PULSEPulse, v. i.
Defn: To beat, as the arteries; to move in pulses or beats; to pulsate; to throb. Ray.
PULSEPulse, v. t. Etym: [See Pulsate, Pulse a beating.]
Defn: To drive by a pulsation; to cause to pulsate. [R.]
PULSELESSPulse"less, a.
Defn: Having no pulsation; lifeless.
PULSELESSNESSPulse"less*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being pulseless.
PULSIFICPul*sif"ic, a. Etym: [Pulse + L. facere to make.]
Defn: Exciting the pulse; causing pulsation.
PULSIMETERPul*sim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pulse + -meter.] (Physiol.)
Defn: A sphygmograph.
PULSION Pul"sion, n. Etym: [L. pulsio, fr. pellere, pulsum, to drive: cf. F. pulsion.]
Defn: The act of driving forward; propulsion; — opposed to Ant: suction or Ant: traction. [R.]
PULSIVEPul"sive, a.
Defn: Tending to compel; compulsory. [R.] "The pulsive strain of conscience." Marston.
PULSOMETERPul*som"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pulse + -meter.]
1. A device, with valves, for raising water by steam, partly by atmospheric pressure, and partly by the direct action of the steam on the water, without the intervention of a piston; — also called vacuum pump.
2. A pulsimeter.
PULTPult, v. t.
Defn: To put. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
PULTACEOUSPul*ta"ceous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pultacé. See 1st Pulse.]
Defn: Macerated; softened; nearly fluid.
PULTESSE; PULTISEPul"tesse, Pul"tise, n.
Defn: Poultry. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PULUPu"lu, n.
Defn: A vegetable substance consisting of soft, elastic, yellowish brown chaff, gathered in the Hawaiian Islands from the young fronds of free ferns of the genus Cibotium, chiefly C. Menziesii; — used for stuffing mattresses, cushions, etc., and as an absorbent.
PULVERABLEPul"ver*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being reduced to fine powder. Boyle.
PULVERACEOUSPul`ver*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a finely powdered surface; pulverulent.
PULVERATE Pul"ver*ate, v. t. Etym: [L. pulveratus, p. p. of pulverare to pulverize. See Pulverize.]
Defn: To beat or reduce to powder or dust; to pulverize. [R.]
PULVERINE Pul"ver*ine, n. Etym: [L. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder; cf. F. pulvérin.]
Defn: Ashes of barilla. Ure.
PULVERIZABLEPul"ver*i`za*ble, a.
Defn: Admitting of being pulverized; pulverable. Barton.
PULVERIZATIONPul`ver*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pulvérisation.]
Defn: The action of reducing to dust or powder.
PULVERIZEPul"ver*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pulverized; p. pr. & vb. n.Pulverizing.] Etym: [F. pulvériser, L. pulverizare, fr. pulvis dust,powder. See Powder.]
Defn: To reduce of fine powder or dust, as by beating, grinding, or the like; as, friable substances may be pulverized by grinding or beating, but to pulverize malleable bodies other methods must be pursued.
PULVERIZEPul"ver*ize, v. i.
Defn: To become reduced to powder; to fall to dust; as, the stone pulverizes easily.
PULVERIZERPul"ver*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, pulverizes.
PULVEROUS Pul"ver*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. L. pulvereus, from pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder.]
Defn: Consisting of dust or powder; like powder.
PULVERULENCEPul*ver"u*lence, n.
Defn: The state of being pulverulent; abundance of dust or powder; dustiness.
PULVERULENT Pul*ver"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. pulverulentus, fr. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder: cf. F. pulvérulent.]
Defn: Consisting of, or reducible to, fine powder; covered with dust or powder; powdery; dusty.
PULVIL Pul"vil, n. Etym: [It. polviglio, fr. L. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder: cf. Sp. polvillo.]
Defn: A sweet-scented powder; pulvillio. [Written also pulville.][Obs.] Gay.
PULVILPul"vil, v. t.
Defn: To apply pulvil to. [Obs.] Congreve.
PULVILLIO; PULVILLOPul*vil"li*o, Pul*vil"lo, n. Etym: [See Pulvil.]
Defn: A kind of perfume in the form of a powder, formerly much used, — often in little bags. Smells of incense, ambergris, and pulvillios. Addison.
PULVILLUSPul*vil"lus, n.; pl. Pulvilli. Etym: [L., a little cushion.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the minute cushions on the feet of certain insects.
PULVINARPul*vi"nar, n. Etym: [L., a cushion.] (Anat.)
Defn: A prominence on the posterior part of the thalamus of the human brain.
PULVINATE; PULVINATED Pul"vi*nate, Pul"vi*na`ted, a. Etym: [L. pulvinatus, fr. pulvinus a cushion, an elevation.]
1. (Arch.)
Defn: Curved convexly or swelled; as, a pulvinated frieze. Brande &C.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the form of a cushion.
PULVINIC Pul*vin"ic, a. Etym: [From Vulpinic, by transposition of the letters.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the decomposition of vulpinic acid, as a white crystalline substance.
PULVINULUSPul*vin"u*lus, n.; pl. Pulvinuli. Etym: [L., a little mound.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pulvillus.
PUMAPu"ma, n. Etym: [Peruv. puma.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large American carnivore (Felis concolor), found from Canada to Patagonia, especially among the mountains. Its color is tawny, or brownish yellow, without spots or stripes. Called also catamount, cougar, American lion, mountain lion, and panther or painter.
PUMEPume, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A stint.
PUMICATEPu"mi*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pumicated; p. pr. & vb. n.Pumicating.] Etym: [L. pumicatus, p. p. of pumicare to pumicate, fr.pumex. See Pumice.]
Defn: To make smooth with pumice. [R.]
PUMICEPum"ice, n. Etym: [L. pumex, pumicis, prob. akin to spuma foam: cf.AS. pumic-stan. Cf. Pounce a powder, Spume.] (Min.)
Defn: A very light porous volcanic scoria, usually of a gray color, the pores of which are capillary and parallel, giving it a fibrous structure. It is supposed to be produced by the disengagement of watery vapor without liquid or plastic lava. It is much used, esp. in the form of powder, for smoothing and polishing. Called also pumice stone.
PUMICEDPum"iced, a. (Far.)
Defn: Affected with a kind of chronic laminitis in which there is a growth of soft spongy horn between the coffin bone and the hoof wall. The disease is called pumiced foot, or pumice foot.
