Defn: Of or pertaining to a peduncle; growing from a peduncle; as, a peduncular tendril.
PEDUNCULATAPe*dun`cu*la"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Peduncle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Cirripedia, including the stalked or goose barnacles.
PEDUNCULATE; PEDUNCULATEDPe*dun"cu*late, Pe*dun"cu*la`ted, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Having a peduncle; growing on a peduncle; as, a pedunculate flower; a pedunculate eye, as in a lobster.
PEEPee, n.
Defn: See 1st Pea.
PEEPee, n. (Naut.)
Defn: Bill of an anchor. See Peak, 3 (c).
PEECEPeece, n. & v. [Obs.]
Defn: See Piece.
PEECHIPee"chi, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The dauw.
PEEK Peek, v. i. Etym: [OE. piken: cf. F. piquer to pierce, prick, E. pique. Cf. Peak.]
Defn: To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep. [Colloq.]
PEEKABOOPeek"a*boo, n.
Defn: A child's game; bopeep.
PEELPeel, n. Etym: [OE. pel. Cf. Pile a heap.]
Defn: A small tower, fort, or castle; a keep. [Scot.]
PEELPeel, n. Etym: [F. pelle, L. pala.]
Defn: A spadelike implement, variously used, as for removing loaves of bread from a baker's oven; also, a T-shaped implement used by printers and bookbinders for hanging wet sheets of paper on lines or poles to dry. Also, the blade of an oar.
PEEL Peel, v. t. Etym: [Confused with peel to strip, but fr. F. piller to pillage. See Pill to rob, Pillage.]
Defn: To plunder; to pillage; to rob. [Obs.]But govern ill the nations under yoke, Peeling their provinces.Milton.
PEEL Peel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Peeled; p. pr. & vb. n. Peeling.] Etym: [F. peler to pull out the hair, to strip, to peel, fr. L. pilare to deprive of hair, fr. pilus a hair; or perh. partly fr. F. peler to peel off the skin, perh. fr. L. pellis skin (cf. Fell skin). Cf. Peruke.]
1. To strip off the skin, bark, or rind of; to strip by drawing or tearing off the skin, bark, husks, etc.; to flay; to decorticate; as, to peel an orange. The skillful shepherd peeled me certain wands. Shak.
2. To strip or tear off; to remove by stripping, as the skin of an animal, the bark of a tree, etc.
PEELPeel, v. i.
Defn: To lose the skin, bark, or rind; to come off, as the skin, bark, or rind does; — often used with an adverb; as, the bark peels easily or readily.
PEELPeel, n.
Defn: The skin or rind; as, the peel of an orange.
PEELEPee"le, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A graceful and swift South African antelope (Pelea capreola). The hair is woolly, and ash-gray on the back and sides. The horns are black, long, slender, straight, nearly smooth, and very sharp. Called also rheeboc, and rehboc.
PEELERPeel"er, n.
Defn: One who peels or strips.
PEELERPeel"er, n. Etym: [See Peel to plunder.]
Defn: A pillager.
PEELERPeel"er, n.
Defn: A nickname for a policeman; — so called from Sir Robert Peel.[British Slang] See Bobby.
PEELHOUSEPeel"house`, n.
Defn: See 1st Peel. Sir W. Scott.
PEEN Peen, n. Etym: [Cf. G. pinne pane of a hammer.] (a) A round-edged, or hemispherical, end to the head of a hammer or sledge, used to stretch or bend metal by indentation. (b) The sharp-edged end of the head of a mason's hammer. [Spelt also pane, pein, and piend.]
PEENPeen, v. t.
Defn: To draw, bend, or straighten, as metal, by blows with the peen of a hammer or sledge.
PEENGEPeenge, v. i.
Defn: To complain. [Scot.]
PEEP Peep, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Peeped; p. pr. & vb. n. Peeping.] Etym: [Of imitative origin; cf. OE. pipen, F. piper, pépier, L. pipire, pipare, pipiare, D. & G. piepen. Senses 2 and 3 perhaps come from a transfer of sense from the sound which chickens make upon the first breaking of the shell to the act accompanying it; or perhaps from the influence of peek, or peak. Cf. Pipe.]
1. To cry, as a chicken hatching or newly hatched; to chirp; tocheep.There was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.Is. x. 14.
2. To begin to appear; to look forth from concealment; to make the first appearance. When flowers first peeped, and trees did blossoms bear. Dryden.
3. To look cautiously or slyly; to peer, as through a crevice; to pry. eep through the blanket of the dark. Shak. From her cabined loophole peep. Milton. Peep sight, an adjustable piece, pierced with a small hole to peep through in aiming, attached to a rifle or other firearm near the breech.
PEEPPeep, n.
1. The cry of a young chicken; a chirp.
2. First outlook or appearance. Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn. Gray.
3. A sly look; a look as through a crevice, or from a place of concealment. To take t' other peep at the stars. Swift.
4. (Zoöl.) (a) Any small sandpiper, as the least sandpiper (Trigna minutilla). (b) The European meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis). Peep show, a small show, or object exhibited, which is viewed through an orifice or a magnifying glass. — Peep-o'-day boys, the Irish insurgents of 1784; — so called from their visiting the house of the loyal Irish at day break in search of arms. [Cant]
PEEPERPeep"er, n.
1. A chicken just breaking the shell; a young bird.
2. One who peeps; a prying person; a spy. Who's there peepers, . . . eavesdroppers J. Webster.
3. The eye; as, to close the peepers. [Colloq.]
PEEPHOLEPeep"hole`, n.
Defn: A hole, or crevice, through which one may peep without being discovered.
PEEPING HOLEPeep"ing hole`.
Defn: See Peephole.
PEEP SIGHTPeep sight.
Defn: An adjustable piece, pierced with a small hole to peep through in aiming, attached to a rifle or other firearm near the breech; — distinguished from an open sight.
PEEPUL TREEPee"pul tree`. Etym: [Hind. pipal, Skr. pippala.] (Bot.)
Defn: A sacred tree (Ficus religiosa) of the Buddhists, a kind of fig tree which attains great size and venerable age. See Bo tree. [Written also pippul tree, and pipal tree.]
PEERPeer, v. i. [imp. & p.p Peered; p. pr. & vb. n. Peering.] Etym: [OF.parir, pareir equiv. to F. paraître to appear, L. parere. Cf.Appear.]
