Defn: Pertaining to a planetoid.
PLANE TREEPlane" tree`. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as 1st Plane.
PLANET-STRICKEN; PLANET-STRUCKPlan"et-strick`en, Plan"et-struck`, a.
Defn: Affected by the influence of planets; blasted. Milton. Like planet-stricken men of yore He trembles, smitten to the core By strong compunction and remorse. Wordsworth.
PLANETULEPlan"et*ule, n.
Defn: A little planet. [R.] Conybeare.
PLANGENCYPlan"gen*cy, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being plangent; a beating sound. [R.]
PLANGENTPlan"gent, a. Etym: [L. plangens, -entis, fr. plangere to beat. SeePlaint.]
Defn: Beating; dashing, as a wave. [R.] "The plangent wave." H.Taylor.
PLANI-; PLANO-Plan"i-, Plan"o-. Etym: [L. planus. See Plane, a.]
Defn: Combining forms signifying flat, level, plane; as planifolious, planimetry, plano-concave.
PLANIFOLIOUSPlan`i*fo"li*ous, a. Etym: [Plani- + L. folium leaf.] (Bot.)
Defn: Flat-leaved.
PLANIFORMPlan"i*form, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Having a plane surface; as, a planiform, gliding, or arthrodial articulation.
PLANIMETERPla*nim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Plani- + -meter. Cf. Planometer.]
Defn: An instrument for measuring the area of any plane figure, however irregular, by passing a tracer around the bounding line; a platometer.
PLANIMETRIC; PLANIMETRICALPlan`i*met"ric, Plan`i*met"ric*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. planimétrique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to planimetry.
PLANIMETRYPla*nim"e*try, n. Etym: [Cf. F. planimétrie.]
Defn: The mensuration of plane surfaces; — distinguished from stereometry, or the mensuration of volumes.
PLANINGPlan"ing,
Defn: a. & vb. n. fr. Plane, v. t. Planing machine. (a) See Planer. (b) A complex machine for planing wood, especially boards, containing usually a rapidly revolving cutter, which chips off the surface in small shavings as the piece to be planed is passed under it by feeding apparatus.
PLANIPENNATEPla`ni*pen"nate, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Planipennia.
PLANIPENNIA Pla`ni*pen"ni*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. planus plane + penna wing.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A suborder of Neuroptera, including those that have broad, flat wings, as the ant-lion, lacewing, etc. Called also Planipennes.
PLANIPETALOUSPlan`i*pet"al*ous, a. Etym: [Plani- + petal.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having flat petals.
PLANISHPlan"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planished; p. pr. & vb. n. Planishing.]Etym: [OF. planir, F. planer. See Plane, v., and -ish.]
Defn: To make smooth or plane, as a metallic surface; to condense, toughen, and polish by light blows with a hammer.
PLANISHERPlan"ish*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, planishes. Weale.
PLANISHINGPlan"ish*ing,
Defn: a. & vb. n. from Planish, v. t. Planishing rolls (Coining), rolls between which metal strips are passed while cold, to bring them to exactly the required thickness.
PLANISPHEREPlan"i*sphere, n. Etym: [Plani- + sphere: cf. F. planisphère. SeePlain, and Sphere.]
Defn: The representation of the circles of the sphere upon a plane; especially, a representation of the celestial sphere upon a plane with adjustable circles, or other appendages, for showing the position of the heavens, the time of rising and setting of stars, etc., for any given date or hour.
PLANISPHERICPlan`i*spher"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a planisphere.
PLANK Plank, n. Etym: [OE. planke, OF. planque, planche, F. planche, fr. L. planca; cf. Gr. Planch.]
1. A broad piece of sawed timber, differing from a board only in being thicker. See Board.
2. Fig.: That which supports or upholds, as a board does a swimmer. His charity is a better plank than the faith of an intolerant and bitter-minded bigot. Southey.
3. One of the separate articles in a declaration of the principles of a party or cause; as, a plank in the national platform. [Cant] Plank road, or Plank way, a road surface formed of planks. [U.S.] — To walk the plank, to walk along a plank laid across the bulwark of a ship, until one overbalances it and falls into the sea; — a method of disposing of captives practiced by pirates.
PLANKPlank, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planked; p. pr. & vb. n. Planking.]
1. To cover or lay with planks; as, to plank a floor or a ship. "Planked with pine." Dryden.
2. To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash; as, to plank money in a wager. [Colloq. U.S.]
3. To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.
4. (Wooden Manuf.)
Defn: To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing. Planked shad, shad split open, fastened to a plank, and roasted before a wood fire.
PLANKINGPlank"ing, n.
1. The act of laying planks; also, planks, collectively; a series of planks in place, as the wooden covering of the frame of a vessel.
2. The act of splicing slivers. See Plank, v. t., 4.
PLANK-SHEERPlank"-sheer`, n. (Shipbuilding)
Defn: The course of plank laid horizontally over the timberheads of a vessel's frame.
PLANKTON Plank"ton (plank"ton), n. [NL., fr. Gr. plagto`n, neut. of plagto`s wandering, pla`zesqai to wander.] (Biol.)
Defn: All the animals and plants, taken collectively, which live at or near the surface of salt or fresh waters. —Plank*ton"ic (#), a.
PLANLESSPlan"less, a.
Defn: Having no plan.
PLANNERPlan"ner, n.
Defn: One who plans; a projector.
PLANO-Pla"no-.
Defn: See Plani-.
PLANOBLASTPlan"o*blast, n. Etym: [Gr. -blast.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any free-swimming gonophore of a hydroid; a hydroid medusa.
PLANO-CONCAVEPla"no-con"cave, a. Etym: [Plano- + concave.]
Defn: Plane or flat on one side, and concave on the other; as, a plano-concave lens. See Lens.
PLANO-CONICALPla"no-con"ic*al, a. Etym: [Plano- + conical.]
Defn: Plane or flat on one side, and conical on the other. Grew.
PLANO-CONVEXPla"no-con"vex, a. Etym: [Plano- + convex.]
