PRIMIPILAR Pri*mip"i*lar, a. Etym: [L. primipilaris, fr. primipilus the centurion of the first cohort of a Roman legion, fr. primus pilus the division made up of the triarii in the Roman army.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the captain of the vanguard of a Roman army. Barrow.
PRIMITIA Pri*mi"ti*a, n.; pl. Primitiæ (Primitias, obs.). Etym: [L. primitiae, pl., fr. primus first. Cf. Premices.] (Eng. Law)
Defn: The first fruit; the first year's whole profit of an ecclesiastical preferment. The primitias of your parsonage. Spenser.
PRIMITIALPri*mi"tial, a.
Defn: Being of the first production; primitive; original. [Obs.]Ainsworth.
PRIMITIVE Prim"i*tive, a. Etym: [L. primitivus, fr. primus the first: cf. F. primitif. See Prime, a.]
1. Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first; as, primitive innocence; the primitive church. "Our primitive great sire." Milton.
2. Of or pertaining to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity; as, a primitive style of dress.
3. Original; primary; radical; not derived; as, primitive verb in grammar. Primitive axes of coördinate (Geom.), that system of axes to which the points of a magnitude are first referred, with reference to a second set or system, to which they are afterward referred. — Primitive chord (Mus.), that chord, the lowest note of which is of the same literal denomination as the fundamental base of the harmony; — opposed to derivative. Moore (Encyc. of Music). — Primitive circle (Spherical Projection), the circle cut from the sphere to be projected, by the primitive plane. — Primitive colors (Paint.), primary colors. See under Color. — Primitive Fathers (Eccl.), the acknowledged Christian writers who flourished before the Council of Nice, A. D. 325. Shipley. — Primitive groove (Anat.), a depression or groove in the epiblast of the primitive streak. It is not connected with the medullary groove, which appears later and in front of it. — Primitive plane (Spherical Projection), the plane upon which the projections are made, generally coinciding with some principal circle of the sphere, as the equator or a meridian. — Primitive rocks (Geol.), primary rocks. See under Primary. — Primitive sheath. (Anat.) See Neurilemma. — Primitive streak or trace (Anat.), an opaque and thickened band where the mesoblast first appears in the vertebrate blastoderm.
Syn. — First; original; radical; pristine; ancient; primeval; antiquated; old-fashioned.
PRIMITIVEPrim"i*tive, n.
Defn: An original or primary word; a word not derived from another; - - opposed to derivative.
PRIMITIVELYPrim"i*tive*ly, adv.
1. Originally; at first.
2. Primarily; not derivatively.
3. According to the original rule or ancient practice; in the ancient style. South.
PRIMITIVENESSPrim"i*tive*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being primitive; conformity to primitive style or practice.
PRIMITYPrim"i*ty, n.
Defn: Quality of being first; primitiveness. [Obs.] Bp. Pearson.
PRIMLYPrim"ly, adv.
Defn: In a prim or precise manner.
PRIMNESSPrim"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being prim; affected formality or niceness; preciseness; stiffness.
PRIMOPri"mo, a. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: First; chief.
PRIMOGENIALPri`mo*ge"ni*al, a. Etym: [See Primigenial.]
Defn: First born, made, or generated; original; primary; elemental; as, primogenial light. Glanvill.
PRIMOGENITIVEPri`mo*gen"i*tive, a. Etym: [See Primogeniture.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to primogeniture. [R.]
PRIMOGENITIVEPri`mo*gen"i*tive, n.
Defn: Primogeniture. [Obs.]The primogenitive and due of birth. Shak.
PRIMOGENITOR Pri`mo*gen"i*tor, n. Etym: [LL., fr. L. primus first + genitor a begetter.]
Defn: The first ancestor; a forefather.
PRIMOGENITURE Pri`mo*gen"i*ture, n. Etym: [LL., fr. L. primus first + genitura a begetting, birth, generation, fr. genere, gignere, to beget: cf. F. primogéniture, L. primogenitus firstborn. See Prime, a., and Genus, Kin.]
1. The state of being the firstborn of the same parents; seniority by birth among children of the same family.
2. (Eng. Law)
Defn: The exclusive right of inheritance which belongs to the eldest son. Thus in England the right of inheriting the estate of the father belongs to the eldest son, and in the royal family the eldest son of the sovereign is entitled to the throne by primogeniture. In exceptional cases, among the female children, the crown descends by right of primogeniture to the eldest daughter only and her issue. Blackstone.
PRIMOGENITURESHIPPri`mo*gen"i*ture*ship, n.
Defn: The state or privileges of the firstborn. Burke.
PRIMORDIAL Pri*mor"di*al, a. Etym: [L. primordialis, from primordium the first beginning; primus first + ordiri to begin a web, to begin: cf. F. primordial.]
1. First in order; primary; original; of earliest origin; as, primordial condition. "The primordial facts of our intelligent nature." Sir W. Hamilton.
2. (Geol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lowest beds of the Silurian age, corresponding to the Acadian and Potsdam periods in American geology. It is called also Cambrian, and by many geologists is separated from the Silurian.
3. (Biol.)
Defn: Originally or earliest formed in the growth of an individual or organ; as, a primordial leaf; a primordial cell. Primordial utricle (Bot.), the interior lining of a young vegetable cell.
PRIMORDIALPri*mor"di*al, n.
Defn: A first principle or element.
PRIMORDIALISMPri*mor"di*al*ism, n.
Defn: Devotion to, or persistence in, conditions of the primordial state. H. Spencer.
PRIMORDIALLYPri*mor"di*al*ly, adv.
Defn: At the beginning; under the first order of things; originally.
PRIMORDIANPri*mor"di*an, n. Etym: [L. primordius first of all, fr. primordium.](Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several kinds of plums; as, red primordian, amber primordian, etc.
PRIMORDIATEPri*mor"di*ate, a.
Defn: Primordial. [R.] Boyle.
PRIMPPrimp, v. i. & t. Etym: [Cf. Prim, a.]
Defn: To be formal or affected in dress or manners; — often with up.[Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Halliwell.
PRIMROSE Prim"rose`, n. Etym: [OE. primerole, F. primerole, a derivative fr. LL. primula, from L. primus first. See Prime, a.] (Bot.) (a) An early flowering plant of the genus Primula (P. vulgaris) closely allied to the cowslip. There are several varieties, as the white-, the red-, the yellow-flowered, etc. Formerly called also primerole, primerolles. (b) Any plant of the genus Primula. Evening primrose, an erect biennial herb (Enothera biennis), with yellow vespertine flowers, common in the United States. The name is sometimes extended to other species of the same genus. — Primrose peerless, the two-flowered Narcissus (N. biflorus). [Obs.]