1. To come in sight; to appear. [Poetic] So honor peereth in the meanest habit. Shak. See how his gorget peers above his gown! B. Jonson.
2. Etym: [Perh. a different word; cf. OE. piren, LG. piren. Cf. Pry to peep.]
Defn: To look narrowly or curiously or intently; to peep; as, thepeering day. Milton.Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads. Shak.As if through a dungeon grate he peered. Coleridge.
PEERPeer, n. Etym: [OE. per, OF. per, F. pair, fr. L. par equal. Cf.Apparel, Pair, Par, n., Umpire.]
1. One of the same rank, quality, endowments, character, etc.; an equal; a match; a mate. In song he never had his peer. Dryden. Shall they consort only with their peers I. Taylor.
2. A comrade; a companion; a fellow; an associate. He all his peers in beauty did surpass. Spenser.
3. A nobleman; a member of one of the five degrees of the British nobility, namely, duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron; as, a peer of the realm. A noble peer of mickle trust and power. Milton. House of Peers, The Peers, the British House of Lords. See Parliament. — Spiritual peers, the bishops and archibishops, or lords spiritual, who sit in the House of Lords.
PEERPeer v. t.
Defn: To make equal in rank. [R.] Heylin.
PEERPeer v. t.
Defn: To be, or to assume to be, equal. [R.]
PEERAGEPeer"age, n. Etym: [See Peer an equal, and cf. Parage.]
1. The rank or dignity of a peer. Blackstone.
2. The body of peers; the nobility, collectively. When Charlemain with all his peerage fell. Milton.
PEERDOMPeer"dom, n.
Defn: Peerage; also, a lordship. [Obs.]
PEERESSPeer"ess, n.
Defn: The wife of a peer; a woman ennobled in her own right, or by right of marriage.
PEERIE; PEERYPeer"ie, Peer"y, a. Etym: [See 1st Peer, 2.]
Defn: Inquisitive; suspicious; sharp. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] "Two peery gray eyes." Sir W. Scott.
PEERLESSPeer"less, a.
Defn: Having no peer or equal; matchless; superlative. "Her peerlessfeature." Shak.Unvailed her peerless light. Milton.—Peer"less*ly, adv.— Peer"less*ness, n.
PEERTPeert, a.
Defn: Same as Peart.
PEERWEETPeer"weet, n.
Defn: Same as Pewit (a & b).
PEEVISH Pee"vish, a. Etym: [OE. pevische; of uncertain origin, perh. from a word imitative of the noise made by fretful children + -ish.]
1. Habitually fretful; easily vexed or fretted; hard to please; apt to complain; querulous; petulant. "Her peevish babe." Wordsworth. She is peevish, sullen, froward. Shak.
2. Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction; as, a peevish answer.
3. Silly; childish; trifling. [Obs.] To send such peevish tokens to a king. Shak.
Syn. — Querulous; petulant; cross; ill-tempered; testy; captious; discontented. See Fretful.
PEEVISHLYPee"vish*ly, adv.
Defn: In a peevish manner. Shak.
PEEVISHNESSPee"vish*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being peevish; disposition to murmur; sourness of temper.
Syn.— See Petulance.
PEEVIT; PEEWITPee"vit, Pee"wit, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Pewit.
PEG Peg, n. Etym: [OE. pegge; cf. Sw. pigg, Dan. pig a point, prickle, and E. peak.]
1. A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening boards together, in attaching the soles of boots or shoes, etc.; as, a shoe peg.
2. A wooden pin, or nail, on which to hang things, as coats, etc. Hence, colloquially and figuratively: A support; a reason; a pretext; as, a peg to hang a claim upon.
3. One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained. Shak.
4. One of the pins used for marking points on a cribbage board.
5. A step; a degree; esp. in the slang phrase "To take one down peg."To screw papal authority to the highest peg. Barrow.And took your grandess down a peg. Hudibras.Peg ladder, a ladder with but one standard, into which cross piecesare inserted.— Peg tankard, an ancient tankard marked with pegs, so as dividethe liquor into equal portions. "Drink down to your peg." Longfellow.— Peg tooth. See Fleam tooth under Fleam.— Peg top, a boy's top which is spun by throwing it.— Screw peg, a small screw without a head, for fastening soles.
PEGPeg, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pegged; p. pr. & vb. n. Pegging.]
1. To put pegs into; to fasten the parts of with pegs; as, to peg shoes; to confine with pegs; to restrict or limit closely. I will rend an oak And peg thee in his knotty entrails. Shak.
2. (Cribbage)
Defn: To score with a peg, as points in the game; as, she pegged twelwe points. [Colloq.]
PEGPeg, v. i.
Defn: To work diligently, as one who pegs shoes; — usually with on, at, or away; as, to peg away at a task.
PEGADORPe`ga*dor", n. Etym: [Sp., a sticker.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of remora (Echeneis naucrates). See Remora.
PEGASEANPe*ga"se*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Pegasus, or, figuratively, to poetry.
PEGASOIDPeg"a*soid, a. Etym: [Pegasus + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to Pegasus.
PEGASUSPeg"a*sus, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Gr. Myth.)
Defn: A winged horse fabled to have sprung from the body of Medusawhen she was slain. He is noted for causing, with a blow of his hoof,Hippocrene, the inspiring fountain of the Muses, to spring from MountHelicon. On this account he is, in modern times, associated with theMuses, and with ideas of poetic inspiration.Each spurs his jaded Pegasus apace. Byron.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: A northen constellation near the vernal equinoctial point. Its three brightest stars, with the brightest star of Andromeda, form the square of Pegasus.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of small fishes, having large pectoral fins, and the body covered with hard, bony plates. Several species are known from the East Indies and China.
PEGGERPeg"ger, n.
Defn: One who fastens with pegs.
PEGGINGPeg"ging, n.
Defn: The act or process of fastening with pegs.
PEGMPegm, n. Etym: [L. pegma a movable stage, Gr.
Defn: A sort of moving machine employed in the old pageants. [Obs.]B. Jonson.
PEGMATITE Peg"ma*tite, n. Etym: [From Gr. pegmatite. See Pegm.] (Min.) (a) Graphic granite. See under Granite. (b) More generally, a coarse granite occurring as vein material in other rocks.