Defn: Plane or flat on one side, and convex on the other; as, a plano-convex lens. See Convex, and Lens.
PLANOGAMETEPlan"o*ga*mete`, n. [Gr. wandering + E. gamete.] (Bot.)
Defn: One of the motile ciliated gametes, or zoögametes, found in isogamous plants, as many green algæ (Chlorophyceæ).
PLANO-HORIZONTALPla"no-hor`i*zon"tal, a. Etym: [Plano- + horizontal.]
Defn: Having a level horizontal surface or position. Lee.
PLANOMETERPla*nom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Plano- + -meter. Cf. Planimeter.]
Defn: An instrument for gauging or testing a plane surface. SeeSurface gauge, under Surface.
PLANOMETRYPla*nom"e*try, n. (Mech.)
Defn: The art or process of producing or gauging a plane surface.
PLANO-ORBICULARPla"no-or*bic"u*lar, a. Etym: [Plano- + orbicular.]
Defn: Plane or flat on one side, and spherical on the other.
PLANORBISPla*nor"bis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. planus flat + orbis a circle.](Zoöl.)
Defn: Any fresh-water air-breathing mollusk belonging to Planorbis and other allied genera, having shells of a discoidal form.
PLANO-SUBULATEPla"no-su"bu*late, a. Etym: [Plano- + subulate.]
Defn: Smooth and awl-shaped. See Subulate.
PLANTPlant, n. Etym: [AS. plante, L. planta.]
1. A vegetable; an organized living being, generally without feeling and voluntary motion, and having, when complete, a root, stem, and leaves, though consisting sometimes only of a single leafy expansion, or a series of cellules, or even a single cellule.
Note: Plants are divided by their structure and methods of reproduction into two series, phænogamous or flowering plants, which have true flowers and seeds, and cryptogamous or flowerless plants, which have no flowers, and reproduce by minute one-celled spores. In both series are minute and simple forms and others of great size and complexity. As to their mode of nutrition, plants may be considered as self-supporting and dependent. Self-supporting plants always contain chlorophyll, and subsist on air and moisture and the matter dissolved in moisture, and as a general rule they excrete oxygen, and use the carbonic acid to combine with water and form the material for their tissues. Dependent plants comprise all fungi and many flowering plants of a parasitic or saprophytic nature. As a rule, they have no chlorophyll, and subsist mainly or wholly on matter already organized, thus utilizing carbon compounds already existing, and not excreting oxygen. But there are plants which are partly dependent and partly self-supporting. The movements of climbing plants, of some insectivorous plants, of leaves, stamens, or pistils in certain plants, and the ciliary motion of zoöspores, etc., may be considered a kind of voluntary motion.
2. A bush, or young tree; a sapling; hence, a stick or staff. "A plant of stubborn oak." Dryden.
3. The sole of the foot. [R.] "Knotty legs and plants of clay." B. Jonson.
4. (Com.)
Defn: The whole machinery and apparatus employed in carrying on a trade or mechanical business; also, sometimes including real estate, and whatever represents investment of capital in the means of carrying on a business, but not including material worked upon or finished products; as, the plant of a foundry, a mill, or a railroad.
5. A plan; an artifice; a swindle; a trick. [Slang] It was n't a bad plant, that of mine, on Fikey. Dickens.
6. (Zoöl.) (a) An oyster which has been bedded, in distinction from one of natural growth. (b) A young oyster suitable for transplanting. [Local, U.S.] Plant bug (Zoöl.), any one of numerous hemipterous insects which injure the foliage of plants, as Lygus lineolaris, which damages wheat and trees. — Plant cutter (Zoöl.), a South American passerine bird of the genus Phytotoma, family Phytotomidæ. It has a serrated bill with which it cuts off the young shoots and buds of plants, often doing much injury. — Plant louse (Zoöl.), any small hemipterous insect which infests plants, especially those of the families Aphidæ and Psyllidæ; an aphid.
PLANTPlant, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planted; p. pr. & vb. n. Planting.] Etym:[AS. plantian, L. plantare. See Plant, n.]
1. To put in the ground and cover, as seed for growth; as, to plant maize.
2. To set in the ground for growth, as a young tree, or a vegetable with roots. Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees. Deut. xvi. 21.
3. To furnish, or fit out, with plants; as, to plant a garden, an orchard, or a forest.
4. To engender; to generate; to set the germ of. It engenders choler, planteth anger. Shak.
5. To furnish with a fixed and organized population; to settle; to establish; as, to plant a colony. Planting of countries like planting of woods. Bacon.
6. To introduce and establish the principles or seeds of; as, to plant Christianity among the heathen.
7. To set firmly; to fix; to set and direct, or point; as, to plant cannon against a fort; to plant a standard in any place; to plant one's feet on solid ground; to plant one's fist in another's face.
8. To set up; to install; to instate. We will plant some other in the throne. Shak.
PLANTPlant, v. i.
Defn: To perform the act of planting.I have planted; Apollos watered. 1 Cor. iii. 6.
PLANTABLEPlant"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being planted; fit to be planted. B. Edwards.
PLANTAGEPlant"age, n.
Defn: A word used once by Shakespeare to designate plants in general, or anything that is planted. As true as steel, as plantage to the moon. Shak. (Troil. iii. sc. 2).
PLANTAIN Plan"tain, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plantain-arbre, plantanier, Sp. plántano, plátano; prob. same word as plane tree.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A treelike perennial herb (Musa paradisiaca) of tropical regions, bearing immense leaves and large clusters of the fruits called plantains. See Musa.
2. The fruit of this plant. It is long and somewhat cylindrical, slightly curved, and, when ripe, soft, fleshy, and covered with a thick but tender yellowish skin. The plantain is a staple article of food in most tropical countries, especially when cooked. Plantain cutter, or Plantain eater (Zoöl.), any one of several large African birds of the genus Musophaga, or family Musophagidæ, especially Musophaga violacea. See Turaco. They are allied to the cuckoos. — Plantain squirrel (Zoöl.), a Java squirrel (Sciurus plantani) which feeds upon plantains. — Plantain tree (Bot.), the treelike herb Musa paradisiaca. See def. 1 (above).