PUMICEOUSPu*mi`ceous, a. Etym: [L. pumiceus.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to pumice; resembling pumice.
PUMICE STONEPum"ice stone`.
Defn: Same as Pumice.
PUMICIFORMPu*mic"i*form, a. Etym: [Pumice + -form.]
Defn: Resembling, or having the structure of, pumice.
PUMMACEPum"mace, n.
Defn: Same as Pomace.
PUMMELPum"mel, n. & v. t.
Defn: Same as Pommel.
PUMP Pump (pûmp), n. Etym: [Probably so called as being worn for pomp or ornament. See Pomp.]
Defn: A low shoe with a thin sole. Swift.
PUMP Pump, n. Etym: [Akin to D. pomp, G. pumpe, F. pompe; of unknown origin.]
Defn: An hydraulic machine, variously constructed, for raising or transferring fluids, consisting essentially of a moving piece or piston working in a hollow cylinder or other cavity, with valves properly placed for admitting or retaining the fluid as it is drawn or driven through them by the action of the piston.
Note: for various kinds of pumps, see Air pump, Chain pump, and Forcepump; also, under Lifting, Plunger, Rotary, etc. Circulating pump(Steam Engine), a pump for driving the condensing water through thecasing, or tubes, of a surface condenser.— Pump brake. See Pump handle, below.— Pump dale. See Dale.— Pump gear, the apparatus belonging to a pump. Totten.— Pump handle, the lever, worked by hand, by which motion is givento the bucket of a pump.— Pump hood, a semicylindrical appendage covering the upper wheelof a chain pump.— Pump rod, the rod to which the bucket of a pump is fastened, andwhich is attached to the brake or handle; the piston rod.— Pump room, a place or room at a mineral spring where the watersare drawn and drunk. [Eng.] — Pump spear. Same as Pump rod, above.— Pump stock, the stationary part, body, or barrel of a pump.— Pump well. (Naut.) See Well.
PUMP Pump, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pumped (pûmt; 215); p. pr. & vb. n. pumping.]
1. To raise with a pump, as water or other liquid.
2. To draw water, or the like, from; to from water by means of a pump; as, they pumped the well dry; to pump a ship.
3. Figuratively, to draw out or obtain, as secrets or money, by persistent questioning or plying; to question or ply persistently in order to elicit something, as information, money, etc. But pump not me for politics. Otway.
PUMPPump, v. i.
Defn: To work, or raise water, a pump.
PUMPAGEPump"age, n.
Defn: That which is raised by pumps, or the work done by pumps.The pumpage last year amounted to . . . gallons. Sci. Amer.
PUMPERPump"er, n.
Defn: One who pumps; the instrument or machine used in pumping.Boyle.
PUMPERNICKELPump"er*nick`el, n. Etym: [G.]
Defn: A sort of bread, made of unbolted rye, which forms the chief food of the Westphalian peasants. It is acid but nourishing.
PUMPETPum"pet, n.
Defn: A pompet. Pumpet ball (Print.), a ball for inking types; a pompet.
PUMPINGPump"ing,
Defn: a. & n. from pump. Pumping engine, a steam engine and pump combined for raising water. See Steam engine.
PUMPIONPump"ion, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Pumpkin.
PUMPKIN Pump"kin, n. Etym: [For older pompion, pompon, OF. pompon, L. pepo, peponis, Gr. Cook, n.] (Bot.)
Defn: A well-known trailing plant (Cucurbita pepo) and its fruit, — used for cooking and for feeding stock; a pompion. Pumpkin seed. (a) The flattish oval seed of the pumpkin. (b) (Zoöl.) The common pondfish.
PUMY Pu"my, a. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. pummer big, large, and E. pomey pommel.]
Defn: Large and rounded. [Obs.] A gentle stream, whose murmuring wave did play Amongst the pumy stones. Spenser.
PUNPun, v. t. Etym: [See Pound to beat.]
Defn: To pound. [Obs.]He would pun thee into shivers with his fist. Shak.
PUNPun, n. Etym: [Cf. Pun to pound, Pound to beat.]
Defn: A play on words which have the same sound but different meanings; an expression in which two different applications of a word present an odd or ludicrous idea; a kind of quibble or equivocation. Addison. A better put on this word was made on the Beggar's Opera, which, it was said, made Gay rich, and Rich gay. Walpole.
PUNPun, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Punned; p. pr. & vb. n. Punning.]
Defn: To make puns, or a pun; to use a word in a double sense, especially when the contrast of ideas is ludicrous; to play upon words; to quibble. Dryden.
PUNPun, v. t.
Defn: To persuade or affect by a pun. Addison.
PUNAPu"na, n. [Sp., of Peruv. origin.]
Defn: A cold arid table-land, as in the Andes of Peru.
PUNCH Punch, n. Etym: [Hind. panch five, Skr. pacan. So called because composed of five ingredients, viz., sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See Five.]
Defn: A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice of lemon, with spice or mint; — specifically named from the kind of spirit used; as rum punch, claret punch, champagne punch, etc. Milk punch, a sort of punch made with spirit, milk, sugar, spice, etc. — Punch bowl, a large bowl in which punch is made, or from which it is served. — Roman punch, a punch frozen and served as an ice.
PUNCHPunch, n. Etym: [Abbrev, fr. punchinello.]
Defn: The buffoon or harlequin of a puppet show. Punch and Judy, a puppet show in which a comical little hunchbacked Punch, with a large nose, engages in altercation with his wife Judy.
PUNCHPunch, n. Etym: [Prov. E. Cf. Punchy.]
1. A short, fat fellow; anything short and thick. I . . . did hear them call their fat child punch, which pleased me mightily, that word being become a word of common use for all that is thick and short. Pepys.
2. One of a breed of large, heavy draught horses; as, the Suffolk punch.
PUNCH Punch, v. t. Etym: [OE. punchen, perhaps the same word as E. punish: or cf. E. bunch.]
Defn: To thrust against; to poke; as, to punch one with the end of a stick or the elbow.
PUNCHPunch, n.
Defn: A thrust or blow. [Colloq.]
PUNCHPunch, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. puncheon.]
1. A tool, usually of steel, variously shaped at one end for different uses, and either solid, for stamping or for perforating holes in metallic plates and other substances, or hollow and sharpedged, for cutting out blanks, as for buttons, steel pens, jewelry, and the like; a die.
