: The encampment on one of the principal passages round a place besieged, to prevent relief and intercept convoys. (i) (Naut.) The after-part of a vessel's side, generally corresponding in extent with the quarter-deck; also, the part of the yardarm outside of the slings. (j) (Her.) One of the divisions of an escutcheon when it is divided into four portions by a horizontal and a perpendicular line meeting in the fess point.
Note: When two coats of arms are united upon one escutcheon, as in case of marriage, the first and fourth quarters display one shield, the second and third the other. See Quarter, v. t., 5. (k) One of the four parts into which the horizon is regarded as divided; a cardinal point; a direction' principal division; a region; a territory. Scouts each coast light-armed scour, Each quarter, to descry the distant foe. Milton.
(l) A division of a town, city, or county; a particular district; a locality; as, the Latin quarter in Paris. (m) (Arch.) A small upright timber post, used in partitions; -- in the United States more commonly called stud. (n) (Naut.) The fourth part of the distance from one point of the compass to another, being the fourth part of 11° 15', that is, about 2° 49'; -- called also quarter point.
2. Proper station; specific place; assigned position; special location. Swift to their several quarters hasted then The cumbrous elements. Milton. Hence, specifically: (a) (Naut.) A station at which officers and men are posted in battle; -- usually in the plural. (b) Place of lodging or temporary residence; shelter; entertainment; -- usually in the plural. The banter turned as to what quarters each would find. W. Irving. (c) pl. (Mil.)
Defn: A station or encampment occupied by troops; a place of lodging for soldiers or officers; as, winter quarters. (d) Treatment shown by an enemy; mercy; especially, the act of sparing the life a conquered enemy; a refraining from pushing one's advantage to extremes. He magnified his own clemency, now they were at his mercy, to offer them quarter for their lives. Clarendon. Cocks and lambs . . . at the mercy of cats and wolves . . . must never expect better quarter. L'Estrange.
3. Friendship; amity; concord. [Obs.] To keep quarter, to keep one's proper place, and so be on good terms with another. [Obs.] In quarter, and in terms like bride and groom. Shak. I knew two that were competitors for the secretary's place, . . . and yet kept good quarter between themselves. Bacon. False quarter, a cleft in the quarter of a horse's foot. -- Fifth quarter, the hide and fat; -- a butcher's term. -- On the quarter (Naut.), in a direction between abeam and astern; opposite, or nearly opposite, a vessel's quarter. -- Quarter aspect. (Astrol.) Same as Quadrate. -- Quarter back (Football), the player who has position next behind center rush, and receives the ball on the snap back. -- Quarter badge (Naut.), an ornament on the side of a vessel near, the stern. Mar. Dict. -- Quarter bill (Naut.), a list specifying the different stations to be taken by the officers and crew in time of action, and the names of the men assigned to each. -- Quarter block (Naut.), a block fitted under the quarters of a yard on each side of the slings, through which the clew lines and sheets are reeved. R. H. Dana, Jr. -- Quarter boat (Naut.), a boat hung at a vessel's quarter. -- Quarter cloths (Naut.), long pieces of painted canvas, used to cover the quarter netting. -- Quarter day, a day regarded as terminating a quarter of the year; hence, one on which any payment, especially rent, becomes due. In matters influenced by United States statutes, quarter days are the first days of January, April, July, and October. In New York and many other places, as between landlord and tenant, they are the first days of May, August, November, and February. The quarter days usually recognized in England are 25th of March (Lady Day), the 24th of June (Midsummer Day), the 29th of September (Michaelmas Day), and the 25th of December (Christmas Day). -- Quarter face, in fine arts, portrait painting, etc., a face turned away so that but one quarter is visible. -- Quarter gallery (Naut.), a balcony on the quarter of a ship. See Gallery, 4. -- Quarter gunner (Naut.), a petty officer who assists the gunner. -- Quarter look, a side glance. [Obs.] B. Jonson. -- Quarter nettings (Naut.), hammock nettings along the quarter rails. -- Quarter note (Mus.), a note equal in duration to half a minim or a fourth of semibreve; a crochet. -- Quarter pieces (Naut.), several pieces of timber at the after- part of the quarter gallery, near the taffrail. Totten. -- Quarter point. (Naut.) See Quarter, n., 1 (n). -- Quarter railing, or Quarter rails (Naut.), narrow molded planks reaching from the top of the stern to the gangway, serving as a fence to the quarter-deck. -- Quarter sessions (Eng. Law), a general court of criminal jurisdiction held quarterly by the justices of peace in counties and by the recorders in boroughs. -- Quarter square (Math.), the fourth part of the square of a number. Tables of quarter squares have been devised to save labor in multiplying numbers. -- Quarter turn, Quarter turn belt (Mach.), an arrangement in which a belt transmits motion between two shafts which are at right angles with each other. -- Quarter watch (Naut.), a subdivision of the full watch (one fourth of the crew) on a man-of- war. -- To give, or show, quarter (Mil.), to accept as prisoner, on submission in battle; to forbear to kill, as a vanquished enemy. -- To keep quarter. See Quarter, n., 3.