PLANTAINPlan"tain, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. plantago. Cf. Plant.] (Bot.)
Defn: Any plant of the genus Plantago, but especially the P. major, a low herb with broad spreading radical leaves, and slender spikes of minute flowers. It is a native of Europe, but now found near the abode of civilized man in nearly all parts of the world. Indian plantain. (Bot.) See under Indian. — Mud plantain, a homely North American aquatic plant (Heteranthera reniformis), having broad, reniform leaves. — Rattlesnake plantain, an orchidaceous plant (Goodyera pubescens), with the leaves blotched and spotted with white. — Ribwort plantain. See Ribwort. — Robin's plantain, the Erigeron bellidifolium, a common daisylike plant of North America. — Water plantain, a plant of the genus Alisma, having acrid leaves, and formerly regarded as a specific against hydrophobia. Loudon.
PLANTALPlant"al, a. Etym: [L. planta a plant.]
Defn: Belonging to plants; as, plantal life. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
PLANTARPlan"tar, a. Etym: [L. plantaris, fr. planta the sole of the foot.](Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the sole of the foot; as, the plantar arteries.
PLANTATIONPlan*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. plantatio: cf. F. plantation.]
1. The act or practice of planting, or setting in the earth for growth. [R.]
2. The place planted; land brought under cultivation; a piece of ground planted with trees or useful plants; esp., in the United States and West Indies, a large estate appropriated to the production of the more important crops, and cultivated by laborers who live on the estate; as, a cotton plantation; a coffee plantation.
3. An original settlement in a new country; a colony. While these plantations were forming in Connecticut. B. Trumbull.
PLANT-CANEPlant"-cane`, n.
Defn: A stalk or shoot of sugar cane of the first growth from the cutting. The growth of the second and following years is of inferior quality, and is called rattoon.
PLANT-EATINGPlant"-eat`ing, a.
Defn: Eating, or subsisting on, plants; as, a plant-eating beetle.
PLANTEDPlant"ed, a. (Joinery)
Defn: Fixed in place, as a projecting member wrought on a separate piece of stuff; as, a planted molding.
PLANTERPlant"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, plants or sows; as, a planterof corn; a machine planter.
2. One who owns or cultivates a plantation; as, a sugar planter; a coffee planter.
3. A colonist in a new or uncultivated territory; as, the first planters in Virginia.
PLANTERSHIPPlant"er*ship, n.
Defn: The occupation or position of a planter, or the management of a plantation, as in the United States or the West Indies.
PLANTICLEPlant"i*cle, n. Etym: [Dim. of Plant.]
Defn: A young plant, or plant in embryo. E. Darwin.
PLANTIGRADAPlan`ti*gra"da, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A subdivision of Carnivora having plantigrade feet. It includes the bears, raccoons, and allied species.
PLANTIGRADE Plan"ti*grade, a. Etym: [L. planta sole of the foot + gradi to walk: cf. F. plantigrade.] (Zoöl.) (a) Walking on the sole of the foot; pertaining to the plantigrades. (b) Having the foot so formed that the heel touches the ground when the leg is upright.
PLANTIGRADEPlan"ti*grade, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A plantigrade animal, or one that walks or steps on the sole of the foot, as man, and the bears.
PLANTINGPlant"ing, n.
1. The act or operation of setting in the ground for propagation, as seeds, trees, shrubs, etc.; the forming of plantations, as of trees; the carrying on of plantations, as of sugar, coffee, etc.
2. That which is planted; a plantation. Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. Isa. lxi. 3.
3. (Arch.)
Defn: The laying of the first courses of stone in a foundation.[Eng.]
PLANTLESSPlant"less, a.
Defn: Without plants; barren of vegetation.
PLANTLETPlant"let, n.
Defn: A little plant.
PLANTOCRACYPlan*toc"ra*cy, n. Etym: [Planter + -cracy, as in democracy.]
Defn: Government by planters; planters, collectively. [R.]
PLANTULEPlant"ule, n. Etym: [F., dim. of plante a plant, L. planta.] (Bot.)
Defn: The embryo which has begun its development in the act of germination.
PLANULAPlan"u*la, n.; pl. Planulæ. Etym: [L., a little plane.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: In embryonic development, a vesicle filled with fluid, formed from the morula by the divergence of its cells in such a manner as to give rise to a central space, around which the cells arrange themselves as an envelope; an embryonic form intermediate between the morula and gastrula. Sometimes used as synonymous with gastrula.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The very young, free-swimming larva of the coelenterates. It usually has a flattened oval or oblong form, and is entirely covered with cilia.
PLANXTYPlanx"ty, n. Etym: [Cf. L. plangere to mourn aloud.] (Mus.)
Defn: An Irish or Welsh melody for the harp, sometimes of a mournful character.
PLAQUEPlaque, n. Etym: [F. Cf. Plack, and see Placard.]
Defn: Any flat, thin piece of metal, clay, ivory, or the like, used for ornament, or for painting pictures upon, as a slab, plate, dish, or the like, hung upon a wall; also, a smaller decoration worn on the person, as a brooch.
PLAQUETTEPla`quette", n. [F., dim. of plaque plate, plaque. See Plaque.]
Defn: A small plaque, esp., in modern medal engraving, a small and delicate bas-relief, whether cast or struck from a die, or of form other than circular.
PLASHPlash, n. Etym: [OD. plasch. See Plash, v.]
1. A small pool of standing water; a puddle. Bacon. "These shallow plashes." Barrow.
2. A dash of water; a splash.
PLASHPlash, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Plashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Plashing.] Etym:[Cf. D. plassen, G. platschen. Cf. Splash.]
Defn: To dabble in water; to splash. "Plashing among bedded pebbles."Keats.Far below him plashed the waters. Longfellow.
PLASHPlash, v. t.
1. To splash, as water.
2. To splash or sprinkle with coloring matter; as, to plash a wall in imitation of granite.
PLASHPlash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plashed (; p. pr. & vb. n. Plashing.]Etym: [OF. plaissier, plessier, to bend. Cf. Pleach.]