2. (Pile Driving)
Defn: An extension piece applied to the top of a pile; a dolly.
3. A prop, as for the roof of a mine. Bell punch. See under Bell. — Belt punch (Mach.), a punch, or punch pliers, for making holes for lacings in the ends of driving belts. — Punch press. See Punching machine, under Punch, v. i. — Punch pliers, pliers having a tubular, sharp-edged steel punch attached to one of the jaws, for perforating leather, paper, and the like.
PUNCHPunch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punched; p. pr. & vb. n. Punching.] Etym:[From Punch, n., a tool; cf. F. poinçonner.]
Defn: To perforate or stamp with an instrument by pressure, or a blow; as, to punch a hole; to punch ticket. Punching machine, or Punching press, a machine tool for punching holes in metal or other material; — called also punch press.
PUNCHEON Punch"eon, n. Etym: [F. poinçon awl, bodkin, crown, king-post, fr. L. punctio a pricking, fr. pungere to prick. See Pungent, and cf. Punch a tool, Punction.]
1. A figured stamp, die, or punch, used by goldsmiths, cutlers, etc.
2. (Carp.)
Defn: A short, upright piece of timber in framing; a short post; an intermediate stud. Oxf. Gloss.
3. A split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed; as, a floor made of puncheons. [U.S.] Bartlett.
4. Etym: [F. poinçon, perh. the same as poinçon an awl.]
Defn: A cask containing, sometimes 84, sometimes 120, gallons.
PUNCHERPunch"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, punches.
PUNCHINPun"chin, n.
Defn: See Puncheon.
PUNCHINELLO Pun`chi*nel"lo, n. Etym: [It. pulcinella, probably originally a word of endearment, dim. of pulcina, pulcino, a chicken, from L. pullicenus, pullus. See Pullet.]
Defn: A punch; a buffoon; originally, in a puppet show, a character represented as fat, short, and humpbacked. Spectator.
PUNCHYPunch"y, a. Etym: [Perhaps for paunchy, from paunch. See 3d Punch.]
Defn: Short and thick, or fat.
PUNCTATED; PUNCTATED Punc"ta*ted, Punc"ta*ted, a. Etym: [From L. punctum point. See Point .]
1. Pointed; ending in a point or points.
2. (Nat. Hist.)
Defn: Dotted with small spots of color, or with minute depressions or pits.
PUNCTATORPunc*ta"tor, n.
Defn: One who marks with points. specifically, one who writes Hebrew with points; — applied to a Masorite. E. Robinson.
PUNCTICULARPunc*tic"u*lar, a.
Defn: Comprised in, or like, a point; exact. [Obs. & R.] Sir T.Browne.
PUNCTIFORMPunc"ti*form, a. Etym: [L. punctum point + -form.]
Defn: Having the form of a point.
PUNCTILIO Punc*til"io, n.; pl. Punctilios. Etym: [It. puntiglio, or Sp. puntillo, dim. fr. L. punctum point. See Point, n.]
Defn: A nice point of exactness in conduct, ceremony, or proceeding; particularity or exactness in forms; as, the punctilios of a public ceremony. They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices. Fuller .
PUNCTILIOUSPunc*til"ious, a. Etym: [Cf. It. puntiglioso, Sp. puntilloso.]
Defn: Attentive to punctilio; very nice or exact in the forms ofbehavior, etiquette, or mutual intercourse; precise; exact in thesmallest particulars. "A punctilious observance of divine laws."Rogers. "Very punctilious copies of any letters. The Nation.Punctilious in the simple and intelligible instances of common life.I. Taylor.— Punc*til"ious*ly, adv.— Punc*til"ious*ness, n.
PUNCTIONPunc"tion, n. Etym: [L. punctio, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick: cf.F. ponction. Cf. Puncheon.]
Defn: A puncturing, or pricking; a puncture.
PUNCTISTPunc"tist, n.
Defn: A punctator. E. Henderson.
PUNCTOPunc"to, n. Etym: [See Punto.]
1. A nice point of form or ceremony. Bacon.
2. A term applied to the point in fencing. Farrow.
PUNCTUAL Punc"tu*al, a. Etym: [F. ponctuel (cf. Sp.puntual, It. puntuale), from L. punctum point. See Point.]
1. Consisting in a point; limited to a point; unextended. [R.] "This punctual spot." Milton. The theory of the punctual existence of the soul. Krauth.
2. Observant of nice points; punctilious; precise. Punctual to tediousness in all that he relates. Bp. Burnet. So much on punctual niceties they stand. C. Pitt.
3. Appearing or done at, or adhering exactly to, a regular or an appointed time; precise; prompt; as, a punctual man; a punctual payment. "The race of the undeviating and punctual sun." Cowper. These sharp strokes [of a pendulum], with their inexorably steady intersections, so agree with our successive thoughts that they seem like the punctual stops counting off our very souls into the past. J. Martineau.
PUNCTUALISTPunc"tu*al*ist, n.
Defn: One who is very exact in observing forms and ceremonies.Milton.
PUNCTUALITYPunc`tu*al"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. ponctualité.]
Defn: The quality or state of being punctual; especially, adherence to the exact time of an engagement; exactness.
PUNCTUALLYPunc"tu*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a punctual manner; promptly; exactly.
PUNCTUALNESSPunc"tu*al*ness, n.
Defn: Punctuality; exactness.
PUNCTUATEPunc"tu*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punctuated; p. pr. & vb. n.Punctuating.] Etym: [Cf. F. ponctuer. See Punctual.]
Defn: To mark with points; to separate into sentences, clauses, etc., by points or stops which mark the proper pauses in expressing the meaning.
PUNCTUATIONPunc`tu*a"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. ponctuation.] (Gram.)
Defn: The act or art of punctuating or pointing a writing or discourse; the art or mode of dividing literary composition into sentences, and members of a sentence, by means of points, so as to elucidate the author's meaning.
Note: Punctuation, as the term is usually understood, is chiefly performed with four points: the period [.], the colon [:], the semicolon [;], and the comma [,]. Other points used in writing and printing, partly rhetorical and partly grammatical, are the note of interrogation [], the note of exclamation [!], the parentheses [()], the dash [—], and brackets []. It was not until the 16th century that an approach was made to the present system of punctuation by the Manutii of Venice. With Caxton, oblique strokes took the place of commas and periods.