QUARTER Quar"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quartered; p. pr. & vb. n. Quartering.]
1. To divide into four equal parts.
2. To divide; to separate into parts or regions. Then sailors quartered heaven. Dryden.
3. To furnish with shelter or entertainment; to supply with the means of living for a time; especially, to furnish shelter to; as, to quarter soldiers. They mean this night in Sardis to be quartered. Shak.
4. To furnish as a portion; to allot. [R.] This isle . . . He quarters to his blue-haired deities. Milton.
5. (Her.)
Defn: To arrange (different coats of arms) upon one escutcheon, as when a man inherits from both father and mother the right to bear arms.
Note: When only two coats of arms are so combined they are arranged in four compartments. See Quarter, n., 1 (f).
QUARTER Quar"ter, v. i.
Defn: To lodge; to have a temporary residence.
QUARTER Quar"ter, v. i. Etym: [F. cartayer.]
Defn: To drive a carriage so as to prevent the wheels from going into the ruts, or so that a rut shall be between the wheels. Every creature that met us would rely on us for quartering. De Quincey.
QUARTERAGE Quar"ter*age, n.
Defn: A quarterly allowance.
QUARTER-DECK Quar"ter-deck`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: That part of the upper deck abaft the mainmast, including the poop deck when there is one.
Note: The quarter-deck is reserved as a promenade for the officers and (in passenger vessels) for the cabin passengers.
QUARTERED Quar"tered, a.
1. Divided into four equal parts or quarters; separated into four parts or regions.
2. Furnished with quarters; provided with shelter or entertainment.
3. Quarter-sawed; -- said of timber, commonly oak.
QUARTERFOIL Quar"ter*foil`, n. Etym: [Quarier + foil: cf. F. quatre.] (Arch.)
Defn: An ornamental foliation having four lobes, or foils.
QUARTERHUNG Quar"ter*hung`, a. (Ordnance)
Defn: Having trunnions the axes of which lie below the bore; -- said of a cannon.
QUARTERING Quar"ter*ing, a.
1. (Naut.)
Defn: Coming from a point well abaft the beam, but not directly astern; -- said of waves or any moving object.
2. (Mach.)
Defn: At right angles, as the cranks of a locomotive, which are in planes forming a right angle with each other.
QUARTERING Quar"ter*ing, n.
1. A station. [Obs.] Bp. Montagu.
2. Assignment of quarters for soldiers; quarters.
3. (Her.) (a) The division of a shield containing different coats of arms into four or more compartments. (b) One of the different coats of arms arranged upon an escutcheon, denoting the descent of the bearer.
4. (Arch.)
Defn: A series of quarters, or small upright posts. See Quarter, n., 1 (m) (Arch.) Gwilt. Quartering block, a block on which the body of a condemned criminal was quartered. Macaulay.
QUARTERLY Quar"ter*ly, a.
1. Containing, or consisting of, a fourth part; as, quarterly seasons.
2. Recurring during, or at the end of, each quarter; as, quarterly payments of rent; a quarterly meeting.
QUARTERLY Quar"ter*ly, n.; pl. Quarterlies (.
Defn: A periodical work published once a quarter, or four times in a year.
QUARTERLY Quar"ter*ly, adv.
1. By quarters; once in a quarter of a year; as, the returns are made quarterly.
2. (Her.)
Defn: In quarters, or quarterings; as, to bear arms quarterly; in four or more parts; -- said of a shield thus divided by lines drawn through it at right angles.
QUARTERMASTER Quar"ter*mas`ter, n. Etym: [Quarter + master: cf. F. quartier- maître.]
1. (Mil.)
Defn: An officer whose duty is to provide quarters, provisions, storage, clothing, fuel, stationery, and transportation for a regiment or other body of troops, and superintend the supplies.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A petty officer who attends to the helm, binnacle, signals, and the like, under the direction of the master. Totten. Quartermaster general (Mil.), in the United States a staff officer, who has the rank of brigadier general and is the chief officer in the quartermaster's department; in England, an officer of high rank stationed at the War Office having similar duties; also, a staff officer, usually a general officer, accompanying each complete army in the field. -- Quartermaster sergeant. See Sergeant.
