Part Part, adv (part 4)

Defn: An instrument for gauging or testing a plane surface. See
Surface gauge, under Surface.

PLANOMETRY
Pla*nom"e*try, n. (Mech.)

Defn: The art or process of producing or gauging a plane surface.

PLANO-ORBICULAR
Pla"no-or*bic"u*lar, a. Etym: [Plano- + orbicular.]

Defn: Plane or flat on one side, and spherical on the other.

PLANORBIS
Pla*nor"bis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. planus flat + orbis a circle.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: Any fresh-water air-breathing mollusk belonging to Planorbis and other allied genera, having shells of a discoidal form.

PLANO-SUBULATE
Pla"no-su"bu*late, a. Etym: [Plano- + subulate.]

Defn: Smooth and awl-shaped. See Subulate.

PLANT
Plant, n. Etym: [AS. plante, L. planta.]

1. A vegetable; an organized living being, generally without feeling and voluntary motion, and having, when complete, a root, stem, and leaves, though consisting sometimes only of a single leafy expansion, or a series of cellules, or even a single cellule.

Note: Plants are divided by their structure and methods of reproduction into two series, phænogamous or flowering plants, which have true flowers and seeds, and cryptogamous or flowerless plants, which have no flowers, and reproduce by minute one-celled spores. In both series are minute and simple forms and others of great size and complexity. As to their mode of nutrition, plants may be considered as self-supporting and dependent. Self-supporting plants always contain chlorophyll, and subsist on air and moisture and the matter dissolved in moisture, and as a general rule they excrete oxygen, and use the carbonic acid to combine with water and form the material for their tissues. Dependent plants comprise all fungi and many flowering plants of a parasitic or saprophytic nature. As a rule, they have no chlorophyll, and subsist mainly or wholly on matter already organized, thus utilizing carbon compounds already existing, and not excreting oxygen. But there are plants which are partly dependent and partly self-supporting. The movements of climbing plants, of some insectivorous plants, of leaves, stamens, or pistils in certain plants, and the ciliary motion of zoöspores, etc., may be considered a kind of voluntary motion.

2. A bush, or young tree; a sapling; hence, a stick or staff. "A plant of stubborn oak." Dryden.

3. The sole of the foot. [R.] "Knotty legs and plants of clay." B. Jonson.

4. (Com.)

Defn: The whole machinery and apparatus employed in carrying on a trade or mechanical business; also, sometimes including real estate, and whatever represents investment of capital in the means of carrying on a business, but not including material worked upon or finished products; as, the plant of a foundry, a mill, or a railroad.

5. A plan; an artifice; a swindle; a trick. [Slang] It was n't a bad plant, that of mine, on Fikey. Dickens.

6. (Zoöl.) (a) An oyster which has been bedded, in distinction from one of natural growth. (b) A young oyster suitable for transplanting. [Local, U.S.] Plant bug (Zoöl.), any one of numerous hemipterous insects which injure the foliage of plants, as Lygus lineolaris, which damages wheat and trees. — Plant cutter (Zoöl.), a South American passerine bird of the genus Phytotoma, family Phytotomidæ. It has a serrated bill with which it cuts off the young shoots and buds of plants, often doing much injury. — Plant louse (Zoöl.), any small hemipterous insect which infests plants, especially those of the families Aphidæ and Psyllidæ; an aphid.

PLANT
Plant, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planted; p. pr. & vb. n. Planting.] Etym:
[AS. plantian, L. plantare. See Plant, n.]

1. To put in the ground and cover, as seed for growth; as, to plant maize.

2. To set in the ground for growth, as a young tree, or a vegetable with roots. Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees. Deut. xvi. 21.

3. To furnish, or fit out, with plants; as, to plant a garden, an orchard, or a forest.

4. To engender; to generate; to set the germ of. It engenders choler, planteth anger. Shak.

5. To furnish with a fixed and organized population; to settle; to establish; as, to plant a colony. Planting of countries like planting of woods. Bacon.

6. To introduce and establish the principles or seeds of; as, to plant Christianity among the heathen.

7. To set firmly; to fix; to set and direct, or point; as, to plant cannon against a fort; to plant a standard in any place; to plant one's feet on solid ground; to plant one's fist in another's face.

8. To set up; to install; to instate. We will plant some other in the throne. Shak.

PLANT
Plant, v. i.

Defn: To perform the act of planting.
I have planted; Apollos watered. 1 Cor. iii. 6.

PLANTABLE
Plant"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being planted; fit to be planted. B. Edwards.

PLANTAGE
Plant"age, n.

Defn: A word used once by Shakespeare to designate plants in general, or anything that is planted. As true as steel, as plantage to the moon. Shak. (Troil. iii. sc. 2).

PLANTAIN Plan"tain, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plantain-arbre, plantanier, Sp. plántano, plátano; prob. same word as plane tree.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A treelike perennial herb (Musa paradisiaca) of tropical regions, bearing immense leaves and large clusters of the fruits called plantains. See Musa.

2. The fruit of this plant. It is long and somewhat cylindrical, slightly curved, and, when ripe, soft, fleshy, and covered with a thick but tender yellowish skin. The plantain is a staple article of food in most tropical countries, especially when cooked. Plantain cutter, or Plantain eater (Zoöl.), any one of several large African birds of the genus Musophaga, or family Musophagidæ, especially Musophaga violacea. See Turaco. They are allied to the cuckoos. — Plantain squirrel (Zoöl.), a Java squirrel (Sciurus plantani) which feeds upon plantains. — Plantain tree (Bot.), the treelike herb Musa paradisiaca. See def. 1 (above).

PLANTAIN
Plan"tain, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. plantago. Cf. Plant.] (Bot.)

Defn: Any plant of the genus Plantago, but especially the P. major, a low herb with broad spreading radical leaves, and slender spikes of minute flowers. It is a native of Europe, but now found near the abode of civilized man in nearly all parts of the world. Indian plantain. (Bot.) See under Indian. — Mud plantain, a homely North American aquatic plant (Heteranthera reniformis), having broad, reniform leaves. — Rattlesnake plantain, an orchidaceous plant (Goodyera pubescens), with the leaves blotched and spotted with white. — Ribwort plantain. See Ribwort. — Robin's plantain, the Erigeron bellidifolium, a common daisylike plant of North America. — Water plantain, a plant of the genus Alisma, having acrid leaves, and formerly regarded as a specific against hydrophobia. Loudon.

PLANTAL
Plant"al, a. Etym: [L. planta a plant.]

Defn: Belonging to plants; as, plantal life. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

PLANTAR
Plan"tar, a. Etym: [L. plantaris, fr. planta the sole of the foot.]
(Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the sole of the foot; as, the plantar arteries.

PLANTATION
Plan*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. plantatio: cf. F. plantation.]

1. The act or practice of planting, or setting in the earth for growth. [R.]

2. The place planted; land brought under cultivation; a piece of ground planted with trees or useful plants; esp., in the United States and West Indies, a large estate appropriated to the production of the more important crops, and cultivated by laborers who live on the estate; as, a cotton plantation; a coffee plantation.

3. An original settlement in a new country; a colony. While these plantations were forming in Connecticut. B. Trumbull.

PLANT-CANE
Plant"-cane`, n.

Defn: A stalk or shoot of sugar cane of the first growth from the cutting. The growth of the second and following years is of inferior quality, and is called rattoon.

PLANT-EATING
Plant"-eat`ing, a.

Defn: Eating, or subsisting on, plants; as, a plant-eating beetle.

PLANTED
Plant"ed, a. (Joinery)

Defn: Fixed in place, as a projecting member wrought on a separate piece of stuff; as, a planted molding.

PLANTER
Plant"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, plants or sows; as, a planterof corn; a machine planter.

2. One who owns or cultivates a plantation; as, a sugar planter; a coffee planter.

3. A colonist in a new or uncultivated territory; as, the first planters in Virginia.

PLANTERSHIP
Plant"er*ship, n.

Defn: The occupation or position of a planter, or the management of a plantation, as in the United States or the West Indies.

PLANTICLE
Plant"i*cle, n. Etym: [Dim. of Plant.]

Defn: A young plant, or plant in embryo. E. Darwin.

PLANTIGRADA
Plan`ti*gra"da, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A subdivision of Carnivora having plantigrade feet. It includes the bears, raccoons, and allied species.

PLANTIGRADE Plan"ti*grade, a. Etym: [L. planta sole of the foot + gradi to walk: cf. F. plantigrade.] (Zoöl.) (a) Walking on the sole of the foot; pertaining to the plantigrades. (b) Having the foot so formed that the heel touches the ground when the leg is upright.

PLANTIGRADE
Plan"ti*grade, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A plantigrade animal, or one that walks or steps on the sole of the foot, as man, and the bears.

PLANTING
Plant"ing, n.

1. The act or operation of setting in the ground for propagation, as seeds, trees, shrubs, etc.; the forming of plantations, as of trees; the carrying on of plantations, as of sugar, coffee, etc.

2. That which is planted; a plantation. Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. Isa. lxi. 3.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: The laying of the first courses of stone in a foundation.
[Eng.]

PLANTLESS
Plant"less, a.

Defn: Without plants; barren of vegetation.

PLANTLET
Plant"let, n.

Defn: A little plant.

PLANTOCRACY
Plan*toc"ra*cy, n. Etym: [Planter + -cracy, as in democracy.]

Defn: Government by planters; planters, collectively. [R.]

PLANTULE
Plant"ule, n. Etym: [F., dim. of plante a plant, L. planta.] (Bot.)

Defn: The embryo which has begun its development in the act of germination.

PLANULA
Plan"u*la, n.; pl. Planulæ. Etym: [L., a little plane.]

1. (Biol.)

Defn: In embryonic development, a vesicle filled with fluid, formed from the morula by the divergence of its cells in such a manner as to give rise to a central space, around which the cells arrange themselves as an envelope; an embryonic form intermediate between the morula and gastrula. Sometimes used as synonymous with gastrula.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The very young, free-swimming larva of the coelenterates. It usually has a flattened oval or oblong form, and is entirely covered with cilia.

PLANXTY
Planx"ty, n. Etym: [Cf. L. plangere to mourn aloud.] (Mus.)

Defn: An Irish or Welsh melody for the harp, sometimes of a mournful character.

PLAQUE
Plaque, n. Etym: [F. Cf. Plack, and see Placard.]

Defn: Any flat, thin piece of metal, clay, ivory, or the like, used for ornament, or for painting pictures upon, as a slab, plate, dish, or the like, hung upon a wall; also, a smaller decoration worn on the person, as a brooch.

PLAQUETTE
Pla`quette", n. [F., dim. of plaque plate, plaque. See Plaque.]

Defn: A small plaque, esp., in modern medal engraving, a small and delicate bas-relief, whether cast or struck from a die, or of form other than circular.

PLASH
Plash, n. Etym: [OD. plasch. See Plash, v.]

1. A small pool of standing water; a puddle. Bacon. "These shallow plashes." Barrow.

2. A dash of water; a splash.

PLASH
Plash, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Plashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Plashing.] Etym:
[Cf. D. plassen, G. platschen. Cf. Splash.]

Defn: To dabble in water; to splash. "Plashing among bedded pebbles."
Keats.
Far below him plashed the waters. Longfellow.

PLASH
Plash, v. t.

1. To splash, as water.

2. To splash or sprinkle with coloring matter; as, to plash a wall in imitation of granite.

PLASH
Plash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plashed (; p. pr. & vb. n. Plashing.]
Etym: [OF. plaissier, plessier, to bend. Cf. Pleach.]

Defn: To cut partly, or to bend and intertwine the branches of; as, to plash a hedge. Evelyn.

PLASH
Plash, n.

Defn: The branch of a tree partly cut or bent, and bound to, or intertwined with, other branches.

PLASHET
Plash"et, n. Etym: [Plash + -et.]

Defn: A small pond or pool; a puddle.

PLASHING
Plash"ing, n.

1. The cutting or bending and intertwining the branches of small trees, as in hedges.

2. The dashing or sprinkling of coloring matter on the walls of buildings, to imitate granite, etc.

PLASHOOT
Plash"oot, n.

Defn: A hedge or fence formed of branches of trees interlaced, or plashed. [Obs.] Carew.

PLASHY
Plash"y, a. Etym: [From 1st Plash.]

1. Watery; abounding with puddles; splashy. "Plashy fens." Milton. "The plashy earth." Wordsworth.

2. Specked, as if plashed with color. Keats.

PLASM Plasm, n. Etym: [L. plasma anything formed or molded, that which is molded, Gr. plasme. Cf. Plasma.]

1. A mold or matrix in which anything is cast or formed to a particular shape. [R.] Woodward.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: Same as Plasma.

PLASMA
Plas"ma, n. Etym: [See Plasm.]

1. (Min.)

Defn: A variety of quartz, of a color between grass green and leek green, which is found associated with common chalcedony. It was much esteemed by the ancients for making engraved ornaments.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: The viscous material of an animal or vegetable cell, out of which the various tissues are formed by a process of differentiation; protoplasm.

3. Unorganized material; elementary matter.

4. (Med.)

Defn: A mixture of starch and glycerin, used as a substitute for ointments. U. S. Disp. Blood plasma (Physiol.), the colorless fluid of the blood, in which the red and white blood corpuscles are suspended. — Muscle plasma (Physiol.), the fundamental part of muscle fibers, a thick, viscid, albuminous fluid contained within the sarcolemma, which on the death of the muscle coagulates to a semisolid mass.

PLASMATIC; PLASMATICAL
Plas*mat"ic, Plas*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.

1. Forming; shaping; molding. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to plasma; having the character of plasma; containing, or conveying, plasma.

PLASMATION
Plas*ma"tion, n. Etym: [L. plasmatio.]

Defn: The act of forming or molding. [R.] Grafton.

PLASMATOR
Plas*ma"tor, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: A former; a fashioner. [R.] "The sovereign plasmator, God
Almighty." Urquhart.

PLASMATURE
Plas"ma*ture, n.

Defn: Form; mold. [R.]

PLASMIC
Plas"mic, a.

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or connected with, plasma; plasmatic.

Defn: A piece of DNA, usually circular, functioning as part of the genetic material of a cell, not integrated with the chromosome and replicating independently of the chromosome, but transferred, like the chromosome, to subsequent generations. In bacteria, plasmids often carry the genes for antibiotic resistance; they are exploited in genetic engineering as the vehicles for introduction of extraneous DNA into cells, to alter the genetic makeup of the cell. The cells thus altered may produce desirable proteins which are extracted and used; in the case of genetically altered plant cells, the altered cells may grow into complete plants with changed properties, as for example, increased resistance to disease. .

PLASMIN
Plas"min, n. (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: A proteid body, separated by some physiologists from blood plasma. It is probably identical with fibrinogen.

PLASMODIAL
Plas*mo"di*al, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to, or like, a plasmodium; as, the plasmodial form of a life cycle.

PLASMODIUM
Plas*mo"di*um, n.; pl. Plasmodia. Etym: [NL. See Plasma.]

1. (Biol.)

Defn: A jellylike mass of free protoplasm, without any union of amoeboid cells, and endowed with life and power of motion.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A naked mobile mass of protoplasm, formed by the union of several amoebalike young, and constituting one of the stages in the life cycle of Mycetozoa and other low organisms.

PLASMOGEN
Plas"mo*gen, n. Etym: [Plasma + -gen.] (Biol.)

Defn: The important living portion of protoplasm, considered a chemical substance of the highest elaboration. Germ plasm and idioplasm are forms of plasmogen.

PLASMON; PLASMON BUTTER
Plas"mon, n. [Cf. Plasma.]

Defn: A flourlike food preparation made from skim milk, and consisting essentially of the unaltered proteid of milk. It is also used in making biscuits and crackers, for mixing with cocoa, etc. A mixture of this with butter, water, and salt is called Plasmon butter, and resembles clotted cream in appearance.

PLASSON
Plas"son, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: The albuminous material composing the body of a cytode.

Note: It is considered simpler than protoplasm of an ordinary cell in that it has not undergone differentiation into the inner cell nucleus and the outer cell substance. Haeckel.

PLASTER
Plas"ter, n. Etym: [AS., a plaster (in sense 1), fr. L. emplastrum,
Gr. plastre a plaster (in sense 2), F. plâtre. Cf. Plastic,
Emplaster, Piaster.] [Formerly written also plaister.]

1. (Med.)

Defn: An external application of a consistency harder than ointment, prepared for use by spreading it on linen, leather, silk, or other material. It is adhesive at the ordinary temperature of the body, and is used, according to its composition, to produce a medicinal effect, to bind parts together, etc.; as, a porous plaster; sticking plaster.

2. A composition of lime, water, and sand, with or without hair as a bond, for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions of houses. See Mortar.

3. Calcined gypsum, or plaster of Paris, especially when ground, as used for making ornaments, figures, moldings, etc.; or calcined gypsum used as a fertilizer. Plaster cast, a copy of an object obtained by pouring plaster of Paris mixed with water into a mold. — Plaster of Paris. Etym: [So called because originally brought from a suburb of Paris.] (Chem.) Anhydrous calcium sulphate, or calcined gypsum, which forms with water a paste which soon sets or hardens, and is used for casts, moldings, etc. The term is loosely applied to any plaster stone or species of gypsum. — Plaster of Paris bandage (Surg.), a bandage saturated with a paste of plaster of Paris, which on drying forms a perfectly fitting splint. — Plaster stone, any species of gypsum. See Gypsum.

PLASTER
Plas"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plastered; p. pr. & vb. n. Plastering.]
Etym: [Cf. OF. plastrer to plaster (in sense 2), F. plâtrer.]

1. To cover with a plaster, as a wound or sore.

2. To overlay or cover with plaster, as the ceilings and walls of a house.

3. Fig.: To smooth over; to cover or conceal the defects of; to hide, as with a covering of plaster. Bale.

PLASTERER
Plas"ter*er, n.

1. One who applies plaster or mortar. "Thy father was a plasterer." Shak.

2. One who makes plaster casts. "The plasterer doth make his figures by addition." Sir H. Wotton.

PLASTERING
Plas"ter*ing, n.

1. Same as Plaster, n., 2.

2. The act or process of overlaying with plaster.

3. A covering of plaster; plasterwork.

PLASTERLY
Plas"ter*ly, a.

Defn: Resembling plaster of Paris. [R.] "Out of gypseous or plasterly ground." Fuller.

PLASTERWORK
Plas"ter*work`, n.

Defn: Plastering used to finish architectural constructions, exterior or interior, especially that used for the lining of rooms. Ordinarly, mortar is used for the greater part of the work, and pure plaster of Paris for the moldings and ornaments.

PLASTERY
Plas"ter*y, a.

Defn: Of the nature of plaster.
The stone . . . is a poor plastery material. Clough.

-PLASTIC -plas"tic. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A combining form signifying developing, forming, growing; as, heteroplastic, monoplastic, polyplastic.

PLASTIC
Plas"tic, a. Etym: [L. plasticus, Gr. plastique.]

1. Having the power to give form or fashion to a mass of matter; as, the plastic hand of the Creator. Prior. See plastic Nature working to his end. Pope.

2. Capable of being molded, formed, or modeled, as clay or plaster; - - used also figuratively; as, the plastic mind of a child.

3. Pertaining or appropriate to, or characteristic of, molding or modeling; produced by, or appearing as if produced by, molding or modeling; — said of sculpture and the kindred arts, in distinction from painting and the graphic arts. Medallions . . . fraught with the plastic beauty and grace of the palmy days of Italian art. J. S. Harford. Plastic clay (Geol.), one of the beds of the Eocene period; — so called because used in making pottery. Lyell. — Plastic element (Physiol.), one that bears within the germs of a higher form. — Plastic exudation (Med.), an exudation thrown out upon a wounded surface and constituting the material of repair by which the process of healing is effected. — Plastic foods. (Physiol.) See the second Note under Food. — Plastic force. (Physiol.) See under Force. — Plastic operation, an operation in plastic surgery. — Plastic surgery, that branch of surgery which is concerned with the repair or restoration of lost, injured, or deformed parts of the body.

Defn: a substance composed predominantly of a synthetic organic high polymer capable of being cast or molded; many varieties of plastic are used to produce articles of commerce (after 1900). [MW10 gives origin of word as 1905]

PLASTICAL
Plas"tic*al, a.

Defn: See Plastic. [R.]

PLASTICALLY
Plas"tic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a plastic manner.

PLASTICITY
Plas*tic"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plasticité.]

1. The quality or state of being plastic.

2. (Physiol.)

Defn: Plastic force. Dunglison.

PLASTID; PLASTIDE
Plas"tid, Plas"tide, n. Etym: [Gr.

1. (Biol.)

Defn: A formative particle of albuminous matter; a monad; a cytode.
See the Note under Morphon. Haeckel.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: One of the many minute granules found in the protoplasm of vegetable cells. They are divided by their colors into three classes, chloroplastids, chromoplastids, and leucoplastids.

PLASTIDOZOA
Plas`ti*do*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Protoza.

PLASTIDULE
Plas"ti*dule, n. Etym: [Dim. fr. Plastid.] (Biol.)

Defn: One of the small particles or organic molecules of protoplasm.
Haeckel.

PLASTIN
Plas"tin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: A substance associated with nuclein in cell nuclei, and by some considered as the fundamental substance of the nucleus.

PLASTOGRAPHY
Plas*tog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr.

1. The art of forming figures in any plastic material.

2. Imitation of handwriting; forgery.

PLASTRON Plas"tron, n. Etym: [F. plastron breastplate, plastron, LL. plastra a thin plate of metal. See Plaster.]

1. A piece of leather stuffed or padded, worn by fencers to protect the breast. Dryden.

3. (Anc. Armor)

Defn: An iron breastplate, worn under the hauberk.

3. (Anat.)

Defn: The ventral shield or shell of tortoises and turtles. See
Testudinata.

4. A trimming for the front of a woman's dress, made of a different material, and narrowing from the shoulders to the waist.

-PLASTY -plas"ty. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A combining form denoting the act or process of forming, development, growth; as, autoplasty, perineoplasty.

PLAT
Plat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Platted; p. pr. & vb. n. Platting.] Etym:
[See Plait.]

Defn: To form by interlaying interweaving; to braid; to plait. "They had platted a crown of thorns." Matt. xxvii. 29.

PLAT
Plat, n.

Defn: Work done by platting or braiding; a plait.
Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat. Shak.

PLAT
Plat, n. Etym: [Cf. Plat flat, which perh. caused this spelling, and
Plot a piece of ground.]

Defn: A small piece or plot of ground laid out with some design, or
for a special use; usually, a portion of flat, even ground.
This flowery plat, the sweet recess of Eve. Milton.
I keep smooth plat of fruitful ground. Tennyson.

PLAT
Plat, v. t.

Defn: To lay out in plats or plots, as ground.

PLAT
Plat, a. Etym: [F. plat. See Plate, n.]

Defn: Plain; flat; level. [Obs.] Gower.

PLAT
Plat, adv.

1. Plainly; flatly; downright. [Obs.] But, sir, ye lie, I tell you plat. Rom. of R.

2. Flatly; smoothly; evenly. [Obs.] Drant.

PLAT
Plat, n.

1. The flat or broad side of a sword. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer.

2. A plot; a plan; a design; a diagram; a map; a chart. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] "To note all the islands, and to set them down in plat." Hakluyt.

PLATAN Plat"an, n. Etym: [L. platanus. See Plane the tree.] [Written also platane.]

Defn: The plane tree. Tennyson.

PLATANIST
Plat"a*nist, n. Etym: [L. platanista a sort of fish, Gr. plataniste.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: The soosoo.

PLATANUS
Plat"a*nus, n. Etym: [See Plane the tree.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of trees; the plane tree.

PLATBAND Plat"band`, n. Etym: [F. plate-bande; plat, plate, flat, level + bande a band.]

1. A border of flowers in a garden, along a wall or a parterre; hence, a border.

2. (Arch.) (a) A flat molding, or group of moldings, the width of which much exceeds its projection, as the face of an architrave. (b) A list or fillet between the flutings of a column.

PLATE Plate, n. Etym: [OF. plate a plate of metal, a cuirsas, F. plat a plate, a shallow vessel of silver, other metal, or earth, fr. plat flat, Gr. Place, n.]

1. A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.

2. Metallic armor composed of broad pieces. Mangled . . . through plate and mail. Milton.

3. Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver.

4. Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is genuine silver or gold.

5. A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.

6. Etym: [Cf. Sp. plata silver.]

Defn: A piece of money, usually silver money. [Obs.] "Realms and islands were as plates dropp'd from his pocket." Shak.

7. A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate.

8. A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates.

9. That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc.

10. (Arch.)

Defn: A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters.

11. (Her.)

Defn: A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.

12. (Photog.)

Defn: A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light.

13. A prize giving to the winner in a contest.

Note: Plate is sometimes used in an adjectival sense or in combination, the phrase or compound being in most cases of obvious signification; as, plate basket or plate-basket, plate rack or plate- rack. Home plate. (Baseball) See Home base, under Home. — Plate armor. (a) See Plate, n., 2. (b) Strong metal plates for protecting war vessels, fortifications, and the like. — Plate bone, the shoulder blade, or scapula. — Plate girder, a girder, the web of which is formed of a single vertical plate, or of a series of such plates riveted together. — Plate glass. See under Glass. — Plate iron, wrought iron plates. — Plate layer, a workman who lays down the rails of a railway and fixes them to the sleepers or ties. — Plate mark, a special mark or emblematic figure stamped upon gold or silver plate, to indicate the place of manufacture, the degree of purity, and the like; thus, the local mark for London is a lion. — Plate paper, a heavy spongy paper, for printing from engraved plates. Fairholt. — Plate press, a press with a flat carriage and a roller, — used for printing from engraved steel or copper plates. — Plate printer, one who prints from engraved plates. — Plate printing, the act or process of printing from an engraved plate or plates. — Plate tracery. (Arch.) See under Tracery. — Plate wheel (Mech.), a wheel, the rim and hub of which are connected by a continuous plate of metal, instead of by arms or spokes.

PLATE
Plate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plated; p. pr. & vb. n. Plating.]

1. To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.

2. To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense. Thus plated in habiliments of war. Shak.

3. To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness.

4. To beat into thin, flat pieces, or laminæ.

5. To calender; as, to plate paper.

PLATEAU Pla*teau", n.; pl. F. Plateaux (F. , E. Plateaus. Etym: [F., fr. OF. platel, properly a little plate. See Plate.]

1. A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table-land.

2. An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.

PLATEFUL
Plate"ful, n.; pl. Platefuls (.

Defn: Enough to fill a plate; as much as a plate will hold.

PLATE-GILLED
Plate"-gilled`, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having flat, or leaflike, gills, as the bivalve mollusks.

PLATEL
Pla"tel, n. Etym: [OF. See Plateau.]

Defn: A small dish.

PLATEN Plat"en, n. Etym: [F. platine, fr. plat flat. See Plate, and cf. Platin.] (Mach.) (a) The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made. (b) Hence, an analogous part of a typewriter, on which the paper rests to receive an impression. (c) The movable table of a machine tool, as a planer, on which the work is fastened, and presented to the action of the tool; — also called table.

PLATER
Plat"er, n.

Defn: One who plates or coats articles with gold or silver; as, a silver plater.

2. A machine for calendering paper.

PLATERESQUE
Plat`er*esque", a. Etym: [Sp. resco, from plata silver.] (Arch.)

Defn: Resembling silver plate; — said of certain architectural ornaments.

PLATETROPE
Plat"e*trope, n. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: One of a pair of a paired organs.

PLATFORM
Plat"form`, n. Etym: [Plat, a. + -form: cf. F. plateforme.]

1. A plat; a plan; a sketch; a model; a pattern. Used also figuratively. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. A place laid out after a model. [Obs.] lf the platform just reflects the order. Pope.

3. Any flat or horizontal surface; especially, one that is raised above some particular level, as a framework of timber or boards horizontally joined so as to form a roof, or a raised floor, or portion of a floor; a landing; a dais; a stage, for speakers, performers, or workmen; a standing place.

4. A declaration of the principles upon which a person, a sect, or a party proposes to stand; a declared policy or system; as, the Saybrook platform; a political platform. "The platform of Geneva." Hooker.

5. (Naut.)

Defn: A light deck, usually placed in a section of the hold or over the floor of the magazine. See Orlop. Platform car, a railway car without permanent raised sides or covering; a f — Platform scale, a weighing machine, with a flat platform on which objects are weighed.

PLATFORM
Plat"form`, v. t.

1. To place on a platform. [R.]

2. To form a plan of; to model; to lay out. [Obs.] Church discipline is platformed in the Bible. Milton.

PLATHELMINTH
Plat*hel"minth, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Platyelminthes.

PLATHELMINTHES
Plat`hel*min"thes, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Platyelminthes.

PLATIN
Plat"in, n. (Mach.)

Defn: See Platen.

PLATINA
Plat"i*na, n. Etym: [Sp. or NL. See Platinum.] (Chem.)

Defn: Platinum. Platina mohr, platinum black.
— Platina yellow, a pigment prepared from platinum.

PLATING
Plat"ing, n.

1. The art or process of covering anything with a plate or plates, or with metal, particularly of overlaying a base or dull metal with a thin plate of precious or bright metal, as by mechanical means or by electro-magnetic deposition.

2. A thin coating of metal laid upon another metal.

3. A coating or defensive armor of metal (usually steel) plates.

PLATINIC
Pla*tin"ic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or containing, platinum; — used specifically to designate those compounds in which the element has a higher valence, as contrasted with the platinous compounds; as, platinic chloride (PtCl4).

PLATINICHLORIC
Plat`i*ni*chlo"ric, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid consisting of platinic chloride and hydrochloric acid, and obtained as a brownish red crystalline substance, called platinichloric, or chloroplatinic, acid.

PLATINIFEROUS
Plat`i*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Platinum + -ferous.]

Defn: Yielding platinum; as, platiniferous sand.

PLATINIRIDIUM
Plat`i*ni*rid"i*um, n. (Chem. & Min.)

Defn: A natural alloy of platinum and iridium occurring in grayish metallic rounded or cubical grains with platinum.

PLATINIZE
Plat"i*nize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Platinized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Platinizing.]

Defn: To cover or combine with platinum.

PLATINOCHLORIC
Plat`i*no*chlo"ric, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid consisting of platinous chloride and hydrochloric acid, called platinochloric, or chloroplatinous, acid.

PLATINOCHLORIDE
Plat`i*no*chlo"ride, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A double chloride of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinochloric acid.

PLATINOCYANIC
Plat`i*no*cy*an"ic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid compound of platinous cyanide and hydrocyanic acid. It is obtained as a cinnaber-red crystalline substance.

PLATINOCYANIDE
Plat`i*no*cy"a*nide, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A double cyanide of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinocyanic acid.

PLATINODE
Plat"i*node, n. Etym: [Platinum + Gr. (Physics)

Defn: A cathode. [R.]

PLATINOID
Plat"i*noid, a. Etym: [Platinum + -oid.]

Defn: Resembling platinum.

PLATINOID
Plat"i*noid, n. (Chem.)

Defn: An alloy of German silver containing tungsten; — used for forming electrical resistance coils and standards.

PLATINOTYPE
Plat"i*no*type, n. Etym: [Platinum + -type.] (Photog.)

1. A permanent photographic picture or print in platinum black.

2. The process by which such pictures are produced.

PLATINOUS
Plat"i*nous, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or containing, platinum; — used specifically to designate those compounds in which the element has a lower valence, as contrasted with the platinic compounds; as, platinous chloride (PtCl2).

PLATINUM Plat"i*num, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Sp. platina, from plata silver, LL. plata a thin plate of metal. See Plate, and cf. Platina.] (Chem.)

Defn: A metallic element, intermediate in value between silver and gold, occurring native or alloyed with other metals, also as the platinum arsenide (sperrylite). It is heavy tin-white metal which is ductile and malleable, but very infusible, and characterized by its resistance to strong chemical reagents. It is used for crucibles, for stills for sulphuric acid, rarely for coin, and in the form of foil and wire for many purposes. Specific gravity 21.5. Atomic weight 194.3. Symbol Pt. Formerly called platina. Platinum black (Chem.), a soft, dull black powder, consisting of finely divided metallic platinum obtained by reduction and precipitation from its solutions. It absorbs oxygen to a high degree, and is employed as an oxidizer. — Platinum lamp (Elec.), a kind of incandescent lamp of which the luminous medium is platinum. See under Incandescent. — Platinum metals (Chem.), the group of metallic elements which in their chemical and physical properties resemble platinum. These consist of the light platinum group, viz., rhodium, ruthenium, and palladium, whose specific gravities are about 12; and the heavy platinum group, viz., osmium, iridium, and platinum, whose specific gravities are over 21. — Platinum sponge (Chem.), metallic platinum in a gray, porous, spongy form, obtained by reducing the double chloride of platinum and ammonium. It absorbs oxygen, hydrogen, and certain other gases, to a high degree, and is employed as an agent in oxidizing.

