# dictionary

word: Proctor₂
definition:
Proctor

Proc"tor
v. t.
To act as a proctor toward; to manage as an attorney or agent.
Bp. Warburton.


word: Proctorage
definition:
Proctorage

Proc"tor*age
(?)
n.
Management by a proctor, or as by a proctor; hence, control; superintendence; -- in contempt.
proctorage
Milton.


word: Proctorial
definition:
Proctorial

Proc*to"ri*al
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to a proctor, esp. an academic proctor; magisterial.


word: Proctorship
definition:
Proctorship

Proc"tor*ship
(?)
n.
The office or dignity of a proctor; also, the term of his office.
Clarendon.


word: Proctotomy
definition:
Proctotomy

Proc*tot"o*my
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; anus + _; to cut.]
(Surg.)
An incision into the rectum, as for the division of a stricture.


word: Proctucha
definition:
Proctucha

Proc"tu*cha
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., from Gr. _; anus + _; to have.]
(Zool.)
(a)
A division of Turbellaria including those that have an intestine terminating posteriorly.
(b)
The Nemertina.


word: Procumbent
definition:
Procumbent

Pro*cum"bent
(?)
a.
[L. procumbens, -entis, p. pr. of procumbere to fall, bend, or lean forward; pro forward + cumbere (in comp.), akin to cubare to lie down: cf. F. procombant.  Cf. Incumbent.]

1.
Lying down, or on the face; prone.
Procumbent
Cowper.

2.
(Bot.)
Lying on the ground, but without putting forth roots; trailing; prostrate; as, a procumbent stem.


word: Procuracy
definition:
Procuracy

Proc"u*ra*cy
(?)
n.
pl. Procuracies (#).
[LL. procuratia: cf. F. procuratie. See Procuration, and cf,. Proxy.]

1.
The office or act of a proctor or procurator; management for another.

2.
Authority to act for another; a proxy.
[Obs.]


word: Procuration
definition:
Procuration

Proc`u*ra"tion
(?)
n.
[L. procuratio: cf. F. procuration. See Procure.]

1.
The act of procuring; procurement.

2.
The management of another's affairs.

3.
The instrument by which a person is empowered to transact the affairs of another; a proxy.

4.
(Ch. of Eng.)
A sum of money paid formerly to the bishop or archdeacon, now to the ecclesiastical commissioners, by an incumbent, as a commutation for entertainment at the time of visitation; -- called also proxy.

Procuration money (Law), money paid for procuring a loan. Blackstone.


word: Procurator
definition:
Procurator

Proc"u*ra`tor
(?)
n.
[L.: cf. F. procurateur. See Procure, and cf. Proctor. ]

1.
(Law)
One who manages another's affairs, either generally or in a special matter; an agent; a proctor.
Chaucer. Shak.

2.
(Rom. Antiq.)
A governor of a province under the emperors; also, one who had charge of the imperial revenues in a province; as, the procurator of Judea.

Procurator fiscal (Scots Law), public prosecutor, or district attorney.


word: Procuratorial
definition:
Procuratorial

Proc`u*ra*to"ri*al
(_;)
a.
Of or pertaining to a procurator, or proctor; made by a proctor.
Ayliffe.


word: Procure
definition:
Procure

Pro*cure"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Procured (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Procuring.]
[F. procurer, L. procurare, procuratum, to take care of; pro for + curare to take care, fr. cura care. See Cure, and cf. Proctor, Proxy.]

1.
To bring into possession; to cause to accrue to, or to come into possession of; to acquire or provide for one's self or for another; to gain; to get; to obtain by any means, as by purchase or loan.

If we procure not to ourselves more woe.
Milton.

2.
To contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause.

By all means possible they procure to have gold and silver among them in reproach.
Robynson (More's Utopia) .

Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall.
Shak.

3.
To solicit; to entreat.
[Obs.]

The famous Briton prince and faery knight, . . . 
Of the fair Alma greatly were procured
To make there longer sojourn and abode.
Spenser.

4.
To cause to come; to bring; to attract.
[Obs.]

What unaccustomed cause procures her hither?
Shak.

5.
To obtain for illicit intercourse or prostitution.


word: Procure₂
definition:
Procure

Pro*cure"
(?)
v. i.

1.
To pimp.
Shak.

2.
To manage business for another in court.
[Scot.]


word: Procurement
definition:
Procurement

Pro*cure"ment
(?)
n.

1.
The act of procuring or obtaining; obtainment; attainment.

2.
Efficient contrivance; management; agency.

They think it done
By her procurement.
Dryden.


word: Procurer
definition:
Procurer

Pro*cur"er
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. procureur.]

1.
One who procures, or obtains; one who, or that which, brings on, or causes to be done, esp. by corrupt means.

2.
One who procures the gratification of lust for another; a pimp; a pander.
South.


word: Procyon
definition:
Procyon

Pro"cy*on
(?)
n.
[L., a constellation which rises before the Dog Star, Gr. _;; _; before + _; a dog. ]

1.
(Astron.)
A star of the first magnitude in the constellation Canis Minor, or the Little Dog.

2.
(Zool.)
A genus of mammals including the raccoon.


word: Prod
definition:
Prod

Prod
(?)
n.
[Cf. Gael. & Ir. brod goad, prickle, sting, and E. brad, also W. procio to poke, thrust.]

1.
A pointed instrument for pricking or puncturing, as a goad, an awl, a skewer, etc.

2.
A prick or stab which a pointed instrument.

3.
A light kind of crossbow; -- in the sense, often spelled prodd.
Fairholt.


word: Prod₂
definition:
Prod

Prod
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prodded (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prodding.]
To thrust some pointed instrument into; to prick with something sharp; as, to prod a soldier with a bayonet; to prod oxen; hence, to goad, to incite, to worry; as, to prod a student.
H. Taylor.


word: Prodigal
definition:
Prodigal

Prod"i*gal
(?)
a.
[L. prodigus, from prodigere to drive forth, to squander away; pro forward, forth + agere to drive; cf. F. prodigue. See Agent. ]
Given to extravagant expenditure; expending money or other things without necessity; recklessly or viciously profuse; lavish; wasteful; not frugal or economical; as, a prodigal man; the prodigal son; prodigal giving; prodigal expenses.

In fighting fields [patriots]  were prodigal of blood.
Dryden.


word: Prodigal₂
definition:
Prodigal

Prod"i*gal
n.
One who expends money extravagantly, viciously, or without necessity; one that is profuse or lavish in any expenditure; a waster; a spendthrift.
prodigals
Trench.


word: Prodigality
definition:
Prodigality

Prod`i*gal"i*ty
(?)
n.
[F. prodigalité, L. prodigalitas. See Prodigal.]
Extravagance in expenditure, particularly of money; excessive liberality; profusion; waste; -- opposed to frugality, economy, and parsimony.
prodigality
Dryden.


word: Prodigally
definition:
Prodigally

Prod"i*gal*ly
adv.
In a prodigal manner; with profusion of expense; extravagantly; wasteful; profusely; lavishly; as, an estate prodigally dissipated.

Nature not bounteous now, but lavish grows;
Our paths with flowers she prodigally strows.
Dryden.


word: Prodigence
definition:
Prodigence

Prod"i*gence
(?)
n.
[L. prodigentia, fr. prodigens, p. pr. of prodigere. See Prodigal. ]
Waste; profusion; prodigality.
[R.]
Bp. Hall.


word: Prodigious
definition:
Prodigious

Pro*di"gious
(?)
a.
[L. prodigiosus, fr. prodigium a prodigy; cf. F. prodigieux. See Prodigy.]

1.
Of the nature of a prodigy; marvelous; wonderful; portentous.
[Obs. or R.]
Spenser.

It is prodigious to have thunder in a clear sky.
Sir T. Browne.

2.
Extraordinary in bulk, extent, quantity, or degree; very great; vast; huge; immense; as, a prodigious mountain; a prodigious creature; a prodigious blunder.
Prodigious
Milton.


word: Prodigiously
definition:
Prodigiously

Pro*di"gious*ly
adv.

1.
Enormously; wonderfully; astonishingly; as, prodigiously great.

2.
Very much; extremely; as, he was prodigiously pleased.
[Colloq.]
Pope.


word: Prodigiousness
definition:
Prodigiousness

Pro*di"gious*ness
n.
The quality or state of being prodigious; the state of having qualities that excite wonder or astonishment; enormousness; vastness.


word: Prodigy
definition:
Prodigy

Prod"i*gy
(?)
n.
pl. Prodigies (#).
[ L. prodigium; pro before + (perh.) a word appearing in adagium adage: cf. F. prodige.  Cf. Adage. ]

1.
Something extraordinary, or out of the usual course of nature, from which omens are drawn; a portent; as, eclipses and meteors were anciently deemed prodigies.

So many terrors, voices, prodigies,
May warn thee, as a sure foregoing sign.
Milton.

2.
Anything so extraordinary as to excite wonder or astonishment; a marvel; as, a prodigy of learning.

3.
A production out of ordinary course of nature; an abnormal development; a monster.
B. Jonson.


word: Prodition
definition:
Prodition

Pro*di"tion
(?)
n.
[L. proditio, from prodere to give forth, betray: cf. OF. prodition.]
Disclosure; treachery; treason.
[Obs.]
Ainsworth.


word: Proditorious
definition:
Proditorious

Prod`i*to"ri*ous
(?)
a.
[Cf. OF. proditoire.]

1.
Treacherous; perfidious; traitorous.
[Obs.]
Daniel.

2.
Apt to make unexpected revelations.
[Obs.]
proditorious
Sir H. Wotton.


word: Prodromal
definition:
Prodromal

Prod"ro*mal
(?)
a.
(Med.)
Of or pertaining to prodromes; as, the prodromal stage of a disease.


word: Prodrome
definition:
Prodrome

Pro"drome
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; running before; _; before + _; to run: cf. F. prodrome.]
1.
A forerunner; a precursor.

2.
(Med.)
A premonitory symptom; a symptom or sensation experienced by a person which presages the onset of a disease or abnormal physiological event; as, the prodrome of an epileptic seizure.


word: Prodromus
definition:
Prodromus

Prod"ro*mus
(?)
n.
[NL.]

1.
A prodrome.

2.
A preliminary course or publication; -- used esp. in the titles of elementary works.


word: Produce
definition:
Produce

Pro*duce"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Produced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Producing (?).]
[L. producere, productum, to bring forward, beget, produce; pro forward, forth + ducere to lead. See Duke.]

1.
To bring forward; to lead forth; to offer to view or notice; to exhibit; to show; as, to produce a witness or evidence in court.

Produce your cause, saith the Lord.
Isa. xli. 21.

Your parents did not produce you much into the world.
Swift.

2.
To bring forth, as young, or as a natural product or growth; to give birth to; to bear; to generate; to propagate; to yield; to furnish; as, the earth produces grass; trees produce fruit; the clouds produce rain.

This soil produces all sorts of palm trees.
Sandys.

[They] produce prodigious births of body or mind.
 Milton.

The greatest jurist his country had produced.
Macaulay.

3.
To cause to be or to happen; to originate, as an effect or result; to bring about; as, disease produces pain; vice produces misery.

4.
To give being or form to; to manufacture; to make; as, a manufacturer produces excellent wares.

5.
To yield or furnish; to gain; as, money at interest produces an income; capital produces profit.

6.
To draw out; to extend; to lengthen; to prolong; as, to produce a man's life to threescore.
Sir T. Browne.

7.
(Geom.)
To extend; -- applied to a line, surface, or solid; as, to produce a side of a triangle.


word: Produce₂
definition:
Produce

Pro*duce"
v. i.
To yield or furnish appropriate offspring, crops, effects, consequences, or results.


word: Produce₃
definition:
Produce

Prod"uce
(?; 277)
n.
That which is produced, brought forth, or yielded; product; yield; proceeds; result of labor, especially of agricultural labors
agricultural products.


word: Producent
definition:
Producent

Pro*du"cent
(?)
n.
[L. producens, p. pr.]
One who produces, or offers to notice.
[Obs.]
Ayliffe.


word: Producer
definition:
Producer

Pro*du"cer
(?)
n.

1.
One who produces, brings forth, or generates.

2.
One who grows agricultural products, or manufactures crude materials into articles of use.

3.
(Iron & Steel Manuf.)
A furnace for producing combustible gas which is used for fuel.


word: Produce race
definition:
Produce race

Prod"uce race
(Horse Racing)
A race to be run by the produce of horses named or described at the time of entry.


word: Producer's goods
definition:
Producer's goods

Pro*duc"er's goods
(?)
(Polit. Econ.)
Goods that satisfy wants only indirectly as factors in the production of other goods, such as tools and raw material; -- called also instrumental goods, auxiliary goods, intermediate goods, or goods of the second and higher orders, and disting. from consumers' goods.


word: Producer's rent
definition:
Producer's rent

Producer's surplus

Producer's surplus
(Polit. Econ.)
Any profit above the normal rate of interest and wages accruing to a producer on account of some monopoly (temporary or permanent) of the means or materials of production; -- called also Producer's rent.


word: Producible
definition:
Producible

Pro*du"ci*ble
(?)
a.
Capable of being produced, brought forward, brought forth, generated, made, or extended.
Pro*du"ci*ble*ness, n.


word: Product
definition:
Product

Prod"uct
(?)
n.
[L. productus, p. pr. of producere. See Produce.]

1.
Anything that is produced, whether as the result of generation, growth, labor, or thought, or by the operation of involuntary causes; as, the products of the season, or of the farm; the products of manufactures; the products of the brain.

There are the product
Of those ill-mated marriages.
Milton.

These institutions are the products of enthusiasm.
Burke.

2.
(Math.)
The number or sum obtained by adding one number or quantity to itself as many times as there are units in another number; the number resulting from the multiplication of two or more numbers; as, the product of the multiplication of 7 by 5 is 35. In general, the result of any kind of multiplication. See the Note under Multiplication.


word: Product₂
definition:
Product

Pro*duct"
(?)
v. t.

1.
To produce; to bring forward.
Producted
[Obs.]
Foxe.

2.
To lengthen out; to extend.
[Obs.]

He that doth much . . . products his mortality.
Hackett.

3.
To produce; to make.
[Obs.]
Holinshed.


word: Productile
definition:
Productile

Pro*duc"tile
(?)
a.
[L. productilis, fr. producere to stretch out.]
Capable of being extended or prolonged; extensible; ductile.


word: Production
definition:
Production

Pro*duc"tion
(?)
n.
[L. productio a lengthening, prolonging: cf. F. production. See Produce. ]

1.
The act or process or producing, bringing forth, or exhibiting to view; as, the production of commodities, of a witness.

2.
That which is produced, yielded, or made, whether naturally, or by the application of intelligence and labor; as, the productions of the earth; the productions of handicraft; the productions of intellect or genius.

3.
The act of lengthening out or prolonging.


word: Productive
definition:
Productive

Pro*duc"tive
(?)
a.
[F. productif, L. productivus fit for prolongation.]

1.
Having the quality or power of producing; yielding or furnishing results; as, productive soil; productive enterprises; productive labor, that which increases the number or amount of products.

2.
Bringing into being; causing to exist; producing; originative; as, an age productive of great men; a spirit productive of heroic achievements.

And kindle with thy own productive fire.
Dryden.

This is turning nobility into a principle of virtue, and making it productive of merit.
Spectator.

3.
Producing, or able to produce, in large measure; fertile; profitable.


word: Productivity
definition:
Productivity

Pro`duc*tiv"i*ty
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being productive; productiveness.
Emerson.

Not indeed as the product, but as the producing power, the productivity.
Coleridge.


word: Productus
definition:
Productus

Pro*duc"tus
(?)
n.
[NL. See Product.]
(Paleon.)
An extinct genus of brachiopods, very characteristic of the Carboniferous rocks.


word: Proeguminal
definition:
Proeguminal

Pro`e*gu"mi*nal
(?)
a.
[Gr. _;, p. pr. of _; to lead the way: cf. F. proégumène.]
(Med.)
Serving to predispose; predisposing; as, a proeguminal cause of disease.


word: Proem
definition:
Proem

Pro"em
(?)
n.
[L. prooemium, Gr. _;; _; before + _; way, course or strain of a song: cf. F. proème.]
Preface; introduction; preliminary observations; prelude.

Thus much may serve by way of proem.
Swift.


word: Proembryo
definition:
Proembryo

Pro*em"bry*o
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- + embryo. ]
(Bot.)
(a)
The series of cells formed in the ovule of a flowering plant after fertilization, but before the formation of the embryo.
(b)
The primary growth from the spore in certain cryptogamous plants; as, the proembryo, or protonema, of mosses.


word: Proemptosis
definition:
Proemptosis

Pro`emp*to"sis
(?)
n.
[NL., from Gr. _; to fall in before; _; before + _; in + _; to fall.]
(Chron.)
The addition of a day to the lunar calendar.
[R.]
See Metemptosis.


word: proenzyme
definition:
proenzyme

pro"en*zyme
(?)
n.
[.]
(Bioch.)
Any one of a class of proteins that are converted, in the normal course of cellular metabolism, into one or more active enzymes; also called zymogen.  The conversion usually is due to a specific cleavage of a peptide bond by another enzyme, or may be due to acid.


word: Proface
definition:
Proface

Pro"face
(?)
interj.
[OF. prou face, prou fasse; prou profit + faire to make, do.]
Much good may it do you! -- a familiar salutation or welcome.
[Obs.]

Master page, good master page, sit. Proface!
Shak.


word: Profanation
definition:
Profanation

Prof`a*na"tion
(?)
n.
[L. profanatio: cf. F. profanation. See Profane, v. t.]
1.
The act of violating sacred things, or of treating them with contempt or irreverence; irreverent or too familiar treatment or use of what is sacred; desecration; as, the profanation of the Sabbath; the profanation of a sanctuary; the profanation of the name of God.

2.
The act of treating with abuse or disrespect, or with undue publicity, or lack of delicacy.

'T were profanation of our joys
To tell the laity our love.
Donne.


word: Profane
definition:
Profane

Pro*fane"
(?)
a.
[F., fr. L. profanus, properly, before the temple, i. e., without the temple, unholy; pro before + fanum temple. See 1st Fane.]

1.
Not sacred or holy; not possessing peculiar sanctity; unconsecrated; hence, relating to matters other than sacred; secular; -- opposed to sacred, religious, or inspired; as, a profane place.
Profane
I. Disraeli.

The profane wreath was suspended before the shrine.
Gibbon.

2.
Unclean; impure; polluted; unholy.

Nothing is profane that serveth to holy things.
Sir W. Raleigh.

3.
Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or undue familiarity; irreverent; impious.
Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain; given to swearing; blasphemous; as, a profane person, word, oath, or tongue.
1 Tim. i. 9.


word: Profane₂
definition:
Profane

Pro*fane"
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Profaned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Profaning.]
[L. profanare: cf. F. profaner. See Profane, a.]

1.
To violate, as anything sacred; to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate; to pollute; as, to profane the name of God; to profane the Scriptures, or the ordinance of God.

The priests in the temple profane the sabbath.
Matt. xii. 5.

2.
To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to make a base employment of; to debase; to abuse; to defile.

So idly to profane the precious time.
Shak.


word: Profanely
definition:
Profanely

Pro*fane"ly
adv.
In a profane manner.

The character of God profanely impeached.
Dr. T. Dwight.


word: Profaneness
definition:
Profaneness

Pro*fane"ness
n.
The quality or state of being profane; especially, the use of profane language.


word: Profaner
definition:
Profaner

Pro*fan"er
(?)
n.
One who treats sacred things with irreverence, or defiles what is holy; one who uses profane language.
Hooker.


word: Profanity
definition:
Profanity

Pro*fan"i*ty
(?)
n.
[L. profanitas.]

1.
The quality or state of being profane; profaneness; irreverence; esp., the use of profane language; blasphemy.

2.
That which is profane; profane language or acts.

The brisk interchange of profanity and folly.
Buckminster.


word: Profection
definition:
Profection

Pro*fec"tion
(?)
n.
[See Proficient.]
A setting out; a going forward; advance; progression.
[Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.


word: Profectitious
definition:
Profectitious

Pro`fec*ti"tious
(?)
a.
[L. profectitius, fr. proficisci to set out, proceed.]
Proceeding from, as from a parent; derived, as from an ancestor.
[R.]

The threefold distinction of profectitious, adventitious, and professional was ascertained.
Gibbon.


word: Profert
definition:
Profert

Pro"fert
(?)
n.
[L., he brings forward, 3d pers. pr. of proferre. See Proffer. ]
(Law)
The exhibition or production of a record or paper in open court, or an allegation that it is in court.


word: Profess
definition:
Profess

Pro*fess"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Professed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Professing.]
[F. profès, masc., professe, fem., professed (monk or nun), L. professus, p. p. of profiteri to profess; pro before, forward + fateri to confess, own. See Confess.]

1.
To make open declaration of, as of one's knowledge, belief, action, etc.; to avow or acknowledge; to confess publicly; to own or admit freely.
profess
Shak.

The best and wisest of them all professed
To know this only, that he nothing knew.
Milton.

2.
To set up a claim to; to make presence to; hence, to put on or present an appearance of.

I do profess to be no less than I seem.
Shak.

3.
To present to knowledge of, to proclaim one's self versed in; to make one's self a teacher or practitioner of, to set up as an authority respecting; to declare (one's self to be such); as, he professes surgery; to profess one's self a physician.


word: Profess₂
definition:
Profess

Pro*fess"
(pro̝*fĕs")
v. i.
1.
To take a profession upon one's self by a public declaration; to confess.
Drayton.

2.
To declare friendship.
[Obs.]
Shak.


word: Professed
definition:
Professed

Pro*fessed"
(?)
a.
Openly declared, avowed, acknowledged, or claimed; as, a professed foe; a professed tyrant; a professed Christian.

The professed (R. C. Ch.) , a certain class among the Jesuits bound by a special vow. See the note under Jesuit.


word: Profession
definition:
Profession

Pro*fes"sion
(?)
n.
[F., fr. L. professio.  See Profess, v.]
1.
The act of professing or claiming; open declaration; public avowal or acknowledgment; as, professions of friendship; a profession of faith.

A solemn vow, promise, and profession.
Bk. of Com. Prayer.

2.
That which one professed; a declaration; an avowal; a claim; as, his professions are insincere.

The Indians quickly perceive the coincidence or the contradiction between professions and conduct.
J. Morse.

3.
That of which one professed knowledge; the occupation, if not mechanical, agricultural, or the like, to which one devotes one's self; the business which one professes to understand, and to follow for subsistence; calling; vocation; employment; as, the profession of arms; the profession of a clergyman, lawyer, or physician; the profession of lecturer on chemistry.

Hi tried five or six professions in turn.
Macaulay.

&hand_; The three professions, or learned professions, are, especially, theology, law, and medicine.

4.
The collective body of persons engaged in a calling; as, the profession distrust him.

5.
(Eccl. Law.)
The act of entering, or becoming a member of, a religious order.


word: Professional
definition:
Professional

Pro*fes"sion*al
(?)
a.
1.
Of or pertaining to a profession, or calling; conforming to the rules or standards of a profession; following a profession; as, professional knowledge; professional conduct.
professional
Macaulay.
professional
De Quincey.

2.
Engaged in by professionals; as, a professional race; -- opposed to amateur.


word: Professional₂
definition:
Professional

Pro*fes"sion*al
n.
A person who prosecutes anything professionally, or for a livelihood, and not in the character of an amateur; a professional worker.


word: Professionalism
definition:
Professionalism

Pro*fes"sion*al*ism
(?)
n.
The following of a profession, sport, etc., as an occupation; -- opposed to amateurism.


word: Professionally
definition:
Professionally

Pro*fes"sion*al*ly
adv.
In a professional manner or capacity; by profession or calling; in the exercise of one's profession; one employed professionally.


word: Professor
definition:
Professor

Pro*fess"or
(?)
n.
[L., a teacher, a public teacher: cf. F. professeur. See Profess.]
1.
One who professed, or makes open declaration of, his sentiments or opinions; especially, one who makes a public avowal of his belief in the Scriptures and his faith in Christ, and thus unites himself to the visible church.
Professors
Bacon.

2.
One who professed, or publicly teaches, any science or branch of learning; especially, an officer in a university, college, or other seminary, whose business it is to read lectures, or instruct students, in a particular branch of learning; as a professor of theology, of botany, of mathematics, or of political economy.


word: Professorial
definition:
Professorial

Pro`fes*so"ri*al
(?)
a.
[L. professorius: cf. F. professorial.]
Of or pertaining to a professor; as, the professional chair; professional interest.


word: Professorialism
definition:
Professorialism

Pro`fes*so"ri*al*ism
(?)
n.
The character, manners, or habits of a professor.
[R.]


word: Professoriate
definition:
Professoriate

Pro`fes*so"ri*ate
(?)
n.
1.
The body of professors, or the professorial staff, in a university or college.

2.
A professorship.


word: Professorship
definition:
Professorship

Pro*fess"or*ship
(?)
n.
The office or position of a professor, or public teacher.
Walton.


word: Professory
definition:
Professory

Pro*fes"so*ry
(?)
a.
[L. professorius.]
Of or pertaining to a professor; professorial.
[R.]
Bacon.


word: Proffer
definition:
Proffer

Prof"fer
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Proffered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proffering.]
[OE. profren, proferen, F. proférer, fr. L. proferre to bring forth or forward, to offer; pro forward + ferre to bring. See Bear to produce.]
1.
To offer for acceptance; to propose to give; to make a tender of; as, to proffer a gift; to proffer services; to proffer friendship.
Shak.

I reck not what wrong that thou me profre.
Chaucer.

2.
To essay or attempt of one's own accord; to undertake, or propose to undertake.
[R.]
Milton.


word: Proffer₂
definition:
Proffer

Prof"fer
n.
1.
An offer made; something proposed for acceptance by another; a tender; as, proffers of peace or friendship.

He made a proffer to lay down his commission.
Clarendon.

2.
Essay; attempt.
[R.]
Bacon.


word: Proficiency
definition:
Proficiency

Proficience

{ Pro*fi"cience (?), Pro*fi"cien*cy (?) }
n.
The quality of state of being proficient; advance in the acquisition of any art, science, or knowledge; progression in knowledge; improvement; adeptness; as, to acquire proficiency in music.


word: Proficient
definition:
Proficient

Pro*fi"cient
(?)
n.
[L. proficiens, -entis, p. pr. of proficere to go forward, make progress; pro forward + facere to make. See Fact, and cf. Profit, (_;)]
One who has made considerable advances in any business, art, science, or branch of learning; an expert; an adept; as, proficient in a trade; a proficient in mathematics, music, etc.


word: Proficient₂
definition:
Proficient

Pro*fi"cient
(?)
a.
Well advanced in any branch of knowledge or skill; possessed of considerable acquirements; well-skilled; versed; adept,


word: Profile
definition:
Profile

Pro"file
(?)
n.
[It. profilo, fr. L. pro before + filum a thread, an outline, shape: cf. F. profil. See File arow, and cf. Purfle, Purl, a fringe.]
1.
An outline, or contour; as, the profile of an apple.

2.
(Paint & Sculp.)
A human head represented sidewise, or in a side view; the side face or half face.

3.
(a)
(Arch.)
A section of any member, made at right angles with its main lines, showing the exact shape of moldings and the like.
(b)
(Civil Engin.)
A drawing exhibiting a vertical section of the ground along a surveyed line, or graded work, as of a railway, showing elevations, depressions, grades, etc.

Profile paper (Civil Engin.), paper ruled with vertical and horizontal lines forming small oblong rectangles, adapted for drawing profiles.


word: Profile₂
definition:
Profile

Pro"file
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Profiled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Profiling]
[Cf. F. profiler, It. profilare. See Profile, n.]
1.
to draw the outline of; to draw in profile, as an architectural member.

2.
(Mech.)
To shape the outline of an object by passing a cutter around it.

Profiling machine, a jigging machine.


word: Profiling
definition:
Profiling

Pro"fil*ing
n.
(Fort.)
In the construction of fieldworks, the erection at proper intervals of wooden profiles, to show to the workmen the sectional form of the parapets at those points.


word: Profit
definition:
Profit

Pro"fit
(?)
n.
[F., fr. L. profectus advance, progress, profit, fr. profectum. See Proficient.]
1.
Acquisition beyond expenditure; excess of value received for producing, keeping, or selling, over cost; hence, pecuniary gain in any transaction or occupation; emolument; as, a profit on the sale of goods.

Let no man anticipate uncertain profits.
Rambler.

2.
Accession of good; valuable results; useful consequences; benefit; avail; gain; as, an office of profit,

This I speak for your own profit.
1 Cor. vii. 35.

If you dare do yourself a profit and a right.
Shak.


word: Profit₂
definition:
Profit

Prof"it
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Profited; p. pr. & vb. n. Profiting.]
[F. profiter. See Profit, n.]
To be of service to; to be good to; to help on; to benefit; to advantage; to avail; to aid; as, truth profits all men.

The word preached did not profit them.
Heb. iv. 2.

It is a great means of profiting yourself, to copy diligently excellent pieces and beautiful designs.
Dryden.


word: Profit₃
definition:
Profit

Prof"it
v. i.
1.
To gain advantage; to make improvement; to improve; to gain; to advance.

I profit not by thy talk.
Shak.

2.
To be of use or advantage; to do or bring good.

Riches profit not in the day of wrath.
Prov. xi. 4.


word: Profitable
definition:
Profitable

Prof"it*a*ble
(?)
a.
[F. profitable.]
Yielding or bringing profit or gain; gainful; lucrative; useful; helpful; advantageous; beneficial; as, a profitable trade; profitable business; a profitable study or profession.

What was so profitable to the empire became fatal to the
emperor.
Arbuthnot.


word: profiteer
definition:
profiteer

profiteer
n.
One who makes an excessive and unconscionable profit by exploiting scarcity or a monopoly position.


word: profiteer₂
definition:
profiteer

profiteer
v. i.
To make an excessive profit, as on the sale of difficult to obtain goods; to act as a profiteer.


word: Profiting
definition:
Profiting

Prof"it*ing
n.
Gain; advantage; profit.

That thy profiting may appear to all.
1 Tim. iv. 15.


word: Profligacy
definition:
Profligacy

Prof"li*ga*cy
(?)
n.
[See Profligate, a.]
The quality of state of being profligate; a profligate or very vicious course of life; a state of being abandoned in moral principle and in vice; dissoluteness.


word: Profligate
definition:
Profligate

Prof"li*gate
(?)
a.
[L. profligatus, p. p. of profligare to strike or dash to the ground, to destroy; pro before + a word akin to fligere to strike. See Afflict.]

1.
Overthrown; beaten; conquered.
[Obs.]

The foe is profligate, and run.
Hudibras.

2.
Broken down in respect of rectitude, principle, virtue, or decency; openly and shamelessly immoral or vicious; dissolute; as, profligate man or wretch.

A race more profligate than we.
Roscommon.

Made prostitute and profligate muse.
Dryden.


word: Profligate₂
definition:
Profligate

Prof"li*gate
n.
An abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person.
profligate
Swift.


word: Profligateness
definition:
Profligateness

Prof"li*gate*ness
n.
The quality of being profligate; an abandoned course of life; profligacy.


word: Profluence
definition:
Profluence

Prof"lu*ence
(?)
n.
[L. profluentia.]
Quality of being profluent; course.
[R.]
Sir H. Wotton.


word: Profluent
definition:
Profluent

Prof"lu*ent
(?)
a.
[L. profluens, p. pr. of profluere; pro forward + fluere to flow.]
Flowing forward,
[R.]
profluent
Milton.


word: Profound
definition:
Profound

Pro*found"
a.
[F. profond, L. profundus; pro before, forward + fundus the bottom. See Found to establish, Bottom lowest part.]
1.
Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to a great depth; deep.
profound
Milton.

2.
Intellectually deep; entering far into subjects; reaching to the bottom of a matter, or of a branch of learning; thorough; as, a profound investigation or treatise; a profound scholar; profound wisdom.

3.
Characterized by intensity; deeply felt; pervading; overmastering; far-reaching; strongly impressed; as, a profound sleep.
Profound
Shak.

Of the profound corruption of this class there can be no doubt.
Milman.

4.
Bending low, exhibiting or expressing deep humility; lowly; submissive; as, a profound bow.

What humble gestures! What profound reverence!
Duppa.


word: Profound₂
definition:
Profound

Pro*found"
(?)
n.
1.
The deep; the sea; the ocean.

God in the fathomless profound
Hath all this choice commanders drowned.
Sandys.

2.
An abyss.
Milton.


word: Profound₃
definition:
Profound

Pro*found"
v. t.
To cause to sink deeply; to cause to dive or penetrate far down.
[Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.


word: Profulgent
definition:
Profulgent

Pro*ful"gent
(?)
a.
[Pref. pro- + L. fulgere to shine.]
Shining forth; brilliant; effulgent.
[Obs.]
Profulgent
Chaucer.


word: Profundity
definition:
Profundity

Pro*fun"di*ty
(?)
n.
pl. -ties (#).
[L. profunditas: cf. F. profondite. See Profound.]
The quality or state of being profound; depth of place, knowledge, feeling, etc.
profundity
Milton.


word: Profuse
definition:
Profuse

Pro*fuse"
(?)
a.
[L. profusus, p. p. of profundere to pour forth or out; pro forward, forth + fundere to pour: cf. F. profus. See Fuse to melt.]
1.
Pouring forth with fullness or exuberance; bountiful; exceedingly liberal; giving without stint; as, a profuse government; profuse hospitality.

A green, shady bank, profuse of flowers.
Milton.

2.
Superabundant; excessive; prodigal; lavish; as, profuse expenditure.
Profuse
Kames.


word: Profuse₂
definition:
Profuse

Pro*fuse"
(?)
v. t.
To pour out; to give or spend liberally; to lavish; to squander.
[Obs.]
Chapman.


word: Profuseness
definition:
Profuseness

Pro*fuse"ness
n.
Extravagance; profusion.

Hospitality sometimes degenerates into profuseness.
Atterbury.


word: Profusion
definition:
Profusion

Pro*fu"sion
(?)
n.
[L. profusio: cf. F. profusion.]

1.
The act of one who is profuse; a lavishing or pouring out without sting.

Thy vast profusion to the factious nobles?
Rowe.

2.
Abundance; exuberant plenty; lavish supply; as, a profusion of commodities.
Addison.


word: Prog
definition:
Prog

Prog
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Progged (_;). p. pr. & vb. n. Progging.]
[Cf. D. prachen, G. prachern, Dan. prakke, Sw. pracka, to beg, L. procare, procari, to ask, demand, and E. prowl.]
1.
To wander about and beg; to seek food or other supplies by low arts; to seek for advantage by mean shift or tricks.
[Low]

A perfect artist in progging for money.
Fuller.

I have been endeavoring to prog for you.
Burke.

2.
To steal; to rob; to filch.
[Low]
Johnson.

3.
To prick; to goad; to progue.
[Scot.]


word: Prog₂
definition:
Prog

Prog
n.
1.
Victuals got by begging, or vagrancy; victuals of any kind; food; supplies.
[Slang]
Swift.

So long as he picked from the filth his prog.
R. Browning.

2.
A vagrant beggar; a tramp.
[Slang]

3.
A goal; progue.
[Scot.]


word: Progenerate
definition:
Progenerate

Pro*gen"er*ate
(?)
v. t.
[L. progeneratus, p. p. of progenerare to beget; pro forth, forward + generare to generate.]
To beget; to generate; to produce; to procreate; as, to progenerate a race.
[R.]
Landor.


word: Progenitor
definition:
Progenitor

Pro*gen"i*tor
(?)
n.
[OF. progeniteur, L. progenitor, fr. progignere, progenitum, to bring forth, to beget; pro forth + gignere to beget. See Gender kind.]
An ancestor in the direct line; a forefather.

And reverence thee their great progenitor.
Milton.


word: Progeny
definition:
Progeny

Prog"e*ny
(pr&obreve_;j"e̝*n&ybreve_;)
n.
[OE. progenie, F. progénie, fr. L. progenies, fr. progignere. See Progenitor.]
Descendants of the human kind, or offspring of other animals; children; offspring; race, lineage.
progeny
Shak.


word: Proglottis
definition:
Proglottis

Pro*glot"tis
(?)
n.
pl. Proglottides (#).
[NL. fr. Gr. proglwtti`s the tip of the tongue; pro` forward + glw^tta the tongue.]
(Zool)
One of the free, or nearly free, segments of a tapeworm.  It contains both male and female reproductive organs, and is capable of a brief independent existence.


word: Prognathi
definition:
Prognathi

Prog"na*thi
(pr&obreve_;g"nȧ*thī)
n. pl.
[NL. See Prognathous.]
(Zool)
A comprehensive group of mankind, including those that have prognathous jaws.


word: Prognathism
definition:
Prognathism

Prog"na*thism
(pr&obreve_;g"nȧ*thĭz'm or pr&obreve_;g*nā"thĭz'm)
n.
(Anat.)
Projection of the jaws.
Prog"na*thy (#), n.


word: Prognathous
definition:
Prognathous

Prog"na*thous
(pr&obreve_;g"nȧ*thŭs)
a.
[Gr. pro` before + gna`qos the jaw]
(Anat.)
Having the jaws projecting beyond the upper part of the face; -- opposed to orthognathous.  See Gnathic index, under Gnathic.

Their countenances had the true prognathous character.
Kane.


word: Progne
definition:
Progne

Prog"ne
(pr&obreve_;g"ne̝)
n.
[L., a swallow, traditionally said to be fr. Progne (The sister of Philomela), who was changed into a swallow, Gr. Pro`knh.]
(Zool.)
(a)
A swallow.
(b)
A genus of swallows including the purple martin. See Martin.
(c)
An American butterfly (Polygonia Progne syn. Vanessa Progne).  It is orange and black above, grayish beneath, with an L-shaped silver mark on the hind wings. Called also gray comma.


word: Prognosis
definition:
Prognosis

Prog*no"sis
(pr&obreve_;g*n&omacr"sĭs)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. pro`gnosis, fr. progignw`skein to know beforehand; pro` before + gignw`skein to know. See Know.]
(Med.)
The act or art of foretelling the course and termination of a disease; also, the outlook afforded by this act of judgment; as, the prognosis of hydrophobia is bad.


word: Prognostic
definition:
Prognostic

Prog*nos"tic
(?)
a.
[Gr. prognwstiko`n. See Prognosis.]
Indicating something future by signs or symptoms; foreshowing; aiding in prognosis; as, the prognostic symptoms of a disease; prognostic signs.


word: Prognostic₂
definition:
Prognostic

Prog*nos"tic
n.
[L. prognosticum, Gr. _;: cf. F. pronostic, prognostic. See Prognostic, a.]

1.
That which prognosticates; a sign by which a future event may be known or foretold; an indication; a sign or omen; hence, a foretelling; a prediction.

That choice would inevitably be considered by the country
as a prognostic of the highest import.
Macaulay.

2.
(Med.)
A sign or symptom indicating the course and termination of a disease.
Parr.


word: Prognosticable
definition:
Prognosticable

Prog*nos"tic*a*ble
(?)
a.
Capable of being prognosticated or foretold.
Sir T. Browne.


word: Prognosticate
definition:
Prognosticate

Prog*nos"ti*cate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prognosticated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prognosticating.]
[See Prognostic.]
To indicate as future; to foretell from signs or symptoms; to prophesy; to foreshow; to predict; as, to prognosticate evil.
Burke.

I neither will nor can prognosticate
To the young gaping heir his father's fate.
Dryden.


word: Prognostication
definition:
Prognostication

Prog*nos`ti*ca"tion
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. prognostication.]

1.
The act of foreshowing or foretelling something future by present signs; prediction.

2.
That which foreshows; a foretoken.
Shak.


word: Prognosticator
definition:
Prognosticator

Prog*nos"ti*ca`tor
(?)
n.
One who prognosticates; a foreknower or foreteller of a future course or event by present signs.
Isa. xlvii. 13.


word: Programma
definition:
Programma

Pro*gram"ma
(?)
n.
pl. Programmata (#).
[ L. See Programme.]

1.
(Gr. Antiq.)
Any law, which, after it had passed the Athenian senate, was fixed on a tablet for public inspection previously to its being proposed to the general assembly of the people.

2.
An edict published for public information; an official bulletin; a public proclamation.

3.
See Programme.

4.
A preface.
[Obs.]
T. Warton.


word: Programme
definition:
Programme

Pro"gramme
(?)
n.
[L. programma a public proclamation, manifesto, Gr. pro`gramma, fr. progra`fein to write before or in public; pro` before, forth + gra`fein to write; cf. F. programme. See Graphic.]
That which is written or printed as a public notice or advertisement; a scheme; a prospectus; especially, a brief outline or explanation of the order to be pursued, or the subjects embraced, in any public exercise, performance, or entertainment; a preliminary sketch.

Programme music (Mus.), descriptive instrumental music which requires an argument or programme to explain the meaning of its several movements.


word: Progress
definition:
Progress

Prog"ress
(?; 277)
n.
[L. progressus, from progredi, p. p. progressus, to go forth or forward; pro forward + gradi to step, go: cf. F. progrès. See Grade.]

1.
A moving or going forward; a proceeding onward; an advance
(a)
In actual space, as the progress of a ship, carriage, etc.
(b)
In the growth of an animal or plant; increase.
(c)
In business of any kind; as, the progress of a negotiation; the progress of art.
(d)
In knowledge; in proficiency; as, the progress of a child at school.
(e)
Toward ideal completeness or perfection in respect of quality or condition; -- applied to individuals, communities, or the race; as, social, moral, religious, or political progress.

2.
A journey of state; a circuit; especially, one made by a sovereign through parts of his own dominions.

The king being returned from his progresse.
Evelyn.


word: Progress₂
definition:
Progress

Pro*gress"
(?; formerly pronounced like Progress, n.)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Progressed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Progressing.]

1.
To make progress; to move forward in space; to continue onward in course; to proceed; to advance; to go on; as, railroads are progressing.
progressed
Thackeray.

Let me wipe off this honorable dew,
That silverly doth progress on thy checks.
Shak.

They progress in that style in proportion as their pieces are treated with contempt.
Washington.

The war had progressed for some time.
Marshall.

2.
To make improvement; to advance.
Bayard.

If man progresses, art must progress too.
Caird.


word: Progress₃
definition:
Progress

Prog"ress
(?; see Progress, v. i.)
v. t.
To make progress in; to pass through.
[Obs.]
Milton.


word: Progression
definition:
Progression

Pro*gres"sion
(?)
n.
[L. progressio: cf. F. progression.]

1.
The act of moving forward; a proceeding in a course; motion onward.

2.
Course; passage; lapse or process of time.

I hope, in a short progression, you will be wholly immerged in the delices and joys of religion.
Evelyn.

3.
(Math.)
Regular or proportional advance in increase or decrease of numbers; continued proportion, arithmetical, geometrical, or harmonic.

4.
(Mus.)
A regular succession of tones or chords; the movement of the parts in harmony; the order of the modulations in a piece from key to key.

Arithmetical progression, a progression in which the terms increase or decrease by equal differences, as the numbers {2, 4, 6, 8, 1010, 8, 6, 4, 2} by the difference 2.
[1913 Webster]
 -- Geometrical progression, a progression in which the terms increase or decrease by equal ratios, as the numbers {2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 6464, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2} by a continual multiplication or division by 2.
[1913 Webster]
-- Harmonic progression, a progression in which the terms are the reciprocals of quantities in arithmetical progression, as 1/2, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, 1/10.


word: Progressional
definition:
Progressional

Pro*gres"sion*al
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to progression; tending to, or capable of, progress.


word: Progressionist
definition:
Progressionist

Pro*gres"sion*ist
n.

1.
One who holds to a belief in the progression of society toward perfection.

2.
One who maintains the doctrine of progression in organic forms; -- opposed to uniformitarian.
H. Spencer.


word: Progressive
definition:
Progressive

Pro*gress"ive
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. progressif.]

1.
Moving forward; proceeding onward; advancing; evincing progress; increasing; as, progressive motion or course; -- opposed to retrograde.

2.
Improving; as, art is in a progressive state.

3.
(U. S. History)
Of or pertaining to the Progressive party.

4.
Favoring improvement, change, progress, or reform, especially in a political context; -- used of people.  Contrasted with conservative.

&hand_;  The term progressive is sometimes used to describe the views of a politician, where liberal might have been used at one time, in communities where the term liberal has come to connote extreme views.

5.
Disposed toward adopting new methods in government or education, holding tolerant and liberal ideas, and generally favoring improvement in civic life; -- of towns and communities.

Progressive euchre or Progressive whist, a way of playing at card parties, by which after every game, the losers at the first table go to the last table, and the winners at all the tables, except the first, move up to the next table. -- Progressive muscular atrophy (Med.), a nervous disorder characterized by continuous atrophy of the muscles.


word: Progressive party
definition:
Progressive party

Progressive party
(U. S. History)
The political party formed, chiefly out of the Republican party, by the adherents of Theodore Roosevelt in the presidential campaign of 1912. The name Progressive party was chosen at the meeting held on Aug. 7, 1912, when the candidates were nominated and the platform adopted.  It was also known as the Bull Moose Party. Among the chief articles in the platform are those demanding direct primaries, preferential primaries for presidential nominations, direct election of United States senators, women's suffrage, and recall of judicial decisions in certain cases.  In 1924 the label was also adopted by the party supporting the presidential campaign of Robert M. La Follette, and in 1948 it was also adopted by the party of Henry Wallace.  The party is no longer (1998) considered a force in U. S. national politics.


word: Progue₂
definition:
Progue

Progue
n.
A sharp point; a goad.
[ Scot. & Local, U. S.]
v. t. To prick; to goad. [ Scot. & Local, U. S.].


word: Prohibit
definition:
Prohibit

Pro*hib"it
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prohibited; p. pr. & vb. n. Prohibiting.]
[L. prohibitus, p. p. of prohibere to prohibit; pro before, forth + habere to have, hold. See Habit.]

1.
To forbid by authority; to interdict; as, God prohibited Adam from eating of the fruit of a certain tree; we prohibit a person from doing a thing, and also the doing of the thing; as, the law prohibits men from stealing, or it prohibits stealing.

&hand_; Prohibit was formerly followed by to with the infinitive, but is now commonly followed by from with the verbal noun in -ing.

2.
To hinder; to debar; to prevent; to preclude.

Gates of burning adamant,
Barred over us, prohibit all egress.
Milton.


word: Prohibition
definition:
Prohibition

Pro`hi*bi"tion
(?)
n.
[L. prohibitio: cf. F. prohibition.]
1.
The act of prohibiting; a declaration or injunction forbidding some action; interdict.

The law of God, in the ten commandments, consists mostly of prohibitions.
Tillotson.

2.
Specifically, the forbidding by law of the sale of alcoholic liquors as beverages.

Writ of prohibition (Law), a writ issued by a superior tribunal, directed to an inferior court, commanding the latter to cease from the prosecution of a suit depending before it. Blackstone.

&hand_; By ellipsis, prohibition is used for the writ itself.


word: Prohibition₂
definition:
Prohibition

Pro`hi*bi"tion
(?)
n.
The period of 1920 to 1932 in the United States, during which sale of alcoholic beverages were forbidden by the consitution.


word: Prohibitionist
definition:
Prohibitionist

Pro`hi*bi"tion*ist
n.

1.
One who favors prohibitory duties on foreign goods in commerce; a protectionist.

2.
One who favors the prohibition of the sale (or of the sale and manufacture) of alcoholic liquors as beverages.


word: Prohibitive
definition:
Prohibitive

Pro*hib"it*ive
a.
[Cf. F. prohibitif.]
That prohibits; prohibitory; as, a tax whose effect is prohibitive.


word: Prohibitory
definition:
Prohibitory

Pro*hib"it*o*ry
(?)
a.
[L. prohibitorius.]
Tending to prohibit, forbid, or exclude; implying prohibition; forbidding; as, a prohibitory law; a prohibitory price.

Prohibitory index. (R. C. Ch.) See under Index.


word: Proin
definition:
Proin

Proin
(proin)
v. t.
[See Prune to trim.]
To lop; to trim; to prune; to adorn.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

The sprigs that did about it grow
He proined from the leafy arms.
Chapman.


word: Project
definition:
Project

Proj"ect
(?; 277)
n.
[OF. project, F. projet, fr. L. projectus, p. p. of projicere to project; pro forward + jacere to throw. See Jet a shooting forth, and cf. Projet.]