PEGMATITICPeg`ma*tit"ic, a. (Min.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, pegmatite; as, the pegmatic structure of certain rocks resembling graphic granite.
PEGMATOIDPeg"ma*toid, a. Etym: [Pegmatite + -oid.] (Min.)
Defn: Resembling pegmatite; pegmatic.
PEGOMANCYPeg"o*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. -macy.]
Defn: Divination by fountains. [R.]
PEGROOTSPeg"roots`, n.
Defn: Same as Setterwort.
PEHLEVIPeh"le*vi`, n. Etym: [Parsee Pahlavi.]
Defn: An ancient Persian dialect in which words were partly represented by their Semitic equivalents. It was in use from the 3d century (and perhaps earlier) to the middle of the 7th century, and later in religious writings. [Written also Pahlavi.]
PEIGNOIRPei`gnoir", n. [F., fr. peigner to comb, L. pectinare. SeePectinate.]
Defn: A woman's loose dressing sack; hence, a loose morning gown or wrapper.
PEINPein, n.
Defn: See Peen.
PEIRAMETERPei*ram"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.]
Defn: A dynamometer for measuring the force required to draw wheel carriages on roads of different constructions. G. Francis.
PEIRASTICPei*ras"tic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Fitted for trail or test; experimental; tentative; treating of attempts.
PEISEPeise, n. Etym: [See Poise.]
Defn: A weight; a poise. [Obs.] "To weigh pence with a peise." PiersPlowman.
PEISEPeise, v. t.
Defn: To poise or weight. [Obs.] Chaucer.Lest leaden slumber peise me down. Shak.
PEITRELPei"trel, n. (Anc. Armor)
Defn: See Peytrel.
PEJORATIVE Pe*jor"a*tive, a. Etym: [F. péjoratif, fr. L. pejor, used as compar. of malus evil.]
Defn: Implying or imputing evil; depreciatory; disparaging; unfavorable.
PEKANPek"an, n. Etym: [F. pekan.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Fisher, 2.
PEKOEPek"oe, n. Etym: [Chin. pih-hoau: cf. F. pekoë]
Defn: A kind of black tea. [Written also pecco.]
PELAPe"la, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Wax insect, under Wax.
PELAGEPel"age, n. Etym: [F. pelage, fr. L. pilus hair.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The covering, or coat, of a mammal, whether of wool, fur, or hair.
PELAGIANPe*la"gi*an, a. Etym: [L. pelagius, Gr. pélagien.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the sea; marine; pelagic; as, pelagian shells.
PELAGIANPe*la"gi*an, n. Etym: [L. Pelagianus: cf. F. pélagien.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: A follower of Pelagius, a British monk, born in the later part of the 4th century, who denied the doctrines of hereditary sin, of the connection between sin and death, and of conversion through grace.
PELAGIANPe*la"gi*an, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pélagien.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Pelagius, or to his doctrines.
PELAGIANISMPe*la"gi*an*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pélagianisme.]
Defn: The doctrines of Pelagius.
PELAGICPe*lag"ic, a. Etym: [L. pelagicus.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the ocean; — applied especially to animals that live at the surface of the ocean, away from the coast.
PELARGONICPel`ar*gon"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid (called also nonoic acid) found in the leaves of the geranium (Pelargonium) and allied plants.
PELARGONIUMPel`ar*go"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A large genus of plants of the order Geraniaceæ, differing fromGeranium in having a spurred calyx and an irregular corolla.
Note: About one hundred and seventy species are known, nearly all of them natives of South Africa, and many having very beautiful blossoms. See the Note under Geranium.
PELASGIAN; PELASGICPe*las"gi*an, Pe*las"gic, a. Etym: [L. Pelasgus, Gr.
1. Of or pertaining to the Pelasgians, an ancient people of Greece, of roving habits.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Wandering.
PELECANPel"e*can, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Pelican.
PELECANIFORMESPel`e*can`i*for"mes, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pelican, and -form.](Zoöl.)
Defn: Those birds that are related to the pelican; the Totipalmi.
PELECOIDPel"e*coid, n. Etym: [Gr. -oid.] (Geom.)
Defn: A figure, somewhat hatched-shaped, bounded by a semicircle and two inverted quadrants, and equal in area to the square ABCD inclosed by the chords of the four quadrants. [Written also pelicoid.] Math. Dict.
PELECYPODAPel`e*cyp"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Lamellibranchia.
PELEGRINEPel"e*grine, a.
Defn: See Peregrine. [Obs.]
PELERINE Pel"er*ine, n. Etym: [F. pèlerine a tippet, fr. pèlerin a pilgrim, fr. L. peregrinus foreign, alien. See Pilgrim.]
Defn: A woman's cape; especially, a fur cape that is longer in front than behind.
PELE'S HAIRPe"le's hair. [After a Hawaiian goddess associated with the craterKilauea.]
Defn: Glass threads or fibers formed by the wind from bits blown from frothy lava or from the tips of lava jets or from bits of liquid lava thrown into the air. It often collects in thick masses resembling tow.
PELF Pelf, n. Etym: [OE. pelfir booty, OF. pelfre, akin to pelfrer to plunder, and perh. to E. pillage. Cf. Pilfer.]
Defn: Money; riches; lucre; gain; — generally conveying the idea ofsomething ill-gotten or worthless. It has no plural. "Mucky pelf."Spenser. "Paltry pelf." Burke.Can their pelf prosper, not got by valor or industry Fuller.
PELFISHPelf"ish, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to pelf. Stanyhurst.
PELFRAY; PELFRYPel"fray, Pel"fry, n.
Defn: Pelf; also, figuratively, rubbish; trash. [Obs.] Cranmer.
PELICAN Pel"i*can, n. Etym: [F. pélican, L. pelicanus, pelecanus, Gr. paraçu.] [Written also pelecan.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any large webfooted bird of the genus of Pelecanus, of which about a dozen species are known. They have an enormous bill, to the lower edge of which is attached a pouch in which captured fishes are temporarily stored.
Note: The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and the brown species (P. fuscus) are abundant on the Florida coast in winter, but breed about the lakes in the Rocky Mountains and British America.
2. (Old Chem.)
Defn: A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.