Defn: To cut partly, or to bend and intertwine the branches of; as, to plash a hedge. Evelyn.
PLASHPlash, n.
Defn: The branch of a tree partly cut or bent, and bound to, or intertwined with, other branches.
PLASHETPlash"et, n. Etym: [Plash + -et.]
Defn: A small pond or pool; a puddle.
PLASHINGPlash"ing, n.
1. The cutting or bending and intertwining the branches of small trees, as in hedges.
2. The dashing or sprinkling of coloring matter on the walls of buildings, to imitate granite, etc.
PLASHOOTPlash"oot, n.
Defn: A hedge or fence formed of branches of trees interlaced, or plashed. [Obs.] Carew.
PLASHYPlash"y, a. Etym: [From 1st Plash.]
1. Watery; abounding with puddles; splashy. "Plashy fens." Milton. "The plashy earth." Wordsworth.
2. Specked, as if plashed with color. Keats.
PLASM Plasm, n. Etym: [L. plasma anything formed or molded, that which is molded, Gr. plasme. Cf. Plasma.]
1. A mold or matrix in which anything is cast or formed to a particular shape. [R.] Woodward.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Same as Plasma.
PLASMAPlas"ma, n. Etym: [See Plasm.]
1. (Min.)
Defn: A variety of quartz, of a color between grass green and leek green, which is found associated with common chalcedony. It was much esteemed by the ancients for making engraved ornaments.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: The viscous material of an animal or vegetable cell, out of which the various tissues are formed by a process of differentiation; protoplasm.
3. Unorganized material; elementary matter.
4. (Med.)
Defn: A mixture of starch and glycerin, used as a substitute for ointments. U. S. Disp. Blood plasma (Physiol.), the colorless fluid of the blood, in which the red and white blood corpuscles are suspended. — Muscle plasma (Physiol.), the fundamental part of muscle fibers, a thick, viscid, albuminous fluid contained within the sarcolemma, which on the death of the muscle coagulates to a semisolid mass.
PLASMATIC; PLASMATICALPlas*mat"ic, Plas*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.
1. Forming; shaping; molding. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to plasma; having the character of plasma; containing, or conveying, plasma.
PLASMATIONPlas*ma"tion, n. Etym: [L. plasmatio.]
Defn: The act of forming or molding. [R.] Grafton.
PLASMATORPlas*ma"tor, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: A former; a fashioner. [R.] "The sovereign plasmator, GodAlmighty." Urquhart.
PLASMATUREPlas"ma*ture, n.
Defn: Form; mold. [R.]
PLASMICPlas"mic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or connected with, plasma; plasmatic.
Defn: A piece of DNA, usually circular, functioning as part of the genetic material of a cell, not integrated with the chromosome and replicating independently of the chromosome, but transferred, like the chromosome, to subsequent generations. In bacteria, plasmids often carry the genes for antibiotic resistance; they are exploited in genetic engineering as the vehicles for introduction of extraneous DNA into cells, to alter the genetic makeup of the cell. The cells thus altered may produce desirable proteins which are extracted and used; in the case of genetically altered plant cells, the altered cells may grow into complete plants with changed properties, as for example, increased resistance to disease. .
PLASMINPlas"min, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A proteid body, separated by some physiologists from blood plasma. It is probably identical with fibrinogen.
PLASMODIALPlas*mo"di*al, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to, or like, a plasmodium; as, the plasmodial form of a life cycle.
PLASMODIUMPlas*mo"di*um, n.; pl. Plasmodia. Etym: [NL. See Plasma.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: A jellylike mass of free protoplasm, without any union of amoeboid cells, and endowed with life and power of motion.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A naked mobile mass of protoplasm, formed by the union of several amoebalike young, and constituting one of the stages in the life cycle of Mycetozoa and other low organisms.
PLASMOGENPlas"mo*gen, n. Etym: [Plasma + -gen.] (Biol.)
Defn: The important living portion of protoplasm, considered a chemical substance of the highest elaboration. Germ plasm and idioplasm are forms of plasmogen.
PLASMON; PLASMON BUTTERPlas"mon, n. [Cf. Plasma.]
Defn: A flourlike food preparation made from skim milk, and consisting essentially of the unaltered proteid of milk. It is also used in making biscuits and crackers, for mixing with cocoa, etc. A mixture of this with butter, water, and salt is called Plasmon butter, and resembles clotted cream in appearance.
PLASSONPlas"son, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The albuminous material composing the body of a cytode.
Note: It is considered simpler than protoplasm of an ordinary cell in that it has not undergone differentiation into the inner cell nucleus and the outer cell substance. Haeckel.
PLASTERPlas"ter, n. Etym: [AS., a plaster (in sense 1), fr. L. emplastrum,Gr. plastre a plaster (in sense 2), F. plâtre. Cf. Plastic,Emplaster, Piaster.] [Formerly written also plaister.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: An external application of a consistency harder than ointment, prepared for use by spreading it on linen, leather, silk, or other material. It is adhesive at the ordinary temperature of the body, and is used, according to its composition, to produce a medicinal effect, to bind parts together, etc.; as, a porous plaster; sticking plaster.
2. A composition of lime, water, and sand, with or without hair as a bond, for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions of houses. See Mortar.
3. Calcined gypsum, or plaster of Paris, especially when ground, as used for making ornaments, figures, moldings, etc.; or calcined gypsum used as a fertilizer. Plaster cast, a copy of an object obtained by pouring plaster of Paris mixed with water into a mold. — Plaster of Paris. Etym: [So called because originally brought from a suburb of Paris.] (Chem.) Anhydrous calcium sulphate, or calcined gypsum, which forms with water a paste which soon sets or hardens, and is used for casts, moldings, etc. The term is loosely applied to any plaster stone or species of gypsum. — Plaster of Paris bandage (Surg.), a bandage saturated with a paste of plaster of Paris, which on drying forms a perfectly fitting splint. — Plaster stone, any species of gypsum. See Gypsum.