1.
The place from which a thing projects, or starts forth.
[Obs.]
Holland.

2.
That which is projected or designed; something intended or devised; a scheme; a design; a plan.

Vented much policy, and projects deep.
Milton.

Projects of happiness devised by human reason.
Rogers.

He entered into the project with his customary ardor.
Prescott.

3.
An idle scheme; an impracticable design; as, a man given to projects.


word: Project₂
definition:
Project

Pro*ject"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Projected; p. pr. & vb. n. Projecting.]
[Cf. OF. projecter, F. projeter.]

1.
To throw or cast forward; to shoot forth.

Before his feet herself she did project.
Spenser.

Behold! th' ascending villas on my side
Project long shadows o'er the crystal tide.
Pope.

2.
To cast forward or revolve in the mind; to contrive; to devise; to scheme; as, to project a plan.

What sit then projecting peace and war?
Milton.

3.
(Persp.)
To draw or exhibit, as the form of anything; to delineate; as, to project a sphere, a map, an ellipse, and the like; -- sometimes with on, upon, into, etc.; as, to project a line or point upon a plane. See Projection, 4.


word: Project₃
definition:
Project

Pro*ject"
(?)
v. i.

1.
To shoot forward; to extend beyond something else; to be prominent; to jut; as, the cornice projects; branches project from the tree.

2.
To form a project; to scheme.
[R.]
Fuller.


word: Projectile
definition:
Projectile

Pro*ject"ile
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. projectile.]

1.
Projecting or impelling forward; as, a projectile force.

2.
Caused or imparted by impulse or projection; impelled forward; as, projectile motion.
Arbuthnot.


word: Projectile₂
definition:
Projectile

Pro*ject"ile
n.
[Cf. F. projectile.]

1.
A body projected, or impelled forward, by force; especially, a missile adapted to be shot from a firearm.

2.
pl.
(Mech.)
A part of mechanics which treats of the motion, range, time of flight, etc., of bodies thrown or driven through the air by an impelling force.


word: Projection
definition:
Projection

Pro*jec"tion
(?)
n.
[L. projectio: cf. F. projection.]

1.
The act of throwing or shooting forward.

2.
A jutting out; also, a part jutting out, as of a building; an extension beyond something else.

3.
The act of scheming or planning; also, that which is planned; contrivance; design; plan.
Davenant.

4.
(Persp.)
The representation of something; delineation; plan; especially, the representation of any object on a perspective plane, or such a delineation as would result were the chief points of the object thrown forward upon the plane, each in the direction of a line drawn through it from a given point of sight, or central point; as, the projection of a sphere. The several kinds of projection differ according to the assumed point of sight and plane of projection in each.

5.
(Geog.)
Any method of representing the surface of the earth upon a plane.

Conical projection, a mode of representing the sphere, the spherical surface being projected upon the surface of a cone tangent to the sphere, the point of sight being at the center of the sphere. -- Cylindric projection, a mode of representing the sphere, the spherical surface being projected upon the surface of a cylinder touching the sphere, the point of sight being at the center of the sphere. -- Globular, Gnomonic, Orthographic, projection,etc. See under Globular, Gnomonic, etc. -- Mercator's projection, a mode of representing the sphere in which the meridians are drawn parallel to each other, and the parallels of latitude are straight lines whose distance from each other increases with their distance from the equator, so that at all places the degrees of latitude and longitude have to each other the same ratio as on the sphere itself. -- Oblique projection, a projection made by parallel lines drawn from every point of a figure and meeting the plane of projection obliquely. -- Polar projection, a projection of the sphere in which the point of sight is at the center, and the plane of projection passes through one of the polar circles. -- Powder of projection (Alchemy.), a certain powder cast into a crucible or other vessel containing prepared metal or other matter which is to be thereby transmuted into gold. -- Projection of a point on a plane (Descriptive Geom.), the foot of a perpendicular to the plane drawn through the point. -- Projection of a straight line of a plane, the straight line of the plane connecting the feet of the perpendiculars let fall from the extremities of the given line.


word: Projector
definition:
Projector

Pro*ject"or
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. projeteur.]
1.
One who projects a scheme or design; hence, one who forms fanciful or chimerical schemes.
L'Estrange.

2.
an optical instrument which projects an image from a transparency or an opaque image onto a projection screen or other surface, using an intense light and one or more lenses to focus the image. The term projector by itself is usually used for projection of transparent images by passing the light beam through the image; a projector which projects an image of an opaque object is now ususally referred to as an overhead projector.  In projection of this latter form the projection is accomplished by means of a combination of lenses with  a prism and a mirror or reflector. Specific instruments have been called by different names, such as balopticon, radiopticon, radiopticon, mirrorscope, etc.

Slide projector a projector for displaying images from individual transparencies (slides), each mounted in a separate frame suited to the mechanics of the projector. -- movie projector a projector which displays a series of images from a roll of transparent film in rapid sucession, thus giving the impression of showing a scene with motion as it originally was recorded. -- overhead projector see projector{2}, above.


word: Projecture
definition:
Projecture

Pro*jec"ture
(?)
n.
[L. projectura: cf. F. projecture.]
A jutting out beyond a surface.


word: Projet
definition:
Projet

Pro`jet"
(?)
n.
[F. See Project, n.]
A plan proposed; a draft of a proposed measure; a project.


word: Prolapse
definition:
Prolapse

Pro*lapse"
(?)
n.
[L. prolapsus, fr. prolapsus, p. p. of prolabi to fall forward; pro forward + labi to glide, fall.]
(Med.)
The falling down of a part through the orifice with which it is naturally connected, especially of the uterus or the rectum.
Dunglison.


word: Prolapsion
definition:
Prolapsion

Pro*lap"sion
(?)
n.
[L. prolapsio.]
(Med.)
Prolapse.
[ Written also prolaption.]
[Obs.]


word: Prolate
definition:
Prolate

Pro"late
(?)
a.
[L. prolatus, used as p. p. of proferre to bring forth, to extend; pro + latus, p. p. See Pro-, and Tolerate. ]
Stretched out; extended; especially, elongated in the direction of a line joining the poles; as, a prolate spheroid; -- opposed to oblate.

Prolate cycloid. See the Note under Cycloid. -- Prolate ellipsoid or Prolate spheroid (Geom.), a figure generated by the revolution of an ellipse about its major axis.  Contrasted with oblate spheroid.  See Ellipsoid of revolution, under Ellipsoid.


word: Prolation
definition:
Prolation

Pro*la"tion
(?)
n.
[L. prolatio: cf. F. prolation.]

1.
The act of prolating or pronouncing; utterance; pronunciation.
[Obs.]
Ray.

2.
The act of deferring; delay.
[Obs.]
Ainsworth.

3.
(Mus.)
A mediæval method of determining of the proportionate duration of semibreves and minims.
Busby.


word: Prolatum
definition:
Prolatum

Pro*la"tum
(?)
n.
pl. Prolata (#).
[ NL. See Prolate.]
(Geom.)
A prolate spheroid. See Ellipsoid of revolution, under Ellipsoid.


word: Proleg
definition:
Proleg

Pro"leg
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- for, in place of + leg.]
(Zool.)
One of the fleshy legs found on the abdominal segments of the larvæ of Lepidoptera, sawflies, and some other insects. Those of Lepidoptera have a circle of hooks. Called also proped, propleg, and falseleg.


word: Prolegate
definition:
Prolegate

Pro"leg`ate
(?; 48)
n.
[L. prolegatus; pro for + legatus legate.]
(Rom. Hist.)
The deputy or substitute for a legate.


word: Prolegomenary
definition:
Prolegomenary

Prol`e*gom"e*na*ry
(?)
a.
Of the nature of a prolegomenon; preliminary; introductory; prefatory.


word: Prolegomenon
definition:
Prolegomenon

Prol`e*gom"e*non
(?)
n.
pl. Prolegomena (#).
[ NL., fr. Gr. _;, properly neut. pass. p. pr. of _; to say beforehand; _; before + _; to say.]
A preliminary remark or observation; an introductory discourse prefixed to a book or treatise.
D. Stokes (1659). Sir W. Scott.


word: Prolepsis
definition:
Prolepsis

Pro*lep"sis
(?)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. _;, from _; to take beforehand; _; before + _; to take.]

1.
(Rhet.)
(a)
A figure by which objections are anticipated or prevented.
Abp. Bramhall.
(b)
A necessary truth or assumption; a first or assumed principle.

2.
(Chron.)
An error in chronology, consisting in an event being dated before the actual time.

3.
(Gram.)
The application of an adjective to a noun in anticipation, or to denote the result, of the action of the verb; as, to strike one dumb.


word: Proleptical
definition:
Proleptical

Proleptic

{ Pro*lep"tic (?), Pro*lep"tic*al (?), }
a.
[Gr. _;: cf. F. proleptique.]

1.
Of or pertaining to prolepsis; anticipative.
proleptic
De Quincey.

2.
Previous; antecedent.
Glanvill.

3.
(Med.)
Anticipating the usual time; -- applied to a periodical disease whose paroxysms return at an earlier hour at every repetition.


word: Proletaire
definition:
Proletaire

Pro`lé`taire"
(?)
n.
[F. See Proletary.]
One of the common people; a low person; also, the common people as a class or estate in a country.


word: Proletarian
definition:
Proletarian

Prol`e*ta"ri*an
(?)
a.
[L. proletarius. See Proletary.]
Of or pertaining to the proletaries; belonging to the commonalty; hence, mean; vile; vulgar.
proletarian
De Quincey.
n. A proletary.


word: Proletariat
definition:
Proletariat

Prol`e*ta"ri*at
(?)
n.
[F.]
The indigent class in the State; the body of proletarians.


word: Proletary
definition:
Proletary

Prol"e*ta*ry
(?)
n.
pl. Proletaries (#).
[ L. proletarius, fr. proles offspring.  Cf. Prolétaire.]
(Rom. Antiq.)
A citizen of the lowest class, who served the state, not with property, but only by having children; hence, a common person.


word: Prolicide
definition:
Prolicide

Prol"i*cide
(?)
n.
[L. proles offspring + caedere to kill.]
The crime of destroying one's offspring, either in the womb or after birth.
Bouvier.


word: pro-life
definition:
pro-life

pro`-life"
(?)
a.
Same as antiabortion; -- used by those opposed to voluntary abortion, to emphasize their view of a fetus as already living, and to avoid the negative tone of a word beginning with “anti-”.


word: pro-lifer
definition:
pro-lifer

pro-lif"er
(?)
n.
One who is opposed to voluntary abortion; one who is pro-life, especially an activist in the campaign to make abortion illegal.


word: Proliferate
definition:
Proliferate

Pro*lif"er*ate
(?)
v. t.
[L. proles offspring + ferre to bear.]

1.
(Biol.)
To produce or form cells; especially, to produce cells rapidly.

2.
(Zool.)
To produce zooids by budding.


word: Proliferation
definition:
Proliferation

Pro*lif`er*a"tion
(?)
n.

1.
(Biol.)
The continuous development of cells in tissue formation; cell formation.
Virchow.

2.
(Zool.)
The production of numerous zooids by budding, especially when buds arise from other buds in succession.


word: Proliferous
definition:
Proliferous

Pro*lif"er*ous
(?)
a.
[L. proles offspring + -ferous.]

1.
(Bot.)
Bearing offspring; -- applied to a flower from within which another is produced, or to a branch or frond from which another rises, or to a plant which is reproduced by buds or gemmæ.

2.
(Zool.)
(a)
Producing young by budding.
(b)
Producing sexual zooids by budding; -- said of the blastostyle of a hydroid.
(c)
Producing a cluster of branchlets from a larger branch; -- said of corals.

Proliferous cyst (Med.), a cyst that produces highly-organized or even vascular structures. Paget.


word: Prolific
definition:
Prolific

Pro*lif"ic
(?)
a.
[F. prolifique, fr. L. proles offspring (from pro for, forward + the root of alere to nourish) + facere to make. See Adult, Old, and Fact.]

1.
Having the quality of generating; producing young or fruit; generative; fruitful; productive; -- applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.; -- usually with the implied idea of frequent or numerous production; as, a prolific tree, female, and the like.

2.
Serving to produce; fruitful of results; active; as, a prolific brain; a controversy prolific of evil.

3.
(Bot.)
Proliferous.


word: Prolifical
definition:
Prolifical

Pro*lif"ic*al
(?)
a.
Producing young or fruit abundantly; fruitful; prolific.
Pro*lif"ic*al*ly, adv.


word: Prolificate
definition:
Prolificate

Pro*lif"ic*ate
(?)
v. t.
[See Prolific.]
To make prolific; to fertilize; to impregnate.
Sir T. Browne.


word: Prolification
definition:
Prolification

Pro*lif`i*ca"tion
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. prolification, LL. prolificatio.]

1.
The generation of young.

2.
(Bot.)
Reproduction by the growth of a plant, or part of a plant, directly from an older one, or by gemmæ.


word: Prolificness
definition:
Prolificness

Pro*lif"ic*ness
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being prolific; fruitfulness; prolificacy.


word: Prolix
definition:
Prolix

Pro*lix"
(?; 277)
a.
[L. prolixus extended, long, prolix, probably fr. pro before, forward + liqui to flow, akin to liquidus liquid; cf. OL. lixa water: cf. F. prolixe. See Liquid.]

1.
Extending to a great length; unnecessarily long; minute in narration or argument; excessively particular in detail; -- rarely used except with reference to discourse written or spoken; as, a prolix oration; a prolix poem; a prolix sermon.

With wig prolix, down flowing to his waist.
Cowper.

2.
Indulging in protracted discourse; tedious; wearisome; -- applied to a speaker or writer.


word: Prolixity
definition:
Prolixity

Pro*lix"i*ty
(?)
n.
[L. prolixitas: cf. F. prolixité.]
The quality or state of being prolix; great length; minute detail; as, prolixity in discourses and writings.
prolixitee
Chaucer.

Idly running on with vain prolixity.
Drayton.


word: Proll
definition:
Proll

Proll
(?)
v. t.
[See Prowl.]
[imp. & p. p. Prolled (_;); p. pr. & vb. n. Prolling.]
To search or prowl after; to rob; to plunder.
[Obs.]
Barrow.


word: Proll₂
definition:
Proll

Proll
v. i.
To prowl about; to rob.
[Obs.]
South.

Though ye prolle aye, ye shall it never find.
Chaucer.


word: Prolocutor
definition:
Prolocutor

Prol`o*cu"tor
(?)
n.
[L., from proloqui, p. p. prolocutus, to speak out; pro for + loqui to speak.]

1.
One who speaks for another.
Jeffrey.

2.
The presiding officer of a convocation.
Macaulay.


word: PROLOG
definition:
PROLOG

PRO"LOG
(pr&omacr"l&obreve_;g)
n.
(Computers)
A declarative higher-level programming language in which instructions are written not as explicit procedural data-manipulation commands, but as logical statements.  The language has built-in resolution procedures for logical inference.


word: Prologue
definition:
Prologue

Pro"logue
(?)
n.
[F., fr. L. prologus, fr. Gr. _;, fr. _; to say beforehand; _; before + _; to say. See Logic.]

1.
The preface or introduction to a discourse, poem, or performance; as, the prologue of Chaucer's “Canterbury Tales;”  esp., a discourse or poem spoken before a dramatic performance

2.
One who delivers a prologue.
[R.]
Shak.


word: Prologue₂
definition:
Prologue

Pro"logue
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prologued (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prologuing.]
To introduce with a formal preface, or prologue.
[R.]
Shak.


word: Prolong
definition:
Prolong

Pro*long"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prolonged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prolonging.]
[F. prolonger, L. prolongare; pro before, forth + longus long. See Long, a., and cf. Prolongate, Purloin. ]

1.
To extend in space or length; as, to prolong a line.

2.
To lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue; as, to prolong one's days.

Prolong awhile the traitor's life.
Shak.

The unhappy queen with talk prolonged the night.
Dryden.

3.
To put off to a distant time; to postpone.
Shak.


word: Prolongable
definition:
Prolongable

Pro*long"a*ble
(?)
a.
Capable of being prolonged; as, life is prolongable by care.

Each syllable being a prolongable quantity.
Rush.


word: Prolongate
definition:
Prolongate

Pro*lon"gate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prolongated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prolongating.]
[L. prolongatus, p. p. of prolongare. See Prolong.]
To prolong; to extend in space or in time.
[R.]


word: Prolongation
definition:
Prolongation

Pro`lon*ga"tion
(?)
n.
[F. prolongation.]

1.
The act of lengthening in space or in time; extension; protraction.
Bacon.

2.
That which forms an additional length.


word: Prolonge
definition:
Prolonge

Pro*longe"
(?)
n.
[F. See Prolong.]
(Field Artillery)
A rope with a hook and a toggle, sometimes used to drag a gun carriage or to lash it to the limber, and for various other purposes.


word: Prolusion
definition:
Prolusion

Pro*lu"sion
(?)
n.
[L. prolusio, fr. proludere to prelude; pro before + ludere to play: cf. F. prolusion, It. prolusione.]
A trial before the principal performance; a prelude; hence, an introductory essay or exercise.
prolusions
Thackeray.

Her presence was in some measure a restraint on the worthy divine, whose prolusion lasted.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Promanation
definition:
Promanation

Prom`a*na"tion
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- + L. manatio a flowing, fr. manare to flow.]
The act of flowing forth; emanation; efflux.
[Obs.]
Dr. H. More.


word: Promenade
definition:
Promenade

Prom`e*nade"
(?)
n.
[F. (with a foreign suffix), from promener to lead, take for a walk, se promener to walk, from L. prominare to drive forward or along; pro forward + minare to drive animals. See Amenable, Menace.]

1.
A walk for pleasure, display, or exercise.
Burke.

2.
A place for walking; a public walk.
Bp. Montagu.


word: Promenade₂
definition:
Promenade

Prom`e*nade"
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Promenaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Promenading.]
To walk for pleasure, display, or exercise.


word: Promerit
definition:
Promerit

Pro*mer"it
(?)
v. t.
[L. promeritus, p. p. of promerere to deserve; pro before + merere to merit.]

1.
To oblige; to confer a favor on.
[Obs.]
Bp. Hall.

2.
To deserve; to procure by merit.
[Obs.]
Davenant.


word: Promerops
definition:
Promerops

Prom"e*rops
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _; bee-eater.]
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of very brilliant birds belonging to Promerops, Epimarchus, and allied genera, closely related to the paradise birds, and mostly native of New Guinea. They have a long curved beak and a long graduated tail.


word: Promethea
definition:
Promethea

Pro*me"the*a
(?)
n.
[NL. See Prometheus.]
(Zool.)
A large American bombycid moth (Callosamia promethea). Its larva feeds on the sassafras, wild cherry, and other trees, and suspends its cocoon from a branch by a silken band.


word: Promethean
definition:
Promethean

Pro*me"the*an
(?)
a.
[L. Prometh_;us: cf. F. prométhéen.]

1.
Of or pertaining to Prometheus. See Prometheus.
Promethean
Shak.

2.
Having a life-giving quality; inspiring.


word: Promethean₂
definition:
Promethean

Pro*me"the*an
(?)
n.
(Old Chem.)
(a)
An apparatus for automatic ignition.
(b)
A kind of lucifer match.


word: Prometheus
definition:
Prometheus

Pro*me"the*us
(?)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. _;, from _; to have forethought for.]
(Class. Myth.)
The son of Iapetus (one of the Titans) and Clymene, fabled by the poets to have surpassed all mankind in knowledge, and to have formed men of clay to whom he gave life by means of fire stolen from heaven. Jupiter, being angry at this, sent Mercury to bind Prometheus to Mount Caucasus, where a vulture preyed upon his liver.


word: Prominency
definition:
Prominency

Prominence

{ Prom"i*nence (?), Prom"i*nen*cy (?), }
n.
[L. prominentia: cf. F. prominence. See Prominent. ]

1.
The quality or state of being prominent; a standing out from something; conspicuousness.

2.
That which is prominent; a protuberance.

Solar prominences. (Astron.) See Solar Protuberances, under Protuberance.


word: Prominent
definition:
Prominent

Prom"i*nent
(?)
a.
[L. prominens, -entis, p. pr. of prominere to jut out, to project; pro before, forward + minere (in comp.) to jut, project: cf. F. prominent. See Imminent, Eminent.]

1.
Standing out, or projecting, beyond the line surface of something; jutting; protuberant; in high relief; as, a prominent figure on a vase.

2.
Hence; Distinctly manifest; likely to attract attention from its size or position; conspicuous; as, a prominent feature of the face; a prominent building.

3.
Eminent; distinguished above others; as, a prominent character.

Prominent' moth (Zool.), any moth of the family Notodontidæ; a notodontian; -- so called because the larva has a hump or prominence on its back. Several of the species are injurious to fruit trees.


word: Promiscuous
definition:
Promiscuous

Pro*mis"cu*ous
(?)
a.
[L. promiscuus; pro before, in place of, for + miscere to mix. See Mix. ]

1.
Consisting of individuals united in a body or mass without order; mingled; confused; undistinguished; as, a promiscuous crowd or mass.

A wild, where weeds and flowers promiscuous shoot.
Pope.

2.
Distributed or applied without order or discrimination; not restricted to an individual; common; indiscriminate; as, promiscuous love or intercourse.


word: Promise
definition:
Promise

Prom"ise
(?)
a.
[F. promesse, L. promissum, fr. promittere, promissum, to put forth, foretell, promise; pro forward, for + mittere to send. See Mission. ]

1.
In general, a declaration, written or verbal, made by one person to another, which binds the person who makes it to do, or to forbear to do, a specified act; a declaration which gives to the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.

For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Gal. iii. 18.

2.
(Law)
An engagement by one person to another, either in words or in writing, but properly not under seal, for the performance or nonperformance of some particular thing.  The word promise is used to denote the mere engagement of a person, without regard to the consideration for it, or the corresponding duty of the party to whom it is made.
Chitty. Parsons. Burrill.

3.
That which causes hope, expectation, or assurance; especially, that which affords expectation of future distinction; as, a youth of great promise.
Shak.

My native country was full of youthful promise.
W. Irving.

4.
Bestowal, fulfillment, or grant of what is promised.

He . . . commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.
Acts i. 4.


word: Promise₂
definition:
Promise

Prom"ise
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Promised (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Promising.]

1.
To engage to do, give, make, or to refrain from doing, giving, or making, or the like; to covenant; to engage; as, to promise a visit; to promise a cessation of hostilities; to promise the payment of money.
promise
Shak.

2.
To afford reason to expect; to cause hope or assurance of; as, the clouds promise rain.
Milton.

3.
To make declaration of or give assurance of, as some benefit to be conferred; to pledge or engage to bestow; as, the proprietors promised large tracts of land; the city promised a reward.

Promised land. See Land of promise, under Land. -- To promise one's self. (a) To resolve; to determine; to vow. (b) To be assured; to have strong confidence.

I dare promise myself you will attest the truth of all I have advanced.
Rambler.


word: Promise₃
definition:
Promise

Prom"ise
v. i.

1.
To give assurance by a promise, or binding declaration.

2.
To afford hopes or expectation; to give ground to expect good; rarely, to give reason to expect evil.

Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
I fear it, I promise you.
Shak.


word: Promising
definition:
Promising

Prom"is*ing
a.
Making a promise or promises; affording hope or assurance; as, promising person; a promising day.
Prom"is*ing*ly, adv.


word: Promissory
definition:
Promissory

Prom"is*so*ry
(?)
a.
Containing a promise or binding declaration of something to be done or forborne.

Promissory note (Law), a written promise to pay to some person named, and at a time specified therein, or on demand, or at sight, a certain sum of money, absolutely and at all events; -- frequently called a note of hand. Kent. Byles. Story.


word: Promontory
definition:
Promontory

Prom"on*to*ry
(?)
n.
pl. Promontories (#).
[ L. promonturium, promunturium; pro before + mons, montis, mountain: cf. F. promontoire. See Mount, n.]

1.
(Phys. Geog.)
A high point of land or rock projecting into the sea beyond the line of coast; a headland; a high cape.

Like one that stands upon a promontory.
Shak.

2.
(Anat.)
A projecting part. Especially: (a) The projecting angle of the ventral side of the sacrum where it joins the last lumbar vertebra. (b) A prominence on the inner wall of the tympanum of the ear.


word: Promorphological
definition:
Promorphological

Pro*mor`pho*log"ic*al
(?)
a.
(Biol.)
Relating to promorphology; as, a promorphological conception.


word: Promorphology
definition:
Promorphology

Pro`mor*phol"o*gy
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- + morphology.]
(Biol.)
Crystallography of organic forms; -- a division of morphology created by Haeckel. It is essentially stereometric, and relates to a mathematical conception of organic forms. See Tectology.


word: Promote
definition:
Promote

Pro*mote"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Promoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Promoting.]
[L. promotus, p. p. of promovere to move forward, to promote; pro forward + movere to move. See Move.]

1.
To contribute to the growth, enlargement, or prosperity of (any process or thing that is in course); to forward; to further; to encourage; to advance; to excite; as, to promote learning; to promote disorder; to promote a business venture.
promote
Milton.

2.
To exalt in station, rank, or honor; to elevate; to raise; to prefer; to advance; as, to promote an officer.

I will promote thee unto very great honor.
Num. xxii. 17.

Exalt her, and she shall promote thee.
Prov. iv. 18.


word: Promote₂
definition:
Promote

Pro*mote"
v. i.
To urge on or incite another, as to strife; also, to inform against a person.
[Obs.]


word: Promoter
definition:
Promoter

Pro*mot"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who, or that which, forwards, advances, or promotes; an encourager; as, a promoter of charity or philosophy.
Boyle.

2.
Specifically, one who sets on foot, and takes the preliminary steps in, a scheme for the organization of a corporation, a joint-stock company, or the like.

3.
One who excites; as, a promoter of sedition.

4.
An informer; a makebate.
[Obs.]
Tusser.

5.
(Genetics)
The region of a DNA molecule to which RNA polymerase binds to initiate the process of transcription, i.e. the synthesis of RNA whose sequence is determined by the sequence of the DNA adjacent to the promoter site; also, the sequence of bases in the DNA at such a promoter site.

6.
(Chem.)
A substance that increases the activity of a catalyst, when present in small quantity in the reaction mixture.


word: promotion
definition:
promotion

pro*mo"tion
(pro̝*m&omacr"shŭn)
n.
[L. promotio: cf. F. promotion.]
The act of promoting, advancing, or encouraging; the act of exalting in rank or honor; also, the condition of being advanced, encouraged, or exalted in honor; preferment.
Milton.

Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
Ps. lxxv. 6.


word: Promove
definition:
Promove

Pro*move"
(?)
v. t.
[See Promote.]
To move forward; to advance; to promote.
[Obs.]
Bp. Fell.


word: Prompt
definition:
Prompt

Prompt
(pr&obreve_;mt; 215)
a.
[Compar. Prompter (?); superl. Promptest.]
[F. prompt, L. promptus, properly, brought forth (to light or view), hence, visible, evident, at hand, ready, quick, -- p. p. of promere to take or bring forth; pro forth + emere to take. See Redeem. ]

1.
Ready and quick to act as occasion demands; meeting requirements readily; not slow, dilatory, or hesitating in decision or action; responding on the instant; immediate; as, prompt in obedience or compliance; -- said of persons.

Very discerning and prompt in giving orders.
Clarendon.

Tell him I am prompt
To lay my crown at's feet.
Shak.

And you, perhaps, too prompt in your replies.
Dryden.

2.
Done or rendered quickly, readily, or immediately; given without delay or hesitation; -- said of conduct; as, prompt assistance.

When Washington heard the voice of his country in distress,
his obedience was prompt.
Ames.

3.
Easy; unobstructed.
[Obs.]

The reception of the light into the body of the building was very prompt.
Sir H. Wotton.


word: Prompt₂
definition:
Prompt

Prompt
n.
(Com.)
A limit of time given for payment of an account for produce purchased, this limit varying with different goods. See Prompt-note.

To cover any probable difference of price which might arise before the expiration of the prompt, which for this article [tea] is three months.
J. S. Mill.


word: Prompt₃
definition:
Prompt

Prompt
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prompted; p. pr. & vb. n. Prompting.]

1.
To assist or induce the action of; to move to action; to instigate; to incite.

God first . . . prompted on the infirmities of the infant world by temporal prosperity.
Jer. Taylor.

2.
To suggest; to dictate.

And whispering angles prompt her golden dreams.
Pope.

3.
To remind, as an actor or an orator, of words or topics forgotten.


word: Prompter
definition:
Prompter

Prompt"er
(?)
n.

1.
One who, or that which, prompts; one who admonishes or incites to action.

2.
One who reminds another, as an actor or an orator, of the words to be spoken next; specifically, one employed for this purpose in a theater.


word: Promptitude
definition:
Promptitude

Prompt"i*tude
(?)
n.
[F., fr. L. promptitudo. See Prompt, a.]
The quality of being prompt; quickness of decision and action when occasion demands; alacrity; as, promptitude in obedience.

Men of action, of promptitude, and of courage.
I. Taylor.


word: Promptness
definition:
Promptness

Prompt"ness
n.

1.
Promptitude; readiness; quickness of decision or action.

2.
Cheerful willingness; alacrity.


word: Prompt-note
definition:
Prompt-note

Prompt"-note`
(?)
n.
(Com.)
A memorandum of a sale, and time when payment is due, given to the purchaser at a sale of goods.


word: Promptuary₂
definition:
Promptuary

Promp"tu*a*ry
n.
[L. promptuarium, fr. promptuarius belonging to distribution, distributing: cf, F. promptuaire. See Prompt, a.]
That from which supplies are drawn; a storehouse; a magazine; a repository.
Woodward.


word: Prompture
definition:
Prompture

Promp"ture
(?; 135)
n.
[See Prompt, a.]
Suggestion; incitement; prompting.
[R.]
Shak. Coleridge.


word: Promulgate
definition:
Promulgate

Pro*mul"gate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Promulgated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Promulgating.]
[L. promulgatus, p. p. of promulgare to promulgate; of unknown origin.  Cf. Promulge.]
To make known by open declaration, as laws, decrees, or tidings; to publish; as, to promulgate the secrets of a council.


word: Promulgation
definition:
Promulgation

Pro`mul*ga"tion
(?)
n.
[L. promulgatio: cf. F. promulgation.]
The act of promulgating; publication; open declaration; as, the promulgation of the gospel.
South.


word: Promulge
definition:
Promulge

Pro*mulge"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Promulged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Promulging (?).]
[Cf. F. promulguer. See Promulgate.]
To promulgate; to publish or teach.
Blackstone.

Extraordinary doctrines these for the age in which they were promulged.
Prescott.


word: Promuscis
definition:
Promuscis

Pro*mus"cis
(?)
n.
[L., corruption of proboscis.]
(Zool.)
The proboscis of hemipterous insects. See Illust. under Hemiptera.


word: Pronaos
definition:
Pronaos

Pro*na"os
(?)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. _;; _; before + _; temple.]
(Arch.)
The porch or vestibule of a temple.


word: Pronate
definition:
Pronate

Pro"nate
(?)
a.
[L. pronatus, p. p. of pronare to bend forward. See Prone.]
Somewhat prone; inclined; as, pronate trees.
Kane.


word: Pronation
definition:
Pronation

Pro*na"tion
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. pronation.]
(Physiol.)
(a)
The act of turning the palm or palmar surface of the forefoot downward.
(b)
That motion of the forearm whereby the palm or palmar, surface is turned downward.
(c)
The position of the limb resulting from the act of pronation. Opposed to supination.


word: Prone
definition:
Prone

Prone
(?)
a.
[L. pronus, akin to Gr. _;, _;, Skr. pravana sloping, inclined, and also to L. pro forward, for. See Pro-.]

1.
Bending forward; inclined; not erect.

Towards him they bend
With awful reverence prone.
Milton.

2.
Prostrate; flat; esp., lying with the face down; -- opposed to supine.

Which, as the wind,
Blew where it listed, laying all things prone.
Byron.

3.
Headlong; running downward or headlong.
prone
Milton.

4.
Sloping, with reference to a line or surface; declivous; inclined; not level.

Since the floods demand,
For their descent, a prone and sinking land.
Blackmore.

5.
Inclined; propense; disposed; -- applied to the mind or affections, usually in an ill sense. Followed by to.
Prone
Shak.

Poets are nearly all prone to melancholy.
Landor.


word: Proneness
definition:
Proneness

Prone"ness
n.

1.
The quality or state of being prone, or of bending downward; as, the proneness of beasts is opposed to the erectness of man.

2.
The state of lying with the face down; -- opposed to supineness.

3.
Descent; declivity; as, the proneness of a hill.

4.
Inclination of mind, heart, or temper; propension; disposition; as, proneness to self-gratification.


word: Pronephron
definition:
Pronephron

Pronephros

&VerbarPro*neph"ros (?), &VerbarPro*neph"ron (_;)
n.
[ NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _; a kidney.]
(Anat.)
The head kidney. See under Head.


word: Prong
definition:
Prong

Prong
(?)
n.
[Cf. D. prangen to pinch, press, LG. prange a stick, or W. procio to thrust, E. prowl, pang.]

1.
A sharp-pointed instrument.

Prick it on a prong of iron.
Sandys.

2.
The tine of a fork, or of a similar instrument; as, a fork of two or three prongs.

3.
(Zool.)
(a)
A sharp projection, as of an antler.
(b)
The fang of a tooth.


word: Pronged
definition:
Pronged

Pronged
(?)
a.
Having prongs or projections like the tines of a fork; as, a three-pronged fork.


word: Pronghorn
definition:
Pronghorn

Prong"horn`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
An American antelope (Antilocapra Americana), native of the plain near the Rocky Mountains. The upper parts are mostly yellowish brown; the under parts, the sides of the head and throat, and the buttocks, are white. The horny sheath of the horns is shed annually. Called also cabrée, cabut, prongbuck, and pronghorned antelope.


word: pronk
definition:
pronk

pronk
v. i.
To jump straight up or almost straight up; -- used of kangaroos and gazelles.

Some less common gaits used only by few animals are the ricochet, the pronk and the bound.  The ricochet is the gait principally employed by a class of animals such as the kangaroo.  The pronk is a gait used by quadrupeds such as gazelle and it is equivalent to the ricochet except that both the front and back sets of of feet perform the same action.  The bound is used by a few small quadrupeds such as squirrels and dogs.  In the bound support alternates between pairs of legs, with the fore and hind acting to push the body forward.
Ionnas Poulakakis (http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~poulakas/legged_locomotion/gaits.html)


word: Pronominal
definition:
Pronominal

Pro*nom"i*nal
(?)
a.
[L. pronominalis: cf. F. pronominal. See Pronoun.]
Belonging to, or partaking of the nature of, a pronoun.


word: Pronominalize
definition:
Pronominalize

Pro*nom"i*nal*ize
(?)
v. t.
To give the effect of a pronoun to; as, to pronominalize the substantives person, people, etc.
Early.


word: Pronominally
definition:
Pronominally

Pro*nom"i*nal*ly
adv.
In a pronominal manner_; with the nature or office of a pronoun; as a pronoun.


word: Prononce
definition:
Prononce

Pro`non`cé"
(?)
a.
[F. See Pronounce.]
Strongly marked; decided, as in manners, etc.; pronounced.


word: Pronotum
definition:
Pronotum

Pro*no"tum
(?)
n.
pl. Pronota (#).
[NL. See Pro-, and Notum.]
(Zool.)
The dorsal plate of the prothorax in insects. See Illust. of Coleoptera.


word: Pronoun
definition:
Pronoun

Pro"noun
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- + noun: cf. F. pronom, L. pronomen. See Noun.]
(Gram.)
A word used instead of a noun or name, to avoid the repetition of it. The personal pronouns in English are I, thou or you, he, she, it, we, ye, and they.


word: Pronounce
definition:
Pronounce

Pro*nounce"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pronounced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pronounging (?).]
[F. prononcer, L. pronunciare; pro before, forth + nunciare, nuntiare, to announce. See Announce.]

1.
To utter articulately; to speak out or distinctly; to utter, as words or syllables; to speak with the proper sound and accent as, adults rarely learn to pronounce a foreign language correctly.

2.
To utter officially or solemnly; to deliver, as a decree or sentence; as, to pronounce sentence of death.

Sternly he pronounced
The rigid interdiction.
Milton.

3.
To speak or utter rhetorically; to deliver; to recite; as, to pronounce an oration.

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you.
Shak.

4.
To declare or affirm; as, he pronounced the book to be a libel; he pronounced the act to be a fraud.

The God who hallowed thee and blessed,
Pronouncing thee all good.
Keble.


word: Pronounce₂
definition:
Pronounce

Pro*nounce"
v. i.

1.
To give a pronunciation; to articulate; as, to pronounce faultlessly.
Earle.

2.
To make declaration; to utter on opinion; to speak with confidence.
[R.]
Dr. H. More.


word: Pronounceable
definition:
Pronounceable

Pro*nounce"a*ble
(?)
a.
[Cf. L. pronunciabilis declarative.]
Capable of being pronounced.


word: Pronounced
definition:
Pronounced

Pro*nounced"
(?)
a.
[F. prononcé.]
Strongly marked; unequivocal; decided. [A Gallicism]

[His]  views became every day more pronounced.
Thackeray.


word: Pronouncement
definition:
Pronouncement

Pro*nounce"ment
(?)
n.
The act of pronouncing; a declaration; a formal announcement.


word: Pronouncing
definition:
Pronouncing

Pro*noun"cing
(?)
a.
Pertaining to, or indicating, pronunciation; as, a pronouncing dictionary.


word: pronounciation
definition:
pronounciation

pronounciation
n.
Same as  pronunciation; -- a common misspelling (written only).
[misspelling]


word: Pronubial
definition:
Pronubial

Pro*nu"bi*al
(?)
a.
[L. pronuba bridesmaid; pro before + nubere to marry.]
Presiding over marriage.
[R.]


word: Pronucleus
definition:
Pronucleus

Pro*nu"cle*us
(?)
n.
pl. Pronuclei (-ī).
[NL. See Pro-, and Nucleus.]
(Biol.)
One of the two bodies or nuclei (called male and female pronuclei) which unite to form the first segmentation nucleus of an impregnated ovum.

&hand_; In the maturing of the ovum preparatory to impregnation, a part of the germinal vesicle (see Polar body, under Polar) becomes converted into a number of small vesicles, which aggregate themselves into a single clear nucleus. which travels towards the center of the egg and is called the female pronucleus. In impregnation, the spermatozoon which enters the egg soon loses its tail, while the head forms a nucleus, called the male pronucleus, which gradually travels towards the female pronucleus and eventually fuses with it, forming the first segmentation nucleus.


word: Pronunciamento
definition:
Pronunciamento

Pro*nun`ci*a*men"to
(?)
n.
A proclamation or manifesto; a formal announcement or declaration.


word: Pronunciation
definition:
Pronunciation

Pro*nun`ci*a"tion
(?; 277)
n.
[F. pronunciation, L. pronunciatio. See Pronounce.]

1.
The act of uttering with articulation; the act of giving the proper sound and accent; utterance; as, the pronunciation of syllables of words; distinct or indistinct pronunciation.

2.
The mode of uttering words or sentences.

3.
(Rhet.)
The art of manner of uttering a discourse publicly with propriety and gracefulness; -- now called delivery.
J. Q. Adams.


word: Pronunciative
definition:
Pronunciative

Pro*nun"ci*a*tive
(?)
a.
[L. pronunciativus.]

1.
Of or pertaining to pronunciation.

2.
Uttering confidently; dogmatical.
[Obs.]
Bacon.


word: Proof
definition:
Proof

Proof
(?)
n.
[OF. prove, proeve, F. preuve, fr. L. proba, fr. probare to prove. See Prove.]

1.
Any effort, process, or operation designed to establish or discover a fact or truth; an act of testing; a test; a trial.

For whatsoever mother wit or art
Could work, he put in proof.
Spenser.

You shall have many proofs to show your skill.
Ford.

Formerly, a very rude mode of ascertaining the strength of spirits was practiced, called the proof.
Ure.

2.
That degree of evidence which convinces the mind of any truth or fact, and produces belief; a test by facts or arguments that induce, or tend to induce, certainty of the judgment; conclusive evidence; demonstration.

I'll have some proof.
Shak.

It is no proof of a man's understanding to be able to confirm whatever he pleases.
Emerson.

&hand_; Properly speaking, proof is the effect or result of evidence, evidence is the medium of proof.  Cf. Demonstration, 1.

3.
The quality or state of having been proved or tried; firmness or hardness that resists impression, or does not yield to force; impenetrability of physical bodies.

4.
Firmness of mind; stability not to be shaken.

5.
(Print.)
A trial impression, as from type, taken for correction or examination; -- called also proof sheet.

6.
(Math.)
A process for testing the accuracy of an operation performed.  Cf. Prove, v. t., 5.

7.
Armor of excellent or tried quality, and deemed impenetrable; properly, armor of proof.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Artist's proof, a very early proof impression of an engraving, or the like; -- often distinguished by the artist's signature. -- Proof reader, one who reads, and marks correction in, proofs. See def. 5, above.


word: Proof₂
definition:
Proof

Proof
a.

1.
Used in proving or testing; as, a proof load, or proof charge.

2.
Firm or successful in resisting; as, proof against harm; waterproof; bombproof.

I . . . have found thee
Proof against all temptation.
Milton.

This was a good, stout proof article of faith.
Burke.

3.
Being of a certain standard as to strength; -- said of alcoholic liquors.

Proof charge (Firearms), a charge of powder and ball, greater than the service charge, fired in an arm, as a gun or cannon, to test its strength. -- Proof impression. See under Impression. -- Proof load (Engin.), the greatest load than can be applied to a piece, as a beam, column, etc., without straining the piece beyond the elastic limit. -- Proof sheet. See Proof, n., 5. -- Proof spirit (Chem.), a strong distilled liquor, or mixture of alcohol and water, containing not less than a standard amount of alcohol. In the United States “proof spirit is defined by law to be that mixture of alcohol and water which contains one half of its volume of alcohol, the alcohol when at a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit being of specific gravity 0.7939 referred to water at its maximum density as unity. Proof spirit has at 60° Fahrenheit a specific gravity of 0.93353, 100 parts by volume of the same consisting of 50 parts of absolute alcohol and 53.71 parts of water,” the apparent excess of water being due to contraction of the liquids on mixture. In England proof spirit is defined by Act 58, George III., to be such as shall at a temperature of 51° Fahrenheit weigh exactly the 12/13 part of an equal measure of distilled water. This contains 49.3 per cent by weight, or 57.09 by volume, of alcohol. Stronger spirits, as those of about 60, 70, and 80 per cent of alcohol, are sometimes called second, third, and fourth proof spirits respectively. -- Proof staff, a straight-edge used by millers to test the flatness of a stone. -- Proof stick (Sugar Manuf.), a rod in the side of a vacuum pan, for testing the consistency of the sirup. -- Proof text, a passage of Scripture used to prove a doctrine.


word: Proof-arm
definition:
Proof-arm

Proof`-arm"
(?)
v. t.
To arm with proof armor; to arm securely; as, to proof-arm herself.
[R.]
Beau. & Fl.


word: Proofless
definition:
Proofless

Proof"less
a.
Wanting sufficient evidence to induce belief; not proved.
Boyle.
Proof"less*ly, adv.


word: Proostracum
definition:
Proostracum

Pro*ös"tra*cum
(?)
n.
pl. Proostraca (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _; shell of a testacean.]
(Zool.)
The anterior prolongation of the guard of the phragmocone of belemnites and allied fossil cephalopods, whether horny or calcareous. See Illust. of Phragmocone.


word: Prootic
definition:
Prootic

Pro*ö"tic
(?)
a.
[Pref. pro- + Gr. _;, _;, an ear.]
(Anat.)
In front of the auditory capsule; -- applied especially to a bone, or center of ossification, in the periotic capsule.
n. A prootic bone.


word: Prop₂
definition:
Prop

Prop
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Propped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Propping.]
[Akin to LG. & D. proppen to cram, stuff, thrust into, stop, G. pfropfen, Dan. proppe, Sw. proppa; of uncertain origin, cf. G. pfropfen to graft, fr. L. propago set, layer of a plant, slip, shoot.  Cf. 3d. Prop, Propagate.]
To support, or prevent from falling, by placing something under or against; as, to prop up a fence or an old building; (Fig.)  to sustain; to maintain; as, to prop a declining state.
Shak.

Till the bright mountains prop the incumbent sky.
Pope.

For being not propp'd by ancestry.
Shak.

I prop myself upon those few supports that are left me.
Pope.


word: Prop₃
definition:
Prop

Prop
n.
[Akin to LG., D., & Dan. prop stopple, stopper, cork, Sw. propp, G. pfropf. See Prop, v.]
That which sustains an incumbent weight; that on which anything rests or leans for support; a support; a stay; as, a prop for a building.
props
Shak.


word: Propaedeutical
definition:
Propaedeutical

Propaedeutic

{ Pro`pæ*deu"tic (?), Pro`pæ*deu"tic*al (?) }
a.
[Gr. _; to teach beforehand; _; before + _; to bring up a child, to educate, teach, fr. _;, _;, a child.]
Of, pertaining to, or conveying, preliminary instruction; introductory to any art or science; instructing beforehand.


word: Propaedeutics
definition:
Propaedeutics

Pro`pæ*deu"tics
(?)
n.
The preliminary learning connected with any art or science; preparatory instruction.


word: Propagable
definition:
Propagable

Prop"a*ga*ble
(?)
a.
[See Propagate.]

1.
Capable of being propagated, or of being continued or multiplied by natural generation or production.

2.
Capable of being spread or extended by any means; -- said of tenets, doctrines, or principles.


word: Propaganda
definition:
Propaganda

Prop`a*gan"da
(?)
n.
[Abbrev. fr. L. de propaganda fide: cf. F. propagande. See Propagate.]

1.
(R. C. Ch.)
(a)
A congregation of cardinals, established in 1622, charged with the management of missions.
(b)
The college of the Propaganda, instituted by Urban VIII. (1623-1644) to educate priests for missions in all parts of the world.

2.
Hence, any organization or plan for spreading a particular doctrine or a system of principles.


word: Propagandism
definition:
Propagandism

Prop`a*gan"dism
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. propagandisme.]
The art or practice of propagating tenets or principles; zeal in propagating one's opinions.


word: Propagandist
definition:
Propagandist

Prop`a*gan"dist
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. propagandiste.]
A person who devotes himself to the spread of any system of principles.
propagandists
Walsh.


word: Propagate
definition:
Propagate

Prop"a*gate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Propagated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Propagating.]
[L. propagatus, p. p. of propagare to propagate, akin to propages, propago, a layer of a plant, slip, shoot. See Pro-, and cf. Pact, Prop, Prune, v. t.]

1.
To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production; -- applied to animals and plants; as, to propagate a breed of horses or sheep; to propagate a species of fruit tree.

2.
To cause to spread to extend; to impel or continue forward in space; as, to propagate sound or light.

3.
To spread from person to person; to extend the knowledge of; to originate and spread; to carry from place to place; to disseminate; as, to propagate a story or report; to propagate the Christian religion.

The infection was propagated insensibly.
De Foe.

4.
To multiply; to increase.
[Obs.]

Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt propagate.
Shak.

5.
To generate; to produce.

Motion propagated motion, and life threw off life.
De Quincey.


word: Propagate₂
definition:
Propagate

Prop"a*gate
v. i.
To have young or issue; to be produced or multiplied by generation, or by new shoots or plants; as, rabbits propagate rapidly.

No need that thou
Should'st propagate, already infinite.
Milton.


word: Propagation
definition:
Propagation

Prop`a*ga"tion
(?)
n.
[L. propagatio: cf. F. propagation.]

1.
The act of propagating; continuance or multiplication of the kind by generation or successive production; as, the propagation of animals or plants.

There is not in nature any spontaneous generation, but all come by propagation.
Ray.