PLATITUDE
Plat"i*tude, n. Etym: [F., from plat flat. See Plate.]

1. The quality or state of being flat, thin, or insipid; flat commonness; triteness; staleness of ideas of language. To hammer one golden grain of wit into a sheet of infinite platitude. Motley.

2. A thought or remark which is flat, dull, trite, or weak; a truism; a commonplace.

PLATITUDINARIAN
Plat`i*tu`di*na"ri*an, n.

Defn: One addicted to uttering platitudes, or stale and insipid truisms. "A political platitudinarian." G. Eliot.

PLATITUDINIZE
Plat`i*tu"di*nize, v. i.

Defn: To utter platitudes or truisms.

PLATITUDINOUS
Plat`i*tu"di*nous, a.

Defn: Abounding in platitudes; of the nature of platitudes; uttering
platitudes.
— Plat`i*tu"di*nous*ness, n.

PLATLY
Plat"ly, a.

Defn: Flatly. See Plat, a. [Obs.]

PLATNESS
Plat"ness, n.

Defn: Flatness. [Obs.] Palsgrave.

PLATOMETER
Pla*tom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.]

Defn: See Planimeter.

PLATONIC; PLATONICAL
Pla*ton"ic, Pla*ton"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. Platonicus, Gr. platonique.]

1. Of or pertaining to Plato, or his philosophy, school, or opinions.

2. Pure, passionless; nonsexual; philosophical. Platonic bodies, the five regular geometrical solids; namely, the tetrahedron, hexahedron or cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron. — Platonic love, a pure, spiritual affection, subsisting between persons of opposite sex, unmixed with carnal desires, and regarding the mind only and its excellences; — a species of love for which Plato was a warm advocate. — Platonic year (Astron.), a period of time determined by the revolution of the equinoxes, or the space of time in which the stars and constellations return to their former places in respect to the equinoxes; — called also great year. This revolution, which is caused by the precession of the equinoxes, is accomplished in about 26,000 years. Barlow.

PLATONIC
Pla*ton"ic, n.

Defn: A follower of Plato; a Platonist.

PLATONICALLY
Pla*ton"ic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a Platonic manner.

PLATONISM
Pla"to*nism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. Platonisme.]

1. The doctrines or philosophy by Plato or of his followers.

Note: Plato believed God to be an infinitely wise, just, and powerful Spirit; and also that he formed the visible universe out of preëxistent amorphous matter, according to perfect patterns of ideas eternally existent in his own mind. Philosophy he considered as being a knowledge of the true nature of things, as discoverable in those eternal ideas after which all things were fashioned. In other words, it is the knowledge of what is eternal, exists necessarily, and is unchangeable; not of the temporary, the dependent, and changeable; and of course it is not obtained through the senses; neither is it the product of the understanding, which concerns itself only with the variable and transitory; nor is it the result of experience and observation; but it is the product of our reason, which, as partaking of the divine nature, has innate ideas resembling the eternal ideas of God. By contemplating these innate ideas, reasoning about them, and comparing them with their copies in the visible universe, reason can attain that true knowledge of things which is called philosophy. Plato's professed followers, the Academics, and the New Platonists, differed considerably from him, yet are called Platonists. Murdock.

2. An elevated rational and ethical conception of the laws and forces of the universe; sometimes, imaginative or fantastic philosophical notions.

PLATONIST
Pla"to*nist, n.

Defn: One who adheres to the philosophy of Plato; a follower of
Plato. Hammond.

PLATONIZE
Pla"to*nize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Platonized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Platonizing.]

Defn: To adopt the opinion of Plato or his followers. Milner.

PLATONIZE
Pla"to*nize, v. t.

Defn: To explain by, or accomodate to, the Platonic philosophy.
Enfield.

PLATONIZER
Pla"to*ni`zer, n.

Defn: One who Platonizes.

PLATOON Pla*toon", n. Etym: [F. peloton a ball of thread, a knot or group of men, a platoon, from pelote a ball formed of things wound round. See Pellet.] (Mil.) (a) Formerly, a body of men who fired together; also, a small square body of soldiers to strengthen the angles of a hollow square. (b) Now, in the United States service, half of a company.

PLATT
Platt, n. (Mining)

Defn: See Lodge, n. Raymond.

PLATTDEUTSCH
Platt"deutsch`, n.

Defn: The modern dialects spoken in the north of Germany, taken collectively; modern Low German. See Low German, under German.

PLATTEN
Plat"ten, v. t. Etym: [See Plat, a.] (Glass Making)

Defn: To flatten and make into sheets or plates; as, to platten cylinder glass.

PLATTER
Plat"ter, n. Etym: [From Plat to braid.]

Defn: One who plats or braids.

PLATTER
Plat"ter, n. Etym: [Probably fr. OF. platel, F. plateau. See
Plateau.]

Defn: A large plate or shallow dish on which meat or other food is
brought to the table.
The attendants . . . speedly brought in several large, smoking
platters, filled with huge pieces of beef. Sir W. Scott.

PLATTER-FACED
Plat"ter-faced`, a.

Defn: Having a broad, flat face.

PLATTING
Plat"ting, n.

Defn: Plaited strips or bark, cane, straw, etc., used for making hats or the like.

PLATY
Plat"y, a.

Defn: Like a plate; consisting of plates.

PLATY-
Plat"y-.

Defn: A combining form from Gr. platy`s broad, wide, flat; as, platypus, platycephalous.

PLATYCEPHALIC; PLATYCEPHALOUS
Plat`y*ce*phal"ic, Plat`y*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Platy + Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Broad-headed.

PLATYCNEMIC
Plat`yc*ne"mic, a. Etym: [Platy + Gr. platycnémique.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of, relating to, or characterized by, platycnemism.

PLATYCNEMISM
Pla*tyc"ne*mism, n. (Anat.)

Defn: Lateral flattening of the tibia.

PLATYCOELIAN
Plat`y*coe"li*an, a. Etym: [Platy + Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Flat at the anterior and concave at the posterior end; — said of the centra of the vertebræ of some extinct dinouaurs.

PLATYELMINTHES
Plat`y*el*min"thes, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Platy-, and Helminthes.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: A class of helminthes including the cestodes, or tapeworms, the trematodes, and the turbellarians. Called also flatworms.

PLATYHELMIA
Plat`y*hel"mi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Platyelminthes. [Written also Platyelmia.]

PLATYMETER
Pla*tym"e*ter, n. Etym: [Platy + -meter.] (Elec.)

Defn: An apparatus for measuring the capacity of condensers, or the inductive capacity of dielectrics.

PLATYPOD
Plat"y*pod, n. Etym: [Platy + -pod.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An animal having broad feet, or a broad foot.

PLATYPODA
Pla*typ"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Prosobranchiata.

PLATYPTERA
Pla*typ"te*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of Pseudoneuroptera including the species which have four broad, flat wings, as the termites, or white-ants, and the stone flies (Perla).

PLATYPUS
Plat"y*pus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The duck mole. See under Duck.

PLATYRHINE
Plat"y*rhine, a. Etym: [Platy + Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Having the nose broad; — opposed to Ant: leptorhine.
— n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Platyrhini.

PLATYRHINI
Plat`y*rhi"ni, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of monkeys, including the American species, which have a broad nasal septum, thirty-six teeth, and usually a prehensile tail. See Monkey. [Written also Platyrrhini.]

PLAUD
Plaud, v. t.

Defn: To applaud. [Obs.] Chapman.

PLAUDIT Plau"dit, n. Etym: [From L. plaudite do ye praise (which was said by players at the end of a performance), 2d pers. pl. imperative of plaudere. Cf. Plausible.]

Defn: A mark or expression of applause; praise bestowed.
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng. Longfellow.

Syn. — Acclamation; applause; encomium; commendation; approbation; approval.

PLAUDITORY
Plau"di*to*ry, a.

Defn: Applauding; commending.

PLAUSIBILITY
Plau`si*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plausibilité.]

1. Something worthy of praise. [Obs.] Integrity, fidelity, and other gracious plausibilities. E. Vaughan.

2. The quality of being plausible; speciousness. To give any plausibility to a scheme. De Quincey.

3. Anything plausible or specious. R. Browning.

PLAUSIBLE Plau"si*ble, a. Etym: [L. plausibilis praiseworthy, from plaudere, plausum, to applaud, clap the hands, strike, beat.]

1. Worthy of being applauded; praiseworthy; commendable; ready. [Obs.] Bp. Hacket.

2. Obtaining approbation; specifically pleasing; apparently right; specious; as, a plausible pretext; plausible manners; a plausible delusion. "Plausible and popular arguments." Clarendon.

3. Using specious arguments or discourse; as, a plausible speaker.

Syn. — Plausible, Specious. Plausible denotes that which seems reasonable, yet leaves distrust in the judgment. Specious describes that which presents a fair appearance to the view and yet covers something false. Specious refers more definitely to the act or purpose of false representation; plausible has more reference to the effect on the beholder or hearer. An argument may by specious when it is not plausible because its sophistry is so easily discovered.

PLAUSIBLEIZE
Plau"si*ble*ize, v. t.

Defn: To render plausible. [R.]

PLAUSIBLENESS
Plau"si*ble*ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being plausible.

PLAUSIBLY
Plau"si*bly, adv.

1. In a plausible manner.

2. Contentedly, readily. [Obs.] The Romans plausibly did give consent. Shak.

PLAUSIVE
Plau"sive, a. Etym: [L. plaudere, plausum, to applaud.]

1. Applauding; manifesting praise. Young.

2. Plausible, specious. [Obs.] Shak.

PLAY Play, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Played; p. pr. & vb. n. Playing.] Etym: [OE. pleien, AS. plegian, plegan, to play, akin to plega play, game, quick motion, and probably to OS. plegan to promise, pledge, D. plegen to care for, attend to, be wont, G. pflegen; of unknown origin. sq. root28. Cf. Plight, n.]

1. To engage in sport or lively recreation; to exercise for the sake of amusement; to frolic; to spot. As Cannace was playing in her walk. Chaucer. The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day, Had he thy reason, would he skip and play! Pope. And some, the darlings of their Lord, Play smiling with the flame and sword. Keble.

2. To act with levity or thoughtlessness; to trifle; to be careless. "Nay," quod this monk, "I have no lust to pleye." Chaucer. Men are apt to play with their healths. Sir W. Temple.

3. To contend, or take part, in a game; as, to play ball; hence, to gamble; as, he played for heavy stakes.

4. To perform on an instrument of music; as, to play on a flute. One that . . . can play well on an instrument. Ezek. xxxiii. 32. Play, my friend, and charm the charmer. Granville.

5. To act; to behave; to practice deception. His mother played false with a smith. Shak.

6. To move in any manner; especially, to move regularly with alternate or reciprocating motion; to operate; to act; as, the fountain plays. The heart beats, the blood circulates, the lungs play. Cheyne.

7. To move gayly; to wanton; to disport. Even as the waving sedges play with wind. Shak. The setting sun Plays on their shining arms and burnished helmets. Addison. All fame is foreign but of true desert, Plays round the head, but comes not to the heart. Pope.

8. To act on the stage; to personate a character. A lord will hear your play to-night. Shak. Courts are theaters where some men play. Donne. To play into a person's hands, to act, or to manage matters, to his advantage or benefit. — To play off, to affect; to feign; to practice artifice. — To play upon. (a) To make sport of; to deceive. Art thou alive Or is it fantasy that plays upon our eyesight. Shak. (b) To use in a droll manner; to give a droll expression or application to; as, to play upon words.

PLAY
Play, v. t.

1. To put in action or motion; as, to play cannon upon a fortification; to play a trump. First Peace and Silence all disputes control, Then Order plays the soul. Herbert.

2. To perform music upon; as, to play the flute or the organ.

3. To perform, as a piece of music, on an instrument; as, to play a waltz on the violin.

4. To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute; as, to play tricks. Nature here Wantoned as in her prime, and played at will Her virgin fancies. Milton.

5. To act or perform (a play); to represent in music action; as, to play a comedy; also, to act in the character of; to represent by acting; to simulate; to behave like; as, to play King Lear; to play the woman. Thou canst play the rational if thou wilt. Sir W. Scott.

6. To engage in, or go together with, as a contest for amusement or for a wager or prize; as, to play a game at baseball.

7. To keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it. To play off, to display; to show; to put in exercise; as, to play off tricks. — To play one's cards, to manage one's means or opportunities; to contrive. — Played out, tired out; exhausted; at the end of one's resources. [Colloq.]

PLAY
Play, n.

1. Amusement; sport; frolic; gambols.

2. Any exercise, or series of actions, intended for amusement or diversion; a game. John naturally loved rough play. Arbuthnot.

3. The act or practice of contending for victory, amusement, or a prize, as at dice, cards, or billiards; gaming; as, to lose a fortune in play.

4. Action; use; employment; exercise; practice; as, fair play; sword play; a play of wit. "The next who comes in play." Dryden.

5. A dramatic composition; a comedy or tragedy; a composition in which characters are represented by dialogue and action. A play ought to be a just image of human nature. Dryden.

6. The representation or exhibition of a comedy or tragedy; as, he attends ever play.

7. Performance on an instrument of music.

8. Motion; movement, regular or irregular; as, the play of a wheel or piston; hence, also, room for motion; free and easy action. "To give them play, front and rear." Milton. The joints are let exactly into one another, that they have no play between them. Moxon.

9. Hence, liberty of acting; room for enlargement or display; scope;
as, to give full play to mirth. Play actor, an actor of dramas.
Prynne.
— Play debt, a gambling debt. Arbuthnot.
— Play pleasure, idle amusement. [Obs.] Bacon.
— A play upon words, the use of a word in such a way as to be
capable of double meaning; punning.
— Play of colors, prismatic variation of colors.
— To bring into play, To come into play, to bring or come into use
or exercise.
— To hold in play, to keep occupied or employed.
I, with two more to help me, Will hold the foe in play. Macaulay.

PLAYA
Pla"ya, n. Etym: [Sp.]

Defn: A beach; a strand; in the plains and deserts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, a broad, level spot, on which subsequently becomes dry by evaporation. Bartlett.

PLAYBILL
Play"bill`, n.

Defn: A printed programme of a play, with the parts assigned to the actors.

PLAYBOOK
Play"book`, n.

Defn: A book of dramatic compositions; a book of the play. Swift.

PLAYDAY
Play"day`, n.

Defn: A day given to play or diversion; a holiday. Swift.

PLAYER
Play"er, n.

1. One who plays, or amuses himself; one without serious aims; an idler; a trifler. Shak.

2. One who plays any game.

3. A dramatic actor. Shak.

4. One who plays on an instrument of music. "A cunning player on a harp." 1 Sam. xvi. 16.

5. A gamester; a gambler.

PLAYFELLOW
Play"fel`low, n.

Defn: A companion in amusements or sports; a playmate. Shak.

PLAYFERE
Play"fere`, n. Etym: [Play + 1st fere.]

Defn: A playfellow. [Obs.] [Also, playfeer, playphere.] Holinsheld.

PLAYFUL
Play"ful, a.

Defn: Sportive; gamboling; frolicsome; indulging a sportive fancy;
humorous; merry; as, a playful child; a playful writer.
— Play"ful*ly, adv.
— Play"ful*ness, n.

PLAYGAME
Play"game`, n.

Defn: Play of children. Locke.

PLAYGOER
Play"go`er, n.

Defn: One who frequents playhouses, or attends dramatic performances.

PLAYGOING
Play"go`ing, a.

Defn: Frequenting playhouses; as, the playgoing public.
— n.

Defn: The practice of going to plays.

PLAYGROUND
Play"ground`, n.

Defn: A piece of ground used for recreation; as, the playground of a school.

PLAYHOUSE
Play"house`, n. Etym: [AS. pleghus.]

1. A building used for dramatic exhibitions; a theater. Shak.

2. A house for children to play in; a toyhouse.

PLAYING
Play"ing,

Defn: a. & vb. n. of Play. Playing cards. See under Card.

PLAYMAKER
Play"mak`er, n.

Defn: A playwright. [R.]

PLAYMATE
Play"mate`, n.

Defn: A companion in diversions; a playfellow.

PLAYSOME
Play"some, a.

Defn: Playful; wanton; sportive. [R.] R. Browning.
— Play"some*ness, n. [R.]

PLAYTE
Playte, n. (Naut.)

Defn: See Pleyt.

PLAYTHING
Play"thing`, n.

Defn: A thing to play with; a toy; anything that serves to amuse. A child knows his nurse, and by degrees the playthings of a little more advanced age. Locke.

PLAYTIME
Play"time`, n.

Defn: Time for play or diversion.

PLAYWRIGHT
Play"wright`, n.

Defn: A maker or adapter of plays.

PLAYWRITER
Play"writ`er, n.

Defn: A writer of plays; a dramatist; a playwright. Lecky.

PLAZA
Pla"za, n. Etym: [Sp. See Place.]

Defn: A public square in a city or town.

PLEA Plea, n. Etym: [OE. plee, plai, plait, fr. OF. plait, plaid, plet, LL. placitum judgment, decision, assembly, court, fr. L. placitum that which is pleasing, an opinion, sentiment, from placere to please. See Please, and cf. Placit, Plead.]

1. (Law)

Defn: That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause; in a stricter sense, an allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer; in a still more limited sense, and in modern practice, the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's declaration and demand. That which the plaintiff alleges in his declaration is answered and repelled or justified by the defendant's plea. In chancery practice, a plea is a special answer showing or relying upon one or more things as a cause why the suit should be either dismissed, delayed, or barred. In criminal practice, the plea is the defendant's formal answer to the indictment or information presented against him.

2. (Law)

Defn: A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas. See
under Common.
The Supreme Judicial Court shall have cognizance of pleas real,
personal, and mixed. Laws of Massachusetts.

3. That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification; an excuse; an apology. "Necessity, the tyrant's plea." Milton. No plea must serve; 't is cruelty to spare. Denham.

4. An urgent prayer or entreaty. Pleas of the crown (Eng. Law), criminal actions.

PLEACH Pleach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleached (; p. pr. & vb. n. Pleaching.] Etym: [Cf. OF. plaissier to bend, and also F. plisser to plait, L. plicare, plicitum, to fold, lay, or wind together. Cf. Plash to pleach.]

Defn: To unite by interweaving, as branches of trees; to plash; to interlock. "The pleached bower." Shak.

PLEAD Plead, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleaded (colloq. Plead or Pled); p. pr. & vb. n. Pleading.] Etym: [OE. pleden, plaiden, OF. plaidier, F. plaider, fr. LL. placitare, fr. placitum. See Plea.]

1. To argue in support of a claim, or in defense against the claim of another; to urge reasons for or against a thing; to attempt to persuade one by argument or supplication; to speak by way of persuasion; as, to plead for the life of a criminal; to plead with a judge or with a father. O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor! Job xvi. 21.

2. (Law)

Defn: To present an answer, by allegation of fact, to the declaration of a plaintiff; to deny the plaintiff's declaration and demand, or to allege facts which show that ought not to recover in the suit; in a less strict sense, to make an allegation of fact in a cause; to carry on the allegations of the respective parties in a cause; to carry on a suit or plea. Blackstone. Burrill. Stephen.

3. To contend; to struggle. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PLEAD
Plead, v. t.

1. To discuss, defend, and attempt to maintain by arguments or reasons presented to a tribunal or person having uthority to determine; to argue at the bar; as, to plead a cause before a court or jury. Every man should plead his own matter. Sir T. More.

Note: In this sense, argue is more generally used by lawyers.

2. To allege or cite in a legal plea or defense, or for repelling a demand in law; to answer to an indictment; as, to plead usury; to plead statute of limitations; to plead not guilty. Kent.

3. To allege or adduce in proof, support, or vendication; to offer in excuse; as, the law of nations may be pleaded in favor of the rights of ambassadors. Spenser. I will neither plead my age nor sickness, in excuse of faults. Dryden.

PLEADABLE
Plead"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being pleaded; capable of being alleged in proof, defense, or vindication; as, a right or privilege pleadable at law. Dryden.

PLEADER
Plead"er, n. Etym: [F. plaideur.]

1. One who pleads; one who argues for or against; an advotate. So fair a pleader any cause may gain. Dryden.

2. (Law)

Defn: One who draws up or forms pleas; the draughtsman of pleas or pleadings in the widest sense; as, a special pleader.

PLEADING
Plead"ing, n.

Defn: The act of advocating, defending, or supporting, a cause by arguments.

PLEADINGLY
Plead"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a pleading manner.

PLEADINGS
Plead"ings, n. pl. (Law)

Defn: The mutual pleas and replies of the plaintiff and defendant, or written statements of the parties in support of their claims, proceeding from the declaration of the plaintiff, until issue is joined, and the question made to rest on some single point. Blackstone.

PLEASANCE
Pleas"ance, n. Etym: [F. plaisance. See Please.]

1. Pleasure; merriment; gayety; delight; kindness. [Archaic] Shak. "Full great pleasance." Chaucer. "A realm of pleasance." Tennyson.

2. A secluded part of a garden. [Archaic] The pleasances of old Elizabethan houses. Ruskin.

PLEASANT
Pleas"ant, a. Etym: [F. plaisant. See Please.]

1. Pleasing; grateful to the mind or to the senses; agreeable; as, a pleasant journey; pleasant weather. Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Ps. cxxxiii. 1.

2. Cheerful; enlivening; gay; sprightly; humorous; sportive; as, pleasant company; a pleasant fellow. From grave to light, from pleasant to serve. Dryden.

Syn. — Pleasing; gratifying; agreeable; cheerful; good-humored; enlivening; gay; lively; merry; sportive; humorous; jocose; amusing; witty. — Pleasant, Pleasing, Agreeable. Agreeable is applied to that which agrees with, or is in harmony with, one's tastes, character, etc. Pleasant and pleasing denote a stronger degree of the agreeable. Pleasant refers rather to the state or condition; pleasing, to the act or effect. Where they are applied to the same object, pleasing is more energetic than pleasant; as, she is always pleasant and always pleasing. The distinction, however, is not radical and not rightly observed.

PLEASANT
Pleas"ant, n.

Defn: A wit; a humorist; a buffoon. [Obs.]

PLEASANTLY
Pleas"ant*ly, adv.

Defn: In a pleasant manner.

PLEASANTNESS
Pleas"ant*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being pleasant.

PLEASANTRY
Pleas"ant*ry, n.; pl. Pleasantries. Etym: [F. plaisanterie. See
Pleasant.]

Defn: That which denotes or promotes pleasure or good humor; cheerfulness; gayety; merriment; especially, an agreeable playfulness in conversation; a jocose or humorous remark; badinage. The grave abound in pleasantries, the dull in repartees and points of wit. Addison. The keen observation and ironical pleasantry of a finished man of the world. Macaulay.

PLEASANT-TONGUED
Pleas"ant-tongued`, a.

Defn: Of pleasing speech.

PLEASE
Please, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleased; p. pr. & vb. n. Pleasing.] Etym:
[OE. plesen, OF. plaisir, fr. L. placere, akin to placare to
reconcile. Cf. Complacent, Placable, Placid, Plea, Plead, Pleasure.]

1. To give pleasure to; to excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to make glad; to gratify; to content; to satisfy. I pray to God that it may plesen you. Chaucer. What next I bring shall please thee, be assured. Milton.

2. To have or take pleasure in; hence, to choose; to wish; to desire; to will. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he. Ps. cxxxv. 6. A man doing as he wills, and doing as he pleases, are the same things in common speech. J. Edwards.

3. To be the will or pleasure of; to seem good to; — used impersonally. "It pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell." Col. i. 19. To-morrow, may it please you. Shak. To be pleased in or with, to have complacency in; to take pleasure in. — To be pleased to do a thing, to take pleasure in doing it; to have the will to do it; to think proper to do it. Dryden.

PLEASE
Please, v. i.

1. To afford or impart pleasure; to excite agreeable emotions. What pleasing scemed, for her now pleases more. Milton. For we that live to please, must please to live. Johnson.

2. To have pleasure; to be willing, as a matter of affording pleasure or showing favor; to vouchsafe; to consent. Heavenly stranger, please to taste These bounties. Milton. That he would please 8give me my liberty. Swift.

PLEASED
Pleased, a.

Defn: Experiencing pleasure.
— Pleas"ed*ly, adv.
— Pleas"ed*ness, n.

PLEASEMAN
Please"man, n.

Defn: An officious person who courts favor servilely; a pickthank.
[Obs.] Shak.

PLEASER
Pleas"er, n.

Defn: One who pleases or gratifies.

PLEASING
Pleas"ing, a.

Defn: Giving pleasure or satisfaction; causing agreeable emotion;
agreeable; delightful; as, a pleasing prospect; pleasing manners.
"Pleasing harmony." Shak. "Pleasing features." Macaulay.
— Pleas"ing*ly, adv.
— Pleas"ing*ness, n.

Syn.
— Gratifying; delightful; agreeable. See Pleasant.

PLEASING
Pleas"ing, n.

Defn: An object of pleasure. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PLEASURABLE
Pleas"ur*a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of affording pleasure or satisfaction; gratifying;
abounding in pleasantness or pleasantry.
Planting of orchards is very . . . pleasurable. Bacon.
O, sir, you are very pleasurable. B. Jonson.
— Pleas"ur*a*ble*ness, n.
— Pleas"ur*a*bly, adv.

PLEASURE
Pleas"ure, n. Etym: [F. plaisir, originally an infinitive. See
Please.]

1. The gratification of the senses or of the mind; agreeable sensations or emotions; the excitement, relish, or happiness produced by the expectation or the enjoyment of something good, delightful, or satisfying; — opposed to Ant: pain, Ant: sorrow, etc. At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Ps. xvi. 11.

2. Amusement; sport; diversion; self-indulgence; frivolous or dissipating enjoyment; hence, sensual gratification; — opposed to labor, service, duty, self-denial, etc. "Not sunk in carnal pleasure." Milton. He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man. Prov. xxi. 17. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. 2 Tim. iii. 4.

3. What the will dictates or prefers as gratifying or satisfying; hence, will; choice; wish; purpose. "He will do his pleasure on Babylon." Isa. xlviii. 14. Use your pleasure; if your love do not presuade you to come, let not my letter. Shak.

4. That which pleases; a favor; a gratification. Shak.
Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure Acts xxv. 9.
At pleasure, by arbitrary will or choice. Dryden.
— To take pleasure in, to have enjoyment in. Ps. cxlvii. 11.

Note: Pleasure is used adjectively, or in the formation of self- explaining compounds; as, pleasure boat, pleasure ground; pleasure house, etc.

Syn. — Enjoyment; gratification; satisfaction; comfort; solace; joy; gladness; delight; will; choice; preference; purpose; command; favor; kindness.

PLEASURE
Pleas"ure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleasured; p. pr. & vb. n.
Pleasuring.]

Defn: To give or afford pleasure to; to please; to gratify. Shak.
[Rolled] his hoop to pleasure Edith. Tennyson.

PLEASURE
Pleas"ure, v. i.

Defn: To take pleasure; to seek pursue pleasure; as, to go pleasuring.

PLEASUREFUL
Pleas"ure*ful, a.

Defn: Affording pleasure. [R.]

PLEASURELESS
Pleas"ure*less, a.

Defn: Devoid of pleasure. G. Eliot.

PLEASURER
Pleas"ur*er, n.

Defn: A pleasure seeker. Dickens.

PLEASURIST
Pleas"ur*ist, n.

Defn: A person devoted to worldly pleasure. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

PLEAT
Pleat, n. & v. t.

Defn: See Plait.

PLEBE
Plebe, n. Etym: [F. plèbe, fr. L. plebs.]

1. The common people; the mob. [Obs.] The plebe with thirst and fury prest. Sylvester.

2. Etym: [Cf. Plebeian.]

Defn: A member of the lowest class in the military academy at West
Point. [Cant, U.S.]

PLEBEIAN Ple*be"ian, a. Etym: [L. plebeius, from plebs, plebis, the common people: cf. F. plébéien.]

1. Of or pertaining to the Roman plebs, or common people.

2. Of or pertaining to the common people; vulgar; common; as, plebeian sports; a plebeian throng.

PLEBEIAN
Ple*be"ian, n.

1. One of the plebs, or common people of ancient Rome, in distinction from patrician.

2. One of the common people, or lower rank of men.

PLEBEIANCE
Ple*be"iance, n.

1. Plebeianism. [Obs.]

2. Plebeians, collectively. [Obs.]

PLEBEIANISM
Ple*be"ian*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plébéianisme.]

1. The quality or state of being plebeian.

2. The conduct or manners of plebeians; vulgarity.

PLEBEIANIZE
Ple*be"ian*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plebeianized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Plebeianizing.]

Defn: To render plebeian, common, or vulgar.

PLEBICOLIST Ple*bic"o*list, n. Etym: [L. plebs the common people + colere to cultivate.]

Defn: One who flatters, or courts the favor of, the common people; a demagogue. [R.]

PLEBIFICATION Pleb`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. plebs the common people + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]

Defn: A rendering plebeian; the act of vulgarizing. [R.] You begin with the attempt to popularize learning . . . but you will end in the plebification of knowledge. Coleridge.

PLEBISCITARY
Ple*bis"ci*ta*ry, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to plebiscite. The Century.

PLEBISCITE
Pleb"i*scite, n. Etym: [F. plébiscite, fr. L. plebiscitum.]

Defn: A vote by universal male suffrage; especially, in France, a popular vote, as first sanctioned by the National Constitution of 1791. [Written also plebiscit.] Plebiscite we have lately taken, in popular use, from the French. Fitzed. Hall.

PLEBISCITUM Ple`bis*ci"tum, n. Etym: [L., fr. plebs, plebis, common people + scitum decree.] (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: A law enacted by the common people, under the superintendence of a tribune or some subordinate plebeian magistrate, without the intervention of the senate.

PLEBS
Plebs (plebz), n. [L. Cf. Plebe.]

1. The commonalty of ancient Rome who were citizens without the usual political rights; the plebeians; — distinguished from the patricians.

2. Hence, the common people; the populace; —construed as a pl.

PLECTILE
Plec"tile, a. Etym: [L. plectilis.]

Defn: Woven; plaited. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

PLECTOGNATH
Plec"tog*nath, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Plectognathi.
— n.

Defn: One of the Plectognathi.

PLECTOGNATHI
Plec*to"gna*thi, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of fishes generally having the maxillary bone united with the premaxillary, and the articular united with the dentary.

Note: The upper jaw is immovably joined to the skull; the ventral fins are rudimentary or wanting; and the body is covered with bony plates, spines, or small rough ossicles, like shagreen. The order includes the diodons, filefishes, globefishes, and trunkfishes.

PLECTOGNATHIC; PLEC-TOGNATHOUS
Plec`tog*nath"ic, Plec-tog"na*thous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Plectognathi.

PLECTOSPONDYLI
Plec`to*spon"dy*li, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An extensive suborder of fresh-water physostomous fishes having the anterior vertebræ united and much modified; the Eventognathi.

PLECTOSPONDYLOUS
Plec`to*spon"dy*lous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Plectospondyli.

PLECTRUM
Plec"trum, n.; pl. L. Plectra, E. Plectrums. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

Defn: A small instrument of ivory, wood, metal, or quill, used in playing upon the lyre and other stringed instruments.

PLED
Pled,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Plead [Colloq.] Spenser.

PLEDGE Pledge, n. Etym: [OF. plege, pleige, pledge, guaranty, LL. plegium, plivium; akin to OF. plevir to bail, guaranty, perhaps fr. L. praebere to proffer, offer (sc. fidem a trust, a promise of security), but cf. also E. play. sq. root28. Cf. Prebend, Replevin.]

1. (Law)

Defn: The transfer of possession of personal property from a debtor to a creditor as security for a debt or engagement; also, the contract created between the debtor and creditor by a thing being so delivered or deposited, forming a species of bailment; also, that which is so delivered or deposited; something put in pawn.

Note: Pledge is ordinarily confined to personal property; the title or ownership does not pass by it; possession is essential to it. In all these points it differs from a mortgage [see Mortgage]; and in the last, from the hypotheca of the Roman law. See Hypotheca. Story. Kent.

2. (Old Eng. Law)

Defn: A person who undertook, or became responsible, for another; a bail; a surety; a hostage. "I am Grumio's pledge." Shak.

3. A hypothecation without transfer of possession.

4. Anything given or considered as a security for the performance of an act; a guarantee; as, mutual interest is the best pledge for the performance of treaties. "That voice, their liveliest pledge of hope." Milton.

5. A promise or agreement by which one binds one's self to do, or to refrain from doing, something; especially, a solemn promise in writing to refrain from using intoxicating liquors or the like; as, to sign the pledge; the mayor had made no pledges.

6. A sentiment to which assent is given by drinking one's health; a toast; a health. Dead pledge. Etym: [A translation of LL. mortuum vadium.] (Law) A mortgage. See Mortgage. — Living pledge. Etym: [A translation of LL. vivum vadium.] (Law) The conveyance of an estate to another for money borrowed, to be held by him until the debt is paid out of the rents and profits. — To hold in pledge, to keep as security. — To put in pledge, to pawn; to give as security.