PLASTERPlas"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plastered; p. pr. & vb. n. Plastering.]Etym: [Cf. OF. plastrer to plaster (in sense 2), F. plâtrer.]
1. To cover with a plaster, as a wound or sore.
2. To overlay or cover with plaster, as the ceilings and walls of a house.
3. Fig.: To smooth over; to cover or conceal the defects of; to hide, as with a covering of plaster. Bale.
PLASTERERPlas"ter*er, n.
1. One who applies plaster or mortar. "Thy father was a plasterer." Shak.
2. One who makes plaster casts. "The plasterer doth make his figures by addition." Sir H. Wotton.
PLASTERINGPlas"ter*ing, n.
1. Same as Plaster, n., 2.
2. The act or process of overlaying with plaster.
3. A covering of plaster; plasterwork.
PLASTERLYPlas"ter*ly, a.
Defn: Resembling plaster of Paris. [R.] "Out of gypseous or plasterly ground." Fuller.
PLASTERWORKPlas"ter*work`, n.
Defn: Plastering used to finish architectural constructions, exterior or interior, especially that used for the lining of rooms. Ordinarly, mortar is used for the greater part of the work, and pure plaster of Paris for the moldings and ornaments.
PLASTERYPlas"ter*y, a.
Defn: Of the nature of plaster.The stone . . . is a poor plastery material. Clough.
-PLASTIC -plas"tic. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A combining form signifying developing, forming, growing; as, heteroplastic, monoplastic, polyplastic.
PLASTICPlas"tic, a. Etym: [L. plasticus, Gr. plastique.]
1. Having the power to give form or fashion to a mass of matter; as, the plastic hand of the Creator. Prior. See plastic Nature working to his end. Pope.
2. Capable of being molded, formed, or modeled, as clay or plaster; - - used also figuratively; as, the plastic mind of a child.
3. Pertaining or appropriate to, or characteristic of, molding or modeling; produced by, or appearing as if produced by, molding or modeling; — said of sculpture and the kindred arts, in distinction from painting and the graphic arts. Medallions . . . fraught with the plastic beauty and grace of the palmy days of Italian art. J. S. Harford. Plastic clay (Geol.), one of the beds of the Eocene period; — so called because used in making pottery. Lyell. — Plastic element (Physiol.), one that bears within the germs of a higher form. — Plastic exudation (Med.), an exudation thrown out upon a wounded surface and constituting the material of repair by which the process of healing is effected. — Plastic foods. (Physiol.) See the second Note under Food. — Plastic force. (Physiol.) See under Force. — Plastic operation, an operation in plastic surgery. — Plastic surgery, that branch of surgery which is concerned with the repair or restoration of lost, injured, or deformed parts of the body.
Defn: a substance composed predominantly of a synthetic organic high polymer capable of being cast or molded; many varieties of plastic are used to produce articles of commerce (after 1900). [MW10 gives origin of word as 1905]
PLASTICALPlas"tic*al, a.
Defn: See Plastic. [R.]
PLASTICALLYPlas"tic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a plastic manner.
PLASTICITYPlas*tic"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plasticité.]
1. The quality or state of being plastic.
2. (Physiol.)
Defn: Plastic force. Dunglison.
PLASTID; PLASTIDEPlas"tid, Plas"tide, n. Etym: [Gr.
1. (Biol.)
Defn: A formative particle of albuminous matter; a monad; a cytode.See the Note under Morphon. Haeckel.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: One of the many minute granules found in the protoplasm of vegetable cells. They are divided by their colors into three classes, chloroplastids, chromoplastids, and leucoplastids.
PLASTIDOZOAPlas`ti*do*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Protoza.
PLASTIDULEPlas"ti*dule, n. Etym: [Dim. fr. Plastid.] (Biol.)
Defn: One of the small particles or organic molecules of protoplasm.Haeckel.
PLASTINPlas"tin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: A substance associated with nuclein in cell nuclei, and by some considered as the fundamental substance of the nucleus.
PLASTOGRAPHYPlas*tog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr.
1. The art of forming figures in any plastic material.
2. Imitation of handwriting; forgery.
PLASTRON Plas"tron, n. Etym: [F. plastron breastplate, plastron, LL. plastra a thin plate of metal. See Plaster.]
1. A piece of leather stuffed or padded, worn by fencers to protect the breast. Dryden.
3. (Anc. Armor)
Defn: An iron breastplate, worn under the hauberk.
3. (Anat.)
Defn: The ventral shield or shell of tortoises and turtles. SeeTestudinata.
4. A trimming for the front of a woman's dress, made of a different material, and narrowing from the shoulders to the waist.
-PLASTY -plas"ty. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A combining form denoting the act or process of forming, development, growth; as, autoplasty, perineoplasty.
PLATPlat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Platted; p. pr. & vb. n. Platting.] Etym:[See Plait.]
Defn: To form by interlaying interweaving; to braid; to plait. "They had platted a crown of thorns." Matt. xxvii. 29.
PLATPlat, n.
Defn: Work done by platting or braiding; a plait.Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat. Shak.
PLATPlat, n. Etym: [Cf. Plat flat, which perh. caused this spelling, andPlot a piece of ground.]
Defn: A small piece or plot of ground laid out with some design, orfor a special use; usually, a portion of flat, even ground.This flowery plat, the sweet recess of Eve. Milton.I keep smooth plat of fruitful ground. Tennyson.
PLATPlat, v. t.
Defn: To lay out in plats or plots, as ground.
PLATPlat, a. Etym: [F. plat. See Plate, n.]
Defn: Plain; flat; level. [Obs.] Gower.
PLATPlat, adv.
1. Plainly; flatly; downright. [Obs.] But, sir, ye lie, I tell you plat. Rom. of R.
2. Flatly; smoothly; evenly. [Obs.] Drant.
PLATPlat, n.
1. The flat or broad side of a sword. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer.
2. A plot; a plan; a design; a diagram; a map; a chart. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] "To note all the islands, and to set them down in plat." Hakluyt.
PLATAN Plat"an, n. Etym: [L. platanus. See Plane the tree.] [Written also platane.]