QUARTERN Quar"tern, n.Etym: [OE. quarteroun, quartron, F. quarteron, the fourth part of a pound, or of a hundred; cf. L. quartarius a fourth part, quarter of any measure, quartern, gill. See Quarter, and cf. Quarteron, Quadroon.]
1. A quarter. Specifically: (a) The fourth part of a pint; a gill. (b) The fourth part of a peck, or of a stone (14 ibs.).
2. A loaf of bread weighing about four pounds; -- called also quartern loaf. Simmonds.
QUARTERON Quar"ter*on, n. Etym: [F. See Quartern.]
Defn: A quarter; esp., a quarter of a pound, or a quarter of a hundred. Piers Plowman.
QUARTERON; QUARTEROON Quar"ter*on, Quar"ter*oon, n.
Defn: A quadroon.
QUARTERPACE Quar"ter*pace`, n. (Arch.)
Defn: A platform of a staircase where the stair turns at a right angle only. See Halfpace.
QUARTER ROUND Quar"ter round`. (Arch.)
Defn: An ovolo.
QUARTER-SAW Quar"ter-saw`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quarter-sawed -sawn; p. pr. & vb. n. Quarter-sawing.]
Defn: To saw (a log) into quarters; specif., to saw into quarters and then into boards, as by cutting alternately from each face of a quarter, to secure lumber that will warp relatively little or show the grain advantageously.
QUARTERSTAFF Quar"ter*staff`, n.; pl. Quarterstaves (.
Defn: A long and stout staff formerly used as a weapon of defense and offense; -- so called because in holding it one hand was placed in the middle, and the other between the middle and the end.
QUARTET; QUARTETTE Quar*tet", Quar*tette", n. Etym: [It. quartetto, dim. of quarto the fourth, a fourth part, fr. L. quartus the fourth. See Quart.]
1. (Mus.) (a) A composition in four parts, each performed by a single voice or instrument. (b) The set of four person who perform a piece of music in four parts.
2. (Poet.)
Defn: A stanza of four lines.
QUARTIC Quar"tic, a. Etym: [L.quartus fourth.] (Mach.)
Defn: Of the fourth degree.
QUARTIC Quar"tic, n. (a) (Alg.) A quantic of the fourth degree. See Quantic. (b) (Geom.) A curve or surface whose equation is of the fourth degree in the variables.
QUARTILE Quar"tile, n. Etym: [F.quartile aspect, fr. L. quartus the fourth. See Quart.] (Astrol.)
Defn: Same as Quadrate.
QUARTINE Quar"tine, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. quartus the fourth.] (Bot.)
Defn: A supposed fourth integument of an ovule, counting from the outside.
QUARTO Quar"to, a. Etym: [L. in quarto in fourth, from quartus the fourth: cf. F. (in) quarto. See Quart.]
Defn: Having four leaves to the sheet; of the form or size of a quarto.
QUARTO Quar"to, n.; pl. Quartos (.
Defn: Originally, a book of the size of the fourth of sheet of printing paper; a size leaves; in present usage, a book of a square or nearly square form, and usually of large size.
QUARTRIDGE Quar"tridge, n.
Defn: Quarterage. [Obs.]
QUARTZ Quartz, n. Etym: [G. quarz.] (Min.)
Defn: A form of silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO2), occurring in hexagonal crystals, which are commonly colorless and transparent, but sometimes also yellow, brown, purple, green, and of other colors; also in cryptocrystalline massive forms varying in color and degree of transparency, being sometimes opaque.
Note: The crystalline varieties include: amethyst, violet; citrine and false topaz, pale yellow; rock crystal, transparent and colorless or nearly so; rose quartz, rosecolored; smoky quartz, smoky brown. The chief crypto-crystalline varieties are: agate, a chalcedony in layers or clouded with different colors, including the onyx and sardonyx; carnelian and sard, red or flesh-colored chalcedony; chalcedony, nearly white, and waxy in luster; chrysoprase, an apple- green chalcedony; flint, hornstone, basanite, or touchstone, brown to black in color and compact in texture; heliotrope, green dotted with red; jasper, opaque, red yellow, or brown, colored by iron or ferruginous clay; prase, translucent and dull leek-green. Quartz is an essential constituent of granite, and abounds in rocks of all ages. It forms the rocks quartzite (quartz rock) and sandstone, and makes most of the sand of the seashore.