PUNCTUATIVEPunc"tu*a*tive, a.
Defn: Of or belonging to points of division; relating to punctuation.The punctuative intonation of feeble cadence. Rush.
PUNCTUATORPunc"tu*a`tor, n.
Defn: One who punctuates, as in writing; specifically, a punctator.
PUNCTUISTPunc"tu*ist, n.
Defn: A punctator.
PUNCTULATE; PUNCTULATED Punc"tu*late, Punc"tu*la`ted, a. Etym: [L. punctulum, dim. of punctum point.]
Defn: Marked with small spots. The studs have their surface punctulated, as if set all over with other studs infinitely lesser. Woodward.
PUNCTUMPunc"tum, n. Etym: [L., a point.]
Defn: A point. Punctum cæcum. Etym: [L., blind point.] (Anat.) Same as Blind spot, under Blind. — Punctum proximum, near point. See under Point. — Punctum remotum, far point. See under Point. — Punctum vegetationis Etym: [L., point of vegetation] (Bot.), the terminal cell of a stem, or of a leaf bud, from which new growth originates.
PUNCTURATIONPunc`tu*ra"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of puncturing. See Acupuncture.
PUNCTUREPunc"ture, n. Etym: [L. punctura, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. SeePungent.]
1. The act of puncturing; perforating with something pointed.
2. A small hole made by a point; a slight wound, bite, or sting; as, the puncture of a nail, needle, or pin. A lion may perish by the puncture of an asp. Rambler.
PUNCTUREPunc"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punctured; p. pr. & vb. n.Puncturing.]
Defn: To pierce with a small, pointed instrument, or the like; to prick; to make a puncture in; as, to puncture the skin.
PUNCTUREDPunc"tured, a.
1. Having the surface covered with minute indentations or dots.
2. (Med.)
Defn: Produced by puncture; having the characteristics of a puncture; as, a punctured wound.
PUNDITPun"dit, n. Etym: [Hind. pandit, Skr. pandita a learned man.]
Defn: A learned man; a teacher; esp., a Brahman versed in theSanskrit language, and in the science, laws, and religion of theHindoos; in Cashmere, any clerk or native official. [Written alsopandit.] [India]
PUNDLEPun"dle, n. Etym: [Cf. Bundle.]
Defn: A short and fat woman; a squab. [Obs.]
PUNESEPu"nese, n. Etym: [F. punaise, fr. punais stinking, fr. L. putere.](Zoöl.)
Defn: A bedbug. [R or Obs.]
PUNGPung, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: A kind of plain sleigh drawn by one horse; originally, a rude oblong box on runners. [U.S.] Sledges or pungs, coarsely framed of split saplings, and surmounted with a large crockery crate. Judd. They did not take out the pungs to-day. E. E. Hale.
PUNGENCEPun"gence, n. Etym: [See Pungent.]
Defn: Pungency.
PUNGENCYPun"gen*cy, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being pungent or piercing; keenness; sharpness; piquancy; as, the pungency of ammonia. "The pungency of menaces." Hammond.
PUNGENTPun"gent, a. Etym: [L. pungens, -entis, p. pr. of pungere, punctum,to prick. Cf. Compunction, Expunge, Poignant, Point, n., Puncheon,Punctilio, Punt, v. t.]
1. Causing a sharp sensation, as of the taste, smell, or feelings; pricking; biting; acrid; as, a pungent spice. Pungent radish biting infant's tongue. Shenstone. The pungent grains of titillating dust. Pope.
2. Sharply painful; penetrating; poignant; severe; caustic; stinging. With pungent pains on every side. Swift. His pungent pen played its part in rousing the nation. J. R. Green.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: Prickly-pointed; hard and sharp.
Syn. — Acrid; piercing; sharp; penetrating; acute; keen; acrimonious; biting; stinging.
PUNGENTLYPun"gent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a pungent manner; sharply.
PUNGLEDPun"gled, a. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: Shriveled or shrunken; — said especially of grain which has lost its juices from the ravages of insects, such as the wheat midge, or Trips (Thrips cerealium).
PUNGYPung"y, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: A small sloop or shallop, or a large boat with sails.
PUNIC Pu"nic, a. Etym: [L. Punicus pertaining to Carthage, or its inhabitants, fr. Poeni the Carthaginians.]
1. Of or pertaining to the ancient Carthaginians.
2. Characteristic of the ancient Carthaginians; faithless; treacherous; as, Punic faith. Yes, yes, his faith attesting nations own; 'T is Punic all, and to a proverb known. H. Brooke.
PUNICEPu"nice, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Punese. [Obs. or R.]
PUNICEPu"nice, v. t.
Defn: To punish. [Obs.] Chaucer.
PUNICEOUS; PUNICIALPu*ni"ceous, Pu*ni"cial, a. Etym: [L. puniceus, fr. Punicus Punic.]
Defn: Of a bright red or purple color. [R.]
PUNINESSPu"ni*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being puny; littleness; pettiness; feebleness.
PUNISHPun"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punished; p. pr. & vb. n. Punishing.]Etym: [OE. punischen, F. punir, from L. punire, punitum, akin topoena punishment, penalty. See Pain, and -ish.]
1. To impose a penalty upon; to afflict with pain, loss, or suffering for a crime or fault, either with or without a view to the offender's amendment; to cause to suffer in retribution; to chasten; as, to punish traitors with death; a father punishes his child for willful disobedience. A greater power Now ruled him, punished in the shape he sinned. Milton.
2. To inflict a penalty for (an offense) upon the offender; to repay, as a fault, crime, etc., with pain or loss; as, to punish murder or treason with death.
3. To injure, as by beating; to pommel. [Low]
Syn.— To chastise; castigate; scourge; whip; lash; correct; discipline.See Chasten.
PUNISHABLEPun"ish*a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. punissable.]
Defn: Deserving of, or liable to, punishment; capable of being punished by law or right; — said of person or offenses. That time was, when to be a Protestant, to be a Christian, was by law as punishable as to be a traitor. Milton. — Pun"ish*a*ble*ness, n.
PUNISHERPun"ish*er, n.
Defn: One who inflicts punishment.
PUNISHMENTPun"ish*ment, n.
1. The act of punishing.
2. Any pain, suffering, or loss inflicted on a person because of acrime or offense.I never gave them condign punishment. Shak.The rewards and punishments of another life. Locke.