Note: The principle is still employed in certain modern forms of distilling apparatus. Frigate pelican (Zoöl.), the frigate bird. See under Frigate. — Pelican fish (Zoöl.), deep-sea fish (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) of the order Lyomeri, remarkable for the enormous development of the jaws, which support a large gular pouch. — Pelican flower (Bot.), the very large and curiously shaped blossom of a climbing plant (Aristolochia grandiflora) of the West Indies; also, the plant itself. — Pelican ibis (Zoöl.), a large Asiatic wood ibis (Tantalus leucocephalus). The head and throat are destitute of feathers; the plumage is white, with the quills and the tail greenish black. — Pelican in her piety (in heraldry and symbolical art), a representation of a pelican in the act of wounding her breast in order to nourish her young with her blood; — a practice fabulously attributed to the bird, on account of which it was adopted as a symbol of the Redeemer, and of charity. — Pelican's foot (Zoöl.), a marine gastropod shell of the genus Aporrhais, esp. Aporrhais pes-pelicani of Europe.
PELICAN STATEPel"i*can State.
Defn: Louisiana; — a nickname alluding to the device on its seal.
PELICKPel"ick, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American coot (Fulica).
PELICOIDPel"i*coid, n.
Defn: See Pelecoid.
PELICOSAURIAPel`i*co*sau"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A suborder of Theromorpha, including terrestrial reptiles from the Permian formation.
PELIOMPe"li*om, n. Etym: [See Pelioma.] (Min.)
Defn: A variety of iolite, of a smoky blue color; pelioma.
PELIOMAPe`li*o"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
1. (Med.)
Defn: A livid ecchymosis.
2. (Min.)
Defn: See Peliom.
PELISSE Pe*lisse", n. Etym: [F., fr. L. pelliceus, pellicius, made of skins, fr. pellis a skin. Cf. Pelt skin, Pilch, and see 2d Pell.]
Defn: An outer garment for men or women, originally of fur, or lined with fur; a lady's outer garment, made of silk or other fabric.
PELLPell, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Pelt, v. t.]
Defn: To pelt; to knock about. [Obs.] Holland.
PELLPell, n. Etym: [OF. pel, F. peau, L. pellis a skin. See Fell a skin.]
1. A skin or hide; a pelt.
2. A roll of parchment; a parchment record. Clerk of the pells, formerly, an officer of the exchequer who entered accounts on certain parchment rolls, called pell rolls. [Eng.]
PELLACKPel"lack, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. Peileag.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A porpoise.
PELLAGEPell"age, n. Etym: [See 2d Pell.]
Defn: A customs duty on skins of leather.
PELLAGRAPel"la*gra (pel"la*gra), n. (Med.)
Defn: An erythematous affection of the skin, with severe constitutional and nervous symptoms, endemic in Northern Italy.
PELLAGRINPel"la*grin, n.
Defn: One who is afficted with pellagra. Chambers's Encyc.
PELLAGROUSPel*lag"rous, a. [It. pellagroso: cf. F. pellagreux.] (Med.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or affected with, or attendant on, pellagra; as, pellagrous insanity.
PELLETPel"let, n. Etym: [F. pelote, LL. pelota, pilota, fr. L. pila a ball.Cf. Platoon.]
1. A little ball; as, a pellet of wax .
2. A bullet; a ball for firearms. [Obs.] Bacon. As swift as a pellet out of a gun. Chaucer. Pellet molding (Arch.), a narrow band ornamented with smalt, flat disks.
PELLETPel"let, v.
Defn: To form into small balls. [Obs.] Shak.
PELLETEDPel"let*ed, a.
Defn: Made of, or like, pellets; furnished with pellets. [R.] "This pelleted storm." Shak.
PELLIBRANCHIATA Pel`li*bran`chi*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. pellis garment + branchia a gill.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Nudibranchiata, in which the mantle itself serves as a gill.
PELLICLE Pel"li*cle, n. Etym: [L. pellicu, dim. of pellis skin: cf. F. pellicule.]
1. A thin skin or film.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: A thin film formed on the surface of an evaporating solution.
PELLICULARPel*lic"u*lar, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a pellicle. Henslow.
PELLILEPel*li"le, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The redshank; — so called from its note. [Prov. Eng.]
PELLITORY Pel"li*to*ry, n. Etym: [OE. paritorie, OF. paritoire, F. pariétaire; (cf. It. & Sp. parietaria), L. parietaria the parietary, or pellitory, the wall plant, fr. parietarus belonging to the walls, fr. paries, parietis a wall. Cf. Parietary.] (Bot.)
Defn: The common name of the several species of the genus Parietaria, low, harmless weeds of the Nettle family; — also called wall pellitory, and lichwort.
Note: Parietaria officinalis is common on old walls in Europe; P.Pennsylvanica is found in the United States; and six or seven more species are found near the Mediterranean, or in the Orient.
PELLITORY Pel"li*to*ry, n. Etym: [Sp. pelitre, fr. L. pyrethrum. See Bertram.] (Bot.) (a) A composite plant (Anacyclus Pyrethrum) of the Mediterranean region, having finely divided leaves and whitish flowers. The root is the officinal pellitory, and is used as an irritant and sialogogue. Called also bertram, and pellitory of Spain. (b) The feverfew (Chrysanthemum Parthenium); — so called because it resembles the above.
PELL-MELLPell`-mell" (, n.
Defn: See Pall-mall.
PELLMELL Pell`mell", adv. Etym: [F. pêle-mêle, prob. fr. pelle a shovel + mêler to mix, as when different kinds of grain are heaped up and mixed with a shovel. See Pell shovel, Medley.]
Defn: In utter confusion; with confused violence. "Men, horses, chariots, crowded pellmell." Milton.
PELLUCID Pel*lu"cid, a. Etym: [L. pellucidus; per (see Per-) + lucidus clear, bright: cf. F. pellucide.]
Defn: Transparent; clear; limpid; translucent; not opaque. "Pellucid crystal." Dr. H. More. "Pellucid streams." Wordsworth.
PELLUCIDITY; PELLUCIDNESSPel`lu*cid"i*ty, Pel*lu"cid*ness, n. Etym: [L. pelluciditas.]
Defn: The quality or state of being pellucid; transparency; translucency; clearness; as, the pellucidity of the air. Locke.
PELLUCIDLYPel*lu"cid*ly, adv.
Defn: In a pellucid manner.