2.
The spreading abroad, or extension, of anything; diffusion; dissemination; as, the propagation of sound; the propagation of the gospel.
Bacon.


word: Propagator
definition:
Propagator

Prop"a*ga`tor
(?)
n.
[L.: cf. F. propagateur.]
One who propagates; one who continues or multiplies.


word: Propagulum
definition:
Propagulum

Pro*pag"u*lum
(?)
n.
pl. Propagula (#).
[NL. See Propagate.]
(Bot.)
A runner terminated by a germinating bud.


word: Propane
definition:
Propane

Pro"pane
(?)
n.
[Propyl + methane.]
(Chem.)
A heavy gaseous hydrocarbon, C3H8, of the paraffin series, occurring naturally dissolved in crude petroleum, and also made artificially; -- called also propyl hydride.


word: Propargyl
definition:
Propargyl

Pro*par"gyl
(?)
n.
[Propinyl + Gr. _; silver + -yl. So called because one hydrogen atom may be replaced by silver.]
(Chem.)
Same as Propinyl.


word: Proparoxytone
definition:
Proparoxytone

Pro`par*ox"y*tone
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;. See Pro-, and Paroxytone.]
(Gr. Gram.)
A word which has the acute accent on the antepenult.


word: Propel
definition:
Propel

Pro*pel"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Propelled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Propelling.]
[L. propellere, propulsum; pro forward + pellere to drive. See Pulse a beating.]
To drive forward; to urge or press onward by force; to move, or cause to move; as, the wind or steam propels ships; balls are propelled by gunpowder.


word: Propeller
definition:
Propeller

Pro*pel"ler
(?)
n.

1.
One who, or that which, propels.

2.
A contrivance for propelling a steam vessel, usually consisting of a screw placed in the stern under water, and made to revolve by an engine; a propeller wheel.

3.
A steamboat thus propelled; a screw steamer.

Propeller wheel,the screw, usually having two or more blades, used in propelling a vessel.


word: Propend
definition:
Propend

Pro*pend"
(?)
v. i.
[L. propendere, propensum; pro forward, forth + pendere to hang. See Pendent.]
To lean toward a thing; to be favorably inclined or disposed; to incline; to tend.
[R.]
Shak.

We shall propend to it, as a stone falleth down.
Barrow.


word: Propendency
definition:
Propendency

Pro*pend"en*cy
(?)
n.
1.
Propensity.
[R.]

2.
Attentive deliberation.
[R.]
Sir M. Hale.


word: Propense
definition:
Propense

Pro*pense"
(?)
a.
[L. propensus, p. p. See Propend.]
Leaning toward, in a moral sense; inclined; disposed; prone; as, women propense to holiness.
Hooker.
Pro*pense"ly, adv. -- Pro*pense"ness, n.


word: Propension
definition:
Propension

Pro*pen"sion
(?)
n.
[L. propensio: cf. F. propension. See Propend, Propense.]
The quality or state of being propense; propensity.
M. Arnold.

Your full consent
Gave wings to my propension.
Shak.


word: Propensity
definition:
Propensity

Pro*pen"si*ty
(?)
n.
pl. Propensities (_;).
The quality or state of being propense; natural inclination; disposition to do good or evil; bias; bent; tendency.
propensity
Macaulay.


word: Propenyl
definition:
Propenyl

Pro"pe*nyl
(?)
n.
[Propene + -yl.]
(Chem.)
A hypothetical hydrocarbon radical, C3H5, isomeric with allyl and glyceryl, and regarded as the essential residue of glycerin.  Cf. Allyl, and Glyceryl.


word: Propeptone
definition:
Propeptone

Pro*pep"tone
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- + peptone.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
A product of gastric digestion intermediate between albumin and peptone, identical with hemialbumose.


word: Proper
definition:
Proper

Prop"er
(?)
a.
[OE. propre, F. propre, fr. L. proprius.  Cf. Appropriate.]

1.
Belonging to one; one's own; individual.
proper
i. e.
own
Chaucer.
proper
Shak.

Now learn the difference, at your proper cost,
Betwixt true valor and an empty boast.
Dryden.

2.
Belonging to the natural or essential constitution; peculiar; not common; particular; as, every animal has his proper instincts and appetites.

Those high and peculiar attributes . . . which constitute our proper humanity.
Coleridge.

3.
Befitting one's nature, qualities, etc.; suitable in all respect; appropriate; right; fit; decent; as, water is the proper element for fish; a proper dress.

The proper study of mankind is man.
Pope.

In Athens all was pleasure, mirth, and play,
All proper to the spring, and sprightly May.
Dryden.

4.
Becoming in appearance; well formed; handsome.
[Archaic]
proper
Chaucer.

Moses . . . was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child.
Heb. xi. 23.

5.
Pertaining to one of a species, but not common to the whole; not appellative; -- opposed to common; as, a proper name; Dublin is the proper name of a city.

6.
Rightly so called; strictly considered; as, Greece proper; the garden proper.

7.
(Her.)
Represented in its natural color; -- said of any object used as a charge.

In proper, individually; privately. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. -- Proper flower or Proper corolla (Bot.), one of the single florets, or corollets, in an aggregate or compound flower. -- Proper fraction (Arith.) a fraction in which the numerator is less than the denominator. -- Proper nectary (Bot.), a nectary separate from the petals and other parts of the flower. -- Proper noun (Gram.), a name belonging to an individual, by which it is distinguished from others of the same class; -- opposed to common noun; as, John, Boston, America. -- Proper perianth or Proper involucre (Bot.), that which incloses only a single flower. -- Proper receptacle (Bot.), a receptacle which supports only a single flower or fructification.


word: Properate
definition:
Properate

Prop"er*ate
(?)
v. t. & i.
[L. properatus, p. p. of properare to hasten.]
To hasten, or press forward.
[Obs.]


word: Properispomenon
definition:
Properispomenon

Pro*per`i*spom"e*non
(?)
n.
pl. Properispomena (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _;, fr. _; to circumflex on the penult; _; before + _; to circumflex. See Perispomenon.]
(Gr. Gram.)
A word which has the circumflex accent on the penult.


word: Properly
definition:
Properly

Prop"er*ly
(?)
adv.

1.
In a proper manner; suitably; fitly; strictly; rightly; as, a word properly applied; a dress properly adjusted.
Milton.

2.
Individually; after one's own manner.
[Obs.]

Now, harkeneth, how I bare me properly.
Chaucer.


word: Properness
definition:
Properness

Prop"er*ness
n.

1.
The quality of being proper.

2.
Tallness; comeliness.
[Obs.]
Udall.


word: Propertied
definition:
Propertied

Prop"er*tied
(?)
a.
Possessing property; holding real estate, or other investments of money.
propertied
M. Arnold.


word: Property
definition:
Property

Prop"er*ty
(?)
n.
pl. Properties (#).
[OE. proprete, OF. propreté property, F. propreté neatness, cleanliness, propriété property, fr. L. proprietas. See Proper, a., and cf. Propriety.]

1.
That which is proper to anything; a peculiar quality of a thing; that which is inherent in a subject, or naturally essential to it; an attribute; as, sweetness is a property of sugar.

Property is correctly a synonym for peculiar quality; but it is frequently used as coextensive with quality in general.
Sir W. Hamilton.

&hand_; In physical science, the properties of matter are distinguished to the three following classes: 1. Physical properties, or those which result from the relations of bodies to the physical agents, light, heat, electricity, gravitation, cohesion, adhesion, etc., and which are exhibited without a change in the composition or kind of matter acted on. They are color, luster, opacity, transparency, hardness, sonorousness, density, crystalline form, solubility, capability of osmotic diffusion, vaporization, boiling, fusion, etc.  2. Chemical properties, or those which are conditioned by affinity and composition; thus, combustion, explosion, and certain solutions are reactions occasioned by chemical properties. Chemical properties are identical when there is identity of composition and structure, and change according as the composition changes. 3. Organoleptic properties, or those forming a class which can not be included in either of the other two divisions. They manifest themselves in the contact of substances with the organs of taste, touch, and smell, or otherwise affect the living organism, as in the manner of medicines and poisons.

2.
An acquired or artificial quality; that which is given by art, or bestowed by man; as, the poem has the properties which constitute excellence.

3.
The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying, and disposing of a thing; ownership; title.

Here I disclaim all my paternal care,
Propinquity and property of blood.
Shak.

Shall man assume a property in man?
Wordsworth.

4.
That to which a person has a legal title, whether in his possession or not; thing owned; an estate, whether in lands, goods, or money; as, a man of large property, or small property.

5.
pl.
All the adjuncts of a play except the scenery and the dresses of the actors; stage requisites.

I will draw a bill of properties.
Shak.

6.
Propriety; correctness.
[Obs.]
Camden.

Literary property. (Law) See under Literary. -- Property man, one who has charge of the “properties” of a theater.


word: Property₂
definition:
Property

Prop"er*ty
(?)
v. t.

1.
To invest which properties, or qualities.
[Obs.]
Shak.

2.
To make a property of; to appropriate.
[Obs.]

They have here propertied me.
Shak.


word: Prophasis
definition:
Prophasis

Proph"a*sis
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; to show beforehand. See Pro-, and Phasis.]
(Med.)
Foreknowledge of a disease; prognosis.


word: Prophecy
definition:
Prophecy

Proph"e*cy
(?)
n.
pl.
Prophecies
(#)
[OE. prophecie, OF. profecie, F. prophétie, L. prophetia, fr. Gr. _;, fr. _; to be an interpreter of the gods, to prophesy, fr. _; prophet. See Prophet.]
1.
A declaration of something to come; a foretelling; a prediction; esp., an inspired foretelling.

He hearkens after prophecies and dreams.
Shak.

Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man.
2. Pet. i. 21.

2.
(Script.)
A book of prophecies; a history; as, the prophecy of Ahijah.
2 Chron. ix. 29.

3.
Public interpretation of Scripture; preaching; exhortation or instruction.


word: Prophesy
definition:
Prophesy

Proph"e*sy
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prophesied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prophesying (?).]
[See Prophecy.]
1.
To foretell; to predict; to prognosticate.

He doth not prophesy good concerning me.
1 Kings xxii. 8.

Then I perceive that will be verified
Henry the Fifth did sometime prophesy.
Shak.

2.
To foreshow; to herald; to prefigure.

Methought thy very gait did prophesy
A royal nobleness; I must embrace thee.
Shak.


word: Prophesy₂
definition:
Prophesy

Proph"e*sy
v. i.

1.
To utter predictions; to make declaration of events to come.
Matt. xv. 7.

2.
To give instruction in religious matters; to interpret or explain Scripture or religious subjects; to preach; to exhort; to expound.
Ezek. xxxvii. 7.


word: Prophet
definition:
Prophet

Proph"et
(?)
n.
[F. prophète, L. propheta, fr. Gr. _;, literally, one who speaks for another, especially, one who speaks for a god an interprets his will to man, fr. _; to say beforehand; _; for, before + _; to say or speak. See Fame. ]

1.
One who prophesies, or foretells events; a predicter; a foreteller.

2.
One inspired or instructed by God to speak in his name, or announce future events, as, Moses, Elijah, etc.

3.
An interpreter; a spokesman.
[R.]
Ex. vii. 1.

4.
(Zool.)
A mantis.

School of the prophets (Anc. Jewish Hist.), a school or college in which young men were educated and trained for public teachers or members of the prophetic order. These students were called sons of the prophets.


word: Prophetical
definition:
Prophetical

Prophetic

{ Pro*phet"ic (?), Pro*phet"ic*al (?) }
a.
[L. propheticus, Gr. _;: cf. F. prophétique.]
Containing, or pertaining to, prophecy; foretelling events; as, prophetic writings; prophetic dreams; -- used with of before the thing foretold.

And fears are oft prophetic of the event.
Dryden.


word: Propheticalness
definition:
Propheticalness

Pro*phet"ic*al*ness
n.
The quality or state of being prophetical; power or capacity to foretell.


word: Prophetize
definition:
Prophetize

Proph"et*ize
(?)
v. i.
[L. prophetizare, Gr. _;: cf. F. prophétiser.  Cf. Prophesy.]
To give predictions; to foreshow events; to prophesy.
[R.]
Prophetizing
Daniel.


word: Prophragma
definition:
Prophragma

Pro*phrag"ma
(?)
n.
pl. Prophragmata (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _;, _;, fence, screen. ]
(Zool.)
An internal dorsal chitinous process between the first two divisions of the thorax of insects.


word: Prophylactic
definition:
Prophylactic

Proph`y*lac"tic
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. prophylactique.]
(Med.)
A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.


word: Prophylactical
definition:
Prophylactical

Prophylactic

{ Proph`y*lac"tic (?), Proph`y*lac"tic*al (?) }
a.
[Gr. _;, fr. _; to guard against; _; before + _; to guard: cf. F. prophylactique.]
(Med.)
Defending or preserving from disease; preventive.
Coxe.


word: Prophylaxis
definition:
Prophylaxis

Proph`y*lax"is
(?)
n.
[NL. See Prophylactic.]
(Med.)
The art of preserving from, or of preventing, disease; the observance of the rules necessary for the preservation of health; preservative or preventive treatment.


word: Propidene
definition:
Propidene

Pro"pi*dene
(?)
n.
[Propyl + ethylidene.]
(Chem.)
The unsymmetrical hypothetical hydrocarbon radical, CH3.CH2.CH, analogous to ethylidene, and regarded as the type of certain derivatives of propane; -- called also propylidene.


word: Propination
definition:
Propination

Prop`i*na"tion
(?)
n.
[L. propinatio. See Propine.]
The act of pledging, or drinking first, and then offering the cup to another.
[Obs.]
Abp. Potter.


word: Propine
definition:
Propine

Pro*pine"
(?)
v. t.
[L. propinare, Gr. _;; _; before + _; to drink.]

1.
To pledge; to offer as a toast or a health in the manner of drinking, that is, by drinking first and passing the cup.
[Obs.]

The lovely sorceress mixed, and to the prince
Health, peace, and joy propined.
C. Smart.

2.
Hence, to give in token of friendship.
[Obs.]

3.
To give, or deliver; to subject.
[Obs.]
Fotherby.


word: Propine₂
definition:
Propine

Pro*pine"
(?)
n.

1.
A pledge.
[Obs. or Scot.]

2.
A gift; esp., drink money.
[Obs or Scot.]


word: Propinquity
definition:
Propinquity

Pro*pin"qui*ty
(?)
n.
[L. propinquitas, from propinquus near, neighboring, from prope near.]

1.
Nearness in place; neighborhood; proximity.

2.
Nearness in time.
Sir T. Browne.

3.
Nearness of blood; kindred; affinity.
Shak.


word: Propinyl
definition:
Propinyl

Pro"pi*nyl
(?)
n.
[Propine + -yl.]
(Chem.)
A hydrocarbon radical regarded as an essential residue of propine and allied compounds.


word: Propiolic
definition:
Propiolic

Pro`pi*ol"ic
(?)
a.
[Propionic + tetrolic.]
(Chem.)
Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid (called also propargylic acid) of the acetylene or tetrolic series, analogous to propionic acid, and obtained as a white crystalline substance.


word: Propione
definition:
Propione

Pro"pi*one
(?)
n.
(Chem.)
The ketone of propionic acid, obtained as a colorless fragrant liquid.


word: Propionic
definition:
Propionic

Pro`pi*on"ic
(?)
a.
[Proto- + Gr. pi`wn fat.]
(Chem.)
Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an organic acid which is produced in the distillation of wood, in the fermentation of various organic substances, as glycerin, calcium lactate, etc., and is obtained as a colorless liquid having a sharp, pungent odor. Propionic acid is so called because it is the first or lowest member of the fatty acid series whose salts have a fatty feel.


word: Propionyl
definition:
Propionyl

Pro"pi*o*nyl
(?)
n.
(Chem.)
The hypothetical radical C3H5O, regarded as the essential residue of propionic acid and certain related compounds.


word: Propithecus
definition:
Propithecus

Prop`i*the"cus
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before, for + _; ape.]
(Zool.)
A genus including the long-tailed, or diadem, indris. See Indris.


word: Propitiate
definition:
Propitiate

Pro*pi"ti*ate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Propitiated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Propitiating.]
[L. propitiatus, p. p. of propitiare to propitiate, fr. propitius favorable. See Propitious.]
To appease to render favorable; to make propitious; to conciliate.

Let fierce Achilles, dreadful in his rage,
The god propitiate, and the pest assuage.
Pope.


word: Propitiation
definition:
Propitiation

Pro*pi`ti*a"tion
(?)
n.
[L. propitiatio: cf. F. propitiation.]

1.
The act of appeasing the wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person; the act of making propitious.

2.
(Theol.)
That which propitiates; atonement or atoning sacrifice; specifically, the influence or effects of the death of Christ in appeasing the divine justice, and conciliating the divine favor.

He [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for our sins.
1 John ii. 2.


word: Propitiatory
definition:
Propitiatory

Pro*pi"ti*a*to*ry
(?)
a.
[L. propitiatorius: cf. F. propitiatoire.]
Having the power to make propitious; pertaining to, or employed in, propitiation; expiatory; as, a propitiatory sacrifice.
Sharp.


word: Propitiatory₂
definition:
Propitiatory

Pro*pi"ti*a*to*ry
n.
[L. propitiatorium.]
(Jewish Antiq.)
The mercy seat; -- so called because a symbol of the propitiated Jehovah.
Bp. Pearson.


word: Propitious
definition:
Propitious

Pro*pi"tious
(?)
a.
[L. propitius, perhaps originally a term of augury meaning, flying forward (pro) or well; cf. Skr. pat to fly, E. petition, feather.]

1.
Convenient; auspicious; favorable; kind; as, a propitious season; a propitious breeze.

2.
Hence, kind; gracious; merciful; helpful; -- said of a person or a divinity.
Milton.

And now t' assuage the force of this new flame,
And make thee [Love] more propitious in my need.
Spenser.


word: Proplasm
definition:
Proplasm

Pro"plasm
(?)
n.
[L. proplasma, Gr. _;; _; before + _; a thing formed, fr. _; to mold.]
A mold; a matrix.
[R.]
Woodward.


word: Propleg
definition:
Propleg

Prop"leg`
(?)
n.
[So called because it props up or supports the body.]
(Zool.)
Same as Proleg.


word: Propodial
definition:
Propodial

Pro*po"di*al
(?)
a.
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the propodialia, or the parts of the limbs to which they belong.


word: Propodiale
definition:
Propodiale

Pro*po`di*a"le
(?)
n.
pl. Propodialia. (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _;, dim. of _;, _;, foot.]
(Anat.)
The bone of either the upper arm or the thing, the propodialia being the humerus and femur.


word: Propodite
definition:
Propodite

Prop"o*dite
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- + Gr. _;, _;, foot.]
(Zool.)
The sixth joint of a typical leg of a crustacean; usually, the penultimate joint.


word: Propodium
definition:
Propodium

Pro*po"di*um
(?)
n.
pl. Propodia (#).
[NL. See Propodiale.]
(Zool.)
(a)
The anterior portion of the foot of a mollusk.
(b)
The segment which forms the posterior part of the thorax of a hymenopterous insect.
[Written also propodeum.]


word: Propone
definition:
Propone

Pro*pone"
(?)
v. t.
[L. proponere to propose. See Propound.]
To propose; to bring forward.


word: Proponent₂
definition:
Proponent

Pro*po"nent
n.

1.
One who makes a proposal, or lays down a proposition.
Dryden.

2.
(Law)
The propounder of a thing.


word: Proportion
definition:
Proportion

Pro*por"tion
(?)
n.
[F., fr. L. proportio; pro before + portio part or share. See Portion.]

1.
The relation or adaptation of one portion to another, or to the whole, as respect magnitude, quantity, or degree; comparative relation; ratio; as, the proportion of the parts of a building, or of the body.

The image of Christ, made after his own proportion.
Ridley.

Formed in the best proportions of her sex.
Sir W. Scott.

Documents are authentic and facts are true precisely in proportion to the support which they afford to his theory.
Macaulay.

2.
Harmonic relation between parts, or between different things of the same kind; symmetrical arrangement or adjustment; symmetry; as, to be out of proportion.
proportion
Rom. xii. 6.

3.
The portion one receives when a whole is distributed by a rule or principle; equal or proper share; lot.

Let the women . . . do the same things in their proportions and capacities.
Jer. Taylor.

4.
A part considered comparatively; a share.

5.
(Math.)
(a)
The equality or similarity of ratios, especially of geometrical ratios; or a relation among quantities such that the quotient of the first divided by the second is equal to that of the third divided by the fourth; -- called also geometrical proportion, in distinction from arithmetical proportion, or that in which the difference of the first and second is equal to the difference of the third and fourth.

&hand_; Proportion in the mathematical sense differs from ratio. Ratio is the relation of two quantities of the same kind, as the ratio of 5 to 10, or the ratio of 8 to 16. Proportion is the sameness or likeness of two such relations. Thus, 5 to 10 as 8 to 16; that is, 5 bears the same relation to 10 as 8 does to 16. Hence, such numbers are said to be in proportion. Proportion is expressed by symbols thus:
[1913 Webster]
a:b::c:d, or a:b = c:d, or a/b = c/d.


Continued proportion, Inverse proportion, etc. See under Continued, Inverse, etc. -- Harmonical proportion or Musical proportion, a relation of three or four quantities, such that the first is to the last as the difference between the first two is to the difference between the last two; thus, 2, 3, 6, are in harmonical proportion; for 2 is to 6 as 1 to 3. Thus, 24, 16, 12, 9, are harmonical, for 24:9::8:3. -- In proportion, according as; to the degree that. “In proportion as they are metaphysically true, they are morally and politically false.”
Burke.


word: Proportion₂
definition:
Proportion

Pro*por"tion
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Proportioned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proportioning.]
[Cf. F. proportionner.  Cf. Proportionate, v.]
1.
To adjust in a suitable proportion, as one thing or one part to another; as, to proportion the size of a building to its height; to proportion our expenditures to our income.

In the loss of an object we do not proportion our grief to the real value . . . but to the value our fancies set upon it.
Addison.

2.
To form with symmetry or suitableness, as the parts of the body.

Nature had proportioned her without any fault.
Sir P. Sidney.

3.
To divide into equal or just shares; to apportion.


word: Proportionable
definition:
Proportionable

Pro*por"tion*a*ble
(?)
a.
Capable of being proportioned, or made proportional; also, proportional; proportionate.
Pro*por"tion*a*ble*ness, n.

But eloquence may exist without a proportionable degree of wisdom.
Burke.

 Proportionable, which is no longer much favored, was of our [i. e., English writers'] own coining.
Fitzed. Hall.


word: Proportional
definition:
Proportional

Pro*por"tion*al
(?)
a.
[L. proportionalis: cf. F. proportionnel.]
1.
Having a due proportion, or comparative relation; being in suitable proportion or degree; as, the parts of an edifice are proportional.
Milton.

2.
Relating to, or securing, proportion.
Hutton.

3.
(Math.)
Constituting a proportion; having the same, or a constant, ratio; as, proportional quantities; momentum is proportional to quantity of matter.

Proportional logarithms, logistic logarithms. See under Logistic. -- Proportional scale, a scale on which are marked parts proportional to the logarithms of the natural numbers; a logarithmic scale. -- Proportional scales, compasses, dividers, etc. (Draughting), instruments used in making copies of drawings, or drawings of objects, on an enlarged or reduced scale.


word: Proportional₂
definition:
Proportional

Pro*por"tion*al
n.
1.
(Math.)
Any number or quantity in a proportion; as, a mean proportional.

2.
(Chem.)
The combining weight or equivalent of an element.
[Obs.]


word: Proportionality
definition:
Proportionality

Pro*por`tion*al"i*ty
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. proportionnalité.]
The state of being in proportion.
Coleridge.


word: Proportionally
definition:
Proportionally

Pro*por"tion*al*ly
(?)
adv.
In proportion; in due degree; adapted relatively; as, all parts of the building are proportionally large.
Sir I. Newton.


word: Proportionate
definition:
Proportionate

Pro*por"tion*ate
(?)
a.
[L. proportionatus. See Proportion.]
Adjusted to something else according to a proportion; proportional.
Longfellow.

What is proportionate to his transgression.
Locke.


word: Proportionate₂
definition:
Proportionate

Pro*por"tion*ate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Proportionated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proportionating.]
[Cf. Proportion, v.]
To make proportional; to adjust according to a settled rate, or to due comparative relation; to proportion; as, to proportionate punishment to crimes.


word: Proportionately
definition:
Proportionately

Pro*por"tion*ate*ly
(_;)
adv.
In a proportionate manner; with due proportion; proportionally.


word: Proportionateness
definition:
Proportionateness

Pro*por"tion*ate*ness
n.
The quality or state of being proportionate.
Sir M. Hale.


word: Proposal
definition:
Proposal

Pro*pos"al
(?)
n.
[From Propose.]
1.
That which is proposed, or propounded for consideration or acceptance; a scheme or design; terms or conditions proposed; offer; as, to make proposals for a treaty of peace; to offer proposals for erecting a building; to make proposals of marriage.
proposals
Macaulay.

2.
(Law)
The offer by a party of what he has in view as to an intended business transaction, which, with acceptance, constitutes a contract.


word: Propose
definition:
Propose

Pro*pose"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Proposed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proposing.]
[F. proposer; pref. pro- (L. pro for, forward) + poser to place. See Pose, v.]
1.
To set forth.
[Obs.]

That being proposed brimfull of wine, one scarce could lift it up.
Chapman.

2.
To offer for consideration, discussion, acceptance, or adoption; as, to propose terms of peace; to propose a question for discussion; to propose an alliance; to propose a person for office.

3.
To set before one's self or others as a purpose formed; hence, to purpose; to intend.

I propose to relate, in several volumes, the history of the people of New England.
Palfrey.

To propose to one's self, to intend; to design.


word: Propose₂
definition:
Propose

Pro*pose"
v. i.
1.
To speak; to converse.
[Obs.]

There shalt thou find my cousin Beatrice,
Proposing with the prince and Claudio.
Shak.

2.
To form or declare a purpose or intention; to lay a scheme; to design; as, man proposes, but God disposes.

3.
To offer one's self in marriage.


word: Propose₃
definition:
Propose

Pro*pose"
n.
[F. propos, L. propositum. See Propound, Purpose, n.]
Talk; discourse.
[Obs.]
Shak.


word: Proposer
definition:
Proposer

Pro*pos"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who proposes or offers anything for consideration or adoption.

2.
A speaker; an orator.
[Obs.]
Shak.


word: Proposition
definition:
Proposition

Prop`o*si"tion
(?)
n.
[L. propositio: cf. F. proposition. See Propound.]
1.
The act of setting or placing before; the act of offering.
proposition
Jer. Taylor.

2.
That which is proposed; that which is offered, as for consideration, acceptance, or adoption; a proposal; as, the enemy made propositions of peace; his proposition was not accepted.

3.
A statement of religious doctrine; an article of faith; creed; as, the propositions of Wyclif and Huss.

Some persons . . . change their propositions according as their temporal necessities or advantages do turn.
Jer. Taylor.

4.
(Gram. & Logic)
A complete sentence, or part of a sentence consisting of a subject and predicate united by a copula; a thought expressed or propounded in language; a from of speech in which a predicate is affirmed or denied of a subject; as, snow is white.

5.
(Math.)
A statement in terms of a truth to be demonstrated, or of an operation to be performed.

&hand_; It is called a theorem when it is something to be proved, and a problem when it is something to be done.

6.
(Rhet.)
That which is offered or affirmed as the subject of the discourse; anything stated or affirmed for discussion or illustration.

7.
(Poetry)
The part of a poem in which the author states the subject or matter of it.

Leaves of proposition (Jewish Antiq.), the showbread. Wyclif (Luke vi. 4).


word: Propositional
definition:
Propositional

Prop`o*si"tion*al
(?)
a.
Pertaining to, or in the nature of, a proposition; considered as a proposition; as, a propositional sense.
I. Watts.


word: Propound
definition:
Propound

Pro*pound"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Propounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Propounding.]
[From earlier propone, L. proponere, propositum, to set forth, propose, propound; pro for, before + ponere to put. See Position, and cf. Provost.]
1.
To offer for consideration; to exhibit; to propose; as, to propound a question; to propound an argument.
Shak.

And darest thou to the Son of God propound
To worship thee, accursed?
Milton.

It is strange folly to set ourselves no mark, to propound no end, in the hearing of the gospel.
Coleridge.

2.
(Eccl.)
To propose or name as a candidate for admission to communion with a church.


word: Propounder
definition:
Propounder

Pro*pound"er
(?)
n.
One who propounds, proposes, or offers for consideration.
Chillingworth.


word: Propretor
definition:
Propretor

Pro*pre"tor
(?)
n.
[L. propraetor; pro for, before + praetor a pretor.]
(Rom. Antiq.)
A magistrate who, having been pretor at home, was appointed to the government of a province.
[Written also proprætor.]


word: Proprietary
definition:
Proprietary

Pro*pri"e*ta*ry
(?)
n.
pl. Proprietaries (#).
[L. proprietarius: cf. F. propriétaire. See Propriety, and cf. Proprietor.]
1.
A proprietor or owner; one who has exclusive title to a thing; one who possesses, or holds the title to, a thing in his own right.
Fuller.

2.
A body proprietors, taken collectively.

3.
(Eccl.)
A monk who had reserved goods and effects to himself, notwithstanding his renunciation of all at the time of profession.


word: Proprietary₂
definition:
Proprietary

Pro*pri"e*ta*ry
a.
[L. proprietarius.]
Belonging, or pertaining, to a proprietor; considered as property; owned; as, proprietary medicine.

Proprietary articles, manufactured articles which some person or persons have exclusive right to make and sell. U. S. Statutes.


word: Proprietor
definition:
Proprietor

Pro*pri"e*tor
(?)
n.
[For older proprietary: cf. F. propriétarie.]
One who has the legal right or exclusive title to anything, whether in possession or not; an owner; as, the proprietor of farm or of a mill.


word: Proprietorial
definition:
Proprietorial

Pro*pri`e*to"ri*al
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to ownership; proprietary; as, proprietorial rights.


word: Propriety
definition:
Propriety

Pro*pri"e*ty
(?)
n.
pl. Proprieties (#).
[F. propriété, L. proprietas, fr. proprius one's own, proper. See Property, Proper.]
1.
Individual right to hold property; ownership by personal title; property.
[Obs.]
propriety
Robynson (More's Utopia).

So are the proprieties of a wife to be disposed of by her lord, and yet all are for her provisions, it being a part of his need to refresh and supply hers.
Jer. Taylor.

2.
That which is proper or peculiar; an inherent property or quality; peculiarity.
[Obs.]
Bacon.

We find no mention hereof in ancient zoographers, . . . who seldom forget proprieties of such a nature.
Sir T. Browne.

3.
The quality or state of being proper; suitableness to an acknowledged or correct standard or rule; consonance with established principles, rules, or customs; fitness; appropriateness; as, propriety of behavior, language, manners, etc.
propriety
Locke.


word: Props
definition:
Props

Props
(?)
n. pl.
A game of chance, in which four sea shells, each called a prop, are used instead of dice.


word: Propterygium
definition:
Propterygium

Prop`te*ryg"i*um
(?)
n.
pl. Propterygia (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _; a fin.]
(Anat.)
The anterior of three principal cartilages in the fins of some fishes.
Prop`ter*yg"i*al (#), a.


word: Propugn
definition:
Propugn

Pro*pugn"
(?)
v. t.
[L. propugnare; pro for + pugnare to fight.]
To contend for; to defend; to vindicate.
[Obs.]
Hammond.


word: Propulsation
definition:
Propulsation

Pro`pul*sa"tion
(?)
n.
[L. propulsatio. See Propulse.]
The act of driving away or repelling; a keeping at a distance.
[Obs.]
Bp. Hall.


word: Propulse
definition:
Propulse

Pro*pulse"
(?)
v. t.
[L. propulsare, v. intens. from propellere to propel. See Propel.]
To repel; to drive off or away.
[Obs.]
Cotgrave.


word: Propulsion
definition:
Propulsion

Pro*pul"sion
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. propulsion. See Propel.]
1.
The act driving forward or away; the act or process of propelling; as, steam propulsion.

2.
An impelling act or movement.

God works in all things; all obey
His first propulsion.
Whittier.


word: Propulsive
definition:
Propulsive

Pro*pul"sive
(?)
a.
Tending, or having power, to propel; driving on; urging.
propulsive
Coleridge.


word: Propyl
definition:
Propyl

Pro"pyl
(?)
n.
[Propionic + -yl.]
(Chem.)
The hypothetical radical C3H7, regarded as the essential residue of propane and related compounds.


word: Propylaeum
definition:
Propylaeum

Prop`y*læ"um
(?)
n.
pl. Propylæa (#).
[L., fr. Gr. _;; _; before + _; a gate.]
(Anc. Classical Arch.)
Any court or vestibule before a building or leading into any inclosure.


word: Propylene
definition:
Propylene

Pro"pyl*ene
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. propylène.]
(Chem.)
A colorless gaseous hydrocarbon (C3H6) of the ethylene series, having a garlic odor. It occurs in coal gas, and is produced artificially in various ways. Called also propene.


word: Propylic
definition:
Propylic

Pro*pyl"ic
(?)
a.
(Chem.)
Pertaining to, derived from, or containing, propyl; as, propylic alcohol.


word: Propylon
definition:
Propylon

Prop"y*lon
n.
pl. Propyla (#).
[NL., from Gr. _;; _; before + _; a gate.]
(Anc. Arch.)
The porch, vestibule, or entrance of an edifice.


word: Pro rata
definition:
Pro rata

Pro` ra"ta
(?)
[L.]
In proportion; proportionately; according to the share, interest, or liability of each.


word: Prorate
definition:
Prorate

Pro*rate"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prorated; p. pr. & vb. n. Prorating.]
[From L. pro rata (sc. parte) according to a certain part, in proportion.]
To divide or distribute proportionally; to assess pro rata.
[U.S.]


word: Prore
definition:
Prore

Prore
(?)
n.
[L. prora, Gr. _;: cf. It. & Sp. prora. See Prow, n.]
The prow or fore part of a ship.
[Poetic]
prores
Pope.


word: Prorector
definition:
Prorector

Pro*rec"tor
(?)
n.
[NL. See Pro-, and Rector.]
An officer who presides over the academic senate of a German university.
Heyse.


word: Proreption
definition:
Proreption

Pro*rep"tion
(?)
n.
[L. prorepere, proreptum, to creep forth; pro + repere.]
A creeping on.


word: Prorhinal
definition:
Prorhinal

Pro*rhi"nal
(?)
a.
[Pref. pro- + rhinal.]
(Anat.)
Situated in front of the nasal chambers.


word: Prorogation
definition:
Prorogation

Pro`ro*ga"tion
(?)
n.
[L. prorogatio: cf. F. prorogation.]
1.
The act of counting in duration; prolongation.
[Obs.]
South.

2.
The act of proroguing; the ending of the session of Parliament, and postponing of its business, by the command of the sovereign.
[Eng.]

&hand_; After an adjournment all things continue as they were at the adjournment; whereas, after a prorogation, bill introduced and nut passed are as if they had never been begun at all.
Mozley & W.


word: Prorogue
definition:
Prorogue

Pro*rogue"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prorogued (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proroguing (?).]
[F. proroger, L. prorogare, prorogatum; pro forward + rogare to ask, to ask one for his opinion or vote, or about a law. See Rogation.]
1.
To protract; to prolong; to extend.
[Obs.]

He prorogued his government.
Dryden.

2.
To defer; to delay; to postpone; as, to proroguedeath; to prorogue a marriage.
Shak.

3.
To end the session of a parliament by an order of the sovereign, thus deferring its business.

Parliament was prorogued to [meet at] Westminster.
Bp. Hall.

The Parliament was again prorogued to a distant day.
Macaulay.


word: Proruption
definition:
Proruption

Pro*rup"tion
(?)
n.
[L. proruptio, fr. prorumpere, proruptum, to break forth; pro forth + rumpere to break.]
The act or state of bursting forth; a bursting out.
[R.]
Sir T. Browne.


word: Prosaical
definition:
Prosaical

Prosaic

{ Pro*sa"ic (?), Pro*sa"ic*al (?), }
a.
[L. prosaius, from prosa prose: cf. F,. prosaïque. See Prose.]
1.
Of or pertaining to prose; resembling prose; in the form of prose; unpoetical; writing or using prose; as, a prosaic composition.
Cudworth.

2.
Dull; uninteresting; commonplace; unimaginative; prosy; as, a prosaic person.
Ed. Rev.


word: Prosaicism
definition:
Prosaicism

Pro*sa"i*cism
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being prosaic; a prosaic manner or style.
[R.]
Poe.


word: Prosaism
definition:
Prosaism

Pro"sa*ism
(?)
n.
That which is in the form of prose writing; a prosaic manner.
Coleridge.


word: Proscenium
definition:
Proscenium

Pro*sce"ni*um
(?)
n.
pl. Proscenia (#).
[L., fr. Gr. _;; _; before + _; a tent, a wooden stage, the stage. See Scene.]
1.
(Anc.  Theater)
The part where the actors performed; the stage.

2.
(Modern Theater)
The part of the stage in front of the curtain; sometimes, the curtain and its framework.


word: Proscolex
definition:
Proscolex

Pro*sco"lex
(?)
n.
pl. Proscolices (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _;, _;, a worm.]
(Zool.)
An early larval form of a trematode worm; a redia. See Redia.


word: Proscribe
definition:
Proscribe

Pro*scribe"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Proscribed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proscribing.]
[L. proscribere, proscriptum, to write before, to publish, proscribe; pro before + scribere to write. See Scribe. The sense of this word originated in the Roman practice of writing the names of persons doomed to death, and posting the list in public.]
1.
To doom to destruction; to put out of the protection of law; to outlaw; to exile; as, Sylla and Marius proscribed each other's adherents.

Robert Vere, Earl of Oxford, . . . was banished the realm, and proscribed.
Spenser.

2.
To denounce and condemn; to interdict; to prohibit; as, the Puritans proscribed theaters.

The Arian doctrines were proscribed and anathematized in the famous Council of Nice.
Waterland.


word: Proscript
definition:
Proscript

Pro"script
(?)
n.
[See Proscribe.]
1.
A proscription; a prohibition; an interdict.
[R.]

2.
One who is proscribed.
[R.]


word: Proscription
definition:
Proscription

Pro*scrip"tion
(?)
n.
[L. proscriptio: cf. F. proscription.]
1.
The act of proscribing; a dooming to death or exile; outlawry; specifically, among the ancient Romans, the public offer of a reward for the head of a political enemy; as, under the triumvirate, many of the best Roman citizens fell by proscription.

Every victory by either party had been followed by a sanguinary proscription.
Macaulay.

2.
The state of being proscribed; denunciation; interdiction; prohibition.
Macaulay.


word: Proscriptive
definition:
Proscriptive

Pro*scrip"tive
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to proscription; consisting in, or of the nature of, proscription; proscribing.
Burke.
Pro*scrip"tive*ly, adv.


word: Prose
definition:
Prose

Prose
(?)
n.
[F. prose, L. prosa, fr. prorsus, prosus, straight forward, straight on, for proversus; pro forward + versus, p. p. of vertere to turn. See Verse.]
1.
The ordinary language of men in speaking or writing; language not cast in poetical measure or rhythm; -- contradistinguished from verse, or metrical composition.

I speak in prose, and let him rymes make.
Chaucer.

Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.
Milton.

I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry, that is; prose -- words in their best order; poetry -- the best order.
Coleridge.

2.
Hence, language which evinces little imagination or animation; dull and commonplace discourse.

3.
(R. C. Ch.)
A hymn with no regular meter, sometimes introduced into the Mass. See Sequence.


word: Prose₂
definition:
Prose

Prose
a.
1.
Pertaining to, or composed of, prose; not in verse; as, prose composition.

2.
Possessing or exhibiting unpoetical characteristics; plain; dull; prosaic; as, the prose duties of life.


word: Prose₃
definition:
Prose

Prose
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prosed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prosing.]
1.
To write in prose.

2.
To write or repeat in a dull, tedious, or prosy way.


word: Prosector
definition:
Prosector

Pro*sec"tor
(?)
n.
[L., an anatomist, from prosecare to cut up; pro before + secare to cut.]
One who makes dissections for anatomical illustration; usually, the assistant of a professional anatomist.


word: Prosecute
definition:
Prosecute

Pros"e*cute
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prosecuted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prosecuting.]
[L. prosecutus, p. p. of prosequi to follow, pursue. See Pursue.]

1.
To follow or pursue with a view to reach, execute, or accomplish; to endeavor to obtain or complete; to carry on; to continue; as, to prosecute a scheme, hope, or claim.

I am beloved Hermia;
Why should not I, then, prosecute my right ?
Shak.

2.
To seek to obtain by legal process; as, to prosecute a right or a claim in a court of law.

3.
(Law)
To pursue with the intention of punishing; to accuse of some crime or breach of law, or to pursue for redress or punishment, before a legal tribunal; to proceed against judicially; as, to prosecute a man for trespass, or for a riot.

To acquit themselves and prosecute their foes.
Milton.


word: Prosecute₂
definition:
Prosecute

Pros"e*cute
v. i.
1.
To follow after.
[Obs.]
Latimer.

2.
(Law)
To institute and carry on a legal prosecution; as, to prosecute for public offenses.
Blackstone.


word: Prosecution
definition:
Prosecution

Pros`e*cu"tion
(?)
n.
[L. prosecutio a following.]
1.
The act or process of prosecuting, or of endeavoring to gain or accomplish something; pursuit by efforts of body or mind; as, the prosecution of a scheme, plan, design, or undertaking; the prosecution of war.

Keeping a sharp eye on her domestics . . . in prosecution of their various duties.
Sir W. Scott.

2.
(Law)
(a)
The institution and carrying on of a suit in a court of law or equity, to obtain some right, or to redress and punish some wrong; the carrying on of a judicial proceeding in behalf of a complaining party, as distinguished from defense.
(b)
The institution, or commencement, and continuance of a criminal suit; the process of exhibiting formal charges against an offender before a legal tribunal, and pursuing them to final judgment on behalf of the state or government, as by indictment or information.
(c)
The party by whom criminal proceedings are instituted.
Blackstone. Burrill. Mozley & W.


word: Prosecutor
definition:
Prosecutor

Pros"e*cu`tor
(?)
n.
[Cf. L. prosecutor an attendant.]
1.
One who prosecutes or carries on any purpose, plan, or business.

2.
(Law)
The person who institutes and carries on a criminal suit against another in the name of the government.
Blackstone.


word: Proselyte
definition:
Proselyte

Pros"e*lyte
(?)
n.
[OE. proselite, OF. proselite, F. proselytus, Gr. _;, adj., that has come, n., a new comer, especially, one who has come over from heathenism to the Jewish religion; _; toward, to + (prob.) the root of _; to come.]
A new convert especially a convert to some religion or religious sect, or to some particular opinion, system, or party; thus, a Gentile converted to Judaism, or a pagan converted to Christianity, is a proselyte.

Ye [Scribes and Pharisees] compass sea and land to make one proselyte.
Matt. xxiii. 15.

Fresh confidence the speculatist takes
From every harebrained proselyte he makes.
Cowper.


word: Proselyte₂
definition:
Proselyte

Pros"e*lyte
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Proselyted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proselyting.]
To convert to some religion, opinion, or system; to bring over.
Dr. H. More.


word: Proselytism
definition:
Proselytism

Pros"e*ly*tism
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. prosélytisme.]
1.
The act or practice of proselyting; the making of converts to a religion or a religious sect, or to any opinion, system, or party.

They were possessed of a spirit of proselytism in the most fanatical degree.
Burke.

2.
Conversion to a religion, system, or party.


word: Proselytize
definition:
Proselytize

Pros"e*ly*tize
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. proselytized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proselytizing (?).]
To convert to some religion, system, opinion, or the like; to bring, or cause to come, over; to proselyte.

One of those whom they endeavor to proselytize.
Burke.


word: Proseminary
definition:
Proseminary

Pro*sem"i*na*ry
(?)
n.
A seminary which prepares pupils for a higher institution.
T. Warton.


word: Prosemination
definition:
Prosemination

Pro*sem`i*na"tion
(?)
n.
[L. proseminare, proseminatum, to disseminate.]
Propagation by seed.
[Obs.]
Sir M. Hale.


word: Prosencephalon
definition:
Prosencephalon

Pros`en*ceph"a*lon
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; toward, near to + E. encephalon.]
[Sometimes abbreviated to proen.]
(Anat.)
(a)
The anterior segment of the brain, including the cerebrum and olfactory lobes; the forebrain.
(b)
The cerebrum.
Huxley.


word: Prosenchyma
definition:
Prosenchyma

Pros*en"chy*ma
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; near + -enchyma, as in parenchyma.]
(Bot.)
A general term applied to the tissues formed of elongated cells, especially those with pointed or oblique extremities, as the principal cells of ordinary wood.


word: Proser
definition:
Proser

Pros"er
(?)
n.
1.
A writer of prose.
[Obs.]

2.
One who talks or writes tediously.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Prosiliency
definition:
Prosiliency

Pro*sil"i*en*cy
(?)
n.
[L. prosilere to leap forth.]
The act of leaping forth or forward; projection.
prosiliency
Coleridge.


word: Prosimetrical
definition:
Prosimetrical

Pros`i*met"ric*al
(?)
a.
[Prose + metrical.]
Consisting both of prose and verse.
Clarke.


word: Prosing
definition:
Prosing

Pros"ing
n.
Writing prose; speaking or writing in a tedious or prosy manner.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Prosiphon
definition:
Prosiphon

Pro*si"phon
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- for + siphon.]
(Zool.)
A minute tube found in the protoconch of ammonites, and not connected with the true siphon.


word: Prosit
definition:
Prosit

Pro"sit
(?)
interj.
[L., 3d pers. sing. subj. present of prodesse to do good; pro for + esse to be.]
Lit., may it do (you) good; -- a salutation used in well wishing, esp. among Germans, as in drinking healths; -- also used in the contracted form prost.


word: Prosobranchiata
definition:
Prosobranchiata

Pros`o*bran`chi*a"ta
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; forward, further + _; a gill.]
(Zool.)
The highest division, or subclass, of gastropod mollusks, including those that have the gills situated anteriorly, or forward of the heart, and the sexes separate.


word: Prosocoele
definition:
Prosocoele

Pros"o*cœle
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; forward + _; hollow.]
(Anat.)
The entire cavity of the prosencephalon.
B. G. Wilder.


word: Prosodical
definition:
Prosodical

Pro*sod"ic*al
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. prosodique, L. prosodiacus.]
Of or pertaining to prosody; according to the rules of prosody.
Pro*sod"ic*al*ly, adv.


word: Prosody
definition:
Prosody

Pros"o*dy
(?)
n.
[L. prosodia the tone or accent of a syllable, Gr. _; a song sung to, or with, an accompanying song, the accent accompanying the pronunciation; _; to + _; song, ode: cf. F. prosodie. See Ode.]
That part of grammar which treats of the quantity of syllables, of accent, and of the laws of versification or metrical composition.


word: Prosoma
definition:
Prosoma

Pro*so"ma
(?)
n.
pl. Prosomata.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _;, _;, body.]
(Zool.)
The anterior of the body of an animal, as of a cephalopod; the thorax of an arthropod.


word: Prosopocephala
definition:
Prosopocephala

Pros`o*po*ceph`a*la
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. pro`swpon face, appearance + _; head.]
(Zool.)
Same as Scaphopoda.


word: Prosopolepsy
definition:
Prosopolepsy

Pros`o*po*lep"sy
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;; pro`swpon a face, a person + _; a taking, receiving, _; to take.]
Respect of persons; especially, a premature opinion or prejudice against a person, formed from his external appearance.
[R.]
Addison.


word: Prosopopoeia
definition:
Prosopopoeia

Pros`o*po*pœ"ia
(?)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. _;; pro`swpon a face, a person + _; to make.]
(Rhet.)
A figure by which things are represented as persons, or by which things inanimate are spoken of as animated beings; also, a figure by which an absent person is introduced as speaking, or a deceased person is represented as alive and present. It includes personification, but is more extensive in its signification.


word: Prosopulmonata
definition:
Prosopulmonata

Pros`o*pul`mo*na"ta
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; forward + L. pulmo a lung.]
(Zool.)
A division of pulmonate mollusks having the breathing organ situated on the neck, as in the common snail.


word: Prospect
definition:
Prospect

Pros"pect
(?)
n.
[L. prospectus, fr. prospicere, prospectum, to look forward; pro before, forward + specere, spicere, look, to see: cf. OF. prospect. See Spy, v., and cf. Prospectus.]
1.
That which is embraced by eye in vision; the region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook.

His eye discovers unaware
The goodly prospect of some foreign land.
Milton.

2.
Especially, a picturesque or widely extended view; a landscape; hence, a sketch of a landscape.

I went to Putney . . . to take prospects in crayon.
Evelyn.

3.
A position affording a fine view; a lookout.
[R.]

Him God beholding from his prospect high.
Milton.

4.
Relative position of the front of a building or other structure; face; relative aspect.

And their prospect was toward the south.
Ezek. xl. 44.