3. (Law)
Defn: A penalty inflicted by a court of justice on a convicted offender as a just retribution, and incidentally for the purposes of reformation and prevention.
PUNITIONPu*ni"tion, n. Etym: [L. punitio: cf. F. punition. See Punish.]
Defn: Punishment. [R.] Mir. for Mag.
PUNITIVEPu"ni*tive, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to punishment; involving, awarding, or inflicting punishment; as, punitive law or justice. If death be punitive, so, likewise, is the necessity imposed upon man of toiling for his subsistence. I. Taylor. We shall dread a blow from the punitive hand. Bagehot.
PUNITORYPu"ni*to*ry, a.
Defn: Punishing; tending to punishment; punitive. God . . . may make moral evil, as well as natural, at the same time both prudential and punitory. A. Tucker.
PUNKPunk, n. Etym: [Cf. Spunk.]
1. Wood so decayed as to be dry, crumbly, and useful for tinder; touchwood.
2. A fungus (Polyporus fomentarius, etc.) sometimes dried for tinder; agaric.
3. An artificial tinder. See Amadou, and Spunk.
4. A prostitute; a strumpet. [Obsoles.] Shak.
PUNKAPun"ka, n. Etym: [Hind. pankha fan.]
Defn: A machine for fanning a room, usually a movable fanlike frame covered with canvas, and suspended from the ceiling. It is kept in motion by pulling a cord. [Hindostan] [Written also punkah.] Malcom.
PUNKIEPunk"ie, n. [Orig. unknown.]
Defn: A minute biting fly of the genus Ceratopogon or allied genus of the family Chironomidæ, found in swarms in various densely wooded or mountaneous regions. [U. S.]
PUNKINPun"kin, n.
Defn: A pumpkin. [Colloq. U. S.]
PUNKLINGPunk"ling, n.
Defn: A young strumpet. [Obs.]
PUNNERPun"ner, n.
Defn: A punster. Beau. & Fl.
PUNNETPun"net, n. Etym: [Cf. Ir. buinne a shoot, branch.]
Defn: A broad, shallow basket, for displaying fruit or flowers.
PUNNOLOGYPun*nol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Pun + -logy.]
Defn: The art or practice of punning; paronomasia. [R.] Pope.
PUNSTERPun"ster, n.
Defn: One who puns, or is skilled in, or given to, punning; a quibbler; a low wit.
PUNTPunt, v. i. Etym: [F. ponter, or It. puntare, fr. L. punctum point.See Point.]
Defn: To play at basset, baccara, faro. or omber; to gamble.She heard . . . of his punting at gaming tables. Thackeray.
PUNTPunt, n.
Defn: Act of playing at basset, baccara, faro, etc.
PUNTPunt, n. Etym: [AS., fr. L. ponto punt, pontoon. See Pontoon.](Naut.)
Defn: A flat-bottomed boat with square ends. It is adapted for use in shallow waters.
PUNTPunt, v. t.
1. To propel, as a boat in shallow water, by pushing with a pole against the bottom; to push or propel (anything) with exertion. Livingstone.
2. (Football)
Defn: To kick (the ball) before it touches the ground, when let fall from the hands.
PUNTPunt, n. (Football)
Defn: The act of punting the ball.
PUNTELLOPun*tel"lo, n.; pl. -li (#). [It., dim. of punto point.] (Sculpture)
Defn: One of the points sometimes drilled as guides for cutting away superfluous stone.
PUNTERPunt"er, n.Etym: [Cf. F. ponte. See Punt, v. t.]
Defn: One who punts; specifically, one who plays against the banker or dealer, as in baccara and faro. Hoyle.
PUNTERPunt"er, n.
Defn: One who punts a football; also, one who propels a punt.
PUNTIL; PUNTELPun"til, Pun"tel, n. (Glass Making)
Defn: See Pontee.
PUNTOPun"to, n. Etym: [It. punto, L. punctum point. See Point.] (Fencing)
Defn: A point or hit. Punto diritto Etym: [It.], a direct stroke orhit.— Punto reverso Etym: [It. riverso reverse], a backhanded stroke.Halliwell. "Ah, the immortal passado! the punto reverso!" Shak.
PUNT-OUTPunt"-out`, n. (American Football)
Defn: A punt made from the goal line by a player of the side which has made a touchdown to one of his own side for a fair catch, from which an attempt to kick a goal may be made.
PUNTYPun"ty, n. (Glass Making)
Defn: See Pontee.
PUNY Pu"ny, a. [Compar. Punier; superl. Puniest.] Etym: [F. puîté younger, later born, OF. puisné; puis afterwards (L. post; see Post-) + né born, L. natus. See Natal, and cf. Puisne.]
Defn: Imperfectly developed in size or vigor; small and feeble;inferior; petty.A puny subject strikes at thy great glory. Shak.Breezes laugh to scorn our puny speed. Keble.
PUNYPu"ny, n.
Defn: A youth; a novice. [R.] Fuller.
PUOYPuoy, n.
Defn: Same as Poy, n., 3.
PUP Pup, n. Etym: [See Puppy.] (Zoöl.) (a) A young dog; a puppy. (b) a young seal.
PUPPup, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pupped; p. pr. & vb. n. Pupping.]
Defn: To bring forth whelps or young, as the female of the canine species.
PUPA Pu"pa, n.; pl. L. Pup, E. Pupas. Etym: [L. pupa girl. doll, puppet, fem. of pupus. Cf. Puppet.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any insect in that stage of its metamorphosis which usually immediately precedes the adult, or imago, stage.
Note: Among insects belonging to the higher orders, as the Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, the pupa is inactive and takes no food; in the lower orders it is active and takes food, and differs little from the imago except in the rudimentary state of the sexual organs, and of the wings in those that have wings when adult. The term pupa is sometimes applied to other invertebrates in analogous stages of development.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of air-breathing land snails having an elongated spiral shell. Coarctate, or Obtected, pupa, a pupa which is incased in the dried-up skin of the larva, as in many Diptera. — Masked pupa, a pupa whose limbs are bound down and partly concealed by a chitinous covering, as in Lepidoptera.
PUPALPu"pal, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a pupa, or the condition of a pupa.
PUPATEPu"pate, v. i. (Zoöl.)
Defn: To become a pupa.