Syn.
— See Earnest.

PLEDGE
Pledge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pledged; p. pr. & vb. n. Pledging.] Etym:
[Cf. OF. pleiger to give security. See Pledge, n.]

1. To deposit, as a chattel, in pledge or pawn; to leave in possession of another as security; as, to pledge one's watch.

2. To give or pass as a security; to guarantee; to engage; to plight; as, to pledge one's word and honor. We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. The Declaration of Independence.

3. To secure performance of, as by a pledge. [Obs.] To pledge my vow, I give my hand. Shak.

4. To bind or engage by promise or declaration; to engage solemnly; as, to pledge one's self.

5. To invite another to drink, by drinking of the cup first, and then handing it to him, as a pledge of good will; hence, to drink the health of; to toast. Pledge me, my friend, and drink till thou be'st wise. Cowley.

PLEDGEE
Pledg*ee", n.

Defn: The one to whom a pledge is given, or to whom property pledged is delivered.

PLEDGELESS
Pledge"less, a.

Defn: Having no pledge.

PLEDGEOR; PLEDGOR
Pledge*or", Pledg*or", n. (Law)

Defn: One who pledges, or delivers anything in pledge; a pledger; — opposed to Ant: pledgee.

Note: This word analogically requires the e after g, but the spelling pledgor is perhaps commoner.

PLEDGER
Pledg"er, n.

Defn: One who pledges.

PLEDGERY
Pledg"er*y, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. pleigerie.]

Defn: A pledging; suretyship. [Obs.]

PLEDGET
Pledg"et, n. Etym: [Prov. E., a small plug.]

1. A small plug. [Prov. End.]

2. (Naut.)

Defn: A string of oakum used in calking.

3. (Med.)

Defn: A compress, or small flat tent of lint, laid over a wound, ulcer, or the like, to exclude air, retain dressings, or absorb the matter discharged.

PLEGEPODA Ple*gep"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (-poda. In allusion to the rapid strokes of the vibrating cilia.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Infusoria.

PLEIAD
Ple"iad, n.

Defn: One of the Pleiades.

PLEIADES
Ple"ia*des, n. pl. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (

1. (Myth.)

Defn: The seven daughters of Atlas and the nymph Pleione, fabled to have been made by Jupiter a constellation in the sky.

2. (Astron.)

Defn: A group of small stars in the neck of the constellation Taurus.
Job xxxviii. 31.

Note: Alcyone, the brightest of these, a star of the third magnitude, was considered by Mädler the central point around which our universe is revolving, but there is no sufficient evidence of such motion. Only six pleiads are distinctly visible to the naked eye, whence the ancients supposed that a sister had concealed herself out of shame for having loved a mortal, Sisyphus.

PLEIN
Plein, a.

Defn: Plan. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PLEIN
Plein, v. i. & t.

Defn: To complain. See Plain. [Obs.]

PLEIN
Plein, a. Etym: [OF. & F., fr. L. plenus.]

Defn: Full; complete. [Obs.] "Plein remission." Chaucer.
— Plein"ly, adv.

PLEIOCENE
Plei"o*cene, a. (Geol.)

Defn: See Pliocene.

PLEIOPHYLLOUS
Plei*oph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Having several leaves; — used especially when several leaves or leaflets appear where normally there should be only one.

PLEIOSAURUS
Plei`o*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL.] (Paleon.)

Defn: Same as Pliosaurus.

PLEISTOCENE
Pleis"to*cene, a. Etym: [Gr. (Geol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the epoch, or the deposits, following the Tertiary, and immediately preceding man. — n.

Defn: The Pleistocene epoch, or deposits.

PLENAL
Ple"nal, a. Etym: [L. plenus full. Cf. Plenary.]

Defn: Full; complete; as, a plenal view or act. [Obs.]

PLENARILY
Ple"na*ri*ly, adv.

Defn: In a plenary manner.

PLENARINESS
Ple"na*ri*ness, n.

Defn: Quality or state of being plenary.

PLENARTY
Plen"ar*ty, n.

Defn: The state of a benefice when occupied. Blackstone.

PLENARY
Ple"na*ry, a. Etym: [LL. plenarius, fr. L. plenus full. See Plenty.]

Defn: Full; entire; complete; absolute; as, a plenary license;
plenary authority.
A treatise on a subject should be plenary or full. I. Watts.
Plenary indulgence (R. C. Ch.), an entire remission of temporal
punishment due to, or canonical penance for, all sins.
— Plenary inspiration. (Theol.) See under Inspiration.

PLENARY
Ple"na*ry, n. (Law)

Defn: Decisive procedure. [Obs.]

PLENE
Plene, æ. Etym: [L. plenus full.]

Defn: Full; complete; plenary. [Obs.]

PLENICORN
Ple"ni*corn, n. Etym: [L. plenus full + cornu horn.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A ruminant having solid horns or antlers, as the deer. Brande &
C.

PLENILUNARY
Plen`i*lu"na*ry, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the full moon. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

PLENILUNE
Plen"i*lune, n. Etym: [L. plenilunium; plenus full + luna the moon.]

Defn: The full moon. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

PLENIPOTENCE; PLENIPOTENCY
Ple*nip"o*tence, Ple*nip"o*ten*cy, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being plenipotent. [R.]

PLENIPOTENT
Ple*nip"o*tent, a. Etym: [L. plenus full + potens, -entis, potent.]

Defn: Possessing full power. [R.] Milton.

PLENIPOTENTIARY Plen`i*po*ten"ti*a*ry, n.; pl. Plenipotentiaries. Etym: [LL. plenipotentiarius: cf. F. plénipotentiaire.]

Defn: A person invested with full power to transact any business; especially, an ambassador or envoy to a foreign court, with full power to negotiate a treaty, or to transact other business.

PLENIPOTENTIARY
Plen`i*po*ten"ti*a*ry, a.

Defn: Containing or conferring full power; invested with full power; as, plenipotentiary license; plenipotentiary ministers. Howell.

PLENISH
Plen"ish, v. t. Etym: [See Replenish.]

1. To replenish. [Obs.] T. Reeve.

2. To furnish; to stock, as a house or farm. [Scot.]

PLENISHING
Plen"ish*ing, n.

Defn: Household furniture; stock. [Scot.]

PLENIST
Ple"nist, n. Etym: [L. plenus full; cf. F. pléniste.]

Defn: One who holds that all space is full of matter.

PLENITUDE Plen"i*tude, n. Etym: [L. plenitudo, fr. plenus full; cf. F. plenitude.]

1. The quality or state of being full or complete; fullness; completeness; abundance; as, the plenitude of space or power.

2. Animal fullness; repletion; plethora. [Obs.]

PLENITUDINARIAN
Plen`i*tu`di*na"ri*an, n.

Defn: A plenist.

PLENITUDINARY
Plen`i*tu"di*na*ry, a.

Defn: Having plenitude; full; complete; thorough. [Obs.]

PLENTEOUS
Plen"te*ous, a. Etym: [From Plenty.]

1. Containing plenty; abundant; copious; plentiful; sufficient for every purpose; as, a plenteous supply. "Reaping plenteous crop." Milton.

2. Yielding abundance; productive; fruitful. "The seven plenteous years." Gen. xli. 34.

3. Having plenty; abounding; rich. The Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods. Deut. xxviii. 11.

Syn.
— Plentiful; copious; full. See Ample.
— Plen"te*ous*ly, adv.
— Plen"te*ous*ness, n.

PLENTEVOUS
Plen"te*vous, a.

Defn: Plenteous. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PLENTIFUL
Plen"ti*ful, a.

1. Containing plenty; copious; abundant; ample; as, a plentiful harvest; a plentiful supply of water.

2. Yielding abundance; prolific; fruitful. If it be a long winter, it is commonly a more plentiful year. Bacon.

3. Lavish; profuse; prodigal. [Obs.]
He that is plentiful in expenses will hardly be preserved from Bacon.
— Plen"ti*ful*ly, adv.
— Plen"ti*ful*ness, n.

PLENTY
Plen"ty, n.; pl. Plenties, in Shak. Etym: [OE. plentee, plente, OF.
plenté, fr. L. plenitas, fr. plenus full. See Full, a., and cf.
Complete.]

Defn: Full or adequate supply; enough and to spare; sufficiency; specifically, abundant productiveness of the earth; ample supply for human wants; abundance; copiousness. "Plenty of corn and wine." Gen. xxvii. 28. "Promises Britain peace and plenty." Shak. Houses of office stuffed with plentee. Chaucer. The teeming clouds Descend in gladsome plenty o'er the world. Thomson.

Syn.
— Abundance; exuberance. See Abundance.

PLENTY
Plen"ty, a.

Defn: Plentiful; abundant. [Obs. or Colloq.]
If reasons were as plenty as blackberries. Shak. (Folio ed.)
Those countries where shrubs are plenty. Goldsmith.

PLENUM
Ple"num, n. Etym: [L., fr. plenus full.]

Defn: That state in which every part of space is supposed to be full of matter; — opposed to vacuum. G. Francis.

PLEOCHROIC
Ple`o*chro"ic, a.

Defn: Having the property of pleochroism.

PLEOCHROISM
Ple*och"ro*ism, n. Etym: [Gr. (Crystallog.)

Defn: The property possessed by some crystals, of showing different colors when viewed in the direction of different axes.

PLEOCHROMATIC
Ple*och`ro*mat"ic, a.

Defn: Pleochroic.

PLEOCHROMATISM
Ple`o*chro"ma*tism, n.

Defn: Pleochroism.

PLEOCHROOUS
Ple*och"ro*ous, a.

Defn: Pleochroic.

PLEOMORPHIC
Ple`o*mor"phic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to pleomorphism; as, the pleomorphic character of bacteria.

PLEOMORPHISM
Ple`o*mor"phism, n. Etym: [Gr.

1. (Crystallog.)

Defn: The property of crystallizing under two or more distinct fundamental forms, including dimorphism and trimorphism.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: The theory that the various genera of bacteria are phases or variations of growth of a number of Protean species, each of which may exhibit, according to undetermined conditions, all or some of the forms characteristic of the different genera and species.

PLEOMORPHOUS
Ple`o*mor"phous, a.

Defn: Having the property of pleomorphism.

PLEONASM
Ple"o*nasm, ( n. Etym: [L. pleonasmus, Gr. Full, a., and cf. Poly-,
Plus.] (Rhet.)

Defn: Redundancy of language in speaking or writing; the use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; as, I saw it with my own eyes.

PLEONAST
Ple"o*nast, n.

Defn: One who is addicted to pleonasm. [R.] C. Reade.

PLEONASTE
Ple"o*naste, n. Etym: [Gr.pléonaste.] (Min.)

Defn: A black variety of spinel.

PLEONASTIC; PLEONASTICAL
Ple`o*nas"tic, Ple`o*nas"tic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pléonastique.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to pleonasm; of the nature of pleonasm; redundant.

PLEONASTICALLY
Ple`o*nas"tic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a pleonastic manner.

PLEOPOD
Ple"o*pod, n.; pl. E. Pleopods, L. Pleopoda. Etym: [Gr. -pod.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the abdominal legs of a crustacean. See Illust. under
Crustacea.

PLEROME
Ple"rome, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: The central column of parenchyma in a growing stem or root.

PLEROPHORY
Ple*roph"o*ry, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Fullness; full persuasion. "A plerophory of assurance." Bp.
Hall.

PLESANCE
Ples"ance, n.

Defn: Pleasance. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PLESH
Plesh, n.

Defn: A pool; a plash. [Obs.] Spenser.

PLESIMORPHISM
Ple`si*mor"phism, n. Etym: [Gr. (Crystallog.)

Defn: The property possessed by some substances of crystallizing in closely similar forms while unlike in chemical composition.

PLESIOMORPHOUS
Ple`si*o*mor"phous, a.

Defn: Nearly alike in form.

PLESIOSAUR
Ple"si*o*saur, n. (Paleon.)

Defn: One of the Plesiosauria.

PLESIOSAURIA
Ple`si*o*sau"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Plesiosaurus.] (Paleon.)

Defn: An extinct order of Mesozoic marine reptiles including the genera Plesiosaurus, and allied forms; — called also Sauropterygia.

PLESIOSAURIAN
Ple`si*o*sau"ri*an, n. (Paleon.)

Defn: A plesiosaur.

PLESIOSAURUS
Ple`si*o*sau"rus, n.; pl. Plesiosauri. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr (Paleon.)

Defn: A genus of large extinct marine reptiles, having a very long neck, a small head, and paddles for swimming. It lived in the Mesozoic age.

PLESSIMETER
Ples*sim"e*ter, n.

Defn: See Pleximeter.

PLETE
Plete, v. t. & i.

Defn: To plead. [Obs.] P. Plowman.

PLETHORA
Pleth"o*ra, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Pleonasm.]

1. Overfullness; especially, excessive fullness of the blood vessels; repletion; that state of the blood vessels or of the system when the blood exceeds a healthy standard in quantity; hyperæmia; — opposed to anæmia.

2. State of being overfull; excess; superabundance. He labors under a plethora of wit and imagination. Jeffrey.

PLETHORETIC
Pleth`o*ret"ic, a.

Defn: Plethoric. [Obs.] Johnson.

PLETHORIC
Ple*thor"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. pléthorique.]

Defn: Haeving a full habit of body; characterized by plethora or excess of blood; as, a plethoric constitution; — used also metaphorically. "Plethoric phrases." Sydney Smith. "Plethoric fullness of thought." De Quincey.

PLETHORICAL
Ple*thor"ic*al, a.

Defn: Plethoric. [R.] — Ple*thor"ic*al*ly, adv. Burke.

PLETHORY
Pleth"o*ry, n.

Defn: Plethora. Jer. Taylor.

PLETHRON; PLETHRUM
Pleth"ron, Pleth"rum, n.; pl. Plethra. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Gr.
Antiq.)

Defn: A long measure of 100 Greek, or 101 English, feet; also, a square measure of 10,000 Greek feet.

PLETHYSMOGRAPH
Pleth"ys*mo*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. -graph.] (Physiol.)

Defn: An instrument for determining and registering the variations in the size or volume of a limb, as the arm or leg, and hence the variations in the amount of blood in the limb. — Pleth`ys*mo*graph"ic, a.

PLETHYSMOGRAPHY
Pleth`ys*mog"ra*phy, n. (Physiol.)

Defn: The study, by means of the plethysmograph, of the variations in size of a limb, and hence of its blood supply.

PLEURA
Pleu"ra, n.,

Defn: pl. of Pleuron.

PLEURA
Pleu"ra, n.; pl. L. Pleuræ, E. Pleuras. Etym: [NL., n. fem., fr. Gr.

1. (Anat.) (a) The smooth serous membrane which closely covers the lungs and the adjacent surfaces of the thorax; the pleural membrane. (b) The closed sac formed by the pleural membrane about each lung, or the fold of membrane connecting each lung with the body wall.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Pleuron.

PLEURAL
Pleu"ral, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the pleura or pleuræ, or to the sides of the thorax.

PLEURALGIA
Pleu*ral"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Pain in the side or region of the ribs.

PLEURAPOPHYSIS Pleu`ra*poph"y*sis, n.; pl. Pleurapophyses. Etym: [NL. See Pleura, and Apophysis.] (Anat.)

Defn: One of the ventral processes of a vertebra, or the dorsal
element in each half of a hemal arch, forming, or corresponding to, a
vertebral rib.
— Pleu*rap`o*phys"i*al, a. Owen.

PLEURENCHYMA
Pleu*ren"chy*ma, n. Etym: [Gr. parenchyma.] (Bot.)

Defn: A tissue consisting of long and slender tubular cells, of which wood is mainly composed.

PLEURIC
Pleu"ric, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Pleural.

PLEURISY Pleu"ri*sy, n. Etym: [F. pleurésie, L. pleurisis, pleuritis, Gr pleyri is (sc. no`sos), fr. pleyra` rib, side.] (Med.)

Defn: An inflammation of the pleura, usually accompanied with fever, pain, difficult respiration, and cough, and with exudation into the pleural cavity. Pleurisy root. (Bot.) (a) The large tuberous root of a kind of milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) which is used as a remedy for pleuritic and other diseases. (b) The plant itself, which has deep orange-colored flowers; — called also butterfly weed.

PLEURITE
Pleu"rite, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Pleuron.

PLEURITIC; PLEURITICAL Pleu*rit"ic, Pleu*rit"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. pleuriticus, Gr. pleurétique.] (Med.) (a) Of or pertaining to pleurisy; as, pleuritic symptoms. (b) Suffering from pleurisy.

PLEURITIS
Pleu*ri"tis, n. Etym: [L.] (Med.)

Defn: Pleurisy.

PLEURO-
Pleu"ro-. Etym: [See Pleura.]

Defn: A combining form denoting relation to a side; specif., connection with, or situation in or near, the pleura; as, pleuroperitoneum.

PLEUROBRACHIA
Pleu`ro*brach"i*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Pleuro-, and Brachium.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of ctenophores having an ovate body and two long plumose tentacles.

PLEUROBRANCH
Pleu"ro*branch, n. Etym: [See Pleuro-, and Branchia.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of the gills of a crustacean that is attached to the side of the thorax.

PLEUROBRANCHIA
Pleu`ro*bran"chi*a, n.; pl. Pleuroeranchiæ. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Pleurobranch.

PLEUROCARP
Pleu"ro*carp, n. Etym: [Pleuro- + Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Any pleurocarpic moss.

PLEUROCARPIC; PLEUROCARPOUS
Pleu`ro*car"pic, Pleu`ro*car"pous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Side-fruited; — said of those true mosses in which the pedicels or the capsules are from lateral archegonia; — opposed to Ant: acrocarpous.

PLEUROCENTRUM
Pleu`ro*cen"trum, n. Etym: [NL. see Pleuro-, and Centrum.] (Anat.)

Defn: One of the lateral elements in the centra of the vertebræ in some fossil batrachians.

PLEURODERES
Pleu*rod"e*res, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of fresh-water turtles in which the neck can not be retracted, but is bent to one side, for protection. The matamata is an example.

PLEURODONT
Pleu"ro*dont, a. Etym: [Pleuro- + Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Having the teeth consolidated with the inner edge of the jaw, as in some lizards.

PLEURODONT
Pleu"ro*dont, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any lizard having pleurodont teeth.

PLEURODYNIA
Pleu`ro*dyn"i*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A painful affection of the side, simulating pleurisy, usually due to rheumatism.

PLEURON Pleu"ron, n.; pl. Pleura. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.) (a) One of the sides of an animal. (b) One of the lateral pieces of a somite of an insect. (c) One of lateral processes of a somite of a crustacean.

PLEURONECTOID
Pleu`ro*nec"toid, a. Etym: [NL. Pleuronectes, name of a genus (fr.
Gr. -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the Pleuronectidæ, or Flounder family.

PLEUROPERICARDIAL
Pleu`ro*per`i*car"di*al, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the pleura and pericardium.

PLEUROPERIPNEUMONY
Pleu`ro*per`ip*neu"mo*ny, n. Etym: [Pleuro- + peripneumony.] (Med.)

Defn: Pleuropneumonia.

PLEUROPERITONEAL
Pleu`ro*per`i*to*ne"al, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the pleural and peritoneal membranes or cavities, or to the pleuroperitoneum.

PLEUROPERITONEUM
Pleu`ro*per`i*to*ne"um, n. Etym: [Pleuro- + peritoneum.] (Anat.)

Defn: The pleural and peritoneal membranes, or the membrane lining the body cavity and covering the surface of the inclosed viscera; the peritoneum; — used especially in the case of those animals in which the body cavity is not divided.

Note: Peritoneum is now often used in the sense of pleuroperitoneum, the pleuræ being regarded as a part of the peritoneum, when the body cavity is undivided.

PLEUROPNEUMONIA
Pleu`ro*pneu*mo"ni*a, n. Etym: [Pleuro- + pneumonia.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation of the pleura and lungs; a combination of pleurisy and pneumonia, esp. a kind of contagions and fatal lung plague of cattle.

PLEUROPTERA
Pleu*rop"te*ra, n. pl Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of Isectivora, including the colugo.

PLEUROSIGMA
Pleu`ro*sig"ma, n. Etym: [NL. See Pleuro-, and Sigma.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of diatoms of elongated elliptical shape, but having the sides slightly curved in the form of a letter S. Pleurosigma angulatum has very fine striations, and is a favorite object for testing the high powers of microscopes.

PLEUROSTEON
Pleu*ros"te*on, n.; pl. L. Pleurostea, E. -ons. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
(Anat.)

Defn: The antero-lateral piece which articulates the sternum of birds.

PLEUROTHOTONUS
Pleu`ro*thot"o*nus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A species of tetanus, in which the body is curved laterally.
Quain. Dunglison.

PLEUROTOMA
Pleu*rot"o*ma, n.; pl. L. Pleurotomæ, E. Pleurotomas. Etym: [NL., fr.
Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any marine gastropod belonging to Pleurotoma, and ether allied genera of the family Pleurotmidæ. The species are very numerous, especially in tropical seas. The outer lip has usually a posterior notch or slit.

PLEVIN
Plev"in, n. Etym: [OF. plevine. See Replevin.]

Defn: A warrant or assurance. [Obs.]

PLEXIFORM
Plex"i*form, a. Etym: [Plexus + -form: cf. F. Plexiforme.]

Defn: Like network; complicated. Quincy.

PLEXIMETER
Plex*im"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Med.)

Defn: A small, hard, elastic plate, as of ivory, bone, or rubber, placed in contact with body to receive the blow, in examination by mediate percussion. [Written also plexometer.]

PLEXURE
Plex"ure, n. Etym: [See Plexus.]

Defn: The act or process of weaving together, or interweaving; that which is woven together. H. Brooke.

PLEXUS Plex"us, n.; pl. L. Plexus, E. Plexuses. Etym: [L., a twining, braid, fr. plectere, plexum, to twine, braid.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: A network of vessels, nerves, or fibers.

2. (Math.)

Defn: The system of equations required for the complete expression of the relations which exist between a set of quantities. Brande & C.

PLEY
Pley, v. & n.

Defn: See Play. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PLEY
Pley, a.

Defn: Full See Plein. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PLEYT
Pleyt, n. (Naut.)

Defn: An old term for a river boat.

PLIABILITY
Pli`a*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being pliable; flexibility; as, pliability of disposition. "Pliability of movement." Sir W. Scott.

PLIABLE
Pli"a*ble, a. Etym: [F., fr. plier to bend, to fold. See Ply, v.]

1. Capable of being plied, turned, or bent; easy to be bent; flexible; pliant; supple; limber; yielding; as, willow is a pliable plant.

2. Flexible in disposition; readily yielding to influence, arguments, persuasion, or discipline; easy to be persuaded; — sometimes in a bad sense; as, a pliable youth. "Pliable she promised to be." Dr. H. More. — Pli"a*ble*ness, n. — Pli"a*bly, adv.

PLIANCY
Pli"an*cy, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being pliant in sense; as, the pliancy of a rod. "Avaunt all specious pliancy of mind." Wordsworth.

PLIANT
Pli"ant, a. Etym: [F. pliant, p. pr. of plier to bend. See Ply, v.]

1. Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to force or pressure without breaking; flexible; pliable; lithe; limber; plastic; as, a pliant thread; pliant wax. Also used figuratively: Easily influenced for good or evil; tractable; as, a pliant heart. The will was then ductile and pliant to right reason. South.

2. Favorable to pliancy. [R.] "A pliant hour." Shak.
— Pli"ant*ly, adv.
— Pli"ant*ness, n.

PLICA
Pli"ca, n. Etym: [LL., a fold, fr. L. plicare to fold. See Ply, v.]

1. (Med.)

Defn: A disease of the hair (Plica polonica), in which it becomes twisted and matted together. The disease is of Polish origin, and is hence called also Polish plait. Dunglison.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A diseased state in plants in which there is an excessive development of small entangled twigs, instead of ordinary branches.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The bend of the wing of a bird.

PLICATE; PLICATED Pli"cate, Pli"ca*ted, a. Etym: [L. plicatus, p. p. of plicare to fold.]

Defn: Plaited; folded like a fan; as, a plicate leaf.
— Pli"cate*ly, adv.

PLICATION
Pli*ca"tion, n.

Defn: A folding or fold; a plait. Richardson.

PLICATURE
Plic"a*ture, n. Etym: [L. plicatura, fr. plicare to fold.]

Defn: A fold; a doubling; a plication. Dr. H. More.

PLICIDENTINE
Plic`i*den"tine, n. Etym: [LL. plica fold + E. dentine.] (Anat.)

Defn: A form of dentine which shows sinuous lines of structure in a transverse section of the tooth.

PLIED
Plied,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Ply.

PLIERS
Pli"ers, n. pl. Etym: [From Ply to bend, fold.]

Defn: A kind of small pinchers with long jaws, — used for bending or cutting metal rods or wire, for handling small objects such as the parts of a watch, etc.

PLIFORM
Pli"form, a Etym: [Ply a fold + -form.]

Defn: In the form of a ply, fold, or doubling. [Obs.] Pennant.

PLIGHT
Plight, obs.

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Plight, to pledge. Chaucer.

PLIGHT
Plight, obs.

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Pluck. Chaucer.

PLIGHT Plight, v. t. Etym: [OE. pliten; probably through Old French, fr. LL. plectare, L. plectere. See Plait, Ply.]

Defn: To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait.[Obs.] "To sew and
plight." Chaucer.
A plighted garment of divers colors. Milton.

PLIGHT
Plight, n.

Defn: A network; a plait; a fold; rarely a garment. [Obs.] "Many a folded plight." Spenser.

PLIGHT Plight, n. Etym: [OE. pliht danger, engagement, AS. pliht danger, fr. pleón to risk; akin to D. plicht duty, G. pflicht, Dan. pligt. sq. root28. Cf. Play.]

1. That which is exposed to risk; that which is plighted or pledged; security; a gage; a pledge. "That lord whose hand must take my plight." Shak.

2. Etym: [Perh. the same word as plight a pledge, but at least influenced by OF. plite, pliste, ploit, ploi, a condition, state; cf. E. plight to fold, and F. pli a fold, habit, plier to fold, E. ply.]

Defn: Condition; state; — risk, or exposure to danger, often being implied; as, a luckless plight. "Your plight is pitied." Shak. To bring our craft all in another plight Chaucer.

PLIGHT Plight, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Plighting.] Etym: [AS. plihtan to expose to danger, pliht danger;cf. D. verplichten to oblige, engage, impose a duty, G. verpflichten, Sw. förplikta, Dan. forpligte. See Plight, n.]

1. To pledge; to give as a pledge for the performance of some act; as, to plight faith, honor, word; — never applied to property or goods. " To do them plighte their troth." Piers Plowman. He plighted his right hand Unto another love, and to another land. Spenser. Here my inviolable faith I plight. Dryden.

2. To promise; to engage; to betroth. Before its setting hour, divide The bridegroom from the plighted bride. Sir W. Scott.

PLIGHTER
Plight"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, plights.

PLIM
Plim, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Plump.]

Defn: To swell, as grain or wood with water. [Prov. Eng.] Grose.

PLIMSOLL'S MARK
Plim"soll's mark`. (Naut.)

Defn: A mark conspicuously painted on the port side of all British sea-going merchant vessels, to indicate the limit of submergence allowed by law; — so called from Samuel Plimsoll, by whose efforts the act of Parliament to prevent overloading was procured.

PLINTH
Plinth, n. Etym: [L. plinthus, Gr. flint: cf. F. plinthe.]

Defn: (Arch.) In classical architecture, a vertically faced member immediately below the circular base of a column; also, the lowest member of a pedestal; hence, in general, the lowest member of a base; a sub-base; a block upon which the moldings of an architrave or trim are stopped at the bottom. See Illust. of Column.

PLIOCENE
Pli"o*cene, a. [Written also pleiocene.] Etym: [Gr. (Geol.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or characterizing, the most recent division of the Tertiary age.

PLIOCENE
Pli"o*cene, n. (Geol.)

Defn: The Pliocene period or deposits.

PLIOHIPPUS
Pli`o*hip"pus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. E. pliocene + Gr. (Paleon.)

Defn: An extinct genus of horses from the Pliocene deposits. Each foot had a single toe (or hoof), as in the common horse.

PLIOSAURUS
Pli`o*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Paleon.)

Defn: An extinct genus of marine reptiles allied to Plesiosaurus, but having a much shorter neck.

PLITT
Plitt, n. Etym: [Russ. plete.]

Defn: An instrument of punishment or torture resembling the knout, used in Russia.

PLOC
Ploc, n. Etym: [F.] (Naut.)

Defn: A mixture of hair and tar for covering the bottom of a ship.

PLOCE
Plo"ce, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Rhet.)

Defn: A figure in which a word is separated or repeated by way of emphasis, so as not only to signify the individual thing denoted by it, but also its peculiar attribute or quality; as, "His wife's a wife indeed." Bailey.

PLOD
Plod, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Plodded; p. pr. & vb. n. Plodding.] Etym:
[Gf. Gael. plod a clod, a pool; also, to strike or pelt with a clod
or clods.]

1. To travel slowly but steadily; to trudge. Shak.

2. To toil; to drudge; especially, to study laboriously and patiently. "Plodding schoolmen." Drayton.

PLOD
Plod, v. t.

Defn: To walk on slowly or heavily.
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way. Gray.

PLODDER
Plod"der, n.

Defn: One who plods; a drudge.

PLODDING
Plod"ding, a.

Defn: Progressing in a slow, toilsome manner; characterized by laborious diligence; as, a plodding peddler; a plodding student; a man of plodding habits. —Plod"ding*ly, adv.

PLONGE
Plonge, v. t. Etym: [See Plunge.]

Defn: To cleanse, as open drains which are entered by the tide, by stirring up the sediment when the tide ebbs.

PLONGEE
Plon`gée", n. Etym: [F. See Plunge.] (Mil.)

Defn: A slope or sloping toward the front; as, the plongée of a parapet; the plongée of a shell in its course. [Sometimes written plonge.]

PLOP
Plop, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Plopped; p. pr. & vb. n. Plopping.]
[Imitative.]

Defn: To fall, drop, or move in any way, with a sudden splash or slap, as on the surface of water.

The body plopped up, turning on its side.
Kipling.

PLOP
Plop, n.

Defn: Act of plopping; the sound made in plopping.

PLOT Plot, n. Etym: [AS. plot; cf. Goth. plats a patch. Cf. Plat a piece of ground.]

1. A small extent of ground; a plat; as, a garden plot. Shak.

2. A plantation laid out. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

3. (Surv.)

Defn: A plan or draught of a field, farm, estate, etc., drawn to a scale.

PLOT
Plot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Plotting.]

Defn: To make a plot, map, pr plan, of; to mark the position of on a
plan; to delineate.
This treatise plotteth down Cornwall as it now standeth. Carew.

PLOT
Plot, n. Etym: [Abbrev. from complot.]

1. Any scheme, stratagem, secret design, or plan, of a complicated nature, adapted to the accomplishment of some purpose, usually a treacherous and mischievous one; a conspiracy; an intrigue; as, the Rye-house Plot. I have overheard a plot of death. Shak. O, think what anxious moments pass between The birth of plots and their last fatal periods! Addison.

2. A share in such a plot or scheme; a participation in any stratagem or conspiracy. [Obs.] And when Christ saith. Who marries the divorced commits adultery, it is to be understood, if he had any plot in the divorce. Milton.

3. Contrivance; deep reach thought; ability to plot or intrigue. [Obs.] "A man of much plot." Denham.

4. A plan; a purpose. "No other plot in their religion but serve Got and save their souls." Jer. Taylor.

5. In fiction, the story of a play, novel, romance, or poem, comprising a complication of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means. If the plot or intrigue must be natural, and such as springs from the subject, then the winding up of the plot must be a probable consequence of all that went before. Pope.

Syn.
— Intrigue; stratagem; conspiracy; cabal; combination; contrivance.

PLOT
Plot, v. i.

1. To form a scheme of mischief against another, especially against a government or those who administer it; to conspire. Shak. The wicked plotteth against the just. Ps. xxxvii. 12.

2. To contrive a plan or stratagem; to scheme. The prince did plot to be secretly gone. Sir H. Wotton.

PLOT
Plot, v. t.

Defn: To plan; to scheme; to devise; to contrive secretly. "Plotting an unprofitable crime." Dryden. "Plotting now the fall of others." Milton

PLOTFUL
Plot"ful, a.

Defn: Abounding with plots.

PLOTINIAN
Plo*tin"i*an, a.

Defn: Of pertaining to the Plotinists or their doctrines.

PLOTINIST
Plo*ti"nist, n. (Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: A disciple of Plotinus, a celebrated Platonic philosopher of the third century, who taught that the human soul emanates from the divine Being, to whom it reunited at death.

PLOT-PROOF
Plot"-proof`, a.

Defn: Secure against harm by plots. Shak.

PLOTTER
Plot"ter, n.