5.
The act of looking forward; foresight; anticipation; as, a prospect of the future state.
Locke.

Is he a prudent man as to his temporal estate, that lays designs only for a day, without any prospect to, or provision for, the remaining part of life ?
Tillotson.

6.
That which is hoped for; ground for hope or expectation; expectation; probable result; as, the prospect of success.
prospects
Cowper.

These swell their prospectsd exalt their pride,
When offers are disdain'd, and love deny'd.
Pope.


word: Prospect₂
definition:
Prospect

Pros"pect
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prospected; p. pr. & vb. n. Prospecting.]
To look over; to explore or examine for something; as, to prospect a district for gold.


word: Prospect₃
definition:
Prospect

Pros"pect
v. i.
To make a search; to seek; to explore, as for mines or the like; as, to prospect for gold.


word: Prospection
definition:
Prospection

Pro*spec"tion
(?)
n.
The act of looking forward, or of providing for future wants; foresight.


word: Prospective
definition:
Prospective

Pro*spec"tive
(?)
a.
[L. prospectivus: cf. F. prospectif. See Prospect, n.]
1.
Of or pertaining to a prospect; furnishing a prospect; perspective.
[Obs.]

Time's long and dark prospective glass.
Milton.

2.
Looking forward in time; acting with foresight; -- opposed to retrospective.

The French king of Sweden are circumspect, industrious, and prospective, too, in this affair.
Sir J. Child.

3.
Being within view or consideration, as a future event or contingency; relating to the future: expected; as, a prospective benefit.

Points on which the promises, at the time of ordination, had no prospective bearing.
W. Jay.


word: Prospective₂
definition:
Prospective

Pro*spec"tive
(?)
n.
1.
The scene before or around, in time or in space; view; prospect.
Sir H. Wotton.

2.
A perspective glass.
[Obs.]
Chaucer. Beau. & Fl.


word: Prospector
definition:
Prospector

Pros"pect*or
(?)
n.
[L., one who looks out.]
One who prospects; especially, one who explores a region for minerals and precious metals.


word: Prospectus
definition:
Prospectus

Pro*spec"tus
(?)
n.
[L., a prospect, sight, view: cf. F. prospectus. See Prospect.]
A summary, plan, or scheme of something proposed, affording a prospect of its nature; especially, an exposition of the scheme of an unpublished literary work.


word: Prosper
definition:
Prosper

Pros"per
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prospered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prospering.]
[F. prospérer v. i., or L.  prosperare, v. i., or L. prosperare, v. t., fr. prosper or prosperus. See Prosperous.]
To favor; to render successful.
Prosper
Bk. of Common Prayer.

All things concur toprosper our design.
Dryden.


word: Prosper₂
definition:
Prosper

Pros"per
v. i.
1.
To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain.

They, in their earthly Canaan placed,
Long time shall dwell and prosper.
Milton.

2.
To grow; to increase.
[Obs.]

Black cherry trees prosper even to considerable timber.
Evelyn.


word: Prosperity
definition:
Prosperity

Pros*per"i*ty
(?)
n.
[F. prospérité, L. prosperitas. See Prosperous.]
The state of being prosperous; advance or gain in anything good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; attainment of the object desired; good fortune; success; as, commercial prosperity; national prosperity.

Now prosperity begins to mellow.
Shak.

Prosperities can only be enjoyed by them who fear not at all to lose them.
 Jer. Taylor.


word: Prosperous
definition:
Prosperous

Pros"per*ous
(_;)
a.
[L. prosperus or prosper, originally, answering to hope; pro according to + the root of sperare to hope.  See Despair.]
1.
Tending to prosperity; favoring; favorable; helpful.

A happy passage and a prosperous wind.
Denham.

2.
Being prospered; advancing in the pursuit of anything desirable; making gain, or increase; thriving; successful; as, a prosperous voyage; a prosperous undertaking; a prosperous man or nation.

By moderation either state to bear
Prosperous or adverse.
Milton.


word: Prosphysis
definition:
Prosphysis

Pros"phy*sis
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _;; _; to + _; to grow.]
(Med.)
A growing together of parts; specifically, a morbid adhesion of the eyelids to each other or to the eyeball.
Dunglison.


word: Prospicience
definition:
Prospicience

Pro*spi"cience
(?)
n.
[L. prospicientia, fr. prospiciens, p. pr. of prospicere. See Prospect.]
The act of looking forward.


word: Prostate
definition:
Prostate

Pros"tate
(?)
a.
[Gr. _; standing before, fr. _; to set before; _; before + _; to set: cf. F. prostate.]
(Anat.)
Standing before; -- applied to a gland which is found in the males of most mammals, and is situated at the neck of the bladder where this joins the urethra.
n. The prostate gland.


word: Prostatic
definition:
Prostatic

Pro*stat"ic
(?)
a.
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the prostate gland.

Prostatic catheter. (Med.) See under Catheter.


word: Prostatitis
definition:
Prostatitis

Pros`ta*ti"tis
(?)
n.
[NL. See Prostate, and -itis.]
(Med.)
Inflammation of the prostate.


word: Prosternation
definition:
Prosternation

Pros`ter*na"tion
(?)
n.
[F. See Prostration.]
Dejection; depression.
[Obs.]
Wiseman.


word: Prosternum
definition:
Prosternum

Pro*ster"num
(?)
n.
[NL. See Pro- and Sternum.]
(Zool.)
The ventral plate of the prothorax of an insect.


word: Prosthesis
definition:
Prosthesis

Pros"the*sis
(?)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. _; an addition, fr. _; to put to, to add; _; to + _; to put, place.]
1.
(Surg.)
The addition to the human body of some artificial part, to replace one that is wanting, as a log or an eye; -- called also prothesis.

2.
(Gram.)
The prefixing of one or more letters to the beginning of a word, as in beloved.


word: Prosthetic
definition:
Prosthetic

Pros*thet"ic
(?)
a.
[Cf. Gr. _; disposed to add, _; put on.]
Of or pertaining to prosthesis; prefixed, as a letter or letters to a word.


word: Prostibulous
definition:
Prostibulous

Pros*tib"u*lous
(?)
a.
[L. prostibulum prostitute.]
Of or pertaining to prostitutes or prostitution; meretricious.
[Obs.]
Bale.


word: Prostitute
definition:
Prostitute

Pros"ti*tute
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prostituted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prostituting.]
[L. prostitutus, p. p. of prostituere to prostitute; pro before, forth + statuere to put, place. See Statute.]
1.
To offer, as a woman, to a lewd use; to give up to lewdness for hire.
prostitute
Lev. xix. 29.  

2.
To devote to base or unworthy purposes; to give up to low or indiscriminate use; as, to prostitute talents; to prostitute official powers.
Milton.


word: Prostitute₂
definition:
Prostitute

Pros"ti*tute
a.
[L. prostitutus, p. p.]
Openly given up to lewdness; devoted to base or infamous purposes.

Made bold by want, and prostitute for bread.
Prior


word: Prostitute₃
definition:
Prostitute

Pros"ti*tute
n.
[L. prostituta.]
1.
A woman giver to indiscriminate lewdness; a strumpet; a harlot.

2.
A base hireling; a mercenary; one who offers himself to infamous employments for hire.

No hireling she, no prostitute to praise.
Pope.


word: Prostitution
definition:
Prostitution

Pros`ti*tu"tion
(?)
n.
[L. prostitutio: cf. F. prostitution.]
1.
The act or practice of prostituting or offering the body to an indiscriminate intercourse with men; common lewdness of a woman.

2.
The act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes what is in one's power; as, the prostitution of abilities; the prostitution of the press.
prostitution
Byron.


word: Prostitutor
definition:
Prostitutor

Pros"ti*tu`tor
(?)
n.
[L.]
One who prostitutes; one who submits himself, of or offers another, to vile purposes.
Bp. Hurd.


word: Prostomium
definition:
Prostomium

Pro*sto"mi*um
(?)
n.
pl. Prostomia (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _;, _;, mouth.]
(Zool.)
That portion of the head of an annelid situated in front of the mouth.
Pro*sto"mi*al (#), a.


word: Prostrate
definition:
Prostrate

Pros"trate
(?)
a.
[L. prostratus, p. p. of prosternere to prostrate; pro before, forward + sternere to spread out, throw down. See Stratum.]
1.
Lying at length, or with the body extended on the ground or other surface; stretched out; as, to sleep prostrate.
Elyot.

Groveling and prostrate on yon lake of fire.
Milton.

2.
Lying at mercy, as a supplicant.
Dryden.

3.
Lying in a humble, lowly, or suppliant posture.

Prostrate fall
Before him reverent, and there confess
Humbly our faults.
Milton.

4.
(Bot.)
Trailing on the ground; procumbent.


word: Prostrate₂
definition:
Prostrate

Pros"trate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prostrated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prostrating.]
1.
To lay fiat; to throw down; to level; to fell; as, to prostrate the body; to prostrate trees or plants.
Evelyn.

2.
to overthrow; to demolish; to destroy; to deprive of efficiency; to ruin; as, to prostrate a village; to prostrate a government; to prostrate law or justice.

3.
To throw down, or cause to fall in humility or adoration; to cause to bow in humble reverence; used reflexively; as, he prostrated himself.
Milman.

4.
To cause to sink totally; to deprive of strength; to reduce; as, a person prostrated by fever.


word: Prostration
definition:
Prostration

Pros*tra"tion
(?)
n.
[L. prostratio: cf. F. prostration.]
1.
The act of prostrating, throwing down, or laying fiat; as, the prostration of the body.

2.
The act of falling down, or of bowing in humility or adoration; primarily, the act of falling on the face, but usually applied to kneeling or bowing in reverence and worship.

A greater prostration of reason than of body.
Shak.

3.
The condition of being prostrate; great depression; lowness; dejection; as, a postration of spirits.
prostration
Arbuthnot.

4.
(Med.)
A latent, not an exhausted, state of the vital energies; great oppression of natural strength and vigor.

&hand_; Prostration, in its medical use, is analogous to the state of a spring lying under such a weight that it is incapable of action; while exhaustion is analogous to the state of a spring deprived of its elastic powers. The word, however, is often used to denote any great depression of the vital powers.


word: Prostyle
definition:
Prostyle

Pro"style
(?)
a.
[L. prostylus, Gr. _;; _; before + _; pillar, column: cf. F. prostyle.]
(Arch.)
Having columns in front.
n. A prostyle portico or building.


word: Prosy
definition:
Prosy

Pros"y
(?)
a.
[Compar. Prosier (?); superl. Prosiest.]

1.
Of or pertaining to prose; like prose.

2.
Dull and tedious in discourse or writing; prosaic.


word: Prosylogism
definition:
Prosylogism

Pro*sy"lo*gism
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- + syllogism.]
(Logic)
A syllogism preliminary or logically essential to another syllogism; the conclusion of such a syllogism, which becomes a premise of the following syllogism.


word: Protactic
definition:
Protactic

Pro*tac"tic
(pro̝*tăk"tĭk)
a.
[Gr. protaktiko`s placing or placed before, fr. prota`ssein to place in front; pro` before + ta`ssein to arrange.]
Giving a previous narrative or explanation, as of the plot or personages of a play; introductory.


word: Protactinium
definition:
Protactinium

Protactinium
The radioactive chemical element, of atomic number 91;  Atomic symbol Pa;  at. wt. of longest-lived isotope, 231 (T1/2 = 32,500 yrs.)  Also called brevium, Uranium X2 and UX2.


word: Protagon
definition:
Protagon

Pro"ta*gon
(?)
n.
[Proto- + Gr. 'agw`n a contest. See. Protagonist. So called because it was the first definitely ascertained principle of the brain.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
A nitrogenous phosphorized principle found in brain tissue. By decomposition it yields neurine, fatty acids, and other bodies.


word: Protagonist
definition:
Protagonist

Pro*tag"o*nist
(?)
n.
[Gr. prwtagonisth`s; prw^tos first + 'agonisth`s an actor, combatant, fr. 'agw`n a contest.]
One who takes the leading part in a drama; hence, one who takes lead in some great scene, enterprise, conflict, or the like.

Shakespeare, the protagonist on the great of modern poetry.
De Quincey.


word: Protamin
definition:
Protamin

Pro"ta*min
(?)
n.
[Gr. prw^tos first.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
An amorphous nitrogenous substance found in the spermatic fluid of salmon. It is soluble in water, which an alkaline reaction, and unites with acids and metallic bases.


word: Protandric
definition:
Protandric

Pro*tan"dric
(?)
a.
[Proto- + Gr. _;, _;, a man.]
(Zool.)
Having male sexual organs while young, and female organs later in life.
Pro*tan"trism (#), n.


word: Protasis
definition:
Protasis

Prot"a*sis
(pr&obreve_;t"ȧ*sĭs)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. pro`tasis, fr. protei`nein to stretch before, forward; pro` before + tei`nein to stretch.]
1.
A proposition; a maxim.
Johnson.

2.
(Gram.)
The introductory or subordinate member of a sentence, generally of a conditional sentence; -- opposed to apodosis. See Apodosis.

3.
The first part of a drama, of a poem, or the like; the introduction; opposed to epitasis.
B. Jonson.


word: Protatic
definition:
Protatic

Pro*tat"ic
(?)
a.
[Gr. protatiko`s: cf. L. protaticus, F. protatique.]
Of or pertaining to the protasis of an ancient play; introductory.


word: Proteaceous
definition:
Proteaceous

Pro`te*a"ceous
(?)
a.
[From Proteus.]
(Bot.)
Of or pertaining to the Proteaceæ, an order of apetalous evergreen shrubs, mostly natives of the Cape of Good Hope or of Australia.


word: Protean
definition:
Protean

Pro"te*an
(?)
a.
1.
Of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus.
Protean
Cudworth.

2.
Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms; as, an amœba is a protean animalcule.


word: Protect
definition:
Protect

Pro*tect"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Protected; p. pr. & vb. n. Protecting.]
[L. protectus, p. p. of protegere, literally, to cover in front; pro before + tegere to cover. See Tegument.]
To cover or shield from danger or injury; to defend; to guard; to preserve in safety; as, a father protects his children.

The gods of Greece protect you!
Shak.


word: Protection
definition:
Protection

Pro*tec"tion
(?)
n.
[L. protectio: cf. F. protection.]
1.
The act of protecting, or the state of being protected; preservation from loss, injury, or annoyance; defense; shelter; as, the weak need protection.

To your protection I commend me, gods.
Shak.

2.
That which protects or preserves from injury; a defense; a shield; a refuge.

Let them rise up . . . and be your protection.
Deut. xxxii. 38.

3.
A writing that protects or secures from molestation or arrest; a pass; a safe-conduct; a passport.

He . . . gave them protections under his hand.
Macaulay.

4.
(Polit. Econ.)
A theory, or a policy, of protecting the producers in a country from foreign competition in the home market by the imposition of such discriminating duties on goods of foreign production as will restrict or prevent their importation; -- opposed to free trade.

Writ of protection. (Law) (a) A writ by which the king formerly exempted a person from arrest; -- now disused. [Eng.] Blackstone. (b) A judicial writ issued to a person required to attend court, as party, juror, etc., intended to secure him from arrest in coming, staying, and returning.


word: Protectionism
definition:
Protectionism

Pro*tec"tion*ism
(?)
n.
(Polit. Econ.)
The doctrine or policy of protectionists. See Protection, 4.


word: Protective
definition:
Protective

Pro*tect"ive
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. protectif.]
Affording protection; sheltering; defensive.
protective
Feltham.

Protective coloring (Zool.), coloring which serves for the concealment and preservation of a living organism.  Cf. Mimicry. Wallace. -- Protective tariff (Polit. Econ.), a tariff designed to secure protection (see Protection, 4.), as distinguished from a tariff designed to raise revenue. See Tariff, and Protection, 4.


word: Protector
definition:
Protector

Pro*tect"or
(?)
n.
[L.: cf. F. protecteur.]
1.
One who, or that which, defends or shields from injury, evil, oppression, etc.; a defender; a guardian; a patron.

For the world's protector shall be known.
Waller.

2.
(Eng. Hist.)
One having the care of the kingdom during the king's minority; a regent.

Is it concluded he shall be protector !
Shak.

3.
(R. C. Ch.)
A cardinal, from one of the more considerable Roman Catholic nations, who looks after the interests of his people at Rome; also, a cardinal who has the same relation to a college, religious order, etc.

Lord Protector (Eng. Hist.), the title of Oliver Cromwell as supreme governor of the British Commonwealth (1653-1658).


word: Protectoral
definition:
Protectoral

Pro*tect"or*al
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to a protector; protectorial; as, protectoral power.


word: Protectorate
definition:
Protectorate

Pro*tect"or*ate
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. protectorat.]
1.
Government by a protector; -- applied especially to the government of England by Oliver Cromwell.

2.
The authority assumed by a superior power over an inferior or a dependent one, whereby the former protects the latter from invasion and shares in the management of its affairs.


word: Protectrix
definition:
Protectrix

Protectress

{ Pro*tect"ress (?), Pro*tect"rix (?), }
n.
[NL. protectrix.]
A woman who protects.


word: Protegée
definition:
Protegée

Protege

{ &VerbarPro`té`gé" (?), n. m. &VerbarPro`té`gée" (?), n. f.}
[F., p. p. of protéger. See Protect.]
One under the care and protection of another, especially one receiving counseling and assistance in career development.


word: Proteid
definition:
Proteid

Pro"te*id
(?)
n.
[Gr. prw^tos first.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
An older, imprecise term replaced by protein.

 Proteid was defined in the 1913 Webster as “One of a class of amorphous nitrogenous principles, containing, as a rule, a small amount of sulphur; an albuminoid, as blood fibrin, casein of milk, etc.  Proteids are present in nearly all animal fluids and make up the greater part of animal tissues and organs. They are also important constituents of vegetable tissues.  See 2d Note under Food.”
Pro"te*id, a.

Syn. -- protein.

Defensive proteid (Physiol. Chem.), one of a class of proteid substances, present in some animal tissues and fluids, that make the body immune to certain infectious diseases by destroying or rendering inactive the toxic products of bacterial growth; -- this is an older term replaced by more precise modern immunological concepts such as antibody and immunoglobulin. [archaic]


word: Protein
definition:
Protein

Pro"te*in
n.
(Physiol. Chem.)
In chemical analysis, the total nitrogenous material in vegetable or animal substances, obtained by multiplying the total nitrogen found by a factor, usually 6.25, assuming most proteids to contain approximately 16 per cent of nitrogen.


word: Proteidea
definition:
Proteidea

Pro`te*id"e*a
(?)
n. pl.
[NL. See Proteus, and -oid.]
(Zool.)
An order of aquatic amphibians having prominent external gills and four legs. It includes Proteus and Menobranchus (Necturus).  Called also Proteoidea, and Proteida.


word: Protein₂
definition:
Protein

Pro"te*in
(?)
n.
[Gr. prw^tos first: cf. prwtei^on the first place.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
any polymer of an amino acid joined by peptide (amide) bonds.  Most natural proteins have alpha-amino acids as the monomeric constituents.  All classical enzymes are composed of protein, and control most of the biochemical transformations carrie dout in living cells.  They may be soluble, as casein, albumins, and other globular proteins, or insoluble (e. g. "structural proteins"), as collagen or keratin.  "albumin", an older term for protein, is now used primarily to refer to certain specific soluble globular proteins found in eggs or blood serum, e.g.  bovine serum albumin, the main soluble protein in teh serum of cattle, used as an enzymatically inert protein in biochemical research.
In the 1913 dictionary, protein was defined as: “A body now known as alkali albumin, but originally considered to be the basis of all albuminous substances, whence its name.”

Protein crystal. (Bot.) See Crystalloid, n., 2.


word: Proteinaceous
definition:
Proteinaceous

Pro`te*i*na"*ceous
(?)
a.
(Physiol. Chem.)
Of or related to protein; albuminous; proteid.


word: Proteles
definition:
Proteles

Pro"te*les
(?)
n.
[NL.]
(Zool.)
A South Africa genus of Carnivora, allied to the hyenas, but smaller and having weaker jaws and teeth. It includes the aard-wolf.


word: Protend
definition:
Protend

Pro*tend"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Protended; p. pr. & vb. n. Protending.]
[L. protendere, protensum; pro before, forth + tendere to stretch.]
To hold out; to stretch forth.
[Obs.]

With his protended lance he makes defence.
Dryden.


word: Protensive
definition:
Protensive

Pro*ten"sive
(?)
a.
Drawn out; extended.
[R.]

Time is a protensive quantity.
Sir W. Hamilton.


word: Proteolysis
definition:
Proteolysis

Pro`te*ol"y*sis
(?)
n.
[NL. See Proteolytic.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
The digestion or dissolving of proteid matter by proteolytic ferments.


word: Proteolytic
definition:
Proteolytic

Pro`te*o*lyt"ic
(?)
a.
[Proteid + Gr. _; to loose.]
(Physiol.)
Converting proteid or albuminous matter into soluble and diffusible products, as peptones.
proteolytic
Foster.


word: Proteose
definition:
Proteose

Pro"te*ose`
(?)
n.
[Proteid + -ose.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
One of a class of soluble products formed in the digestion of proteids with gastric and pancreatic juice, and also by the hydrolytic action of boiling dilute acids on proteids. Proteoses are divided into the two groups, the primary and secondary proteoses.


word: Proterandrous
definition:
Proterandrous

Pro`ter*an"drous
(?)
a.
[Gr. _; earlier (fr. _; before) + _;, _;, man, male.]
(Bot.)
Having the stamens come to maturity before the pistil; -- opposed to proterogynous.


word: Proteranthous
definition:
Proteranthous

Pro`ter*an"thous
(?)
a.
[Gr. _; earlier (fr. _; before) + _; flower.]
(Bot.)
Having flowers appearing before the leaves; -- said of certain plants.
Gray.


word: Proteroglypha
definition:
Proteroglypha

Pro`te*rog"ly*pha
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _; to carve.]
(Zool.)
A suborder of serpents including those that have permanently erect grooved poison fangs, with ordinary teeth behind them in the jaws. It includes the cobras, the asps, and the sea snakes. Called also Proteroglyphia.


word: Proterogynous
definition:
Proterogynous

Pro`ter*og"y*nous
(?)
a.
[Gr. _; earlier (fr. _; before) + _; woman, female.]
(Bot.)
Having the pistil come to maturity before the stamens; protogynous; -- opposed to proterandrous.


word: Proterosaurus
definition:
Proterosaurus

Pro`te*ro*sau"rus
(?)
n.
[NL., from Gr. _; earlier (fr. _; before) + _; a lizard.]
(Paleon.)
An extinct genus of reptiles of the Permian period.  Called also Protosaurus.


word: Protervity
definition:
Protervity

Pro*ter"vi*ty
(?)
n.
[L. protervitas, from protervus violent.]
Peevishness; petulance.
[Obs.]
Fuller.


word: Protest
definition:
Protest

Pro*test"
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Protested; p. pr. & vb. n. Protesting.]
[F. protester, L. protestari, pro before + testari to be a witness, testis a witness. See Testify.]
1.
To affirm in a public or formal manner; to bear witness; to declare solemnly; to avow.

He protest that his measures are pacific.
Landor.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Shak.

2.
To make a solemn declaration (often a written one) expressive of opposition; -- with against; as, he protest against your votes.
Denham.

The conscience has power . . . to protest againts the exorbitancies of the passions.
Shak.


word: Protest₂
definition:
Protest

Pro*test"
v. t.
1.
To make a solemn declaration or affirmation of; to proclaim; to display; as, to protest one's loyalty.

I will protest your cowardice.
Shak.

2.
To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; to appeal to.

Fiercely [they] opposed
My journey strange, with clamorous uproar
Protesting fate supreme.
Milton.

To protest a bill or To protest a note (Law), to make a solemn written declaration, in due form, on behalf of the holder, against all parties liable for any loss or damage to be sustained by the nonacceptance or the nonpayment of the bill or note, as the case may be.  This should be made by a notary public, whose seal it is the usual practice to affix. Kent. Story.


word: Protest₃
definition:
Protest

Pro"test
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. protêt, It. protesto. See Protest, v.]
1.
A solemn declaration of opinion, commonly a formal objection against some act; especially, a formal and solemn declaration, in writing, of dissent from the proceedings of a legislative body; as, the protest of lords in Parliament.

2.
(Law)
(a)
A solemn declaration in writing, in due form, made by a notary public, usually under his notarial seal, on behalf of the holder of a bill or note, protesting against all parties liable for any loss or damage by the nonacceptance or nonpayment of the bill, or by the nonpayment of the note, as the case may be.
(b)
A declaration made by the master of a vessel before a notary, consul, or other authorized officer, upon his arrival in port after a disaster, stating the particulars of it, and showing that any damage or loss sustained was not owing to the fault of the vessel, her officers or crew, but to the perils of the sea, etc., ads the case may be, and protesting against them.
(c)
A declaration made by a party, before or while paying a tax, duty, or the like, demanded of him, which he deems illegal, denying the justice of the demand, and asserting his rights and claims, in order to show that the payment was not voluntary.
Story.
Kent.


word: Protestant
definition:
Protestant

Prot"es*tant
(?)
n.
[F. protestant, fr. L. protestans, -antis, p. pr. of protestare. See Protest, v.]
One who protests; -- originally applied to those who adhered to Luther, and protested against, or made a solemn declaration of dissent from, a decree of the Emperor Charles V. and the Diet of Spires, in 1529, against the Reformers, and appealed to a general council; -- now used in a popular sense to designate any Christian who does not belong to the Roman Catholic or the Greek Church.


word: Protestant₂
definition:
Protestant

Prot"es*tant
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. protestant.]
1.
Making a protest; protesting.

2.
Of or pertaining to the faith and practice of those Christians who reject the authority of the Roman Catholic Church; as, Protestant writers.


word: Protestantism
definition:
Protestantism

Prot"es*tant*ism
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. protestantisme.]
The quality or state of being protestant, especially against the Roman Catholic Church; the principles or religion of the Protestants.


word: Protestantly
definition:
Protestantly

Prot"es*tant*ly
adv.
Like a Protestant; in conformity with Protestantism.
[R.]
Milton.


word: Protestation
definition:
Protestation

Prot`es*ta"tion
(?)
n.
[L. protestatio: cf. F. protestation. See Protest.]
1.
The act of making a protest; a public avowal; a solemn declaration, especially of dissent.
protestation
Latimer.

2.
(Law)
Formerly, a declaration in common-law pleading, by which the party interposes an oblique allegation or denial of some fact, protesting that it does or does not exist, and at the same time avoiding a direct affirmation or denial.


word: Protester
definition:
Protester

Pro*test"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who protests; one who utters a solemn declaration.
Shak.

2.
(Law)
One who protests a bill of exchange, or note.


word: Proteus
definition:
Proteus

Pro"te*us
(?)
prop. n.
[L., Gr. _;.]
1.
(Class. Myth.)
A sea god in the service of Neptune who assumed different shapes at will. Hence, one who easily changes his appearance or principles.

2.
(Zool.)
A genus of aquatic eel-shaped amphibians of the family Proteidae of the order Urodela, found in caves in the karst regions near the Adriatic from Trieste to Montenegro (including Slovenia, Croatia, and Herzegovina); also called the Olm, White Salamander, and Human fish; it is a true troglobiont (cave animal).  They have permanent external gills as well as lungs.  The vestigial eyes are small and can only perceive light and dark; the legs are weak.  Some were reported in Germany and France, apparently due to human intervention.  It was known to Charles Darwin who wrote about cave animals in The Origin of Species, chapter 5.

The unusual Olm (Proteus anguinus, aka Cave Salamander, although no relation to the Hydromantes spp) is the only European member of the Proteidae family, the rest occurring in America.  This species was only discovered in 1875 and even today is only known in about fifty caves in the limestone mountains of the region, plus one isolated location in Italy.  Olms are characterised by an elongated body, white unpigmented skin, three pairs of external gills and vestigial, skin-covered eyes which can only perceive light and shadow. The Olm hunts aquatic crustaceans such as water fleas mainly by sensory organs in the skin.  If washed out of their caves by heavy rainfall, olms will collect in deep pools, but they will not voluntarily leave the water.  At the same time they have lungs and drown if they cannot surface at some point for air.  The optimum water temperature for this species is 5-10 C. Females normally give birth to two larvae, but curiously enough if the water is warm enough (about 15 deg C) they can lay up to 80 eggs instead.  A lot is still undiscovered about the lives of these mysterious creatures.
http://www.nafcon.dircon.co.uk/euro_urodela.html

3.
A changeable protozoan; an amoeba.

4.
A genus of gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, including some species pathogenic in man.


word: Prothalamium
definition:
Prothalamium

Prothalamion

{ Pro`tha*la"mi*on (?), Pro`tha*la"mi*um (?), }
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _; chamber, especially, the bridal chamber.]
A song in celebration of a marriage.
Drayton.


word: Prothallus
definition:
Prothallus

Pro*thal"lus
(?)
n.
pl. Prothalli (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; before + _; a young shoot.]
(Bot.)
The minute primary growth from the spore of ferns and other Pteridophyta, which bears the true sexual organs; the oophoric generation of ferns, etc.


word: Prothesis
definition:
Prothesis

Proth"e*sis
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; a placing in public, fr. _; to set before; _; before + _; to set, put.]
1.
(Eccl.)
A credence table; -- so called by the Eastern or Greek Church.

2.
(Med.)
See Prosthesis.
Dunglison.


word: Protonotary
definition:
Protonotary

Prothonotary

{ Pro*thon"o*ta*ry (pro̝*th&obreve_;n"o̝*ta̝*r&ybreve_;), or Pro*ton"o*ta*ry (pro̝*t&obreve_;n"o̝*ta̝*r&ybreve_;) }
n.
pl. -ries (pro̝*th&obreve_;n"o̝*ta̝*rĭz).
[LL. protonotarius, fr. Gr. prw^tos first + L. notarius a shorthand writer, a scribe: cf. F. protonotaire.]
1.
A chief notary or clerk.
prothonotary
Herrick.

2.
Formerly, a chief clerk in the Court of King's Bench and in the Court of Common Pleas, now superseded by the master.
[Eng.]
Wharton. Burrill.

3.
A register or chief clerk of a court in certain States of the United States.

4.
(R. C. Ch.)
Formerly, one who had the charge of writing the acts of the martyrs, and the circumstances of their death; now, one of twelve persons, constituting a college in the Roman Curia, whose office is to register pontifical acts and to make and preserve the official record of beatifications.

5.
(Gr. Ch.)
The chief secretary of the patriarch of Constantinople.

Prothonotary warbler (Zool.), a small American warbler (Protonotaria citrea). The general color is golden yellow, the back is olivaceous, the rump and tail are ash-color, several outer tail feathers are partly white.


word: Prothorax
definition:
Prothorax

Pro*tho"rax
(?)
n.
[Pref. pro- + thorax.]
(Zool.)
The first or anterior segment of the thorax in insects. See Illusts. of Butterfly and Coleoptera.


word: Pro thyalosoma
definition:
Pro thyalosoma

Pro* thy`a*lo*so"ma
(?)
n.
pl. Prothyalosomata (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. prw^tos first + "y`alos glass + _;, _;, body.]
(Biol.)
The investing portion, or spherical envelope, surrounding the eccentric germinal spot of the germinal vesicle.


word: Protista
definition:
Protista

Pro*tis"ta
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. prw`tistos first.]
(Zool.)
A provisional group in which are placed a number of low microscopic organisms of doubtful nature. Some are probably plants, others animals.


word: Proto-
definition:
Proto-

Pro"to-
(?)
[Gr. prw^tos first, a superl. fr. pro` before. See Pro-.]
1.
A combining form prefix signifying first, primary, primordial; as, protomartyr, the first martyr; protomorphic, primitive in form; protoplast, a primordial organism; prototype, protozoan.

2.
(Chem.)
(a)
Denoting the first or lowest of a series, or the one having the smallest amount of the element to the name of which it is prefixed; as protoxide, protochloride, etc.
(b)
Sometimes used as equivalent to mono-, as indicating that the compound has but one atom of the element to the name of which it is prefixed. Also used adjectively.


word: Protocanonical
definition:
Protocanonical

Pro`to*ca*non"ic*al
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to the first canon, or that which contains the authorized collection of the books of Scripture; -- opposed to deutero-canonical.


word: Protocatechuic
definition:
Protocatechuic

Pro`to*cat`e*chu"ic
(?)
a.
(Chem.)
Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an organic acid which is obtained as a white crystalline substance from catechin, asafetida, oil of cloves, etc., and by distillation itself yields pyrocatechin.


word: Protocercal
definition:
Protocercal

Pro`to*cer"cal
(?)
a.
[Proto- + Gr. _; the tail.]
(Zool.)
Having a caudal fin extending around the end of the vertebral column, like that which is first formed in the embryo of fishes; diphycercal.


word: Protococcus
definition:
Protococcus

Pro`to*coc"cus
(?)
n.
[NL. See Proto-, and Coccus.]
(Bot.)
A genus of minute unicellular algæ including the red snow plant (Protococcus nivalis).


word: Protocol
definition:
Protocol

Pro"to*col
(?)
n.
[F. protocole, LL. protocollum, fr. Gr. _; the first leaf glued to the rolls of papyrus and the notarial documents, on which the date was written; prw^tos the first (see Proto-) + _; glue.]
1.
The original copy of any writing, as of a deed, treaty, dispatch, or other instrument.
Burrill.

2.
The minutes, or rough draught, of an instrument or transaction.

3.
(Diplomacy)
(a)
A preliminary document upon the basis of which negotiations are carried on.
(b)
A convention not formally ratified.
(c)
An agreement of diplomatists indicating the results reached by them at a particular stage of a negotiation.


word: Protocol₃
definition:
Protocol

Pro"to*col
v. i.
To make or write protocols, or first draughts; to issue protocols.
Carlyle.


word: Protoconch
definition:
Protoconch

Pro"to*conch
(?)
n.
[Proto- + conch.]
(Zool.)
The embryonic shell, or first chamber, of ammonites and other cephalopods.


word: Proto-Doric
definition:
Proto-Doric

Pro`to-Dor*ic
(?)
a.
[Proto- + Doric.]
(Arch.)
Pertaining to, or designating, architecture, in which the beginnings of the Doric style are supposed to be found.


word: Protogine
definition:
Protogine

Pro"to*gine
(?)
n.
[Proto- + root of Gr. gi`gnesqai to be born: cf. F. protogyne.]
(Min.)
A kind of granite or gneiss containing a silvery talcose mineral.


word: Protohippus
definition:
Protohippus

Pro`to*hip"pus
(?)
n.
[NL., from Gr. _; first + _; horse.]
(Paleon.)
A genus of fossil horses from the Lower Pliocene. They had three toes on each foot, the lateral ones being small.


word: Protomartyr
definition:
Protomartyr

Pro"to*mar`tyr
(?)
n.
[LL., fr. Gr. _;; _; first + _; martyr: cf. F. protomartyr. See Proto-, and Martyr.]
The first martyr; the first who suffers, or is sacrificed, in any cause; -- applied esp. to Stephen, the first Christian martyr.


word: Protomerite
definition:
Protomerite

Pro`to*mer"ite
(?)
n.
[Proto- + -mere + -ite.]
(Zool.)
The second segment of one of the Gregarinæ.


word: Protometals
definition:
Protometals

Pro`to*met"als
(?)
n. pl.
A finer form of metals, indicated by enhanced lines in their spark spectra (which are also observed in the spectra of some stars), obtained at the highest available laboratory temperatures (Lockyer); as protocalcium, protochromium, protocopper, protonickel, protosilicon, protostrontium, prototitanium, protovanadium.
Pro`to*me*tal"ic (#), a.


word: Protomorphic
definition:
Protomorphic

Pro`to*mor"phic
(?)
a.
[Proto- + Gr. morfh` form.]
(Biol.)
Having the most primitive character; in the earliest form; as, a protomorphic layer of tissue.
H. Spencer.


word: Protonema
definition:
Protonema

Pro`to*ne"ma
(?)
n.
pl. Protonemata (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; first + _;, _;, a thread.]
(Bot.)
The primary growth from the spore of a moss, usually consisting of branching confervoid filaments, on any part of which stem and leaf buds may be developed.


word: Protoorganism
definition:
Protoorganism

Pro`to*ör"gan*ism
(?)
n.
[Proto- + organism.]
(Biol.)
An organism whose nature is so difficult to determine that it might be referred to either the animal or the vegetable kingdom.


word: Protophyte
definition:
Protophyte

Pro"to*phyte
(?)
n.
[Proto- + Gr. _; a plant.]
(Bot.)
Any unicellular plant, or plant forming only a plasmodium, having reproduction only by fission, gemmation, or cell division.

&hand_; The protophytes (Protophyta) are by some botanists considered an independent branch or class of the vegetable kingdom, and made to include the lowest forms of both fungi and algæ, as slime molds, Bacteria, the nostocs, etc.  Cf. Carpophyte, and Oophyte.


word: Protopine
definition:
Protopine

Pro"to*pine
(?)
n.
[Proto- + opium.]
(Chem.)
An alkaloid found in opium in small quantities, and extracted as a white crystalline substance.


word: Protoplasm
definition:
Protoplasm

Pro"to*plasm
(?)
n.
[Proto- + Gr. _; form, fr. _; to mold.]
(Biol.)
The viscid and more or less granular material of vegetable and animal cells, possessed of vital properties by which the processes of nutrition, secretion, and growth go forward; the so-called “ physical basis of life;” the original cell substance, cytoplasm, cytoblastema, bioplasm sarcode, etc.

&hand_; The lowest forms of animal and vegetable life (unicellular organisms) consist of simple or unaltered protoplasm; the tissues of the higher organisms, of differentiated protoplasm.


word: Protoplasmic
definition:
Protoplasmic

Pro`to*plas"mic
(?)
a.
1.
Of or pertaining to the first formation of living bodies.

2.
(Biol.)
Of or pertaining to protoplasm; consisting of, or resembling, protoplasm.


word: Protoplast
definition:
Protoplast

Pro"to*plast
(?)
n.
[L. protoplastus the first man, Gr. _; formed or created first; _; first + _; formed, fr. _; to form.]

1.
The thing first formed; that of which there are subsequent copies or reproductions; the original.

2.
(Biol.)
A first-formed organized body; the first individual, or pair of individuals, of a species.

A species is a class of individuals, each of which is hypothetically considered to be the descendant of the same protoplast, or of the same pair of protoplasts.
Latham.


word: Protoplasta
definition:
Protoplasta

Pro`to*plas"ta
(?)
n. pl.
[NL.]
(Zool.)
A division of fresh-water rhizopods including those that have a soft body and delicate branched pseudopodia. The genus Gromia is one of the best-known.


word: Protopodite
definition:
Protopodite

Pro*top"o*dite
(?)
n.
[Proto- + Gr. _;, _;, foot.]
(Zool.)
The basal portion, or two proximal and more or less consolidated segments, of an appendage of a crustacean.


word: Protopope
definition:
Protopope

Pro"to*pope
(?)
n.
[Proto- + pope: cf. F. protopope, Russ. protopop'.]
(Gr. Ch.)
One of the clergy of first rank in the lower order of secular clergy; an archpriest; -- called also protopapas.


word: Protopterus
definition:
Protopterus

Pro*top"te*rus
(?)
n.
[NL., from Gr. _; first + _; a feather (taken to mean, fin).]
(Zool.)
See Komtok.


word: Protosalt
definition:
Protosalt

Pro"to*salt
(?)
n.
[Proto- + salt.]
(Chem.)
A salt derived from a protoxide base.
[Obs.]


word: Protosilicate
definition:
Protosilicate

Pro`to*sil"i*cate
(?)
n.
[Proto- + silicate.]
(Chem.)
A silicate formed with the lowest proportion of silicic acid, or having but one atom of silicon in the molecule.


word: Protosomite
definition:
Protosomite

Pro`to*so"mite
(?)
n.
[Proto- + somite.]
(Zool.)
One of the primitive segments, or metameres, of an animal.


word: Protosulphide
definition:
Protosulphide

Pro`to*sul"phide
(?)
n.
[Proto- + sulphide.]
(Chem.)
That one of a series of sulphides of any element which has the lowest proportion of sulphur; a sulphide with but one atom of sulphur in the molecule.


word: Prototheria
definition:
Prototheria

Pro`to*the"ri*a
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., from Gr. prw^tos first + qhri`on, dim. of qh`r beast.]
(Zool.)
Same as Monotremata.


word: Prototracheata
definition:
Prototracheata

Pro`to*tra`che*a"ta
(?)
n. pl.
[NL. See Proto-, and Trachea.]
(Zool.)
Same as Malacopoda.


word: Prototype
definition:
Prototype

Pro"to*type
(?)
n.
[F., from L. prototypus original, primitive, Gr. _;, _;; _; first + _; type, model. See Proto-, and Type]
An original or model after which anything is copied; the pattern of anything to be engraved, or otherwise copied, cast, or the like; a primary form; exemplar; archetype.

They will turn their backs on it, like their great precursor and prototype.
Burke.


word: Protovertebra
definition:
Protovertebra

Pro`to*ver"te*bra
(?)
n.
pl. Protovertebræ .
[Proto- + vertebra.]
(Anat.)
One of the primitive masses, or segments, into which the mesoblast of the vertebrate embryo breaks up on either side of the anterior part of the notochord; a mesoblastic, or protovertebral, somite. See Illust. of Ectoderm.

&hand_; The protovertebræ were long regarded as rudiments of the permanent vertebræ, but they are now known to give rise to the dorsal muscles and other structures as well as the vertebral column. See Myotome.


word: Protoxide
definition:
Protoxide

Pro*tox"ide
(?)
n.
[Proto- + oxide: cf. F. protoxide.]
(Chem.)
That one of a series of oxides having the lowest proportion of oxygen. See Proto-, 2 (b).

protoxide of nitrogen, laughing gas, now called hyponitrous oxide. See under Laughing.


word: Protoxidize
definition:
Protoxidize

Pro*tox"i*dize
(?)
v. t.
(Chem.)
To combine with oxygen, as any elementary substance, in such proportion as to form a protoxide.


word: Protozoa
definition:
Protozoa

Pro`to*zo"a
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; first + zw^,on an animal.]
(Zool.)
The lowest of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom.

&hand_; The entire animal consists of a single cell which is variously modified; but in many species a number of these simple zooids are united together so as to form a compound body or organism, as in the Foraminifera and Vorticellæ. The reproduction takes place by fission, or by the breaking up of the contents of the body after encystment, each portion becoming a distinct animal, or in other ways, but never by true eggs. The principal divisions are Rhizopoda, Gregarinæ, and Infusoria. See also Foraminifera, Heliozoa, Protoplasta, Radiolaria, Flagellata, Ciliata.


word: Protozoic
definition:
Protozoic

Pro`to*zo"ic
(?)
a.
1.
(Zool.)
Of or pertaining to the Protozoa.

2.
(Geol.)
Containing remains of the earliest discovered life of the globe, which included mollusks, radiates and protozoans.


word: Protozoon
definition:
Protozoon

Pro`to*zo"ön
(-&obreve_;n)
n.
pl. Protozoa (#).
[NL.]
(Zool.)
(a)
One of the Protozoa.
(b)
A single zooid of a compound protozoan.


word: Protozoonite
definition:
Protozoonite

Pro`to*zo"ö*nite
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
One of the primary, or first-formed, segments of an embryonic arthropod.


word: Protract
definition:
Protract

Pro*tract"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Protracted; p. pr. vb. n. Protracting.]
[L. protractus, p. p. of protrahere to forth, protract; pro forward + trahere to draw. See Portrait, Portray.]
1.
To draw out or lengthen in time or (rarely) in space; to continue; to prolong; as, to protract an argument; to protract a war.

2.
To put off to a distant time; to delay; to defer; as, to protract a decision or duty.
Shak.

3.
(Surv.)
To draw to a scale; to lay down the lines and angles of, with scale and protractor; to plot.

4.
(Zool.)
To extend; to protrude; as, the cat can protract its claws; -- opposed to retract.


word: Protracted
definition:
Protracted

Pro*tract`ed
(?)
a.
Prolonged; continued.

Protracted meeting,a religious meeting continued for many successive days. [U. S.]


word: Protraction
definition:
Protraction

Pro*trac"tion
(?)
n.
[L. protractio.]
1.
A drawing out, or continuing; the act of delaying the termination of a thing; prolongation; continuance; delay; as, the protraction of a debate.

A protraction only of what is worst in life.
Mallock.

2.
(Surv.)
(a)
The act or process of making a plot on paper.
(b)
A plot on paper.


word: Protractive
definition:
Protractive

Pro*tract"ive
(?)
a.
Drawing out or lengthening in time; prolonging; continuing; delaying.

He suffered their protractive arts.
Dryden.


word: Protractor
definition:
Protractor

Pro*tract"or
(?)
n.
1.
One who, or that which, protracts, or causes protraction.

2.
A mathematical instrument for laying down and measuring angles on paper, used in drawing or in plotting. It is of various forms, semicircular, rectangular, or circular.

3.
(Surg.)
An instrument formerly used in extracting foreign or offensive matter from a wound.

4.
(Anat.)
A muscle which extends an organ or part; -- opposed to retractor.

5.
An adjustable pattern used by tailors.
Knight.


word: Protreptical
definition:
Protreptical

Pro*trep"tic*al
(?)
a.
[Gr. _;, fr. _; to turn forward, to urge on.]
Adapted to persuade; hortatory; persuasive.
[Obs.]
Bp. Ward.


word: Protrude
definition:
Protrude

Pro*trude"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Protruded; p. pr. &  vb. n. Protruding.]
[L. protrudere, protrusum; pro forward + trudere to thrust. See Threat.]

1.
To thrust forward; to drive or force along.
Locke.

2.
To thrust out, as through a narrow orifice or from confinement; to cause to come forth.

When . . . Spring protrudes the bursting gems.
Thomson.


word: Protrude₂
definition:
Protrude

Pro*trude"
v. i.
To shoot out or forth; to be thrust forward; to extend beyond a limit; to project.

The parts protrude beyond the skin.
Bacon.


word: Protrusion
definition:
Protrusion

Pro*tru"sion
(?)
n.
1.
The act of protruding or thrusting forward, or beyond the usual limit.

2.
The state of being protruded, or thrust forward.


word: Protrusive
definition:
Protrusive

Pro*tru"sive
(?)
a.
1.
Thrusting or impelling forward; as, protrusive motion.
E. Darwin.

2.
Capable of being protruded; protrusile.


word: Protuberance
definition:
Protuberance

Pro*tu"ber*ance
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. protubérance. See Protuberant.]
That which is protuberant swelled or pushed beyond the surrounding or adjacent surface; a swelling or tumor on the body; a prominence; a bunch or knob; an elevation.

Solar protuberances (Astron.), certain rose-colored masses on the limb of the sun which are seen to extend beyond the edge of the moon at the time of a solar eclipse. They may be discovered with the spectroscope on any clear day. Called also solar prominences. See Illust. in Append.


word: Protuberancy
definition:
Protuberancy

Pro*tu"ber*an*cy
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being protuberant; protuberance; prominence.


word: Protuberant
definition:
Protuberant

Pro*tu"ber*ant
(?)
a.
[L. protuberans, -antis, p. pr. of protuberare. See Protuberate.]
Prominent, or excessively prominent; bulging beyond the surrounding or adjacent surface; swelling; as, a protuberant joint; a protuberant eye.
Pro*tu"ber*ant*ly, adv.


word: Protuberate
definition:
Protuberate

Pro*tu"ber*ate
(?)
v. i.
[L. protuberare; pro forward + tuber a hump, protuberance. See Tuber.]
To swell, or be prominent, beyond the adjacent surface; to bulge out.
S. Sharp.


word: Protuberation
definition:
Protuberation

Pro*tu`ber*a"tion
(?)
n.
The act of swelling beyond the surrounding surface.
Cooke (1615).


word: Protureter
definition:
Protureter

Pro`tu*re"ter
(?)
n.
[NL. See Proto-, Ureter.]
(Anat.)
The duct of a pronephros.
Haeckel.


word: Protyle
definition:
Protyle

Pro"tyle
(?)
n.
[Proto- + Gr. _; stuff, material.]
(Chem. & Astron.)
The hypothetical homogeneous cosmic material of the original universe, supposed to have been differentiated into what are recognized as distinct chemical elements.


word: Proud
definition:
Proud

Proud
(?)
a.
[Compar. Prouder (?); superl. Proudest.]
[OE. proud, prout, prud, prut, AS. prūt; akin to Icel. prūðr stately, handsome, Dan. prud handsome.  Cf. Pride.]
1.
Feeling or manifesting pride, in a good or bad sense
(a)
Possessing or showing too great self-esteem; overrating one's excellences; hence, arrogant; haughty; lordly; presumptuous.