Defn: The plane tree. Tennyson.
PLATANISTPlat"a*nist, n. Etym: [L. platanista a sort of fish, Gr. plataniste.](Zoöl.)
Defn: The soosoo.
PLATANUSPlat"a*nus, n. Etym: [See Plane the tree.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of trees; the plane tree.
PLATBAND Plat"band`, n. Etym: [F. plate-bande; plat, plate, flat, level + bande a band.]
1. A border of flowers in a garden, along a wall or a parterre; hence, a border.
2. (Arch.) (a) A flat molding, or group of moldings, the width of which much exceeds its projection, as the face of an architrave. (b) A list or fillet between the flutings of a column.
PLATE Plate, n. Etym: [OF. plate a plate of metal, a cuirsas, F. plat a plate, a shallow vessel of silver, other metal, or earth, fr. plat flat, Gr. Place, n.]
1. A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.
2. Metallic armor composed of broad pieces. Mangled . . . through plate and mail. Milton.
3. Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver.
4. Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is genuine silver or gold.
5. A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.
6. Etym: [Cf. Sp. plata silver.]
Defn: A piece of money, usually silver money. [Obs.] "Realms and islands were as plates dropp'd from his pocket." Shak.
7. A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate.
8. A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates.
9. That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc.
10. (Arch.)
Defn: A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters.
11. (Her.)
Defn: A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.
12. (Photog.)
Defn: A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light.
13. A prize giving to the winner in a contest.
Note: Plate is sometimes used in an adjectival sense or in combination, the phrase or compound being in most cases of obvious signification; as, plate basket or plate-basket, plate rack or plate- rack. Home plate. (Baseball) See Home base, under Home. — Plate armor. (a) See Plate, n., 2. (b) Strong metal plates for protecting war vessels, fortifications, and the like. — Plate bone, the shoulder blade, or scapula. — Plate girder, a girder, the web of which is formed of a single vertical plate, or of a series of such plates riveted together. — Plate glass. See under Glass. — Plate iron, wrought iron plates. — Plate layer, a workman who lays down the rails of a railway and fixes them to the sleepers or ties. — Plate mark, a special mark or emblematic figure stamped upon gold or silver plate, to indicate the place of manufacture, the degree of purity, and the like; thus, the local mark for London is a lion. — Plate paper, a heavy spongy paper, for printing from engraved plates. Fairholt. — Plate press, a press with a flat carriage and a roller, — used for printing from engraved steel or copper plates. — Plate printer, one who prints from engraved plates. — Plate printing, the act or process of printing from an engraved plate or plates. — Plate tracery. (Arch.) See under Tracery. — Plate wheel (Mech.), a wheel, the rim and hub of which are connected by a continuous plate of metal, instead of by arms or spokes.
PLATEPlate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plated; p. pr. & vb. n. Plating.]
1. To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.
2. To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense. Thus plated in habiliments of war. Shak.
3. To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness.
4. To beat into thin, flat pieces, or laminæ.
5. To calender; as, to plate paper.
PLATEAU Pla*teau", n.; pl. F. Plateaux (F. , E. Plateaus. Etym: [F., fr. OF. platel, properly a little plate. See Plate.]
1. A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table-land.
2. An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.
PLATEFULPlate"ful, n.; pl. Platefuls (.
Defn: Enough to fill a plate; as much as a plate will hold.
PLATE-GILLEDPlate"-gilled`, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having flat, or leaflike, gills, as the bivalve mollusks.
PLATELPla"tel, n. Etym: [OF. See Plateau.]
Defn: A small dish.
PLATEN Plat"en, n. Etym: [F. platine, fr. plat flat. See Plate, and cf. Platin.] (Mach.) (a) The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made. (b) Hence, an analogous part of a typewriter, on which the paper rests to receive an impression. (c) The movable table of a machine tool, as a planer, on which the work is fastened, and presented to the action of the tool; — also called table.
PLATERPlat"er, n.
Defn: One who plates or coats articles with gold or silver; as, a silver plater.
2. A machine for calendering paper.
PLATERESQUEPlat`er*esque", a. Etym: [Sp. resco, from plata silver.] (Arch.)
Defn: Resembling silver plate; — said of certain architectural ornaments.
PLATETROPEPlat"e*trope, n. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: One of a pair of a paired organs.
PLATFORMPlat"form`, n. Etym: [Plat, a. + -form: cf. F. plateforme.]
1. A plat; a plan; a sketch; a model; a pattern. Used also figuratively. [Obs.] Bacon.
2. A place laid out after a model. [Obs.] lf the platform just reflects the order. Pope.
3. Any flat or horizontal surface; especially, one that is raised above some particular level, as a framework of timber or boards horizontally joined so as to form a roof, or a raised floor, or portion of a floor; a landing; a dais; a stage, for speakers, performers, or workmen; a standing place.
4. A declaration of the principles upon which a person, a sect, or a party proposes to stand; a declared policy or system; as, the Saybrook platform; a political platform. "The platform of Geneva." Hooker.
5. (Naut.)
Defn: A light deck, usually placed in a section of the hold or over the floor of the magazine. See Orlop. Platform car, a railway car without permanent raised sides or covering; a f — Platform scale, a weighing machine, with a flat platform on which objects are weighed.
PLATFORMPlat"form`, v. t.
1. To place on a platform. [R.]
2. To form a plan of; to model; to lay out. [Obs.] Church discipline is platformed in the Bible. Milton.
PLATHELMINTHPlat*hel"minth, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Platyelminthes.
PLATHELMINTHESPlat`hel*min"thes, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Platyelminthes.
PLATINPlat"in, n. (Mach.)
Defn: See Platen.
PLATINAPlat"i*na, n. Etym: [Sp. or NL. See Platinum.] (Chem.)
Defn: Platinum. Platina mohr, platinum black.— Platina yellow, a pigment prepared from platinum.
PLATINGPlat"ing, n.
1. The art or process of covering anything with a plate or plates, or with metal, particularly of overlaying a base or dull metal with a thin plate of precious or bright metal, as by mechanical means or by electro-magnetic deposition.