PRIMROSEPrim"rose`, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the primrose; of the color of a primrose; - - hence, flowery; gay. "The primrose path of dalliance." Shak.
PRIMROSE LEAGUEPrim"rose` League. (Eng. Politics)
Defn: A league of both sexes among the Conservatives, founded in 1883. So called because primrose was (erroneously, it is said) taken to be the favorite flower of the Conservative statesman Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield.
PRIMULAPrim"u*la, n. Etym: [LL. See Primrose.] (Bot.)
Defn: The genus of plants including the primrose (Primula vera).
PRIMULACEOUSPrim`u*la"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to an order of herbaceous plants (Primulaceæ), of which the primrose is the type, and the pimpernel, the cyclamen, and the water violet are other examples.
PRIMUM MOBILEPri"mum mob"i*le. Etym: [L., first cause of motion.] (Astron.)
Defn: In the Ptolemaic system, the outermost of the revolving concentric spheres constituting the universe, the motion of which was supposed to carry with it all the inclosed spheres with their planets in a daily revolution from east to west. See Crystalline heavens, under Crystalline. The motions of the greatest persons in a government ought to be, as the motions of the planets, under primum mobile. Bacon.
PRIMUSPri"mus, n. Etym: [L., the first.]
Defn: One of the bishops of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, who presides at the meetings of the bishops, and has certain privileges but no metropolitan authority. Internat. Cyc.
PRIMYPrim"y, a. Etym: [From Prime, a.]
Defn: Being in its prime. [Obs.] "The youth of primy nature." Shak.
PRINCE Prince, n. Etym: [F., from L. princeps, -cipis, the first, chief; primus first + capere to take. See Prime, a., and Capacious.]
1. The one of highest rank; one holding the highest place and authority; a sovereign; a monarch; — originally applied to either sex, but now rarely applied to a female. Wyclif (Rev. i. 5). Go, Michael, of celestial armies prince. Milton. Queen Elizabeth, a prince admirable above her sex. Camden.
2. The son of a king or emperor, or the issue of a royal family; as, princes of the blood. Shak.
3. A title belonging to persons of high rank, differing in different countries. In England it belongs to dukes, marquises, and earls, but is given to members of the royal family only. In Italy a prince is inferior to a duke as a member of a particular order of nobility; in Spain he is always one of the royal family.
4. The chief of any body of men; one at the head of a class or profession; one who is preëminent; as, a merchant prince; a prince of players. "The prince of learning." Peacham. Prince-Albert coat, a long double-breasted frock coat for men. — Prince of the blood, Prince consort, Prince of darkness. See under Blood, Consort, and Darkness. — Prince of Wales, the oldest son of the English sovereign. — Prince's feather (Bot.), a name given to two annual herbs (Amarantus caudatus and Polygonum orientale), with apetalous reddish flowers arranged in long recurved panicled spikes. — Prince's metal, Prince Rupert's metal. See under Metal. Prince's pine. (Bot.) See Pipsissewa.
PRINCEPrince, v. i.
Defn: To play the prince. [R.] Shak.
PRINCEDOMPrince"dom, n.
Defn: The jurisdiction, sovereignty, rank, or estate of a prince.Thrones, princedoms, powers, dominions, I reduce. Milton.
PRINCEHOODPrince"hood, n.
Defn: Princeliness. [Obs.] E. Hall.
PRINCEKINPrince"kin, n.
Defn: A petty prince; a princeling.The princekins of private life. Thackeray.
PRINCELESSPrince"less, a.
Defn: Without a prince. Fuller.
PRINCELETPrince"let, n.
Defn: A petty prince. [R.]
PRINCELIKEPrince"like`, a.
Defn: Princely. Shak.
PRINCELINESSPrince"li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being princely; the state, manner, or dignity of a prince.
PRINCELINGPrince"ling, n.
Defn: A petty prince; a young prince.
PRINCELYPrince"ly, a.
1. Of or relating to a prince; regal; royal; of highest rank or authority; as, princely birth, character, fortune, etc.
2. Suitable for, or becoming to, a prince; grand; august; munificent; magnificent; as, princely virtues; a princely fortune. "Most princely gifts." Shak.
PRINCELYPrince"ly, adv.
Defn: In a princely manner.My appetite was not princely got. Shak.
PRINCESSPrin"cess, n. Etym: [F. princesse. See Prince, and cf. Princesse.]
1. A female prince; a woman having sovereign power, or the rank of a prince. Dryden. So excellent a princess as the present queen. Swift.
2. The daughter of a sovereign; a female member of a royal family. Shak.
3. The consort of a prince; as, the princess of Wales. Princess royal, the eldest daughter of a sovereign.
PRINCESSEPrin*cesse", a. Etym: [F., a princess.]
Defn: A term applied to a lady's long, close-fitting dress made with waist and skirt in one.
PRINCESSLIKEPrin"cess*like`, a.
Defn: Like a princess.
PRINCEWOODPrince"wood`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The wood of two small tropical American trees (Hamelia ventricosa, and Cordia gerascanthoides). It is brownish, veined with lighter color.
PRINCIFIEDPrin"ci*fied, a. Etym: [Prince + L. -ficare (in comp.).]
Defn: Imitative of a prince. [R. & Colloq.] Thackeray.
PRINCIPALPrin"ci*pal, a. Etym: [F., from L. principalis. See Prince.]
1. Highest in rank, authority, character, importance, or degree; most considerable or important; chief; main; as, the principal officers of a Government; the principal men of a state; the principal productions of a country; the principal arguments in a case. Wisdom is the principal thing. Prov. iv. 7.
2. Of or pertaining to a prince; princely. [A Latinism] [Obs.] Spenser. Principal axis. See Axis of a curve, under Axis. — Principal axes of a quadric (Geom.), three lines in which the principal planes of the solid intersect two and two, as in an ellipsoid. — Principal challenge. (Law) See under Challenge. — Principal plane. See Plane of projection (a), under Plane. — Principal of a quadric (Geom.), three planes each of which is at right angles to the other two, and bisects all chords of the quadric perpendicular to the plane, as in an ellipsoid. — Principal point (Persp.), the projection of the point of sight upon the plane of projection. — Principal ray (Persp.), the line drawn through the point of sight perpendicular to the perspective plane. — Principal section (Crystallog.), a plane passing through the optical axis of a crystal.
PRINCIPALPrin"ci*pal, n.