Nor much expect
A foe so proud will first the weaker seek.
Milton.

O death, made proud with pure and princely beauty !
Shak.

And shades impervious to the proud world's glare.
Keble.

Are we proud men proud of being proud ?
Thackeray.

2.
Giving reason or occasion for pride or self-gratulation; worthy of admiration; grand; splendid; magnificent; admirable; ostentatious.
proud
Chapman.
Proud
Shak.
proud
Dryden.

Till tower, and dome, and bridge-way proud
Are mantled with a golden cloud.
Keble.

3.
Excited by sexual desire; -- applied particularly to the females of some animals.
Sir T. Browne.

&hand_; Proud is often used with participles in the formation of compounds which, for the most part, are self-explaining; as, proud-crested, proud-minded, proud-swelling.

Proud flesh (Med.), a fungous growth or excrescence of granulations resembling flesh, in a wound or ulcer.


word: Proudly
definition:
Proudly

Proud"ly
adv.
In a proud manner; with lofty airs or mien; haughtily; arrogantly; boastfully.

Proudly he marches on, and void of fear.
Addison.


word: Proudness
definition:
Proudness

Proud"ness
n.
The quality of being proud; pride.

Set aside all arrogancy and proudness.
Latimer.


word: Proustite
definition:
Proustite

Proust"ite
(?)
n.
[From the French chemist, J. L. Proust.]
(Min.)
A sulphide of arsenic and silver of a beautiful cochineal-red color, occurring in rhombohedral crystals, and also massive; ruby silver.


word: Provable
definition:
Provable

Prov"a*ble
(?)
a.
[See Prove, and cf. Probable.]
Capable of being proved; demonstrable.
Prov"a*ble*ness, n. -- Prov"a*bly, adv.


word: Proant
definition:
Proant

Provand

{ Prov"and (?), Pro"ant (?), }
n.
[See Provender.]
Provender or food.
[Obs.]

One pease was a soldier's provant a whole day.
Beau. & Fl.  


word: Provant₂
definition:
Provant

Prov"ant
(?)
a.
Provided for common or general use, as in an army; hence, common in quality; inferior.
provant
B. Jonson.


word: Prove
definition:
Prove

Prove
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Proved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proving.]
[OE. prover, F. prouver, fr. L. probare to try, approve, prove, fr. probus good, proper.  Cf. Probable, Proof, Probe.]
1.
To try or to ascertain by an experiment, or by a test or standard; to test; as, to prove the strength of gunpowder or of ordnance; to prove the contents of a vessel by a standard measure.

Thou hast proved mine heart.
Ps. xvii. 3.

2.
To evince, establish, or ascertain, as truth, reality, or fact, by argument, testimony, or other evidence.

They have inferred much from slender premises, and conjectured when they could not prove.
J. H. Newman.

3.
To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify; as, to prove a will.

4.
To gain experience of the good or evil of; to know by trial; to experience; to suffer.

Where she, captived long, great woes did prove.
Spenser.

5.
(Arith.)
To test, evince, ascertain, or verify, as the correctness of any operation or result; thus, in subtraction, if the difference between two numbers, added to the lesser number, makes a sum equal to the greater, the correctness of the subtraction is proved.

6.
(Printing)
To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of; as, to prove a page.


word: Prove₂
definition:
Prove

Prove
v. i.
1.
To make trial; to essay.

2.
To be found by experience, trial, or result; to turn out to be; as, a medicine proves salutary; the report proves false.
proves
Arbuthnot.

So life a winter's morn may prove.
Keble.

3.
To succeed; to turn out as expected.
[Obs.]
proved
Bacon.


word: Provect
definition:
Provect

Pro*vect"
(?)
a.
[L. provectus, p. p. of provehere to carry forward.]
Carried forward; advanced.
[Obs.]
Provect
Sir T. Flyot.


word: Provection
definition:
Provection

Pro*vec"tion
(?)
n.
[L. provectio an advancement.]
(Philol.)
A carrying forward, as of a final letter, to a following word; as, for example, a nickname for an ekename.


word: Proveditor
definition:
Proveditor

Pro*ved"i*tor
(?)
n.
[It. proveditore, provveditore, fr. provedere, L. providere. See Provide, and cf. Purveyor, Provedore.]
One employed to procure supplies, as for an army, a steamer, etc.; a purveyor; one who provides for another.
Jer. Taylor.


word: Provedore
definition:
Provedore

Prov"e*dore
(?)
n.
[Cf. Sp. proveedor. See Proveditor.]
A proveditor; a purveyor.

Busied with the duties of a provedore.
W. Irving.


word: Proven
definition:
Proven

Prov"en
(?)
p. p. or a.
Proved.
proven
Thackeray.

Of this which was the principal charge, and was generally believed to beproven, he was acquitted.
Jowett (Thucyd. ).

Not proven (Scots Law), a verdict of a jury that the guilt of the accused is not made out, though not disproved. Mozley & W.


word: Provenance
definition:
Provenance

Prov"e*nance
(?)
n.
[F., fr. provenir to originate, to come forth, L. provenire. Cf. Provenience.]
Origin; source; provenience.
Their age attested by their provenance and associations.
A. H. Keane.


word: Provencal
definition:
Provencal

Pro`ven`çal"
(?)
a.
[F., fr. Provence, fr. L. provincia province. See Provincial.]
Of or pertaining to Provence or its inhabitants.


word: Provencal₂
definition:
Provencal

Pro`ven`çal"
n.
[F.]
1.
A native or inhabitant of Provence in France.

2.
The Provencal language. See Langue d'oc.


word: Provence rose
definition:
Provence rose

Prov"ence rose`
(?)
[Provence the place + rose.]
(a)
The cabbage rose (Rosa centifolia).
(b)
A name of many kinds of roses which are hybrids of Rosa centifolia and Rosa Gallica.


word: Provender
definition:
Provender

Prov"en*der
(?)
n.
[OE. provende, F. provende, provisions, provender, fr. LL.  praebenda (prae and pro being confused), a daily allowance of provisions, a prebend. See Prebend.]
1.
Dry food for domestic animals, as hay, straw, corn, oats, or a mixture of ground grain; feed.
provender
Mortimer.

Good provender laboring horses would have.
Tusser.

2.
Food or provisions.
[R or Obs.]


word: Provenience
definition:
Provenience

Pro*ve"ni*ence
(?)
n.
[L. proveniens, -entis, p.pr. of provenire to come forth; pro forth + venire to come.]
Origin; source; place where found or produced; provenance; -- used esp. in the fine arts and in archæology; as, the provenience of a patera.


word: Proventriulus
definition:
Proventriulus

Pro`ven*tri"u*lus
(?)
n.
[NL. See Pro-, and Ventricle.]
(Anat.)
The glandular stomach of birds, situated just above the crop.


word: Proverb
definition:
Proverb

Prov"erb
(?)
n.
[OE. proverbe, F. proverbe, from L. proverbium; pro before, for + verbum a word. See Verb.]
1.
An old and common saying; a phrase which is often repeated; especially, a sentence which briefly and forcibly expresses some practical truth, or the result of experience and observation; a maxim; a saw; an adage.
Chaucer. Bacon.

2.
A striking or paradoxical assertion; an obscure saying; an enigma; a parable.

His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
John xvi. 29.

3.
A familiar illustration; a subject of contemptuous reference.

Thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by word, among all nations.
Deut. xxviii. 37.

4.
A drama exemplifying a proverb.

Book of Proverbs, a canonical book of the Old Testament, containing a great variety of wise maxims.


word: Proverb₂
definition:
Proverb

Prov"erb
v. t.
1.
To name in, or as, a proverb.
[R.]

Am I not sung and proverbed for a fool ?
Milton.

2.
To provide with a proverb.
[R.]

I am proverbed with a grandsire phrase.
Shak.


word: Proverbial
definition:
Proverbial

Pro*ver"bi*al
(?)
a.
[L. proverbialis: cf. F. proverbial.]
1.
Mentioned or comprised in a proverb; used as a proverb; hence, commonly known; as, a proverbial expression; his meanness was proverbial.

In case of excesses, I take the German proverbial cure, by a hair of the same beast, to be the worst.
Sir W. Temple.

2.
Of or pertaining to proverbs; resembling a proverb.
proverbial
Sir T. Browne.


word: Proverbialist
definition:
Proverbialist

Pro*ver"bi*al*ist
n.
One who makes much use of proverbs in speech or writing; one who composes, collects, or studies proverbs.


word: Proverbialize
definition:
Proverbialize

Pro*ver"bi*al*ize
(?)
v. t. & i.
[Cf. F. proverbialiser.]
To turn into a proverb; to speak in proverbs.


word: Proverbially
definition:
Proverbially

Pro*ver"bi*al*ly
adv.
In a proverbial manner; by way of proverb; hence, commonly; universally; as, it is proverbially said; the bee is proverbially busy.


word: Provexity
definition:
Provexity

Pro*vex"i*ty
(?)
n.
[L. provehere to advance.  Cf. Provect.]
Great advance in age.
[Obs.]


word: Provide
definition:
Provide

Pro*vide"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Provided; p. pr. & vb. n. Providing.]
[L. providere, provisum; pro before + videre to see. See Vision, and cf. Prudent, Purvey.]
1.
To look out for in advance; to procure beforehand; to get, collect, or make ready for future use; to prepare.
Provide
Shak.

2.
To supply; to afford; to contribute.

Bring me berries, or such cooling fruit
As the kind, hospitable woods provide.
Milton.

3.
To furnish; to supply; -- formerly followed by of, now by with.
provided
Jer. Taylor.
provided
Arbuthnot.

4.
To establish as a previous condition; to stipulate; as, the contract provides that the work be well done.

5.
To foresee.
[A Latinism]
[Obs.]
B. Jonson.

6.
To appoint to an ecclesiastical benefice before it is vacant. See Provisor.
Prescott.


word: Provide₂
definition:
Provide

Pro*vide"
v. i.
1.
To procure supplies or means in advance; to take measures beforehand in view of an expected or a possible future need, especially a danger or an evil; -- followed by against or for; as, to provide against the inclemency of the weather; to provide for the education of a child.

Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants.
Burke.

2.
To stipulate previously; to condition; as, the agreement provides for an early completion of the work.


word: Provided
definition:
Provided

Pro*vid"ed
(?)
conj.
On condition; by stipulation; with the understanding; if; -- usually followed by that; as, provided that nothing in this act shall prejudice the rights of any person whatever.

Provided the deductions are logical, they seem almost indifferent to their truth.
G. H. Lewes.

&hand_; This word is strictly a participle, and the word being is understood, the participle provided agreeing with the whole sentence absolute, and being equivalent to this condition being previously stipulated or established.


word: Providence
definition:
Providence

Prov"i*dence
(?)
n.
[L. providentia: cf. F. providence. See Provident, and cf. Prudence.]
1.
The act of providing or preparing for future use or application; a making ready; preparation.

Providence for war is the best prevention of it.
Bacon.

2.
Foresight; care; especially, the foresight and care which God manifests for his creatures; hence, God himself, regarded as exercising a constant wise prescience.

The world was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.
Milton.

3.
(Theol.)
A manifestation of the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures; an event ordained by divine direction.

He that hath a numerous family, and many to provide for, needs a greater providence of God.
Jer. Taylor.

4.
Prudence in the management of one's concerns; economy; frugality.

It is a high point of providence in a prince to cast an eye rather upon actions than persons.
Quarles.


word: Provident
definition:
Provident

Prov"i*dent
(?)
a.
[L. providens, -entis, p. pr. of providere: cf. F. provident. See Provide, and cf. Prudent.]
Foreseeing wants and making provision to supply them; prudent in preparing for future exigencies; cautious; economical; -- sometimes followed by of; as, aprovident man; an animal provident of the future.

And of our good and of our dignity,
How provident he is.
Milton.


word: Providential
definition:
Providential

Prov`i*den"tial
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. providentiel.]
Effected by, or referable to, divine direction or superintendence; as, the providential contrivance of thing; a providential escape.
Prov"i*den"tial*ly, adv.


word: Providentness
definition:
Providentness

Prov"i*dent*ness
n.
The quality or state of being provident; carefulness; prudence; economy.


word: Provider
definition:
Provider

Pro*vid"er
(?)
n.
One who provides, furnishes, or supplies; one who procures what is wanted.


word: Province
definition:
Province

Prov"ince
(?)
n.
[F., fr. L. provincia; prob. fr. pro before, for + the root of vincere to conquer. See Victor.]
1.
(Roman Hist.)
A country or region, more or less remote from the city of Rome, brought under the Roman government; a conquered country beyond the limits of Italy.
Wyclif (Acts xiii. 34). Milton.

2.
A country or region dependent on a distant authority; a portion of an empire or state, esp. one remote from the capital.
provinces
Shak.

3.
A region of country; a tract; a district.

Over many a tract
of heaven they marched, and many a province wide.
Milton.

Other provinces of the intellectual world.
I. Watts.

4.
A region under the supervision or direction of any special person; the district or division of a country, especially an ecclesiastical division, over which one has jurisdiction; as, the province of Canterbury, or that in which the archbishop of Canterbury exercises ecclesiastical authority.

5.
The proper or appropriate business or duty of a person or body; office; charge; jurisdiction; sphere.

The woman'sprovince is to be careful in her economy, and chaste in her affection.
Tattler.

6.
Specif.: Any political division of the Dominion of Canada, having a governor, a local legislature, and representation in the Dominion parliament. Hence, colloquially, The Provinces, the Dominion of Canada.


word: Provincial
definition:
Provincial

Pro*vin"cial
(?)
a.
[L. provincialis: cf. F. provincial. See Province, and cf. Provencal.]
1.
Of or pertaining to province; constituting a province; as, a provincial government; a provincial dialect.

2.
Exhibiting the ways or manners of a province; characteristic of the inhabitants of a province; not cosmopolitan; countrified; not polished; rude; hence, narrow; illiberal.
Provincial
Macaulay.

3.
Of or pertaining to an ecclesiastical province, or to the jurisdiction of an archbishop; not ecumenical; as, a provincial synod.
Ayliffe.

4.
Of or pertaining to Provence; Provencal.
[Obs.]

With two Provincial roses on my razed shoes.
Shak.


word: Provincial₂
definition:
Provincial

Pro*vin"cial
n.
1.
A person belonging to a province; one who is provincial.

2.
(R. C. Ch.)
A monastic superior, who, under the general of his order, has the direction of all the religious houses of the same fraternity in a given district, called a province of the order.


word: Provincialism
definition:
Provincialism

Pro*vin"cial*ism
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. provincialisme.]
A word, or a manner of speaking, peculiar to a province or a district remote from the mother country or from the metropolis; a provincial characteristic; hence, narrowness; illiberality.
M. Arnold.


word: Provinciality
definition:
Provinciality

Pro*vin`ci*al"i*ty
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being provincial; peculiarity of language characteristic of a province.
T. Warton.


word: Provincialize
definition:
Provincialize

Pro*vin"cial*ize
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Provincialized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Provincializing (?).]
To render provincial.
M. Arnold.


word: Provine
definition:
Provine

Pro*vine"
(?)
v. i.
[F. provingner, fr. provin a set, layer of a plant, OF. provain, from L. propago, -aginis, akin to propagare to propagate. See Propagate, Prune, v. t.]
To lay a stock or branch of a vine in the ground for propagation.
[Obs.]
Johnson.


word: Provision
definition:
Provision

Pro*vi"sion
(?)
n.
[L. provisio:  cf. F.  provision. See Provide.]
1.
The act of providing, or making previous preparation.
Shak.

2.
That which is provided or prepared; that which is brought together or arranged in advance; measures taken beforehand; preparation.

Making provision for the relief of strangers.
Bacon.

3.
Especially, a stock of food; any kind of eatables collected or stored; -- often in the plural.

And of provisions laid in large,
For man and beast.
Milton.

4.
That which is stipulated in advance; a condition; a previous agreement; a proviso; as, the provisions of a contract; the statute has many provisions.

5.
(R. C. Ch.)
A canonical term for regular induction into a benefice, comprehending nomination, collation, and installation.

6.
(Eng. Hist.)
A nomination by the pope to a benefice before it became vacant, depriving the patron of his right of presentation.
Blackstone.


word: Provision₂
definition:
Provision

Pro*vi"sion
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Provisioned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Provisioning.]
To supply with food; to victual; as, to provision a garrison.

They were provisioned for a journey.
Palfrey.


word: Provisional
definition:
Provisional

Pro*vi"sion*al
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. provisionnel.]
Of the nature of a provision; serving as a provision for the time being; -- used of partial or temporary arrangements; as, a provisional government; a provisional treaty.


word: Proviso
definition:
Proviso

Pro*vi"so
(?)
n.
pl. Provisos (#).
[L., (it) being provided, abl. of provisus, p. p. of providere. See Provide, and cf. Purview.]
An article or clause in any statute, agreement, contract, grant, or other writing, by which a condition is introduced, usually beginning with the word provided; a conditional stipulation that affects an agreement, contract, law, grant, or the like; as, the contract was impaired by its proviso.

He doth deny his prisoners,
But with proviso and exception.
Shak.


word: Provisor
definition:
Provisor

Pro*vi"sor
(?)
n.
[L., fr. providere: cf. F. proviseur. See Provide.]
1.
One who provides; a purveyor.
[Obs.]
provisor
Ford.

2.
(R. C. Ch.)
(a)
The purveyor, steward, or treasurer of a religious house.
Cowell.
(b)
One who is regularly inducted into a benefice. See Provision, 5.
P. Plowman.

3.
(Eng. Hist.)
One who procures or receives a papal provision. See Provision, 6.


word: Provisorily
definition:
Provisorily

Pro*vi"so*ri*ly
(?)
adv.
In a provisory manner; conditionally; subject to a proviso; as, to admit a doctrine provisorily.
Sir W. Hamilton.


word: Provisory
definition:
Provisory

Pro*vi"so*ry
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. provisoire.]
1.
Of the nature of a proviso; containing a proviso or condition; conditional; as, a provisory clause.

2.
Making temporary provision; provisional.


word: Provocation
definition:
Provocation

Prov`o*ca"tion
(?)
n.
[F. provocation, L. provocatio. See Provoke.]
1.
The act of provoking, or causing vexation or, anger.
Fabyan.

2.
That which provokes, or excites anger; the cause of resentment; as, to give provocation.
Paley.

3.
Incitement; stimulus; as, provocation to mirth.

4.
(Law)
Such prior insult or injury as may be supposed, under the circumstances, to create hot blood, and to excuse an assault made in retort or redress.

5.
An appeal to a court. [A Latinism]
[Obs.]
Ayliffe.


word: Provocative
definition:
Provocative

Pro*vo"ca*tive
(?)
a.
[L. provocativus: cf. OF. provocatif.]
Serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; exciting.


word: Provocative₂
definition:
Provocative

Pro*vo"ca*tive
n.
Anything that is provocative; a stimulant; as, a provocative of appetite.


word: Provoke
definition:
Provoke

Pro*voke"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Provoked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Provoking.]
[F. provoquer, L. provocare to call forth; pro forth + vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice, cry, call. See Voice.]
To call forth; to call into being or action; esp., to incense to action, a faculty or passion, as love, hate, or ambition; hence, commonly, to incite, as a person, to action by a challenge, by taunts, or by defiance; to exasperate; to irritate; to offend intolerably; to cause to retaliate.

Obey his voice, provoke him not.
Ex. xxiii. 21.

Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.
Eph. vi. 4.

Such acts
Of contumacy will provoke the Highest
To make death in us live.
Milton.

Can honor's voice provoke the silent dust?
Gray.

To the poet the meaning is what he pleases to make it, what it provokes in his own soul.
 J. Burroughs.


word: Provoke₂
definition:
Provoke

Pro*voke"
v. i.
1.
To cause provocation or anger.

2.
To appeal. [A Latinism]
[Obs.]
Dryden.


word: Provokement
definition:
Provokement

Pro*voke"ment
(?)
n.
The act that which, provokes; one who excites anger or other passion, or incites to action; as, a provoker of sedition.

Drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things.
Shak.


word: Provoking
definition:
Provoking

Pro*vok"ing
a.
Having the power or quality of exciting resentment; tending to awaken passion or vexation; as, provoking words or treatment.
Pro*vok"ing*ly, adv.


word: Provost
definition:
Provost

Prov"ost
(?)
n.
[OF. provost (L. prae and pro being confused), F. prevôt, fr. L. praepositus placed before, a chief, fr. praeponere to place before: cf. AS. prāfost, pr&omacrfast. See Preposition, and cf. Propound.]
1.
A person who is appointed to superintend, or preside over, something; the chief magistrate in some cities and towns; as, the provost of Edinburgh or of Glasgow, answering to the mayor of other cities; the provost of a college, answering to president; the provost or head of certain collegiate churches.

2.
The keeper of a prison.
[Obs.]
Shak.

&hand_; In France, formerly, a provost was an inferior judge who had cognizance of civil causes. The grand provost of France, or of the household, had jurisdiction in the king's house, and over its officers.

Provost marshal (often pronounced _;). (a) (Mil.) An officer appointed in every army, in the field, to secure the prisoners confined on charges of a general nature. He also performs such other duties pertaining to police and discipline as the regulations of the service or the commander's orders impose upon him. (b) (Nav.) An officer who has charge of prisoners on trial by court-martial, serves notices to witnesses, etc.


word: Prow
definition:
Prow

Prow
(?)
n.
[F. proue (cf. Sp. & Pg. proa, It. prua), L. prora, Gr. _;, akin to _; before. See Pro-, and cf. Prore.]
The fore part of a vessel; the bow; the stem; hence, the vessel itself.
Wordsworth.

The floating vessel swum
Uplifted, and secure with beaked prow
rode tilting o'er the waves.
Milton.


word: Prow₃
definition:
Prow

Prow
a.
[Compar. Prower (?); superl. Prowest.]
[OF. prou, preu, F. preux, fr. L. pro, prod, in prodesse to be useful. See Pro-, and cf. Prude.]
Valiant; brave; gallant; courageous.
[Archaic]
Tennyson.

The prowest knight that ever field did fight.
Spenser.


word: Prow₄
definition:
Prow

Prow
n.
[OE. & OF. prou. See Prow, a.]
Benefit; profit; good; advantage.
[Obs.]

That shall be for your hele and for your prow.
Chaucer.


word: Prowess
definition:
Prowess

Prow"ess
(?)
n.
[OF. proece, proesce, F. prouesse. See Prow, a.]
Distinguished bravery; valor; especially, military bravery and skill; gallantry; intrepidity; fearlessness.
Chaucer. Sir P. Sidney.

He by his prowess conquered all France.
Shak.


word: Prowl
definition:
Prowl

Prowl
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Prowled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prowling.]
[OE. prollen to search about; of uncertain origin, perh. for proglen, a dim. of prog to beg, or proke to poke.  Cf. Proke.]
1.
To rove over, through, or about in a stealthy manner; esp., to search in, as for prey or booty.

He prowls each place, still in new colors decked.
 Sir P. Sidney.

2.
To collect by plunder; as, to prowl money.
[Obs.]


word: Prowl₂
definition:
Prowl

Prowl
v. i.
To rove or wander stealthily, esp. for prey, as a wild beast; hence, to prey; to plunder.


word: Prowling
definition:
Prowling

Prowl"ing
a.
Accustomed to prowl, or engaged in roving stealthily, as for prey.
prowling
Milton.
Prowl"ing*ly, adv.


word: Prox
definition:
Prox

Prox
(?)
n.
[Cf. Proxy.]
“The ticket or list of candidates at elections, presented to the people for their votes.”
[Rhode Island]
Bartlett.


word: Proxene
definition:
Proxene

Prox"ene
(?)
n.
[Cf. _;; _; before + _; a guest, stranger: cf. F. proxène.]
(Gr. Antiq.)
An officer who had the charge of showing hospitality to those who came from a friendly city or state.


word: Proxenetism
definition:
Proxenetism

Prox`e*ne"tism
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; agent + -ism; cf. F. proxénétisme.]
The action of a go-between or broker in negotiating immoral bargains between the sexes; procuring.


word: Proximad
definition:
Proximad

Prox"i*mad
(?)
adv.
[Proximal + L. ad to.]
(Anat.)
Toward a proximal part; on the proximal side of; proximally.


word: Proximal
definition:
Proximal

Prox"i*mal
(?)
a.
1.
Toward or nearest, as to a body, or center of motion of dependence; proximate.

2.
(Biol.)
(a)
Situated near the point of attachment or origin; as, the proximal part of a limb.
(b)
Of or pertaining to that which is proximal; as, the proximal bones of a limb. Opposed to distal.


word: Proximate
definition:
Proximate

Prox"i*mate
(?)
a.
[L. proximatus, p. p. of proximare to come near, to approach, fr. proximus the nearest, nest, superl. of propior nearer, and prope, adv., near.]
Nearest; next immediately preceding or following.
Proximate
J. S. Harford.

The proximate natural causes of it [the deluge].
T. Burnet.

Proximate analysis (Chem.), an analysis which determines the proximate principles of any substance, as contrasted with an ultimate analysis. -- Proximate cause. (a) A cause which immediately precedes and produces the effect, as distinguished from the remote, mediate, or predisposing cause. I. Watts. (b) That which in ordinary natural sequence produces a specific result, no independent disturbing agencies intervening. -- Proximate principle (Physiol. Chem.), one of a class of bodies existing ready formed in animal and vegetable tissues, and separable by chemical analysis, as albumin, sugar, collagen, fat, etc.


word: Proxime
definition:
Proxime

Prox"ime
(?)
a.
[L. proximus. See Proximate.]
Next; immediately preceding or following.
[Obs.]


word: Proximity
definition:
Proximity

Prox*im"i*ty
(?)
n.
[L. proximitas: cf. F. proximité See Proximate, and cf. Propinquity, Approach.]
The quality or state of being next in time, place, causation, influence, etc.; immediate nearness, either in place, blood, or alliance.

If he plead proximity of blood
That empty title is with ease withstood.
Dryden.


word: Proximo
definition:
Proximo

Prox"i*mo
(?)
[L., on the next, abl. of proximus next.]
In the next month after the present; -- often contracted to prox.; as, on the 3d proximo.


word: Proxy
definition:
Proxy

Prox"y
(?)
n.
pl. Proxies (#).
[Contr. from procuracy.  Cf. Proctor.]
1.
The agency for another who acts through the agent; authority to act for another, esp. to vote in a legislative or corporate capacity.

I have no man's proxy: I speak only for myself.
Burke.

2.
The person who is substituted or deputed to act or vote for another.

Every peer . . . may make another lord of parliament his proxy, to vote for him in his absence.
Blackstone.

3.
A writing by which one person authorizes another to vote in his stead, as in a corporation meeting.

4.
(Eng. Law)
The written appointment of a proctor in suits in the ecclesiastical courts.
Burrill.

5.
(Eccl.)
See Procuration.
[Obs.]


word: Prude
definition:
Prude

Prude
(?)
n.
[F., prudish, originally, discreet, modest; shortened from OF. prudefeme, preudefeme, a discreet or excellent woman; OF. preu, prou, excellent, brave + de of + fete woman. See Prow, a., Prowess.]
A woman of affected modesty, reserve, or coyness; one who is overscrupulous or sensitive; one who affects extraordinary prudence in conduct and speech.

Less modest than the speech of prudes.
Swift.


word: Prudence
definition:
Prudence

Pru"dence
(?)
n.
[F., fr. L. prudentia, contr. from providentia. See Prudent, and cf. Providence.]
The quality or state of being prudent; wisdom in the way of caution and provision; discretion; carefulness; hence, also, economy; frugality.

Prudence is principally in reference to actions to be done, and due means, order, seasons, and method of doing or not doing.
Sir M. Hale.

Prudence supposes the value of the end to be assumed, and refers only to the adaptation of the means. It is the relation of right means for given ends.
Whewell.


word: Prudent
definition:
Prudent

Pru"dent
(?)
a.
[L. prudens, -entis, contr. from providens: cf. F. prudent. See Provident.]
1.
Sagacious in adapting means to ends; circumspect in action, or in determining any line of conduct; practically wise; judicious; careful; discreet; sensible; -- opposed to rash; as, a prudent man; dictated or directed by prudence or wise forethought; evincing prudence; as, prudent behavior.

Moses established a grave and prudent law.
Milton.

2.
Frugal; economical; not extravagant; as, a prudent woman; prudent expenditure of money.


word: Prudential
definition:
Prudential

Pru*den"tial
(?)
a.
1.
Proceeding from, or dictated or characterized by, prudence; prudent; discreet; sometimes, selfish or pecuniary as distinguished from higher motives or influences; as, prudential motives.
prudential
Sir W. Scott.

2.
Exercising prudence; discretionary; advisory; superintending or executive; as, a prudential committee.


word: Prudential₂
definition:
Prudential

Pru*den"tial
n.
That which relates to or demands the exercise of, discretion or prudence; -- usually in the pl.

Many stanzas, in poetic measures, contain rules relating to common prudentials as well as to religion.
I. Watts.


word: Prudentialist
definition:
Prudentialist

Pru*den"tial*ist
n.
One who is governed by, or acts from, prudential motives.
[R.]
Coleridge.


word: Prudery
definition:
Prudery

Prud"er*y
(?)
n.
pl. Pruderies (#).
[F. pruderie. See Prude.]
The quality or state of being prudish; excessive or affected scrupulousness in speech or conduct; stiffness; coyness.
Cowper.


word: Prudhomme
definition:
Prudhomme

Prud*homme"
(?)
n.
[F. prud'homme. cf. Prude.]
A trustworthy citizen; a skilled workman. See Citation under 3d Commune, 1.


word: Prudish
definition:
Prudish

Prud"ish
(?)
a.
Like a prude; very formal, precise, or reserved; affectedly severe in virtue; as, a prudish woman; prudish manners.

A formal lecture, spoke with prudish face.
Garrick.


word: Pruinose
definition:
Pruinose

Pru"i*nose`
(?)
a.
[L. pruinosus, fr. pruina hoarfrost.]
Frosty; covered with fine scales, hairs, dust, bloom, or the like, so as to give the appearance of frost.


word: Prune
definition:
Prune

Prune
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pruned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pruning.]
[OE. proine, probably fr. F. provigner to lay down vine stocks for propagation; hence, probably, the meaning, to cut away superfluous shoots. See Provine.]
1.
To lop or cut off the superfluous parts, branches, or shoots of; to clear of useless material; to shape or smooth by trimming; to trim: as, to prune trees; to prune an essay.
Thackeray.

Taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be pruned and reformed.
Bacon.

Our delightful task
To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers.
Milton.

2.
To cut off or cut out, as useless parts.

Horace will our superfluous branches prune.
Waller.

3.
To preen; to prepare; to dress.
Spenser.

His royal bird
Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak.
Shak.


word: Prune₃
definition:
Prune

Prune
n.
[F. prune, from L. prunum a plum. See Plum.]
A plum; esp., a dried plum, used in cookery; as, French or Turkish prunes; California prunes.

German prune (Bot.), a large dark purple plum, of oval shape, often one-sided. It is much used for preserving, either dried or in sirup. -- Prune tree. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Prunus (Prunus domestica), which produces prunes. (b) The West Indian tree, Prunus occidentalis. -- South African prune (Bot.), the edible fruit of a sapindaceous tree (Pappea Capensis).


word: Prunella
definition:
Prunella

Pru*nel"la
(?)
n.
[NL., perhaps from G. bræune quinsy, croup.]
(Med.)
(a)
Angina, or angina pectoris.
(b)
Thrush.

Prunella salt (Old Chem.), niter fused and cast into little balls.


word: Prunello
definition:
Prunello

Prunella

{ Pru*nel"la, Pru*nel"lo, }
n.
[F. prunelle, probably so called from its color resembling that of prunes. See Prune, n.]
A smooth woolen stuff, generally black, used for making shoes; a kind of lasting; -- formerly used also for clergymen's gowns.


word: Prunelle
definition:
Prunelle

Pru*nelle"
(?)
n.
[F., dim. of prune. See Prune, n.]
A kind of small and very acid French plum; -- applied especially to the stoned and dried fruit.


word: Prunello₂
definition:
Prunello

Pru*nel"lo
(?)
n.
[F. prunelle, dim. of prune. See Prune a plum.]
A species of dried plum; prunelle.


word: Pruner
definition:
Pruner

Prun"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who prunes, or removes, what is superfluous.

2.
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of beetles whose larvæ gnaw the branches of trees so as to cause them to fall, especially the American oak pruner (Asemum mœstum), whose larva eats the pith of oak branches, and when mature gnaws a circular furrow on the inside nearly to the bark. When the branches fall each contains a pupa.


word: Pruning
definition:
Pruning

Prun"ing
(?)
n.
1.
The act of trimming, or removing what is superfluous.

2.
(Falconry)
That which is cast off by bird in pruning her feathers; leavings.
Beau. & Fl.

Pruning hook, or Pruning knife, cutting instrument used in pruning trees, etc. -- Pruning shears, shears for pruning trees, vines, etc.


word: Prunus
definition:
Prunus

Pru"nus
(?)
n.
[L., a plum tree.]
(Bot.)
A genus of trees with perigynous rosaceous flowers, and a single two-ovuled carpel which usually becomes a drupe in ripening.

&hand_; Originally, this genus was limited to the plums, then, by Linnæus, was made to include the cherries and the apricot. Later botanists separated these into several genera, as Prunus, Cerasus, and Armeniaca, but now, by Bentham and Hooker, the plums, cherries, cherry laurels, peach, almond, and nectarine are all placed in Prunus.


word: Pruriency
definition:
Pruriency

Prurience

{ Pru"ri*ence (?), Pru"ri*en*cy (?), }
n.
The quality or state of being prurient.

The pruriency of curious ears.
Burke.

There is a prurience in the speech of some.
Cowper.


word: Prurient
definition:
Prurient

Pru"ri*ent
(?)
a.
[L. pruries, -entis, p. pr. of prurire to itch.  Cf. Freeze.]
Uneasy with desire; itching; especially, having a lascivious curiosity or propensity; lustful.
Pru"ri*ent*ly, adv.

The eye of the vain and prurient is darting from object to object of illicit attraction.
I. Taylor.


word: Pruriginous
definition:
Pruriginous

Pru*rig"i*nous
(?)
a.
[L. pruriginosus: cf. F. prurigineux.]
(Med.)
Tending to, or caused by, prurigo; affected by, or of the nature of, prurigo.


word: Prurigo
definition:
Prurigo

Pru*ri"go
(?)
n.
[L., an itching, the itch, fr. prurire to itch.]
(Med.)
A papular disease of the skin, of which intense itching is the chief symptom, the eruption scarcely differing from the healthy cuticle in color.


word: Prussian
definition:
Prussian

Prus"sian
(?)
a.
[From Prussia, the country: cf. F. prussien.]
Of or pertaining to Prussia.
n. A native or inhabitant of Prussia.

Prussian blue (Chem.), any one of several complex double cyanides of ferrous and ferric iron; specifically, a dark blue amorphous substance having a coppery luster, obtained by adding a solution of potassium ferrocyanide (yellow prussiate of potash) to a ferric salt. It is used in dyeing, in ink, etc. Called also Williamson's blue, insoluble Prussian blue, Berlin blue, etc. -- Prussian carp (Zool.) See Gibel. -- Prussian green. (Chem.) Same as Berlin green, under Berlin.


word: Prussiate
definition:
Prussiate

Prus"si*ate
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. prussiate.]
(Chem.)
A salt of prussic acid; a cyanide.

Red prussiate of potash. See Potassium ferricyanide, under Ferricyanide. -- Yellow prussiate of potash. See Potassium ferrocyanide, under Ferrocyanide.


word: Prussic
definition:
Prussic

Prus"sic
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. prussique.]
(Old Chem.)
designating the acid now called hydrocyanic acid, but formerly called prussic acid, because Prussian blue is derived from it or its compounds. See Hydrocyanic.


word: Prutenic
definition:
Prutenic

Pru*ten"ic
(?)
a.
(Astron.)
Prussian; -- applied to certain astronomical tables published in the sixteenth century, founded on the principles of Copernicus, a Prussian.


word: Pry
definition:
Pry

Pry
(?)
n.
[Corrupted fr. prize a lever. See Prize, n.]
A lever; also, leverage.
[Local, U. S. & Eng.]

Pry pole, the pole which forms the prop of a hoisting gin, and stands facing the windlass.


word: Pry₂
definition:
Pry

Pry
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pried (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prying.]
To raise or move, or attempt to raise or move, with a pry or lever; to prize.
[Local, U. S. & Eng.]


word: Pry₃
definition:
Pry

Pry
v. i.
[OE. prien.  Cf. Peer to peep.]
To peep narrowly; to gaze; to inspect closely; to attempt to discover something by a scrutinizing curiosity; -- often implying reproach.
pry
Chaucer.

Watch thou and wake when others be asleep,
To pry into the secrets of the state.
Shak.


word: Prytaneum
definition:
Prytaneum

Pryt`a*ne"um
(?)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. _;, fr. _; prytanis.]
(Gr. Antiq.)
A public building in certain Greek cities; especially, a public hall in Athens regarded as the home of the community, in which official hospitality was extended to distinguished citizens and strangers.


word: Prytanis
definition:
Prytanis

Pryt"a*nis
(?)
n.
pl. Prytanes (#).
[L., fr. Gr. _;.]
(Gr. Antiq.)
A member of one of the ten sections into which the Athenian senate of five hundred was divided, and to each of which belonged the presidency of the senate for about one tenth of the year.


word: Prytany
definition:
Prytany

Pryt"a*ny
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;.]
(Gr. Antiq.)
The period during which the presidency of the senate belonged to the prytanes of the section.


word: Psalm
definition:
Psalm

Psalm
(?)
n.
[OE. psalm, salm, AS. sealm, L. psalmus, psalma, fr. Gr. _;, _;, fr. _; to pull, twitch, to play upon a stringed instrument, to sing to the harp: cf. OF. psalme, salme, F. psaume.]
1.
A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God.

Humus devout and holy psalms
Singing everlastingly.
Milton.

2.
Especially, one of the hymns by David and others, collected into one book of the Old Testament, or a modern metrical version of such a hymn for public worship.


word: Psalmist
definition:
Psalmist

Psalm"ist
(?)
n.
[L. psalmista, Gr. _;: cf. F. psalmiste. See Psalm.]
1.
A writer or composer of sacred songs; -- a title particularly applied to David and the other authors of the Scriptural psalms.

2.
(R. C. Ch.)
A clerk, precentor, singer, or leader of music, in the church.


word: Psalmodical
definition:
Psalmodical

Psalmodic

{ Psal*mod"ic (?), Psal*mod"ic*al (?), }
a.
[Cf. F. psalmodique.]
Relating to psalmody.


word: Psalmody
definition:
Psalmody

Psal"mo*dy
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;; _; psalm + _; a song, an ode: cf. F. psalmodie, LL. psalmodia. See Psalm, and Ode.]
The act, practice, or art of singing psalms or sacred songs; also, psalms collectively, or a collection of psalms.


word: Psalmographist
definition:
Psalmographist

Psalmographer

{ Psal*mog"ra*pher (?), Psal*mog"ra*phist (?), }
n.
[L. psalmographus, Gr. _;; _; a psalm + _; to write.]
A writer of psalms, or sacred songs and hymns.


word: Psalmography
definition:
Psalmography

Psal*mog"ra*phy
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. psalmographie.]
The act or practice of writing psalms, or sacred songs.


word: Psalter
definition:
Psalter

Psal"ter
(?)
n.
[OE. psauter, sauter, OF. sautier, psaltier, F. psautier, from L. psalterium. See Psaltery.]
1.
The Book of Psalms; -- often applied to a book containing the Psalms separately printed.

2.
Specifically, the Book of Psalms as printed in the Book of Common Prayer; among the Roman Catholics, the part of the Breviary which contains the Psalms arranged for each day of the week.

3.
(R. C. Ch.)
A rosary, consisting of a hundred and fifty beads, corresponding to the number of the psalms.


word: Psalterium
definition:
Psalterium

Psal*te"ri*um
(?)
n.
pl. Psalteria (#).
[L., a psaltery.]
(Anat.)
(a)
The third stomach of ruminants. See Manyplies.
(b)
The lyra of the brain.


word: Psaltery
definition:
Psaltery

Psal"ter*y
(?)
n.
pl. Psalteries (#).
[OE. sautrie, OF. psalterie, F. psaltérion, L. psalterium psaltery, psalter, from Gr. _;, fr. _;. See Psalm, Psalter.]
A stringed instrument of music used by the Hebrews, the form of which is not known.

Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
Ps. xxxiii. 2.


word: Psammite
definition:
Psammite

Psam"mite
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; sandy, from _; sand: cf. F. psammite.]
(Min.)
A species of micaceous sandstone.
Psam*mit"ic (#), a.


word: Psarolite
definition:
Psarolite

Psar"o*lite
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; speckled + -lite.]
(Paleon.)
A silicified stem of tree fern, found in abundance in the Triassic sandstone.


word: Psephism
definition:
Psephism

Pse"phism
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; a decree, fr. _; to vote with a pebble, fr. _; pebble.]
(Gr. Antiq.)
A proposition adopted by a majority of votes; especially, one adopted by vote of the Athenian people; a statute.
J. P. Mahaffy.


word: Pseudaesthesia
definition:
Pseudaesthesia

Pseu`dæs*the"si*a
(?)
n.
[NL. See Pseudo-, and aesthesia.]
(Physiol.)
False or imaginary feeling or sense perception such as occurs in hypochondriasis, or such as is referred to an organ that has been removed, as an amputated foot.


word: Pseudembryo
definition:
Pseudembryo

Pseu*dem"bry*o
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + embryo.]
(Zool.)
(a)
A false embryo.
(b)
An asexual form from which the true embryo is produced by budding.


word: Pseudepigraphic
definition:
Pseudepigraphic

Pseudepigraphic

{ Pseu*dep`i*graph"ic (?), Pseu*dep`i*graph"ic (?), }
a.
Of or pertaining to pseudepigraphy.


word: Pseudepigraphous
definition:
Pseudepigraphous

Pseu`de*pig"ra*phous
(?)
a.
[Gr. _; falsely inscribed. See Pseudo-, and Epigraphy.]
Inscribed with a false name.
Cudworth.


word: Pseudhaemal
definition:
Pseudhaemal

Pseud*hæ"mal
(?)
a.
[Pseudo- + hæmal.]
(Zool.)
Pertaining to the vascular system of annelids.

Pseudhæmal fluid, the circulatory fluid, or blood, of annelids, analogous to the blood of vertebrates. It is often red, but is sometimes green or colorless. -- Pseudhæmal vessels, the blood vessels of annelids.


word: Pseudo-
definition:
Pseudo-

Pseu"do-
(?)
[Gr. pseydh`s  lying, false, akin to psey`dein  to belie; cf. psydro`s  lying, psy`qos  a lie.]
A combining form or prefix signifying false, counterfeit, pretended, spurious; as, pseudo-apostle, a false apostle; pseudo-clergy, false or spurious clergy; pseudo-episcopacy, pseudo-form, pseudo-martyr, pseudo-philosopher. Also used adjectively.


word: Pseudobacteria
definition:
Pseudobacteria

Pseu`do*bac*te"ri*a
(?)
n. pl.
[Pseudo- + bacteria.]
(Biol.)
Microscopic organic particles, molecular granules, powdered inorganic substances, etc., which in form, size, and grouping resemble bacteria.

The globules which divide and develop in form of chains are organized beings; when this does not occur, we are dealing with pseudobacteria.
Sternberg.


word: Pseudoblepsis
definition:
Pseudoblepsis

Pseu`do*blep"sis
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. pseydh`s false + ble`psis sight.]
(Med.)
False or depraved sight; imaginary vision of objects.
Forsyth.


word: Pseudobranchia
definition:
Pseudobranchia

Pseu`do*bran"chi*a
(?)
n.
pl. Pseudobranchiæ (#).
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Branchia.]
(Anat.)
A rudimentary branchia, or gill.
Pseu`do*bran"chi*al (#), a.


word: Pseudo-bulb
definition:
Pseudo-bulb

Pseu"do-bulb`
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + bulb.]
(Bot.)
An aërial corm, or thickened stem, as of some epiphytic orchidaceous plants.


word: Pseudocarp
definition:
Pseudocarp

Pseu"do*carp
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + Gr. _; fruit.]
(Bot.)
That portion of an anthocarpous fruit which is not derived from the ovary, as the soft part of a strawberry or of a fig.


word: Pseudo-china
definition:
Pseudo-china

Pseu`do-chi"na
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + china.]
(Bot.)
The false china root, a plant of the genus Smilax (Smilax Pseudo-china), found in America.


word: Pseudocoelia
definition:
Pseudocoelia

Pseu`do*cœ"li*a
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. pseydh`s  false + _; hollow.]
(Anat.)
The fifth ventricle in the mammalian brain. See Ventricle.
B. G. Wilder.


word: Pseudo-cone
definition:
Pseudo-cone

Pseu"do-cone`
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + cone.]
(Zool.)
One of the soft gelatinous cones found in the compound eyes of certain insects, taking the place of the crystalline cones of others.


word: Pseudo-cumene
definition:
Pseudo-cumene

Pseu`do-cu"mene
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + cumene.]
(Chem.)
A hydrocarbon of the aromatic series, metameric with mesitylene and cumene, found in coal tar, and obtained as a colorless liquid.


word: Pseudo-dipteral
definition:
Pseudo-dipteral

Pseu`do-dip"ter*al
(?)
a.
[Pseudo- + dipteral: cf. F. pseudodiptère.]
(Arch.)
Falsely or imperfectly dipteral, as a temple with the inner range of columns surrounding the cella omitted, so that the space between the cella wall and the columns is very great, being equal to two intercolumns and one column.
n. A pseudo-dipteral temple.


word: Pseudodox
definition:
Pseudodox

Pseu"do*dox
(?)
a.
[Gr. pseydo`doxos; pseydh`s  false + do`xa an opinion.]
Not true in opinion or doctrine; false.
n. A false opinion or doctrine. “To maintain the atheistical pseudodox which judgeth evil good, and darkness light.”  T. Adams.


word: Pseudofilaria
definition:
Pseudofilaria

Pseu`do*fi*la"ri*a
(?)
n.
pl. Pseudofilari_; (#).
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Filaria.]
(Zool.)
One of the two elongated vibratile young formed by fission of the embryo during the development of certain Gregarinæ.


word: Pseudo-galena
definition:
Pseudo-galena

Pseu`do-ga*le"na
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + galena.]
(Min.)
False galena, or blende. See Blende (a).


word: Pseudograph
definition:
Pseudograph

Pseu"do*graph
(?)
n.
[See Pseudography.]
A false writing; a spurious document; a forgery.


word: Pseudography
definition:
Pseudography

Pseu*dog"ra*phy
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;; pseydh`s  false + _; to write.]
False writing; forgery.


word: Pseudohalter
definition:
Pseudohalter

Pseu`do*hal"ter
(?)
n.
pl. Pseudohalteres (#).
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Halteres.]
(Zool.)
One of the rudimentary front wings of certain insects (Stylops).  They resemble the halteres, or rudimentary hind wings, of Diptera.


word: Pseudo-heart
definition:
Pseudo-heart

Pseu"do-heart`
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + heart.]
(Zool.)
Any contractile vessel of invertebrates which is not of the nature of a real heart, especially one of those pertaining to the excretory system.


word: Pseudo-hyperthophic
definition:
Pseudo-hyperthophic

Pseu`do-hy`per*thoph"ic
(?)
a.
[Pseudo- + hypertrophic.]
(Med.)
Falsely hypertrophic; as, pseudo-hypertrophic paralysis, a variety of paralysis in which the muscles are apparently enlarged, but are really degenerated and replaced by fat.


word: Pseudology
definition:
Pseudology

Pseu*dol"o*gy
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;; pseydh`s  false + _; speech: cf. F. pseudologie.]
Falsehood of speech.
Arbuthnot.


word: Pseudo-metallic
definition:
Pseudo-metallic

Pseu`do-me*tal"lic
(?)
a.
[Pseudo- + metallic.]
Falsely or imperfectly metallic; -- said of a kind of luster, as in minerals.


word: Pseudo-monocotyledonous
definition:
Pseudo-monocotyledonous

Pseu`do-mon`o*cot`y*led"on*ous
(?)
a.
[Pseudo- + monocotyledonous.]
(Bot.)
Having two coalescent cotyledons, as the live oak and the horse-chestnut.


word: Pseudomorph
definition:
Pseudomorph

Pseu"do*morph
(?)
n.
[See Pseudomorphous.]
1.
An irregular or deceptive form.