Defn: One who plots or schemes; a contriver; a conspirator; a schemer. Dryden.

PLOUGH
Plough, n. & v.

Defn: See Plow.

PLOUTER
Plout"er, v. i. [Also plowter, plotter.] [Perh. imitative.]

Defn: To wade or move about with splashing; to dabble; also, to potter; trifle; idle. [Scot. & Dial. Eng.]

I did not want to plowter about any more.
Kipling.

PLOUTER
Plout"er, n. [Also plowter.]

Defn: Act of ploutering; floundering; act or sound of splashing.
[Scot. & Dial.Eng.]

PLOVER
Plov"er, n. Etym: [OF. plovier, F. pluvier, prop., the rain bird, fr.
LL. (assumed) pluviarius, fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain;
akin to E. float, G. fliessen to flow. See Float.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family Charadridæ, and especially those belonging to the subfamily Charadrinsæ. They are prized as game birds.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any grallatorial bird allied to, or resembling, the true plovers, as the crab plover (Dromas ardeola); the American upland, plover (Bartramia longicauda); and other species of sandpipers.

Note: Among the more important species are the blackbellied, or blackbreasted, plover (Charadrius squatarola) of America and Europe; — called also gray plover, bull-head plover, Swiss plover, sea plover, and oxeye; the golden plover (see under Golden); the ring or ringed plover (Ægialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping plover (Ægialitis meloda); Wilson's plover (Æ. Wilsonia); the mountain plover (Æ. montana); and the semipalmated plover (Æ. semipalmata), are all small American species. Bastard plover (Zoöl.), the lapwing. — Long-legged, or yellow-legged, plover. See Tattler. — Plover's page, the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] — Rock plover, or Stone plover, the black-bellied plover. [Prov. Eng.] — Whistling plover. (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied plover.

PLOW; PLOUGH Plow, Plough (plou), n. Etym: [OE. plouh, plou, AS. ploh; akin to D. ploeg, G. pflug, OHG. pfluog, pfluoh, Icel. plogr, Sw. plog, Dan. ploug, plov, Russ. plug', Lith. plugas.]

1. A well-known implement, drawn by horses, mules, oxen, or other power, for turning up the soil to prepare it for bearing crops; also used to furrow or break up the soil for other purposes; as, the subsoil plow; the draining plow. Where fern succeeds ungrateful to the plow. Dryden.

2. Fig.: Agriculture; husbandry. Johnson.

3. A carucate of land; a plowland. [Obs.] [Eng.] Johan, mine eldest son, shall have plowes five. Tale of Gamelyn.

4. A joiner's plane for making grooves; a grooving plane.

5. (Bookbinding)

Defn: An implement for trimming or shaving off the edges of books.

6. (Astron.)

Defn: Same as Charles's Wain. Ice plow, a plow used for cutting ice
on rivers, ponds, etc., into cakes suitable for storing. [U. S.] —
Mackerel plow. See under Mackerel.
— Plow alms, a penny formerly paid by every plowland to the church.
Cowell.
— Plow beam, that part of the frame of a plow to which the draught
is applied. See Beam, n., 9.
— Plow Monday, the Monday after Twelth Day, or the end of Christmas
holidays.
— Plow staff. (a) A kind of long-handled spade or paddle for
cleaning the plowshare; a paddle staff. (b) A plow handle.
— Snow plow, a structure, usually

PLOW; PLOUGH Plow, Plough, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plowed (ploud) or Ploughed; p. pr. & vb. n. Plowing or Ploughing.]

1. To turn up, break up, or trench, with a plow; to till with, or as with, a plow; as, to plow the ground; to plow a field.

2. To furrow; to make furrows, grooves, or ridges in; to run through,
as in sailing.
Let patient Octavia plow thy visage up With her prepared nails. Shak.
With speed we plow the watery way. Pope.

3. (Bookbinding)

Defn: To trim, or shave off the edges of, as a book or paper, with a plow. See Plow, n., 5.

4. (Joinery)

Defn: To cut a groove in, as in a plank, or the edge of a board; especially, a rectangular groove to receive the end of a shelf or tread, the edge of a panel, a tongue, etc. To plow in, to cover by plowing; as, to plow in wheat. — To plow up, to turn out of the ground by plowing.plow ahead, to continue in spite of obstacles or resistence by others.

Note: Often used in a bad sense, meaning to continue obstinately in spite of the contrary advice of others. plow through, to execute a difficult or laborious task steadily, esp. one containing many parts; as, he plowed through the stack of correspondence until all had been answered.

PLOW; PLOUGH
Plow, Plough (plou), v. i.

Defn: To labor with, or as with, a plow; to till or turn up the soil with a plow; to till or turn up the soil with a plow; to prepare the soil or bed for anything. Shak. Doth the plowman plow all day to sow Isa. xxviii. 24.

PLOWABLE; PLOUGHABLE
Plow"a*ble, Plough"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being plowed; arable.

PLOWBOTE; PLOUGHBOTE
Plow"bote`, Plough"bote`, n. (Eng. Law)

Defn: Wood or timber allowed to a tenant for the repair of instruments of husbandry. See Bote.

PLOWBOY; PLOUGHBOY
Plow"boy`, Plough"boy`, n.

Defn: A boy that drives or guides a team in plowing; a young rustic.

PLOWER; PLOUGHER
Plow"er, Plough"er, n.

Defn: One who plows; a plowman; a cultivator.

PLOWFOOT; PLOUGHFOOT
Plow"foot`, Plough"foot`, n.

Defn: An adjustable staff formerly attached to the plow beam to determine the depth of the furrow. Piers Plowman.

PLOWGANG; PLOUGHGANG
Plow"gang`, Plough"gang`, n.

Defn: Same as Plowgate.

PLOWGATE; PLOUGHGATE
Plow"gate`, Plough"gate`, n.

Defn: The Scotch equivalent of the English word plowland.
Not having one plowgate of land. Sir W. Scott.

PLOWHEAD; PLOUGHHEAD
Plow"head`, Plough"head`, n.

Defn: The clevis or draught iron of a plow.

PLOWLAND; PLOUGLAND
Plow"land`, Ploug"land`, n.

1. Land that is plowed, or suitable for tillage.

2. (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: the quantity of land allotted for the work of one plow; a hide.

PLOWMAN; PLOUGHMAN
Plow"man, Plough"man, n.; pl. -men (.

1. One who plows, or who holds and guides a plow; hence, a husbandman. Chaucer. Macaulay.

2. A rustic; a countryman; a field laborer. Plowman's spikenard (Bot.), a European composite weed (Conyza squarrosa), having fragrant roots. Dr. Prior.

PLOWPOINT; PLOUGHPOINT
Plow"point`, Plough"point`, n.

Defn: A detachable share at the extreme front end of the plow body.

PLOWSHARE; PLOUGHSHARE
Plow"share`, Plough"share", n.

Defn: The share of a plow, or that part which cuts the slice of earth or sod at the bottom of the furrow. Plowshare bone (Anat.), the pygostyle.

PLOWTAIL; PLOUGHTAIL
Plow"tail`, Plough"tail`, n.

Defn: The hind part or handle of a plow.

PLOWWRIGHT; PLOUGHWRIGHT
Plow"wright`, Plough"wright`, n.

Defn: One who makes or repairs plows.

PLOY
Ploy, n.

Defn: Sport; frolic. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

PLOY
Ploy, v. i. Etym: [Prob. abbrev. fr. deploy.] (Mil.)

Defn: To form a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; — the opposite of deploy. Wilhelm.

PLOYMENT
Ploy"ment, n. (Mil.)

Defn: The act or movement of forming a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; — the opposite of deployment.

PLUCK
Pluck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plucked; p. pr. & vb. n. Plucking.] Etym:
[AS. pluccian; akin to LG. & D. plukken, G. pflücken, Icel. plokka,
plukka, Dan. plukke, Sw. plocka.

1. To pull; to draw. Its own nature . . . plucks on its own dissolution. Je

2. Especially, to pull with sudden force or effort, or to pull off or out from something, with a twitch; to twitch; also, to gather, to pick; as, to pluck feathers from a fowl; to pluck hair or wool from a skin; to pluck grapes. I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude. Milton. E'en children followed, with endearing wile, And plucked his gown to share the good man's smile. Goldsmith.

3. To strip of, or as of, feathers; as, to pluck a fowl. They which pass by the way do pluck her. Ps. lxxx.

4. (Eng. Universities)

Defn: To reject at an examination for degrees. C. Bronté. To pluck away, to pull away, or to separate by pulling; to tear away. — To pluck down, to pull down; to demolish; to reduce to a lower state. — to pluck off, to pull or tear off; as, to pluck off the skin. — to pluck up. (a) To tear up by the roots or from the foundation; to eradicate; to exterminate; to destroy; as, to pluck up a plant; to pluk up a nation. Jer. xii. 17. (b) To gather up; to summon; as, to pluck up courage.

PLUCK
Pluck, v. i.

Defn: To make a motion of pulling or twitching; — usually with at; as, to pluck at one's gown.

PLUCK
Pluck, n.

1. The act of plucking; a pull; a twitch.

2. Etym: [Prob. so called as being plucked out after the animal is killed; or cf. Gael. & Ir. pluc a lump, a knot, a bunch.]

Defn: The heart, liver, and lights of an animal.

3. Spirit; courage; indomitable resolution; fortitude. Decay of English spirit, decay of manly pluck. Thackeray.

4. The act of plucking, or the state of being plucked, at college. See Pluck, v. t., 4.

5. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The lyrie. [Prov. Eng.]

PLUCKED
Plucked, a.

Defn: Having courage and spirit. [R.]

PLUCKER
Pluck"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, plucks. Thou setter up and plucker down of kings. Shak.

2. A machine for straightening and cleaning wool.

PLUCKER TUBE Plück"er tube. [So named after Julius Plücker, a German physicist.] (Physics) (a) A vacuum tube, used in spectrum analysis, in which the part through which the discharge takes place is a capillary tube, thus producing intense incandescence of the contained gases. (b) Crookes tube.

PLUCKILY
Pluck"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a plucky manner.

PLUCKINESS
Pluck"i*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being plucky.

PLUCKLESS
Pluck"less, a.

Defn: Without pluck; timid; faint-hearted.

PLUCKY
Pluck"y, a. [Compar. Pluckier; superl. Pluckiest.]

Defn: Having pluck or courage; characterized by pluck; displaying pluck; courageous; spirited; as, a plucky race. If you're plucky, and not over subject to fright. Barham.

PLUFF
Pluff, v. t. Etym: [Prob. of imitative origin.]

Defn: To throw out, as smoke, dust, etc., in puffs. [Scot.]

PLUFF
Pluff, n.

1. A puff, as of smoke from a pipe, or of dust from a puffball; a slight explosion, as of a small quantity of gunpowder. [Scot.]

2. A hairdresser's powder puff; also, the act of using it. [Scot.]

PLUG Plug, n. Etym: [Akin to D. plug, G. pflock, Dan. plök, plug, Sw. plugg; cf. W. ploc.]

1. Any piece of wood, metal, or other substance used to stop or fill a hole; a stopple.

2. A flat oblong cake of pressed tobacco. [U. S.]

3. A high, tapering silk hat. [Slang, U.S.]

4. A worthless horse. [Slang, U.S.]

5. (Building)

Defn: A block of wood let into a wall, to afford a hold for nails. Fire plug, a street hydrant to which hose may be attached. [U. S.] — Hawse plug (Naut.), a plug to stop a hawse hole. — Plug and feather. (Stone Working) See Feather, n., 7. — Plug centerbit, a centerbit ending in a small cylinder instead of a point, so as to follow and enlarge a hole previously made, or to form a counterbore around it. — Plug rod (Steam Eng.) , a rod attached to the beam for working the valves, as in the Cornish engine. — Plug valve (Mech.), a tapering valve, which turns in a case like the plug of a faucet.

PLUG
Plug, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plugged; p. pr. & vb. n. Plugging.]

Defn: To stop with a plug; to make tight by stopping a hole.

PLUG BOARD
Plug board. (Elec.)

Defn: A switchboard in which connections are made by means of plugs.

PLUGGER
Plug"ger, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, plugs.

PLUGGING
Plug"ging, n.

1. The act of stopping with a plug.

2. The material of which a plug or stopple is made.

PLUM Plum, n. Etym: [AS.plume, fr. L. prunum; akin to Gr. Prune a dried plum.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: The edible drupaceous fruit of the Prunus domestica, and of several other species of Prunus; also, the tree itself, usually called plum tree. The bullace, the damson, and the numerous varieties of plum, of our gardens, although growing into thornless trees, are believed to be varieties of the blackthorn, produced by long cultivation. G. Bentham. are in bold format, like collocations.

Note: Two or three hundred varieties of plums derived from the Prunus domestica are described; among them the greengage, the Orleans, the purple gage, or Reine Claude Violette, and the German prune, are some of the best known.

Note: Among the true plums are; Beach plum, the Prunus maritima, and
its crimson or purple globular drupes, — Bullace plum. See Bullace.
— Chickasaw plum, the American Prunus Chicasa, and its round red
drupes.
— Orleans plum, a dark reddish purple plum of medium size, much
grown in England for sale in the markets.
— Wild plum of America, Prunus Americana, with red or yellow fruit,
the original of the Iowa plum and several other varieties. Among
plants called plum, but of other genera than Prunus, are; Australian
plum, Cargillia arborea and C. australis, of the same family with the
persimmon.
— Blood plum, the West African Hæmatostaphes Barteri.
— Cocoa plum, the Spanish nectarine. See under Nectarine.
— Date plum. See under Date.
— Gingerbread plum, the West African Parinarium macrophyllum.
— Gopher plum, the Ogeechee lime.
— Gray plum, Guinea plum. See under Guinea.
— Indian plum, several species of Flacourtia.

2. A grape dried in the sun; a raisin.

3. A handsome fortune or property; formerly, in cant language, the sum of £100,000 sterling; also, the person possessing it. Plum bird, Plum budder (Zoöl.), the European bullfinch. — Plum gouger (Zoöl.), a weevil, or curculio (Coccotorus scutellaris), which destroys plums. It makes round holes in the pulp, for the reception of its eggs. The larva bores into the stone and eats the kernel. — Plum weevil (Zoöl.), an American weevil which is very destructive to plums, nectarines cherries, and many other stone fruits. It lays its eggs in crescent-shaped incisions made with its jaws. The larva lives upon the pulp around the stone. Called also turk, and plum curculio. See Illust. under Curculio.

PLUMA
Plu"ma, n.; pl. Plumæ. Etym: [L.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A feather.

PLUMAGE
Plum"age, n. Etym: [F., from plume a feather.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The entire clothing of a bird.

Note: It consist of the contour feathers, or the ordinary feathers covering the head, neck, and body; the tail feathers, with their upper and lower coverts; the wing feathers, including primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, with their coverts; and the down which lies beneath the contour feathers. See Illust. under Bird.

PLUMASSARY
Plu*mas"sa*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plumasseau.]

Defn: A plume or collection of ornamental feathers.

PLUMASSIER
Plu`mas`sier", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: One who prepares or deals in ornamental plumes or feathers.

PLUMB Plumb, n. Etym: [F. plomb, L. plumbum lead, a leaden ball or bullet; cf. Gr. Plummet, Plunge.]

Defn: A little mass or weight of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction; a plummet; a plumb bob. See Plumb line, below. Plumb bob. See Bob, 4. — Plumb joint, in sheet-metal work, a lap joint, fastened by solder. — Plumb level. See under Level. — Plumb line. (a) The cord by which a plumb bob is suspended; a plummet. (b) A line directed to the center of gravity of the earth. — Plumb rule, a narrow board with a plumb line, used by builders and carpenters.

PLUMB
Plumb, a.

Defn: Perpendicular; vertical; conforming the direction of a line attached to a plumb; as, the wall is plumb.

PLUMB
Plumb, adv.

Defn: In a plumb direction; perpendicularly. "Plumb down he falls."
Milton.

PLUMB
Plumb, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Plumbing.]

1. To adjust by a plumb line; to cause to be perpendicular; as, to plumb a building or a wall.

2. To sound with a plumb or plummet, as the depth of water; hence, to examine by test; to ascertain the depth, quality, dimension, etc.; to sound; to fathom; to test. He did not attempt to plumb his intellect. Ld. Lytton.

3. To seal with lead; as, to plumb a drainpipe.

4. To supply, as a building, with a system of plumbing.

PLUMBAGE
Plumb"age, n.

Defn: Leadwork [R.]

PLUMBAGIN Plum*ba"gin, n. Etym: [L. plumbago leadwort, fr. plumbum lead; cf. F. plombagin.] (Chem.)

Defn: A crystalline substance said to be found in the root of a certain plant of the Leadwort (Plumbago) family.

PLUMBAGINEOUS
Plum`ba*gin"e*ous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Pertaining to natural order (Plumbagineæ) of gamopetalous herbs, of which plumbago is the type. The order includes also the marsh rosemary, the thrift, and a few other genera.

PLUMBAGINOUS
Plum*bag"i*nous, a.

Defn: Resembling plumbago; consisting of, or containing, plumbago; as, a plumbaginous slate.

PLUMBAGO
Plum*ba"go, n. Etym: [L., from plumbum lead.]

1. (Min.)

Defn: Same as Graphite.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of herbaceous plants with pretty salver-shaped corollas, usually blue or violet; leadwort.

PLUMBEAN; PLUMBEOUS Plum"be*an, Plum"be*ous, a. Etym: [L. plumbeus, from plumbum the metal lead.]

1. Consisting of, or resembling, lead. J. Ellis.

2. Dull; heavy; stupid. [R.] J. P. Smith.

PLUMBER
Plumb"er, n. Etym: [F. plombier. See Plumb.]

Defn: One who works in lead; esp., one who furnishes, fits, and repairs lead, iron, or glass pipes, and other apparatus for the conveyance of water, gas, or drainage in buildings.

PLUMBER BLOCK
Plumb"er block`.

Defn: A pillow block.

PLUMBERY
Plumb"er*y, n. Etym: [F. plomberie.]

1. The business of a plumber. [Obs.]

2. A place where plumbing is carried on; lead works.

PLUMBIC
Plum"bic, a. Etym: [From Plumbum.] (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, resembling, or containing, lead; — used specifically to designate those compounds in which it has a higher valence as contrasted with plumbous compounds; as, plumbic oxide.

PLUMBIFEROUS
Plum*bif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Plumbum + -ferous.]

Defn: Producing or containing lead. Kirwan.

PLUMBING
Plumb"ing, n.

1. The art of casting and working in lead, and applying it to building purposes; especially, the business of furnishing, fitting, and repairing pipes for conducting water, sewage, etc. Gwilt.

2. The lead or iron pipes, and other apparatus, used in conveying water, sewage, etc., in a building.

PLUMBISM
Plum"bism, n. Etym: [From Plumbum.] (Med.)

Defn: A diseased condition, produced by the absorption of lead, common among workers in this metal or in its compounds, as among painters, typesetters, etc. It is characterized by various symptoms, as lead colic, lead line, and wrist drop. See under Colic, Lead, and Wrist.

PLUMBOUS
Plum"bous, a. Etym: [From Plumbum.] (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or containing, lead; — used specifically to designate those compounds in which it has a lower valence as contrasted with plumbic compounds.

PLUMBUM
Plum"bum, n. Etym: [L.] (Chem.)

Defn: The technical name of lead. See Lead.

PLUMCOT
Plum"cot, n. [Plum + apricot.] (Hort.)

Defn: A cross between the plum and apricot.

PLUME
Plume, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. pluma. Cf. Fly, v.]

1. A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long, conspicuous, or handsome feather. Wings . . . of many a colored plume. Milton.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An ornamental tuft of feathers.

3. A feather, or group of feathers, worn as an ornament; a waving ornament of hair, or other material resembling feathers. His high plume, that nodded o'er his head. Dryden.

4. A token of honor or prowess; that on which one prides himself; a prize or reward. "Ambitious to win from me some plume." Milton.

5. (Bot.)

Defn: A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses. Plume bird (Zoöl.), any bird that yields ornamental plumes, especially the species of Epimarchus from New Guinea, and some of the herons and egrets, as the white heron of Florida (Ardea candidissima). — Plume grass. (Bot) (a) A kind of grass (Erianthus saccharoides) with the spikelets arranged in great silky plumes, growing in swamps in the Southern United States. (b) The still finer E. Ravennæ from the Mediterranean region. The name is sometimes extended to the whole genus. — Plume moth (Zoöl.), any one of numerous small, slender moths, belonging to the family Pterophoridæ. Most of them have the wings deeply divided into two or more plumelike lobes. Some species are injurious to the grapevine. — Plume nutmeg (Bot.), an aromatic Australian tree (Atherosperma moschata), whose numerous carpels are tipped with long plumose persistent styles.

PLUME
Plume, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pluming.] Etym:
[Cf. F. plumer to pluck, to strip, L. plumare to cover with
feathers.]

1. To pick and adjust the plumes or feathers of; to dress or prink. Pluming her wings among the breezy bowers. W. Irving.

2. To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel. [Obs.] Bacon. Dryden.

3. To adorn with feathers or plumes. "Farewell the plumed troop." Shak.

4. To pride; to vaunt; to boast; — used reflexively; as, he plumes himself on his skill. South. Plumed adder (Zoöl.), an African viper (Vipera, or Clotho, cornuta), having a plumelike structure over each eye. It is venomous, and is related to the African puff adder. Called also horned viper and hornsman. — Plumed partridge (Zoöl.), the California mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus). See Mountain quail, under Mountain.

PLUMELESS
Plume"less, a.

Defn: Without plumes.

PLUMELET
Plume"let, n. Etym: [Plume + -let.]

Defn: A small plume.
When rosy plumelets tuft the larch. Tennyson.

PLUMERY
Plum"er*y, n.

Defn: Plumes, collectively or in general; plumage. [R.] Southey.

PLUMICORN
Plu"mi*corn, n. Etym: [L. pluma feather + cornu horn.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An ear tuft of feathers, as in the horned owls.

PLUMIGEROUS Plu*mig"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. plumiger; pluma a feather + gerere to bear.]

Defn: Feathered; having feathers. Bailey

PLUMILIFORM Plu*mil"i*form, a. Etym: [L. plumula, or plumella a little feather (dim. of pluma feather) + -form.]

Defn: Having the of a plume or feather. [R.]

PLUMIPED
Plu"mi*ped, a. Etym: [L. plumipes, -edis; pluma a feather + pes: cf.
F. plumipède.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having feet covered with feathers.
— n.

Defn: A plumiped bird.

PLUMMET
Plum"met, n. Etym: [OE. plommet, OF. plommet, fr. plom, plum, lead,
F. plomb. See Plumb.]

1. A piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water. I'll sink him deeper than e'er plummet sounded. Shak.

2. A plumb bob or a plumb line. See under Plumb, n.

3. Hence, any weight.

4. A piece of lead formerly used by school children to rule paper for writing. Plummet line, a line with a plummet; a sounding line.

PLUMMING
Plum"ming, n. Etym: [See Plumb.] (Min.)

Defn: The operation of finding, by means of a mine dial, the place where to sink an air shaft, or to bring an adit to the work, or to find which way the lode inclines.

PLUMMY
Plum"my, a. Etym: [From Plum.]

Defn: Of the nature of a plum; desirable; profitable; advantageous.
[Colloq.] "For the sake of getting something plummy." G. Eliot.

PLUMOSE; PLUMOUS Plu*mose", Plu"mous, a. Etym: [L. plumosus, fr. pluma feather: cf. F. plumeux.]

1. Having feathers or plumes.

2. Having hairs, or other párts, arranged along an axis like a feather; feathery; plumelike; as, a plumose leaf; plumose tentacles.

PLUMOSITE
Plu"mo*site, n. (Min.)

Defn: Same as Jamesonite.

PLUMOSITY
Plu*mos"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being plumose.

PLUMP Plump, a. [Compar. Plumper; superl. Plumpest.] Etym: [OE. plomp rude, clumsy; akin to D. plomp, G., Dan., & Sw. plump; probably of imitative origin. Cf. Plump, adv.]

Defn: Well rounded or filled out; full; fleshy; fat; as, a plump baby; plump cheeks. Shak. The god of wine did his plump clusters bring. T. Carew.

PLUMP
Plump, n.

Defn: A knot; a cluster; a group; a crowd; a flock; as, a plump of trees, fowls, or spears. [Obs.] To visit islands and the plumps of men. Chapman.

PLUMP Plump, v. i. Etym: [Cf. D. plompen, G. plumpen, Sw. plumpa, Dan. plumpe. See Plump, a.]

1. To grow plump; to swell out; as, her cheeks have plumped.

2. To drop or fall suddenly or heavily, all at once."Dulcissa plumps into a chair." Spectator.

3. To give a plumper. See Plumper, 2.

PLUMP
Plump, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumped; p. pr. & vb. n. Plumping.]

1. To make plump; to fill (out) or support; — often with up.plump up
the pillows
To plump up the hollowness of their history with improbable miracles.
Fuller.

2. To cast or let drop all at once, suddenly and heavily; as, to plump a stone into water.

3. To give (a vote), as a plumper. See Plumper, 2.

PLUMP
Plump, adv. Etym: [Cf. D. plomp, interj., G. plump, plumps. Cf.
Plump, a. &v.]

Defn: Directly; suddenly; perpendicularly. "Fall plump." Beau. & Fl.

PLUMPER
Plump"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, plumps or swells out something else; hence, something carried in the mouth to distend the cheeks.

2. (English Elections)

Defn: A vote given to one candidate only, when two or more are to be elected, thus giving him the advantage over the others. A person who gives his vote thus is said to plump, or to plump his vote.

3. A voter who plumps his vote. [Eng.]

4. A downright, unqualified lie. [Colloq. or Low]

PLUMPLY
Plump"ly, adv.

Defn: Fully; roundly; plainly; without reserve. [Colloq.]

PLUMPNESS
Plump"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being plump.

PLUMPY
Plump"y, a.

Defn: Plump; fat; sleek. "Plumpy Bacchus." Shak.

PLUMULA
Plu"mu*la, n.; pl. L. Plumule, E.-las. Etym: [L. See Plumule.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A plumule.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A down feather.

PLUMULACEOUS
Plu`mu*la"ceous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Downy; bearing down.

PLUMULAR
Plu"mu*lar, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Relating to a plumule.

PLUMULARIA
Plu`mu*la"ri*a, n.; pl. L. Plumularlæ, E. Plumularias. Etym: [NL.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: Any hydroid belonging to Plumularia and other genera of the family Plumularidæ. They generally grow in plumelike forms.

PLUMULARIAN
Plu`mu*la"ri*an, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any Plumularia. Also used adjectively.

PLUMULE Plu"mule, n. Etym: [L. plumula, dim. of pluma a feather; cf. F. plumule.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: The first bud, or gemmule, of a young plant; the bud, or growing point, of the embryo, above the cotyledons. See Illust. of Radicle. Gray.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) A down feather. (b) The aftershaft of a feather. See Illust. under Feather. (c) One of the featherlike scales of certain male butterflies.

PLUMULOSE
Plu"mu*lose", a.

Defn: Having hairs branching out laterally, like the parts of a feather.

PLUMY
Plum"y, a.

Defn: Covered or adorned with plumes, or as with plumes; feathery.
"His plumy crest." Addison. "The plumy trees." J. S. Blackie.

PLUNDER
Plun"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plundered; p. pr. & vb. n. Plundering.]
Etym: [G. plündern to plunder, plunder frippery, baggage.]

1. To take the goods of by force, or without right; to pillage; to spoil; to sack; to strip; to rob; as, to plunder travelers. Nebuchadnezzar plunders the temple of God. South.

2. To take by pillage; to appropriate forcibly; as, the enemy plundered all the goods they found.

Syn.
— To pillage; despoil; sack; rifle; strip; rob.

PLUNDER
Plun"der, n.

1. The act of plundering or pillaging; robbery. See Syn. of Pillage. Inroads and plunders of the Saracens. Sir T. North.

2. That which is taken by open force from an enemy; pillage; spoil; booty; also, that which is taken by theft or fraud. "He shared in the plunder." Cowper.

3. Personal property and effects; baggage or luggage. [Slang, Southwestern U.S.]

PLUNDERAGE
Plun"der*age, n. (Mar. Law)

Defn: The embezzlement of goods on shipboard. Wharton.

PLUNDERER
Plun"der*er, n.

Defn: One who plunders or pillages.

PLUNGE
Plunge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plunged; p. pr. & vb. n. Plunging.] Etym:
[OE. ploungen, OF. plongier, F. plonger, fr. (assumed) LL.
plumbicare, fr. L. plumbum lead. See Plumb.]

1. To thrust into water, or into any substance that is penetrable; to immerse; to cause to penetrate or enter quickly and forcibly; to thrust; as, to plunge the body into water; to plunge a dagger into the breast. Also used figuratively; as, to plunge a nation into war. "To plunge the boy in pleasing sleep." Dryden. Bound and plunged him into a cell. Tennyson. We shall be plunged into perpetual errors. I. Watts.

2. To baptize by immersion.

3. To entangle; to embarrass; to overcome. [Obs.] Plunged and graveled with three lines of Seneca. Sir T. Browne.

PLUNGE
Plunge, v. i.

1. To thrust or cast one's self into water or other fluid; to submerge one's self; to dive, or to rush in; as, he plunged into the river. Also used figuratively; as, to plunge into debt. Forced to plunge naked in the raging sea. Dryden. To plunge into guilt of a murther. Tillotson.

2. To pitch or throw one's self headlong or violently forward, as a horse does. Some wild colt, which . . . flings and plunges. Bp. Hall.

3. To bet heavily and with seeming recklessness on a race, or other contest; in an extended sense, to risk large sums in hazardous speculations. [Cant] Plunging fire (Gun.), firing directed upon an enemy from an elevated position.

PLUNGE
Plunge, n.

1. The act of thrusting into or submerging; a dive, leap, rush, or pitch into, or as into, water; as, to take the water with a plunge.

2. Hence, a desperate hazard or act; a state of being submerged or overwhelmed with difficulties. [R.] She was brought to that plunge, to conceal her husband's murder or accuse her son. Sir P. Sidney. And with thou not reach out a friendly arm, To raise me from amidst this plunge of sorrows Addison.

3. The act of pitching or throwing one's self headlong or violently forward, like an unruly horse.

4. Heavy and reckless betting in horse racing; hazardous speculation. [Cant] Plunge bath, an immersion by plunging; also, a large bath in which the bather can wholly immerse himself. — Plunge, or plunging, battery (Elec.), a voltaic battery so arranged that the plates can be plunged into, or withdrawn from, the exciting liquid at pleasure.

PLUNGER
Plun"ger, n.

1. One who, or that which, plunges; a diver.

2. A long solid cylinder, used, instead of a piston or bucket, as a forcer in pumps.

3. One who bets heavily and recklessly on a race; a reckless speculator. [Cant]

4. (Pottery)

Defn: A boiler in which clay is beaten by a wheel to a creamy consistence. Knight.

5. (Gun.)

Defn: The firing pin of a breechloader. Plunger bucket, a piston, without a valve, in a pump. — Plunger pole, the pump rod of a pumping engine. — Plunger pump, a pump, as for water, having a plunger, instead of a piston, to act upon the water. It may be single-acting or double- acting

PLUNK
Plunk, v. t. [Imitative.] [Chiefly Colloq.]

1. To pluck and release quickly (a musical string); to twang.

2. To throw, push, drive heavily, plumply, or suddenly; as, to plunk down a dollar; also, to hit or strike.

3. To be a truant from (school). [Scot.]

PLUNK
Plunk, n.

1. Act or sound of plunking. [Colloq.]

2. [Slang] (a) A large sum of money. [Obs.] (b) A dollar. [U. S.]

PLUNK
Plunk, v. i. [Chiefly Colloq.]

1. To make a quick, hollow, metallic, or harsh sound, as by pulling hard on a taut string and quickly releasing it; of a raven, to croak.

2. To drop or sink down suddenly or heavily; to plump.

3. To play truant, or "hooky". [Scot.]

PLUNKET
Plun"ket, n.

Defn: A kind of blue color; also, anciently, a kind of cloth, generally blue.

PLUPERFECT Plu"per`fect, a. Etym: [L. plus more + perfectus perfect; cf. F. plus-que-parfait, L. plusquamperfectum.]

Defn: More than perfect; past perfect; — said of the tense which denotes that an action or event was completed at or before the time of another past action or event. — n.

Defn: The pluperfect tense; also, a verb in the pluperfect tense.

PLURAL Plu"ral, a Etym: [L. pluralis, from plus, pluris, more; cf. F. pluriel, OF. plurel. See Plus.]

Defn: Relating to, or containing, more than one; designating two or
more; as, a plural word.
Plural faith, which is too much by one. Shak.
Plural number (Gram.), the number which designates more than one. See
Number, n., 8.

PLURAL
Plu"ral, n. (Gram.)

Defn: The plural number; that form of a word which expresses or denotes more than one; a word in the plural form.