QUARTZIFEROUS Quartz*if"er*ous, a. Etym: [Quartz + -ferous.] (Min.)
Defn: Consisting chiefly of quartz; containing quartz.
QUARTZITE Quartz"ite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. quartzite.] (Min.)
Defn: Massive quartz occurring as a rock; a metamorphosed sandstone; -- called also quartz rock.
QUARTZOID Quartz"oid, n. Etym: [Quartz + -oid.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: A form of crystal common with quartz, consisting of two six- sided pyramids, base to base.
QUARTZOSE Quartz"ose`, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quartzeux, G. quarzig.] (Min.)
Defn: Containing, or resembling, quartz; partaking of the nature or qualities of quartz.
QUARTZOUS quartz"ous, a. (Min.)
Defn: Quarzose.
QUARTZY Quartz"y, a. (Min.)
Defn: Quartzose.
QUAS Quas, n.
Defn: A kind of beer. Same as Quass.
QUASCHI; QUASJE Quas"chi, Quas"je, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The brown coati. See Coati.
QUASH Quash, n.
Defn: Same as Squash.
QUASH Quash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Quashing.] Etym: [OF. quasser, F. casser, fr. L. cassare to annihilate, annul, fr. cassus empty, vain, of uncertain origin. The word has been confused with L.quassare to shake, F. casser to break, which is probably of different origin. Cf. Cashier, v. t.] (Law)
Defn: To abate, annul, overthrow, or make void; as, to quash an indictment. Blackstone.
QUASH Quash, v. t. Etym: [OF. quasser, F. casser, fr. L. quassare to shake, shatter, shiver, v. intens. fr. quatere, quassum, to shake, shatter. Cf. Concussion, Discuss, Rescue, and also Quash to annul.]
1. To beat down, or beat in pieces; to dash forcibly; to crush. The whales Against sharp rocks, like reeling vessels, quashed, Though huge as mountains, are in pieces dashed. Waller.
2. To crush; to subdue; to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely; as, to quash a rebellion. Contrition is apt to quash or allay all worldly grief. Barrow.
QUASH Quash, v. i.
Defn: To be shaken, or dashed about, with noise.
QUASHEE Quash"ee, n.
Defn: A negro of the West Indies.
QUASI Qua"si. Etym: [L.]
Defn: As if; as though; as it were; in a manner sense or degree; having some resemblance to; qualified; -- used as an adjective, or a prefix with a noun or an adjective; as, a quasi contract, an implied contract, an obligation which has arisen from some act, as if from a contract; a quasi corporation, a body that has some, but not all, of the peculiar attributes of a corporation; a quasi argument, that which resembles, or is used as, an argument; quasi historical, apparently historical, seeming to be historical.
QUASI CORPORATION Qua"si cor`po*ra"tion.
Defn: A corporation consisting of a person or body of persons invested with some of the qualities of an artificial person, though not expressly incorporated, esp. the official of certain municipal divisions such as counties, schools districts, and the towns of some States of the United States, certain church officials, as a churchwarden, etc.
QUASIMODO Quas`i*mo"do, n. Etym: [So called from the first words of the Latin introit, quasi modo geniti infantes as newborn babes, 1 Pet. ii. 2.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: The first Sunday after Easter; Low Sunday.
QUASS Quass, n. Etym: [Russ. kvas'.]
Defn: A thin, sour beer, made by pouring warm water on rye or barley meal and letting it ferment, -- much used by the Russians. [written also quas.]
QUASSATION Quas*sa"tion, n. Etym: [L. quassatio, from quassare to shake. See Quash to crush.]
Defn: The act of shaking, or the state of being shaken. Gayton.
QUASSIA Quas"si*a, n. Etym: [NL. From the name of a negro, Quassy, or Quash, who prescribed this article as a specific.]
Defn: The wood of several tropical American trees of the order Simarubeæ, as Quassia amara, Picræna excelsa, and Simaruba amara. It is intensely bitter, and is used in medicine and sometimes as a substitute for hops in making beer.
QUASSIN Quas"sin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. quassine. See Quassia.] (Chem.)
Defn: The bitter principle of quassia, extracted as a white crystalline substance; -- formerly called quassite. [Written also quassiin, and quassine.]
QUAT Quat, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (a) A pustule. [Obs.] (b) An annoying, worthless person. Shak.
QUAT Quat, v. t.
Defn: To satiate; to satisfy. [Prov. Eng.]