1. A leader, chief, or head; one who takes the lead; one who acts independently, or who has controlling authority or influence; as, the principal of a faction, a school, a firm, etc.; — distinguished from a subordinate, abettor, auxiliary, or assistant.
2. Hence: (Law) (a) The chief actor in a crime, or an abettor who is present at it, - - as distinguished from an accessory. (b) A chief obligor, promisor, or debtor, — as distinguished from a surety. (c) One who employs another to act for him, — as distinguished from an agent. Wharton. Bouvier. Burrill.
3. A thing of chief or prime importance; something fundamental or especially conspicuous. Specifically: (a) (Com.) A capital sum of money, placed out at interest, due as a debt or used as a fund; — so called in distinction from interest or profit. (b) (Arch. & Engin.) The construction which gives shape and strength to a roof, — generally a truss of timber or iron, but there are roofs with stone principals. Also, loosely, the most important member of a piece of framing. (c) (Mus.) In English organs the chief open metallic stop, an octave above the open diapason. On the manual it is four feet long, on the pedal eight feet. In Germany this term corresponds to the English open diapason. (d) (O. Eng. Law) A heirloom; a mortuary. Cowell. (e) pl.
Defn: The first two long feathers of a hawk's wing. Spenser. J. H. Walsh. (f) One of turrets or pinnacles of waxwork and tapers with which the posts and center of a funeral hearse were formerly crowned. Oxf. Gloss. (g) A principal or essential point or rule; a principle. [Obs.]
PRINCIPALITYPrin`ci*pal"i*ty, n.; pl. Principalities. Etym: [L. principalitaspreëminence, excellence: cf. F. principalité, principauté. SeePrincipal.]
1. Sovereignty; supreme power; hence, superiority; predominance; high, or the highest, station. Sir P. Sidney. Your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory. Jer. xiii. 18. The prerogative and principality above everything else. Jer. Taylor.
2. A prince; one invested with sovereignty. "Next upstood Nisroch, of principalities the prime." Milton.
3. The territory or jurisdiction of a prince; or the country which gives title to a prince; as, the principality of Wales.
PRINCIPALLYPrin"ci*pal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a principal manner; primarily; above all; chiefly; mainly.
PRINCIPALNESSPrin"ci*pal*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being principal.
PRINCIPATEPrin"ci*pate, n. Etym: [L. principatus: cf. F. principat.]
Defn: Principality; supreme rule. [Obs.] Barrow.
PRINCIPIAPrin*cip"i*a, n. pl. Etym: [L. principium. See Principle.]
Defn: First principles; fundamental beginnings; elements; as.Newton's Principia.
PRINCIPIALPrin*cip"i*al, a.
Defn: Elementary. [Obs.] Bacon.
PRINCIPIANT Prin*cip"i*ant, a. Etym: [L. principians, p. pr. of principiare to begin, fr. principium. See Principle.]
Defn: Relating to principles or beginnings. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
PRINCIPIATEPrin*cip"i*ate, v. t. Etym: [See Principiant.]
Defn: To begin; to initiate. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.
PRINCIPIATIONPrin*cip`i*a"tion, n.
Defn: Analysis into primary or elemental parts. [Archaic] Bacon.
PRINCIPLE Prin"ci*ple, n. Etym: [F. principe, L. principium beginning, foundation, fr. princeps, -cipis. See Prince.]
1. Beginning; commencement. [Obs.] Doubting sad end of principle unsound. Spenser.
2. A source, or origin; that from which anything proceeds; fundamental substance or energy; primordial substance; ultimate element, or cause.
The soul of man is an active principle. Tillotson.
3. An original faculty or endowment. Nature in your principles hath set [benignity]. Chaucer. Those active principles whose direct and ultimate object is the communication either of enjoyment or suffering. Stewart.
4. A fundamental truth; a comprehensive law or doctrine, from which others are derived, or on which others are founded; a general truth; an elementary proposition; a maxim; an axiom; a postulate. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection. Heb. vi. 1. A good principle, not rightly understood, may prove as hurtful as a bad. Milton.
5. A settled rule of action; a governing law of conduct; an opinion or belief which exercises a directing influence on the life and behavior; a rule (usually, a right rule) of conduct consistently directing one's actions; as, a person of no principle. All kinds of dishonesty destroy our pretenses to an honest principle of mind. Law.
6. (Chem.)
Defn: Any original inherent constituent which characterizes a substance, or gives it its essential properties, and which can usually be separated by analysis; — applied especially to drugs, plant extracts, etc. Cathartine is the bitter, purgative principle of senna. Gregory. Bitter principle, Principle of contradiction, etc. See under Bitter, Contradiction, etc.
PRINCIPLEPrin"ci*ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Principled; p. pr. & vb. n.Principling.]
Defn: To equip with principles; to establish, or fix, in certainprinciples; to impress with any tenet, or rule of conduct, good orill.Governors should be well principled. L'Estrange.Let an enthusiast be principled that he or his teacher is inspired.Locke.
PRINCOCK; PRINCOXPrin"cock, Prin"cox, n. Etym: [Prim + cock.]
Defn: A coxcomb; a pert boy. [Obs.]
PRINKPrink, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Prinked; p. pr. & vb. n. Prinking.] Etym:[Probably a nasalized form of prick. See Prick, v. t., and cf. Prig,Prank.]
Defn: To dress or adjust one's self for show; to prank.
PRINKPrink, v. t.
Defn: To prank or dress up; to deck fantastically. "And prink their hair with daisies." Cowper.
PRINKERPrink"er, n.
Defn: One who prinks.
PRINPRIDDLEPrin"prid`dle, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The longtailed titmouse. [Prov. Eng.]
PRINTPrint, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Printed; p. pr. & vb. n. Printing.] Etym:[Abbrev. fr. imprint. See Imprint, and Press to squeeze.]
1. To fix or impress, as a stamp, mark, character, idea, etc., intoor upon something.A look will print a thought that never may remove. Surrey.Upon his breastplate he beholds a dint, Which in that field youngEdward's sword did print. Sir John Beaumont.Perhaps some footsteps printed in the clay. Roscommon.
2. To stamp something in or upon; to make an impression or mark upon by pressure, or as by pressure. Forth on his fiery steed betimes he rode, That scarcely prints the turf on which he trod. Dryden.
3. Specifically:
Defn: To strike off an impression or impressions of, from type, or from stereotype, electrotype, or engraved plates, or the like; in a wider sense, to do the typesetting, presswork, etc., of (a book or other publication); as, to print books, newspapers, pictures; to print an edition of a book.
4. To stamp or impress with colored figures or patterns; as, to print calico.
5. (Photog.)