PELMAPel"ma, n.; pl. Pelmata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The under surface of the foot.
PELOPIUMPe*lo"pi*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. Pelops, brother of Niobe, Gr.(Chem.)
Defn: A supposed new metal found in columbite, afterwards shown to be identical with columbium, or niobium.
PELOPONNESIANPel`o*pon*ne"sian, a. Etym: [L. Peloponnesius, fr. Peloponnesus, Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Peloponnesus, or southern peninsula of Greece. — n.
Defn: A native or an inhabitant of the Peloponnesus.
PELORIAPe*lo"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Abnormal regularity; the state of certain flowers, which, being naturally irregular, have become regular through a symmetrical repetition of the special irregularity.
PELORICPe*lo"ric, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Abnormally regular or symmetrical. Darwin.
PELORUS Pe*lo"rus, n. [After Pelorus, said to have been Hannibal's pilot when he left Italy.] (Navig.)
Defn: An instrument similar to a mariner's compass, but without magnetic needles, and having two sight vanes by which bearings are taken, esp. such as cannot be taken by the compass.
PELOTAPe*lo"ta, n. [Sp., lit., ball.]
Defn: A Basque, Spanish, and Spanish-American game played in a court, in which a ball is struck with a wickerwork racket.
PELOTAGEPel"o*tage, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Packs or bales of Spanish wool.
PELT Pelt, n. Etym: [Cf. G. pelz a pelt, fur, fr. OF. pelice, F. pelisse (see Pelisse); or perh. shortened fr. peltry.]
1. The skin of a beast with the hair on; a raw or undressed hide; a skin preserved with the hairy or woolly covering on it. See 4th Fell. Sir T. Browne. Raw pelts clapped about them for their clothes. Fuller.
2. The human skin. [Jocose] Dryden.
3. (Falconry)
Defn: The body of any quarry killed by the hawk. Pelt rot, a disease affecting the hair or wool of a beast.
PELT Pelt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pelted; p. pr. & vb. n. Pelting.] Etym: [OE. pelten, pulten, pilten, to thrust, throw, strike; cf. L. pultare, equiv. to pulsare (v. freq. fr. pellere to drive), and E. pulse a beating.]
1. To strike with something thrown or driven; to assail with pellets or missiles, as, to pelt with stones; pelted with hail. The children billows seem to pelt the clouds. Shak.
2. To throw; to use as a missile. My Phillis me with pelted apples plies. Dryden.
PELTPelt, v. i.
1. To throw missiles. Shak.
2. To throw out words. [Obs.] Another smothered seems to peltand swear. Shak.
PELTPelt, n.
Defn: A blow or stroke from something thrown.
PELTAPel"ta, n.; pl. Peltæ. Etym: [L., a shield, fr. Gr.
1. (Antiq.)
Defn: A small shield, especially one of an approximately elliptic form, or crescent-shaped.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A flat apothecium having no rim.
PELTATE; PELTATEDPel"tate, Pel"ta*ted, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pelté. See Pelta.]
Defn: Shield-shaped; scutiform; (Bot.) having the stem or support attached to the lower surface, instead of at the base or margin; — said of a leaf or other organ. — Pel"tate*ly, adv.
PELTERPelt"er, n.
Defn: One who pelts.
PELTERPel"ter, n.
Defn: A pinchpenny; a mean, sordid person; a miser; a skinflint.[Obs.] "Let such pelters prate." Gascoigne.
PELTIER EFFECT Pel`tier" ef*fect". [After Jean C. A. Peltier, French physicist, the discoverer.] (Elec.)
Defn: The production or absorption of heat at the junction of two metals on the passage of a current. Heat generated by the passage of the current in one direction will be absorbed if the current is reversed.
PELTIER'S CROSSPel`tier's" cross. (Elec.)
Defn: A cross formed of two strips of different metals, to illustrate the Peltier effect.
PELTIFORMPel"ti*form, a. Etym: [Pelta + -form.]
Defn: Shieldlike, with the outline nearly circular; peltate. Henslow.
PELTINGPel"ting, a.
Defn: Mean; paltry. [Obs.] Shak.
PELTON WHEELPel"ton wheel. (Mech.)
Defn: A form of impulse turbine or water wheel, consisting of a row of double cup-shaped buckets arranged round the rim of a wheel and actuated by one or more jets of water playing into the cups at high velocity.
PELTRY Pelt"ry, n. Etym: [F. pelleterie peltry, furriery, fr. pelletier a furrier, fr. OF. pel skin, F. peau, L. pelis. See Pelt a skin, Pell, n., Fell a skin.]
Defn: Pelts or skins, collectively; skins with the fur on them; furs.
PELTRYWAREPelt"ry*ware`, n.
Defn: Peltry. [Obs.]
PELUDOPe*lu"do, n. Etym: [Sp. peludo hairy.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The South American hairy armadillo (Dasypus villosus).
PELUREPe*lure", n. [F., lit., peel, fr. peler to peel.]
Defn: A crisp, hard, thin paper, sometimes used for postage stamps.
PELUSIACPe*lu"si*ac, a. Etym: [L. Pelusiacus.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Pelusium, an ancient city of Egypt; as, thePelusiac (or former eastern) outlet of the Nile.
PELVICPel"vic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pelvis; as, pelvic cellulitis. Pelvic arch, or Pelvic girdle (Anat.), the two or more bony or cartilaginous pieces of the vertebrate skeleton to which the hind limbs are articulated. When fully ossified, the arch usually consists of three principal bones on each side, the ilium, ischium, and pubis, which are often closely united in the adult, forming the innominate bone. See Innominate bone, under Innominate.
PELVIMETERPel*vim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pelvis + -meter.: cf. F. pelvimètre.]
Defn: An instrument for measuring the dimensions of the pelvis. Coxe.
PELVIMETRYPel*vim"e*try, n. [Pelvis + -metry.] (Med.)
Defn: The measurement of the pelvis.
PELVISPel"vis, n. Etym: [L., a basin, laver; cf. Gr.
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The pelvic arch, or the pelvic arch together with the sacrum.See Pelvic arch, under Pelvic, and Sacrum.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The calyx of a crinoid. Pelvis of the kidney (Anat.), the basinlike cavity into which the ureter expands as it joins the kidney.