QUATA Qua"ta, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The coaita.
QUATCH Quatch, a.
Defn: Squat; flat. [Obs.] Shak.
QUATER-COUSIN Qua"ter-cous`in, n. Etym: [F. quatre four + cousin, E. cousin.]
Defn: A cousin within the first four degrees of kindred.
QUATERNARY Qua*ter"na*ry, a. Etym: [L. quaternarius consisting of four each, containing four, fr. quaterni four each, fr. quattuor four: cf. F. quaternaire. See Four.]
1. Consisting of four; by fours, or in sets of four.
2. (Geol.)
Defn: Later than, or subsequent to, the Tertiary; Post-tertiary; as, the Quaternary age, or Age of man.
QUATERNARY Qua*ter"na*ry, n. Etym: [L. numerus quaternarius: cf. F. quaternaire.]
1. The number four. Boyle.
2. (Geol.)
Defn: The Quaternary age, era, or formation. See the Chart of Geology.
QUATERNATE Qua*ter"nate, a.
Defn: Composed of, or arranged in, sets of four; quaternary; as, quaternate leaves.
QUATERNION Qua*ter"ni*on, n. Etym: [L. quaternio, fr.quaterni four each. See Quaternary.]
1. The number four. [Poetic]
2. A set of four parts, things, or person; four things taken collectively; a group of four words, phrases, circumstances, facts, or the like. Delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers. Acts xii. 4. Ye elements, the eldest birth Of Nature's womb, that in quaternion run. Milton. The triads and quaternions with which he loaded his sentences. Sir W. Scott.
3. A word of four syllables; a quadrisyllable.
4. (Math.)
Defn: The quotient of two vectors, or of two directed right lines in space, considered as depending on four geometrical elements, and as expressible by an algebraic symbol of quadrinomial form.
Note: The science or calculus of quaternions is a new mathematical method, in which the conception of a quaternion is unfolded and symbolically expressed, and is applied to various classes of algebraical, geometrical, and physical questions, so as to discover theorems, and to arrive at the solution of problems. Sir W. R. Hamilton.
QUATERNION Qua*ter"ni*on, v. t.
Defn: To divide into quaternions, files, or companies. Milton.
QUATERNITY Qua*ter"ni*ty, n. Etym: [LL.quaternitas, fr. L. quaterni four each: cf. F. quaternité.]
1. The number four. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
2. The union of four in one, as of four persons; -- analogous to the theological term trinity.
QUATERON Qua"ter*on, n.
Defn: See 2d Quarteron.
QUATORZAIN Qua*torz"ain, n. Etym: [See Quatorze.]
Defn: A poem of fourteen lines; a sonnet. R. H. Stoddard.
QUATORZE Qua*torze", n. Etym: [F. quatorze fourteen, L. quattuordecim. See Fourteen.]
Defn: The four aces, kings, queens, knaves, or tens, in the game of piquet; -- so called because quatorze counts as fourteen points.
QUATRAIN Quat"rain, n. Etym: [F., fr. quatre four, L. quattuor, quatuor. See Four.] (Pros.)
Defn: A stanza of four lines rhyming alternately. Dryden.
QUATRE Qua"tre, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A card, die. or domino, having four spots, or pips
QUATREFEUILLE; QUATREFOIL Qua"tre*feuille, Qua"tre*foil, n. Etym: [F. quatre feuilles.]
Defn: Same as Quarterfoil.
QUATTROCENTO Quat`tro*cen"to, n. & a. [It., four hundred, used as an abbreviated expression for the dates beginning with fourteen hundred.]
Defn: The fifteenth century, when applied to Italian art or literature; as, the sculpture of the quattrocento; quattrocento style. --Quat`tro*cen"tist (#), n.
QUATUOR Quat"u*or, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. quattuor, quatuor, four. See Quartet.] (Mus.)
Defn: A quartet; -- applied chiefly to instrumental compositions.
QUAVE Quave, n.
Defn: See Quaver. [Obs.]
QUAVE Quave, v. i.
Defn: To quaver. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
QUAVEMIRE Quave"mire`, n.
Defn: See Quagmire. [Obs.]
QUAVER Qua"ver, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quavered; p. pr. & vb. n. Quavering.] Etym: [OE. quaven to shake, to tremble; cf. LG. quabbeln to shake, to be soft, of fat substances, quabbe a fat lump of flesh, a dewlap, D. kwabbe, and E. quiver, v.]