Defn: To take (a copy, a positive picture, etc.), from a negative, a transparent drawing, or the like, by the action of light upon a sensitized surface. Printed goods, textile fabrics printed in patterns, especially cotton cloths, or calicoes.
PRINTPrint, v. i.
1. To use or practice the art of typography; to take impressions of letters, figures, or electrotypes, engraved plates, or the like.
2. To publish a book or an article. From the moment he prints, he must except to hear no more truth. Pope.
PRINTPrint, n. Etym: [See Print, v., Imprint, n.]
1. A mark made by impression; a line, character, figure, or indentation, made by the pressure of one thing on another; as, the print of teeth or nails in flesh; the print of the foot in sand or snow. Where print of human feet was never seen. Dryden.
2. A stamp or die for molding or impressing an ornamental design upon an object; as, a butter print.
3. That which receives an impression, as from a stamp or mold; as, a print of butter.
4. Printed letters; the impression taken from type, as to excellence, form, size, etc.; as, small print; large print; this line is in print.
5. That which is produced by printing. Specifically: (a) An impression taken from anything, as from an engraved plate. "The prints which we see of antiquities." Dryden. (b) A printed publication, more especially a newspaper or other periodical. Addison. (c) A printed cloth; a fabric figured by stamping, especially calico or cotton cloth. (d) A photographic copy, or positive picture, on prepared paper, as from a negative, or from a drawing on transparent paper.
6. (Founding)
Defn: A core print. See under Core. Blue print, a copy in white lines on a blue ground, of a drawing, plan, tracing, etc., or a positive picture in blue and white, from a negative, produced by photographic printing on peculiarly prepared paper.blueprint for action — In print. (a) In a printed form; issued from the press; published. Shak. (b) To the letter; with accurateness. "All this I speak in print." Shak. — Out of print. See under Out. — Print works, a factory where cloth, as calico, is printed.
PRINTA-BLEPrint"a-ble, a.
Defn: Worthy to be published. [R.]
PRINTERPrint"er, n.
Defn: One who prints; especially, one who prints books, newspapers, engravings, etc., a compositor; a typesetter; a pressman. Printer's devil, Printer's gauge. See under Devil, and Gauge. — Printer's ink. See Printing ink, below.
PRINTERYPrint"er*y, n.
Defn: A place where cloth is printed; print works; also, a printing office. [R.]
PRINTINGPrint"ing, n.
Defn: The act, art, or practice of impressing letters, characters, or figures on paper, cloth, or other material; the business of a printer, including typesetting and presswork, with their adjuncts; typography; also, the act of producing photographic prints. Block printing. See under Block. — Printing frame (Photog.), a shallow box, usually having a glass front, in which prints are made by exposure to light. — Printing house, a printing office. — Printing ink, ink used in printing books, newspapers, etc. It is composed of lampblack or ivory black mingled with linseed or nut oil, made thick by boiling and burning. Other ingredients are employed for the finer qualities. Ure. — Printing office, a place where books, pamphlets, or newspapers, etc., are printed. — Printing paper, paper used in the printing of books, pamphlets, newspapers, and the like, as distinguished from writing paper, wrapping paper, etc. — Printing press, a press for printing, books, newspaper, handbills, etc. — Printing wheel, a wheel with letters or figures on its periphery, used in machines for paging or numbering, or in ticket-printing machines, typewriters, etc.; a type wheel.
PRINTING INPrint"ing in. (Photog.)
Defn: A process by which cloud effects or other features not in the original negative are introduced into a photograph. Portions, such as the sky, are covered while printing and the blank space thus reserved is filled in by printing from another negative.
PRINTING OUTPrinting out. (Photog.)
Defn: A method of printing, in which the image is fully brought out by the direct actinic action of light without subsequent development by means of chemicals.
PRINTLESSPrint"less, a.
Defn: Making no imprint. Milton.
PRINTLESSPrint"less, a.
Defn: Making no imprint. Milton.
PRINTSHOPPrint"shop`, n.
Defn: A shop where prints are sold.
PRIOR Pri"or, a. Etym: [L. prior former, previous, better, superior; compar. corresponding to primus first, and pro for. See Former, and cf. Prime, a., and Pre-, Pro-.]
Defn: Preceding in the order of time; former; antecedent; anterior; previous; as, a prior discovery; prior obligation; — used elliptically in cases like the following: he lived alone [in the time] prior to his marriage.
PRIOR Pri"or, n. Etym: [OE. priour, OF. priour, prior, priur, F. prieur, from L. prior former, superior. See Prior, a.] (Eccl.)
Defn: The superior of a priory, and next below an abbot in dignity. Conventical, or Conventual, prior, a prior who is at the head of his own house. See the Note under Priory. — Claustral prior, an official next in rank to the abbot in a monastery; prior of the cloisters.
PRIORATEPri"or*ate, n. Etym: [LL. prioratus: cf. F. priorat.]
Defn: The dignity, office, or government, of a prior. T. Warton.
PRIORESSPri"or*ess, n. Etym: [OF. prioresse.]
Defn: A lady superior of a priory of nuns, and next in dignity to an abbess.
PRIORITYPri*or"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. priorité. See Prior, a.]
1. The quality or state of being prior or antecedent in time, or of preceding something else; as, priority of application.
2. Precedence; superior rank. Shak. Priority of debts, a superior claim to payment, or a claim to payment before others.
Syn.— Antecedence; precedence; preëminence.
PRIORLYPri"or*ly, adv.
Defn: Previously. [R.] Geddes.
PRIORSHIPPri"or*ship, n.
Defn: The state or office of prior; priorate.
PRIORYPri"o*ry, n.; pl. Priories. Etym: [Cf. LL. prioria. See Prior, n.]
Defn: A religious house presided over by a prior or prioress; — sometimes an offshoot of, an subordinate to, an abbey, and called also cell, and obedience. See Cell, 2.
Note: Of such houses there were two sorts: one where the prior was chosen by the inmates, and governed as independently as an abbot in an abbey; the other where the priory was subordinate to an abbey, and the prior was placed or displaced at the will of the abbot. Alien priory, a small religious house dependent on a large monastery in some other country.
Syn.— See Cloister.
PRISPris, n.
Defn: See Price, and 1st Prize. [Obs.]
PRISAGE Pris"age (; 48), n. Etym: [OF. prisage a praising, valuing, taxing; cf. LL. prisagium prisage; or from F. prise a taking, capture, prize. See Prize.] (O. Eng. Law) (a) A right belonging to the crown of England, of taking two tuns of wine from every ship importing twenty tuns or more, — one before and one behind the mast. By charter of Edward I. butlerage was substituted for this. Blackstone. (b) The share of merchandise taken as lawful prize at sea which belongs to the king or admiral.