2. A thin coating of metal laid upon another metal.
3. A coating or defensive armor of metal (usually steel) plates.
PLATINICPla*tin"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or containing, platinum; — used specifically to designate those compounds in which the element has a higher valence, as contrasted with the platinous compounds; as, platinic chloride (PtCl4).
PLATINICHLORICPlat`i*ni*chlo"ric, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid consisting of platinic chloride and hydrochloric acid, and obtained as a brownish red crystalline substance, called platinichloric, or chloroplatinic, acid.
PLATINIFEROUSPlat`i*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Platinum + -ferous.]
Defn: Yielding platinum; as, platiniferous sand.
PLATINIRIDIUMPlat`i*ni*rid"i*um, n. (Chem. & Min.)
Defn: A natural alloy of platinum and iridium occurring in grayish metallic rounded or cubical grains with platinum.
PLATINIZEPlat"i*nize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Platinized; p. pr. & vb. n.Platinizing.]
Defn: To cover or combine with platinum.
PLATINOCHLORICPlat`i*no*chlo"ric, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid consisting of platinous chloride and hydrochloric acid, called platinochloric, or chloroplatinous, acid.
PLATINOCHLORIDEPlat`i*no*chlo"ride, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A double chloride of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinochloric acid.
PLATINOCYANICPlat`i*no*cy*an"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid compound of platinous cyanide and hydrocyanic acid. It is obtained as a cinnaber-red crystalline substance.
PLATINOCYANIDEPlat`i*no*cy"a*nide, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A double cyanide of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinocyanic acid.
PLATINODEPlat"i*node, n. Etym: [Platinum + Gr. (Physics)
Defn: A cathode. [R.]
PLATINOIDPlat"i*noid, a. Etym: [Platinum + -oid.]
Defn: Resembling platinum.
PLATINOIDPlat"i*noid, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An alloy of German silver containing tungsten; — used for forming electrical resistance coils and standards.
PLATINOTYPEPlat"i*no*type, n. Etym: [Platinum + -type.] (Photog.)
1. A permanent photographic picture or print in platinum black.
2. The process by which such pictures are produced.
PLATINOUSPlat"i*nous, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or containing, platinum; — used specifically to designate those compounds in which the element has a lower valence, as contrasted with the platinic compounds; as, platinous chloride (PtCl2).
PLATINUM Plat"i*num, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Sp. platina, from plata silver, LL. plata a thin plate of metal. See Plate, and cf. Platina.] (Chem.)
Defn: A metallic element, intermediate in value between silver and gold, occurring native or alloyed with other metals, also as the platinum arsenide (sperrylite). It is heavy tin-white metal which is ductile and malleable, but very infusible, and characterized by its resistance to strong chemical reagents. It is used for crucibles, for stills for sulphuric acid, rarely for coin, and in the form of foil and wire for many purposes. Specific gravity 21.5. Atomic weight 194.3. Symbol Pt. Formerly called platina. Platinum black (Chem.), a soft, dull black powder, consisting of finely divided metallic platinum obtained by reduction and precipitation from its solutions. It absorbs oxygen to a high degree, and is employed as an oxidizer. — Platinum lamp (Elec.), a kind of incandescent lamp of which the luminous medium is platinum. See under Incandescent. — Platinum metals (Chem.), the group of metallic elements which in their chemical and physical properties resemble platinum. These consist of the light platinum group, viz., rhodium, ruthenium, and palladium, whose specific gravities are about 12; and the heavy platinum group, viz., osmium, iridium, and platinum, whose specific gravities are over 21. — Platinum sponge (Chem.), metallic platinum in a gray, porous, spongy form, obtained by reducing the double chloride of platinum and ammonium. It absorbs oxygen, hydrogen, and certain other gases, to a high degree, and is employed as an agent in oxidizing.
PLATITUDEPlat"i*tude, n. Etym: [F., from plat flat. See Plate.]
1. The quality or state of being flat, thin, or insipid; flat commonness; triteness; staleness of ideas of language. To hammer one golden grain of wit into a sheet of infinite platitude. Motley.
2. A thought or remark which is flat, dull, trite, or weak; a truism; a commonplace.
PLATITUDINARIANPlat`i*tu`di*na"ri*an, n.
Defn: One addicted to uttering platitudes, or stale and insipid truisms. "A political platitudinarian." G. Eliot.
PLATITUDINIZEPlat`i*tu"di*nize, v. i.
Defn: To utter platitudes or truisms.
PLATITUDINOUSPlat`i*tu"di*nous, a.
Defn: Abounding in platitudes; of the nature of platitudes; utteringplatitudes.— Plat`i*tu"di*nous*ness, n.
PLATLYPlat"ly, a.
Defn: Flatly. See Plat, a. [Obs.]
PLATNESSPlat"ness, n.
Defn: Flatness. [Obs.] Palsgrave.
PLATOMETERPla*tom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.]
Defn: See Planimeter.
PLATONIC; PLATONICALPla*ton"ic, Pla*ton"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. Platonicus, Gr. platonique.]
1. Of or pertaining to Plato, or his philosophy, school, or opinions.
2. Pure, passionless; nonsexual; philosophical. Platonic bodies, the five regular geometrical solids; namely, the tetrahedron, hexahedron or cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron. — Platonic love, a pure, spiritual affection, subsisting between persons of opposite sex, unmixed with carnal desires, and regarding the mind only and its excellences; — a species of love for which Plato was a warm advocate. — Platonic year (Astron.), a period of time determined by the revolution of the equinoxes, or the space of time in which the stars and constellations return to their former places in respect to the equinoxes; — called also great year. This revolution, which is caused by the precession of the equinoxes, is accomplished in about 26,000 years. Barlow.
PLATONICPla*ton"ic, n.
Defn: A follower of Plato; a Platonist.
PLATONICALLYPla*ton"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a Platonic manner.
PLATONISMPla"to*nism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. Platonisme.]