1. To tremble; to vibrate; to shake. Sir I. Newton.
2. Especially, to shake the voice; to utter or form sound with rapid or tremulous vibrations, as in singing; also, to trill on a musical instrument
QUAVER Qua"ver, v. t.
Defn: To utter with quavers. We shall hear her quavering them . . . to some sprightly airs of the opera. Addison.
QUAVER Qua"ver, n.
1. A shake, or rapid and tremulous vibration, of the voice, or of an instrument of music.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: An eighth note. See Eighth.
QUAVERER Qua"ver*er, n.
Defn: One who quavers; a warbler.
QUAY Quay, n. Etym: [F. quai. See Key quay.]
Defn: A mole, bank, or wharf, formed toward the sea, or at the side of a harbor, river, or other navigable water, for convenience in loading and unloading vessels. [Written also key.]
QUAY Quay, v. t.
Defn: To furnish with quays.
QUAYAGE Quay"age, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Wharfage. [Also keyage.]
QUAYD Quayd,
Defn: p. p. of Quail. [Obs.] Spenser.
QUE Que, n. Etym: [Cf. 3d Cue.]
Defn: A half farthing. [Obs.]
QUEACH Queach, n. Etym: [Cf. Quick.]
Defn: A thick, bushy plot; a thicket. [Obs.] Chapman.
QUEACH Queach, v. i. Etym: [Cf. E. quich, v. i., quick, v. i.; or AS. cweccan to shake.]
Defn: To stir; to move. See Quick, v. i. [Obs.]
QUEACHY Queach"y, a.
1. Yielding or trembling under the feet, as moist or boggy ground; shaking; moving. "The queachy fens." "Godwin's queachy sands." Drayton.
2. Like a queach; thick; bushy. [Obs.] Cockeram.
QUEAN Quean, n. Etym: [Originally, a woman, AS. cwene; akin to OS. quena, OHG. quena, Icel. kona, Goth qin, and AS. cwén, also to Gr. gna goddess. Cf. Queen.]
1. A woman; a young or unmarried woman; a girl. [Obs. or Scot.] Chaucer.
2. A low woman; a wench; a slut. "The dread of every scolding quean." Gay.
QUEASILY Quea"si*ly, adv.
Defn: In a queasy manner.
QUEASINESS Quea"si*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being queasy; nausea; qualmishness; squeamishness. Shak.
QUEASY Quea"sy, a. Etym: [Icel. kweisa pain; cf. Norw. kveis sickness after a debauch.]
1. Sick at the stomach; affected with nausea; inclined to vomit; qualmish.
2. Fastidious; squeamish; delicate; easily disturbed; unsettled; ticklish. " A queasy question." Shak. Some seek, when queasy conscience has its qualms. Cowper.
QUEBEC GROUP Que*bec" group`. (Geol.)
Defn: The middle of the three groups into which the rocks of the Canadian period have been divided in the American Lower Silurian system. See the Chart of Geology.
QUEBRACHO Que*bra"cho, n. Etym: [Sp.] (Bot.)
Defn: A Chilian apocynaceous tree (Aspidosperma Quebracho); also, its bark, which is used as a febrifuge, and for dyspnoea of the lung, or bronchial diseases; -- called also white quebracho, to distinguish it from the red quebracho, a Mexican anacardiaceous tree (Loxopterygium Lorentzii) whose bark is said to have similar properties. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).
QUEBRITH Queb"rith, n. Etym: [OE. quebrit, quibrith, Ar. kibrit.] (Alchemy)
Defn: Sulphur. [Obs.]
QUECH; QUECK Quech, Queck, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Quick, Queach.]
Defn: A word occurring in a corrupt passage of Bacon's Essays, and probably meaning, to stir, to move.
QUEEN Queen, n. Etym: [OE. quen, quene, queen, quean, AS. cwen wife, queen, woman; akin to OS. quan wife, woman, Icel. kvan wife, queen, Goth. qens. sq. root221. See Quean.]
1. The wife of a king.
2. A woman who is the sovereign of a kingdom; a female monarch; as, Elizabeth, queen of England; Mary, queen of Scots. In faith, and by the heaven's quene. Chaucer.
3. A woman eminent in power or attractions; the highest of her kind; as, a queen in society; -- also used figuratively of cities, countries, etc. " This queen of cities." " Albion, queen of isles." Cowper.
4. The fertile, or fully developed, female of social bees, ants, and termites.
5 5, (Chess)
Defn: The most powerful, and except the king the most important, piece in a set of chessmen.