2.
(Crystallog.)
A pseudomorphous crystal, such as a crystal consisting of quartz, but having the cubic form of fluor spar, the fluor crystal having been changed to quartz by a process of substitution.


word: Pseudomorphism
definition:
Pseudomorphism

Pseu`do*mor"phism
(?)
n.
(Crystallog.)
The state of having, or the property of taking, a crystalline form unlike that which belongs to the species.


word: Pseudomorphous
definition:
Pseudomorphous

Pseu`do*mor"phous
(?)
a.
[Gr. _;; pseydh`s  false + morfh` form: cf. F. pseudomorphe.]
Not having the true form.

Pseudomorphous crystal, a crystal which has a form that does not result from its own powers of crystallization.


word: Pseudonavicella
definition:
Pseudonavicella

Pseu`do*nav`i*cel"la
(?)
n.
pl. Pseudonavicullæ (#).
[NL.]
(Zool.)
Same as Pseudonavicula.


word: Pseudonavicula
definition:
Pseudonavicula

Pseu`do*na*vic"u*la
(?)
n.
pl. Pseudonaviculæ (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. pseydh`s  false + NL. navicula, a genus of diatoms. See Navicular.]
(Zool.)
One of the minute spindle-shaped embryos of Gregarinæ and some other Protozoa.


word: Pseudoneuroptera
definition:
Pseudoneuroptera

Pseu`do*neu*rop"te*ra
(?)
n. pl.
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Neuroptera.]
(Zool.)
division of insects (Zool.) reticulated wings, as in the Neuroptera, but having an active pupa state. It includes the dragon flies, May flies, white ants, etc. By some Zoologists they are classed with the Orthoptera; by others, with the Neuroptera.


word: Pseudoneuropterous
definition:
Pseudoneuropterous

Pseu`do*neu*rop"ter*ous
(?)
a.
(Zool.)
Of or pertaining to the Pseudoneuroptera.


word: Pseudonym
definition:
Pseudonym

Pseu"do*nym
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. pseudonyme. See Pseudonymous.]
A fictitious name assumed for the time, as by an author; a pen name; an alias.
[Written also pseudonyme.]


word: Pseudonymous
definition:
Pseudonymous

Pseu*don"y*mous
(?)
a.
[Gr. _;; pseydh`s  false + _;, _;, a name: cf. F. pseudonyme. See Pseudo-, and Name.]
Bearing a false or fictitious name; as, a pseudonymous work.
Pseu*don"y*mous*ly, adv. -- Pseu*don"y*mous*ness, n.


word: Pseudo-peripteral
definition:
Pseudo-peripteral

Pseu`do-pe*rip"ter*al
(?)
a.
[Pseudo- + peripteral: cf. F. pseudopériptère.]
(Arch.)
Falsely or imperfectly peripteral, as a temple having the columns at the sides attached to the walls, and an ambulatory only at the ends or only at one end.
n. A pseudo-peripteral temple. Oxf. Gloss.


word: Pseudopod
definition:
Pseudopod

Pseu"do*pod
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + -pod.]
1.
(Biol.)
Any protoplasmic filament or irregular process projecting from any unicellular organism, or from any animal or plant call.

2.
(Zool.)
A rhizopod.


word: Pseudopodial
definition:
Pseudopodial

Pseu`do*po"di*al
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to a pseudopod, or to pseudopodia. See Illust. of Heliozoa.


word: Pseudopupa
definition:
Pseudopupa

Pseu`do*pu"pa
(?)
n.
pl. L. Pseudopupæ (#), E. Pseudopupas (#).
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Pupa.]
(Zool.)
A stage intermediate between the larva and pupa of bees and certain other hymenopterous insects.


word: Pseudorhabdite
definition:
Pseudorhabdite

Pseu`do*rhab"dite
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + Gr. _; a rod.]
(Zool.)
One of the peculiar rodlike corpuscles found in the integument of certain Turbellaria. They are filled with a soft granular substance.


word: Pseudo-romantic
definition:
Pseudo-romantic

Pseu`do-ro*man"tic
(?)
a.
Pseudo- + romantic.]
Falsely romantic.

The false taste, the pseudo-romantic rage.
De Quincey.


word: Pseudoscope
definition:
Pseudoscope

Pseu"do*scope
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + -scope.]
(Opt.)
An instrument which exhibits objects with their proper relief reversed; -- an effect opposite to that produced by the stereoscope.
Wheatstone.


word: Pseudoscopic
definition:
Pseudoscopic

Pseu`do*scop"ic
(?)
a.
(Opt.)
Of, pertaining to, or formed by, a pseudoscope; having its parts appearing with the relief reversed; as, a pseudoscopic image.


word: Pseudoscorpiones
definition:
Pseudoscorpiones

Pseu`do*scor`pi*o"nes
(?)
n. pl.
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Scorpion.]
(Zool.)
An order of Arachnoidea having the palpi terminated by large claws, as in the scorpions, but destitute of a caudal sting; the false scorpions. Called also Pseudoscorpii, and Pseudoscorpionina. See Illust. of Book scorpion, under Book.


word: Pseudosphere
definition:
Pseudosphere

Pseu"do*sphere`
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + sphere.]
(Geom.)
The surface of constant negative curvature generated by the revolution of a tractrix. This surface corresponds in non-Euclidian space to the sphere in ordinary space. An important property of the surface is that any figure drawn upon it can be displaced in any way without tearing it or altering in size any of its elements.


word: Pseudospore
definition:
Pseudospore

Pseu"do*spore`
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + spore.]
(Bot.)
A peculiar reproductive cell found in some fungi.


word: Pseudostella
definition:
Pseudostella

Pseu`do*stel"la
(?)
n.
pl. -læ.
[NL., fr. Gr. pseydh`s false + L. stella star.]
(Astron.)
Any starlike meteor or phenomenon.
[R.]


word: Pseudostoma
definition:
Pseudostoma

Pseu*dos"to*ma
(?)
n.
pl. Pseudostomata (#).
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Stoma.]
(Anat.)
A group of cells resembling a stoma, but without any true aperture among them.


word: Pseudo-symmetry
definition:
Pseudo-symmetry

Pseu`do-sym"me*try
(?)
n.
[Pseudo- + symmetry.]
(Crystallog.)
A kind of symmetry characteristic of certain crystals which from twinning, or other causes, come to resemble forms of a system other than that to which they belong, as the apparently hexagonal prisms of aragonite.


word: Pseudotetramera
definition:
Pseudotetramera

Pseu`do*te*tram"e*ra
(?)
n. pl.
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Tetramerous.]
(Zool.)
A division of beetles having the fifth tarsal joint minute and obscure, so that there appear to be but four joints.
Pseu`do*te*tram"er*al (#), a.


word: Pseudotinea
definition:
Pseudotinea

Pseu`do*tin"e*a
(_;)
n.
pl. Pseudotineæ (#).
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Tinea.]
(Zool.)
The bee moth, or wax moth (Galleria).


word: Pseudovary
definition:
Pseudovary

Pseu*do"va*ry
(?)
n.
pl. Pseudovaries (#).
[Pseudo- + ovary.]
(Zool.)
The organ in which pseudova are produced; -- called also pseudovarium.


word: Pseudovum
definition:
Pseudovum

Pseu*do"vum
(?)
n.
pl. Pseudova (#).
[NL. See Pseudo-, and Ovum.]
(Zool.)
An egglike germ produced by the agamic females of some insects and other animals, and by the larvæ of certain insects. It is capable of development without fertilization. See Illust. of Pædogenesis.


word: Pshaw
definition:
Pshaw

Pshaw
(?)
interj.
[Of imitative origin.]
Pish! pooch! -- an exclamation used as an expression of contempt, disdain, dislike, etc.
[Written also psha.]


word: Pshaw₂
definition:
Pshaw

Pshaw
(?)
v. i.
To express disgust or contemptuous disapprobation, as by the exclamation “ Pshaw!”

The goodman used regularly to frown and pshaw wherever this topic was touched upon.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Psilanthropic
definition:
Psilanthropic

Psi`lan*throp"ic
(?)
a.
[see Psilanthropist.]
Pertaining to, or embodying, psilanthropy. “A psilanthropic explanation.”
Coleridge.


word: Psilanthropist
definition:
Psilanthropist

Psi*lan"thro*pist
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; bare, mere + _; a man.]
One who believes that Christ was a mere man.
Smart.


word: Psilology
definition:
Psilology

Psi*lol"o*gy
(?)
n.
[Gr _; mere + -logy.]
Love of empty of empty talk or noise.
Coleridge.


word: Psilomelane
definition:
Psilomelane

Psi*lom"e*lane
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; bare + _;, _;, black.]
(Min.)
A hydrous oxide of manganese, occurring in smooth, botryoidal forms, and massive, and having an iron-black or steel-gray color.


word: Psilopaedes
definition:
Psilopaedes

Psi`lo*pæ"des
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., from Gr._; bare + _;, _;, offspring.]
(Zool.)
birds whose young at first have down on the pterylæ only; -- called also Gymnopædes.


word: Psilopaedic
definition:
Psilopaedic

Psi`lo*pæd"ic
(?)
a.
(Zool.)
Having down upon the pterylæ only; -- said of the young of certain birds.


word: Psilosopher
definition:
Psilosopher

Psi*los"o*pher
n.
[Gr. _; bare, mere + _; wise.]
A superficial or narrow pretender to philosophy; a sham philosopher.


word: Psittacid
definition:
Psittacid

Psittaceous

{ Psit*ta"ceous (?), Psit"ta*cid (?), }
a.
[L. psittacus a parrot, Gr. _;: cf. F. psittacide.]
(Zool.)
Of or pertaining to the parrots, or the Psittaci.
n. One of the Psittaci.


word: Psitta-co-fulvine
definition:
Psitta-co-fulvine

Psit`ta-co-ful"*vine
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; a parrot + L. fulvus yellow.]
A yellow pigment found in the feathers of certain parrots.


word: Psoas
definition:
Psoas

Pso"as
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; a muscle of the loin: cf. f. psoas.]
(Anat.)
An internal muscle arising from the lumbar vertebræ and inserted into the femur. In man there are usually two on each side, and the larger one, or great psoas, forms a part of the iliopsoas.


word: Psoriasis
definition:
Psoriasis

Pso*ri"a*sis
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _;, fr. _; psora.]
(Med.)
(a)
The state of being affected with psora.
[Obs.]
(b)
A cutaneous disease, characterized by imbricated silvery scales, affecting only the superficial layers of the skin.


word: Psorosperm
definition:
Psorosperm

Pso"ro*sperm
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; itching + _; seed.]
(Zool.)
A minute parasite, usually the young of Gregarinæ, in the pseudonavicula stage.


word: Psychanalysis
definition:
Psychanalysis

Psy`cha*nal"y*sis
(?)
n.
[Psycho- + analysis.]
same as psychoanalysis; -- an older term now obsolete.
Psy*chan`a*lyt"ic (#), a. -- Psy`cha*nal"y*sist (#), n.


word: Psyche
definition:
Psyche

Psy"che
(?)
n.
[L., fr. Gr. PSychh` Psyche, fr. psychh` the soul.]
1.
(Class Myth.)
A lovely maiden, daughter of a king and mistress of Eros, or Cupid. She is regarded as the personification of the soul.

2.
The soul; the vital principle; the mind.

3.
[F. psyché.]
A cheval glass.


word: Psychian
definition:
Psychian

Psy"chi*an
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any small moth of the genus Psyche and allied genera (family Psychidæ). The larvæ are called basket worms. See Basket worm, under Basket.


word: Psychiatry
definition:
Psychiatry

Psychiatria

{ &VerbarPsy*chi`a*tri"a (?), Psy*chi"a*try (?), }
n.
[NL. psychiatria, fr. Gr. _; the mind + _; healing.]
(Med.)
The application of the healing art to mental diseases.
Dunglison.


word: Psychical
definition:
Psychical

Psychic

{ Psy"chic (?), Psy"chic*al (?), }
a.
[L. psychicus, Gr. _;, fr. psychh` the soul, mind; cf. _; to blow: cf. F. psychique.]
1.
Of or pertaining to the human soul, or to the living principle in man.

&hand_; This term was formerly used to express the same idea as psychological. Recent metaphysicians, however, have employed it to mark the difference between psychh` the living principle in man, and pney^ma the rational or spiritual part of his nature. In this use, the word describes the human soul in its relation to sense, appetite, and the outer visible world, as distinguished from spiritual or rational faculties, which have to do with the supersensible world.
Heyse.


2.
Of or pertaining to the mind, or its functions and diseases; mental; -- contrasted with physical.

Psychical blindness, Psychical deafness (Med.), forms of nervous disease in which, while the senses of sight and hearing remain unimpaired, the mind fails to appreciate the significance of the sounds heard or the images seen. -- Psychical contagion, the transference of disease, especially of a functional nervous disease, by mere force of example. -- Psychical medicine, that department of medicine which treats of mental diseases.


word: Psychism
definition:
Psychism

Psy"chism
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. psychisme.]
(Philos.)
The doctrine of Quesne, that there is a fluid universally diffused, end equally animating all living beings, the difference in their actions being due to the difference of the individual organizations.
Fleming.


word: Psycho-
definition:
Psycho-

Psy"cho-
(?)
A combining form from Gr. psychh` the soul, the mind, the understanding; as, psychology.


word: psychoanalyze
definition:
psychoanalyze

psy`cho*an"a*lyze
v. t.
To investigate or subject to treatment by psychoanalysis.

Syn. -- analyze, analyse, psychoanalyse.


word: psychoanalyse
definition:
psychoanalyse

psy`cho*an"a*lyse
v. t.
To investigate or subject to treatment by psychoanalysis.

Syn. -- analyze, analyse, psychoanalyze.


word: Psychoanalysis
definition:
Psychoanalysis

Psy`cho*a*nal"y*sis
(?)
n.
1.
A method or process of psychotherapeutic analysis and treatment pf psychoneuroses, based on the work of Dr. Sigmund Freud (1856- 1939) of Vienna. The method rests upon the theory that neurosis is characteristically due to repression of desires consciously rejected but subconsciously persistent; it consists in a close analysis of the patient's mental history, effort being made to bring unconsciuos and preconscious material to consciousness; the methods include analysis of transferance and resistance.  In some variants, stress is laid upon the dream life, and of treatment by means of suggestion.

2.
The theory of human psychology which is the foundation for the psychoanalytic therapy, which explores the relation between conscious and unconscious mental processes in motivating human behavior and causing neuroses.

3.
An integrated set of theories of human personality development, motivation, and behavior based on a body of observations.
[Stedman]

4.
One of several schools of psychotherapy, such as jungian psychoanalysis or freudian psychoanalysis.
[Stedman]


word: Psychogenesis
definition:
Psychogenesis

Psy`cho*gen"e*sis
(?)
n.
Genesis through an internal force, as opposed to natural selection.


word: Psychography
definition:
Psychography

Psy*chog"ra*phy
(?)
n.
[Psycho- + -graphy.]
1.
A description of the phenomena of mind.

2.
(Spiritualism)
Spirit writing.


word: Psychological
definition:
Psychological

Psychologic

{ Psy`cho*log"ic (?), Psy`cho*log"ic*al (?), }
a.
[Cf. F. psychologique.]
Of or pertaining to psychology. See Note under Psychic.
Psy`cho*log"ic*al*ly, adv.


word: Psychologist
definition:
Psychologist

Psy*chol"o*gist
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. psychologiste.]
One who is versed in, devoted to, psychology.


word: Psychology
definition:
Psychology

Psy*chol"o*gy
(?)
n.
pl. Psychologies (_;).
[Psycho- + -logy: cf. F. psychologie. See Psychical.]
The science of the human soul; specifically, the systematic or scientific knowledge of the powers and functions of the human soul, so far as they are known by consciousness; a treatise on the human soul.

Psychology, the science conversant about the phenomena of the mind, or conscious subject, or self.
Sir W. Hamilton.


word: Psychomachy
definition:
Psychomachy

Psy*chom"a*chy
(?)
n.
[L. psychomachia, fr. Gr. psychh` the soul + _; fight: cf. _; desperate fighting.]
A conflict of the soul with the body.


word: Psychometry
definition:
Psychometry

Psy*chom"e*try
(?)
n.
[Psycho- + -metry.]
(Physiol.)
The art of measuring the duration of mental processes, or of determining the time relations of mental phenomena.
Psy`cho*met"ric (#), a.


word: Psycho-motor
definition:
Psycho-motor

Psy`cho-mo"tor
(?)
a.
[Psycho- + motor.]
Of or pertaining to movement produced by action of the mind or will.


word: Psychopannychism
definition:
Psychopannychism

Psy"cho*pan"ny*chism
(?)
n.
[Psycho- + Gr. _; to spend all night long; pa^s, pa^n, all + _; night.]
(Theol.)
The doctrine that the soul falls asleep at death, and does not wake until the resurrection of the body.
Psy`cho*pan"ny*chism (#), n.


word: Psychopathy
definition:
Psychopathy

Psy*chop"a*thy
(?)
n.
[Psycho- + Gr. _;, _;.]
(Med.)
Mental disease. See Psychosis, 2.
Psy`cho*path"ic, a. -- Psy*chop"a*thist, n.


word: Psychophysical
definition:
Psychophysical

Psy`cho*phys"ic*al
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to psychophysics; involving the action or mutual relations of the psychical and physical in man.

Psychophysical time (Physiol.), the time required for the mind to transform a sensory impression into a motor impulse. It is an important part of physiological or reaction time. See under Reaction.


word: Psychophysics
definition:
Psychophysics

Psy`cho*phys"ics
(?)
n.
[Psycho- + physics.]
The science of the connection between nerve action and consciousness; the science which treats of the relations of the psychical and physical in their conjoint operation in man; the doctrine of the relation of function or dependence between body and soul.


word: Psychopomp
definition:
Psychopomp

Psy"cho*pomp
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;; psychh` the soul + _; to send: cf. F. psychopompe.]
(Myth.)
A leader or guide of souls .
J. Fiske.


word: Psychosis
definition:
Psychosis

Psy*cho"sis
(?)
n.
[NL. See Psycho-.]

1.
Any vital action or activity.
Mivart.

2.
(Med.)
A disease of the mind; especially, a functional mental disorder, that is, one unattended with evident organic changes.


word: Psychotherapeutics
definition:
Psychotherapeutics

Psy`cho*ther`a*peu"tics
(?)
n.
[Psycho- + therapeutics.]
(Med.)
The treatment of disease by acting on the mind, as by suggestion; mind cure; psychotherapy.


word: Psychozoic
definition:
Psychozoic

Psy`cho*zo"ic
(?)
a.
[Psycho- + Gr. _; life.]
(Geol.)
Designating, or applied to the Era of man; as, the psychozoic era.


word: Psychrometer
definition:
Psychrometer

Psy*chrom"e*ter
(?)
n.
[Gr. psychro`s cold + -meter: cf. F. psychromètre.]
An instrument for measuring the tension of the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere, being essentially a wet and dry bulb hygrometer.


word: Psylla
definition:
Psylla

Psyl"la
(?)
n.
pl. Psyllæ (#).
[NL., from Gr. _; a flea.]
(Zool.)
Any leaping plant louse of the genus Psylla, or family Psyllidæ.


word: Ptarmigan
definition:
Ptarmigan

Ptar"mi*gan
(?)
n.
[Gael. tarmachan; cf. Ir. tarmochan, tarmonach.]
(Zool.)
Any grouse of the genus Lagopus, of which numerous species are known. The feet are completely feathered. Most of the species are brown in summer, but turn white, or nearly white, in winter.

&hand_; They chiefly inhabit the northern countries and high mountains of Europe, Asia, and America.  The common European species is Lagopus mutus.  The Scotch grouse, red grouse, or moor fowl (Lagopus Scoticus), is reddish brown, and does not turn white in winter. The white, or willow, ptarmigan (Lagopus albus) is found in both Europe and America.


word: Ptenoglossa
definition:
Ptenoglossa

Pte`no*glos"sa
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr._; feathered + _; tongue.]
(Zool.)
A division of gastropod mollusks having the teeth of the radula arranged in long transverse rows, somewhat like the barbs of a feather.


word: Pteranodon
definition:
Pteranodon

Pte*ran"o*don
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; wing + _; priv. + _;, _;, a tooth.]
(Paleon.)
A genus of American Cretaceous pterodactyls destitute of teeth. Several species are known, some of which had an expanse of wings of twenty feet or more.


word: Pteranodontia
definition:
Pteranodontia

Pte*ran`o*don"ti*a
(?)
n. pl.
[NL.]
(Paleon.)
A group of pterodactyls destitute of teeth, as in the genus Pteranodon.


word: Pterichthys
definition:
Pterichthys

Pte*rich"thys
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; wing + _; fish.]
(Paleon.)
A genus of Devonian fossil fishes with winglike appendages. The head and most of the body were covered with large bony plates. See Placodermi.


word: Pteridology
definition:
Pteridology

Pter`i*dol"o*gy
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;, _;, a fern + -logy.]
That department of botany which treats of ferns.


word: Pteridomania
definition:
Pteridomania

Pter`i*do*ma"ni*a
(?)
n.
[Gr. _;, _;, a fern + E. mania.]
A madness, craze, or strong fancy, for ferns.
[R.]
C. Kingsley.


word: Pteridophyta
definition:
Pteridophyta

Pter`i*doph"y*ta
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., from Gr. _;, _;, a fern + _; a plant.]
(Bot.)
A class of flowerless plants, embracing ferns, horsetails, club mosses, quillworts, and other like plants. See the Note under Cryptogamia.
Pter"i*do*phyte` (#), n.

&hand_; This is a modern term, devised to replace the older ones acrogens and vascular Cryptogamia.


word: Pterobranchia
definition:
Pterobranchia

Pter`o*bran"chi*a
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; a wing + _; _;.]
(Zool.)
An order of marine Bryozoa, having a bilobed lophophore and an axial cord. The genus Rhabdopleura is the type.  Called also Podostomata.  See Rhabdopleura.


word: Pteroceras
definition:
Pteroceras

Pte*roc"e*ras
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; a wing + _; a horn.]
(Zool.)
A genus of large marine gastropods having the outer border of the lip divided into lobes; -- called also scorpion shell.


word: Pterocletes
definition:
Pterocletes

Pter`o*cle"tes
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr Pterocles, the typical genus, fr. Gr. _; feather + _;, _;, a key, tongue of a clasp.]
(Zool.)
A division of birds including the sand grouse.  They are in some respects intermediate between the pigeons and true grouse.  Called also Pteroclomorphæ.


word: Pterodactyl
definition:
Pterodactyl

Pter`o*dac"tyl
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; a wing + _; finger, toe: cf. F. ptérodactyle.]
(Paleon.)
An extinct flying reptile; one of the Pterosauria. See Illustration in Appendix.


word: Pteroglossal
definition:
Pteroglossal

Pter`o*glos"sal
(?)
a.
[Gr. _; a feather + _; tongue.]
(Zool.)
Having the tongue finely notched along the sides, so as to have a featherlike appearance, as the toucans.


word: Pteron
definition:
Pteron

Pte"ron
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; a wing.]
(Anat.)
The region of the skull, in the temporal fossa back of the orbit, where the great wing of the sphenoid, the temporal, the parietal, and the frontal hones approach each other.


word: Pteropappi
definition:
Pteropappi

Pter`o*pap"pi
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., from Gr. _; a feather, a bird + _; a grandfather.]
(Zool.)
Same as Odontotormæ.


word: Pterophore
definition:
Pterophore

Pter"o*phore
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; a feather + fe`rein to bear.]
(Zool.)
Any moth of the genus Pterophorus and allied genera; a plume moth. See Plume moth, under Plume.


word: Pteropod
definition:
Pteropod

Pter"o*pod
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; wing-footed; _; a feather, wing + _;, _;, foot: cf. F. ptéropode.]
(Zool.)
One of the Pteropoda.


word: Pteropoda
definition:
Pteropoda

Pte*rop"o*da
(?)
n. pl.
[NL.]
(Zool.)
A class of Mollusca in which the anterior lobes of the foot are developed in the form of broad, thin, winglike organs, with which they swim at near the surface of the sea.

&hand_; The Pteropoda are divided into two orders: Cymnosomata, which have the body entirely naked and the head distinct from the wings; and Thecosomata, which have a delicate transparent shell of various forms, and the head not distinct from the wings.


word: Pterosauria
definition:
Pterosauria

Pter`o*sau"ri*a
(?)
n. pl.
[NL.]
(Paleon.)
An extinct order of flying reptiles of the Mesozoic age; the pterodactyls; -- called also Pterodactyli, and Ornithosauria.

&hand_; The wings were formed, like those of bats, by a leathery expansion of the skin, principally supported by the greatly enlarged outer or “ little” fingers of the hands. The American Cretaceous pterodactyls had no teeth. See Pteranodontia, and Pterodactyl.


word: Pterostigma
definition:
Pterostigma

Pter`o*stig"ma
(?)
n.
pl. Pterostigmata (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; wing + _;, _;, a mark.]
(Zool.)
A thickened opaque spot on the wings of certain insects.


word: Pterotic
definition:
Pterotic

Pte*ro"tic
(?)
a.
[Gr. _; wing + _;, _;, ear.]
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to, or designating, a bone between the prootic and epiotic in the dorsal and outer part of the periotic capsule of many fishes.
n. The pterotic bone.

&hand_; The pterotic bone is so called because fancied in some cases to resemble in form a bird's wing


word: Pterygium
definition:
Pterygium

Pte*ryg"i*um
(?)
n.
pl. E. Pterygiums (#), L. Pterygia (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _;, properly a dim, akin to _; a feather.]
(Med.)
A superficial growth of vascular tissue radiating in a fanlike manner from the cornea over the surface of the eye.


word: Pterygoid
definition:
Pterygoid

Pter"y*goid
(?)
a.
[Gr. _;, _;, a wing + -oid.]
(Anat.)
(a)
Like a bird's wing in form; as, a pterygoid bone.
(b)
Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pterygoid bones, pterygoid processes, or the whole sphenoid bone.
n. A pterygoid bone.

Pterygoid bone (Anat.), a bone which corresponds to the inner plate of the pterygoid process of the human skull, but which, in all vertebrates below mammals, is not connected with the posterior nares, but serves to connect the palatine bones with the point of suspension of the lower jaw. -- Pterygoid process (Anat.), a process projecting downward from either side of the sphenoid bone, in man divided into two plates, an inner and an outer. The posterior nares pass through the space, called the pterygoid fossa, between the processes.


word: Pterygomaxillary
definition:
Pterygomaxillary

Pter`y*go*max"il*la*ry
(?)
a.
[Pterygoid + maxillary.]
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the inner pterygoid plate, or pterygoid bone, and the lower jaw.


word: Pterygopalatine
definition:
Pterygopalatine

Pter`y*go*pal"a*tine
(?)
a.
[Pterygoid + palatine.]
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the pterygoid processes and the palatine bones.


word: Pterygopodium
definition:
Pterygopodium

Pter`y*go*po"di*um
(?)
n.
pl. Pterygopodia (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _;, _;, a fin + _;, dim. of _;, _;, a foot.]
(Anat.)
A specially modified part of the ventral fin in male elasmobranchs, which serves as a copulatory organ, or clasper.


word: Pterygoquadrate
definition:
Pterygoquadrate

Pter`y*go*quad"rate
(?)
a.
[Pterygoid + quadrate.]
(Anat.)
Of, pertaining to, or representing the pterygoid and quadrate bones or cartilages.


word: Pteryla
definition:
Pteryla

Pte*ry"la
(?)
n.
pl. Pterylæ (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. _; feather + _; wood, forest.]
(Zool.)
One of the definite areas of the skin of a bird on which feathers grow; -- contrasted with apteria.


word: Pterylography
definition:
Pterylography

Pter`y*log"ra*phy
(?)
n.
[Pteryla + -graphy.]
(Zool.)
The study or description of the arrangement of feathers, or of the pterylæ, of birds.


word: Pterylosis
definition:
Pterylosis

Pter`y*lo"sis
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. NL. & E. pteryla.]
(Zool.)
The arrangement of feathers in definite areas.


word: Ptilopaedes
definition:
Ptilopaedes

Ptil`o*pæ"des
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; a feather + _;, _;, offspring.]
(Zool.)
Same as Dasypædes.


word: Ptilopaedic
definition:
Ptilopaedic

Ptil`o*pæd"ic
(?)
a.
(Zool.)
Having nearly the whole surface of the skin covered with down; dasypædic; -- said of the young of certain birds.


word: Ptilopteri
definition:
Ptilopteri

Pti*lop"te*ri
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. Gr. _; a downy feather + _; wing.]
(Zool.)
An order of birds including only the penguins.


word: Ptisan
definition:
Ptisan

Ptis"an
(?)
n.
[L. ptisana peeled barley, barley water, Gr. _;, from _; to peel, husk; cf. F. ptisane, tisane.]
1.
A decoction of barley with other ingredients; a farinaceous drink.

2.
(Med.)
An aqueous medicine, containing little, if any, medicinal agent; a tea or tisane.


word: Ptolemaic
definition:
Ptolemaic

Ptol`e*ma"ic
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to Ptolemy, the geographer and astronomer.

Ptolemaic system (Astron.), the system maintained by Ptolemy, who supposed the earth to be fixed in the center of the universe, with the sun and stars revolving around it. This theory was received for ages, until superseded by the Copernican system.


word: Ptomaine
definition:
Ptomaine

Pto"ma*ine
(?)
n.
[From Gr. _; a dead body.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
One of a class of animal bases or alkaloids formed in the putrefaction of various kinds of albuminous matter, and closely related to the vegetable alkaloids; a cadaveric poison.  The ptomaines, as a class, have their origin in dead matter, by which they are to be distinguished from the leucomaines.


word: Ptosis
definition:
Ptosis

Pto"sis
(t&omacr"sĭs)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. ptw^sis a falling.]
(Med.)
Drooping of the upper eyelid, produced by paralysis of its levator muscle.


word: ptyalin
definition:
ptyalin

pty"a*lin
(tī"ȧ*lĭn)
n.
[Gr. pty`alon spittle. See Ptyalism.]
(Physiol. Chem.)
An unorganized amylolytic ferment, on enzyme, present in human mixed saliva and in the saliva of some animals.


word: Ptyalism
definition:
Ptyalism

Pty"a*lism
(tī"ȧ*lĭz'm)
n.
[Gr. ptyalismo`s, fr. ptyali`zein to spit much, fr. pty`alon spittle, fr. pty`ein to spit: cf. F. ptyalisme.]
Salivation, or an excessive flow of saliva.
Quain.


word: Ptysmagogue
definition:
Ptysmagogue

Ptys"ma*gogue
(?)
n.
[Gr. _; spittle + _; driving: cf. F. ptysmagogue.]
(Med.)
A medicine that promotes the discharge of saliva.


word: Ptyxis
definition:
Ptyxis

Ptyx"is
(?)
n.
[NL., fr. Gr. pty`xis a folding.]
(Bot.)
The way in which a leaf is sometimes folded in the bud.


word: pub
definition:
pub

pub
(pŭb)
n.
[Shortened from Public house.]
A retail business where alcoholic beverages are sold by the drink; a bar; a tavern.


word: pub-crawl
definition:
pub-crawl

pub-crawl
v.
1.
1
to go from one pub or tavern to the next and get progressively more drunk.

Syn. -- bar hop.


word: Puberty
definition:
Puberty

Pu"ber*ty
(?)
n.
[L. pubertas, fr. puber, pubes, adult: cf. F. puberté.]
1.
The earliest age at which persons are capable of begetting or bearing children, usually considered, in temperate climates, to be about fourteen years in males and twelve in females.

2.
(Bot.)
The period when a plant first bears flowers.


word: Pubes
definition:
Pubes

Pu"bes
(?)
n.
[L., the hair which appears on the body at puberty, from pubes adult.]
1.
(Anat.)
(a)
The hair which appears upon the lower part of the hypogastric region at the age of puberty.
(b)
Hence (as more commonly used), the lower part of the hypogastric region; the pubic region.

2.
(Bot.)
The down of plants; a downy or villous substance which grows on plants; pubescence.


word: Pubescence
definition:
Pubescence

Pu*bes"cence
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. pubescence.]
1.
The quality or state of being pubescent, or of having arrived at puberty.
Sir T. Browne.

2.
A covering of soft short hairs, or down, as one some plants and insects; also, the state of being so covered.


word: Pubescent
definition:
Pubescent

Pu*bes"cent
(p&uuptack_;"bĕs"sent)
a.
[L. pubescens, -entis, p. pr. of pubescere to reach puberty, to grow hairy or mossy, fr. pubes pubes: cf. F. pubescent.]
1.
Arrived recently at puberty.

That . . . the men (are) pubescent at the age of twice seven, is accounted a punctual truth.
Sir T. Browne.

2.
Covered with pubescence, or fine short hairs, as certain insects, and the leaves of some plants.


word: Pubic
definition:
Pubic

Pu"bic
(pū"bĭk)
a.
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the pubes; in the region of the pubes; as, the pubic bone; the pubic region, or the lower part of the hypogastric region. See Pubes.
(b)
Of or pertaining to the pubis.


word: Pubis
definition:
Pubis

Pu"bis
(pū"bĭs)
n.
[NL. See Pubes.]
(Anat.)
The ventral and anterior of the three principal bones composing either half of the pelvis; sharebone; pubic bone.


word: Public
definition:
Public

Pub"lic
(?)
a.
[L. publicus, poblicus, fr. populus people: cf. F. public. See People.]
1.
Of or pertaining to the people; belonging to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; -- opposed to private; as, the public treasury.

To the public good
Private respects must yield.
Milton.

He [Alexander Hamilton] touched the dead corpse of the public credit, and it sprung upon its feet.
D. Webster.

2.
Open to the knowledge or view of all; general; common; notorious; as, public report; public scandal.

Joseph, . . . not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
Matt. i. 19.

3.
Open to common or general use; as, a public road; a public house.
public
Shak.

public act or public statute (Law), an act or statute affecting matters of public concern. Of such statutes the courts take judicial notice. -- Public credit. See under Credit. -- Public funds. See Fund, 3. -- Public house, an inn, or house of entertainment. -- Public law. (a) See International law, under International. (b) A public act or statute. -- Public nuisance. (Law) See under Nuisance. -- Public orator. (Eng. Universities) See Orator, 3. -- Public stores, military and naval stores, equipments, etc. -- Public works, all fixed works built by civil engineers for public use, as railways, docks, canals, etc.; but strictly, military and civil engineering works constructed at the public cost.


word: Public₂
definition:
Public

Pub"lic
n.
1.
The general body of mankind, or of a nation, state, or community; the people, indefinitely; as, the American public; also, a particular body or aggregation of people; as, an author's public.

The public is more disposed to censure than to praise.
Addison.

2.
A public house; an inn.
[Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.

In public, openly; before an audience or the people at large; not in private or secrecy. “We are to speak in public.”  Shak.


word: Publican
definition:
Publican

Pub"li*can
(?)
n.
[L. publicanus: cf. F. publicain. See Public.]
1.
(Rom. Antiq.)
A farmer of the taxes and public revenues; hence, a collector of toll or tribute. The inferior officers of this class were often oppressive in their exactions, and were regarded with great detestation.

As Jesus at meat . . . many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
Matt. 1x. 10.

How like a fawning publican he looks!
Shak.

2.
The keeper of an inn or public house; one licensed to retail beer, spirits, or wine.


word: Publication
definition:
Publication

Pub`li*ca"tion
(?)
n.
[L. publicatio confiscation: cf. F. publication. See Publish.]
1.
The act of publishing or making known; notification to the people at large, either by words, writing, or printing; proclamation; divulgation; promulgation; as, the publication of the law at Mount Sinai; the publication of the gospel; the publication of statutes or edicts.

2.
The act of offering a book, pamphlet, engraving, etc., to the public by sale or by gratuitous distribution.

The publication of these papers was not owing to our folly, but that of others.
Swift.

3.
That which is published or made known; especially, any book, pamphlet, etc., offered for sale or to public notice; as, a daily or monthly publication.

4.
An act done in public.
[R. & Obs.]

His jealousy . . . attends the business, the recreations, the publications, and retirements of every man.
Jer. Taylor.

Publication of a libel (Law), such an exhibition of a libel as brings it to the notice of at least one person other than the person libeled. -- Publication of a will (Law), the delivery of a will, as his own, by a testator to witnesses who attest it.


word: Publicist
definition:
Publicist

Pub"li*cist
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. publiciste.]
A writer on the laws of nature and nations; one who is versed in the science of public right, the principles of government, etc.

The Whig leaders, however, were much more desirous to get rid of Episcopacy than to prove themselves consummate publicists and logicians.
Macaulay.


word: Publicity
definition:
Publicity

Pub*lic"i*ty
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. publicité.]
The quality or state of being public, or open to the knowledge of a community; notoriety; publicness.


word: Publicity pamphlet
definition:
Publicity pamphlet

Publicity pamphlet
A pamphlet which, in some States of the United States having the initiative or referendum, is mailed to the voters to inform them as to the nature of a measure submitted by the initiative or referendum. The pamphlet contains a copy of the proposed law and arguments for and against it by those favoring and opposing it, respectively.


word: publicize
definition:
publicize

publicize
v. t.
1.
to make public; to announce.

Syn. -- publicise, air, bare.

2.
Specifically:
To announce in a manner intended to reach a large audience.

Syn. -- advertise, advertize, call attention to.


word: Publicly
definition:
Publicly

Pub"lic*ly
(?)
adv.
1.
With exposure to popular view or notice; without concealment; openly; as, property publicly offered for sale; an opinion publicly avowed; a declaration publicly made.

2.
In the name of the community.
Addison.


word: Publicness
definition:
Publicness

Pub"lic*ness
n.
1.
The quality or state of being public, or open to the view or notice of people at large; publicity; notoriety; as, the publicness of a sale.

2.
The quality or state of belonging to the community; as, the publicness of property.
Boyle.


word: Public school
definition:
Public school

Public school
(a)
In Great Britain, any of various schools maintained by the community, wholly or partly under public control, or maintained largely by endowment and not carried on chiefly for profit; specif., and commonly, any of various select and usually expensive endowed schools which give a liberal modern education or prepare pupils for the universities. Eton, Harrow, Rugby, and Winchester are of this class.
(b)
In the United States, a free primary, grammar, or high school maintained by the local government.


word: Quasi-public corporation
definition:
Quasi-public corporation

Public-service corporation

{ Public-service corporation or sometimes Quasi-public corporation }
A corporation, such as a railroad company, lighting company, water company, etc., organized or chartered to follow a public calling or to render services more or less essential to the general public convenience or safety.


word: Public-spirited
definition:
Public-spirited

Pub"lic-spir`it*ed
(?)
a.
1.
Having, or exercising, a disposition to advance the interest of the community or public; as, public-spirited men.

2.
Dictated by a regard to public good; as, a public-spirited project or measure.
Addison.


word: Publish
definition:
Publish

Pub"lish
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Published (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Publishing.]
[F. publier, L. publicare, publicatum. See Public, and -ish.]
1.
To make public; to make known to mankind, or to people in general; to divulge, as a private transaction; to promulgate or proclaim, as a law or an edict.

Published was the bounty of her name.
Chaucer.

The unwearied sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator's power display,
And publishes to every land
The work of an almighty hand.
Addison.

2.
To make known by posting, or by reading in a church; as, to publish banns of marriage.

3.
To send forth, as a book, newspaper, musical piece, or other printed work, either for sale or for general distribution; to print, and issue from the press.

4.
To utter, or put into circulation; as, to publish counterfeit paper.
[U.S.]

To publish a will (Law), to acknowledge it before the witnesses as the testator's last will and testament.


word: Publisher
definition:
Publisher

Pub"lish*er
(?)
n.
One who publishes; as, a publisher of a book or magazine.

For love of you, not hate unto my friend,
Hath made me publisher of this pretense.
Shak.


word: Publishment
definition:
Publishment

Pub"lish*ment
(?)
n.
1.
The act or process of making publicly known; publication.

2.
A public notice of intended marriage, required by the laws of some States.
[U.S.]


word: Puccoon
definition:
Puccoon

Puc*coon"
(?)
n.
[From the American Indian name.]
(Bot.)
Any one of several plants yielding a red pigment which is used by the North American Indians, as the bloodroot and two species of Lithospermum (Lithospermum hirtum, and Lithospermum canescens); also, the pigment itself.


word: Puce
definition:
Puce

Puce
(?)
a.
[F., fr. puce a flea, L. pulex, pulicis.]
Of a dark brown or brownish purple color.


word: Pucelle
definition:
Pucelle

Pu*celle"
(?)
n.
[F., fr. LL. pulicella, fr. L. pullus a young animal. See Pullet.]
A maid; a virgin.
[Written also pucel.]
[Obs.]

Lady or pucelle, that wears mask or fan.
B. Jonson.

La Pucelle, the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc.


word: Pucherite
definition:
Pucherite

Pu"cher*ite
(?)
n.
[So named from the Pucher Mine, in Saxony.]
(Min.)
Vanadate of bismuth, occurring in minute reddish brown crystals.


word: Puck
definition:
Puck

Puck
(?)
n.
[OE. pouke; cf. OSw. puke, Icel. pūki an evil demon, W. pwca a hobgoblin.  Cf. Poker a bugbear, Pug.]
1.
(Mediæval Myth.)
A celebrated fairy, “the merry wanderer of the night;” -- called also Robin Goodfellow, Friar Rush, Pug, etc.
Shak.

He meeteth Puck, whom most men call
Hobgoblin, and on him doth fall.
Drayton.

2.
(Zool.)
The goatsucker.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Puck₂
definition:
Puck

Puck
(?)
n.
A disk of vulcanized rubber used in the game of hockey, as the object to be driven through the goals.


word: Pucka
definition:
Pucka

Puck"a
(?)
a.
[Written also pukka.]
[Hind. pakkā cooked, ripe, solid.]
Good of its kind; -- variously used as implying substantial, real, fixed, sure, etc., and specif., of buildings, made of brick and mortar.
[India]
It's pukka famine, by the looks of it.
Kipling.


word: Pucker
definition:
Pucker

Puck"er
(?)
v. t. & i.
[imp. & p. p. Puckered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puckering.]
[From Poke a pocket, small bag.]
To gather into small folds or wrinkles; to contract into ridges and furrows; to corrugate; -- often with up; as, to pucker up the mouth.
puckered
Spectator.


word: Pucker₂
definition:
Pucker

Puck"er
n.
1.
A fold; a wrinkle; a collection of folds.

2.
A state of perplexity or anxiety; confusion; bother; agitation.
[Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]


word: Puckery
definition:
Puckery

Puck"er*y
(?)
a.
1.
Producing, or tending to produce, a pucker; as, a puckery taste.
Lowell.

2.
Inclined to become puckered or wrinkled; full of puckers or wrinkles.


word: Puddening
definition:
Puddening

Pud"den*ing
(?)
n.
[Probably fr. pudden, for pudding, in allusion to its softness.]
(Naut.)
(a)
A quantity of rope-yarn, or the like, placed, as a fender, on the bow of a boat.
(b)
A bunch of soft material to prevent chafing between spars, or the like.


word: Pudder
definition:
Pudder

Pud"der
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Puddered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puddering.]
[Cf. Pother.]
To make a tumult or bustle; to splash; to make a pother or fuss; to potter; to meddle.

Puddering in the designs or doings of others.
Barrow.

Others pudder into their food with their broad nebs.
Holland.


word: Pudding
definition:
Pudding

Pud"ding
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. boudin black pudding, sausage, L. botulus, botellus, a sausage, G. & Sw. pudding pudding, Dan. podding, pudding, LG. puddig thick, stumpy, W. poten, potten, also E. pod, pout, v.]
1.
A species of food of a soft or moderately hard consistence, variously made, but often a compound of flour or meal, with milk and eggs, etc.

And solid pudding against empty praise.
Pope.

2.
Anything resembling, or of the softness and consistency of, pudding.

3.
An intestine; especially, an intestine stuffed with meat, etc.; a sausage.
Shak.

4.
Any food or victuals.

Eat your pudding, slave, and hold your tongue.
Prior.

5.
(Naut.)
Same as Puddening.

Pudding grass (Bot.), the true pennyroyal (Mentha Pulegium), formerly used to flavor stuffing for roast meat. Dr. Prior. -- Pudding pie, a pudding with meat baked in it. Taylor (1630). -- Pudding pipe (Bot.), the long, cylindrical pod of the leguminous tree Cassia Fistula. The seeds are separately imbedded in a sweetish pulp. See Cassia. -- Pudding sleeve, a full sleeve like that of the English clerical gown. Swift. -- Pudding stone.  (Min.) See Conglomerate, n., 2. -- Pudding time. (a) The time of dinner, pudding being formerly the dish first eaten. [Obs.] Johnson. (b) The nick of time; critical time. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Mars, that still protects the stout,
In pudding time came to his aid. Hudibras.


word: Pudding wife
definition:
Pudding wife

Pudding fish

{ Pud"ding fish, Pudding wife }
[Prob. corrupted fr. the Sp. name in Cuba, pudiano verde.]
(Zool.)
A large, handsomely colored, blue and bronze, labroid fish (Iridio radiatus, syn. Platyglossus radiatus) of Florida, Bermuda, and the West Indies. Called also pudiano, doncella, and, at Bermuda, bluefish.


word: Puddle
definition:
Puddle

Pud"dle
(?)
n.
[OE. podel; cf. LG. pudel, Ir. & Gael. plod pool.]
1.
A small quantity of dirty standing water; a muddy plash; a small pool.
Spenser.

2.
Clay, or a mixture of clay and sand, kneaded or worked, when wet, to render it impervious to water.

Puddle poet, a low or worthless poet. [R.] Fuller.


word: Puddle₂
definition:
Puddle

Pud"dle
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Puddled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puddling (?).]
1.
To make foul or muddy; to pollute with dirt; to mix dirt with (water).

Some unhatched practice . . . 
Hath puddled his clear spirit.
Shak.

2.
(a)
To make dense or close, as clay or loam, by working when wet, so as to render impervious to water.
(b)
To make impervious to liquids by means of puddle; to apply puddle to.

3.
To subject to the process of puddling, as iron, so as to convert it from the condition of cast iron to that of wrought iron.
Ure.

Puddled steel, steel made directly from cast iron by a modification of the puddling process.


word: Puddle-ball
definition:
Puddle-ball

Pud"dle-ball`
(?)
n.
The lump of pasty wrought iron as taken from the puddling furnace to be hammered or rolled.


word: Puddle-bar
definition:
Puddle-bar

Pud"dle-bar"
(?)
n.
An iron bar made at a single heat from a puddle-ball hammering and rolling.


word: Puddling
definition:
Puddling

Pud"dling
(?)
n.
1.
(Hydraul. Engin.)
(a)
The process of working clay, loam, pulverized ore, etc., with water, to render it compact, or impervious to liquids; also, the process of rendering anything impervious to liquids by means of puddled material.
(b)
Puddle. See Puddle, n., 2.

2.
(Metal.)
The art or process of converting cast iron into wrought iron or steel by subjecting it to intense heat and frequent stirring in a reverberatory furnace in the presence of oxidizing substances, by which it is freed from a portion of its carbon and other impurities.

Puddling furnace, a reverberatory furnace in which cast iron is converted into wrought iron or into steel by puddling.


word: Puddock
definition:
Puddock

Pud"dock
(?)
n.
[For paddock, or parrock, a park.]
A small inclosure.
[Written also purrock.]
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Pudency
definition:
Pudency

Pu"den*cy
(?)
n.
[L. pudens, p. pr. of pudere to be ashamed.]
Modesty; shamefacedness.
pudency
Shak.


word: Pudenda
definition:
Pudenda

Pu*den"da
(?)
n. pl.
[L., from pudendus that of which one ought to be ashamed, fr. pudere to be ashamed.]
(Anat.)
The external organs of generation.


word: Pudendum
definition:
Pudendum

Pu*den"dum
(?)
n.
[NL. See Pudenda.]
(Anat.)
The external organs of generation, especially of the female; the vulva.


word: Pudgy
definition:
Pudgy

Pudg"y
(?)
a.
Short and fat or sturdy; dumpy; podgy; as, a short, pudgy little man; a pudgy little hand.
Thackeray.


word: Pudic
definition:
Pudic

Pu"dic
(?)
a.
[L. pudicus modest, fr. pudere to be ashamed: cf. F. pudique.]
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the external organs of generation.


word: Pudu
definition:
Pudu

Pu"du
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
A very small deer (Pudua humilis), native of the Chilian Andes. It has simple spikelike antlers, only two or three inches long.


word: Pue
definition:
Pue

Pue
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Pued (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puing.]
To make a low whistling sound; to chirp, as birds.
Halliwell.


word: Pueblo
definition:
Pueblo

Pueb"lo
(?)
n.
[Sp., a village, L. populus people. See People.]
A communistic building erected by certain Indian tribes of Arizona and New Mexico. It is often of large size and several stories high, and is usually built either of stone or adobe. The term is also applied to any Indian village in the same region.