PRISCILLIANISTPris*cil"lian*ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: A follower of Priscillian, bishop of Avila in Spain, in the fourth century, who mixed various elements of Gnosticism and Manicheism with Christianity.
PRISEPrise, n.
Defn: An enterprise. [Obs.] Spenser.
PRISEPrise, n. & v.
Defn: See Prize, n., 5. Also Prize, v. t.
PRISERPris"er, n.
Defn: See 1st Prizer. [Obs.]
PRISMPrism, n. Etym: [L. prisma, Gr. prisme.]
1. (Geom.)
Defn: A solid whose bases or ends are any similar, equal, and parallel plane figures, and whose sides are parallelograms.
Note: Prisms of different forms are often named from the figure of their bases; as, a triangular prism, a quadrangular prism, a rhombic prism, etc.
2. (Opt.)
Defn: A transparent body, with usually three rectangular plane faces or sides, and two equal and parallel triangular ends or bases; — used in experiments on refraction, dispersion, etc.
3. (Crystallog.)
Defn: A form the planes of which are parallel to the vertical axis. See Form, n., 13. Achromatic prism (Opt.), a prism composed usually of two prisms of different transparent substances which have unequal dispersive powers, as two different kinds of glass, especially flint glass and crown glass, the difference of dispersive power being compensated by giving them different refracting angles, so that, when placed together so as to have opposite relative positions, a ray of light passed through them is refracted or bent into a new position, but is free from color. — Nicol's prism, Nicol prism. Etym: [So called from Wm. Nicol, of Edinburgh, who first proposed it.] (Opt.) An instrument for experiments in polarization, consisting of a rhomb of Iceland spar, which has been bisected obliquely at a certain angle, and the two parts again joined with transparent cement, so that the ordinary image produced by double refraction is thrown out of the field by total reflection from the internal cemented surface, and the extraordinary, or polarized, image alone is transmitted.
PRISMATIC; PRISMATICALPris*mat"ic, Pris*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. prismatique.]
1. Resembling, or pertaining to, a prism; as, a prismatic form or cleavage.
2. Separated or distributed by a prism; formed by a prism; as, prismatic colors.
3. (Crystallog.)
Defn: Same as Orthorhombic. Prismatic borax (Chem.), borax crystallized in the form of oblique prisms, with ten molecules of water; — distinguished from octahedral borax. — Prismatic colors (Opt.), the seven colors into which light is resolved when passed through a prism; primary colors. See Primary colors, under Color. — Prismatic compass (Surv.), a compass having a prism for viewing a distant object and the compass card at the same time. — Prismatic spectrum (Opt.), the spectrum produced by the passage of light through a prism.
PRISMATICALLYPris*mat"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In the form on manner of a prism; by means of a prism.
PRISMATOIDALPris`ma*toid"al, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid: F. prismatoïde.]
Defn: Having a prismlike form. Ure.
PRISM GLASSPrism glass.
Defn: Glass with one side smooth and the other side formed into sharp-edged ridges so as to reflect the light that passes through, used at windows to throw the light into the interior.
PRISMOIDPris"moid, n. Etym: [Cf. F. prismtoïde.]
Defn: A body that approaches to the form of a prism.
PRISMOIDALPris*moid"al, a.
Defn: Having the form of a prismoid; as, prismoidal solids.
PRISMYPris"my, a.
Defn: Pertaining to a prism. [R.]
PRISONPris"on, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. prehensio, prensio, a seizing,arresting, fr. prehendre, prendere, to lay hold of, to seize. SeePrehensile, and cf. Prize, n., Misprision.]
1. A place where persons are confined, or restrained of personal liberty; hence, a place or state o Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name. Ps. cxlii. 7. The tyrant Æolus, . . . With power imperial, curbs the struggling winds, And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds. Dryden.
2. Specifically, a building for the safe custody or confinement of criminals and others committed by lawful authority. Prison bars, or Prison base. See Base, n., 24. — Prison breach. (Law) See Note under 3d Escape, n., 4. — Prison house, a prison. Shak. — Prison ship (Naut.), a ship fitted up for the confinement of prisoners. — Prison van, a carriage in which prisoners are conveyed to and from prison.
PRISONPris"on, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prisoned; p. pr. & vb. n. Prisoning.]
1. To imprison; to shut up in, or as in, a prison; to confine; torestrain from liberty.The prisoned eagle dies for rage. Sir W. Scott.His true respect will prison false desire. Shak.
2. To bind (together); to enchain. [Obs.] Sir William Crispyn with the duke was led Together prisoned. Robert of Brunne.
PRISONERPris"on*er, n. Etym: [F. prisonnier.]
1. One who is confined in a prison. Piers Plowman.
2. A person under arrest, or in custody, whether in prison or not; a person held in involuntary restraint; a captive; as, a prisoner at the bar of a court. Bouvier. Prisoner of Hope thou art, — look up and sing. Keble. Prisoner's base. See Base, n., 24.
PRISONMENTPris"on*ment, n.
Defn: Imprisonment. [Obs.] Shak.
PRISTINATEPris"tin*ate, a.
Defn: Pristine; primitive. [Obs.] "Pristinate idolatry." Holinshed.
PRISTINEPris"tine, a. Etym: [L. pristinus, akin to prior: cf. F. pristin. SeePrior, a.]
Defn: Belonging to the earliest period or state; original; primitive; primeval; as, the pristine state of innocence; the pristine manners of a people; pristine vigor.
PRITCHPritch, n. Etym: [See Prick.]
1. A sharp-pointed instrument; also, an eelspear. [Prov. Eng.]
2. Pique; offense. [Obs.] D. Rogers.
PRITCHELPritch"el, n.
Defn: A tool employed by blacksmiths for punching or enlarging the nail holes in a horseshoe.
PRITHEEPrith"ee, interj.
Defn: A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally usedwithout I. Shak.What was that scream for, I prithee L'Estrange.Prithee, tell me, Dimple-chin. E. C. Stedman.
PRITTLE-PRATTLEPrit"tle-prat`tle, n. Etym: [See Prattle.]
Defn: Empty talk; trifling loquacity; prattle; — used in contempt or ridicule. [Colloq.] Abp. Bramhall.
PRIVACYPri"va*cy, n.; pl. Privacies. Etym: [See Private.]
1. The state of being in retirement from the company or observation of others; seclusion.
2. A place of seclusion from company or observation; retreat; solitude; retirement. Her sacred privacies all open lie. Rowe.