PUPATIONPu*pa"tion, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: the act of becoming a pupa.
PUPEPupe, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A pupa.
PUPELOPu*pe"lo, n.
Defn: Cider brandy. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett.
PUPIGEROUSPu*pig"er*ous, a. Etym: [Pupa + -gerous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Bearing or containing a pupa; — said of dipterous larvæ which do not molt when the pupa is formed within them.
PUPIL Pu"pil, n. Etym: [F. pupille, n. fem., L. pupilla the pupil of the eye, originally dim. of pupa a girl. See Puppet, and cf. Pupil a scholar.] (Anat.)
Defn: The aperture in the iris; the sight, apple, or black of the eye. See the Note under Eye, and Iris. Pin-hole pupil (Med.), the pupil of the eye when so contracted (as it sometimes is in typhus, or opium poisoning) as to resemble a pin hole. Dunglison.
PUPIL Pu"pil, n. Etym: [F. pupille, n. masc. & fem., L. pupillus, pupilla, dim. of pupus boy, pupa girl. See Puppet, and cf. Pupil of the eye.]
1. A youth or scholar of either sex under the care of an instructoror tutor.Too far in years to be a pupil now. Shak.Tutors should behave reverently before their pupils. L'Estrange.
2. A person under a guardian; a ward. Dryden.
3. (Civil Law)
Defn: A boy or a girl under the age of puberty, that is, under fourteen if a male, and under twelve if a female.
Syn.— Learner; disciple; tyro.— See Scholar.
PUPILAGEPu"pil*age, n.
Defn: The state of being a pupil. As sons of kings, loving in pupilage, Have turned to tyrants when they came to power. Tennyson.
PUPILLARITYPu`pil*lar"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pupillarité. See Pupillary.] (ScotsLaw)
Defn: The period before puberty, or from birth to fourteen in males, and twelve in females.
PUPILLARYPu"pil*la*ry, a. Etym: [L. pupillaris: cf. F.pupillaire. See Pupil.]
1. Of or pertaining to a pupil or ward. Johnson.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the pupil of the eye.
PUPILLOMETERPu`pil*lom"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. pupilla pupil of the eye + -meter.](Physiol.)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the size of the pupil of the pupil of the eye.
PUPIPARAPu*pip"a*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pupiparous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Diptera in which the young are born in a stage like the pupa. It includes the sheep tick, horse tick, and other parasites. Called also Homaloptera.
PUPIPAROUS Pu*pip"a*rous, a. Etym: [Pupa + L. parere to bring forth.] (Zoöl.) (a) Bearing, or containing, a pupa; — said of the matured larvæ, or larval skins, of certain Diptera. (b) Of or pertaining to the Pupipara.
PUPIVORAPu*piv"o*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pupivorous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A group of parasitic Hymenoptera, including the ichneumon flies, which destroy the larvæ and pupæ of insects.
PUPIVOROUSPu*piv"o*rous, a. Etym: [Pupa + L. vorare to devour.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Feeding on the pupæ of insects.
PUPLICANPup"li*can, n.
Defn: Publican. [Obs.]
PUPPETPup"pet, n. Etym: [OE. popet, OF. poupette; akin to F. poupée a doll,probably from L. puppa, pupa, a girl, doll, puppet. Cf. Poupeton,Pupa, Pupil, Puppy.] [Written also poppet.]
1. A small image in the human form; a doll.
2. A similar figure moved by the hand or by a wire in a mock drama; a marionette; a wooden actor in a play. At the pipes of some carved organ move, The gilded puppets dance. Pope.
3. One controlled in his action by the will of another; a tool; — so used in contempt. Sir W. Scott.
4. (Mach.)
Defn: The upright support for the bearing of the spindle in a lathe. Puppet master. Same as Puppetman. — Puppet play, a puppet show. — Puppet player, one who manages the motions of puppets. — Puppet show, a mock drama performed by puppets moved by wires. — Puppet valve, a valve in the form of a circular disk, which covers a hole in its seat, and opens by moving bodily away from the seat while remaining parallel with it, — used in steam engines, pumps, safety valves, etc. Its edge is often beveled, and fits in a conical recess in the seat when the valve is closed. See the valves shown in Illusts. of Plunger pump, and Safety valve, under Plunger, and Safety.
PUPPETISHPup"pet*ish, a.
Defn: Resembling a puppet in appearance or action; of the nature of a puppet.
PUPPETMANPup"pet*man, n.
Defn: A master of a puppet show.
PUPPETRYPup"pet*ry, n.
Defn: Action or appearance resembling that of a puppet, or puppet show; hence, mere form or show; affectation. Puppetry of the English laws of divorce. Chambers.
PUPPY Pup"py, n.; pl. Puppies. Etym: [F. poupée doll, puppet. See Puppet, and cf. Pup, n.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The young of a canine animal, esp. of the common dog; a whelp.
2. A name of contemptuous reproach for a conceited and impertinent person. I found my place taken by an ill-bred, awkward puppy with a money bag under each arm. Addison.
PUPPYPup"py, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puppied; p. pr. & vb. n. Puppying.]
Defn: To bring forth whelps; to pup.
PUPPYHOODPup"py*hood, n.
Defn: The time or state of being a puppy; the time of being young and undisciplined.
PUPPYISHPup"py*ish, a.
Defn: Like a puppy.
PUPPYISMPup"py*ism, n.
Defn: Extreme meanness, affectation, conceit, or impudence. A.Chalmers.
PUR Pur, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Purred; p. pr. & vb. n. Purring.] Etym: [Of imitative origin; cf. Prov. G. purren.]
Defn: To utter a low, murmuring, continued sound, as a cat does when pleased. [Written also purr.]
PURPur, v. t.
Defn: To signify or express by purring. Gray.
PURPur, n.
Defn: The low, murmuring sound made by a cat to express contentment or pleasure. [Written also purr.]
PURANA Pu*ra"na, n. Etym: [Skr. pura, properly. old, ancient, fr. pura formerly.]
Defn: One of a class of sacred Hindoo poetical works in the Sanskrit language which treat of the creation, destruction, and renovation of worlds, the genealogy and achievements of gods and heroes, the reigns of the Manus, and the transactions of their descendants. The principal Puranas are eighteen in number, and there are the same number of supplementary books called Upa Puranas.
PURANICPu*ran"ic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to the Puranas.