6. A playing card bearing the picture of a queen; as, the queen of spades.
Defn: A male homosexual, esp. one who is effeminate or dresses in women's clothing. Sometimes pejorative. Queen apple. Etym: [Cf. OE. quyne aple quince apple.] A kind of apple; a queening. "Queen apples and red cherries." Spenser. -- Queen bee (Zoöl.), a female bee, especially the female of the honeybee. See Honeybee. -- Queen conch (Zoöl.), a very large West Indian cameo conch (Cassis cameo). It is much used for making cameos. -- Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king. Blackstone. -- Queen dowager, the widow of a king. -- Queen gold, formerly a revenue of the queen consort of England, arising from gifts, fines, etc. -- Queen mother, a queen dowager who is also mother of the reigning king or queen. -- Queen of May. See May queen, under May. -- Queen of the meadow (Bot.), a European herbaceous plant (Spiræa Ulmaria). See Meadowsweet. -- Queen of the prairie (Bot.), an American herb (Spiræa lobata) with ample clusters of pale pink flowers. -- Queen pigeon (Zoöl.), any one of several species of very large and handsome crested ground pigeons of the genus Goura, native of New Guinea and the adjacent islands. They are mostly pale blue, or ash- blue, marked with white, and have a large occipital crest of spatulate feathers. Called also crowned pigeon, goura, and Victoria pigeon. -- Queen regent, or Queen regnant, a queen reigning in her own right. -- Queen's Bench. See King's Bench. -- Queen's counsel, Queen's evidence. See King's counsel, King's evidence, under King. -- Queen's delight (Bot.), an American plant (Stillinqia sylvatica) of the Spurge family, having an herbaceous stem and a perennial woody root. -- Queen's metal (Metal.), an alloy somewhat resembling pewter or britannia, and consisting essentially of tin with a slight admixture of antimony, bismuth, and lead or copper. -- Queen's pigeon. (Zoöl.) Same as Queen pigeon, above. -- Queen's ware, glazed English earthenware of a cream color. -- Queen's yellow (Old Chem.), a heavy yellow powder consisting of a basic mercuric sulphate; -- formerly called turpetum minerale, or Turbith's mineral.
QUEEN Queen, v. i.
Defn: To act the part of a queen. Shak.
QUEEN Queen, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Queened; p. pr. & vb. n. Queening.] (Chess.)
Defn: To make a queen (or other piece, at the player's discretion) of by moving it to the eighth row; as, to queen a pawn.
QUEENCRAFT Queen"craft`, n.
Defn: Craft or skill in policy on the part of a queen. Elizabeth showed much queencraft in procuring the votes of the nobility. Fuller.
QUEENDOM Queen"dom, n.
Defn: The dominion, condition, or character of a queen. Mrs. Browning.
QUEENFISH Queen"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A California sciænoid food fish (Seriphys politus). The back is bluish, and the sides and belly bright silvery. Called also kingfish.
QUEENHOOD Queen"hood, n.
Defn: The state, personality, or character of a queen; queenliness. Tennyson.
QUEENING Queen"ing, n. Etym: [See Queen apple.] (Bot.)
Defn: Any one of several kinds of apples, as summer queening, scarlet queening, and early queening. An apple called the queening was cultivated in England two hundred years ago.
QUEENLINESS Queen"li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being queenly; the; characteristic of a queen; stateliness; eminence among women in attractions or power.
QUEENLY Queen"ly, a. Etym: [AS. cwenlic feminine.]
Defn: Like, becoming, or suitable to, a queen.
QUEEN OLIVE Queen olive. [Cf. Sp. aceituna de la Reina olive of the Queen.] (Olive Trade)
Defn: Properly, a kind of superior olive grown in the region of Seville, Spain. It is large size and oblong shape with a small but long pit; it is cured when green, keeps well, and has a delicate flavor. Loosely, any olive of similar character.
QUEEN-POST Queen"-post`, n. [Arch.]
Defn: One of two suspending posts in a roof truss, or other framed truss of similar form. See King-post.
QUEENSHIP Queen"ship, n.
Defn: The state, rank, or dignity of a queen.
QUEENSLAND NUT Queens"land nut`. (Bot.)
Defn: The nut of an Australian tree (Macadamia ternifolia). It is about an inch in diameter, and contains a single round edible seed, or sometimes two hemispherical seeds. So called from Queensland in Australia.
QUEEN TRUSS Queen" truss. (Arch.)
Defn: A truss framed with queen-posts; a queen-post truss.