3. Concealment of what is said or done. Shak.
4. A private matter; a secret. Fuller.
5. See Privity, 2. [Obs.] Arbuthnot.
PRIVADOPri*va"do, n. Etym: [Sp., fr. L. privatus. See Private.]
Defn: A private friend; a confidential friend; a confidant. [Obs.]Fuller.
PRIVATDOCENT Pri*vat"do*cent`, n.; G. pl. -docenten (#). [Also Privatdozent.] [G.; privat private + docent teacher. See Docent.]
Defn: In the universities of Germany and some other European countries, a licensed teacher or lecturer having no share in the university government and dependent upon fees for remuneration.
PRIVATE Pri"vate (; 48), a. Etym: [L. privatus apart from the state, peculiar to an individual, private, properly p. p. of privare to bereave, deprive, originally, to separate, fr. privus single, private, perhaps originally, put forward (hence, alone, single) and akin to prae before. See Prior, a., and cf. Deprive, Privy, a.]
1. Belonging to, or concerning, an individual person, company, or interest; peculiar to one's self; unconnected with others; personal; one's own; not public; not general; separate; as, a man's private opinion; private property; a private purse; private expenses or interests; a private secretary.
2. Sequestered from company or observation; appropriated to an individual; secret; secluded; lonely; solitary; as, a private room or apartment; private prayer. Reason . . . then retires Into her private cell when nature rests. Milton.
3. Not invested with, or engaged in, public office or employment; as, a private citizen; private life. Shak. A private person may arrest a felon. Blackstone.
4. Not publicly known; not open; secret; as, a private negotiation; a private understanding.
5. Having secret or private knowledge; privy. [Obs.] Private act or statute, a statute exclusively for the settlement of private and personal interests, of which courts do not take judicial notice; — opposed to a general law, which operates on the whole community. — Private nuisance or wrong. See Nuisance. — Private soldier. See Private, n., 5. — Private way, a right of private passage over another man's ground. Kent.
PRIVATEPri"vate, n.
1. A secret message; a personal unofficial communication. [Obs.] Shak.
2. Personal interest; particular business.[Obs.] Nor must I be unmindful of my private. B. Jonson.
3. Privacy; retirement. [Archaic] "Go off; I discard you; let me enjoy my private." Shak.
4. One not invested with a public office. [Archaic] What have kings, that privates have not too Shak.
5. (Mil.)
Defn: A common soldier; a soldier below the grade of a noncommissioned officer. Macaulay.
6. pl.
Defn: The private parts; the genitals. In private, secretly; not openly or publicly.
PRIVATEERPri`va*teer" n. Etym: [From Private.]
1. An armed private vessel which bears the commission of the sovereign power to cruise against the enemy. See Letters of marque, under Marque.
2. The commander of a privateer. Kidd soon threw off the character of a privateer and became a pirate. Macaulay.
PRIVATEERPri`va*teer", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Privateered; p. pr. & vb. n.Privateering.]
Defn: To cruise in a privateer.
PRIVATEERINGPri`va*teer"ing, n.
Defn: Cruising in a privateer.
PRIVATEERSMANPri`va*teers"man, n.; pl. Privateersmen (.
Defn: An officer or seaman of a privateer.
PRIVATELYPri"vate*ly, adv.
1. In a private manner; not openly; without the presence of others.
2. In a manner affecting an individual; personally not officially; as, he is not privately benefited.
PRIVATENESSPri"vate*ness, n.
1. Seclusion from company or society; retirement; privacy; secrecy. Bacon.
2. The state of one not invested with public office.
PRIVATIONPri*va"tion n. Etym: [L. privatio: cf. F. privation. See Private.]
1. The act of depriving, or taking away; hence, the depriving of rank or office; degradation in rank; deprivation. Bacon.
2. The state of being deprived or destitute of something, especially of something required or desired; destitution; need; as, to undergo severe privations.
3. The condition of being absent; absence; negation. Evil will be known by consequence, as being only a privation, or absence, of good. South. Privation mere of light and absent day. Milton.
PRIVATIVEPriv"a*tive a. Etym: [L. privativus: cf. F. privatif. See Private.]
1. Causing privation; depriving.
2. Consisting in the absence of something; not positive; negative. Privative blessings, blessings of immunity, safeguard, liberty, and integrity. Jer. Taylor.
3. (Gram.)
Defn: Implying privation or negation; giving a negative force to a word; as, alpha privative; privative particles; — applied to such prefixes and suffixes as a- (Gr. un-, non-, -less.
PRIVATIVEPriv"a*tive, n.
1. That of which the essence is the absence of something. Blackness and darkness are indeed but privatives. Bacon.
2. (Logic)
Defn: A term indicating the absence of any quality which might be naturally or rationally expected; — called also privative term.
3. (Gram.)
Defn: A privative prefix or suffix. See Privative, a., 3.
PRIVATIVELYPriv"a*tive*ly, adv.
Defn: In a privative manner; by the absence of something; negatively.[R.] Hammond.
PRIVATIVENESSPriv"a*tive*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being privative.
PRIVETPriv"et, n. Etym: [Cf. Scot. privie, Prov. E. prim-print, primwort.Prob. for primet, and perh. named from being cut and trimmed. See,Prim, a., and cf. Prime to prune, Prim, n., Prie, n.] (Bot.)
Defn: An ornamental European shrub (Ligustrum vulgare), much used in hedges; — called also prim. Egyptian privet. See Lawsonia. — Evergreen privet, a plant of the genus Rhamnus. See Alatern. — Mock privet, any one of several evergreen shrubs of the genus Phillyrea. They are from the Mediterranean region, and have been much cultivated for hedges and for fancifully clipped shrubberies.
PRIVILEGE Priv"i*lege, n. Etym: [F. privilège, L. privilegium an ordinance or law against or in favor of an individual; privus private + lex, legis, law. See Private, and Legal.]
1. A peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity not enjoyed by others or by all; special enjoyment of a good, or exemption from an evil or burden; a prerogative; advantage; franchise. He pleads the legal privilege of a Roman. Kettlewell. The privilege birthright was a double portion. Locke. A people inheriting privileges, franchises, and liberties. Burke.
2. (Stockbroker's Cant)
Defn: See Call, Put, Spread, etc. Breach of privilege. See under Breach. — Question of privilege (Parliamentary practice), a question which concerns the security of a member of a legislative body in his special privileges as such. — Water privilege, the advantage of having machinery driven by a stream, or a place affording such advantage. [ U. S.] — Writ of privilege (Law), a writ to deliver a privileged person from custody when arrested in a civil suit. Blackstone.