PURBECK BEDSPur"beck beds`. Etym: [So called from the Isle of Purbeck inEngland.] (Geol.)
Defn: The strata of the Purbeck stone, or Purbeck limestone, belonging to the Oölitic group. See the Chart of Geology.
PURBECK STONEPur"beck stone`. (Geol.)
Defn: A limestone from the Isle of Purbeck in England.
PURBLIND Pur"blind`, a. Etym: [For pure-blind, i. e., wholly blind. See Pure, and cf. Poreblind.]
1. Wholly blind. "Purblind Argus, all eyes and no sight." Shak.
2. Nearsighted, or dim-sighted; seeing obscurely; as, a purblind eye; a purblind mole. The saints have not so sharp eyes to see down from heaven; they be purblindand sand-blind. Latimer. O purblind race of miserable men. Tennyson. — Pur"blind`ly, adv. — Pur"blind`ness, n.
PURCELANEPurce"lane, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Purslane. [Obs.]
PURCHASABLEPur"chas*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being bought, purchased, or obtained for a consideration; hence, venal; corrupt. Money being the counterbalance to all things purchasable by it, as much as you take off from the value of money, so much you add to the price of things exchanged. Locke.
PURCHASE Pur"chase (; 48), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purchased; p. pr. & vb. n. Purchasing.] Etym: [OE. purchasen, porchacen, OF. porchacier, purchacier, to pursue, to seek eagerly, F. pourchasser; OF. pour, por, pur, for (L. pro) + chacier to pursue, to chase. See Chase.]
1. To pursue and obtain; to acquire by seeking; to gain, obtain, oracquire. Chaucer.That loves the thing he can not purchase. Spenser.Your accent is Something finer than you could purchase in so removeda dwelling. Shak.His faults . . . hereditary Rather than purchased. Shak.
2. To obtain by paying money or its equivalent; to buy for a price; as, to purchase land, or a house. The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth. Gen. xxv. 10.
3. To obtain by any outlay, as of labor, danger, or sacrifice, etc.; as, to purchase favor with flattery. One poor retiring minute . . . Would purchase thee a thousand thousand friends. Shak. A world who would not purchase with a bruise Milton.
4. To expiate by a fine or forfeit. [Obs.] Not tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses. Shak.
5. (Law) (a) To acquire by any means except descent or inheritance. Blackstone. (b) To buy for a price.
6. To apply to (anything) a device for obtaining a mechanical advantage; to get a purchase upon, or apply a purchase to; as, to purchase a cannon.
PURCHASEPur"chase, v. i.
1. To put forth effort to obtain anything; to strive; to exert one's self. [Obs.] Duke John of Brabant purchased greatly that the Earl of Flanders should have his daughter in marriage. Ld. Berners.
2. To acquire wealth or property. [Obs.] Sure our lawyers Would not purchase half so fast. J. Webster.
PURCHASEPur"chase (; 48), n. Etym: [OE. purchds, F. pourchas eager pursuit.See Purchase, v. t.]
1. The act of seeking, getting, or obtaining anything. [Obs.] I'll . . . get meat to have thee, Or lose my life in the purchase. Beau. & Fl.
2. The act of seeking and acquiring property.
3. The acquisition of title to, or properly in, anything for a price; buying for money or its equivalent. It is foolish to lay out money in the purchase of repentance. Franklin.
4. That which is obtained, got, or acquired, in any manner, honestly or dishonestly; property; possession; acquisition. Chaucer. B. Jonson. We met with little purchase upon this coast, except two small vessels of Golconda. De Foe. A beauty-waning and distressed widow . . . Made prize and purchase of his lustful eye. Shak.
5. That which is obtained for a price in money or its equivalent. "The scrip was complete evidence of his right in the purchase." Wheaton.
6. Any mechanical hold, or advantage, applied to the raising or removing of heavy bodies, as by a lever, a tackle, capstan, and the like; also, the apparatus, tackle, or device by which the advantage is gained. A politician, to do great things, looks for a power — what our workmen call a purchase. Burke.
7. (Law)
Defn: Acquisition of lands or tenements by other means than descent or inheritance, namely, by one's own act or agreement. Blackstone. Purchase criminal, robbery. [Obs.] Spenser. — Purchase money, the money paid, or contracted to be paid, for anything bought. Berkeley. — Worth, or At, [so many] years' purchase, a phrase by which the value or cost of a thing is expressed in the length of time required for the income to amount to the purchasing price; as, he bought the estate at a twenty years' purchase. To say one's life is not worth a day's purchase in the same as saying one will not live a day, or is in imminent peril.
PURCHASERPur"chas*er, n.
1. One who purchases; one who acquires property for a consideration, generally of money; a buyer; a vendee.
2. (Law)
Defn: One who acquires an estate in lands by his own act or agreement, or who takes or obtains an estate by any means other than by descent or inheritance.
PURDAHPur"dah, n. Etym: [Per. parda a curtain.]
Defn: A curtain or screen; also, a cotton fabric in blue and white stripes, used for curtains. McElrath.
PURE Pure, a. [Compar. Purer; superl. Purest.] Etym: [OE. pur, F. pur, fr. L. purus; akin to putus pure, clear, putare to clean, trim, prune, set in order, settle, reckon, consider, think, Skr. p to clean, and perh. E. fire. Cf. Putative.]
1. Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; free from mixture or combination; clean; mere; simple; unmixed; as, pure water; pure clay; pure air; pure compassion. The pure fetters on his shins great. Chaucer. A guinea is pure gold if it has in it no alloy. I. Watts.
2. Free from moral defilement or quilt; hence, innocent; guileless; chaste; — applied to persons. "Keep thyself pure." 1 Tim. v. 22. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience. 1 Tim. i. 5.
3. Free from that which harms, vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect; — applied to things and actions. "Pure religion and impartial laws." Tickell. "The pure, fine talk of Rome." Ascham. Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records. Macaulay.
4. (Script.)
Defn: Ritually clean; fitted for holy services. Thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. Lev. xxiv. 6.
5. (Phonetics)
Defn: Of a single, simple sound or tone; — said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants. Pure-impure, completely or totally impure. "The inhabitants were pure-impure pagans." Fuller. — Pure blue. (Chem.) See Methylene blue, under Methylene. — Pure chemistry. See under Chemistry. — Pure mathematics, that portion of mathematics which treats of the principles of the science, or contradistinction to applied mathematics, which treats of the application of the principles to the investigation of other branches of knowledge, or to the practical wants of life. See Mathematics. Davies & Peck (Math. Dict. ) — Pure villenage (Feudal Law), a tenure of lands by uncertain services at the will of the lord. Blackstone.