Pueblo Indians (Ethnol.), any tribe or community of Indians living in pueblos. The principal Pueblo tribes are the Moqui, the Zuñi, the Keran, and the Tewan.


word: Puer
definition:
Puer

Pu"er
(?)
n.
[Etymol. uncertain.]
The dung of dogs, used as an alkaline steep in tanning.
Simmonds.


word: Puerco
definition:
Puerco

Pu*er"co
(?)
n.
[Sp.]
A hog.

Puerco beds (Geol.), a name given to certain strata belonging to the earliest Eocene. They are developed in Northwestern New Mexico, along the Rio Puerco, and are characterized by their mammalian remains.


word: Puerile
definition:
Puerile

Pu"er*ile
(?)
a.
[L. puerilis, fr. puer a child, a boy: cf. F. puéril.]
Boyish; childish; trifling; silly.

The French have been notorious through generations for their puerile affectation of Roman forms, models, and historic precedents.
De Quincey.


word: Puerility
definition:
Puerility

Pu`er*il"i*ty
(?)
n.
pl. Puerilities (#).
[L. puerilitas: cf. F. puérilité.]
1.
The quality of being puerile; childishness; puerileness.
Sir T. Browne.

2.
That which is puerile or childish; especially, an expression which is flat, insipid, or silly.


word: Puerperal
definition:
Puerperal

Pu*er"per*al
(?)
a.
[L. puerpera a lying-in woman; puer child + parere to bear: cf. F. puerpéral.]
Of or pertaining to childbirth; as, a puerperal fever.


word: Puff
definition:
Puff

Puff
(?)
n.
[Akin to G. & Sw. puff a blow, Dan. puf, D. pof; of imitative origin.  Cf. Buffet.]
1.
A sudden and single emission of breath from the mouth; hence, any sudden or short blast of wind; a slight gust; a whiff.
puff
Flatman.

2.
Anything light and filled with air. Specifically: (a) A puffball. (b) kind of light pastry. (c) A utensil of the toilet for dusting the skin or hair with powder.

3.
An exaggerated or empty expression of praise, especially one in a public journal.

Puff adder. (Zool.) (a) Any South African viper belonging to Clotho and allied genera. They are exceedingly venomous, and have the power of greatly distending their bodies when irritated. The common puff adder (Vipera arietans, or Clotho arietans) is the largest species, becoming over four feet long. The plumed puff adder (Clotho cornuta) has a plumelike appendage over each eye. (b) A North American harmless snake (Heterodon platyrrhinos) which has the power of puffing up its body. Called also hog-nose snake, flathead, spreading adder, and blowing adder. -- Puff bird (Zool.), any bird of the genus Bucco, or family Bucconidæ. They are small birds, usually with dull-colored and loose plumage, and have twelve tail feathers. See Barbet (b).


word: Puff₂
definition:
Puff

Puff
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Puffed (pŭft); p. pr. & vb. n. Puffing.]
[Akin to G. puffen to pop, buffet, puff, D. poffen to pop, puffen to blow, Sw. puffa to push, to cuff, Dan. puffe to pop, thump. See Puff, n.]
1.
To blow in puffs, or with short and sudden whiffs.

2.
To blow, as an expression of scorn; -- with at.

It is really to defy Heaven to puff at damnation.
South.

3.
To breathe quick and hard, or with puffs, as after violent exertion.

The ass comes back again, puffing and blowing, from the chase.
L' Estrange.

4.
To swell with air; to be dilated or inflated.
Boyle.

5.
To breathe in a swelling, inflated, or pompous manner; hence, to assume importance.

Then came brave Glory puffing by.
Herbert.


word: Puff₃
definition:
Puff

Puff
v. t.
1.
To drive with a puff, or with puffs.

The clearing north will puff the clouds away.
Dryden.

2.
To repel with words; to blow at contemptuously.

I puff the prostitute away.
Dryden.

3.
To cause to swell or dilate; to inflate; to ruffle with puffs; -- often with up; as, a bladder puffed with air.

The sea puffed up with winds.
Shak.

4.
To inflate with pride, flattery, self-esteem, or the like; -- often with up.

Puffed up with military success.
Jowett (Thucyd. )

5.
To praise with exaggeration; to flatter; to call public attention to by praises; to praise unduly.
Macaulay.


word: Puffball
definition:
Puffball

Puff"ball`
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
A kind of ball-shaped fungus (Lycoperdon giganteum, and other species of the same genus) full of dustlike spores when ripe; -- called also bullfist, bullfice, puckfist, puff, and puffin.


word: Puffer
definition:
Puffer

Puff"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who puffs; one who praises with noisy or extravagant commendation.

2.
One who is employed by the owner or seller of goods sold at suction to bid up the price; a by-bidder.
Bouvier.

3.
(Zool.)
(a)
Any plectognath fish which inflates its body, as the species of Tetrodon and Diodon of the family Tetraodontidae; -- called also blower, puff-fish, swellfish, and globefish.  They are highly poisonous due to the presence of glands containing a potent toxin, tetrodotoxin.  Nevertheless they are eaten as a delicacy in Japan, being prepared by specially licensed chefs who remove the poison glands.
(b)
The common, or harbor, porpoise.

4.
(Dyeing)
A kier.


word: Puffin
definition:
Puffin

Puf"fin
(pŭf"fĭn)
n.
[Akin to puff.]
1.
(Zool.)
An arctic sea bird Fratercula arctica) allied to the auks, and having a short, thick, swollen beak, whence the name; -- called also bottle nose, cockandy, coulterneb, marrot, mormon, pope, and sea parrot.

&hand_; The name is also applied to other related species, as the horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata), the tufted puffin (Lunda cirrhata), and the razorbill.

Manx puffin, the Manx shearwater. See under Manx.

2.
(Bot.)
The puffball.

3.
A sort of apple.
[Obs.]
Rider's Dict. (1640).


word: Puffing
definition:
Puffing

Puff"ing
a. & n. from Puff, v. i. & t.

Puffing adder. (Zool.) Same as Puff adder (b), under Puff. -- Puffing pig (Zool.), the common porpoise.


word: Puffingly
definition:
Puffingly

Puff"ing*ly
adv.
In a puffing manner; with vehement breathing or shortness of breath; with exaggerated praise.


word: Puff-leg
definition:
Puff-leg

Puff"-leg`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of beautiful humming birds of the genus Eriocnemis having large tufts of downy feathers on the legs.


word: Puffy
definition:
Puffy

Puff"y
(?)
a.
1.
Swelled with air, or any soft matter; tumid with a soft substance; bloated; fleshy; as, a puffy tumor.
puffy
Thackeray.

2.
Hence, inflated; bombastic; as, a puffy style.


word: Pug
definition:
Pug

Pug
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pugged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pugging.]
[Cf. G. pucken to thump. beat.]

1.
To mix and stir when wet, as clay for bricks, pottery, etc.

2.
To fill or stop with clay by tamping; to fill in or spread with mortar, as a floor or partition, for the purpose of deadening sound. See Pugging, 2.


word: Pug₂
definition:
Pug

Pug
n.
1.
Tempered clay; clay moistened and worked so as to be plastic.

2.
A pug mill.

Pug mill, a kind of mill for grinding and mixing clay, either for brickmaking or the fine arts; a clay mill. It consists essentially of an upright shaft armed with projecting knives, which is caused to revolve in a hollow cylinder, tub, or vat, in which the clay is placed.


word: Pug₃
definition:
Pug

Pug
n.
[Corrupted fr. puck. See Puck.]
1.
An elf, or a hobgoblin; also same as Puck.
[Obs.]
B. Jonson.

2.
A name for a monkey.
[Colloq.]
Addison.

3.
A name for a fox.
[Prov. Eng.]
C. Kingsley.

4.
An intimate; a crony; a dear one.
[Obs.]
Lyly.

5.
pl.
Chaff; the refuse of grain.
[Obs.]
Holland.

6.
A prostitute.
[Obs.]
Cotgrave.

7.
(Zool.)
One of a small breed of pet dogs having a short nose and head; a pug dog.

8.
(Zool.)
Any geometrid moth of the genus Eupithecia.


word: Pugging
definition:
Pugging

Pug"ging
(?)
n.
[See Pug, v. t.]
1.
The act or process of working and tempering clay to make it plastic and of uniform consistency, as for bricks, for pottery, etc.

2.
(Arch.)
Mortar or the like, laid between the joists under the boards of a floor, or within a partition, to deaden sound; -- in the United States usually called deafening.


word: Puggree
definition:
Puggree

Puggry

{ Pug"gry (?), Pug"gree (?) }
n.
[Written also puggaree, puggeree, etc.]
[Hind. pag&rsdot_;i turban.]
A light scarf wound around a hat or helmet to protect the head from the sun.
[India]
Yule.
A blue-gray felt hat with a gold puggaree.
Kipling.


word: Pugil
definition:
Pugil

Pu"gil
(?)
n.
[L. pugillus, pugillum, a handful, akin to pugnus the fist.]
As much as is taken up between the thumb and two first fingers.
[Obs.]
Bacon.


word: Pugilism
definition:
Pugilism

Pu"gil*ism
(?)
n.
[L. pugil a pugilist, boxer, akin to pugnus the fist.  Cf. Pugnacious, Fist.]
The practice of boxing, or fighting with the fist.


word: Pugilist
definition:
Pugilist

Pu"gil*ist
n.
[L. pugil.]
One who fights with his fists; esp., a professional prize fighter; a boxer.


word: Pugnacious
definition:
Pugnacious

Pug*na"cious
(?)
a.
[L. pugnax, -acis, fr. pugnare to fight.  Cf. Pugilism, Fist.]
Disposed to fight; inclined to fighting; quarrelsome; fighting.
Pug*na"cious*ly, adv. -- Pug*na"cious*ness, n.


word: Pugnacity
definition:
Pugnacity

Pug*nac"i*ty
(?)
n.
[L. pugnacitas: cf. F. pugnacité.]
Inclination or readiness to fight; quarrelsomeness.
pugnacity
Motley.


word: Pug nose
definition:
Pug nose

Pug" nose`
(?)
A short, thick nose; a snubnose.
Pug"-nosed` (#), a.

Pug-nose eel (Zool.), a deep-water marine eel (Simenchelys parasiticus) which sometimes burrows into the flesh of the halibut.


word: Puisne
definition:
Puisne

Puis"ne
(pū"n&ybreve_;)
a.
[See Puny.]
1.
Later in age, time, etc.; subsequent.
[Obs.]
puisne
Sir M. Hale.

2.
Puny; petty; unskilled.
[Obs.]

3.
(Law)
Younger or inferior in rank; junior; associate; as, a chief justice and three puisne justices of the Court of Common Pleas; the puisne barons of the Court of Exchequer.
Blackstone.


word: Puisne₂
definition:
Puisne

Puis"ne
n.
One who is younger, or of inferior rank; a junior; esp., a judge of inferior rank.

It were not a work for puisnes and novices.
Bp. Hall.


word: Puisny
definition:
Puisny

Puis"ny
(?)
a.
Puisne; younger; inferior; petty; unskilled.
[R.]

A puisny tilter, that spurs his horse but on one side.
Shak.


word: Puissance
definition:
Puissance

Pu"is*sance
n.
[F., fr. puissant. See Puissant, and cf. Potency, Potance, Potence.]
Power; strength; might; force; potency.
puissance
Tennyson.

The power and puissance of the king.
Shak.

&hand_; In Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton, puissance and puissant are usually dissyllables.


word: Puissant
definition:
Puissant

Pu"is*sant
(?)
a.
[F., originally, a p. pr. formed fr. L. posse to be able: cf. L. potens powerful. See Potent.]
Powerful; strong; mighty; forcible; as, a puissant prince or empire.
Puissant
Milton.

Of puissant nations which the world possessed.
Spenser.

And worldlings in it are less merciful,
And more puissant.
Mrs. Browning.


word: Puit
definition:
Puit

Puit
(?)
n.
[F. puits, from L. puteus well.]
A well; a small stream; a fountain; a spring.
[Obs.]

The puits flowing from the fountain of life.
Jer. Taylor.


word: Puke
definition:
Puke

Puke
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Puked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puking.]
[Cf. G. spucken to spit, and E. spew.]
To eject the contests of the stomach; to vomit; to spew.

The infant
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Shak.


word: Puke₄
definition:
Puke

Puke
a.
[Etymol. uncertain.]
Of a color supposed to be between black and russet.
Shak.

&hand_; This color has by some been regarded as the same with puce; but Nares questions the identity.


word: Pulas
definition:
Pulas

Pu"las
(?)
n.
[Skr. palāça.]
(Bot.)
The East Indian leguminous tree Butea frondosa. See Gum Butea, under Gum.
[Written also pales and palasa.]


word: Pulchritude
definition:
Pulchritude

Pul"chri*tude
(?)
n.
[L. pulchritudo, fr. pulcher beautiful.]
1.
That quality of appearance which pleases the eye; beauty; comeliness; grace; loveliness.

Piercing our heartes with thy pulchritude.
Court of Love.

2.
Attractive moral excellence; moral beauty.

By the pulchritude of their souls make up what is wanting in the beauty of their bodies.
Ray.


word: Pule
definition:
Pule

Pule
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Puled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puling.]
[F. piauler; cf. L. pipilare, pipire, to peep, pip, chirp, and E. peep to chirp.]
1.
To cry like a chicken.
Bacon.

2.
To whimper; to whine, as a complaining child.

It becometh not such a gallant to whine and pule.
Barrow.


word: Pulex
definition:
Pulex

Pu"lex
(?)
n.
[L., a flea.]
(Zool.)
A genus of parasitic insects including the fleas. See Flea.


word: Pulicene
definition:
Pulicene

Pu"li*cene
(?)
a.
[From L. pulex, pulicis, a flea.]
Pertaining to, or abounding in, fleas; pulicose.


word: Pulicous
definition:
Pulicous

Pulicose

{ Pu"li*cose` (?), Pu"li*cous (?), }
a.
[L. pulicosus, from pulex, a flea.]
Abounding with fleas.


word: Puling
definition:
Puling

Pul"ing
(?)
n.
A cry, as of a chicken,; a whining or whimpering.

Leave this faint puling and lament as I do.
Shak.


word: Pull
definition:
Pull

Pull
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pulled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pulling.]
[AS. pullian; cf. LG. pulen, and Gael. peall, piol, spiol.]
1.
To draw, or attempt to draw, toward one; to draw forcibly.

Ne'er pull your hat upon your brows.
Shak.

He put forth his hand . . . and pulled her in.
Gen. viii. 9.

2.
To draw apart; to tear; to rend.

He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
Lam. iii. 11.

3.
To gather with the hand, or by drawing toward one; to pluck; as, to pull fruit; to pull flax; to pull a finch.

4.
To move or operate by the motion of drawing towards one; as, to pull a bell; to pull an oar.

5.
(Horse Racing)
To hold back, and so prevent from winning; as, the favorite was pulled.

6.
(Print.)
To take or make, as a proof or impression; -- hand presses being worked by pulling a lever.

7.
(Cricket)
To strike the ball in a particular manner. See Pull, n., 8.

Never pull a straight fast ball to leg.
R. H. Lyttelton.

To pull and haul, to draw hither and thither. “ Both are equally pulled and hauled to do that which they are unable to do. ” South. -- To pull down, to demolish; to destroy; to degrade; as, to pull down a house. “ In political affairs, as well as mechanical, it is easier to pull down than build up.” Howell. “ To raise the wretched, and pull down the proud.” Roscommon. -- To pull a finch. See under Finch. -- To pull off, take or draw off.


word: Pull₂
definition:
Pull

Pull
(?)
v. i.
To exert one's self in an act or motion of drawing or hauling; to tug; as, to pull at a rope.

To pull apart, to become separated by pulling; as, a rope will pull apart. -- To pull up, to draw the reins; to stop; to halt. -- To pull through, to come successfully to the end of a difficult undertaking, a dangerous sickness, or the like.


word: Pull₃
definition:
Pull

Pull
n.
1.
The act of pulling or drawing with force; an effort to move something by drawing toward one.

I awakened with a violent pull upon the ring which was fastened at the top of my box.
Swift.

2.
A contest; a struggle; as, a wrestling pull.
Carew.

3.
A pluck; loss or violence suffered.
[Poetic]

Two pulls at once;
His lady banished, and a limb lopped off.
Shak.

4.
A knob, handle, or lever, etc., by which anything is pulled; as, a drawer pull; a bell pull.

5.
The act of rowing; as, a pull on the river.
[Colloq.]

6.
The act of drinking; as, to take a pull at the beer, or the mug.
[Slang]
Dickens.

7.
Something in one's favor in a comparison or a contest; an advantage; means of influencing; as, in weights the favorite had the pull.
[Slang]

8.
(Cricket)
A kind of stroke by which a leg ball is sent to the off side, or an off ball to the side.

The pull is not a legitimate stroke, but bad cricket.
R. A. Proctor.


word: Pullback
definition:
Pullback

Pull"back`
(?)
n.
1.
That which holds back, or causes to recede; a drawback; a hindrance.

2.
(Arch)
The iron hook fixed to a casement to pull it shut, or to hold it party open at a fixed point.


word: Pulldevil
definition:
Pulldevil

Pull"dev`il
(?)
n.
A number of fishhooks rigidly fastened back to be pulled through the water to catch fish.


word: Puller
definition:
Puller

Pull"er
(?)
n.
One who, or that which, pulls.

Proud setter up and puller down of kings.
Shak.


word: Pullet
definition:
Pullet

Pul"let
(?)
n.
[OE. polete, OF. polete, F. poulette, dim. of poule a hen, fr. L. pullus a young animal, a young fowl. See Foal, and cf. Poult, Poultry, Pool stake.]
A young hen, or female of the domestic fowl.

Pullet sperm, the treadle of an egg. [Obs.] Shak.


word: Pulley
definition:
Pulley

Pul"ley
(?)
n.
pl. Pulleys (#).
[F. poulie, perhaps of Teutonic origin (cf. Poll, v. t.); but cf. OE. poleine, polive, pulley, LL. polanus, and F. poulain, properly, a colt, fr. L. pullus young animal, foal (cf. Pullet, Foal). For the change of sense, cf. F. poutre beam, originally, a filly, and E. easel.]
(Mach.)
A wheel with a broad rim, or grooved rim, for transmitting power from, or imparting power to, the different parts of machinery, or for changing the direction of motion, by means of a belt, cord, rope, or chain.

&hand_; The pulley, as one of the mechanical powers, consists, in its simplest form, of a grooved wheel, called a sheave, turning within a movable frame or block, by means of a cord or rope attached at one end to a fixed point. The force, acting on the free end of the rope, is thus doubled, but can move the load through only half the space traversed by itself. The rope may also pass over a sheave in another block that is fixed. The end of the rope may be fastened to the movable block, instead of a fixed point, with an additional gain of power, and using either one or two sheaves in the fixed block. Other sheaves may be added, and the power multiplied accordingly. Such an apparatus is called by workmen a block and tackle, or a fall and tackle. See Block. A single fixed pulley gives no increase of power, but serves simply for changing the direction of motion.

Band pulley, or Belt pulley, a pulley with a broad face for transmitting power between revolving shafts by means of a belt, or for guiding a belt. -- Cone pulley. See Cone pulley. -- Conical pulley, one of a pair of belt pulleys, each in the shape of a truncated cone, for varying velocities. -- Fast pulley, a pulley firmly attached upon a shaft. -- Loose pulley, a pulley loose on a shaft, to interrupt the transmission of motion in machinery. See Fast and loose pulleys, under Fast. -- Parting pulley, a belt pulley made in semicircular halves, which can be bolted together, to facilitate application to, or removal from, a shaft. -- Pulley block. Same as Block, n. 6. -- Pulley stile (Arch.), the upright of the window frame into which a pulley is fixed and along which the sash slides. -- Split pulley, a parting pulley.


word: Pullman car
definition:
Pullman car

Pull"man car`
(?)
[Named after Mr. Pullman, who introduced them.]
A kind of sleeping car; also, a palace car; -- often shortened to Pullman.


word: Pullulate
definition:
Pullulate

Pul"lu*late
(?)
v. i.
[L. pullulatus, p. p. of pullulare to sprout, from pullulus a young animal, a sprout, dim. of pullus. See pullet.]
To germinate; to bud; to multiply abundantly.
Warburton.


word: Pulmobranchiate
definition:
Pulmobranchiate

Pulmobranchiata

&VerbarPul`mo*bran`chi*a"ta (?), n. pl. [NL.], Pul`mo*bran"chi*ate. (_;), a. & n.
(Zool.)
Same as Pulmonibranchiata, -ate.


word: Pulmocutaneous
definition:
Pulmocutaneous

Pul`mo*cu*ta"ne*ous
(?)
a.
[L. pulmo a lung + E. cutaneous.]
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the lungs and the akin; as, the pulmocutaneous arteries of the frog.


word: Pulmogasteropoda
definition:
Pulmogasteropoda

Pul`mo*gas`te*rop"o*da
(?)
n. pl.
[NL. & E. Gasteropoda.]
(Zool.)
Same as Pulmonata.


word: Pulmograde
definition:
Pulmograde

Pul"mo*grade
(?)
a.
[L. pulmo a lung + gradi to walk.]
(Zool.)
Swimming by the expansion and contraction, or lunglike movement, of the body, or of the disk, as do the medusæ.


word: Pulmometry
definition:
Pulmometry

Pul*mom"e*try
(?)
n.
[L. pulmo a lung + -metry.]
The determination of the capacity of the lungs.


word: Pulmonarian
definition:
Pulmonarian

Pul"mo*na"ri*an
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any arachnid that breathes by lunglike organs, as the spiders and scorpions. Also used adjectively.


word: Pulmonary
definition:
Pulmonary

Pul"mo*na*ry
(?)
a.
[L. pulmonarius, from pulmo, -onis, a lung; of uncertain origin, perh. named from its lightness, and akin to E. float: cf. F. pulmonaire.  Cf. Pneumonia.]
Of or pertaining to the lungs; affecting the lungs; pulmonic.

Pulmonary artery. See the Note under Artery.


word: Pulmonata
definition:
Pulmonata

Pul`mo*na"ta
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., from L. pulmo, -onis, a lung.]
(Zool.)
An extensive division, or sub-class, of hermaphrodite gastropods, in which the mantle cavity is modified into an air-breathing organ, as in Helix, or land snails, Limax, or garden slugs, and many pond snails, as Limnæa and Planorbis.


word: Pulmonate
definition:
Pulmonate

Pul"mo*nate
(?)
a.
(Zool.)
(a)
Having breathing organs that act as lungs.
(b)
Pertaining to the Pulmonata.
n. One of the Pulmonata.


word: Pulmonibranchiata
definition:
Pulmonibranchiata

Pul`mo*ni*bran`chi*a"ta
(?)
n. pl.
[NL., fr. L. pulmo, -onis, a lung + Gr. _; a gill.]
(Zool.)
Same as Pulmonata.


word: Pulmonic
definition:
Pulmonic

Pul*mon"ic
(?)
a.
[L. pulmo, -onis, a lung: cf. F. pulmonique.]
Relating to, or affecting the lungs; pulmonary.
n. A pulmonic medicine.


word: Pulmoniferous
definition:
Pulmoniferous

Pul`mo*nif"er*ous
(?)
a.
[L. pulmo, -onis, a lung + -ferous.]
(Zool.)
Having lungs; pulmonate.


word: Pulmotor
definition:
Pulmotor

Pul"mo`tor
(?)
n.
[L. pulmo lung + E. motor.]
An apparatus for producing artificial respiration by pumping oxygen or air or a mixture of the two into and out of the lungs, as of a person who has been asphyxiated by drowning, breathing poisonous gases, or the like, or of one who has been stunned by an electrical shock.


word: Pulp
definition:
Pulp

Pulp
(?)
n.
[L. pulpa flesh, pith, pulp of fruit: cf. F. pulpe.]
A moist, slightly cohering mass, consisting of soft, undissolved animal or vegetable matter.
(a)
(Anat.)
A tissue or part resembling pulp; especially, the soft, highly vascular and sensitive tissue which fills the central cavity, called the pulp cavity, of teeth.
(b)
(Bot.)
The soft, succulent part of fruit; as, the pulp of a grape.
(c)
The exterior part of a coffee berry.
B. Edwards.
(d)
The material of which paper is made when ground up and suspended in water.


word: Pulp₂
definition:
Pulp

Pulp
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pulped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pulping.]
1.
To reduce to pulp.

2.
To deprive of the pulp, or integument.

The other mode is to pulp the coffee immediately as it comes from the tree. By a simple machine a man will pulp a bushel in a minute.
B. Edwards.


word: Pulpatoon
definition:
Pulpatoon

Pul`pa*toon"
(?)
n.
[F. poulpeton, poupeton, a sort of ragout.]
A kind of delicate confectionery or cake, perhaps made from the pulp of fruit.
[Obs.]
Nares.


word: Pulpit
definition:
Pulpit

Pul"pit
(?)
n.
[L. pulpitum: cf. OF. pulpite, F. pulpitre.]

1.
An elevated place, or inclosed stage, in a church, in which the clergyman stands while preaching.

I stand like a clerk in my pulpit.
Chaucer.

2.
The whole body of the clergy; preachers as a class; also, preaching.

I say the pulpit (in the sober use
Of its legitimate, peculiar powers)
Must stand acknowledged, while the world shall stand,
The most important and effectual guard,
Support, and ornament of virtue's cause.
Cowper.

3.
A desk, or platform, for an orator or public speaker.


word: Pulpit₂
definition:
Pulpit

Pul"pit
a.
Of or pertaining to the pulpit, or preaching; as, a pulpit orator; pulpit eloquence.


word: Pulpited
definition:
Pulpited

Pul"pit*ed
(?)
a.
Placed in a pulpit.
[R.]

Sit . . . at the feet of a pulpited divine.
Milton.


word: Pulpiteer
definition:
Pulpiteer

Pul*pit*eer"
(?)
n.
One who speaks in a pulpit; a preacher; -- so called in contempt.
Howell.

We never can think it sinful that Burns should have been humorous on such a pulpiteer.
Prof. Wilson.


word: Pulpitical
definition:
Pulpitical

Pul*pit"ic*al
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to the pulpit; suited to the pulpit.
[R.]
Pul*pit"ic*al*ly, adv. [R.]
Chesterfield.


word: Pulpous
definition:
Pulpous

Pulp"ous
(?)
a.
[L. pulposus: cf. F. pulpeux. See Pulp.]
Containing pulp; pulpy.
Pulpous
J. Philips.
Pulp"ous*ness, n.


word: Pulpy
definition:
Pulpy

Pulp"y
(?)
n.
Like pulp; consisting of pulp; soft; fleshy; succulent; as, the pulpy covering of a nut; the pulpy substance of a peach or a cherry.


word: Pulsate
definition:
Pulsate

Pul"sate
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Pulsated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pulsating.]
[L. pulsatus, p. p. of pulsare to beat, strike, v. intens. fr. pellere to beat, strike, drive. See Pulse a beating, and cf. Pulse, v.]
To throb, as a pulse; to beat, as the heart.

The heart of a viper or frog will continue to pulsate long after it is taken from the body.
E. Darwin.


word: Pulsatile
definition:
Pulsatile

Pul"sa*tile
(?)
a.
[Cf. It. pulsatile, Sp. pulsatil.]
1.
Capable of being struck or beaten; played by beating or by percussion; as, a tambourine is a pulsatile musical instrument.

2.
Pulsating; throbbing, as a tumor.


word: Pulsatilla
definition:
Pulsatilla

Pul`sa*til"la
(?)
n.
[NL.]
(Bot.)
A genus of ranunculaceous herbs including the pasque flower. This genus is now merged in Anemone. Some species, as Anemone Pulsatilla, Anemone pratensis, and Anemone patens, are used medicinally.


word: Pulsation
definition:
Pulsation

Pul*sa"tion
(?)
n.
[L. pulsatio a beating or striking: cf. F. pulsation.]
1.
(Physiol.)
A beating or throbbing, especially of the heart or of an artery, or in an inflamed part; a beat of the pulse.

2.
A single beat or throb of a series.

3.
A stroke or impulse by which some medium is affected, as in the propagation of sounds.

4.
(Law)
Any touching of another's body willfully or in anger. This constitutes battery.

By the Cornelian law, pulsation as well as verberation is prohibited.
Blackstone.


word: Pulsator
definition:
Pulsator

Pul*sa"tor
(?)
n.
[L.]
1.
A beater; a striker.

2.
(Mech.)
That which beats or throbs in working.


word: Pulsatory
definition:
Pulsatory

Pul"sa*to*ry
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. pulsatoire.]
Capable of pulsating; throbbing.
Sir H. Wotton. .


word: Pulse
definition:
Pulse

Pulse
(?)
n.
[OE. puls, L. puls, pultis, a thick pap or pottage made of meal, pulse, etc. See Poultice, and cf. Pousse.]
Leguminous plants, or their seeds, as beans, pease, etc.

If all the world
Should, in a pet of temperance, feed on pulse.
Milton.


word: Pulse₂
definition:
Pulse

Pulse
n.
[OE. pous, OF. pous, F. pouls, fr. L. pulsus  (sc. venarum), the beating of the pulse, the pulse, from pellere, pulsum, to beat, strike; cf. Gr. _; to swing, shake, _; to shake.  Cf. Appeal, Compel, Impel, Push.]
1.
(Physiol.)
The beating or throbbing of the heart or blood vessels, especially of the arteries.

&hand_; In an artery the pulse is due to the expansion and contraction of the elastic walls of the artery by the action of the heart upon the column of blood in the arterial system. On the commencement of the diastole of the ventricle, the semilunar valves are closed, and the aorta recoils by its elasticity so as to force part of its contents into the vessels farther onwards. These, in turn, as they already contain a certain quantity of blood, expand, recover by an elastic recoil, and transmit the movement with diminished intensity. Thus a series of movements, gradually diminishing in intensity, pass along the arterial system (see the Note under Heart). For the sake of convenience, the radial artery at the wrist is generally chosen to detect the precise character of the pulse. The pulse rate varies with age, position, sex, stature, physical and psychical influences, etc.

2.
Any measured or regular beat; any short, quick motion, regularly repeated, as of a medium in the transmission of light, sound, etc.; oscillation; vibration; pulsation; impulse; beat; movement.

The measured pulse of racing oars.
Tennyson.

When the ear receives any simple sound, it is struck by a single pulse of the air, which makes the eardrum and the other membranous parts vibrate according to the nature and species of the stroke.
Burke.

Pulse glass, an instrument consisting to a glass tube with terminal bulbs, and containing ether or alcohol, which the heat of the hand causes to boil; -- so called from the pulsating motion of the liquid when thus warmed. -- Pulse wave (Physiol.), the wave of increased pressure started by the ventricular systole, radiating from the semilunar valves over the arterial system, and gradually disappearing in the smaller branches.
[1913 Webster]
the pulse wave travels over the arterial system at the rate of about 29.5 feet in a second. H. N. Martin.
[1913 Webster]
-- To feel one's pulse. (a) To ascertain, by the sense of feeling, the condition of the arterial pulse. (b) Hence, to sound one's opinion; to try to discover one's mind.


word: Pulse₃
definition:
Pulse

Pulse
v. i.
To beat, as the arteries; to move in pulses or beats; to pulsate; to throb.
Ray.


word: Pulse₄
definition:
Pulse

Pulse
v. t.
[See Pulsate, Pulse a beating.]
To drive by a pulsation; to cause to pulsate.
[R.]


word: Pulsion
definition:
Pulsion

Pul"sion
(?)
n.
[L. pulsio, fr. pellere, pulsum, to drive: cf. F. pulsion.]
The act of driving forward; propulsion; -- opposed to suction or traction.
[R.]


word: Pulsometer
definition:
Pulsometer

Pul*som"e*ter
(?)
n.
[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.


word: Pultaceous
definition:
Pultaceous

Pul*ta"ceous
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. pultacé. See 1st Pulse.]
Macerated; softened; nearly fluid.


word: Pulu
definition:
Pulu

Pu"lu
(?)
n.
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 Cibotium Menziesii; -- used for stuffing mattresses, cushions, etc., and as an absorbent.


word: Pulverate
definition:
Pulverate

Pul"ver*ate
(?)
v. t.
[L. pulveratus, p. p. of pulverare to pulverize. See Pulverize.]
To beat or reduce to powder or dust; to pulverize.
[R.]


word: Pulverine
definition:
Pulverine

Pul"ver*ine
(?)
n.
[L. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder; cf. F. pulvérin.]
Ashes of barilla.
Ure.


word: Pulverization
definition:
Pulverization

Pul`ver*i*za"tion
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. pulvérisation.]
The action of reducing to dust or powder.


word: Pulverize
definition:
Pulverize

Pul"ver*ize
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pulverized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pulverizing (?).]
[F. pulvériser, L. pulverizare, fr. pulvis dust, powder. See Powder.]
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.


word: Pulverize₂
definition:
Pulverize

Pul"ver*ize
v. i.
To become reduced to powder; to fall to dust; as, the stone pulverizes easily.


word: Pulverous
definition:
Pulverous

Pul"ver*ous
(?)
a.
[Cf. L. pulvereus, from pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder.]
Consisting of dust or powder; like powder.


word: Pulverulence
definition:
Pulverulence

Pul*ver"u*lence
(?)
n.
The state of being pulverulent; abundance of dust or powder; dustiness.


word: Pulverulent
definition:
Pulverulent

Pul*ver"u*lent
(?)
a.
[L. pulverulentus, fr. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder: cf. F. pulvérulent.]
Consisting of, or reducible to, fine powder; covered with dust or powder; powdery; dusty.


word: Pulvil
definition:
Pulvil

Pul"vil
(?)
n.
[It. polviglio, fr. L. pulvis, pulveris, dust, powder: cf. Sp. polvillo.]
A sweet-scented powder; pulvillio.
[Written also pulville.]
[Obs.]
Gay.


word: Pulvillo
definition:
Pulvillo

Pulvillio

{ Pul*vil"li*o (?), Pul*vil"lo (?), }
n.
[See Pulvil.]
A kind of perfume in the form of a powder, formerly much used, -- often in little bags.

Smells of incense, ambergris, and pulvillios.
Addison.


word: Pulvillus
definition:
Pulvillus

Pul*vil"lus
(?)
n.
pl. Pulvilli (#).
[L., a little cushion.]
(Zool.)
One of the minute cushions on the feet of certain insects.


word: Pulvinar
definition:
Pulvinar

Pul*vi"nar
(?)
n.
[L., a cushion.]
(Anat.)
A prominence on the posterior part of the thalamus of the human brain.


word: Pulvinated
definition:
Pulvinated

Pulvinate

{ Pul"vi*nate (?), Pul"vi*na`ted (?), }
a.
[L. pulvinatus, fr. pulvinus a cushion, an elevation.]
1.
(Arch.)
Curved convexly or swelled; as, a pulvinated frieze.
Brande & C.

2.
(Zool.)
Having the form of a cushion.


word: Pulvinic
definition:
Pulvinic

Pul*vin"ic
(?)
a.
[From Vulpinic, by transposition of the letters.]
(Chem.)
Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the decomposition of vulpinic acid, as a white crystalline substance.


word: Pulvinulus
definition:
Pulvinulus

Pul*vin"u*lus
(?)
n.
pl. Pulvinuli (#).
[L., a little mound.]
(Zool.)
Same as Pulvillus.


word: Puma
definition:
Puma

Pu"ma
(pū"mȧ)
n.
[Peruv. puma.]
(Zool.)
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.


word: Pumicate
definition:
Pumicate

Pu"mi*cate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pumicated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pumicating.]
[L. pumicatus, p. p. of pumicare to pumicate, fr. pumex. See Pumice.]
To make smooth with pumice.
[R.]


word: Pumice
definition:
Pumice

Pum"ice
(?)
n.
[L. pumex, pumicis, prob. akin to spuma foam: cf. AS. pumic-stān.  Cf. Pounce a powder, Spume.]
(Min.)
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.


word: Pumiced
definition:
Pumiced

Pum"iced
(?)
a.
(Far.)
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.


word: Pump
definition:
Pump

Pump
(pŭmp)
n.
[Probably so called as being worn for pomp or ornament. See Pomp.]
A low shoe with a thin sole.
Swift.


word: Pump₂
definition:
Pump

Pump
n.
[Akin to D. pomp, G. pumpe, F. pompe; of unknown origin.]
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.

&hand_; for various kinds of pumps, see Air pump, Chain pump, and Force pump; also, under Lifting, Plunger, Rotary, etc.

Circulating pump (Steam Engine), a pump for driving the condensing water through the casing, or tubes, of a surface condenser. -- Pump brake.  See Pump handle, below. -- Pump dale. See Dale. -- Pump gear, the apparatus belonging to a pump. Totten. -- Pump handle, the lever, worked by hand, by which motion is given to the bucket of a pump. -- Pump hood, a semicylindrical appendage covering the upper wheel of a chain pump. -- Pump rod, the rod to which the bucket of a pump is fastened, and which is attached to the brake or handle; the piston rod. -- Pump room, a place or room at a mineral spring where the waters are drawn and drunk. [Eng.] -- Pump spear. Same as Pump rod, above. -- Pump stock, the stationary part, body, or barrel of a pump. -- Pump well. (Naut.) See Well.


word: Pump₃
definition:
Pump

Pump
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pumped (pŭmt; 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.


word: Pumpage
definition:
Pumpage

Pump"age
(?)
n.
That which is raised by pumps, or the work done by pumps.

The pumpage last year amounted to . . . gallons.
Sci. Amer.


word: Pumpernickel
definition:
Pumpernickel

Pump"er*nick`el
(?)
n.
[G.]
A sort of bread, made of unbolted rye, which forms the chief food of the Westphalian peasants. It is acid but nourishing.


word: Pumping
definition:
Pumping

Pump"ing
a. & n. from pump.

Pumping engine, a steam engine and pump combined for raising water. See Steam engine.


word: Pumpkin
definition:
Pumpkin

Pump"kin
(?)
n.
[For older pompion, pompon, OF. pompon, L. pepo, peponis, Gr. _;, properly, cooked by the sun, ripe, mellow; -- so called because not eaten till ripe.  Cf. Cook, n.]
(Bot.)
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) (Zool.) The common pondfish.


word: Pumy
definition:
Pumy

Pu"my
(?)
a.
[Cf. Prov. E. pummer big, large, and E. pomey pommel.]
Large and rounded.
[Obs.]

A gentle stream, whose murmuring wave did play
Amongst the pumy stones.
 Spenser.


word: Pun
definition:
Pun

Pun
(?)
v. t.
[See Pound to beat.]
To pound.
[Obs.]

He would pun thee into shivers with his fist.
Shak.


word: Pun₂
definition:
Pun

Pun
n.
[Cf. Pun to pound, Pound to beat.]
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.


word: Pun₃
definition:
Pun

Pun
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Punned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Punning.]
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.


word: Punch
definition:
Punch

Punch
(?)
n.
[Hind. pānch five, Skr. pa_;can. So called because composed of five ingredients, viz., sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See Five.]
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.


word: Punch₂
definition:
Punch

Punch
n.
[Abbrev, fr. punchinello.]
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.


word: Punch₃
definition:
Punch

Punch
(?)
n.
[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.


word: Punch₄
definition:
Punch

Punch
v. t.
[OE. punchen, perhaps the same word as E. punish: or cf. E. bunch.]
To thrust against; to poke; as, to punch one with the end of a stick or the elbow.


word: Punch₆
definition:
Punch

Punch
n.
[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)
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.


word: Punch₇
definition:
Punch

Punch
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Punched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Punching.]
[From Punch, n., a tool; cf. F. poinçonner.]
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.


word: Puncheon
definition:
Puncheon

Punch"eon
(?)
n.
[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.)
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.
[F. poinçon, perh. the same as poinçon an awl.]
A cask containing, sometimes 84, sometimes 120, gallons.


word: punch line
definition:
punch line

punch" line`
(?)
n.
1.
The final sentence, phrase, or word in a joke or humorous story that is unexpected and produces the humorous effect; the point of a joke.
[wns=1]

Syn. -- laugh line, gag line, tag line.

2.
Hence:
The final sentence, phrase, or word in any narration, speech, or advertisement that produces the speaker's intended effect.


word: Punchinello
definition:
Punchinello

Pun`chi*nel"lo
(?)
n.
[It. pulcinella, probably originally a word of endearment, dim. of pulcina, pulcino, a chicken, from L. pullicenus, pullus. See Pullet.]
A punch; a buffoon; originally, in a puppet show, a character represented as fat, short, and humpbacked.
Spectator.


word: Punctated
definition:
Punctated

Punctated

{ Punc"ta*ted (?), Punc"ta*ted (?), }
a.
[From L.  punctum point.  See Point .]
1.
Pointed; ending in a point or points.

2.
(Nat. Hist.)
Dotted with small spots of color, or with minute depressions or pits.


word: Punctator
definition:
Punctator

Punc*ta"tor
(?)
n.
One who marks with points. specifically, one who writes Hebrew with points; -- applied to a Masorite.
E. Robinson.


word: Puncticular
definition:
Puncticular

Punc*tic"u*lar
(?)
a.
Comprised in, or like, a point; exact.
[Obs. & R.]
Sir T. Browne.


word: Punctilio
definition:
Punctilio

Punc*til"io
(pŭ&nsmacr_;k*tĭl"yo̝)
n.
pl. Punctilios (-y&omacrz).
[It. puntiglio, or Sp. puntillo, dim. fr. L. punctum point. See Point, n.]
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.


word: Punctilious
definition:
Punctilious

Punc*til"ious
(-yŭs)
a.
[Cf. It. puntiglioso, Sp. puntilloso.]
Attentive to punctilio; very nice or exact in the forms of behavior, etiquette, or mutual intercourse; precise; exact in the smallest particulars.
punctilious
Rogers.
punctilious
The Nation.

Punctilious in the simple and intelligible instances of common life.
I. Taylor.


word: Punction
definition:
Punction

Punc"tion
(?)
n.
[L. punctio, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick: cf. F. ponction.  Cf. Puncheon.]
A puncturing, or pricking; a puncture.


word: Puncto
definition:
Puncto

Punc"to
(?)
n.
[See Punto.]
1.
A nice point of form or ceremony.
Bacon.

2.
A term applied to the point in fencing.
Farrow.


word: Punctual
definition:
Punctual

Punc"tu*al
(?)
a.
[F. ponctuel (cf. Sp. puntual, It. puntuale), from L. punctum point. See Point.]
1.
Consisting in a point; limited to a point; unextended.
[R.]
punctual
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.
punctual
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.


word: Punctualist
definition:
Punctualist

Punc"tu*al*ist
(?)
n.
One who is very exact in observing forms and ceremonies.
Milton.


word: Punctuality
definition:
Punctuality

Punc`tu*al"i*ty
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. ponctualité.]
The quality or state of being punctual; especially, adherence to the exact time of an engagement; exactness.


word: Punctuate
definition:
Punctuate

Punc"tu*ate
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Punctuated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Punctuating.]
[Cf. F. ponctuer. See Punctual.]
To mark with points; to separate into sentences, clauses, etc., by points or stops which mark the proper pauses in expressing the meaning.


word: Punctuation
definition:
Punctuation

Punc`tu*a"tion
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. ponctuation.]
(Gram.)
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.

&hand_; 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.


word: Punctuative
definition:
Punctuative

Punc"tu*a*tive
(?)
a.
Of or belonging to points of division; relating to punctuation.

The punctuative intonation of feeble cadence.
Rush.


word: Punctulated
definition:
Punctulated

Punctulate

{ Punc"tu*late (?), Punc"tu*la`ted (?), }
a.
[L. punctulum, dim. of punctum point.]
Marked with small spots.

The studs have their surface punctulated, as if set all over with other studs infinitely lesser.
 Woodward.


word: Punctum
definition:
Punctum

Punc"tum
(?)
n.
[L., a point.]
A point.

&VerbarPunctum cæcum. [L., blind point.] (Anat.) Same as Blind spot, under Blind. -- &VerbarPunctum proximum, near point. See under Point. -- &VerbarPunctum remotum, far point. See under Point. -- &VerbarPunctum vegetationis [L., point of vegetation] (Bot.), the terminal cell of a stem, or of a leaf bud, from which new growth originates.


word: Puncture
definition:
Puncture

Punc"ture
(?)
n.
[L. punctura, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. See Pungent.]
1.
The act of puncturing; perforating with something pointed.

2.
A small hole made by a point; a slight wound, bite, or sting; as, the puncture of a nail, needle, or pin.

A lion may perish by the puncture of an asp.
Rambler.


word: Puncture₂
definition:
Puncture

Punc"ture
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Punctured (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puncturing.]
To pierce with a small, pointed instrument, or the like; to prick; to make a puncture in; as, to puncture the skin.


word: Punctured
definition:
Punctured

Punc"tured
(?)
a.
1.
Having the surface covered with minute indentations or dots.

2.
(Med.)
Produced by puncture; having the characteristics of a puncture; as, a punctured wound.


word: Pundit
definition:
Pundit

Pun"dit
(?)
n.
[Hind. pandit, Skr. pandita a learned man.]
A learned man; a teacher; esp., a Brahman versed in the Sanskrit language, and in the science, laws, and religion of the Hindoos; in Cashmere, any clerk or native official.
[Written also pandit.]
[India]


word: Punese
definition:
Punese

Pu"nese
(?)
n.
[F. punaise, fr. punais stinking, fr. L. putere.]
(Zool.)
A bedbug.
[R or Obs.]


word: Pung
definition:
Pung

Pung
(?)
n.
[Etymol. uncertain.]
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.


word: Pungency
definition:
Pungency

Pun"gen*cy
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being pungent or piercing; keenness; sharpness; piquancy; as, the pungency of ammonia.
pungency
Hammond.


word: Pungent
definition:
Pungent

Pun"gent
(?)
a.
[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.)
Prickly-pointed; hard and sharp.


word: Pungled
definition:
Pungled

Pun"gled
(?)
a.
[Etymol. uncertain.]
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).


word: Punic
definition:
Punic

Pu"nic
(?)
a.
[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.


word: Punicial
definition:
Punicial

Puniceous

{ Pu*ni"ceous (?), Pu*ni"cial (?), }
a.
[L. puniceus, fr. Punicus Punic.]
Of a bright red or purple color.
[R.]


word: Punish
definition:
Punish

Pun"ish
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Punished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Punishing.]
[OE. punischen, F. punir, from L. punire, punitum, akin to poena punishment, penalty. See Pain, and -ish.]
1.
To impose a penalty upon; to afflict with pain, loss, or suffering for a crime or fault, either with or without a view to the offender's amendment; to cause to suffer in retribution; to chasten; as, to punish traitors with death; a father punishes his child for willful disobedience.

A greater power
Now ruled him, punished in the shape he sinned.
Milton.

2.
To inflict a penalty for (an offense) upon the offender; to repay, as a fault, crime, etc., with pain or loss; as, to punish murder or treason with death.

3.
To injure, as by beating; to pommel.
[Low]

4.
To deal with roughly or harshly; -- chiefly used with regard to a contest; as, our troops punished the enemy.
[Colloq. or Slang]


word: Punishable
definition:
Punishable

Pun"ish*a*ble
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. punissable.]
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.


word: Punishment
definition:
Punishment

Pun"ish*ment
(?)
n.
1.
The act of punishing.

2.
Any pain, suffering, or loss inflicted on a person because of a crime or offense.

I never gave them condign punishment.
Shak.

The rewards and punishments of another life.
Locke.

3.
(Law)
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.