PLURALISM
Plu"ral*ism, n.

1. The quality or state of being plural, or in the plural number.

2. (Eccl.)

Defn: The state of a pluralist; the holding of more than one ecclesiastical living at a time. [Eng.]

PLURALIST
Plu"ral*ist, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: A clerk or clergyman who holds more than one ecclesiastical
benefice. [Eng.]
Of the parochial clergy, a large proportion were pluralists.
Macaulay.

PLURALITY Plu*ral"i*ty, n.; pl. pluralities. Etym: [L. pluralitas: cf. F. pluralité.]

1. The state of being plural, or consisting of more than one; a number consisting of two or more of the same kind; as, a plurality of worlds; the plurality of a verb.

2. The greater number; a majority; also, the greatest of several numbers; in elections, the excess of the votes given for one candidate over those given for another, or for any other, candidate. When there are more than two candidates, the one who receives the plurality of votes may have less than a majority. See Majority. Take the plurality of the world, and they are neither wise nor good. L'Estrange.

3. (Eccl.)

Defn: See Plurality of benefices, below. Plurality of benefices (Eccl.), the possession by one clergyman of more than one benefice or living. Each benefice thus held is called a plurality. [Eng.]

PLURALIZATION
Plu`ral*i*za"tion, n.

Defn: The act of pluralizing. H. Spencer.

PLURALIZE
Plu"ral*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pluralized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Pluralizing.]

1. To make plural by using the plural termination; to attribute plurality to; to express in the plural form.

2. To multiply; to make manifold. [R.]

PLURALIZE
Plu"ral*ize, v. i.

1. To take a plural; to assume a plural form; as, a noun pluralizes. Earle.

2. (Eccl.)

Defn: To hold more than one benefice at the same time. [Eng.]

PLURALIZER
Plu"ral*i`zer, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: A pluralist. [R.]

PLURALLY
Plu"ral*ly, adv.

Defn: In a plural manner or sense.

PLURI-
Plu"ri-. Etym: [See Plus.]

Defn: A combining form from L. plus, pluris, more, many; as pluriliteral.

PLURIES Plu"ri*es, n. Etym: [So called from L. pluries many times, often, which occurs in the first clause.] (Law)

Defn: A writ issued in the third place, after two former writs have been disregarded. Mozley & W.

PLURIFARIOUS Plu`ri*fa"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. plurifarius, fr. L. plus, pluris, many. Cf. Bifarious.]

Defn: Of many kinds or fashions; multifarious.

PLURIFOLIOLATE
Plu`ri*fo"li*o*late, a. Etym: [Pluri- + foliolate.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having several or many leaflets.

PLURILITERAL
Plu`ri*lit"er*al, a. Etym: [Pluri- + literal.]

Defn: Consisting of more letters than three.
— n.

Defn: A pluriliteral word.

PLURILOCULAR
Plu`ri*loc"u*lar, a. Etym: [Pluri- + locular.]

Defn: Having several cells or loculi; specifically (Bot.),

Defn: having several divisions containing seeds; as, the lemon and the orange are plurilocular fruits. Plurilocular sporangia (Bot.), many-celled sporangia, each cell containing a single spore, as in many algæ.

PLURIPAROUS
Plu*rip"a*rous, a. Etym: [Pluri- + L. parere to bring forth.]

Defn: Producing several young at a birth; as, a pluriparous animal.

PLURIPARTITE
Plu`ri*par"tite, a. Etym: [Pluri- + partite.] (Bot.)

Defn: Deeply divided into several portions.

PLURIPRESENCE
Plu`ri*pres"ence, n. Etym: [Pluri- + presence.]

Defn: Presence in more places than one. [R.] Johnson.

PLURISY
Plu"ri*sy, n. Etym: [L. plus, pluris, more.]

Defn: Superabundance; excess; plethora. [Obs.] Shak.

PLUS
Plus, a. Etym: [L., more; akin to Gr. full. See Full, a., and cf.
Più, Pleonasm.]

1. (Math.)

Defn: More, required to be added; positive, as distinguished from negative; — opposed to Ant: minus.

2. Hence, in a literary sense, additional; real; actual. Success goes invariably with a certain plus or positive power. Emerson. Plus sign (Math.), the sign (+) which denotes addition, or a positive quantity.

PLUSH Plush, n. Etym: [F. pluche, peluche (cf. It. peluzzo), fr. L. pilus hair. See pile hair, and cf. Peruke.]

Defn: A textile fabric with a nap or shag on one side, longer and softer than the nap of velvet. Cowper.

PLUSHY
Plush"y, a.

Defn: Like plush; soft and shaggy. H. Kingsley.

PLUTARCHY
Plu"tar*chy, n. Etym: [Gr. -archy.]

Defn: Plutocracy; the rule of wealth. [R.]

PLUTEAL
Plu"te*al, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a pluteus.

PLUTEUS
Plu"te*us, n.; pl. L. Plutei, E. Pluteuses. Etym: [L., a shed.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: The free-swimming larva of sea urchins and ophiurans, having several long stiff processes inclosing calcareous rods.

PLUTO
Plu"to, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Class. Myth.)

Defn: The son of Saturn and Rhea, brother of Jupiter and Neptune; the dark and gloomy god of the Lower World. Pluto monkey (Zoöl.), a long- tailed African monkey (Cercopithecus pluto), having side whiskers. The general color is black, more or less grizzled; the frontal band is white.

PLUTOCRACY
Plu*toc"ra*cy, n. Etym: [Gr. plutocratie.]

Defn: A form of government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of the wealthy classes; government by the rich; also, a controlling or influential class of rich men.

PLUTOCRAT
Plu"to*crat, n.

Defn: One whose wealth gives him power or influence; one of the plutocracy.

PLUTOCRATIC
Plu`to*crat"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to plutocracy; as, plutocratic ideas. Bagehot.

PLUTOLOGY
Plu*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]

Defn: The science which treats of wealth.

PLUTONIAN
Plu*to"ni*an, a. Etym: [L. Plutonius, Gr. plutonien.]

Defn: Plutonic. Poe.

PLUTONIAN
Plu*to"ni*an, n. (Geol.)

Defn: A Plutonist.

PLUTONIC
Plu*ton"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. plutonique. See Pluto.]

1. Of or pertaining to Pluto; Plutonian; hence, pertaining to the interior of the earth; subterranean.

2. Of, pertaining to, or designating, the system of the Plutonists; igneous; as, the Plutonic theory. Plutonic action (Geol.), the influence of volcanic heat and other subterranean forces under pressure. — Plutonic rocks (Geol.), granite, porphyry, and some other igneous rocks, supposed to have consolidated from a melted state at a great depth from the surface. Cf. Intrusive rocks, under Intrusive. — Plutonic theory. (Geol.) See Plutonism.

PLUTONISM
Plu"to*nism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plutonisme.]

Defn: The theory, early advanced in geology, that the successive rocks of the earth''s crust were formed by igneous fusion; — opposed to the Neptunian theory.

PLUTONIST
Plu"to*nist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. plutoniste.]

Defn: One who adopts the geological theory of igneous fusion; a
Plutonian. See Plutonism.

PLUTUS
Plu"tus, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Class. Myth.)

Defn: The son of Jason and Ceres, and the god of wealth. He was represented as bearing a cornucopia, and as blind, because his gifts were bestowed without discrimination of merit.

PLUVIAL
Plu"vi*al, a. Etym: [L. pluvialis, fr. pluvia rain: cf. F. pluvial.
See Plover.]

1. Of or pertaining to rain; rainy. [R.]

2. (Geol.)

Defn: Produced by the action of rain.

PLUVIAL Plu"vi*al, n. Etym: [LL. pluviale a garment which keeps off the rain: cf. F. pluvial.]

Defn: A priest's cope.

PLUVIAMETER
Plu`vi*am"e*ter, n.

Defn: See Pluviometer.

PLUVIAMETRICAL
Plu`vi*a*met"ric*al, a.

Defn: See Pluviometrical.

PLUVIAN
Plu"vi*an, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The crocodile bird.

PLUVIOGRAPH
Plu"vi*o*graph, n. [L. pluvia rain + -graph.]

Defn: A self-registering rain gauge.

PLUVIOGRAPHY
Plu`vi*og"ra*phy, n. [L. pluvia rain + -graphy.]

Defn: The branch of meteorology treating of the automatic registration of the precipitation of rain, snow, etc.; also, the graphic presentation of precipitation data.

PLUVIOMETER Plu`vi*om"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. pluvia rain + -meter: cf. F. pluviomètre.]

Defn: An instrument for ascertaining the amount of rainfall at any place in a given time; a rain gauge.

PLUVIOMETRICAL
Plu`vi*o*met"ric*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pluviométrique.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a pluviometer; determined by a pluviometer.

PLUVIOMETRY
Plu`vi*om"e*try, n. [L. pluvia rain + -metry.]

Defn: That department of meteorology that treats of the measurement of the precipitation of rain, snow, etc.

PLUVIOSCOPE
Plu"vi*o*scope, n. [L. pluvia rain + -scope.]

Defn: A rain gauge.

PLUVIOSE
Plu`vi`ôse", n. Etym: [F. See Pluvious.]

Defn: The fifth month of the French republican calendar adopted in 1793. It began January 20, and ended February 18. See Vendémiaire.

PLUVIOUS Plu"vi*ous, a. Etym: [L. pluviosus, pluvius, fr. pluvia rain: cf. F. pluvieux. See Pluvial, a.]

Defn: Abounding in rain; rainy; pluvial. Sir T. Browne.

PLY Ply, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plied; p. pr. & vb. n. Plying.] Etym: [OE. plien, F. plier to fold, to bend, fr. L. plicare; akin to Gr. flechten. Cf. Apply, Complex, Display, Duplicity, Employ, Exploit, Implicate, Plait, Pliant, Flax.]

1. To bend. [Obs.] As men may warm wax with handes plie. Chaucer.

2. To lay on closely, or in folds; to work upon steadily, or with repeated acts; to press upon; to urge importunately; as, to ply one with questions, with solicitations, or with drink. And plies him with redoubled strokes Dryden. He plies the duke at morning and at night. Shak.

3. To employ diligently; to use steadily. Go ply thy needle; meddle not. Shak.

4. To practice or perform with diligence; to work at. Their bloody task, unwearied, still they ply. Waller.

PLY
Ply, v. i.

1. To bend; to yield. [Obs.] It would rather burst atwo than plye. Chaucer. The willow plied, and gave way to the gust. L'Estrange.

2. To act, go, or work diligently and steadily; especially, to do something by repeated actions; to go back and forth; as, a steamer plies between certain ports. Ere half these authors be read (which will soon be with plying hard and daily). Milton. He was forced to ply in the streets as a porter. Addison. The heavy hammers and mallets plied. Longfellow.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: To work to windward; to beat.

PLY
Ply, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pli, fr. plier. See Ply, v.]

1. A fold; a plait; a turn or twist, as of a cord. Arbuthnot.

2. Bent; turn; direction; bias. The late learners can not so well take the ply. Bacon. Boswell, and others of Goldsmith's contemporaries, . . . did not understand the secret plies of his character. W. Irving. The czar's mind had taken a strange ply, which it retained to the last. Macaulay.

Note: Ply is used in composition to designate folds, or the number of webs interwoven; as, a three-ply carpet.

PLYER
Ply"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, plies; specifically: (a) pl.

Defn: A kind of balance used in raising and letting down a drawbridge. It consists of timbers joined in the form of a St. Andrew's cross. (b) pl.

Defn: See Pliers.

PLYGHT
Plyght, v. & n.

Defn: See Plight. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PLYMOUTH BRETHREN
Plym"outh Breth"ren.

Defn: The members of a religious sect which first appeared at Plymouth, England, about 1830. They protest against sectarianism, and reject all official ministry or clergy. Also called Brethren, Christian Brethren, Plymouthists, etc. The Darbyites are a division of the Brethren.

PNEOMETER
Pne*om"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Physiol.)

Defn: A spirometer.

PNEUMATIC; PNEUMATICAL Pneu*mat"ic, Pneu*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. pneumaticus, Gr. fnehan: cf. F. pneumatique. Cf. Pneumonia.]

1. Consisting of, or resembling, air; having the properties of an elastic fluid; gaseous; opposed to dense or solid. The pneumatical substance being, in some bodies, the native spirit of the body. Bacon.

2. Of or pertaining to air, or to elastic fluids or their properties; pertaining to pneumatics; as, pneumatic experiments. "Pneumatical discoveries." Stewart.

3. Moved or worked by pressure or flow of air; as, a pneumatic instrument; a pneumatic engine.

4. (Biol.)

Defn: Fitted to contain air; Having cavities filled with air; as, pneumatic cells; pneumatic bones. Pneumatic action, or Pneumatic lever (Mus.), a contrivance for overcoming the resistance of the keys and other movable parts in an organ, by causing compressed air from the wind chest to move them. — Pneumatic dispatch, a system of tubes, leading to various points, through which letters, packages, etc., are sent, by the flow and pressure of air. — Pneumatic elevator, a hoisting machine worked by compressed air. — Pneumatic pile, a tubular pile or cylinder of large diameter sunk by atmospheric pressure. — Pneumatic pump, an air-exhausting or forcing pump. — Pneumatic railway. See Atmospheric railway, under Atmospheric. — Pneumatic syringe, a stout tube closed at one end, and provided with a piston, for showing that the heat produced by compressing a gas will ignite substances. — Pneumatic trough, a trough, generally made of wood or sheet metal, having a perforated shelf, and used, when filled with water or mercury, for collecting gases in chemical operations. — Pneumatic tube. See Pneumatic dispatch, above.

PNEUMATICITY
Pneu`ma*tic"i*ty, n. (Biol.)

Defn: The state of being pneumatic, or of having a cavity or cavities filled with air; as, the pneumaticity of the bones of birds.

PNEUMATICS
Pneu*mat"ics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pneumatique.]

1. That branch of science which treats of the mechanical properties of air and other elastic fluids, as of their weight, pressure, elasticity, etc. See Mechanics.

2. (Philos. & Theol.)

Defn: The scientific study or knowledge of spiritual beings and their relations to God, angels, and men.

PNEUMATO-
Pneu"ma*to-.

Defn: A combining form from Gr. wind, air, breath, respiration; as, pneumatograph, pneumatology.

PNEUMATOCELE
Pneu*mat"o*cele, n. Etym: [Pneumato- + Gr. pneumatocèle.] (Med.)

Defn: A distention of the scrotum by air; also, hernia of the lungs.

PNEUMATOCYST
Pneu*mat"o*cyst, n. Etym: [Pneumato- + cyst.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A cyst or sac of a siphonophore, containing air, and serving as a float, as in Physalia.

PNEUMATOGARM
Pneu*mat"o*garm, n. Etym: [Pneumato- + -gram.] (Physiol.)

Defn: A tracing of the respiratory movements, obtained by a pneumatograph or stethograph.

PNEUMATOGRAPH
Pneu*mat"o*graph, n. Etym: [Pneumato- + -graph.] (Physiol.)

Defn: An instrument for recording the movements of the thorax or chest wall during respiration; — also called stethograph.

PNEUMATOLOGICAL
Pneu`ma*to*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pneumatologique.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to pneumatology.

PNEUMATOLOGIST
Pneu`ma*tol"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pneumatologiste.]

Defn: One versed in pneumatology.

PNEUMATOLOGY
Pneu`ma*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Pneumato- + -logy: cf. F. pneumatologie.]

1. The doctrine of, or a treatise on, air and other elastic fluids. See Pneumatics, 1.

2. (Philos. & Theol.)

Defn: The science of spiritual being or phenomena of any description.

PNEUMATOMETER
Pneu`ma*tom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pneumato- + -meter.] (Physiol.)

Defn: An instrument for measuring the amount of force exerted by the lungs in respiration.

PNEUMATOMETRY
Pneu`ma*tom"e*try, n.

Defn: See Spirometry.

PNEUMATOPHORE
Pneu*mat"o*phore, n. Etym: [Pneumato- + Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Pneumonophora.

PNEUMATOTHORAX
Pneu`ma*to*tho"rax, n. Etym: [Pneumato- + thorax.] (Med.)

Defn: See Pneumothorax.

PNEUMO-
Pneu"mo-.

Defn: A combining form from Gr. a lung; as, pneumogastric, pneumology.

PNEUMOCOCCUS
Pneu`mo*coc"cus, n. Etym: [See Pneumo-, and Coccus.] (Biol.)

Defn: A form of micrococcus found in the sputum (and elsewhere) of persons suffering with pneumonia, and thought to be the cause of this disease.

PNEUMOGASTRIC
Pneu`mo*gas"tric, a. Etym: [Pneumo- + gastric.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the lungs and the stomach.
— n.

Defn: The pneumogastric nerve. Pneumogastric nerve (Anat.), one of the tenth pair of cranial nerves which are distributed to the pharynx, esophagus, larynx, lungs, heart, stomach, liver, and spleen, and, in fishes and many amphibia, to the branchial apparatus and also to the sides of the body.

PNEUMOGRAPH
Pneu"mo*graph, n.

Defn: Same as Pneumatograph.

PNEUMOGRAPHY
Pneu*mog"ra*phy, n Etym: [Pneumo- + -graphy.]

Defn: A description of the lungs. Dunglison.

PNEUMOLOGY
Pneu*mol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Pneumo- + -logy.] (Anat.)

Defn: The science which treats of the lungs.

PNEUMOMETER
Pneu*mom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pneumo- + -meter.] (Physiol.)

Defn: A spirometer.

PNEUMOMETRY
Pneu*mom"e*try, n.

Defn: Measurement of the capacity of the lungs for air. Dunglison.

PNEUMONIA
Pneu*mo"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Pneumatio, Pulmonary.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation of the lungs.

Note: Catarrhal pneumonia, or Broncho-pneumonia, is inflammation of the lung tissue, associated with catarrh and with marked evidences of inflammation of bronchial membranes, often chronic; — also called lobular pneumonia, from its affecting single lobules at a time. — Croupous pneumonia, or ordinary pneumonia, is an acute affection characterized by sudden onset with a chill, high fever, rapid course, and sudden decline; — also called lobar pneumonia, from its affecting a whole lobe of the lung at once. See under Croupous. — Fibroid pneumonia is an inflammation of the interstitial connective tissue lying between the lobules of the lungs, and is very slow in its course, producing shrinking and atrophy of the lungs.

PNEUMONIC Pneu*mon"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. pneumonique.] (a) Of or pertaining to the lungs; pulmonic. (b) Of or pertaining to pneumonia; as, pneumonic symptoms.

PNEUMONIC
Pneu*mon"ic, n. (Med.)

Defn: A medicine for affections of the lungs.

PNEUMONITIC
Pneu`mo*nit"ic, a. (Med.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to pneumonitis.

PNEUMONITIS
Pneu`mo*ni"tis, n. Etym: [NL. See Pneumo-, and -itis.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation of the lungs; pneumonia.

PNEUMONOMETER
Pneu`mo*nom"e*ter, n. Etym: [See Pneumo-, and -meter.] (Physiol.)

Defn: A spirometer; a pneumometer.

PNEUMONOPHORA
Pneu`mo*noph"o*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The division of Siphonophora which includes the Physalia and allied genera; — called also Pneumatophoræ.

PNEUMONY
Pneu"mo*ny, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pneumonie.]

Defn: See Pneumonia.

PNEUMOOTOKA; PNEUMOOETOKA
Pneu`mo*öt"o*ka, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pneumo-, and Oöticoid.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Sauropsida.

PNEUMOPHORA
Pneu*moph"o*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pneumonophora.] (Zoöl.) (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of holothurians having an internal gill, or respiratory tree.

PNEUMOSKELETON
Pneu`mo*skel"e*ton, n. Etym: [Pneumo- + skeleton.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A chitinous structure which supports the gill in some invertebrates.

PNEUMOTHERAPY
Pneu`mo*ther"a*py, n. Etym: [Gr. therapy.] (Med.)

Defn: The treatment of disease by inhalations of compressed or rarefied air.

PNEUMOTHORAX
Pneu`mo*tho"rax, n. Etym: [Gr. thorax.] (Med.)

Defn: A condition in which air or other gas is present in the cavity of the chest; — called also pneumatothorax.

PNIGALION
Pni*ga"li*on, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Nightmare.

PNYX
Pnyx, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)

Defn: The place at Athens where the meetings of the people were held for making decrees, etc.

POA
Po"a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of grasses, including a great number of species, as the kinds called meadow grass, Kentucky blue grass, June grass, and spear grass (which see).

POACH
Poach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poached; p. pr. & vb. n. Poaching.] Etym:
[F. pocher to place in a pocket, to poach eggs (the yolk of the egg
being as it were pouched in the white), from poche pocket, pouch. See
Pouch, v. &n.]

1. To cook, as eggs, by breaking them into boiling water; also, to cook with butter after breaking in a vessel. Bacon.

2. To rob of game; to pocket and convey away by stealth, as game; hence, to plunder. Garth.

POACH
Poach, v. i.

Defn: To steal or pocket game, or to carry it away privately, as in a bag; to kill or destroy game contrary to law, especially by night; to hunt or fish unlawfully; as, to poach for rabbits or for salmon.

POACH Poach, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OF. pocher to thrust or dig out with the fingers, to bruise (the eyes), F. pouce thumb, L. pollex, and also E. poach to cook eggs, to plunder, and poke to thrust against.]

1. To stab; to pierce; to spear, \as fish. [Obs.] Carew.

2. To force, drive, or plunge into anything. [Obs.] His horse poching one of his legs into some hollow ground. Sir W. Temple.

3. To make soft or muddy by trampling Tennyson.

4. To begin and not complete. [Obs.] Bacon.

POACH
Poach, v. i.

Defn: To become soft or muddy.
Chalky and clay lands . . . chap in summer, and poach in winter.
Mortimer.

POACHARD Poach"ard, n. Etym: [From Poach to stab.] [Written also pocard, pochard.] (Zoöl.) (a) A common European duck (Aythya ferina); — called also goldhead, poker, and fresh-water, or red-headed, widgeon. (b) The American redhead, which is closely allied to the European poachard. Red-crested poachard (Zoöl.), an Old World duck (Branta rufina). — Scaup poachard, the scaup duck. — Tufted poachard, a scaup duck (Aythya, or Fuligula cristata), native of Europe and Asia.

POACHER
Poach"er, n.

1. One who poaches; one who kills or catches game or fish contrary to law.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American widgeon. [Local, U.S.] Sea poacher (Zoöl.), the lyrie.

POACHINESS
Poach"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being poachy; marshiness.

POACHY
Poach"y, a. Etym: [See Poach to stab.]

Defn: Wet and soft; easily penetrated by the feet of cattle; — said of land

POAK; POAKE
Poak, Poake, n.

Defn: Waste matter from the preparation of skins, consisting of hair, lime, oil, etc.

POCAN
Po"can, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The poke (Phytolacca decandra); — called also pocan bush.

POCHARD
Po"chard, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Poachard.

POCK Pock, n. Etym: [OE. pokke, AS. pocc, poc; akin to D. pok, G. pocke, and perh. to E. poke a pocket. Cf. Pox.] (Med.)

Defn: A pustule raised on the surface of the body in variolous and
vaccine diseases.
Of pokkes and of scab every sore. Chaucer.

POCKARRED
Pock"arred, a.

Defn: See Pockmarked. [Obs.]

POCK-BROKEN
Pock"-bro`ken, a.

Defn: Broken out, or marked, with smallpox; pock-fretten.

POCKET
Pock"et, n. Etym: [OE. poket, Prov. F. & OF. poquette, F. pochette,
dim. fr. poque, pouque, F. poche; probably of Teutonic origin. See
Poke a pocket, and cf. Poach to cook eggs, to plunder, and Pouch.]

1. A bag or pouch; especially; a small bag inserted in a garment for carrying small articles, particularly money; hence, figuratively, money; wealth.

2. One of several bags attached to a billiard table, into which the balls are driven.

3. A large bag or sack used in packing various articles, as ginger, hops, cowries, etc.

Note: In the wool or hop trade, the pocket contains half sack, or about 168 Ibs.; but it is a variable quantity, the articles being sold by actual weight.

4. (Arch.)

Defn: A hole or space covered by a movable piece of board, as in a floor, boxing, partitions, or the like.

5. (Mining.) (a) A cavity in a rock containing a nugget of gold, or other mineral; a small body of ore contained in such a cavity. (b) A hole containing water.

6. (Nat.)

Defn: A strip of canvas, sewn upon a sail so that a batten or a light spar can placed in the interspace.

7. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Pouch.

Note: Pocket is often used adjectively, or in the formation of compound words usually of obvious signification; as, pocket comb, pocket compass, pocket edition, pocket handkerchief, pocket money, pocket picking, or pocket-picking, etc. Out of pocket. See under Out, prep. — Pocket borough, a borough "owned" by some person. See under Borough. [Eng.] — Pocket gopher (Zoöl.), any one of several species of American rodents of the genera Geomys, and Thomomys, family Geomydæ. They have large external cheek pouches, and are fossorial in their habits. they inhabit North America, from the Mississippi Valley west to the Pacific. Called also pouched gopher. — Pocket mouse (Zoöl.), any species of American mice of the family Saccomyidæ. They have external cheek pouches. Some of them are adapted for leaping (genus Dipadomys), and are called kangaroo mice. They are native of the Southwestern United States, Mexico, etc. — Pocket piece, a piece of money kept in the pocket and not spent. — Pocket pistol, a pistol to be carried in the pocket. — Pocket sheriff (Eng. Law), a sheriff appointed by the sole authority of the crown, without a nomination by the judges in the exchequer. Burrill. deep pocket, or deep pockets, wealth or substantial financial assets.

Note: Used esp. in legal actions, where plaintiffs desire to find a defendant with "deep pockets", so as to be able to actually obtain the sum of damages which may be judged due to him. This contrasts with a "judgment-proof" defendant, one who has neither assets nor insurance, and against whom a judgment for monetary damages would be worthless.

POCKET
Pock"et, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pocketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pocketing.]

1. To put, or conceal, in the pocket; as, to pocket the change. He would pocket the expense of the license. Sterne.

2. To take clandestinely or fraudulently. He pocketed pay in the names of men who had long been dead. Macaulay. To pocket a ball (Billiards), to drive a ball into a pocket of the table. — To pocket an insult, affront, etc., to receive an affront without open resentment, or without seeking redress. "I must pocket up these wrongs." Shak.

POCKETBOOK
Pock"et*book`, n.

Defn: A small book or case for carrying papers, money, etc., in the pocket; also, a notebook for the pocket.

POCKETFUL
Pock"et*ful, n.; pl. Pocketfuls (.

Defn: As much as a pocket will hold; enough to fill a pocket; as, pocketfuls of chestnuts.

POCKETKNIFE
Pock"et*knife`, n.; pl. -knives (.

Defn: A knife with one or more blades, which fold into the handle so as to admit of being carried in the pocket.

POCKET VETO
Pocket veto.

Defn: The retention by the President of the United States of a bill unsigned so that it does not become a law, in virtue of the following constitutional provision (Const. Art. I., sec. 7, cl. 2): "If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law." Also, an analogous retention of a bill by a State governor.

POCK-FRETTEN
Pock"-fret`ten, a.

Defn: See Pockmarked.

POCKINESS
Pock"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being pocky.

POCKMARK
Pock"mark, n.

Defn: A mark or pit made by smallpox.

POCKMARKED
Pock"marked`, a.

Defn: Marked by smallpox; pitted.

POCK-PITTED
Pock"-pit`ted, a.

Defn: Pockmarked; pitted.

POCK-PUDDING
Pock"-pud`ding, n.

Defn: A bag pudding; a name of reproach or ridicule formerly applied by the Scotch to the English.

POCKWOOD Pock"wood`, n. Etym: [So called because formerly used as a specific for the pock.] (Bot.)

Defn: Lignum-vitæ.

POCKY
Pock"y, a. [Compar. Pockier; superl. Pockiest.]

Defn: Full of pocks; affected with smallpox or other eruptive disease. Bp. Hall.

POCO
Po"co, adv. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)

Defn: A little; — used chiefly in phrases indicating the time or movement; as, poco più allegro, a little faster; poco largo, rather slow. Poco a poco Etym: [It.] (Mus.) Little by little; as, poco a poco crescendo, gradually increasing in loudness.

POCOCK
Po"cock, n.

Defn: Peacock. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POCOCURANTE
Po`co*cu*ran"te, n. Etym: [It. poco curante caring little.]

Defn: A careless person; a trifler. [R.]

POCOCURANTISM
Po`co*cu*ran"tism. n.

Defn: Carelessness; apathy; indifference. [R.] Carlyle.

POCOSON
Po*co"son, n.

Defn: Low, wooded grounds or swamps in Eastern Maryland and Virginia.
[Written also poquoson.] Washington.

POCULENT
Poc"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. poculentus, fr. poculum a cup.]

Defn: Fit for drink. [Obs.] "Some those herbs which are not esculent, are . . . poculent." Bacon.

POCULIFORM Poc"u*li*form, a. Etym: [L. poculum a cup + -form: cf. F. poculiforme.]

Defn: Having the shape of a goblet or drinking cup.

-POD -pod. Etym: [See Foot.]

Defn: A combining form or suffix from Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot; as, decapod, an animal having ten feet; phyllopod, an animal having leaflike feet; myriapod, hexapod.

POD Pod, n. Etym: [Probably akin to pudding, and perhaps the same word as pad a cushion; cf. also Dan. pude pillow, cushion, and also E. cod a husk, pod.]

1. A bag; a pouch. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Tusser.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A capsule of plant, especially a legume; a dry dehiscent fruit.
See Illust. of Angiospermous.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A considerable number of animals closely clustered together; — said of seals. Pod auger, or pod bit, an auger or bit the channel of which is straight instead of twisted.

POD
Pod, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Podded; p. pr. & vb. n. Podding.]

Defn: To swell; to fill; also, to produce pods.

-PODA -po*da.

Defn: A New Latin plural combining form or suffix from Gr. foot; as, hexapoda, myriapoda. See -pod.

PODAGRA
Pod"a*gra, n. Etym: [L. See Podagric.] (Med.)

Defn: Gout in the joints of the foot; — applied also to gout in other parts of body.

PODAGRIC; PODAGRICAL
Po*dag"ric, Po*dag"ric*al, a. Etym: [L. podagricus, Gr.

1. Pertaining to the gout; gouty; caused by gout.

2. Afflicted with gout. Sir T. Browne.

PODAGROUS
Pod"a*grous, a.

Defn: Gouty; podagric.

PODALGIA
Po*dal"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: pain in the foot, due to gout, rheumatism, etc.

PODARTHRUM
Po*dar"thrum, n.; pl. Podarthra. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: The foot joint; in birds, the joint between the metatarsus and the toes.

PODDED
Pod"ded, a.

Defn: Having pods.

PODDER
Pod"der, n.

Defn: One who collects pods or pulse.

PODESTA
Po*des"ta, n. Etym: [It. podestà, fr. L. potestas power, magistracy.
See Potent.]

1. One of the chief magistrates of the Italian republics in the Middle Ages. Brande & C.

2. A mayor, alderman, or other magistrate, in some towns of Italy.

PODETIUM
Po*de"ti*um, n.; pl. Podetia, E. Podetiums. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
(Bot.)

Defn: A stalk which bears the fructification in some lichens, as in the so-called reindeer moss.

PODGE
Podge, n. Etym: [Cf. G. patsche puddle, mire.]

1. A puddle; a plash. Skinner.

2. Porridge. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

PODGY
Podg"y, a.

Defn: Fat and short; pudgy.

PODICAL
Pod"i*cal a. Etym: [L. podex, podicis, the anus.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Anal; — applied to certain organs of insects.

PODICEPS
Pod"i*ceps, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. podex, podicis, anus + pes foot.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: See Grebe.

PODIUM
Po"di*um, n.; pl. Podia. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. Pew.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A low wall, serving as a foundation, a substructure, or a terrace wall. It is especially employed by archæologists in two senses: (a) The dwarf wall surrounding the arena of an amphitheater, from the top of which the seats began. (b) The masonry under the stylobate of a temple, sometimes a mere foundation, sometimes containing chambers. See Illust. of Column.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The foot.

PODLEY
Pod"ley, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A young coalfish.

PODO-
Pod"o-. Etym: [See Foot.]

Defn: A combining form or prefix from Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot; as, podocarp, podocephalous, podology.

PODOBRANCH
Pod"o*branch, n. Etym: [See Podo-, and Branchia.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of branchiæ attached to the bases of the legs in Crustacea.

PODOBRANCHIA
Pod`o*bran"chi*a n., pl. Podobranchle. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Podobranch.

PODOCARP
Pod"o*carp, n. Etym: [Podo- + Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A stem, or footstalk, supporting the fruit.

PODOCEPHALOUS
Pod`o*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Podo- + Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Having a head of flowers on a long peduncle, or footstalk.