Syn. — Unmixed; clear; simple; real; true; genuine; unadulterated; uncorrupted; unsullied; untarnished; unstained; stainless; clean; fair; unspotted; spotless; incorrupt; chaste; unpolluted; undefiled; immaculate; innocent; guiltless; guileless; holy.
PUREDPured, a.
Defn: Purified; refined. [Obs.] "Bread of pured wheat." "Pured gold."Chaucer.
PUREEPu`rée", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A dish made by boiling any article of food to a pulp and rubbing it through a sieve; as, a purée of fish, or of potatoes; especially, a soup the thickening of which is so treated.
PURELYPure"ly, adv.
1. In a pure manner (in any sense of the adjective).
2. Nicely; prettily. [Archaic] Halliwell.
PURENESSPure"ness, n.
Defn: The state of being pure (in any sense of the adjective).
PURFILEPur"file, n. Etym: [See Purfle.]
Defn: A sort of ancient trimming of tinsel and thread for women's gowns; — called also bobbinwork. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
PURFLE Pur"fle, v. t. Etym: [OF. pourfiler; pour for + fil a thread, L. filum. See Profile, and cf. Purl a border.]
1. To decorate with a wrought or flowered border; to embroider; to ornament with metallic threads; as, to purfle with blue and white. P. Plowman. A goodly lady clad in scarlet red, Purfled with gold and pearl of rich assay. Spenser.
2. (Her.)
Defn: To ornament with a bordure of emines, furs, and the like; also, with gold studs or mountings.
PURFLE; PURFLEWPur"fle, Pur"flew, n.
1. A hem, border., or trimming, as of embroidered work.
2. (Her.)
Defn: A border of any heraldic fur.
PURFLEDPur"fled, a.
Defn: Ornamented; decorated; esp., embroidered on the edges. Purfled work (Arch.), delicate tracery, especially in Gothic architecture.
PURFLINGPur"fling, n.
Defn: Ornamentation on the border of a thing; specifically, the inlaid border of a musical instrument, as a violin.
PURGAMENT Pur"ga*ment, n. Etym: [L. purgamentum offscourings, washings, expiatory sacrifice. See Purge.]
1. That which is excreted; excretion. [Obs.]
2. (Med.)
Defn: A cathartic; a purgative. [Obs.] Bacon.
PURGATIONPur*ga"tion, n. Etym: [L. purgatio: cf. F. purgation. See Purge.]
1. The act of purging; the act of clearing, cleansing, or putifying, by separating and carrying off impurities, or whatever is superfluous; the evacuation of the bowels.
2. (Law)
Defn: The clearing of one's self from a crime of which one was publicly suspected and accused. It was either canonical, which was prescribed by the canon law, the form whereof used in the spiritual court was, that the person suspected take his oath that he was clear of the matter objected against him, and bring his honest neighbors with him to make oath that they believes he swore truly; or vulgar, which was by fire or water ordeal, or by combat. See Ordeal. Wharton. Let him put me to my purgation. Shak.
PURGATIVEPur"ga*tive, a Etym: [L. purgativus: cf. F. purgatif.]
Defn: Having the power or quality of purging; cathartic.— n. (Med.)
Defn: A purging medicine; a cathartic.
PURGATIVELYPur"ga*tive*ly, adv.
Defn: In a purgative manner.
PURGATORIAL; PURGATORIANPur`ga*to"ri*al, Pur`ga*to"ri*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to purgatory; expiatory.
PURGATORIANPur`ga*to"ri*an, n.
Defn: One who holds to the doctrine of purgatory. Boswell.
PURGATORYPur"ga*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. purgatorius.]
Defn: Tending to cleanse; cleansing; expiatory. Burke.
PURGATORYPur"ga*to*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. purgatoire.]
Defn: A state or place of purification after death; according to the Roman Catholic creed, a place, or a state believed to exist after death, in which the souls of persons are purified by expiating such offenses committed in this life as do not merit eternal damnation, or in which they fully satisfy the justice of God for sins that have been forgiven. After this purgation from the impurities of sin, the souls are believed to be received into heaven.
PURGEPurge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purged; p. pr. & vb. n. Purging.] Etym:[F. purger, L. purgare; purus pure + agere to make, to do. See Pure,and Agent.]
1. To cleanse, clear, or purify by separating and carrying off whatever is impure, heterogeneous, foreign, or superfluous. "Till fire purge all things new." Milton.
2. (Med.)
Defn: To operate on as, or by means of, a cathartic medicine, or in a similar manner.
3. To clarify; to defecate, as liquors.
4. To clear of sediment, as a boiler, or of air, as a steam pipe, by driving off or permitting escape.
5. To clear from guilt, or from moral or ceremonial defilement; as, to purge one of guilt or crime. When that he hath purged you from sin. Chaucer. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Ps. li. 7.
6. (Law)
Defn: To clear from accusation, or the charge of a crime or misdemeanor, as by oath or in ordeal.
7. To remove in cleansing; to deterge; to wash away; — oftenfollowed by away.Purge away our sins, for thy name's sake. Ps. lxxix. 9.We 'll join our cares to purge away Our country's crimes. Addison.
PURGEPurge, v. i.
1. To become pure, as by clarification.
2. To have or produce frequent evacuations from the intestines, as by means of a cathartic.
PURGEPurge, n. Etym: [Cf. F. purge. See Purge, v. t.]
1. The act of purging. The preparative for the purge of paganism of the kingdom of Northumberland. Fuller.
2. That which purges; especially, a medicine that evacuates the intestines; a cathartic. Arbuthnot.
PURGERPur"ger, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, purges or cleanses; especially, a cathartic medicine.
PURGERYPur"ger*y, n.
Defn: The part of a sugarhouse where the molasses is drained off from the sugar.
PURGINGPur"ging, a.
Defn: That purges; cleansing. Purging flax (Bot.), an annual European plant of the genus Linum (L. catharticum); dwarf wild flax; — so called from its use as a cathartic medicine.
PURGINGPur"ging, n. (Med.)
Defn: The act of cleansing; excessive evacuations; especially, diarrhea.