4.
Severe, rough, or disastrous treatment.
[Colloq. or Slang]


word: Punition
definition:
Punition

Pu*ni"tion
(?)
n.
[L. punitio: cf. F. punition. See Punish.]
Punishment.
[R.]
Mir. for Mag.


word: Punitive
definition:
Punitive

Pu"ni*tive
(?)
a.
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.


word: Punitory
definition:
Punitory

Pu"ni*to*ry
(?)
a.
Punishing; tending to punishment; punitive.

God . . . may make moral evil, as well as natural, at the same time both prudential and punitory.
A. Tucker.


word: Punk
definition:
Punk

Punk
(?)
n.
[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.


word: Punka
definition:
Punka

Pun"ka
(?)
n.
[Hind. pankhā fan.]
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.


word: Punkie
definition:
Punkie

Punk"ie
(?)
n.
[Orig. unknown.]
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.]


word: Punnet
definition:
Punnet

Pun"net
(?)
n.
[Cf. Ir. buinne a shoot, branch.]
A broad, shallow basket, for displaying fruit or flowers.


word: Punnology
definition:
Punnology

Pun*nol"o*gy
(?)
n.
[Pun + -logy.]
The art or practice of punning; paronomasia.
[R.]
Pope.


word: Punster
definition:
Punster

Pun"ster
(?)
n.
One who puns, or is skilled in, or given to, punning; a quibbler; a low wit.


word: Punt
definition:
Punt

Punt
(?)
v. i.
[F. ponter, or It. puntare, fr. L. punctum point. See Point.]
To play at basset, baccara, faro. or omber; to gamble.

She heard . . . of his punting at gaming tables.
Thackeray.


word: Punt₃
definition:
Punt

Punt
n.
[AS., fr. L. ponto punt, pontoon. See Pontoon.]
(Naut.)
A flat-bottomed boat with square ends. It is adapted for use in shallow waters.


word: Punt₄
definition:
Punt

Punt
v. t.
1.
To propel, as a boat in shallow water, by pushing with a pole against the bottom; to push or propel (anything) with exertion.
Livingstone.

2.
(Football)
To kick (the ball) before it touches the ground, when let fall from the hands.


word: Puntello
definition:
Puntello

Pun*tel"lo
(?)
n.
pl. -li (#)
[It., dim. of punto point.]
(Sculpture)
One of the points sometimes drilled as guides for cutting away superfluous stone.


word: Punter
definition:
Punter

Punt"er
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. ponte. See Punt, v. t.]
One who punts; specifically, one who plays against the banker or dealer, as in baccara and faro.
Hoyle.


word: Punto
definition:
Punto

Pun"to
(?)
n.
[It. punto, L. punctum point. See Point.]
(Fencing)
A point or hit.

&VerbarPunto diritto [It.], a direct stroke or hit. -- &VerbarPunto reverso [It. riverso reverse], a backhanded stroke. Halliwell. “Ah, the immortal passado! the punto reverso!”
Shak.


word: Punt-out
definition:
Punt-out

Punt"-out`
n.
(American Football)
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.


word: Puny
definition:
Puny

Pu"ny
(?)
a.
[Compar. Punier (?); superl. Puniest.]
[F. puîté younger, later born, OF. puisné; puis afterwards (L. post; see Post-) + né born, L. natus. See Natal, and cf. Puisne.]
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.


word: Pup₂
definition:
Pup

Pup
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Pupped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pupping.]
To bring forth whelps or young, as the female of the canine species.


word: Pupa
definition:
Pupa

Pu"pa
(?)
n.
pl. L. Pupæ (#), E. Pupas (#).
[L. pupa girl. doll, puppet, fem. of pupus.  Cf. Puppet.]
1.
(Zool.)
Any insect in that stage of its metamorphosis which usually immediately precedes the adult, or imago, stage.

&hand_; 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.
(Zool.)
A genus of air-breathing land snails having an elongated spiral shell.

Coarctate pupa, 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.


word: Pupigerous
definition:
Pupigerous

Pu*pig"er*ous
a.
[Pupa + -gerous.]
(Zool.)
Bearing or containing a pupa; -- said of dipterous larvæ which do not molt when the pupa is formed within them.


word: Pupil
definition:
Pupil

Pu"pil
(?)
n.
[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.)
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.


word: Pupil₂
definition:
Pupil

Pu"pil
n.
[F. pupille, n. masc. & fem., L. pupillus, pupilla, dim. of pupus boy, pupa girl. See Puppet, and cf. Pupil of the eye.]
1.
A youth or scholar of either sex under the care of an instructor or tutor.

Too far in years to be a pupil now.
Shak.

Tutors should behave reverently before their pupils.
L'Estrange.

2.
A person under a guardian; a ward.
Dryden.

3.
(Civil Law)
A boy or a girl under the age of puberty, that is, under fourteen if a male, and under twelve if a female.


word: Pupilage
definition:
Pupilage

Pu"pil*age
(?)
n.
The state of being a pupil.

As sons of kings, loving in pupilage,
 Have turned to tyrants when they came to power.
Tennyson.


word: Pupillarity
definition:
Pupillarity

Pu`pil*lar"i*ty
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. pupillarité. See Pupillary.]
(Scots Law)
The period before puberty, or from birth to fourteen in males, and twelve in females.


word: Pupillary
definition:
Pupillary

Pu"pil*la*ry
(?)
a.
[L. pupillaris: cf. F. pupillaire. See Pupil.]
1.
Of or pertaining to a pupil or ward.
Johnson.

2.
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the pupil of the eye.


word: Pupillometer
definition:
Pupillometer

Pu`pil*lom"e*ter
(?)
n.
[L. pupilla pupil of the eye +  -meter.]
(Physiol.)
An instrument for measuring the size of the pupil of the pupil of the eye.


word: Pupipara
definition:
Pupipara

Pu*pip"a*ra
(?)
n. pl.
[NL. See Pupiparous.]
(Zool.)
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.


word: Pupiparous
definition:
Pupiparous

Pu*pip"a*rous
(?)
a.
[Pupa + L. parere to bring forth.]
(Zool.)
(a)
Bearing, or containing, a pupa; -- said of the matured larvæ, or larval skins, of certain Diptera.
(b)
Of or pertaining to the Pupipara.


word: Pupivora
definition:
Pupivora

Pu*piv"o*ra
(?)
n. pl.
[NL. See Pupivorous.]
(Zool.)
A group of parasitic Hymenoptera, including the ichneumon flies, which destroy the larvæ and pupæ of insects.


word: Pupivorous
definition:
Pupivorous

Pu*piv"o*rous
(?)
a.
[Pupa + L. vorare to devour.]
(Zool.)
Feeding on the pupæ of insects.


word: Puppet
definition:
Puppet

Pup"pet
(?)
n.
[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.)
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.


word: Puppetish
definition:
Puppetish

Pup"pet*ish
(?)
a.
Resembling a puppet in appearance or action; of the nature of a puppet.


word: Puppetry
definition:
Puppetry

Pup"pet*ry
(?)
n.
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.


word: Puppy
definition:
Puppy

Pup"py
(?)
n.
pl. Puppies (#).
[F. poupée doll, puppet. See Puppet, and cf. Pup, n.]
1.
(Zool.)
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.


word: Puppy₂
definition:
Puppy

Pup"py
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Puppied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puppying.]
To bring forth whelps; to pup.


word: Puppyhood
definition:
Puppyhood

Pup"py*hood
(?)
n.
The time or state of being a puppy; the time of being young and undisciplined.


word: Pur
definition:
Pur

Pur
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Purred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Purring.]
[Of imitative origin; cf. Prov. G.  purren.]
To utter a low, murmuring, continued sound, as a cat does when pleased.
[Written also purr.]


word: Pur₃
definition:
Pur

Pur
n.
The low, murmuring sound made by a cat to express contentment or pleasure.
[Written also purr.]


word: Purana
definition:
Purana

Pu*ra"na
(?)
n.
[Skr. purā_;, properly. old, ancient, fr. purā formerly.]
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.


word: Purbeck beds
definition:
Purbeck beds

Pur"beck beds`
(?)
[So called from the Isle of Purbeck in England.]
(Geol.)
The strata of the Purbeck stone, or Purbeck limestone, belonging to the Oolitic group. See the Chart of Geology.


word: Purblind
definition:
Purblind

Pur"blind`
(?)
a.
[For pure-blind, i. e., wholly blind. See Pure, and cf. Poreblind.]
1.
Wholly blind.
Purblind
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.


word: Purchasable
definition:
Purchasable

Pur"chas*a*ble
(?)
a.
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.


word: Purchase
definition:
Purchase

Pur"chase
(?; 48)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Purchased (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Purchasing.]
[OE. purchasen, porchacen, OF. porchacier, purchacier, to pursue, to seek eagerly, F. pourchasser; OF. pour, por, pur, for (L. pro) + chacier to pursue, to chase. See Chase.]
1.
To pursue and obtain; to acquire by seeking; to gain, obtain, or acquire.
Chaucer.

That loves the thing he can not purchase.
Spenser.

Your accent is Something finer than you could purchase in so removed a dwelling.
Shak.

His faults . . . hereditary
Rather than purchased.
Shak.

2.
To obtain by paying money or its equivalent; to buy for a price; as, to purchase land, or a house.

The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth.
Gen. xxv. 10.

3.
To obtain by any outlay, as of labor, danger, or sacrifice, etc.; as, to purchase favor with flattery.

One poor retiring minute . . . 
Would purchase thee a thousand thousand friends.
Shak.

A world who would not purchase with a bruise?
Milton.

4.
To expiate by a fine or forfeit.
[Obs.]

Not tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses.
Shak.

5.
(Law)
(a)
To acquire by any means except descent or inheritance.
Blackstone.
(b)
To buy for a price.

6.
To apply to (anything) a device for obtaining a mechanical advantage; to get a purchase upon, or apply a purchase to; as, to purchase a cannon.


word: Purchase₂
definition:
Purchase

Pur"chase
v. i.
1.
To put forth effort to obtain anything; to strive; to exert one's self.
[Obs.]

Duke John of Brabant purchased greatly that the Earl of Flanders should have his daughter in marriage.
Ld. Berners.

2.
To acquire wealth or property.
[Obs.]

Sure our lawyers
Would not purchase half so fast.
J. Webster.


word: Purchase₃
definition:
Purchase

Pur"chase
(?; 48)
n.
[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.
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)
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 [so many] years' purchase, 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.


word: Purchaser
definition:
Purchaser

Pur"chas*er
(?)
n.
1.
One who purchases; one who acquires property for a consideration, generally of money; a buyer; a vendee.

2.
(Law)
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.


word: Purdah
definition:
Purdah

Pur"dah
(?)
n.
[Per. parda a curtain.]
A curtain or screen; also, a cotton fabric in blue and white stripes, used for curtains.
McElrath.


word: Pure
definition:
Pure

Pure
(?)
a.
[Compar. Purer (?); superl. Purest.]
[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.
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
Tickell.
pure
Ascham.

Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records.
Macaulay.

4.
(Script.)
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)
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.


word: Puree
definition:
Puree

Pu`rée"
(?)
n.
[F.]
A dish made by boiling any article of food to a pulp and then blending it or rubbing it through a sieve; as, a purée of fish, or of potatoes; especially, a soup the thickening of which is so treated.


word: Puree₂
definition:
Puree

Pu`rée"
(?)
v. t.
[F.]
To grind or blend into a paste with the solids finely divided; to make into a puree.


word: Purely
definition:
Purely

Pure"ly
(?)
adv.
1.
In a pure manner (in any sense of the adjective).

2.
Nicely; prettily.
[Archaic]
Halliwell.


word: Purfile
definition:
Purfile

Pur"file
(?)
n.
[See Purfle.]
A sort of ancient trimming of tinsel and thread for women's gowns; -- called also bobbinwork.
[Obs.]
Piers Plowman.


word: Purfle
definition:
Purfle

Pur"fle
(?)
v. t.
[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.)
To ornament with a bordure of emines, furs, and the like; also, with gold studs or mountings.


word: Purflew
definition:
Purflew

Purfle

{ Pur"fle (?), Pur"flew (?), }
n.
1.
A hem, border., or trimming, as of embroidered work.

2.
(Her.)
A border of any heraldic fur.


word: Purfled
definition:
Purfled

Pur"fled
(?)
a.
Ornamented; decorated; esp., embroidered on the edges.

Purfled work (Arch.), delicate tracery, especially in Gothic architecture.


word: Purfling
definition:
Purfling

Pur"fling
(?)
n.
Ornamentation on the border of a thing; specifically, the inlaid border of a musical instrument, as a violin.


word: Purgament
definition:
Purgament

Pur"ga*ment
(?)
n.
[L. purgamentum offscourings, washings, expiatory sacrifice. See Purge.]
1.
That which is excreted; excretion.
[Obs.]

2.
(Med.)
A cathartic; a purgative.
[Obs.]
Bacon.


word: Purgation
definition:
Purgation

Pur*ga"tion
(?)
n.
[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)
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.


word: Purgative
definition:
Purgative

Pur"ga*tive
(?)
a.
[L. purgativus: cf. F. purgatif.]
Having the power or quality of purging; cathartic.
n. (Med.) A purging medicine; a cathartic.


word: Purgatorian
definition:
Purgatorian

Purgatorial

{ Pur`ga*to"ri*al (?), Pur`ga*to"ri*an (?), }
a.
Of or pertaining to purgatory; expiatory.


word: Purgatory₂
definition:
Purgatory

Pur"ga*to*ry
n.
[Cf. F. purgatoire.]
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.


word: Purge
definition:
Purge

Purge
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Purged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Purging (?).]
[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.
purge
Milton.

2.
(Med.)
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)
To clear from accusation, or the charge of a crime or misdemeanor, as by oath or in ordeal.

7.
To remove in cleansing; to deterge; to wash away; -- often followed by away.

Purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.
Ps. lxxix. 9.

We 'll join our cares to purge away
Our country's crimes.
Addison.


word: Purge₂
definition:
Purge

Purge
v. i.
1.
To become pure, as by clarification.

2.
To have or produce frequent evacuations from the intestines, as by means of a cathartic.


word: Purge₃
definition:
Purge

Purge
n.
[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.


word: Purger
definition:
Purger

Pur"ger
(?)
n.
One who, or that which, purges or cleanses; especially, a cathartic medicine.


word: Purgery
definition:
Purgery

Pur"ger*y
(?)
n.
The part of a sugarhouse where the molasses is drained off from the sugar.


word: Purging
definition:
Purging

Pur"ging
(?)
a.
That purges; cleansing.

Purging flax (Bot.), an annual European plant of the genus Linum (Linum catharticum); dwarf wild flax; -- so called from its use as a cathartic medicine.


word: Purification
definition:
Purification

Pu`ri*fi*ca"tion
(?)
n.
[F. purification, L. purificatio. See Purify.]
1.
The act of purifying; the act or operation of separating and removing from anything that which is impure or noxious, or heterogeneous or foreign to it; as, the purification of liquors, or of metals.

2.
The act or operation of cleansing ceremonially, by removing any pollution or defilement.

When the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished.
Luke ii. 22.

3.
A cleansing from guilt or the pollution of sin; the extinction of sinful desires, appetites, and inclinations.


word: Purificative
definition:
Purificative

Pu"ri*fi*ca*tive
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. purificatif.]
Having power to purify; tending to cleanse.
[R.]


word: Purificatory
definition:
Purificatory

Pu*rif"i*ca*to*ry
(?)
a.
[L. purificatorius.]
Serving or tending to purify; purificative.


word: Puriform
definition:
Puriform

Pu"ri*form
(pū"rĭ*fôrm)
a.
[L. pus, puris, pus + -form: cf. F. puriforme.]
(Med.)
In the form of pus.


word: Purify
definition:
Purify

Pu"ri*fy
(pū"rĭ*fī)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Purified (pū"rĭ*fīd); p. pr. & vb. n. Purifying (pū"rĭ*fī"ĭng).]
[F. purifier, L. purificare; purus pure + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Pure, and -fy.]
1.
To make pure or clear from material defilement, admixture, or imperfection; to free from extraneous or noxious matter; as, to purify liquors or metals; to purify the blood; to purify the air.

2.
Hence, in figurative uses: (a) To free from guilt or moral defilement; as, to purify the heart.

And fit them so
Purified to receive him pure.
Milton.

And Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, . . . and purified the altar.
Lev. viii. 15.

Purify both yourselves and your captives.
 Num. xxxi. 19.


word: Purim
definition:
Purim

Pu"rim
(?)
n.
[Heb. pūr, pl. pūrīm, a lot.]
A Jewish festival, called also the Feast of Lots, instituted to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from the machinations of Haman.
Esther ix. 26.


word: Purism
definition:
Purism

Pur"ism
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. purisme.]
Rigid purity; the quality of being affectedly pure or nice, especially in the choice of language; over-solicitude as to purity.
purism
De Quincey.

The English language, however, . . . had even already become too thoroughly and essentially a mixed tongue for his doctrine of purism to be admitted to the letter.
Craik.


word: Purist
definition:
Purist

Pur"ist
n.
[Cf. F. puriste.]
1.
One who aims at excessive purity or nicety, esp. in the choice of language.

He [Fox] . . . purified vocabulary with a scrupulosity unknown to any purist.
Macaulay.

2.
One who maintains that the New Testament was written in pure Greek.
M. Stuart.


word: Puristical
definition:
Puristical

Puristic

{ Pu*ris"tic (?), Pu*ris"tic*al (?), }
a.
Of or pertaining to purists or purism.


word: Puritan
definition:
Puritan

Pu"ri*tan
(?)
n.
[From Purity.]
1.
(Eccl. Hist.)
One who, in the time of Queen Elizabeth and the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and formal usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship than those established by law; -- originally, a term of reproach. The Puritans formed the bulk of the early population of New England.

&hand_; The Puritans were afterward distinguished as Political Puritans, Doctrinal Puritans, and Puritans in Discipline.
Hume.

2.
One who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; -- often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has overstrict notions.

She would make a puritan of the devil.
Shak.


word: Puritan₂
definition:
Puritan

Pu"ri*tan
a.
Of or pertaining to the Puritans; resembling, or characteristic of, the Puritans.


word: Puritanical
definition:
Puritanical

Puritanic

{ Pu`ri*tan"ic (?), Pu`ri*tan"ic*al (?), }
a.
1.
Of or pertaining to the Puritans, or to their doctrines and practice.

2.
Precise in observance of legal or religious requirements; strict; overscrupulous; rigid; -- often used by way of reproach or contempt.

Paritanical circles, from which plays and novels were strictly excluded.
Macaulay.

He had all the puritanic traits, both good and evil.
Hawthorne.


word: Puritanize
definition:
Puritanize

Pu"ri*tan*ize
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Puritanized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puritanizing (?).]
To agree with, or teach, the doctrines of Puritans; to conform to the practice of Puritans.
Bp. Montagu.


word: Purity
definition:
Purity

Pu"ri*ty
(?)
n.
[OE. purete, purte, OF. purté, F. pureté, from L. puritas, fr. purus pure. See Pure.]
The condition of being pure.
(a)
freedom from foreign admixture or deleterious matter; as, the purity of water, of wine, of drugs, of metals.
(b)
Cleanness; freedom from foulness or dirt.
purity
Holyday.
(c)
Freedom from guilt or the defilement of sin; innocence; chastity; as, purity of heart or of life.
(d)
Freedom from any sinister or improper motives or views.
(e)
Freedom from foreign idioms, or from barbarous or improper words or phrases; as, purity of style.


word: Purkinje's cells
definition:
Purkinje's cells

Pur"kin*je's cells`
(?)
[From J. E. Purkinje, their discoverer.]
(Anat.)
Large ganglion cells forming a layer near the surface of the cerebellum.


word: Purl
definition:
Purl

Purl
(?)
v. t.
[Contr. fr. purfile, purfle. See Purfle.]
To decorate with fringe or embroidery.
purled
B. Jonson.


word: Purl₂
definition:
Purl

Purl
n.
1.
An embroidered and puckered border; a hem or fringe, often of gold or silver twist; also, a pleat or fold, as of a band.

A triumphant chariot made of carnation velvet, enriched withpurl and pearl.
Sir P. Sidney.

2.
An inversion of stitches in knitting, which gives to the work a ribbed or waved appearance.

Purl stitch. Same as Purl, n., 2.


word: Purl₃
definition:
Purl

Purl
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Purled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Purling.]
[Cf. Sw. porla, and E. pur to murmur as a cat.]
1.
To run swiftly round, as a small stream flowing among stones or other obstructions; to eddy; also, to make a murmuring sound, as water does in running over or through obstructions.

Swift o'er the rolling pebbles, down the hills,
Louder and louder purl the falling rills.
Pope.

2.
[Perh. fr. F. perler to pearl, to bead. See Pearl, v. & n.]
To rise in circles, ripples, or undulations; to curl; to mantle.

thin winding breath which purled up to the sky.
Shak.


word: Purl₄
definition:
Purl

Purl
n.
[See 3d Purl.]
1.
A circle made by the notion of a fluid; an eddy; a ripple.

Whose stream an easy breath doth seem to blow,
Which on the sparkling gravel runs in purles,
As though the waves had been of silver curls.
Drayton.

2.
A gentle murmur, as that produced by the running of a liquid among obstructions; as, the purl of a brook.

3.
[Perh. from F. perler, v.  See Purl  to mantle.]
Malt liquor, medicated or spiced; formerly, ale or beer in which wormwood or other bitter herbs had been infused, and which was regarded as tonic; at present, hot beer mixed with gin, sugar, and spices.
purl
Addison.
purl
Dickens.

4.
(Zool.)
A tern.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Purlieu
definition:
Purlieu

Pur"lieu
(?)
n.
[Corrupted (by influence of lieu place) fr. OF. puralée, poralée (equiv. to LL. perambulatio a survey of boundaries, originally, a going through); por (L. pro, confused, however, with L. per through) + alée. See Pro-, and Alley.]
[Written also pourlieu.]
1.
Originally, the ground near a royal forest, which, having been unlawfully added to the forest, was afterwards severed from it, and disafforested so as to remit to the former owners their rights.

Then as a tiger, who by chance hath spied
In some purlieu two gentle fawns at play.
Milton.

2.
Hence, the outer portion of any place; an adjacent district; environs; neighborhood.
purlieus

brokers had been incessantly plying for custom in the purlieus of the court.
Macaulay.


word: Purline
definition:
Purline

Purlin

{ Pur"lin, Pur"line  }
(?)
n.
[Etymol. uncertain.]
(Arch.)
In root construction, a horizontal member supported on the principals and supporting the common rafters.


word: Purling
definition:
Purling

Purl"ing
(?)
n.
[See 3d Purl.]
The motion of a small stream running among obstructions; also, the murmur it makes in so doing.


word: Purloin
definition:
Purloin

Pur*loin"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Purloined (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Purloining.]
[OF. purloignier, porloignier, to retard, delay; pur, por, pour, for (L. pro) + loin far, far off (L. longe). See Prolong, and cf. Eloign.]
To take or carry away for one's self; hence, to steal; to take by theft; to filch.

Had from his wakeful custody purloined
The guarded gold.
Milton.

when did the muse from Fletcher scenes purloin ?
Dryden.


word: Purparty
definition:
Purparty

Pur"par`ty
(?)
n.
[OF. pourpartie; pour for + partie a part; cf. OF. purpart a respective part.]
(Law)
A share, part, or portion of an estate allotted to a coparcener.
[Written also purpart, and pourparty.]

I am forced to eat all the game of your purparties, as well as my own thirds.
Walpole.


word: Purple
definition:
Purple

Pur"ple
(?)
n.
pl. Purples (#).
[OE. purpre, pourpre, OF. purpre, porpre, pourpre, F. pourpre, L. purpura purple fish, purple dye, fr. Gr. _; the purple fish, a shell from the purple dye was obtained, purple dye; cf. _; dark (said of the sea), purple, _; to grow dark (said of the sea), to be troubled; perh. akin to L. furere to rage, E. fury: cf. AS. purpure.  Cf. Porphyry, Purpure.]
1.
A color formed by, or resembling that formed by, a combination of the primary colors red and blue.

Arraying with reflected purple and gold
The clouds that on his western throne attend.
 Milton.

&hand_; The ancient words which are translated purple are supposed to have been used for the color we call crimson. In the gradations of color as defined in art, purple is a mixture of red and blue. When red predominates it is called violet, and when blue predominates, hyacinth.

2.
Cloth dyed a purple color, or a garment of such color; especially, a purple robe, worn as an emblem of rank or authority; specifically, the purple rode or mantle worn by Roman emperors as the emblem of imperial dignity; as, to put on the imperial purple.

Thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and purple, and scarlet.
Ex. xxvi. 1.

3.
Hence: Imperial sovereignty; royal rank, dignity, or favor; loosely and colloquially, any exalted station; great wealth.
purple
Gibbon.

4.
A cardinalate. See Cardinal.

5.
(Zool.)
Any species of large butterflies, usually marked with purple or blue, of the genus Basilarchia (formerly Limenitis) as, the banded purple (Basilarchia arthemis). See Illust. under Ursula.

6.
(Zool.)
Any shell of the genus Purpura.

7.
pl.
(Med.)
See Purpura.

8.
pl.
A disease of wheat. Same as Earcockle.

&hand_; Purple is sometimes used in composition, esp. with participles forming words of obvious signification; as, purple-colored, purple-hued, purple-stained, purple-tinged, purple-tinted, and the like.

French purple. (Chem.) Same as Cudbear. -- Purple of Cassius. See Cassius. -- Purple of mollusca (Zool.), a coloring matter derived from certain mollusks, which dyes wool, etc., of a purple or crimson color, and is supposed to be the substance of the famous Tyrian dye. It is obtained from Ianthina, and from several species of Purpura, and Murex. -- To be born in the purple, to be of princely birth; to be highborn.


word: Purple₂
definition:
Purple

Pur"ple
a.
1.
Exhibiting or possessing the color called purple, much esteemed for its richness and beauty; of a deep red, or red and blue color; as, a purple robe.

2.
Imperial; regal; -- so called from the color having been an emblem of imperial authority.

Hide in the dust thy purple pride.
Shelley.

3.
Blood-red; bloody.

May such purple tears be alway shed.
Shak.

I view a field of blood,
And Tiber rolling with a purple blood.
Dryden.

Purple bird (Zool.), the European purple gallinule. See under Gallinule. -- Purple copper ore. (Min.) See Bornite. -- Purple grackle (Zool.), the crow blackbird. See under Crow. -- Purple martin. See under Martin. -- Purple sandpiper. See under Sandpiper. -- Purple shell. See Ianthina.


word: Purple₃
definition:
Purple

Pur"ple
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Purpled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Purpling.]
To make purple; to dye of purple or deep red color; as, hands purpled with blood.

When morn
Purples the east.
Milton.

Reclining soft in blissful bowers,
Purpled sweet with springing flowers.
 Fenton.


word: Purpleheart
definition:
Purpleheart

Pur"ple*heart`
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
A strong, durable, and elastic wood of a purplish color, obtained from several tropical American leguminous trees of the genus Copaifera (Copaifera pubiflora, Copaifera bracteata, and Copaifera officinalis). Used for decorative veneering. See Copaiba.


word: Purport
definition:
Purport

Pur"port
(?)
n.
[OF. purport; pur, pour, for (L. pro) + porter to bear, carry. See Port demeanor.]

1.
Design or tendency; meaning; import; tenor.

The whole scope and purport of that dialogue. Norris.
With a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of hell.
 Shak.

2.
Disguise; covering.
[Obs.]

For she her sex under that strange purport
Did use to hide.
Spenser.


word: Purport₂
definition:
Purport

Pur"port
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Purported; p. pr. & vb. n. Purporting.]
[OF. purporter, pourporter. See Purport, n.]
To intend to show; to intend; to mean; to signify; to import; -- often with an object clause or infinitive.

They in most grave and solemn wise unfolded
Matter which little purported.
Rowe.


word: Purpose
definition:
Purpose

Pur"pose
(?)
n.
[OF. purpos, pourpos, propos, L. propositum. See Propound.]
1.
That which a person sets before himself as an object to be reached or accomplished; the end or aim to which the view is directed in any plan, measure, or exertion; view; aim; design; intention; plan.

He will his firste purpos modify.
Chaucer.

As my eternal purpose hath decreed.
 Milton.

The flighty purpose never is o'ertook
Unless the deed go with it.
Shak.

2.
Proposal to another; discourse.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

3.
Instance; example.
[Obs.]
L'Estrange.

In purpose, Of purpose, On purpose, with previous design; with the mind directed to that object; intentionally. On purpose is the form now generally used.


word: Purpose₂
definition:
Purpose

Pur"pose
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Purposed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Purposing.]
[OF. purposer, proposer. See Propose.]
1.
To set forth; to bring forward.
[Obs.]

2.
To propose, as an aim, to one's self; to determine upon, as some end or object to be accomplished; to intend; to design; to resolve; -- often followed by an infinitive or dependent clause.
Chaucer.

Did nothing purpose against the state.
 Shak.

I purpose to write the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to a time which is within the memory of men still living.
Macaulay.


word: Purposedly
definition:
Purposedly

Pur"posed*ly
(?)
adv.
In a purposed manner; according to purpose or design; purposely.

A poem composed purposedly of the Trojan war. Holland.


word: Purposeless
definition:
Purposeless

Pur"pose*less
a.
Having no purpose or result; objectless.
Bp. Hall.
Pur"pose*less*ness, n.


word: Purposely
definition:
Purposely

Pur"pose*ly
adv.
With purpose or design; intentionally; with predetermination; designedly.

In composing this discourse, I purposely declined all offensive and displeasing truths.
Atterbury.

So much they scorn the crowd, that if the throng
By chance go right, they purposely go wrong.
Pope.


word: Purposer
definition:
Purposer

Pur"pos*er
(?)
n.
1.
One who brings forward or proposes anything; a proposer.
[Obs.]

2.
One who forms a purpose; one who intends.


word: Purposive
definition:
Purposive

Pur"po*sive
(?)
a.
Having or indicating purpose or design.
Purposive
Bastian.

Purposive modification of structure in a bone.
Owen.

It is impossible that the frog should perform actions morepurposive than these.
Huxley.


word: Purpresture
definition:
Purpresture

Pur*pres"ture
(?)
n.
[Probably corrupted (see Prest) fr. OF. pourprisure, fr. pourprendre: cf. LL. purprestura.  Cf. Purprise.]
(Law)
Wrongful encroachment upon another's property; esp., any encroachment upon, or inclosure of, that which should be common or public, as highways, rivers, harbors, forts, etc.
[Written also pourpresture.]


word: Purprise
definition:
Purprise

Pur"prise
(?)
n.
[OF. pourpris,fr. pourprendre to take away entirely; pour for + prendre to take.]
A close or inclosure; the compass of a manor.
Bacon.


word: Purpura
definition:
Purpura

Pur"pu*ra
(?)
n.
[L., purple, purple fish: cf. F. purpura. See Purple.]
1.
(Med.)
A disease characterized by livid spots on the skin from extravasated blood, with loss of muscular strength, pain in the limbs, and mental dejection; the purples.
Dunglison.

2.
(Zool.)
A genus of marine gastropods, usually having a rough and thick shell. Some species yield a purple dye.


word: Purpure
definition:
Purpure

Pur"pure
(?)
n.
[L. purpura purple. See Purple.]
(Her.)
Purple, -- represented in engraving by diagonal lines declining from the right top to the left base of the escutcheon (or from sinister chief to dexter base).


word: Purpureo-
definition:
Purpureo-

Pur*pu"re*o-
(?)
A combining form signifying of a purple or purple-red color. Specif. (Chem.), used in designating certain brilliant purple-red compounds of cobaltic chloride and ammonia, similar to the roseocobaltic compounds. See Cobaltic.


word: Purpuric
definition:
Purpuric

Pur*pu"ric
(?)
a.
[Cf. F. purpurique.]

1.
(Med.)
Of or pertaining to purpura.
Dunglison.

2.
(Chem.)
Pertaining to or designating, a nitrogenous acid contained in uric acid. It is not known in the pure state, but forms well-known purple-red compounds (as murexide), whence its name.

&hand_; Purpuric acid was formerly used to designate murexan. See Murexan.


word: Purpurin
definition:
Purpurin

Pur"pu*rin
(?)
n.
(Chem.)
A dyestuff resembling alizarin, found in madder root, and extracted as an orange or red crystalline substance.


word: Purpuriparous
definition:
Purpuriparous

Pur`pu*rip"a*rous
(?)
a.
[L. purpura purple + parere to produce.]
(Biol.)
Producing, or connected with, a purple-colored secretion; as, the purpuriparous gland of certain gastropods.


word: Purpurogenous
definition:
Purpurogenous

Pur`pu*rog"e*nous
(?)
a.
[L. purpura purple + -genous.]
(Biol.)
Having the power to produce a purple color; as, the purpurogenous membrane, or choroidal epithelium, of the eye. See Visual purple, under Visual.


word: Purse
definition:
Purse

Purse
(?)
n.
[OE. purs, pors, OF. burse, borse, bourse, F. bourse, LL. bursa, fr. Gr. _; hide, skin, leather.  Cf. Bourse, Bursch, Bursar, Buskin.]
1.
A small bag or pouch, the opening of which is made to draw together closely, used to carry money in; by extension, any receptacle for money carried on the person; a wallet; a pocketbook; a portemonnaie.
Chaucer.

 Who steals my purse steals trash.
Shak.

2.
Hence, a treasury; finances; as, the public purse.

3.
A sum of money offered as a prize, or collected as a present; as, to win the purse; to make up a purse.

4.
A specific sum of money
(a)
In Turkey, the sum of 500 piasters.
(b)
In Persia, the sum of 50 tomans.

Light purse, or Empty purse, poverty or want of resources. -- Long purse, or Heavy purse, wealth; riches. -- Purse crab (Zool.), any land crab of the genus Birgus, allied to the hermit crabs. They sometimes weigh twenty pounds or more, and are very strong, being able to crack cocoanuts with the large claw. They chiefly inhabit the tropical islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, living in holes and feeding upon fruit. Called also palm crab. -- Purse net, a fishing net, the mouth of which may be closed or drawn together like a purse. Mortimer. -- Purse pride, pride of money; insolence proceeding from the possession of wealth. Bp. Hall. -- Purse rat. (Zool.) See Pocket gopher, under Pocket. -- Sword and purse, the military power and financial resources of a nation.


word: Purse₂
definition:
Purse

Purse
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pursed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pursing.]
1.
To put into a purse.

I will go and purse the ducats straight.
Shak.

2.
To draw up or contract into folds or wrinkles, like the mouth of a purse; to pucker; to knit.

Thou . . . didst contract and purse thy brow.
Shak.


word: Purse₃
definition:
Purse

Purse
v. i.
To steal purses; to rob.
[Obs. & R.]

I'll purse: . . . I'll bet at bowling alleys.
Beau. & Fl.


word: Purseful
definition:
Purseful

Purse"ful
(?)
n.
pl. Pursefuls (_;).
All that is, or can be, contained in a purse; enough to fill a purse.


word: Purse-proud
definition:
Purse-proud

Purse"-proud`
(?)
a.
Affected with purse pride; puffed up with the possession of riches.


word: Purser
definition:
Purser

Purs"er
(?)
n.
[See Purse, and cf. Bursar.]

1.
(Naut.)
A commissioned officer in the navy who had charge of the provisions, clothing, and public moneys on shipboard; -- now called paymaster.

2.
A clerk on steam passenger vessels whose duty it is to keep the accounts of the vessels, such as the receipt of freight, tickets, etc.

3.
Colloquially, any paymaster or cashier.

Purser's name (Naut.), a false name. [Slang]


word: Purslane
definition:
Purslane

Purs"lane
(?)
n.
[OF. porcelaine, pourcelaine (cf. It. porcellana), corrupted fr. L. porcilaca for portulaca.]
(Bot.)
An annual plant (Portulaca oleracea), with fleshy, succulent, obovate leaves, sometimes used as a pot herb and for salads, garnishing, and pickling.

Flowering purslane, or Great flowered purslane, the Portulaca grandiflora.  See Portulaca. -- Purslane tree, a South African shrub (Portulacaria Afra) with many small opposite fleshy obovate leaves. -- Sea purslane, a seashore plant (Arenaria peploides) with crowded opposite fleshy leaves. -- Water purslane, an aquatic plant (Ludwiqia palustris) but slightly resembling purslane.


word: Pursuable
definition:
Pursuable

Pur*su"a*ble
(?)
a.
Capable of being, or fit to be, pursued, followed, or prosecuted.
Sherwood.


word: Pursuance
definition:
Pursuance

Pur*su"ance
(?)
n.
[See Pursuant.]
1.
The act of pursuing or prosecuting; a following out or after.

Sermons are not like curious inquiries after new nothings, but pursuances of old truths.
Jer. Taylor.

2.
The state of being pursuant; consequence.

In pursuance of, in accordance with; in prosecution or fulfillment of.


word: Pursuant
definition:
Pursuant

Pur*su"ant
(?)
a.
[From Pursue: cf. OE. poursuiant.  Cf. Pursuivant.]
Acting in consequence or in prosecution (of anything); hence, agreeable; conformable; following; according; -- with to or of.

The conclusion which I draw from these premises, pursuant to the query laid down, is, etc.
Waterland.


word: Pursue
definition:
Pursue

Pur*sue"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pursued (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pursuing.]
[OE. pursuen, porsuen, OF. porsivre, poursuivre, poursuir, F. poursuivre, fr. L. prosequi; pro forward + sequi to follow. See Sue, and cf. Prosecute, Pursuivant.]
1.
To follow with a view to overtake; to follow eagerly, or with haste; to chase; as, to pursue a hare.

We happiness pursue; we fly from pain.
Prior.

The happiness of men lies in purswing,
Not in possessing.
Longfellow.

2.
To seek; to use or adopt measures to obtain; as, to pursue a remedy at law.

The fame of ancient matrons you pursue.
Dryden.

3.
To proceed along, with a view to some and or object; to follow; to go in; as, Captain Cook pursued a new route; the administration pursued a wise course.

4.
To prosecute; to be engaged in; to continue.
pursue
Milton.

5.
To follow as an example; to imitate.

6.
To follow with enmity; to persecute; to call to account.

The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have pursued me, they shall pursue you also.
Wyclif (John xv. 20).


word: Pursue₂
definition:
Pursue

Pur*sue"
v. i.
1.
To go in pursuit; to follow.

The wicked flee when no man pursueth.
Prov. xxviii. 1.

Men hotly pursued after the objects of their ambition.
Earle.

2.
To go on; to proceed, especially in argument or discourse; to continue.

[A Gallicism]

I have, pursues Carneades, wondered chemists should not consider.
Boyle.

3.
(Law)
To follow a matter judicially, as a complaining party; to act as a prosecutor.
Burrill.


word: Pursuer
definition:
Pursuer

Pur*su"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who pursues or chases; one who follows in haste, with a view to overtake.

2.
(Eccl. & Scots Law)
A plaintiff; a prosecutor.


word: Pursuit
definition:
Pursuit

Pur*suit"
(?)
n.
[F. poursuite, fr. poursuivre. See Pursue, v. t.]
1.
The act of following or going after; esp., a following with haste, either for sport or in hostility; chase; prosecution; as, the pursuit of game; the pursuit of an enemy.
Clarendon.

Weak we are, and can not shun pursuit.
Shak.

2.
A following with a view to reach, accomplish, or obtain; endeavor to attain to or gain; as, the pursuit of knowledge; the pursuit of happiness or pleasure.

3.
Course of business or occupation; continued employment with a view to same end; as, mercantile pursuits; a literary pursuit.

4.
(Law)
Prosecution.
[Obs.]

That pursuit for tithes ought, and of ancient time did pertain to the spiritual court.
Fuller.

Curve of pursuit (Geom.), a curve described by a point which is at each instant moving towards a second point, which is itself moving according to some specified law.


word: Pursuivant
definition:
Pursuivant

Pur"sui*vant
(?)
n.
[F. poursuivant, fr. poursuivre. See Pursue, and cf. Pursuant.]
[Written also poursuivant.]
1.
(Heralds' College)
A functionary of lower rank than a herald, but discharging similar duties; -- called also pursuivant at arms; an attendant of the heralds. Also used figuratively.

The herald Hope, forerunning Fear,
And Fear, the pursuivant of Hope.
Longfellow.

2.
The king's messenger; a state messenger.

One pursuivant who attempted to execute a warrant there was murdered.
Macaulay.


word: Pursuivant₂
definition:
Pursuivant

Pur"sui*vant
v. t.
To pursue.
[Obs. & R.]

Their navy was pursuivanted after with a horrible tempest.
Fuller.


word: Pursy
definition:
Pursy

Pur"sy
(?)
a.
[OF. pourcif, poulsif, poussif, fr. pousser to push, thrust, heave, OF. also poulser: cf. F. pousse the heaves, asthma. See Push.]
Fat and short-breathed; fat, short, and thick; swelled with pampering; as, pursy insolence.
Shak.

Pursy important he sat him down.
Sir W. Scot.


word: Purtenance
definition:
Purtenance

Pur"te*nance
(?)
n.
[Abbrev. fr. appurtenance.]
That which pertains or belongs to something; esp., the heard, liver, and lungs of an animal.
[Obs.]
purtenaunces
Piers Plowman.

Roast [it] with fire, his head with his legs, and with the purtenance [Rev. Ver., inwards] thereof.
Ex. xii. 9.


word: Purulency
definition:
Purulency

Purulence

{ Pu"ru*lence (?), Pu"ru*len*cy (?), }
n.
[L. purulentia: cf. F. purulence.]
(Med.)
The quality or state of being purulent; the generation of pus; also, the pus itself.
Arbuthnot.


word: Purulent
definition:
Purulent

Pu"ru*lent
(?)
a.
[L. purulentus, fr. pus, puris, pus, matter: cf. F. purulent. See Pus.]
(Med.)
Consisting of pus, or matter; partaking of the nature of pus; attended with suppuration; as, purulent inflammation.


word: Purvey
definition:
Purvey

Pur*vey"
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Purveyed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Purveying.]
[OE. purveien, porveien, OF. porveeir, porveoir, F. pourvoir, fr. L. providere. See Provide, and cf. Purview.]
1.
To furnish or provide, as with a convenience, provisions, or the like.

Give no odds to your foes, but do purvey
Yourself of sword before that bloody day.
Spenser.

2.
To procure; to get.

I mean to purvey me a wife after the fashion of the children of Benjamin.
Sir W. Scot.


word: Purvey₂
definition:
Purvey

Pur*vey"
v. i.
1.
To purchase provisions; to provide; to make provision.
Chaucer. Milton.

2.
To pander; -- with to.
purveys
[R.]
Burke.


word: Purveyance
definition:
Purveyance

Pur*vey"ance
(?)
n.
[Cf. F. pourvoyance.]
1.
The act or process of providing or procuring; providence; foresight; preparation; management.
Chaucer.

The ill purveyance of his page.
Spenser.

2.
That which is provided; provisions; food.

3.
(Eng. Law)
A providing necessaries for the sovereign by buying them at an appraised value in preference to all others, and oven without the owner's consent. This was formerly a royal prerogative, but has long been abolished.
Wharton.


word: Purveyor
definition:
Purveyor

Pur*vey"or
(?)
n.
[OE. porveour, OF. pourveor, F. pourvoyeur. See Purvey, and cf. Proveditor.]
1.
One who provides victuals, or whose business is to make provision for the table; a victualer; a caterer.

2.
An officer who formerly provided, or exacted provision, for the king's household.
[Eng.]

3.
a procurer; a pimp; a bawd.
Addison.


word: Purview
definition:
Purview

Pur"view
(?)
n.
[OF. purveu, pourveu, F. pourvu, provided, p. p. of OF. porveoir, F. pourvoir. See Purvey, View, and cf. Proviso.]
1.
(a)
(Law)
The body of a statute, or that part which begins with “ Be it enacted, ” as distinguished from the preamble.
Cowell.
(b)
The limit or scope of a statute; the whole extent of its intention or provisions.
Marshall.

Profanations within the purview of several statutes.
Bacon.

2.
Limit or sphere of authority; scope; extent.

In determining the extent of information required in the exercise of a particular authority, recourse must be had to the objects within the purview of that authority.
Madison.


word: Pus
definition:
Pus

Pus
(?)
n.
[L., akin to Gr. _;, _;, and to E. foul: cf. F. pus. See Foul, a.]
(Med.)
The yellowish white opaque creamy matter produced by the process of suppuration. It consists of innumerable white nucleated cells floating in a clear liquid.


word: Pusane
definition:
Pusane

Pu"sane
(?)
n.
(Anc. Armor)
A piece of armor for the breast; often, an addition to, or reënforcement of. the breastplate; -- called also pesane.


word: Puseyism
definition:
Puseyism

Pu"sey*ism
(?)
n.
(Ch. of Eng.)
The principles of Dr. Pusey and others at Oxford, England, as exhibited in various publications, esp. in a series which appeared from 1833 to 1841, designated “ Tracts for the Times;” tractarianism. See Tractarianism.


word: Push₂
definition:
Push

Push
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Pushed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pushing.]
[OE. possen, pussen, F. pousser, fr. L. pulsare, v. intens. fr. pellere, pulsum, to beat, knock, push. See Pulse a beating, and cf. Pursy.]
1.
To press against with force; to drive or impel by pressure; to endeavor to drive by steady pressure, without striking; -- opposed to draw.

Sidelong had pushed a mountain from his seat.
Milton.

2.
To thrust the points of the horns against; to gore.

If the ox shall push a manservant or maidservant, . . . the ox shall be stoned.
Ex. xxi. 32.

3.
To press or urge forward; to drive; to push an objection too far.
push
Dryden.

Ambition pushes the soul to such actions as are apt to procure honor to the actor.
Spectator.

We are pushed for an answer.
Swift.

4.
To bear hard upon; to perplex; to embarrass.

5.
To importune; to press with solicitation; to tease.

To push down, to overthrow by pushing or impulse.


word: Push₃
definition:
Push

Push
v. i.
1.
To make a thrust; to shove; as, to push with the horns or with a sword.
Shak.

2.
To make an advance, attack, or effort; to be energetic; as, a man must push in order to succeed.

At the time of the end shall the kind of the south push at him and the king of the north shall come against him.
Dan. xi. 40.

War seemed asleep for nine long years; at length
Both sides resolved to push, we tried our strength.
Dryden.

3.
To burst pot, as a bud or shoot.

To push on, to drive or urge forward; to hasten.

The rider pushed on at a rapid pace.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Push₄
definition:
Push

Push
n.
1.
A thrust with a pointed instrument, or with the end of a thing.

2.
Any thrust. pressure, impulse, or force, or force applied; a shove; as, to give the ball the first push.

3.
An assault or attack; an effort; an attempt; hence, the time or occasion for action.

Exact reformation is not perfected at the first push.
Milton.

When it comes to the push, 'tis no more than talk.
L' Estrange.

4.
The faculty of overcoming obstacles; aggressive energy; as, he has push, or he has no push.


word: Push button
definition:
Push button

Push button
(Elec.)
A simple device, resembling a button in form, so arranged that pushing it closes an electric circuit, as of an electric bell; -- called also button.


word: Pusher
definition:
Pusher

Push"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who, or that which, pushes.

2.
One who sells illegal drugs, esp. one who tries to convince others to use such drugs.

3.
(Railroad)
a second engine attached to the rear of a train to provide extra power for climbing steep grades.


word: Pushing
definition:
Pushing

Push"ing
a.
Pressing forward in business; enterprising; driving; energetic; also, forward; officious, intrusive.
Push"ing*ly, adv.


word: Pusillanimity
definition:
Pusillanimity

Pu`sil*la*nim"i*ty
(?)
n.
[L. pusillanimitas: cf. F. pusillanimité.]
The quality of being pusillanimous; weakness of spirit; cowardliness.

The badge of pusillanimity and cowardice.
Shak.

It is obvious to distinguished between an act of . . . pusillanimity and an act of great modesty or humility.
South.


word: Pusillanimous
definition:
Pusillanimous

Pu`sil*lan"i*mous
(?)
a.
[L. pusillanimis; pusillus very little (dim. of pusus a little boy; cf. puer a boy, E. puerile) + animus the mind: cf. F. pusillanime. See Animosity.]
1.
Destitute of a manly or courageous strength and firmness of mind; of weak spirit; mean-spirited; spiritless; cowardly; -- said of persons, as, a pusillanimous prince.

2.
Evincing, or characterized by, weakness of mind, and want of courage; feeble; as, pusillanimous counsels.
pusillanimous
Burke.