PEMBROKE TABLEPem"broke ta`ble. [From Pembroke, a town and shire in Wales.]
Defn: A style of four-legged table in vogue in England, chiefly in the later Georgian period.
The characteristic which gives a table the name of Pembroke consists in the drop leaves, which are held up, when the table is open, by brackets which turn under the top. F. C. Morse.
PEMMICANPem"mi*can, n. Etym: [Written also pemican.]
1. Among the North American Indians, meat cut in thin slices, divested of fat, and dried in the sun. Then on pemican they feasted. Longfellow.
2. Meat, without the fat, cut in thin slices, dried in the sun, pounded, then mixed with melted fat and sometimes dried fruit, and compressed into cakes or in bags. It contains much nutriment in small compass, and is of great use in long voyages of exploration.
PEMPHIGUSPem*phi"gus, n. Etym: [Nl., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A somewhat rare skin disease, characterized by the development of blebs upon different part of the body. Quain.
PENPen, n. Etym: [OE. penne, OF. penne, pene, F. penne, fr. L. penna.]
1. A feather. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. A wing. [Obs.] Milton.
3. An instrument used for writing with ink, formerly made of a reed, or of the quill of a goose or other bird, but now also of other materials, as of steel, gold, etc. Also, originally, a stylus or other instrument for scratching or graving. Graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock. Job xix. 24.
4. Fig.: A writer, or his style; as, he has a sharp pen. "Those learned pens." Fuller.
5. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The internal shell of a squid.
6. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A female swan. [Prov. Eng.] Bow pen. See Bow-pen.— Dotting pen, a pen for drawing dotted lines.— Drawing, or Ruling, pen, a pen for ruling lines having a pair ofblades between which the ink is contained.— Fountain pen, Geometric pen. See under Fountain, and Geometric.— Music pen, a pen having five points for drawing the five lines ofthe staff.— Pen and ink, or pen-and-ink, executed or done with a pen and ink;as, a pen and ink sketch.— Pen feather. A pin feather. [Obs.] — Pen name. See under Name.— Sea pen (Zoöl.), a pennatula. [Usually written sea-pen.]
PENPen, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penned; p. pr. & vb. n. Penning.]
Defn: To write; to compose and commit to paper; to indite; to compose; as, to pen a sonnet. "A prayer elaborately penned." Milton.
PENPen, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penned or Pent (p. pr. & vb. n. Penning.]Etym: [OE. pennen, AS. pennan in on-pennan to unfasten, prob. fromthe same source as pin, and orig. meaning, to fasten with a peg.SeePin, n. & v.]
Defn: To shut up, as in a pen or cage; to confine in a small inclosure or narrow space; to coop up, or shut in; to inclose. "Away with her, and pen her up." Shak. Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve. Milton.
PENPen, n. Etym: [From Pen to shut in.]
Defn: A small inclosure; as, a pen for sheep or for pigs.My father stole two geese out of a pen. Shak.
PENALPe"nal, a. Etym: [L. poenalis, fr. poena punishment: cf. F. pénal.See Pain.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to punishment, to penalties, or to crimes and offenses; pertaining to criminal jurisprudence: as: (a) Enacting or threatening punishment; as, a penal statue; the penal code. (b) Incurring punishment; subject to a penalty; as, a penalact of offense. (c) Inflicted as punishment; used as a means of punishment; as, a penal colony or settlement. "Adamantine chains and penal fire." Milton. Penal code (Law), a code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment. — Penal laws, Penal statutes (Law), laws prohibited certain acts, and imposing penalties for committing them. — Penal servitude, imprisonment with hard labor, in a prison, in lieu of transportation. [Great Brit.] — Penal suit, Penal action (Law), a suit for penalties.
PENALITYPe*nal"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. LL. poenalitas. See Penalty.]
Defn: The quality or state of being penal; lability to punishment.Sir T. Browne.
PENALIZEPe"nal*ize, v. t.
1. To make penal.
2. (Sport.)
Defn: To put a penalty on. See Penalty, 3. [Eng.]
PENALLYPe"nal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a penal manner.
PENALTYPe"nal*ty, n.; pl. Penalties. Etym: [F. pénalité. See Penal.]
1. Penal retribution; punishment for crime or offense; the suffering in person or property which is annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a crime, offense, or trespass. Death is the penalty imposed. Milton.
2. The suffering, or the sum to be forfeited, to which a person subjects himself by covenant or agreement, in case of nonfulfillment of stipulations; forfeiture; fine. The penalty and forfeit of my bond. Shak.
3. A handicap. [Sporting Cant]
Note: The term penalty is in law mostly applied to a pecuniary punishment. Bill of pains and penalties. See under Bill. — On, or Under, penalty of, on pain of; with exposure to the penalty of, in case of transgression.
PENANCEPen"ance, n. Etym: [OF. penance, peneance, L. paenitentia repentance.See Penitence.]
1. Repentance. [Obs.] Wyclif (Luke xv. 7).
2. Pain; sorrow; suffering. [Obs.] "Joy or penance he feeleth none." Chaucer.
3. (Eccl.)
Defn: A means of repairing a sin committed, and obtaining pardon for it, consisting partly in the performance of expiatory rites, partly in voluntary submission to a punishment corresponding to the transgression. Penance is the fourth of seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Schaff-Herzog Encyc. And bitter penance, with an iron whip. Spenser. Quoth he, "The man hath penance done, And penance more will do." Coleridge.
PENANCEPen"ance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penanced.]
Defn: To impose penance; to punish. "Some penanced lady elf." Keats.
PENANCELESSPen"ance*less, a.
Defn: Free from penance. [R.]
PENANG LAWYERPe*nang" law"yer. [Prob. fr. Malay pinang liar.]
Defn: A kind of walking stick made from the stem of an East Asiatic palm (Licuala acutifida).
PENANG NUTPe*nang" nut`. Etym: [From the native name.] (Bot.)
Defn: The betel nut. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
PENANNULARPen*an"nu*lar, a. Etym: [L. pene, paene, almost + E. annular.]
Defn: Nearly annular; having nearly the form of a ring. "Penannular relics." D. Wilson.
PENARYPe"na*ry, a.
Defn: Penal. [Obs.] Gauden.
PENATESPe*na"tes, n. pl. Etym: [L.] (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: The household gods of the ancient Romans. They presided over the home and the family hearth. See Lar.