1. The doctrines or philosophy by Plato or of his followers.
Note: Plato believed God to be an infinitely wise, just, and powerful Spirit; and also that he formed the visible universe out of preëxistent amorphous matter, according to perfect patterns of ideas eternally existent in his own mind. Philosophy he considered as being a knowledge of the true nature of things, as discoverable in those eternal ideas after which all things were fashioned. In other words, it is the knowledge of what is eternal, exists necessarily, and is unchangeable; not of the temporary, the dependent, and changeable; and of course it is not obtained through the senses; neither is it the product of the understanding, which concerns itself only with the variable and transitory; nor is it the result of experience and observation; but it is the product of our reason, which, as partaking of the divine nature, has innate ideas resembling the eternal ideas of God. By contemplating these innate ideas, reasoning about them, and comparing them with their copies in the visible universe, reason can attain that true knowledge of things which is called philosophy. Plato's professed followers, the Academics, and the New Platonists, differed considerably from him, yet are called Platonists. Murdock.
2. An elevated rational and ethical conception of the laws and forces of the universe; sometimes, imaginative or fantastic philosophical notions.
PLATONISTPla"to*nist, n.
Defn: One who adheres to the philosophy of Plato; a follower ofPlato. Hammond.
PLATONIZEPla"to*nize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Platonized; p. pr. & vb. n.Platonizing.]
Defn: To adopt the opinion of Plato or his followers. Milner.
PLATONIZEPla"to*nize, v. t.
Defn: To explain by, or accomodate to, the Platonic philosophy.Enfield.
PLATONIZERPla"to*ni`zer, n.
Defn: One who Platonizes.
PLATOON Pla*toon", n. Etym: [F. peloton a ball of thread, a knot or group of men, a platoon, from pelote a ball formed of things wound round. See Pellet.] (Mil.) (a) Formerly, a body of men who fired together; also, a small square body of soldiers to strengthen the angles of a hollow square. (b) Now, in the United States service, half of a company.
PLATTPlatt, n. (Mining)
Defn: See Lodge, n. Raymond.
PLATTDEUTSCHPlatt"deutsch`, n.
Defn: The modern dialects spoken in the north of Germany, taken collectively; modern Low German. See Low German, under German.
PLATTENPlat"ten, v. t. Etym: [See Plat, a.] (Glass Making)
Defn: To flatten and make into sheets or plates; as, to platten cylinder glass.
PLATTERPlat"ter, n. Etym: [From Plat to braid.]
Defn: One who plats or braids.
PLATTERPlat"ter, n. Etym: [Probably fr. OF. platel, F. plateau. SeePlateau.]
Defn: A large plate or shallow dish on which meat or other food isbrought to the table.The attendants . . . speedly brought in several large, smokingplatters, filled with huge pieces of beef. Sir W. Scott.
PLATTER-FACEDPlat"ter-faced`, a.
Defn: Having a broad, flat face.
PLATTINGPlat"ting, n.
Defn: Plaited strips or bark, cane, straw, etc., used for making hats or the like.
PLATYPlat"y, a.
Defn: Like a plate; consisting of plates.
PLATY-Plat"y-.
Defn: A combining form from Gr. platy`s broad, wide, flat; as, platypus, platycephalous.
PLATYCEPHALIC; PLATYCEPHALOUSPlat`y*ce*phal"ic, Plat`y*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Platy + Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Broad-headed.
PLATYCNEMICPlat`yc*ne"mic, a. Etym: [Platy + Gr. platycnémique.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of, relating to, or characterized by, platycnemism.
PLATYCNEMISMPla*tyc"ne*mism, n. (Anat.)
Defn: Lateral flattening of the tibia.
PLATYCOELIANPlat`y*coe"li*an, a. Etym: [Platy + Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Flat at the anterior and concave at the posterior end; — said of the centra of the vertebræ of some extinct dinouaurs.
PLATYELMINTHESPlat`y*el*min"thes, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Platy-, and Helminthes.](Zoöl.)
Defn: A class of helminthes including the cestodes, or tapeworms, the trematodes, and the turbellarians. Called also flatworms.
PLATYHELMIAPlat`y*hel"mi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Platyelminthes. [Written also Platyelmia.]
PLATYMETERPla*tym"e*ter, n. Etym: [Platy + -meter.] (Elec.)
Defn: An apparatus for measuring the capacity of condensers, or the inductive capacity of dielectrics.
PLATYPODPlat"y*pod, n. Etym: [Platy + -pod.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An animal having broad feet, or a broad foot.
PLATYPODAPla*typ"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Prosobranchiata.
PLATYPTERAPla*typ"te*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Pseudoneuroptera including the species which have four broad, flat wings, as the termites, or white-ants, and the stone flies (Perla).
PLATYPUSPlat"y*pus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The duck mole. See under Duck.
PLATYRHINEPlat"y*rhine, a. Etym: [Platy + Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Having the nose broad; — opposed to Ant: leptorhine.— n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Platyrhini.
PLATYRHINIPlat`y*rhi"ni, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of monkeys, including the American species, which have a broad nasal septum, thirty-six teeth, and usually a prehensile tail. See Monkey. [Written also Platyrrhini.]
PLAUDPlaud, v. t.
Defn: To applaud. [Obs.] Chapman.
PLAUDIT Plau"dit, n. Etym: [From L. plaudite do ye praise (which was said by players at the end of a performance), 2d pers. pl. imperative of plaudere. Cf. Plausible.]
Defn: A mark or expression of applause; praise bestowed.Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng. Longfellow.
Syn. — Acclamation; applause; encomium; commendation; approbation; approval.
PLAUDITORYPlau"di*to*ry, a.
Defn: Applauding; commending.
PLAUSIBILITYPlau`si*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plausibilité.]
1. Something worthy of praise. [Obs.] Integrity, fidelity, and other gracious plausibilities. E. Vaughan.
2. The quality of being plausible; speciousness. To give any plausibility to a scheme. De Quincey.
3. Anything plausible or specious. R. Browning.
PLAUSIBLE Plau"si*ble, a. Etym: [L. plausibilis praiseworthy, from plaudere, plausum, to applaud, clap the hands, strike, beat.]