QUEER Queer, a. [Compar. Queerer; superl. Queerest.] Etym: [G. quer cross, oblique, athwart (cf. querkopf a queer fellow), OHG. twer, twerh, dwerah; akin to D. dvars, AS, þweorh thwart, bent, twisted, Icel. þverr thwart, transverse, Goth. þwaìrhs angry, and perh. to L. torqyere to twist, and E. through. Cf. Torture, Through, Thwart, a.]
1. At variance with what is usual or normal; differing in some odd way from what is ordinary; odd; singular; strange; whimsical; as, a queer story or act. " A queer look." W. Irving.
2. Mysterious; suspicious; questionable; as, a queer transaction. [Colloq.]
QUEER Queer, n.
Defn: Counterfeit money. [Slang] To shove the queer, to put counterfeit money in circulation. [Slang]
QUEERISH Queer"ish, a.
Defn: Rather queer; somewhat singular.
QUEERLY Queer"ly, adv.
Defn: In a queer or odd manner.
QUEERNESS Queer"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being queer.
QUEEST Queest, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. kvisa a kind of bird, kvistr a branch of a tree, and E. cushat.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European ringdove (Columba palumbus); the cushat. [Written also quist, queeze, quice, queece.] See Ringdove.
QUEGH Quegh, n.
Defn: A drinking vessel. See Quaich.
QUEINT Queint, a.
Defn: See Quaint. [Obs.]
QUEINT Queint, obs.
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Quench. Chaucer.
QUEINTISE Queint"ise, n.
Defn: See Quaintise. [Obs.] Chaucer.
QUELL Quell, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quelled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Quelling.] Etym: [See Quail to cower.]
1. To die. [Obs.] Yet he did quake and quaver, like to quell. Spenser.
2. To be subdued or abated; to yield; to abate. [R.] Winter's wrath begins to quell. Spenser.
QUELL Quell, v. t. Etym: [OE. quellen to kill, AS. cwellan, causative of cwelan to die; akin to OHG. quellen to torment, Icel. kvelja. See Quail to cower.]
1. To take the life of; to kill. [Obs.] Spenser. The ducks cried as [if] men would them quelle. Chaucer.
2. To overpower; to subdue; to put down. The nation obeyed the call, rallied round the sovereign, and enabled him to quell the disaffected minority. Macaulay. Northward marching to quell the sudden revolt. Longfellow.
3. To quiet; to allay; to pacify; to cause to yield or cease; as, to quell grief; to quell the tumult of the soul. Much did his words the gentle lady quell. Spenser.
Syn. -- to subdue; crush; overpower; reduce; put down; repress; suppress; quiet; allay; calm; pacify.
QUELL Quell, n.
Defn: Murder. [Obs.] Shak.
QUELLER Quell"er, n.
1. A killer; as, Jack the Giant Queller. [Obs.] Wyclif (Mark vi. 27).
2. One who quells; one who overpowers or subdues.
QUELLIO Quel"li*o, n. Etym: [Sp. cuello, L. collum neck.]
Defn: A ruff for the neck. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
QUELQUECHOSE Quelque"chose`, n. Etym: [F. quelque chose something.]
Defn: A trifle; a kickshaw. Donne.
QUEME Queme, v. t. & i. Etym: [AS. cweman, akin to cuman to come. sq. root23.]
Defn: To please. [Obs.] Chaucer.
QUEMEFUL Queme"ful, a.
Defn: Kindly; merciful. [Obs.] Wyclif.
QUENCH Quench, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quenched; p. pr. & vb. n. Quenching.] Etym: [OE. quenchen, AS. cwencan in acwencan, to extinguish utterly, causative of cwincan, acwincan, to decrease, disappear; cf. AS. cwinan, acwinan, to waste or dwindle away.]
1. To extinguish; to overwhelm; to make an end of; -- said of flame and fire, of things burning, and figuratively of sensations and emotions; as, to quench flame; to quench a candle; to quench thirst, love, hate, etc. Ere our blood shall quench that fire. Shak. The supposition of the lady's death Will quench the wonder of her infamy. Shak.
2. To cool suddenly, as heated steel, in tempering.
Syn. -- To extinguish; still; stifle; allay; cool; check.
QUENCH Quench, v. i.
Defn: To become extinguished; to go out; to become calm or cool. [R.] Dost thou think in time She will not quench! Shak.
QUENCHABLE Quench"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being quenched.
QUENCHER Quench"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, quenches. Hammond.
QUENCHLESS Quench"less, a.
Defn: Incapable of being quenched; inextinguishable; as, quenchless fire or fury. "Once kindled, quenchless evermore." Byron.