Syn. — Prerogative; immunity; franchise; right; claim; liberty. — Privilege, Prerogative. Privilege, among the Romans, was something conferred upon an individual by a private law; and hence, it denotes some peculiar benefit or advantage, some right or immunity, not enjoyed by the world at large. Prerogative, among the Romans, was the right of voting first; and, hence, it denotes a right of precedence, or of doing certain acts, or enjoying certain privileges, to the exclusion of others. It is the privilege of a member of Congress not to be called in question elsewhere for words uttered in debate. It is the prerogative of the president to nominate judges and executive officers. It is the privilege of a Christian child to be instructed in the true religion. It is the prerogative of a parent to govern and direct his children.
PRIVILEGEPriv"i*lege, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Privileged; p. pr. & vb. n.Privileging.] Etym: [Cf. F. privilégier.]
1. To grant some particular right or exemption to; to invest with a peculiar right or immunity; to authorize; as, to privilege representatives from arrest. To privilege dishonor in thy name. Shak.
2. To bring or put into a condition of privilege or exemption from evil or danger; to exempt; to deliver. He took this place for sanctuary, And it shall privilege him from your hands. Shak.
PRIVILEGEDPriv"i*leged, a.
Defn: Invested with a privilege; enjoying a peculiar right, advantage, or immunity. Privileged communication. (Law) (a) A communication which can not be disclosed without the consent of the party making it, — such as those made by a client to his legal adviser, or by persons to their religious or medical advisers. (b) A communication which does not expose the party making it to indictment for libel, — such as those made by persons communicating confidentially with a government, persons consulted confidentially as to the character of servants, etc. — Privileged debts (Law), those to which a preference in payment is given out of the estate of a deceased person, or out of the estate of an insolvent. Wharton. Burrill. — Privileged witnesses (Law) witnesses who are not obliged to testify as to certain things, as lawyers in relation to their dealings with their clients, and officers of state as to state secrets; also, by statute, clergymen and physicans are placed in the same category, so far as concerns information received by them professionally.
PRIVILYPriv"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a privy manner; privately; secretly. Chaucer. 2 Pet. ii. 1.
PRIVITY Priv"i*ty, n.; pl. Privities (-tîz). Etym: [From Privy, a.: cf. F. privauté extreme familiarity.]
1. Privacy; secrecy; confidence. Chaucer. I will unto you, in privity, discover . . . my purpose. Spenser.
2. Private knowledge; joint knowledge with another of a private concern; cognizance implying consent or concurrence. All the doors were laid open for his departure, not without the privity of the Prince of Orange. Swift.
3. A private matter or business; a secret. Chaucer.
4. pl.
Defn: The genitals; the privates.
5. (Law)
Defn: A connection, or bond of union, between parties, as to some particular transaction; mutual or successive relationship to the same rights of property.
PRIVYPriv"y, a. Etym: [F. privé, fr. L. privatus. See Private.]
1. Of or pertaining to some person exclusively; assigned to private uses; not public; private; as, the privy purse. " Privee knights and squires." Chaucer.
2. Secret; clandestine. " A privee thief." Chaucer.
3. Appropriated to retirement; private; not open to the public. " Privy chambers." Ezek. xxi. 14.
4. Admitted to knowledge of a secret transaction; secretly cognizant; privately knowing. His wife also being privy to it. Acts v. 2. Myself am one made privy to the plot. Shak. Privy chamber, a private apartment in a royal residence. [Eng.] — Privy council (Eng. Law), the principal council of the sovereign, composed of the cabinet ministers and other persons chosen by the king or queen. Burrill. — Privy councilor, a member of the privy council. — Privy purse, moneys set apart for the personal use of the monarch; also, the title of the person having charge of these moneys. [Eng.] Macaulay. — Privy seal or signed, the seal which the king uses in grants, etc., which are to pass the great seal, or which the uses in matters of subordinate consequence which do not require the great seal; also, elliptically, the principal secretary of state, or person intrusted with the privy seal. [Eng.] — Privy verdict, a verdict given privily to the judge out of court; — now disused. Burrill.
PRIVYPriv"y, n.; pl. Privies (.
1. (Law)
Defn: A partaker; a person having an interest in any action or thing; one who has an interest in an estate created by another; a person having an interest derived from a contract or conveyance to which he is not himself a party. The term, in its proper sense, is distinguished from party. Burrill. Wharton.
2. A necessary house or place; a backhouse.
PRIZABLEPriz"a*ble, a.
Defn: Valuable. H. Taylor.
PRIZE Prize, n. Etym: [F. prise a seizing, hold, grasp, fr. pris, p. p. of prendre to take, L. prendere, prehendere; in some senses, as 2 (b), either from, or influenced by, F. prix price. See Prison, Prehensile, and cf. Pry, and also Price.]
1. That which is taken from another; something captured; a thing seized by force, stratagem, or superior power. I will depart my pris, or may prey, by deliberation. Chaucer. His own prize, Whom formerly he had in battle won. Spenser.
2. Hence, specifically; (a) (Law) Anything captured by a belligerent using the rights of war; esp., property captured at sea in virtue of the rights of war, as a vessel. Kent. Brande & C. (b) An honor or reward striven for in a competitive contest; anything offered to be competed for, or as an inducement to, or reward of, effort. I'll never wrestle for prize more. Shak. I fought and conquered, yet have lost the prize. Dryden.
(c) That which may be won by chance, as in a lottery.
3. Anything worth striving for; a valuable possession held or inprospect.I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God inChrist Jesus. Phil. iii. 14.
4. A contest for a reward; competition. [Obs.] Shak.
5. A lever; a pry; also, the hold of a lever. [Written also prise.] Prize court, a court having jurisdiction of all captures made in war on the high seas. Bouvier. — Prize fight, an exhibition contest, esp. one of pugilists, for a stake or wager. — Prize fighter, one who fights publicly for a reward; — applied esp. to a professional boxer or pugilist. Pope. — Prize fighting, fighting, especially boxing, in public for a reward or wager. — Prize master, an officer put in charge or command of a captured vessel. — Prize medal, a medal given as a prize. — Prize money, a dividend from the proceeds of a captured vessel, etc., paid to the captors. — Prize ring, the ring or inclosure for a prize fight; the system and practice of prize fighting. — To make prize of, to capture. Hawthorne.
PRIZEPrize, v. t.
Defn: To move with a lever; to force up or open; to pry. [Written also prise.]