PODOGYNIUM
Pod`o*gyn"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot + (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Basigynium

PODOPHTHALMIA
Pod`oph*thal"mi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Podophthalmic.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The stalk-eyed Crustacea, — an order of Crustacea having the eyes supported on movable stalks. It includes the crabs, lobsters, and prawns. Called also Podophthalmata, and Decapoda.

PODOPHTHALMIC; PODOPHTHALMOUS Pod`oph*thal"mic, Pod`oph*thal"mous, a. Etym: [Podo- + Gr. (Zoöl.) (a) Having the eyes on movable footstalks, or pedicels. (b) Of or pertaining to the Podophthalmia.

PODOPHTHALMITE
Pod`oph*thal"mite, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The eyestalk of a crustacean.

PODOPHYLLIN
Pod`o*phyl"lin, n. Etym: [From Podophyllum.] (Chem.)

Defn: A brown bitter gum extracted from the rootstalk of the May apple (Podophyllum peltatum). It is a complex mixture of several substances.

PODOPHYLLOUS
Pod`o*phyl"lous, a.

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having thin, flat, leaflike locomotive organs.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or composing, the layer of tissue, made up of laminæ, beneath a horse's hoof.

PODOPHYLLUM
Pod`o*phyl"lum, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot +

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of herbs of the Barberry family, having large palmately lobed peltate leaves and solitary flower. There are two species, the American Podohyllum peltatum, or May apple, the Himalayan P. Emodi.

2. (Med.)

Defn: The rhizome and rootlet of the May apple (Podophyllum peltatum), — used as a cathartic drug.

PODOSCAPH
Pod"o*scaph, n. Etym: [Podo- + Gr.

Defn: A canoe-shaped float attached to the foot, for walking on water.

PODOSPERM
Pod"o*sperm, n. Etym: [Podo- + Gr. podosperme.] (Bot.)

Defn: The stalk of a seed or ovule.

PODOSTOMATA
Pod`o*stom"a*ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot +
(Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of Bryozoa of which Rhabdopleura is the type. See
Rhabdopleura.

PODOTHECA Pod`o*the"ca, n.; pl. Podothecæ. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot + (Zoöl.)

Defn: The scaly covering of the foot of a bird or reptile.

PODRIDA
Po*dri"da, n. Etym: [Sp., rotten.]

Defn: A miscellaneous dish of meats. See Olla-podrida.

PODURA Po*du"ra, n.; pl. L. Poduræ, E. Poduras. Etym: [NL.; Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot +

Defn: Any small leaping thysanurous insect of the genus Podura and related genera; a springtail. Podura scale (Zoöl.), one of the minute scales with which the body of a podura is covered. They are used as test objects for the microscope.

PODURID
Po*du"rid, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any species of Podura or allied genera.
— a.

Defn: Pertaining to the poduras.

POE
Po"e, n.

Defn: Same as Pol.

POEBIRD
Po"e*bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The parson bird.

POECILE
Poe"ci*le, n.

Defn: Same as Poicile.

POECILITIC Poe`ci*lit"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Geol.) (a) Mottled with various colors; variegated; spotted; — said of certain rocks. (b) Specifically: Of or pertaining to, or characterizing, Triassic and Permian sandstones of red and other colors. [Also written poikilitic.]

POECILOPOD
Poe*cil"o*pod, n. Etym: [Cf. F. poecilopode.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Poecilopoda. Also used adjectively.

POECILOPODA Poe`ci*lop"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.) (a) Originally, an artificial group including many parasitic Entomostraca, together with the horseshoe crabs (Limuloidea). (b) By some recent writers applied to the Merostomata.

POEM
Po"em, n. Etym: [L. poëma, Gr. poëme.]

1. A metrical composition; a composition in verse written in certain measures, whether in blank verse or in rhyme, and characterized by imagination and poetic diction; — contradistinguished from prose; as, the poems of Homer or of Milton.

2. A composition, not in verse, of which the language is highly imaginative or impassioned; as, a prose poem; the poems of Ossian.

POEMATIC
Po`em*at"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Pertaining to a poem, or to poetry; poetical. [R.] Coleridge.

POENAMU
Po*e"na*mu, n. (Min.)

Defn: A variety of jade or nephrite, — used in New Zealand for the manufacture of axes and weapons.

POENOLOGY
Poe*nol"o*gy, n.

Defn: See Penology.

POEPHAGA
Po*eph"a*ga, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of herbivorous marsupials including the kangaroos and
their allies.
— Po*eph"a*gous, a.

POESY
Po"e*sy, n. Etym: [F. poésie (cf. It. poesia), L. poesis, from Gr.
Posy.]

1. The art of composing poems; poetical skill or faculty; as, the heavenly gift of poesy. Shak.

2. Poetry; metrical composition; poems. Music and poesy used to quicken you. Shak.

3. A short conceit or motto engraved on a ring or other thing; a posy. Bacon.

POET
Po"et, n. Etym: [F. poëte, L. poëta, fr. Gr. Poem.]

Defn: One skilled in making poetry; one who has a particular genius for metrical composition; the author of a poem; an imaginative thinker or writer. The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven. Shak. A poet is a maker, as the word signifies. Dryden. Poet laureate. See under Laureate.

POETASTER
Po"et*as`ter, n.

Defn: An inferior rhymer, or writer of verses; a dabbler in poetic
art.
The talk of forgotten poetasters. Macaulay.

POETASTRY
Po"et*as`try, n.

Defn: The works of a poetaster. [R.]

POETESS
Po"et*ess, n. Etym: [Cf. F. poétesse.]

Defn: A female poet.

POETIC; POETICAL
Po*et"ic, Po*et"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. poëticus, Gr. poétiquee.]

1. Of or pertaining to poetry; suitable for poetry, or for writing poetry; as, poetic talent, theme, work, sentiments. Shak.

2. Expressed in metrical form; exhibiting the imaginative or the rhythmical quality of poetry; as, a poetical composition; poetical prose. Poetic license. See License, n., 4.

POETICALLY
Po*et"ic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a poetic manner.

POETICS
Po*et"ics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. poétique, L. poëtica, poëtice, Gr.

Defn: The principles and rules of the art of poetry. J. Warton.

POETICULE
Po*et"i*cule, n.

Defn: A poetaster. Swinburne.

POETIZE
Po"et*ize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Poetized; p. pr. & vb. n. Poetizing.]
Etym: [Cf. F. poétiser.]

Defn: To write as a poet; to compose verse; to idealize.
I versify the truth, not poetize. Donne.

POETRY
Po"et*ry, n. Etym: [OF. poeterie. See Poet.]

1. The art of apprehending and interpreting ideas by the faculty of imagination; the art of idealizing in thought and in expression. For poetry is the blossom and the fragrance of all human knowledge, human thoughts, human passions, emotions, language. Coleridge.

2. Imaginative language or composition, whether expressed rhythmically or in prose. Specifically: Metrical composition; verse; rhyme; poems collectively; as, heroic poetry; dramatic poetry; lyric or Pindaric poetry. "The planetlike music of poetry." Sir P. Sidney. She taketh most delight In music, instruments, and poetry. Shak.

POETS' CORNER
Po"ets' Cor"ner.

Defn: An angle in the south transept of Westminster Abbey, London; — so called because it contains the tombs of Chaucer, Spenser, Dryden, Ben Jonson, Gray, Tennyson, Browning, and other English poets, and memorials to many buried elsewhere.

POETSHIP
Po"et*ship, n.

Defn: The state or personality of a poet. [R.]

POGAMOGGAN
Pog`a*mog"gan, n. [North Amer. Indian.]

Defn: An aboriginal weapon consisting of a stone or piece of antler fastened to the end of a slender wooden handle, used by American Indians from the Great Plains to the Mackenzie River.

POGGY Pog"gy, n. (Zoöl.) (a) See Porgy. (b) A small whale.

POGY
Po"gy, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The menhaden.

Note: Pogy is often confounded with porgy, and therefore incorrectly applied to various fishes.

POH
Poh, interj.

Defn: An exclamation expressing contempt or disgust; bah !

POHAGEN
Po*ha"gen, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Pauhaugen.

POI
Po"i, n.

Defn: A national food of the Hawaiians, made by baking and pounding the kalo (or taro) root, and reducing it to a thin paste, which is allowed to ferment.

POICILE; POECILE
Poi"ci*le, or; Poe"ci*le, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. poecile.]

Defn: The frescoed porch or gallery in Athens where Zeno taught. R.
Browning.

POIGNANCY
Poign"an*cy, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being poignant; as, the poignancy of satire; the poignancy of grief. Swift.

POIGNANT Poign"ant, a. Etym: [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.]

1. Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. "His poignant spear." Spenser. "Poynaunt sauce." Chaucer.

2. Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical. His wit . . . became more lively and poignant. Sir W. Scott.

POIGNANTLY
Poign"ant*ly, adv.

Defn: In a poignant manner.

POIKILITIC
Poi`ki*lit"ic, a. (Geol.)

Defn: See Poecilitic.

POIKILOCYTE
Poi"ki*lo*cyte, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)

Defn: An irregular form of corpuscle found in the blood in cases of profound anæmia, probably a degenerated red blood corpuscle.

POIKILOTHERMAL; POIKILOTHERMIC Poi`ki*lo*ther"mal, Poi`ki*lo*ther"mic, a. Etym: [Gr. thermal, thermic.] (Physiol.)

Defn: Having a varying body temperature. See Homoiothermal.

POIKILOTHERMOUS
Poi`ki*lo*ther"mous, a. (Physiol.)

Defn: Poikilothermal.

POINCIANA Poin`ci*a"na, n. Etym: [NL. Named after M. de Poinci, a governor of the French West Indies.] (Bot.)

Defn: A prickly tropical shrub (Cæsalpinia, formerly Poinciana, pulcherrima), with bipinnate leaves, and racemes of showy orange-red flowers with long crimson filaments.

Note: The genus Poinciana is kept up for three trees of Eastern
Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and India.

POIND
Poind, v. t. Etym: [See Pound to confine.]

1. To impound, as cattle. [Obs. or Scot.] Flavel.

2. To distrain. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

POINDER
Poind"er, n.

1. The keeper of a cattle pound; a pinder. [Obs. or Scot.] T. Adams.

2. One who distrains property. [Scot.] Jamieson.

POINSETTIA
Poin*set"ti*a, n. Etym: [NL. Named after Joel R. Poinsett of South
Carolina.] (Bot.)

Defn: A Mexican shrub (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with very large and conspicuous vermilion bracts below the yellowish flowers.

POINT
Point, v. t. & i.

Defn: To appoint. [Obs.] Spenser.

POINT
Point, n. Etym: [F. point, and probably also pointe, L. punctum,
puncta, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. See Pungent, and cf. Puncto,
Puncture.]

1. That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin.

2. An instrument which pricks or pierces, as a sort of needle used by engravers, etchers, lace workers, and others; also, a pointed cutting tool, as a stone cutter's point; — called also pointer.

3. Anything which tapers to a sharp, well-defined termination. Specifically: A small promontory or cape; a tract of land extending into the water beyond the common shore line.

4. The mark made by the end of a sharp, piercing instrument, as a needle; a prick.

5. An indefinitely small space; a mere spot indicated or supposed. Specifically: (Geom.) That which has neither parts nor magnitude; that which has position, but has neither length, breadth, nor thickness, — sometimes conceived of as the limit of a line; that by the motion of which a line is conceived to be produced.

6. An indivisible portion of time; a moment; an instant; hence, the verge. When time's first point begun Made he all souls. Sir J. Davies.

7. A mark of punctuation; a character used to mark the divisions of a composition, or the pauses to be observed in reading, or to point off groups of figures, etc.; a stop, as a comma, a semicolon, and esp. a period; hence, figuratively, an end, or conclusion. And there a point, for ended is my tale. Chaucer. Commas and points they set exactly right. Pope.

8. Whatever serves to mark progress, rank, or relative position, or to indicate a transition from one state or position to another, degree; step; stage; hence, position or condition attained; as, a point of elevation, or of depression; the stock fell off five points; he won by tenpoints. "A point of precedence." Selden. "Creeping on from point to point." Tennyson. A lord full fat and in good point. Chaucer.

9. That which arrests attention, or indicates qualities or character; a salient feature; a characteristic; a peculiarity; hence, a particular; an item; a detail; as, the good or bad points of a man, a horse, a book, a story, etc. He told him, point for point, in short and plain. Chaucer. In point of religion and in point of honor. Bacon. Shalt thou dispute With Him the points of liberty Milton.

10. Hence, the most prominent or important feature, as of an argument, discourse, etc.; the essential matter; esp., the proposition to be established; as, the point of an anecdote. "Here lies the point." Shak. They will hardly prove his point. Arbuthnot.

11. A small matter; a trifle; a least consideration; a punctilio. This fellow doth not stand upon points. Shak. [He] cared not for God or man a point. Spenser.

12. (Mus.)

Defn: A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time; as: (a) (Anc. Mus.) A dot or mark distinguishing or characterizing certain tones or styles; as, points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.; hence, a note; a tune. "Sound the trumpet — not a levant, or a flourish, but a point of war." Sir W. Scott. (b) (Mod. Mus.) A dot placed at the right hand of a note, to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half, as to make a whole note equal to three half notes, a half note equal to three quarter notes.

13. (Astron.)

Defn: A fixed conventional place for reference, or zero of reckoning, in the heavens, usually the intersection of two or more great circles of the sphere, and named specifically in each case according to the position intended; as, the equinoctial points; the solstitial points; the nodal points; vertical points, etc. See Equinoctial Nodal.

14. (Her.)

Defn: One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. See
Escutcheon.

15. (Naut.) (a) One of the points of the compass (see Points of the compass, below); also, the difference between two points of the compass; as, to fall off a point. (b) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails. See Reef point, under Reef.

16. (Anc. Costume)

Defn: A a string or lace used to tie together certain parts of the dress. Sir W. Scott.

17. Lace wrought the needle; as, point de Venise; Brussels point. See Point lace, below.

18. pl. (Railways)

Defn: A switch. [Eng.]

19. An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer. [Cant, U. S.]

20. (Cricket)

Defn: A fielder who is stationed on the off side, about twelve or fifteen yards from, and a little in advance of, the batsman.

21. The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game; as, the dog came to a point. See Pointer.

22. (Type Making)

Defn: A standard unit of measure for the size of type bodies, being one twelfth of the thickness of pica type. See Point system of type, under Type.

23. A tyne or snag of an antler.

24. One of the spaces on a backgammon board.

25. (Fencing)

Defn: A movement executed with the saber or foil; as, tierce point.

Note: The word point is a general term, much used in the sciences, particularly in mathematics, mechanics, perspective, and physics, but generally either in the geometrical sense, or in that of degree, or condition of change, and with some accompanying descriptive or qualifying term, under which, in the vocabulary, the specific uses are explained; as, boiling point, carbon point, dry point, freezing point, melting point, vanishing point, etc. At all points, in every particular, completely; perfectly. Shak. — At point, In point, At, In, or On, the point, as near as can be; on the verge; about (see About, prep., 6); as, at the point of death; he was on the point of speaking. "In point to fall down." Chaucer. "Caius Sidius Geta, at point to have been taken, recovered himself so valiantly as brought day on his side." Milton. — Dead point. (Mach.) Same as Dead center, under Dead. — Far point (Med.), in ophthalmology, the farthest point at which objects are seen distinctly. In normal eyes the nearest point at which objects are seen distinctly; either with the two eyes together (binocular near point), or with each eye separately (monocular near point). — Nine points of the law, all but the tenth point; the greater weight of authority. — On the point. See At point, above. — Point lace, lace wrought with the needle, as distinguished from that made on the pillow. — Point net, a machine-made lace imitating a kind of Brussels lace (Brussels ground). — Point of concurrence (Geom.), a point common to two lines, but not a point of tangency or of intersection, as, for instance, that in which a cycloid meets its base. — Point of contrary flexure, a point at which a curve changes its direction of curvature, or at which its convexity and concavity change sides. — Point of order, in parliamentary practice, a question of order or propriety under the rules. — Point of sight (Persp.), in a perspective drawing, the point assumed as that occupied by the eye of the spectator. — Point of view, the relative position from which anything is seen or any subject is considered. — Points of the compass (Naut.), the thirty-two points of division of the compass card in the mariner's compass; the corresponding points by which the circle of the horizon is supposed to be divided, of which the four marking the directions of east, west, north, and south, are called cardinal points, and the rest are named from their respective directions, as N. by E., N. N. E., N. E. by N., N. E., etc. See Illust. under Compass. — Point paper, paper pricked through so as to form a stencil for transferring a design. — Point system of type. See under Type. — Singular point (Geom.), a point of a curve which possesses some property not possessed by points in general on the curve, as a cusp, a point of inflection, a node, etc. — To carry one's point, to accomplish one's object, as in a controversy. — To make a point of, to attach special importance to. — To make, or gain, a point, accomplish that which was proposed; also, to make advance by a step, grade, or position. — To mark, or score, a point, as in billiards, cricket, etc., to note down, or to make, a successful hit, run, etc. — To strain a point, to go beyond the proper limit or rule; to stretch one's authority or conscience. — Vowel point, in Hebrew, and certain other Eastern and ancient languages, a mark placed above or below the consonant, or attached to it, representing the vowel, or vocal sound, which precedes or follows the consonant.

POINT
Point, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pointed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pointing.] Etym:
[Cf. F. pointer. See Point, n.]

1. To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end; as, to point a dart, or a pencil. Used also figuratively; as, to point a moral.

2. To direct toward an abject; to aim; as, to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort.

3. Hence, to direct the attention or notice of. Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them. Pope.

4. To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate; as, to point a composition.

5. To mark (as Hebrew) with vowel points.

6. To give particular prominence to; to designate in a special manner; to indicate, as if by pointing; as, the error was pointed out. Pope. He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech. Dickens.

7. To indicate or discover by a fixed look, as game.

8. (Masonry)

Defn: To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

9. (Stone Cutting)

Defn: To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool. To point a rope
(Naut.), to taper and neatly finish off the end by interweaving the
nettles.
— To point a sail (Naut.), to affix points through the eyelet holes
of the reefs.
— To point off, to divide into periods or groups, or to separate,
by pointing, as figures.
— To point the yards (of a vessel) (Naut.), to brace them so that
the wind shall strike the sails obliquely. Totten.

POINT
Point (point), v. i.

1. To direct the point of something, as of a finger, for the purpose of designating an object, and attracting attention to it; — with at. Now must the world point at poor Katharine. Shak. Point at the tattered coat and ragged shoe. Dryden.

2. To indicate the presence of game by fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do. He treads with caution, and he points with fear. Gay.

3. (Med.)

Defn: To approximate to the surface; to head; — said of an abscess.
To point at, to treat with scorn or contempt by pointing or directing
attention to.
— To point well (Naut.), to sail close to the wind; — said of a
vessel.

POINTAL Point"al, n. Etym: [From Point: cf. F. pointal an upright wooden prop, OF. pointille a prick or prickle.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: The pistil of a plant.

2. A kind of pencil or style used with the tablets of the Middle Ages. "A pair of tablets [i. e., tablets] . . . and a pointel." Chaucer.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: See Poyntel. [Obs. or R.]

POINT ALPHABET
Point alphabet.

Defn: An alphabet for the blind with a system of raised points corresponding to letters.

POINT APPLIQUE
Point appliqué.

Defn: Lace having a needle-made design applied to a net ground, this ground often being machine-made.

POINT-BLANK
Point`-blank", n. Etym: [F. point point + blanc white.]

1. The white spot on a target, at which an arrow or other missile is aimed. [Obs.] Jonson.

2. (Mil.) (a) With all small arms, the second point in which the natural line of sight, when horizontal, cuts the trajectory. (b) With artillery, the point where the projectile first strikes the horizontal plane on which the gun stands, the axis of the piece being horizontal.

POINT-BLANK
Point`-blank", a.

1. Directed in a line toward the object aimed at; aimed directly toward the mark.

2. Hence, direct; plain; unqualified; — said of language; as, a point-blank assertion. Point-blank range, the extent of the apparent right line of a ball discharged. — Point-blank shot, the shot of a gun pointed directly toward the object to be hit.

POINT-BLANK
Point`-blank", adv.

Defn: In a point-blank manner.
To sin point-blank against God's word. Fuller.

POINT D'APPUI
Point` d'ap`pui". Etym: [F.] (Mil.)

Defn: See under Appui.

POINT-DEVICE; POINT-DEVISE Point`-de*vice", Point`-de*vise", a. Etym: [OE. at point devis; at at + point point, condition + devis exact, careful, OF. devis fixed, set. See Device.]

Defn: Uncommonly nice and exact; precise; particular.
You are rather point-devise in your accouterments. Shak.
Thus he grew up, in logic point-devise, Perfect in grammar, and in
rhetoric nice. Longfellow.

POINT-DEVICE; POINT-DEVISE
Point`-de*vice", Point`-de*vise", adv.

Defn: Exactly. [Obs.] Shak.

POINTED
Point"ed, a.

1. Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock.

2. Characterized by sharpness, directness, or pithiness of expression; terse; epigrammatic; especially, directed to a particular person or thing. His moral pleases, not his pointed wit. Pope. Pointed arch (Arch.), an arch with a pointed crown. — Pointed style (Arch.), a name given to that style of architecture in which the pointed arch is the predominant feature; — more commonly called Gothic. — Point"ed*ly, adv. — Point"ed*ness, n.

POINTEL
Point"el, n. Etym: [From Point. Cf. Pointal.]

Defn: See Pointal.

POINTER
Point"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, points. Specifically: (a) The hand of a timepiece. (b) (Zoöl.) One of a breed of dogs trained to stop at scent of game, and with the nose point it out to sportsmen. (c) pl. (Astron.)

Defn: The two stars (Merak and Dubhe) in the Great Bear, the line between which points nearly in the direction of the north star. See Illust. of Ursa Major. (b) pl. (Naut.)

Defn: Diagonal braces sometimes fixed across the hold.

POINTING
Point"ing, n.

1. The act of sharpening.

2. The act of designating, as a position or direction, by means of something pointed, as a finger or a rod.

3. The act or art of punctuating; punctuation.

4. The act of filling and finishing the joints in masonry with mortar, cement, etc.; also, the material so used.

5. The rubbing off of the point of the wheat grain in the first process of high milling.

6. (Sculpt.)

Defn: The act or process of measuring, at the various distances from the surface of a block of marble, the surface of a future piece of statuary; also, a process used in cutting the statue from the artist's model.

POINTINGSTOCK
Point`ing*stock`, n.

Defn: An object of ridicule or scorn; a laughingstock. Shak.

POINTLESS
Point"less, a.

Defn: Having no point; blunt; wanting keenness; obtuse; as, a pointless sword; a pointless remark.

Syn.
— Blunt; obtuse, dull; stupid.

POINTLESSLY
Point"less*ly, adv.

Defn: Without point.

POINTLETED
Point"let*ed, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Having a small, distinct point; apiculate. Henslow.

POINTREL
Poin"trel, n.

Defn: A graving tool. Knight.

POINTSMAN
Points"man, n.; pl. -men (-men).

Defn: A man who has charge of railroad points or switches. [Eng.]

POINT SWITCH
Point switch. (Railroads)

Defn: A switch made up of a rail from each track, both rails being tapered far back and connected to throw alongside the through rail of either track.

POISE
Poise, n. Etym: [OE. pois, peis, OF. pois, peis, F. poids, fr. L.
pensum a portion weighed out, pendere to weigh, weigh out. Cf.
Avoirdupois, Pendant, Poise, v.] [Formerly written also peise.]

1. Weight; gravity; that which causes a body to descend; heaviness. "Weights of an extraordinary poise." Evelyn.

2. The weight, or mass of metal, used in weighing, to balance the substance weighed.

3. The state of being balanced by equal weight or power; equipoise; balance; equilibrium; rest. Bentley.

4. That which causes a balance; a counterweight. Men of unbounded imagination often want the poise of judgment. Dryden.

POISE Poise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poised, (; p. pr. & vb. n. Poising.] Etym: [OE. poisen, peisen, OF. & F. peser, to weigh, balance, OF. il peise, il poise, he weighs, F. il pèse, fr. L. pensare, v. intens. fr. pendere to weigh. See Poise, n., and cf. Pensive.] [Formerly written also peise.]

1. To balance; to make of equal weight; as, to poise the scales of a balance.

2. To hold or place in equilibrium or equiponderance. Nor yet was earth suspended in the sky; Nor poised, did on her own foundation lie. Dryden.

3. To counterpoise; to counterbalance. One scale of reason to poise another of sensuality. Shak. To poise with solid sense a sprightly wit. Dryden.

4. To ascertain, as by the balance; to weigh. He can not sincerely consider the strength, poise the weight, and discern the evidence. South.

5. To weigh (down); to oppress. [Obs.] Lest leaden slumber peise me down to-morrow. Shak.

POISE
Poise, v. i.

Defn: To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt. The slender, graceful spars Poise aloft in air. Longfellow.

POISER
Pois"er, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The balancer of dipterous insects.

POISON Poi"son, n. Etym: [F. poison, in Old French also, a potion, fr. L. potio a drink, draught, potion, a poisonous draught, fr. potare to drink. See Potable, and cf. Potion.]

1. Any agent which, when introduced into the animal organism, is capable of producing a morbid, noxious, or deadly effect upon it; as, morphine is a deadly poison; the poison of pestilential diseases.

2. That which taints or destroys moral purity or health; as, the poison of evil example; the poison of sin. Poison ash. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Amyris (A. balsamifera) found in the West Indies, from the trunk of which a black liquor distills, supposed to have poisonous qualities. (b) The poison sumac (Rhus venenata). [U. S.] — Poison dogwood (Bot.), poison sumac. — Poison fang (Zoöl.), one of the superior maxillary teeth of some species of serpents, which, besides having the cavity for the pulp, is either perforated or grooved by a longitudinal canal, at the lower end of which the duct of the poison gland terminates. See Illust. under Fang. — Poison gland (Biol.), a gland, in animals or plants, which secretes an acrid or venomous matter, that is conveyed along an organ capable of inflicting a wound. — Poison hemlock (Bot.), a poisonous umbelliferous plant (Conium maculatum). See Hemlock. — Poison ivy (Bot.), a poisonous climbing plant (Rhus Toxicodendron) of North America. It is common on stone walls and on the trunks of trees, and has trifoliate, rhombic-ovate, variously notched leaves. Many people are poisoned by it, if they touch the leaves. See Poison sumac. Called also poison oak, and mercury. — Poison nut. (Bot.) (a) Nux vomica. (b) The tree which yields this seed (Strychnos Nuxvomica). It is found on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts. — Poison oak (Bot.), the poison ivy; also, the more shrubby Rhus diversiloba of California and Oregon. Poison sac. (Zoöl.) Same as Poison gland, above. See Illust. under Fang. — Poison sumac (Bot.), a poisonous shrub of the genus Rhus (R. venenata); — also called poison ash, poison dogwood, and poison elder. It has pinnate leaves on graceful and slender common petioles, and usually grows in swampy places. Both this plant and the poison ivy (Rhus Toxicodendron) have clusters of smooth greenish white berries, while the red-fruited species of this genus are harmless. The tree (Rhus vernicifera) which yields the celebrated Japan lacquer is almost identical with the poison sumac, and is also very poisonous. The juice of the poison sumac also forms a lacquer similar to that of Japan.

Syn. — Venom; virus; bane; pest; malignity. — Poison, Venom. Poison usually denotes something received into the system by the mouth, breath, etc. Venom is something discharged from animals and received by means of a wound, as by the bite or sting of serpents, scorpions, etc. Hence, venom specifically implies some malignity of nature or purpose.

POISON
Poi"son, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poisoned; p. pr. & vb. n. Poisoning.]
Etym: [Cf. OF. poisonner, F. empoissoner, L. potionare to give to
drink. See Poison, n.]

1. To put poison upon or into; to infect with poison; as, to poison an arrow; to poison food or drink. "The ingredients of our poisoned chalice." Shak.

2. To injure or kill by poison; to administer poison to. If you poison us, do we not die Shak.

3. To taint; to corrupt; to vitiate; as, vice poisons happiness; slander poisoned his mind. Whispering tongues can poison truth. Coleridge.

POISON
Poi"son, v. i.

Defn: To act as, or convey, a poison.
Tooth that poisons if it bite. Shak.

POISONABLE
Poi"son*a*ble, a.

1. Capable of poisoning; poisonous. [Obs.] "Poisonable heresies." Tooker.

2. Capable of being poisoned.

POISON BUSH Poison bush. In Australia: (a) Any fabaceous shrub of the genus Gastrolobium, the herbage of which is poisonous to stock; also, any species of several related genera, as Oxylobium, Gompholobium, etc. (b) The plant Myoporum deserti, often distinguished as Ellangowan poison bush or dogwood poison bush. (c) The ulmaceous plant Trema cannabina, which, though not poisonous, is injurious to stock because of its large amount of fiber.

POISON CUP
Poison cup.

1. A cup containing poison.

2. A cup that was supposed to break on having poison put into it.

POISONER
Poi"son*er, n.

Defn: One who poisons. Shak.

POISONOUS
Poi"son*ous, a.

Defn: Having the qualities or effects of poison; venomous; baneful;
corrupting; noxious. Shak.
— Poi"son*ous*ly, adv.
— Poi"son*ous*ness, n.

POISONSOME
Poi"son*some, a.

Defn: Poisonous.[Obs.] Holland.

POISURE
Poi"sure, n. Etym: [See Poise.]

Defn: Weight. [Obs.]

POITREL Poi"trel, n. Etym: [OE. poitrel, F. poitrail, fr. L. pectorale a breastplate, fr. pectoralis, a. See Pectoral, a.] (Anc. Armor)

Defn: The breastplate of the armor of a horse. See Peytrel. [Obs.]
Chaucer.

POIZE
Poize, n.

Defn: See Poise. [Obs.]

POKAL
Po*kal", n. Etym: [G.]

Defn: A tall drinking cup.

POKE
Poke, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca (P. decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries; — called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.

POKE
Poke, n. Etym: [AS. poca, poha, pohha; akin to Icel. poki, OD. poke,
and perh. to E. pock; cf. also Gael.poca, and OF. poque. Cf. Pock,
Pocket, Pouch.]

1. A bag; a sack; a pocket. "He drew a dial from his poke." Shak. They wallowed as pigs in a poke. Chaucer.

2. A long, wide sleeve; — called also poke sleeve. To boy a pig a poke (that is, in a bag), to buy a thing without knowledge or examination of it. Camden.

POKE
Poke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poked; p. pr. & vb. n. Poking.] Etym: [Cf.
LG. poken to prick, pierce, thrust, pok a dagger, knife, D. pook, G.
pocken to beat, also Ir. poc a blow, Gael. puc to push.]

1. To thrust or push against or into with anything pointed; hence, to stir up; to excite; as, to poke a fire. He poked John, and said "Sleepest thou " Chaucer.

2. To thrust with the horns; to gore.

3. Etym: [From 5th Poke, 3.]

Defn: To put a poke on; as, to poke an ox. [Colloq. U. S.] To poke fun, to excite fun; to joke; to jest. [Colloq.] — To poke fun at, to make a butt of; to ridicule. [Colloq.]

POKE
Poke, v. i.

Defn: To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, to
poke about.
A man must have poked into Latin and Greek. Prior.

POKE
Poke, n.

1. The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs. Ld. Lytton.

2. A lazy person; a dawdler; also, a stupid or uninteresting person. [Slang, U.S.] Bartlett.

3. A contrivance to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences. It consists of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward. [U.S.] Poke bonnet, a bonnet with a straight, projecting front.

POKEBAG
Poke"bag`, n. Etym: [So called in allusion to its baglike nest.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: The European long-tailed titmouse; — called also poke-pudding.
[Prov. Eng.]

POKER
Pok"er, n. Etym: [From Poke to push.]

1. One who pokes.

2. That which pokes or is used in poking, especially a metal bar or rod used in stirring a fire of coals.

3. A poking-stick. Decker.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The poachard. [Prov. Eng.] Poker picture, a picture formed in imitation of bisterwashed drawings, by singeing the surface of wood with a heated poker or other iron. Fairholt.

POKER
Pok"er, n. Etym: [Of uncertain etymol.]

Defn: A game at cards derived from brag, and first played about 1835 in the Southwestern United States. Johnson's Cyc.

Note: A poker hand is played with a poker deck, composed of fifty-two cards, of thirteeen values, each card value being represented once in each of four "suits", namely spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The game is played in many variations, but almost invariably the stage of decision as to who wins occurs when each player has five cards (or chooses five cards from some larger number available to him). The winner usually is the player with the highest-valued hand, but, in some variations, the winner may be the player with the lowest-valued hand. The value of a hand is ranked by hand types, representing the relationships of the cards to each other. [The hand types are ranked by the probability of receiving such a hand when dealt five cards.] Within each hand type the value is also ranked by the values of the cards. The hand types are labeled, in decreasing value: five of a kind; royal flush; straight flush; four of a kind; full house (coll. full boat, or boat); flush; straight; three of a kind; two pairs; one pair; and, when the contending players have no hands of any of the above types, the player with the highest-valued card wins — if there is a tie, the next-highest-valued card of the tied players determines the winner, and so on. If two players have the same type of hand, the value of the cards within each type determines the winner; thus, if two players both have three of a kind (and no other player has a higher type of hand), the player whose three matched cards have the highest card value is the winner.