PENAUNTPen"aunt, n. Etym: [OF. penant, peneant. See Penitent.]
Defn: A penitent. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PENCEPence, n.,
Defn: pl. of Penny. See Penny.
PENCELPen"cel, n. Etym: [See Pennoncel.]
Defn: A small, narrow flag or streamer borne at the top of a lance; - - called also pennoncel. [Obs.] Piers Plowman. Chaucer.
PENCHANT Pen`chant", n. Etym: [F., fr. pencher to bend, fr. (assumed) LL. pendicare, L. pendere. See Pendant.]
Defn: Inclination; decided taste; bias; as, a penchant for art.
PENCHUTEPen"chute`, n.
Defn: See Penstock.
PENCIL Pen"cil, n. Etym: [OF. pincel, F. pinceau, L. penicillum, penicillus, equiv. to peniculus, dim. of penis a tail. Cf. Penicil.]
1. A small, fine brush of hair or bristles used by painters for laying on colors. With subtile pencil depainted was this storie. Chaucer.
2. A slender cylinder or strip of black lead, colored chalk, slate etc., or such a cylinder or strip inserted in a small wooden rod intended to be pointed, or in a case, which forms a handle, — used for drawing or writing. See Graphite.
3. Hence, figuratively, an artist's ability or peculiar manner; also, in general, the act or occupation of the artist, descriptive writer, etc.
4. (Opt.)
Defn: An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point.
5. (Geom.)
Defn: A number of lines that intersect in one point, the point of intersection being called the pencil point.
6. (Med.)
Defn: A small medicated bougie. Pencil case, a holder for pencillead.— Pencil flower (Bot.), an American perennial leguminous herb(Stylosanthes elatior).— Pencil lead, a slender rod of black lead, or the like, adaptedfor insertion in a holder.
PENCILPen"cil, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penciled or Pencilled; p. pr. & vb. n.Penciling or Pencilling.]
Defn: To write or mark with a pencil; to paint or to draw. Cowper.Where nature pencils butterflies on flowers. Harte.
PENCILEDPen"ciled, a. Etym: [Written also pencilled.]
1. Painted, drawn, sketched, or marked with a pencil.
2. Radiated; having pencils of rays.
3. (Nat. Hist.)
Defn: Marked with parallel or radiating lines.
PENCILINGPen"cil*ing, n. Etym: [Written also pencilling.]
1. The work of the pencil or bruch; as, delicate penciling in a picture.
2. (Brickwork)
Defn: Lines of white or black paint drawn along a mortar joint in a brick wall. Knight.
PENCILLATE; PENCILLATEDPen"cil*late, Pen"cil*la`ted, a.
Defn: Shaped like a pencil; penicillate.
PENCRAFTPen"craft, n.
1. Penmanship; skill in writing; chirography.
2. The art of composing or writing; authorship. I would not give a groat for that person's knowledge in pencraft. S
PENDPend, n.
Defn: Oil cake; penock. [India]
PEND Pend, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pended; p. pr. & vb. n. Pending.] Etym: [L. pendere.]
1. To hang; to depend. [R.] Pending upon certain powerful motions. I. Taylor.
2. To be undecided, or in process of adjustment.
PEND Pend, v. t. Etym: [Cf. pen to shut in, or AS. pyndan, E. pound an inclosure.]
Defn: To pen; to confine. [R.] ended within the limits . . . of Greece. Udall.
PENDANTPend"ant, n. Etym: [F., orig. p.pr. of pendre to hang, L. pendere.Cf. Pendent, Pansy, Pensive, Poise, Ponder.]
1. Something which hangs or depends; something suspended; a hanging appendage, especially one of an ornamental character; as to a chandelier or an eardrop; also, an appendix or addition, as to a book. Some hang upon the pendants of her ear. Pope. Many . . . have been pleased with this work and its pendant, the Tales and Popular Fictions. Keightley.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: A hanging ornament on roofs, ceilings, etc., much used in the later styles of Gothic architecture, where it is of stone, and an important part of the construction. There are imitations in plaster and wood, which are mere decorative features. "[A bridge] with . . . pendants graven fair." Spenser.
3. (Fine Arts)
Defn: One of a pair; a counterpart; as, one vase is the pendant to the other vase.
4. A pendulum. [Obs.] Sir K. Digby.
5. The stem and ring of a watch, by which it is suspended. [U.S.] Knight. Pendant post (Arch.), a part of the framing of an open timber roof; a post set close against the wall, and resting upon a corbel or other solid support, and supporting the ends of a collar beam or any part of the roof.
PENDENCEPend"ence, n. Etym: [See Pendent.]
Defn: Slope; inclination. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.
PENDENCYPend"en*cy, n.
1. The quality or state of being pendent or suspended.
2. The quality or state of being undecided, or in continuance; suspense; as, the pendency of a suit. Ayliffe.
PENDENT Pend"ent, a. Etym: [L. pendens, -entis, p.pr. of pendere to hang, to be suspended. Cf. Pendant.]
1. Supported from above; suspended; depending; pendulous; hanging; as, a pendent leaf. "The pendent world." Shak. Often their tresses, when shaken, with pendent icicles tinkle. Longfellow.
2. Jutting over; projecting; overhanging. "A vapor sometime like a . . . pendent rock." Shak.
PENDENTIVE Pen*den"tive, n. Etym: [F. pendentif, fr. L. pendere to hang.] (Arch.) (a) The portion of a vault by means of which the square space in the middle of a building is brought to an octagon or circle to receive a cupola. (b) The part of a groined vault which is supported by, and springs from, one pier or corbel.
PENDENTLYPend"ent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a pendent manner.
PENDICEPen"dice, n. Etym: [Cf. Pentice.]
Defn: A sloping roof; a lean-to; a penthouse. [Obs.] Fairfax.
PENDICLEPen"di*cle, n. Etym: [Cf. Appendicle.]
Defn: An appendage; something dependent on another; an appurtenance; a pendant. Sir W. Scott.
PENDICLERPen*di*cler, n.
Defn: An inferior tenant; one who rents a pendicle or croft. [Scot.]Jamieson.
PENDINGPend"ing, a. Etym: [L. pendere to hang, to be suspended. Cf.Pendent.]
Defn: Not yet decided; in continuance; in suspense; as, a pending suit.