PRIZE Prize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prized; p. pr. & vb. n. Prizing.] Etym: [F. priser, OF. prisier, preisier, fr. L. pretiare, fr. pretium worth, value, price. See Price, and cf. Praise.] [Formerly written also prise. ]
1. To set or estimate the value of; to appraise; to price; to rate. A goodly price that I was prized at. Zech. xi. 13. I prize it [life] not a straw, but for mine honor. Shak.
2. To value highly; to estimate to be of great worth; to esteem. "[I] do love, prize, honor you. " Shak. I prized your person, but your crown disdain. Dryden.
PRIZEPrize, n. Etym: [F. prix price. See 3d Prize. ]
Defn: Estimation; valuation. [Obs.] Shak.
PRIZEMANPrize"man, n.; pl. Prizemen (.
Defn: The winner of a prize.
PRIZERPriz"er, n. Etym: [See 3d Prize.]
Defn: One who estimates or sets the value of a thing; an appraiser.Shak.
PRIZERPriz"er, n. Etym: [See 1st Prize.]
Defn: One who contends for a prize; a prize fighter; a challenger.[Obs.] Shak.Appeareth no man yet to answer the prizer. B. Jonson.
PRIZINGPriz"ing, n. Etym: [See 2d Prize.]
Defn: The application of a lever to move any weighty body, as a cask, anchor, cannon, car, etc. See Prize, n., 5.
PRO-Pro-. Etym: [L. pro, or Gr. Pro.]
Defn: A prefix signifying before, in front, forth, for, in behalf of, in place of, according to; as, propose, to place before; proceed, to go before or forward; project, to throw forward; prologue, part spoken before (the main piece); propel, prognathous; provide, to look out for; pronoun, a word instead of a noun; proconsul, a person acting in place of a consul; proportion, arrangement according to parts.
PRO Pro, prep. Etym: [L.; akin to prae before, Gr. for. See For, prep., and cf. Prior, a.]
Defn: A Latin preposition signifying for, before, forth. Pro confesso Etym: [L.] (Law), taken as confessed. The action of a court of equity on that portion of the pleading in a particular case which the pleading on the other side does not deny. — Pro rata. Etym: [L. See Prorate.] In proportion; proportion. — Pro re nata Etym: [L.] (Law), for the existing occasion; as matters are.
PROPro, adv.
Defn: For, on, or in behalf of, the affirmative side; — in contrast with Ant: con. Pro and con, for and against, on the affirmative and on the negative side; as, they debated the question pro and con; — formerly used also as a verb. — Pros and cons, the arguments or reasons on either side.
PROAPro"a, n. Etym: [Malay praah.] (Naut.)
Defn: A sailing canoe of the Ladrone Islands and Malay Archipelago, having its lee side flat and its weather side like that of an ordinary boat. The ends are alike. The canoe is long and narrow, and is kept from overturning by a cigar-shaped log attached to a frame extending several feet to windward. It has been called the flying proa, and is the swiftest sailing craft known.
PROACHProach, v. i.
Defn: See Approach. [Obs.]
PROATLASPro*at"las, n. Etym: [Pref. pro- + atlas.] (Anat.)
Defn: A vertebral rudiment in front of the atlas in some reptiles.
PROBABILIORISMProb`a*bil"i*o*rism, n.
Defn: The doctrine of the probabiliorists.
PROBABILIORIST Prob`a*bil"i*o*rist, n. Etym: [From L. probabilior, compar. of probabilis probable.] (Casuistry)
Defn: One who holds, in opposition to the probabilists, that a man is bound to do that which is most probably right.
PROBABILISMProb"a*bil*ism n. Etym: [Cf. F. probabilisme.]
Defn: The doctrine of the probabilists.
PROBABILISTProb"a*bil*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. probabilists.]
1. One who maintains that certainty is impossible, and that probability alone is to govern our faith and actions.
2. (Casuistry)
Defn: One who maintains that a man may do that which has a probability of being right, or which is inculcated by teachers of authority, although other opinions may seem to him still more probable.
PROBABILITYProb`a*bil"i*ty, n.; pl. Probabilities. Etym: [L. probabilitas: cf.F. probabilité.]
1. The quality or state of being probable; appearance of reality or truth; reasonable ground of presumption; likelihood. Probability is the appearance of the agreement or disagreement of two ideas, by the intervention of proofs whose connection is not constant, but appears for the most part to be so. Locke.
2. That which is or appears probable; anything that has the appearance of reality or truth. The whole life of man is a perpetual comparison of evidence and balancing of probabilities. Buckminster. We do not call for evidence till antecedent probabilities fail. J. H. Newman.
3. (Math.)
Defn: Likelihood of the occurrence of any event in the doctrine of chances, or the ratio of the number of favorable chances to the whole number of chances, favorable and unfavorable. See 1st Chance, n., 5.
Syn.— Likeliness; credibleness; likelihood; chance.
PROBABLE Prob"a*ble, a. Etym: [L. probabilis, fr. probare to try, approve, prove: cf. F. probable. See Prove, and cf. Provable.]
1. Capable of being proved. [Obs.]
2. Having more evidence for than against; supported by evidence which inclines the mind to believe, but leaves some room for doubt; likely. That is accounted probable which has better arguments producible for it than can be brought against it. South. I do not say that the principles of religion are merely probable; I have before asserted them to be morally certain. Bp. Wilkins.
3. Rendering probable; supporting, or giving ground for, belief, but not demonstrating; as, probable evidence; probable presumption. Blackstone. Probable cause (Law), a reasonable ground of presumption that a charge is, or my be, well founded. — Probable error (of an observation, or of the mean of a number), that within which, taken positively and negatively, there is an even chance that the real error shall lie. Thus, if 3" is the probable error in a given case, the chances that the real error is greater than 3" are equal to the chances that it is less. The probable error is computed from the observations made, and is used to express their degree of accuracy. — The probable, that which is within the bounds of probability; that which is not unnatural or preternatural; — opposed to the marvelous.
PROBABLYProb"a*bly, adv.
Defn: In a probable manner; in likelihood.Distinguish between what may possibly and what will probably be done.L'Estrange.
PROBACYPro"ba*cy, n. Etym: [See Probate.]
Defn: Proof; trial. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PROBALPro"bal, a.
Defn: Approved; probable. [Obs.] Shak.
PROBALITYPro*bal"i*ty, n.
Defn: Probability. [Obs.] "With as great probality." Holland.
PROBANGPro"bang, n. Etym: [See Probe.]
Defn: A slender elastic rod, as of whalebone, with a sponge on the end, for removing obstructions from the esophagus, etc.