POKER Pok"er, n. Etym: [Cf. Dan. pokker the deuce, devil, also W. pwci, a hobgoblin, bugbear, and E. puck.]

Defn: Any imagined frightful object, especially one supposed to haunt the darkness; a bugbear. [Colloq. U. S.]

POKER DICE
Poker dice.

Defn: A game played with five dice in which the count is usually made, in order, by pairs, two pairs, three of a kind, full houses, four of a kind, and five of a kind (the highest throw), similar to poker; also, the dice used in this game, esp. when marked with the ace, king, queen, jack, ten, and nine instead of the usual digits.

POKERISH
Pok"er*ish, a.

Defn: Infested by pokers; adapted to excite fear; as, a pokerish place. [Colloq. U. S.] There is something pokerish about a deserted dwelling. Lowell.

POKERISH
Pok"er*ish, a.

Defn: Stiff like a poker. [Colloq.]

POKET
Pok"et, n.

Defn: A pocket. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POKEWEED
Poke"weed`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Poke, the plant.

POKEY
Pok"ey, a.

Defn: See Poky.

POKING
Pok"ing, a.

Defn: Drudging; servile. [Colloq.]
Bred to some poking profession. Gray.

POKING-STICK
Pok"ing-stick`, n.

Defn: A small stick or rod of steel, formerly used in adjusting the plaits of ruffs. Shak.

POKY
Pok"y, a. Etym: [Written also pokey.]

1. Confined; cramped. [Prov. Eng.]

2. Dull; tedious; uninteresting. [Colloq.]

POLACCA Po*lac"ca, n. Etym: [It. polacca, polaccra, polacra; cf. F. polaque, polacre, Sp. polacre,] [Written also polacre.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: A vessel with two or three masts, used in the Mediterranean. The masts are usually of one piece, and without tops, caps, or crosstrees.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: See Polonaise.

POLACK
Po"lack, n.

Defn: A Polander. Shak.

POLACRE
Po*la"cre, n.

Defn: Same as Polacca, 1.

POLANDER
Po"land*er, n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Pole.

POLAR
Po"lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. polaire. See Pole of the earth.]

1. Of or pertaining to one of the poles of the earth, or of a sphere; situated near, or proceeding from, one of the poles; as, polar regions; polar seas; polar winds.

2. Of or pertaining to the magnetic pole, or to the point to which the magnetic needle is directed.

3. (Geom.)

Defn: Pertaining to, reckoned from, or having a common radiating point; as, polar coördinates. Polar axis, that axis of an astronomical instrument, as an equatorial, which is parallel to the earths axis. — Polar bear (Zoöl.), a large bear (Ursus, or Thalarctos, maritimus) inhabiting the arctic regions. It sometimes measures nearly nine feet in length and weighs 1,600 pounds. It is partially amphibious, very powerful, and the most carnivorous of all the bears. The fur is white, tinged with yellow. Called also White bear. See Bear. — Polar body, cell, or globule (Biol.), a minute cell which separates by karyokinesis from the ovum during its maturation. In the maturation of ordinary ova two polar bodies are formed, but in parthogenetic ova only one. The first polar body formed is usually larger than the second one, and often divides into two after its separation from the ovum. Each of the polar bodies removes maternal chromatin from the ovum to make room for the chromatin of the fertilizing spermatozoön; but their functions are not fully understood. — Polar circles (Astron. & Geog.), two circles, each at a distance from a pole of the earth equal to the obliquity of the ecliptic, or about 23º 28', the northern called the arctic circle, and the southern the antarctic circle. — Polar clock, a tube, containing a polarizing apparatus, turning on an axis parallel to that of the earth, and indicating the hour of the day on an hour circle, by being turned toward the plane of maximum polarization of the light of the sky, which is always 90º from the sun. — Polar coördinates. See under 3d Coördinate. — Polar dial, a dial whose plane is parallel to a great circle passing through the poles of the earth. Math. Dict. — Polar distance, the angular distance of any point on a sphere from one of its poles, particularly of a heavenly body from the north pole of the heavens. — Polar equation of a line or surface, an equation which expresses the relation between the polar coördinates of every point of the line or surface. — Polar forces (Physics), forces that are developed and act in pairs, with opposite tendencies or properties in the two elements, as magnetism, electricity, etc. — Polar hare (Zoöl.), a large hare of Arctic America (Lepus arcticus), which turns pure white in winter. It is probably a variety of the common European hare (L. timidus). — Polar lights, the aurora borealis or australis. — Polar, or Polaric, opposition or contrast (Logic), an opposition or contrast made by the existence of two opposite conceptions which are the extremes in a species, as white and black in colors; hence, as great an opposition or contrast as possible. — Polar projection. See under Projection. — Polar spherical triangle (Spherics), a spherical triangle whose three angular points are poles of the sides of a given triangle. See 4th Pole, 2. — Polar whale (Zoöl.), the right whale, or bowhead. See Whale.

POLAR
Po"lar, n. (Conic Sections)

Defn: The right line drawn through the two points of contact of the two tangents drawn from a given point to a given conic section. The given point is called the pole of the line. If the given point lies within the curve so that the two tangents become imaginary, there is still a real polar line which does not meet the curve, but which possesses other properties of the polar. Thus the focus and directrix are pole and polar. There are also poles and polar curves to curves of higher degree than the second, and poles and polar planes to surfaces of the second degree.

POLARCHY
Pol"ar*chy, n.

Defn: See Polyarchy.

POLARIC
Po*lar"ic, a.

Defn: See Polar. [R.]

POLARILY
Po"lar*i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a polary manner; with polarity. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

POLARIMETER
Po`lar*im"e*ter, n. Etym: [Polar + -meter.] (Opt.)

Defn: An instrument for determining the amount of polarization of light, or the proportion of polarized light, in a partially polarized ray.

POLARIMETRY
Po`lar*im"e*try, n. (Opt.)

Defn: The art or process of measuring the polarization of light.

POLARIS
Po*la"ris, n. Etym: [NL. See Polar.] (Astron.)

Defn: The polestar. See North star, under North.

POLARISCOPE
Po*lar"i*scope, n. Etym: [Polar + -scope.] (Opt.)

Defn: An instrument consisting essentially of a polarizer and an analyzer, used for polarizing light, and analyzing its properties.

POLARISCOPIC
Po*lar`i*scop"ic, a. (Opt.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the polariscope; obtained by the use of a polariscope; as, polariscopic observations.

POLARISCOPY
Po`lar*is"co*py, n. (Opt.)

Defn: The art or rocess of making observations with the polariscope.

POLARISTIC
Po`lar*is"tic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or exhibiting, poles; having a polar arrangement or disposition; arising from, or dependent upon, the possession of poles or polar characteristics; as, polaristic antagonism.

POLARITY
Po*lar"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polarité.]

1. (Physics)

Defn: That quality or condition of a body in virtue of which it exhibits opposite, or contrasted, properties or powers, in opposite, or contrasted, parts or directions; or a condition giving rise to a contrast of properties corresponding to a contrast of positions, as, for example, attraction and repulsion in the opposite parts of a magnet, the dissimilar phenomena corresponding to the different sides of a polarized ray of light, etc.

2. (Geom.)

Defn: A property of the conic sections by virtue of which a given point determines a corresponding right line and a given right line determines a corresponding point. See Polar, n.

POLARIZABLE
Po"lar*i`za*ble, a.

Defn: Susceptible of polarization.

POLARIZATION
Po`lar*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polarisation.]

1. The act of polarizing; the state of being polarized, or of having polarity.

2. (Opt.)

Defn: A peculiar affection or condition of the rays of light or heat, in consequence of which they exhibit different properties in different directions.

Note: If a beam of light, which has been reflected from a plate of unsilvered glass at an angle of about 56°, be received upon a second plate of glass similar to the former, and at the same angle of incidence, the light will be readily reflected when the two planes of incidence are parallel to each other, but will not be reflected when the two planes of incidence are perpendicular to each other. The light has, therefore, acquired new properties by reflection from the first plate of glass, and is called polarized light, while the modification which the light has experienced by this reflection is called polarization. The plane in which the beam of light is reflected from the first mirror is called the plane of polarization. The angle of polarization is the angle at which a beam of light must be reflected, in order that the polarization may be the most complete. The term polarization was derived from the theory of emission, and it was conceived that each luminous molecule has two poles analogous to the poles of a magnet; but this view is not now held. According to the undulatory theory, ordinary light is produced by vibrations transverse or perpendicular to the direction of the ray, and distributed as to show no distinction as to any particular direction. But when, by any means, these, vibrations are made to take place in one plane, the light is said to be plane polarized. If only a portion of the vibrations lie in one plane the ray is said to be partially polarized. Light may be polarized by several methods other than by reflection, as by refraction through most crystalline media, or by being transmitted obliquely through several plates of glass with parallel faces. If a beam of polarized light be transmitted through a crystal of quartz in the direction of its axis, the plane of polarization will be changed by an angle proportional to the thickness of the crystal. This phenomenon is called rotatory polarization. A beam of light reflected from a metallic surface, or from glass surfaces under certain peculiar conditions, acquires properties still more complex, its vibrations being no longer rectilinear, but circular, or elliptical. This phenomenon is called circular or elliptical polarization.

3. (Elec.)

Defn: An effect produced upon the plates of a voltaic battery, or the electrodes in an electrolytic cell, by the deposition upon them of the gases liberated by the action of the current. It is chiefly due to the hydrogen, and results in an increase of the resistance, and the setting up of an opposing electro-motive force, both of which tend materially to weaken the current of the battery, or that passing through the cell.

POLARIZE
Po"lar*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polarized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Polarizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. polariser.]

Defn: To communicate polarity to.

POLARIZER
Po"lar*i`zer, n. (Physics)

Defn: That which polarizes; especially, the part of a polariscope which receives and polarizes the light. It is usually a reflecting plate, or a plate of some crystal, as tourmaline, or a doubly refracting crystal.

POLARY
Po"lar*y, a.

Defn: Tending to a pole; having a direction toward a pole. [R.] Sir
T. Browne.

POLATOUCHE
Po`la`touche", n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A flying squirrel (Sciuropterus volans) native of Northern
Europe and Siberia; — called also minene.

POLDER
Pol"der, n. Etym: [D.]

Defn: A tract of low land reclaimed from the sea by of high embankments. [Holland & Belgium]

POLDWAY
Pold"way`, n. Etym: [Cf. Poledavy.]

Defn: A kind of coarse bagging, — used for coal sacks. Weale.

POLE
Pole, n. Etym: [Cf. G. Pole a Pole, Polen Poland.]

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Polander.

POLE
Pole, n. Etym: [As. pal, L. palus, akin to pangere to make fast. Cf.
Pale a stake, Pact.]

1. A long, slender piece of wood; a tall, slender piece of timber; the stem of a small tree whose branches have been removed; as, specifically: (a) A carriage pole, a wooden bar extending from the front axle of a carriage between the wheel horses, by which the carriage is guided and held back. (b) A flag pole, a pole on which a flag is supported. (c) A Maypole. See Maypole. (d) A barber's pole, a pole painted in stripes, used as a sign by barbers and hairdressers. (e) A pole on which climbing beans, hops, or other vines, are trained.

2. A measuring stick; also, a measure of length equal to 5 Bacon. Pole bean (Bot.), any kind of bean which is customarily trained on poles, as the scarlet runner or the Lima bean. — Pole flounder (Zoöl.), a large deep-water flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus), native of the northern coasts of Europe and America, and much esteemed as a food fish; — called also craig flounder, and pole fluke. — Pole lathe, a simple form of lathe, or a substitute for a lathe, in which the work is turned by means of a cord passing around it, one end being fastened to the treadle, and the other to an elastic pole above. — Pole mast (Naut.), a mast formed from a single piece or from a single tree. — Pole of a lens (Opt.), the point where the principal axis meets the surface. — Pole plate (Arch.), a horizontal timber resting on the tiebeams of a roof and receiving the ends of the rafters. It differs from the plate in not resting on the wall.

POLE
Pole, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poled; p. pr. & vb. n. Poling.]

1. To furnish with poles for support; as, to pole beans or hops.

2. To convey on poles; as, to pole hay into a barn.

3. To impel by a pole or poles, as a boat.

4. To stir, as molten glass, with a pole.

POLE
Pole, n. Etym: [L. polus, Gr. pôle.]

1. Either extremity of an axis of a sphere; especially, one of the extremities of the earth's axis; as, the north pole.

2. (Spherics)

Defn: A point upon the surface of a sphere equally distant from every part of the circumference of a great circle; or the point in which a diameter of the sphere perpendicular to the plane of such circle meets the surface. Such a point is called the pole of that circle; as, the pole of the horizon; the pole of the ecliptic; the pole of a given meridian.

3. (Physics)

Defn: One of the opposite or contrasted parts or directions in which a polar force is manifested; a point of maximum intensity of a force which has two such points, or which has polarity; as, the poles of a magnet; the north pole of a needle.

4. The firmament; the sky. [Poetic] Shoots against the dusky pole. Milton.

5. (Geom.)

Defn: See Polarity, and Polar, n. Magnetic pole. See under Magnetic. — Poles of the earth, or Terrestrial poles (Geog.), the two opposite points on the earth's surface through which its axis passes. — Poles of the heavens, or Celestial poles, the two opposite points in the celestial sphere which coincide with the earth's axis produced, and about which the heavens appear to revolve.

POLEAX; POLEAXE Pole"ax`, Pole"axe`, n. Etym: [OE. pollax; cf. OD. pollexe. See Poll head, and Ax.]

Defn: Anciently, a kind of battle-ax with a long handle; later, an ax or hatchet with a short handle, and a head variously patterned; — used by soldiers, and also by sailors in boarding a vessel.

POLECAT Pole"cat`, n. Etym: [Probably fr. F. poule hen, and originally, a poultry cat, because it feeds on poultry. See Poultry.] (Zoöl.) (a) A small European carnivore of the Weasel family (Putorius foetidus). Its scent glands secrete a substance of an exceedingly disagreeable odor. Called also fitchet, foulmart, and European ferret. (b) The zorilla. The name is also applied to other allied species.

POLEDAVY
Pole"da`vy, n. Etym: [Etymology uncertain.]

Defn: A sort of coarse canvas; poldway. [Obs.] Howell.

POLELESS
Pole"less, a.

Defn: Without a pole; as, a poleless chariot.

POLEMARCH
Pol"e*march, n. Etym: [Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)

Defn: In Athens, originally, the military commanderin-chief; but, afterward, a civil magistrate who had jurisdiction in respect of strangers and sojourners. In other Grecian cities, a high military and civil officer.

POLEMIC
Po*lem"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. polémique.]

1. Of or pertaining to controversy; maintaining, or involving, controversy; controversial; disputative; as, a polemic discourse or essay; polemic theology.

2. Engaged in, or addicted to, polemics, or to controversy; disputations; as, a polemic writer. South.

POLEMIC
Po*lem"ic, n.

1. One who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant. The sarcasms and invectives of the young polemic. Macaulay.

2. A polemic argument or controversy.

POLEMICAL
Po*lem"ic*al, a.

Defn: Polemic; controversial; disputatious.
— Po*lem"ic*al*ly, adv.
Polemical and impertinent disputations. Jer. Taylor.

POLEMICIST
Po*lem"i*cist, n.

Defn: A polemic. [R.]

POLEMICS
Po*lem"ics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polémique.]

Defn: The art or practice of disputation or controversy, especially on religious subjects; that branch of theological science which pertains to the history or conduct of ecclesiastical controversy.

POLEMIST
Pol"e*mist, n.

Defn: A polemic. [R.]

POLEMONIACEOUS
Pol`e*mo`ni*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (Polemoniaceæ), which includes Polemonium, Phlox, Gilia, and a few other genera.

POLEMONIUM
Pol`e*mo"ni*um. n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of gamopetalous perennial herbs, including the Jacob's ladder and the Greek valerian.

POLEMOSCOPE
Po*lem"o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope: cf. F. polémoscope.]

Defn: An opera glass or field glass with an oblique mirror arranged for seeing objects do not lie directly before the eye; — called also diagonal, or side, opera glass.

POLEMY
Pol"e*my, n. Etym: [See Polemic.]

Defn: Warfare; war; hence, contention; opposition. [Obs.]

POLENTA
Po*len"ta, n. Etym: [It., fr. L. polenta peeled barley.]

Defn: Pudding made of Indian meal; also, porridge made of chestnut meal. [Italy]

POLER
Pol"er, n.

Defn: One who poles.

POLER
Pol"er, n.

Defn: An extortioner. See Poller. [Obs.] Bacon.

POLESTAR
Pole"star`, n.

1. Polaris, or the north star. See North star, under North.

2. A guide or director.

POLEWARDS
Pole"wards, adv.

Defn: Toward a pole of the earth. "The regions further polewards."
Whewell.

POLEWIG
Pole"wig, n. Etym: [Cf. Polliwig.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European spotted goby (Gobius minutus); — called also pollybait. [Prov. Eng.]

POLEY
Po"ley, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Poly.

POLEY
Po"ley, a.

Defn: Without horns; polled. [Prov. Eng.] "That poley heifer." H.
Kingsley.

POLIANITE
Po"li*a*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)

Defn: Manganese dioxide, occurring in tetragonal crystals nearly as hard as quartz.

POLICATE
Pol"i*cate, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Pollicate.

POLICE
Po*lice", n. Etym: [F., fr. L. politia the condition of a state,
government, administration, Gr. pur, puri. Cf. Policy polity,
Polity.]

1. A judicial and executive system, for the government of a city, town, or district, for the preservation of rights, order, cleanliness, health, etc., and for the enforcement of the laws and prevention of crime; the administration of the laws and regulations of a city, incorporated town, or borough.

2. That which concerns the order of the community; the internal regulation of a state.

3. The organized body of civil officers in a city, town, or district, whose particular duties are the preservation of good order, the prevention and detection of crime, and the enforcement of the laws.

4. (Mil.)

Defn: Military police, the body of soldiers detailed to preserve civil order and attend to sanitary arrangements in a camp or garrison.

5. The cleaning of a camp or garrison, or the state Police commissioner, a civil officer, usually one of a board, commissioned to regulate and control the appointment, duties, and discipline of the police. — Police constable, or Police officer, a policeman. — Police court, a minor court to try persons brought before it by the police. — Police inspector, an officer of police ranking next below a superintendent. — Police jury, a body of officers who collectively exercise jurisdiction in certain cases of police, as levying taxes, etc.; — so called in Louisiana. Bouvier. — Police justice, or Police magistrate, a judge of a police court. — Police offenses (Law), minor offenses against the order of the community, of which a police court may have final jurisdiction. — Police station, the headquarters of the police, or of a section of them; the place where the police assemble for orders, and to which they take arrested persons.

POLICE
Po*lice", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Policed; p. pr. & vb. n. Policing.]

1. To keep in order by police.

2. (Mil.)

Defn: To make clean; as, to police a camp.

POLICED
Po*liced", a.

Defn: Regulated by laws for the maintenance of peace and order, enforced by organized administration. "A policed kingdom." Howell.

POLICEMAN
Po*lice"man, n.; pl. Policemen (.

Defn: A member of a body of police; a constable.

POLICE POWER
Police power. (Law)

Defn: The inherent power of a government to regulate its police affairs. The term police power is not definitely fixed in meaning. In the earlier cases in the United States it was used as including the whole power of internal government, or the powers of government inherent in every sovereignty to the extent of its dominions (11 Peters (U. S.) 102). The later cases have excepted from its domain the development and administration of private law. Modern political science defines the power as a branch of internal administration in the exercise of which the executive should move within the lines of general principles prescribed by the constitution or the legislature, and in the exercise of which the most local governmental organizations should participate as far as possible (Burgess). Under this limitation the police power, as affecting persons, is the power of the state to protect the public against the abuse of individual liberty, that is, to restrain the individual in the exercise of his rights when such exercise becomes a danger to the community. The tendency of judicial and popular usage is towards this narrower definition.

POLICIAL
Po*li"cial (, a.

Defn: Relating to the police. [R.]

POLICIED
Pol"i*cied, a.

Defn: Policed. [Obs.] Bacon.

POLICY Pol"i*cy, n.; pl. Policies. Etym: [L. politia, Gr. police, Of. police. See Police, n.]

1. Civil polity. [Obs.]

2. The settled method by which the government and affairs of a nation are, or may be, administered; a system of public or official administration, as designed to promote the external or internal prosperity of a state.

3. The method by which any institution is administered; system of management; course.

4. Management or administration based on temporal or material interest, rather than on principles of equity or honor; hence, worldly wisdom; dexterity of management; cunning; stratagem.

5. Prudence or wisdom in the management of public and private affairs; wisdom; sagacity; wit. The very policy of a hostess, finding his purse so far above his clothes, did detect him. Fuller.

6. Motive; object; inducement. [Obs.] What policy have you to bestow a benefit where it is counted an injury Sir P. Sidney.

Syn.
— See Polity.

POLICY
Pol"i*cy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Policied; p. pr. & vb. n. Policying.]

Defn: To regulate by laws; to reduce to order. [Obs.] "Policying of cities." Bacon.

POLICY Pol"i*cy, n. Etym: [F. police; cf. Pr. polissia, Sp. pólizia, It. pólizza; of uncertain origin; cf. L. pollex thumb (as being used in pressing the seal), in LL. also, seal; or cf. LL. politicum, poleticum, polecticum, L. polyptychum, account book, register, fr. Gr. apodixa a receipt.]

1. A ticket or warrant for money in the public funds.

2. The writing or instrument in which a contract of insurance is embodied; an instrument in writing containing the terms and conditions on which one party engages to indemnify another against loss arising from certain hazards, perils, or risks to which his person or property may be exposed. See Insurance.

3. A method of gambling by betting as to what numbers will be drawn in a lottery; as, to play policy. Interest policy, a policy that shows by its form that the assured has a real, substantial interest in the matter insured. — Open policy, one in which the value of the goods or property insured is not mentioned. — Policy book, a book to contain a record of insurance policies. — Policy holder, one to whom an insurance policy has been granted. — Policy shop, a gambling place where one may bet on the numbers which will be drawn in lotteries. — Valued policy, one in which the value of the goods, property, or interest insured is specified. — Wager policy, a policy that shows on the face of it that the contract it embodies is a pretended insurance, founded on an ideal risk, where the insured has no interest in anything insured.

POLING
Pol"ing, n. Etym: [From Pole a stick.]

1. The act of supporting or of propelling by means of a pole or poles; as, the poling of beans; the poling of a boat.

2. (Gardening)

Defn: The operation of dispersing worm casts over the walks with poles.

3. One of the poles or planks used in upholding the side earth in excavating a tunnel, ditch, etc.

POLISH
Pol"ish, a. Etym: [From Pole a Polander.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Poland or its inhabitants.
— n.

Defn: The language of the Poles.

POLISH
Pol"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polished; p. pr. & vb. n. Polishing.]
Etym: [F. polir, L. polire. Cf. Polite, -ish]

1. To make smooth and glossy, usually by friction; to burnish; to overspread with luster; as, to polish glass, marble, metals, etc.

2. Hence, to refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite; as, to polish life or manners. Milton. To polish off, to finish completely, as an adversary. [Slang] W. H. Russell.

POLISH
Pol"ish, v. i.

Defn: To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface; as, steel polishes well. Bacon.

POLISH
Pol"ish, n.

1. A smooth, glossy surface, usually produced by friction; a gloss or luster. Another prism of clearer glass and better polish. Sir I. Newton.

2. Anything used to produce a gloss.

3. Fig.: Refinement; elegance of manners. This Roman polish and this smooth behavior. Addison.

POLISHABLE
Pol"ish*a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being polished.

POLISHED
Pol"ished, a.

Defn: Made smooth and glossy, as by friction; hence, highly finished; refined; polite; as, polished plate; polished manners; polished verse.

POLISHEDNESS
Pol"ished*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being polished.

POLISHER
Pol"ish*er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, polishes; also, that which is used in polishing. Addison.

POLISHING
Pol"ish*ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Polish. Polishing iron, an iron burnisher; esp., a small smoothing iron used in laundries. — Polishing slate. (a) A gray or yellow slate, found in Bohemia and Auvergne, and used for polishing glass, marble, and metals. (b) A kind of hone or whetstone; hone slate. — Polishing snake, a tool used in cleaning lithographic stones. — Polishing wheel, a wheel or disk coated with, or composed of, abrading material, for polishing a surface.

POLISHMENT
Pol"ish*ment, n.

Defn: The act of polishing, or the state of being polished. [R.]

POLISSOIR
Po`lis`soir", n. [F.]

1. A polishing or grinding implement or instrument.

2. (Glass Making) A tool consisting of a flat wooden block with a long iron handle, used for flattening out split cylinders of blown glass.

POLITE Po*lite", a. [Compar. Politer; superl. Politest.] Etym: [L. politus, p. p. of polire to polish: cf. F. poli. See Polish, v.]

1. Smooth; polished. [Obs.] Rays of light falling on a polite surface. Sir I. Newton.

2. Smooth and refined in behavior or manners; well bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging; civil. He marries, bows at court, and grows polite. Pope.

3. Characterized by refinement, or a high degree of finish; as, polite literature. Macaulay.

Syn. — Polished; refined; well bred; courteous; affable; urbane; civil; courtly; elegant; genteel.

POLITE
Po*lite", v. t.

Defn: To polish; to refine; to render polite. [Obs.] Ray.

POLITELY
Po*lite"ly, adv.

1. In a polished manner; so as to be smooth or glossy. [Obs.] Milton.

2. In a polite manner; with politeness.

POLITENESS
Po*lite"ness, n.

1. High finish; smoothness; burnished elegance. [R.] Evelyn.

2. The quality or state of being polite; refinement of manners; urbanity; courteous behavior; complaisance; obliging attentions.

Syn. — Courtesy; good breeding; refinement; urbanity; courteousness; affability; complaisance; civility; gentility; courtliness. — Politeness, Courtesy. Politeness denotes that ease and gracefulness of manners which first sprung up in cities, connected with a desire to please others by anticipating their wants and wishes, and studiously avoiding whatever might give them pain. Courtesy is, etymologically, the politeness of courts. It displays itself in the address and manners; it is shown more especially in receiving and entertaining others, and is a union of dignified complaisance and kindness.

POLITESSE
Pol`i*tesse", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Politeness.

POLITIC
Pol"i*tic, a. Etym: [L. politicus political, Gr. politique. See
Police, and cf. ePolitical.]

1. Of or pertaining to polity, or civil government; political; as, the body politic. See under Body. He with his people made all but one politic body. Sir P. Sidney.

2. Pertaining to, or promoting, a policy, especially a national policy; well-devised; adapted to its end, whether right or wrong; — said of things; as, a politic treaty. "Enrich'd with politic grave counsel." Shak.

3. Sagacious in promoting a policy; ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; devoted to a scheme or system rather than to a principle; hence, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious; and in a bad sense, artful; unscrupulous; cunning; — said of persons. Politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy. Shak.

Syn. — Wise; prudent; sagacious; discreet; provident; wary; artful; cunning.

POLITIC
Pol`i*tic, n.

Defn: A politician. [Archaic] Bacon. Swiftly the politic goes; is it dark he borrows a lantern; Slowly the statesman and sure, guiding his feet by the stars. Lowell.

POLITICAL
Po*lit"i*cal, a.

1. Having, or conforming to, a settled system of administration. [R.] "A political government." Evelyn.

2. Of or pertaining to public policy, or to politics; relating to affairs of state or administration; as, a political writer. "The political state of Europe." Paley.

3. Of or pertaining to a party, or to parties, in the state; as, his political relations were with the Whigs.

4. Politic; wise; also, artful. [Obs.] Sterne. Political economy, that branch of political science or philosophy which treats of the sources, and methods of production and preservation, of the material wealth and prosperity of nations.

POLITICALISM
Po*lit"i*cal*ism, n.

Defn: Zeal or party spirit in politics.

POLITICALLY
Po*lit"i*cal*ly, adv.

1. In a political manner.

2. Politicly; artfully. [Obs.] Knolles.

POLITICASTER
Po*lit"i*cas`ter, n. Etym: [Cf. It. politicastro.]

Defn: A petty politician; a pretender in politics. Milton.

POLITICIAN
Pol`i*ti"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. politicien.]

1. One versed or experienced in the science of government; one devoted to politics; a statesman. While empiric politicians use deceit. Dryden.

2. One primarily devoted to his own advancement in public office, or to the success of a political party; — used in a depreciatory sense; one addicted or attached to politics as managed by parties (see Politics, 2); a schemer; an intriguer; as, a mere politician. Like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not. Shak. The politician . . . ready to do anything that he apprehends for his advantage. South.

POLITICIAN
Pol`i*ti"cian, a.

Defn: Cunning; using artifice; politic; artful. "Ill-meaning politician lords." Milton.

POLITICIST
Po*lit"i*cist, n.

Defn: A political writer. [R.]

POLITICLY
Pol"i*tic*ly, adv.

Defn: In a politic manner; sagaciously; shrewdly; artfully. Pope.

POLITICS
Pol"i*tics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. politique, Gr. Politic.]

1. The science of government; that part of ethics which has to do with the regulation and government of a nation or state, the preservation of its safety, peace, and prosperity, the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals.

2. The management of a political party; the conduct and contests of parties with reference to political measures or the administration of public affairs; the advancement of candidates to office; in a bad sense, artful or dishonest management to secure the success of political candidates or parties; political trickery. When we say that two men are talking politics, we often mean that they are wrangling about some mere party question. F. W. Robertson.

POLITIZE
Pol"i*tize, v. i.

Defn: To play the politician; to dispute as politicians do. [Obs.]
Milton.

POLITURE Pol"i*ture, n. Etym: [L. politura, fr. polire to polish. See Polish, v.]

Defn: Polish; gloss. [Obs.] Donne.

POLITY
Pol"i*ty, n.; pl. Polities. Etym: [L. politia, Gr. politie. See 1st
Policy, Police.]

1. The form or constitution of the civil government of a nation or state; the framework or organization by which the various departments of government are combined into a systematic whole. Blackstone. Hooker.

2. Hence: The form or constitution by which any institution is organized; the recognized principles which lie at the foundation of any human institution. Nor is possible that any form of polity, much less polity ecclesiastical, should be good, unless God himself be author of it. Hooker.

3. Policy; art; management. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Syn. — Policy. — Polity, Policy. These two words were originally the same. Polity is now confined to the structure of a government; as, civil or ecclesiastical polity; while policy is applied to the scheme of management of public affairs with reference to some aim or result; as, foreign or domestic policy. Policy has the further sense of skillful or cunning management.

POLITZERIZATION
Po*litz`er*i*za"tion, n. (Med.)

Defn: The act of inflating the middle ear by blowing air up the nose during the act of swallowing; — so called from Prof. Politzer of Vienna, who first practiced it.

POLIVE
Pol"ive, n.

Defn: A pulley. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POLKA
Pol"ka, n. Etym: [Pol. Polka a Polish woman: cf. F. & G. polka.]

1. A dance of Polish origin, but now common everywhere. It is performed by two persons in common time.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: A lively Bohemian or Polish dance tune in 2-4 measure, with the third quaver accented. Polka jacket, a kind of knit jacket worn by women.

POLL
Poll, n. Etym: [From Polly, The proper name.]

Defn: A parrot; — familiarly so called.

POLL
Poll, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: One who does not try for honors, but is content to take a degree merely; a passman. [Cambridge Univ., Eng.]

POLL Poll, n. Etym: [Akin to LG. polle the head, the crest of a bird, the top of a tree, OD. pol, polle, Dan. puld the crown of a hat.]

1. The head; the back part of the head. "All flaxen was his poll." Shak.

2. A number or aggregate of heads; a list or register of heads or individuals. We are the greater poll, and in true fear They gave us our demands. Shak. The muster file, rotten and sound, upon my life, amounts not to fifteen thousand poll. Shak.

3. Specifically, the register of the names of electors who may vote in an election.

4. The casting or recording of the votes of registered electors; as, the close of the poll. All soldiers quartered in place are to remove . . . and not to return till one day after the poll is ended. Blackstone.

5. pl.

Defn: The place where the votes are cast or recorded; as, to go to the polls.

6. The broad end of a hammer; the but of an ax.

7. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European chub. See Pollard, 3 (a). Poll book, a register of persons entitled to vote at an election. — Poll evil (Far.), an inflammatory swelling or abscess on a horse's head, confined beneath the great ligament of the neck. — Poll pick (Mining), a pole having a heavy spike on the end, forming a kind of crowbar. — Poll tax, a tax levied by the head, or poll; a capitation tax.