PENDINGPend"ing, prep.
Defn: During; as, pending the trail.
PENDRAGONPen"drag*on, n.
Defn: A chief leader or a king; a head; a dictator; — a titleassumed by the ancient British chiefs when called to lead otherchiefs.The dread Pendragon, Britain's king of kings. Tennyson.
PENDULARPen"du*lar, a.
Defn: Pendulous.
PENDULATEPen"du*late, v. i.
Defn: To swing as a pendulum. [R.]
PENDULEPen"dule, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A pendulum. [R.] Evelyn.
PENDULINEPen"du`line, n. Etym: [F. See Pendulum.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European titmouse (Parus, or Ægithalus, pendulinus). It is noted for its elegant pendulous purselike nest, made of the down of willow trees and lined with feathers.
PENDULOSITYPen`du*los"i*ty, n. Etym: [See Pendulous.]
Defn: The state or quality of being pendulous. Sir T. Browne.
PENDULOUS Pen"du*lous, a. Etym: [L. pendulus, fr. pendere to hang. Cf. Pendant, and cf. Pendulum.]
1. Depending; pendent loosely; hanging; swinging. Shak. "The pendulous round earth. Milton.
2. Wavering; unstable; doubtful. [R.] "A pendulous state of mind." Atterbury.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: Inclined or hanging downwards, as a flower on a recurved stalk, or an ovule which hangs from the upper part of the ovary.
PENDULOUSLYPen"du*lous*ly, adv.
Defn: In a pendulous manner.
PENDULOUSNESSPen"du*lous*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being pendulous; the state of hanging loosely; pendulosity.
PENDULUM Pen"du*lum, n.; pl. Pendulums. Etym: [NL., fr. L. pendulus hanging, swinging. See Pendulous.]
Defn: A body so suspended from a fixed point as to swing freely to and fro by the alternate action of gravity and momentum. It is used to regulate the movements of clockwork and other machinery.
Note: The time of oscillation of a pendulum is independent of the arc of vibration, provided this arc be small. Ballistic pendulum. See under Ballistic. — Compensation pendulum, a clock pendulum in which the effect of changes of temperature of the length of the rod is so counteracted, usually by the opposite expansion of differene metals, that the distance of the center of oscillation from the center of suspension remains invariable; as, the mercurial compensation pendulum, in which the expansion of the rod is compensated by the opposite expansion of mercury in a jar constituting the bob; the gridiron pendulum, in which compensation is effected by the opposite expansion of sets of rodsof different metals. — Compound pendulum, an ordinary pendulum; — so called, as being made up of different parts, and contrasted with simple pendulum. — Conical or Revolving, pendulum, a weight connected by a rod with a fixed point; and revolving in a horizontal cyrcle about the vertical from that point. — Pendulum bob, the weight at the lower end of a pendulum. — Pendulum level, a plumb level. See under Level. — Pendulum wheel, the balance of a watch. — Simple or Theoretical, pendulum, an imaginary pendulum having no dimensions except length, and no weight except at the center of oscillation; in other words, a material point suspended by an ideal line.
PENELOPE Pe*nel"o*pe, n. Etym: [From. L. Penelope, the wife of Ulysses, the hero of the Odyssey, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of curassows, including the guans.
PENEPLAINPe"ne*plain`, n. [L. paene, pene, almost + E. plain.] (Phys. Geog.)
Defn: A land surface reduced by erosion to the general condition of a plain, but not wholly devoid of hills; a base-level plain.
PENETRABILITYPen`e*tra*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pénétrabilité.]
Defn: The quality of being penetrable; susceptibility of being penetrated, entered, or pierced. Cheyne.
PENETRABLEPen"e*tra*ble, a. Etym: [L. penetrabilus: cf. F. pénétrable.]
Defn: Capable of being penetrated, entered, or pierced. Used alsofiguratively.And pierce his only penetrable part. Dryden.I am not made of stones, But penetrable to your kind entreats. Shak.— Pen"e*tra*ble*ness, n.— Pen"e*tra*bly, adv.
PENETRAILPen"e*trail, n.
Defn: Penetralia. [Obs.] Harvey.
PENETRALIA Pen`e*tra"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [L., fr. penetralis penetrating, internal. See Penetrate.]
1. The recesses, or innermost parts, of any thing or place, especially of a temple or palace.
2. Hidden things or secrets; privacy; sanctuary; as, the sacred penetralia of the home.
PENETRANCE; PENETRANCYPen"e*trance, Pen"e*tran*cy, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being penetrant; power of entering or piercing; penetrating power of quality; as, the penetrancy of subtile effluvia.
PENETRANT Pen"e*trant, a. Etym: [L. penetrans, p.pr. of penetrare: cf. F. pénétrant.]
Defn: Having power to enter or pierce; penetrating; sharp; subtile; as, penetrant cold. "Penetrant and powerful arguments." Boyle.
PENETRATE Pen"e*trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penetrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Penetrating.] Etym: [L. penetratus, p.p. of penetrare to penetrate; akin to penitus inward, inwardly, and perh. to pens with, in the power of, penus store of food, innermost part of a temple.]
1. To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to effect an entrance into; to pierce; as, light penetrates darkness.
2. To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to touch with feeling; to make sensible; to move deeply; as, to penetrate one's heart with pity. Shak. The translator of Homer should penetrate himself with a sense of the plainness and directness of Homer's style. M. Arnold.
3. To pierce into by the mind; to arrive at the inner contents or meaning of, as of a mysterious or difficult subject; to comprehend; to understand. Things which here were too subtile for us to penetrate. Ray.
PENETRATEPen"e*trate, v. i.
Defn: To pass; to make way; to pierce. Also used figuratively.Preparing to penetrate to the north and west. J. R. Green.Born where Heaven's influence scarce can penetrate. Pope.The sweet of life that penetrates so near. Daniel.
PENETRATINGPen"e*tra`ting, a.
1. Having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading; sharp; subtile; penetrative; as, a penetrating odor.
2. Acute; discerning; sagacious; quick to discover; as, a penetrating mind.
PENETRATINGLYPen"e*tra`ting*ly, adv.
Defn: In a penetrating manner.
PENETRATIONPen"e*tra`tion, n. Etym: [L. penetratio: cf. F. pénétration.]