POLL
Poll, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polled; p. pr. & vb. n. Polling.]

1. To remove the poll or head of; hence, to remove the top or end of; to clip; to lop; to shear; as, to poll the head; to poll a tree. When he [Absalom] pollled his head. 2 Sam. xiv. 26. His death did so grieve them that they polled themselves; they clipped off their horse and mule's hairs. Sir T. North.

2. To cut off; to remove by clipping, shearing, etc.; to mow or crop; — sometimes with off; as, to poll the hair; to poll wool; to poll grass. Who, as he polled off his dart's head, so sure he had decreed That all the counsels of their war he would poll off like it. Chapman.

3. To extort from; to plunder; to strip. [Obs.] Which polls and pills the poor in piteous wise. Spenser.

4. To impose a tax upon. [Obs.]

5. To pay as one's personal tax. The man that polled but twelve pence for his head. Dryden.

6. To enter, as polls or persons, in a list or register; to enroll, esp. for purposes of taxation; to enumerate one by one. Polling the reformed churches whether they equalize in number those of his three kingdoms. Milton.

7. To register or deposit, as a vote; to elicit or call forth, as votes or voters; as, he polled a hundred votes more than his opponent. And poll for points of faith his trusty vote. Tickell.

8. (Law)

Defn: To cut or shave smooth or even; to cut in a straight line without indentation; as, a polled deed. See Dee. Burrill. To poll a jury, to call upon each member of the jury to answer individually as to his concurrence in a verdict which has been rendered.

POLL
Poll, v. i.

Defn: To vote at an election. Beaconsfield.

POLLACK Pol"lack, n. Etym: [Cf. G. & D. pollack, and Gael. pollag a little pool, a sort of fish.] (Zoöl.) (a) A marine gadoid food fish of Europe (Pollachius virens). Called also greenfish, greenling, lait, leet, lob, lythe, and whiting pollack. (b) The American pollock; the coalfish.

POLLAGE
Poll"age, n.

Defn: A head or poll tax; hence, extortion. [Obs.] Foxe.

POLLAN
Pol"lan, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. pollag a kind of fish.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A lake whitefish (Coregonus pollan), native of Ireland. In appearance it resembles a herring.

POLLARD
Pol"lard, n. Etym: [From Poll the head.]

1. A tree having its top cut off at some height above the ground, that may throw out branches. Pennant.

2. A clipped coin; also, a counterfeit. [Obs.] Camden.

3. (Zoöl.) (a) A fish, the chub. (b) A stag that has cast its antlers. (c) A hornless animal (cow or sheep).

POLLARD
Pol"lard, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pollarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Pollarding.]

Defn: To lop the tops of, as trees; to poll; as, to pollard willows.
Evelyn.

POLLAX
Poll"ax`, n.

Defn: A poleax. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POLLED
Polled, a.

Defn: Deprived of a poll, or of something belonging to the poll.
Specifically: (a) Lopped; — said of trees having their tops cut off.
(b) Cropped; hence, bald; — said of a person. "The polled bachelor."
Beau. & Fl. (c) Having cast the antlers; — said of a stag. (d)
Without horns; as, polled cattle; polled sheep.

POLLEN
Pol"len, n. Etym: [L. pollen fine flour, fine dust; cf. Gr.

1. Fine bran or flour. [Obs.] Bailey.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: The fecundating dustlike cells of the anthers of flowers. See Flower, and Illust. of Filament. Pollen grain (Bot.), a particle or call of pollen. — Pollen mass, a pollinium. Gray. — Pollen sac, a compartment of an anther containing pollen, — usually there are four in each anther. — Pollen tube, a slender tube which issues from the pollen grain on its contact with the stigma, which it penetrates, thus conveying, it is supposed, the fecundating matter of the grain to the ovule.

POLLENARIOUS
Pol`len*a"ri*ous, a.

Defn: Consisting of meal or pollen.

POLLENED
Pol"lened, a.

Defn: Covered with pollen. Tennyson.

POLLENIFEROUS
Pol`len*if"er*ous, a. Etym: [Pollen + -ferous.] (Bot.)

Defn: Producing pollen; polliniferous.

POLLENIN
Pol"len*in, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pollénine.] (Chem.)

Defn: A substance found in the pollen of certain plants. [R.]

POLLENIZE
Pol"len*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pollenized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Pollenizing.]

Defn: To supply with pollen; to impregnate with pollen.

POLLER
Poll"er, n. Etym: [From Poll]

Defn: One who polls; specifically: (a) One who polls or lops trees. (b) One who polls or cuts hair; a barber. [R.] (c) One who extorts or plunders. [Obs.] Bacon. (d) One who registers voters, or one who enters his name as a voter.

POLLEX
Pol"lex, n.; pl. Pollices. Etym: [L., the thumb.] (Anat.)

Defn: The first, or preaxial, digit of the fore limb, corresponding to the hallux in the hind limb; the thumb. In birds, the pollex is the joint which bears the bastard wing.

POLLICATE
Pol"li*cate, a. Etym: [L. pollex, pollicis, a thumb.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having a curved projection or spine on the inner side of a leg joint; — said of insects.

POLLICITATION Pol*lic`i*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. pollicitatio, fr. pollicitari to promise, v. intens. fr. polliceri to promise: cf. F. pollicitation.]

1. A voluntary engagement, or a paper containing it; a promise. Bp. Burnet.

2. (Roman Law)

Defn: A promise without mutuality; a promise which has not been accepted by the person to whom it is made. Bouvier.

POLLINATE
Pol"li*nate, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pollinose.

POLLINATE
Pol"li*nate, v. t. (Bot.)

Defn: To apply pollen to (a stigma).
— Pol`li*na"tion, n. (Bot.)

POLLINCTOR
Pol*linc"tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. pollingere.] (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: One who prepared corpses for the funeral.

POLLING
Poll"ing, n. Etym: [See Poll the head.]

1. The act of topping, lopping, or cropping, as trees or hedges.

2. Plunder, or extortion. [Obs.] E. Hall.

3. The act of voting, or of registering a vote. Polling booth, a temporary structure where the voting at an election is done; a polling place.

POLLINIFEROUS
Pol`li*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. pollen, -inis, pollen + -ferous: cf.
F. pollinifère.] (Bot.)

Defn: Producing pollen; polleniferous.

POLLINIUM
Pol*lin"i*um, n.; pl. Pollinia. Etym: [NL. See Pollen.] (Bot.)

Defn: A coherent mass of pollen, as in the milkweed and most orchids.

POLLINOSE
Pol"li*nose`, a. Etym: [L. pollen, -inis, dust.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the surface covered with a fine yellow dust, like pollen.

POLLIWIG; POLLIWOG
Pol"li*wig, Pol"li*wog, n. Etym: [OE. polwigle. Cf. Poll head, and
Wiggle.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A tadpole; — called also purwiggy and porwigle.

POLLOCK
Pol"lock, n. Etym: [See Pollack.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A marine gadoid fish (Pollachius carbonarius), native both of the European and American coasts. It is allied to the cod, and like it is salted and dried. In England it is called coalfish, lob, podley, podling, pollack, etc.

POLLUCITE
Pol"lu*cite, n. Etym: [See Pollux, and 4th Castor.] (Min.)

Defn: A colorless transparent mineral, resembling quartz, occurring with castor or castorite on the island of Elba. It is a silicate of alumina and cæsia. Called also pollux.

POLLUTE
Pol*lute", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polluted; p. pr. & vb. n. Polluting.]
Etym: [L. pollutus, p. p. of polluere to defile, to pollute, from a
prep. appearing only in comp. + luere to wash. See Position, Lave.]

1. To make foul, impure, or unclean; to defile; to taint; to soil; to desecrate; — used of physical or moral defilement. The land was polluted with blood. Ps. cvi. 38 Wickedness . . . hath polluted the whole earth. 2 Esd. xv. 6.

2. To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonor.

3. (Jewish Law)

Defn: To render ceremonially unclean; to disqualify or unfit for sacred use or service, or for social intercourse. Neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die. Num. xviii. 32. They have polluted themselves with blood. Lam. iv. 14.

Syn. — To defile; soil; contaminate; corrupt; taint; vitiate; debauch; dishonor; ravish.

POLLUTE
Pol*lute", a. Etym: [L. pollutus.]

Defn: Polluted. [R.] Milton.

POLLUTED
Pol*lut"ed, a.

Defn: Defiled; made unclean or impure; debauched.
— Pol*lut"ed*ly, adv.
— Pol*lut"ed*ness, n.

POLLUTER
Pol*lut"er, n.

Defn: One who pollutes. Dryden.

POLLUTING
Pol*lut"ing, a.

Defn: Adapted or tending to pollute; causing defilement or pollution.
— Pol*lut"ing*ly, adv.

POLLUTION
Pol*lu"tion, n. Etym: [L. pollutio: cf. F. pollution.]

1. The act of polluting, or the state of being polluted (in any sense of the verb); defilement; uncleanness; impurity.

2. (Med.)

Defn: The emission of semen, or sperm, at other times than in sexual intercourse. Dunglison.

POLLUX Pol"lux, n. Etym: [L., the twin brother of castor; also, the constellation.]

1. (Astron.)

Defn: A fixed star of the second magnitude, in the constellation
Gemini. Cf. 3d Castor.

2. (Min.)

Defn: Same as Pollucite.

POLLY
Pol"ly, n.

Defn: A woman's name; also, a popular name for a parrot.

POLLYWOG
Pol"ly*wog, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A polliwig.

POLO Po"lo, n. Etym: [Of Eastern origin; — properly, the ball used in the game.]

1. A game of ball of Eastern origin, resembling hockey, with the players on horseback.

2. A similar game played on the ice, or on a prepared floor, by players wearing skates.

POLONAISE
Po`lo*naise", a. Etym: [F. polonais, polonaise, Polish.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Poles, or to Poland. [Written also
Polonese.]

POLONAISE
Po`lo*naise", n. Etym: [Written also Polonese and Polonoise.]

1. The Polish language.

2. An article of dress for women, consisting of a body and an outer skirt in one piece.

3. (Mus.)

Defn: A stately Polish dance tune, in 3-4 measure, beginning always on the beat with a quaver followed by a crotchet, and closing on the beat after a strong accent on the second beat; also, a dance adapted to such music; a polacca.

POLONESE
Po`lo*nese", a. & n.

Defn: See Polonaise.

POLONIUM Po*lo"ni*um, n. [NL. So named after Poland, in L. form Polonia, one of the discoverers being a Pole.] (Chem.)

Defn: A supposed new element, a radioactive substance discovered by M. and MMe. Curie in pitchblende. It is closely related chemically to bismuth. It emits only alpha rays and is perhaps identical with radium F.

POLONY
Po*lo"ny, n. Etym: [Prob. corrupt. fr. Bologna.]

Defn: A kind of sausage made of meat partly cooked.

POLRON
Pol"ron, n.

Defn: See Pauldron.

POLT
Polt, n. Etym: [Cf. E. pelt, L. pultare to beat, strike.]

Defn: A blow or thump. Halliwell.
— a.

Defn: Distorted. Pot foot, a distorted foot. Sir T. Herbert.

POLT-FOOT; POLT-FOOTED
Polt"-foot`, Polt"-foot`ed, a.

Defn: Having a distorted foot, or a clubfoot or clubfeet. B. Jonson.

POLTROON Pol*troon", n. Etym: [F. poltron, from It. poltrone an idle fellow, sluggard, coward, poltro idle, lazy, also, bed, fr. OHG. polstar, bolstar, cushion, G. polster, akin to E. bolster. See Bolster.]

Defn: An arrant coward; a dastard; a craven; a mean-spirited wretch.
Shak.

POLTROON
Pol*troon", a.

Defn: Base; vile; contemptible; cowardly.

POLTROONERY
Pol*troon"er*y, n. Etym: [F. poltronnerie; cf. It. poltroneria.]

Defn: Cowardice; want of spirit; pusillanimity.

POLTROONISH
Pol*troon"ish, a.

Defn: Resembling a poltroon; cowardly.

POLVERINE Pol"ve*rine, n. Etym: [It. polverino, fr. polvere ust, L. pulvis, - veris. See Powder.]

Defn: Glassmaker's ashes; a kind of potash or pearlash, brought from the Levant and Syria, — used in the manufacture of fine glass.

POLWIG
Pol"wig, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A polliwig. Holland.

POLY-
Pol"y-. Etym: [See Full, a.]

Defn: A combining form or prefix from Gr. poly`s, many; as, polygon, a figure of many angles; polyatomic, having many atoms; polychord, polyconic.

POLY Po"ly, n. Etym: [L. polium, the name of a plant, perhaps Teucrium polium, Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A whitish woolly plant (Teucrium Polium) of the order Labiatæ, found throughout the Mediterranean region. The name, with sundry prefixes, is sometimes given to other related species of the same genus. [Spelt also poley.] Poly mountain. See Poly-mountain, in Vocabulary.

POLYACID
Pol`y*ac"id, a. Etym: [Poly- + acid.] (Chem.)

Defn: Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monobasic acid; having more than one hydrogen atom capable of being replaced by acid radicals; — said of certain bases; as, calcium hydrate and glycerin are polyacid bases.

POLYACOUSTIC
Pol`y*a*cous"tic, a. Etym: [Poly- + acoustic: cf. F. polyacoustique.]

Defn: Multiplying or magnifying sound.
— n.

Defn: A polyacoustic instrument.

POLYACOUSTICS
Pol`y*a*cous"tics, n.

Defn: The art of multiplying or magnifying sounds.

POLYACRON Pol`y*a"cron, n.; pl. Polyacra, E. Polyacrons. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + 'a`kron summit.] (Geom.)

Defn: A solid having many summits or angular points; a polyhedron.

POLYACTINIA
Pol`y*ac*tin"i*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Poly-, and Actinia.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An old name for those Anthozoa which, like the actinias, have numerous simple tentacles.

POLYADELPHIA
Pol`y*a*del"phi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A Linnæan class of plants having stamens united in three or more bodies or bundles by the filaments.

POLYADELPHIAN; POLYADELPHOUS
Pol`y*a*del"phi*an, Pol`y*a*del"phous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Belonging to the class Polyadelphia; having stamens united in three or more bundles.

POLYANDRIA
Pol`y*an"dri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Polyandry.] (Bot.)

Defn: A Linnæan class of monoclinous or hermaphrodite plants, having many stamens, or any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.

POLYANDRIAN
Pol`y*an"dri*an, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Polyandrous.

POLYANDRIC
Pol`y*an"dric, a. Etym: [Cf. polyandrique.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or characterized by, polyandry; mating with several males. "Polyandric societies." H. Spencer.

POLYANDROUS
Pol`y*an"drous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Belonging to the class Polyandria; having many stamens, or any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.

POLYANDRY
Pol`y*an"dry, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. polyandrie.]

Defn: The possession by a woman of more than one husband at the same time; — contrasted with Ant: monandry.

Note: In law, this falls under the head of polygamy.

POLYANTHUS Pol`y*an"thus, n.; pl. Polyanthuses. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. [Written also polyanthos.] (Bot.) (a) The oxlip. So called because the peduncle bears a many-flowered umbel. See Oxlip. (b) A bulbous flowering plant of the genus Narcissus (N. Tazetta, or N. polyanthus of some authors). See Illust. of Narcissus.

POLYARCHIST
Pol"y*ar`chist, n.

Defn: One who advocates polyarchy; — opposed to monarchist.
Cudworth.

POLYARCHY
Pol"y*ar`chy, n. Etym: [Poly- + -archy: cf. F. polyarchie. Cf.
Polarchy.]

Defn: A government by many persons, of whatever order or class.
Cudworth.

POLYATOMIC Pol`y*a*tom"ic, a. Etym: [Poly- + atomic.] (Chem.) (a) Having more than one atom in the molecule; consisting of several atoms. (b) Having a valence greater than one. [Obs.]

POLYAUTOGRAPHY
Pol`y*au*tog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Poly- + autography.]

Defn: The act or practice of multiplying copies of one's own handwriting, or of manuscripts, by printing from stone, — a species of lithography.

POLYBASIC
Pol`y*ba"sic, a. Etym: [Poly- + basic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monacid base; having several hydrogen atoms capable of being replaced by basic radicals; — said of certain acids; as, sulphuric acid is polybasic.

POLYBASITE
Pol`y*ba"site, n. Etym: [See Polybasic.] (Min.)

Defn: An iron-black ore of silver, consisting of silver, sulphur, and antimony, with some copper and arsenic.

POLYBRANCHIA
Pol`y*bran"chi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Poly-, and Branchia.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of Nudibranchiata including those which have numerous branchiæ on the back.

POLYBROMIDE
Pol`y*bro"mide, n. Etym: [Poly- + bromide.] (Chem.)

Defn: A bromide containing more than one atom of bromine in the molecule.

POLYCARPELLARY
Pol`y*car"pel*la*ry, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Composed of several or numerous carpels; — said of such fruits as the orange.

POLYCARPIC; POLYCARPOUS Pol`y*car"pic, Pol`y*car"pous, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Bot.) (a) Bearing fruit repeatedly, or year after year. (b) Having several pistils in one flower.

POLYCHAETA
Pol`y*chæ"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the two principal groups of Chætopoda. It includes those that have prominent parapodia and fascicles of setæ. See Illust. under Parapodia.

POLYCHLORIDE
Pol`y*chlo"ride, n. Etym: [Poly- + chloride.] (Chem.)

Defn: A chloride containing more than one atom of chlorine in the molecule.

POLYCHOERANY
Pol`y*choer"a*ny, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A government by many chiefs, princes, or rules. [Obs.]
Cudworth.

POLYCHORD
Pol"y*chord, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Having many strings.

POLYCHORD Pol"y*chord, n. (Mus.) (a) A musical instrument of ten strings. (b) An apparatus for coupling two octave notes, capable of being attached to a keyed instrument.

POLYCHREST
Pol"y*chrest, n. Etym: [Gr. polychreste.] (Med.)

Defn: A medicine that serves for many uses, or that cures many diseases. [Obs.] Polychrest salt (Old Med. Chem.), potassium sulphate, specifically obtained by fusing niter with sulphur.

POLYCHROISM
Pol"y*chro*ism, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr.

Defn: Same as Pleochroism.

POLYCHROITE
Pol"y*chro*ite, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. polychroïte.] (Chem.)

Defn: The coloring matter of saffron; — formerly so called because of the change of color on treatment with certain acids; — called also crocin, and safranin.

POLYCHROMATE
Pol`y*chro"mate, n. Etym: [See Polychromic.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of a polychromic acid.

POLYCHROMATE
Pol`y*chro"mate, n. Etym: [See Polychromatic.] (Chem.)

Defn: A compound which exhibits, or from which may be prepared, a variety of colors, as certain solutions derived from vegetables, which display colors by fluorescence.

POLYCHROMATIC
Pol`y*chro*mat"ic, a. Etym: [Poly- + chromatic.]

Defn: Showing a variety, or a change, of colors. Polychromatic acid (Old Chem.), a substance obtained by the action of nitric acid on aloes.

POLYCHROME
Pol"y*chrome, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Chem.)

Defn: Esculin; — so called in allusion to its fluorescent solutions.
[R.]

POLYCHROME
Pol"y*chrome, a. Etym: [Cf. F. polychrome.]

Defn: Executed in the manner of polychromy; as, polychrome printing.

POLYCHROMIC
Pol`y*chro"mic, a. Etym: [Poly- + (sense 1) Gr. chromic.]

1. Polychromatic.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, any one of several acids (known only in their salts) which contain more than one atom of chromium.

POLYCHROMOUS
Pol`y*chro"mous, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to polychromy; many-colored; polychromatic.

POLYCHROMY
Pol"y*chro`my, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Anc. Art)

Defn: The art or practice of combining different colors, especially brilliant ones, in an artistic way.

POLYCHRONIOUS
Pol`y*chro"ni*ous, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr.

Defn: Enduring through a long time; chronic.

POLYCLINIC
Pol`y*clin"ic, n. Etym: [Poly- + clinic.] (Med.)

Defn: A clinic in which diseases of many sorts are treated; especially, an institution in which clinical instruction is given in all kinds of disease.

POLYCONIC
Pol`y*con"ic, a. Etym: [Poly- + conic.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or based upon, many cones. Polyconic projection (Map Making), a projection of the earth's surface, or any portion thereof, by which each narrow zone is projected upon a conical surface that touches the sphere along this zone, the conical surface being then unrolled. This projection differs from conic projection in that latter assumes but one cone for the whole map. Polyconic projection is that in use in the United States coast and geodetic survey.

POLYCOTYLEDON Pol`y*cot`y*le"don, n. Etym: [Poly- + cotyledon: cf. F. polycotylédone.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant that has many, or more than two, cotyledons in the
seed.
— Pol`y*cot`y*led"on*ous, a.

POLYCOTYLEDONARY
Pol`y*cot`y*led"on*a*ry, a. Etym: [Poly- + cotyledonary.] (Anat.)

Defn: Having the villi of the placenta collected into definite patches, or cotyledons.

POLYCRACY
Po*lyc"ra*cy, n. Etym: [Poly- + -cracy, as in democracy.]

Defn: Government by many rulers; polyarchy.

POLYCROTIC
Pol`y*crot"ic, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Physiol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to polycrotism; manifesting polycrotism; as, a polycrotic pulse; a polycrotic pulse curve.

POLYCROTISM
Po*lyc"ro*tism, n. (Physiol.)

Defn: That state or condition of the pulse in which the pulse curve, or sphygmogram, shows several secondary crests or elevations; — contrasted with monocrotism and dicrotism.

POLYCYSTID Pol`y*cys"tid, n. (Zoöl.) (a) One of the Polycystidea. (b) One of the Polycystina. — a.

Defn: Pertaining to the Polycystidea, or the Polycystina.

POLYCYSTIDEA
Pol`y*cys*tid"e*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Poly-, and Cystidea.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of Gregarinæ including those that have two or more internal divisions of the body.

POLYCYSTINA
Pol`y*cys*ti"na, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Poly-, and Cyst.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of Radiolaria including numerous minute marine species. The skeleton is composed of silica, and is often very elegant in form and sculpture. Many have been found in the fossil state.

POLYCYSTINE
Pol`y*cys"tine, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the Polycystina.
— n.

Defn: One of the Polycystina.

POLYCYTTARIA
Pol`y*cyt*ta"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of Radiolaria. It includes those having one more central capsules.

POLYDACTYLISM
Pol`y*dac"tyl*ism, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. polydactylisme.] (Anat.)

Defn: The possession of more that the normal number of digits.

POLYDIPSIA
Pol`y*dip"si*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Excessive and constant thirst occasioned by disease.

POLYEDRON
Pol`y*e"dron, n.

Defn: See Polyhedron.

POLYEDROUS
Pol`y*e"drous, a.

Defn: See Polyhedral.

POLYEIDIC
Pol`y*ei"dic, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Passing through several distinct larval forms; — having several distinct kinds of young.

POLYEIDISM
Pol`y*ei"dism, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The quality or state of being polyeidic.

POLYEMBRYONATE
Pol`y*em"bry*o*nate, a. Etym: [Poly- + embryonate.] (Bot.)

Defn: Consisting of, or having, several embryos; polyembryonic.

POLYEMBRYONIC
Pol`y*em`bry*on"ic, a. Etym: [Poly- + embryonic.] (Bot.)

Defn: Polyembryonate.

POLYEMBRYONY
Pol`y*em"bry*o*ny, n. Etym: [See Poly-, and Embryo.] (Bot.)

Defn: The production of two or more embryos in one seed, due either to the existence and fertilization of more than one embryonic sac or to the origination of embryos outside of the embryonic sac.

POLYFOIL
Pol"y*foil, n. Etym: [Poly- + foil, n.] (Arch.)

Defn: Same as Multifoil.

POLYGALA
Po*lyg"a*la, n. Etym: [L., milkwort, fr. Gr.

Defn: A genus of bitter herbs or shrubs having eight stamens and a two-celled ovary (as the Seneca snakeroot, the flowering wintergreen, etc.); milkwort.

POLYGALACEOUS
Pol`y*ga*la"ceous, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (Polygalaceæ) of which Polygala is the type.

POLYGALIC
Po*lyg"a*lic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, Polygala; specifically, designating an acrid glucoside (called polygalic acid, senegin, etc.), resembling, or possibly identical with, saponin.

POLYGAMIA Pol`y*ga"mi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Polygamous.] (Bot.) (a) A Linnæan class of plants, characterized by having both hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers on the same plant. (b) A name given by Linnæus to file orders of plants having syngenesious flowers.

POLYGAMIAN
Pol`y*ga"mi*an, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Polygamous.

POLYGAMIST
Po*lyg"a*mist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polygamiste, polygame, Gr. a.]

Defn: One who practices polygamy, or maintains its lawfulness.

POLYGAMIZE
Po*lyg"a*mize, v. i.

Defn: To practice polygamy; to marry several wives. Sylvester.
Coleridge.

POLYGAMOUS
Po*lyg"a*mous, a. Etym: [Gr. Bigamy.]

1. Of or pertaining to polygamy; characterized by, or involving, polygamy; having a plurality of wives; as, polygamous marriages; — opposed to monogamous.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pairing with more than one female.
Most deer, cattle, and sheep are polygamous. Darwin.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: Belonging to the Polygamia; bearing both hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers on the same plant.

POLYGAMY
Po*lyg"a*my, n. Etym: [Gr. polygamie.]

1. The having of a plurality of wives or husbands at the same time; usually, the marriage of a man to more than one woman, or the practice of having several wives, at the same time; — opposed to monogamy; as, the nations of the East practiced polygamy. See the Note under Bigamy, and cf. Polyandry.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The state or habit of having more than one mate.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: The condition or state of a plant which bears both perfect and unisexual flowers.

POLYGASTRIAN
Pol`y*gas"tri*an, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Polygastrica. [Obs.]

POLYGASTRIC
Pol`y*gas"tric, a. Etym: [Poly- + gastric: cf. F. polygastrique.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: Having several bellies; — applied to muscles which are made up of several bellies separated by short tendons.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the Polygastrica. [Obs.]

POLYGASTRIC
Pol`y*gas"tric, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Polygastrica.

POLYGASTRICA Pol`y*gas"tri*ca, n. pl. Etym: [NL. So called because they were supposed to have several stomachs, or digestive cavities.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The Infusoria. [Obs.]

POLYGENESIS; POLYGENY
Pol`y*gen"e*sis, Po*lyg"e*ny, n. Etym: [Poly- + genesis, or root of
Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: The theory that living organisms originate in cells or embryos of different kinds, instead of coming from a single cell; — opposed to monogenesis.

POLYGENETIC
Pol`y*ge*net"ic, a.

1. Having many distinct sources; originating at various places or times. 2. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to polygenesis; polyphyletic. Polygenetic mountain range (Geol.), one which is composite, or consists of two or more monogenetic ranges, each having had its own history of development. Dana.

POLYGENIC
Pol`y*gen"ic, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Of or relating to polygeny; polygenetic.

POLYGENISM
Po*lyg"e*nism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polygénisme.] (Biol.)

Defn: The doctrine that animals of the same species have sprung from more than one original pair.

POLYGENIST
Po*lyg"e*nist, n. (Biol.)

Defn: One who maintains that animals of the same species have sprung from more than one original pair; — opposed to monogenist.

POLYGENOUS
Po*lyg"e*nous, a. Etym: [Poly- + -genous: cf. Gr.

Defn: Consisting of, or containing, many kinds; as, a polygenous mountain. Kirwan.

POLYGLOT
Pol"y*glot, a. Etym: [Gr. polyglotte.]

1. Containing, or made up, of, several languages; as, a polyglot lexicon, Bible.

2. Versed in, or speaking, many languages.

POLYGLOT
Pol"y*glot, n.

1. One who speaks several languages. [R.] "A polyglot, or good linguist." Howell.

2. A book containing several versions of the same text, or containing the same subject matter in several languages; esp., the Scriptures in several languages. Enriched by the publication of polyglots. Abp. Newcome.

POLYGLOTTOUS
Pol`y*glot"tous, a. Etym: [See Polyglot.]

Defn: Speaking many languages; polyglot. [R.] "The polyglottous tribes of America." Max Müller.

POLYGON
Pol"y*gon, n. Etym: [Gr. polygone.] (Geom.)

Defn: A plane figure having many angles, and consequently many sides; esp., one whose perimeter consists of more than four sides; any figure having many angles. Polygon of forces (Mech.), a polygonal figure, the sides of which, taken successively, represent, in length and direction, several forces acting simultaneously upon one point, so that the side necessary to complete the figure represents the resultant of those forces. Cf. Parallelogram of forces, under Parallelogram.

POLYGONACEOUS
Pol`y*go*na"ceous, a. Etym: [See Polygonum.] (Bot.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a natural order of apetalous plants (Polygonaceæ), of which the knotweeds (species of Polygonum) are the type, and which includes also the docks (Rumex), the buckwheat, rhubarb, sea grape (Coccoloba), and several other genera.

POLYGONAL
Po*lyg"o*nal, a.

Defn: Having many angles. Polygonal numbers, certain figurate numbers. See under Figurate.

POLYGONEUTIC
Pol`y*go*neu"tic, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having two or more broods in a season.

POLYGONOMETRY
Pol`y*go*nom"e*try, n. Etym: [Polygon + -metry.]

Defn: The doctrine of polygons; an extension of some of the principles of trigonometry to the case of polygons.

POLYGONOUS
Po*lyg"o*nous, a.

Defn: Polygonal.

POLYGONUM
Po*lyg"o*num, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of plants embracing a large number of species, including bistort, knotweed, smartweed, etc.

POLYGONY
Po*lyg"o*ny, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Any plant of the genus Polygonum.

POLYGORDIUS
Pol`y*gor"di*us, n. Etym: [NL. See Poly-, and Gordius.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of marine annelids, believed to be an ancient or ancestral type. It is remarkable for its simplicity of structure and want of parapodia. It is the type of the order Archiannelida, or Gymnotoma. See Loeven's larva.

POLYGRAM
Pol"y*gram, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A figure consisting of many lines. [R.] Barlow.

POLYGRAPH
Pol"y*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. polygraphe.]

1. An instrument for multiplying copies of a writing; a manifold writer; a copying machine.

2. In bibliography, a collection of different works, either by one or several authors. Brande & C.

POLYGRAPHIC; POLYGRAPHICAL
Pol`y*graph"ic, Pol`y*graph"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. polygraphique.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or employed in, polygraphy; as, a polygraphic instrument.

2. Done with a polygraph; as, a polygraphic copy.

POLYGRAPHY
Po*lyg"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr. polygraphie.]

1. Much writing; writing of many books. [Obs.] Fuller.

2. The art of writing in various ciphers, and of deciphering the same. [R.]

3. The art or practice of using a polygraph.

POLYGROOVED
Pol"y*grooved`, a. Etym: [Poly- + groove.]

Defn: Having many grooves; as, a polygrooved rifle or gun (referring to the rifling).

POLYGYN
Pol"y*gyn, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polygyne. See Polygyny.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the order Polygynia.

POLYGYNIA
Pol`y*gyn"i*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Polygyny.] (Bot.)

Defn: A Linnæan order of plants having many styles.

POLYGYNIAN; POLYGYNOUS
Pol`y*gyn"i*an, Po*lyg"y*nous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Having many styles; belonging to the order Polygynia.

POLYGYNIST
Po*lyg"y*nist, n.

Defn: One who practices or advocates polygyny. H. Spenser.

POLYGYNY
Po*lyg"y*ny, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr.

Defn: The state or practice of having several wives at the same time; marriage to several wives. H. Spenser.

POLYHALITE
Pol`y*ha"lite, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Min.)

Defn: A mineral usually occurring in fibrous masses, of a brick-red color, being tinged with iron, and consisting chiefly of the sulphates of lime, magnesia, and soda.

POLYHEDRAL; POLYHEDRICAL
Pol`y*he"dral, Pol`y*hed"ric*al, a. Etym: [See Polyhedron.] (Geom.)

Defn: Having many sides, as a solid body. Polyhedral angle, an angle bounded by three or more plane angles having a common vertex.

POLYHEDRON
Pol`y*he"dron, n.; pl. E. Polyhedrons., L. Polyhedra. Etym: [NL., fr.
Gr. polyèdre.]

1. (Geom.)

Defn: A body or solid contained by many sides or planes.

2. (Opt.)

Defn: A polyscope, or multiplying glass.

POLYHEDROUS
Pol`y*he"drous, a.

Defn: Polyhedral.

POLYHISTOR
Pol`y*his"tor, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: One versed in various learning. [R.]

POLYHYMNIA
Pol`y*hym"ni*a, n. Etym: [L., from Gr. (Anc. Myth.)

Defn: The Muse of lyric poetry.

POLYIODIDE
Pol`y*i"o*dide, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A iodide having more than one atom of iodine in the molecule.

POLYLOGY
Po*lyl"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Talkativeness. [R.]

POLYLOQUENT Po*lyl"o*quent, a. Etym: [Poly- + L. loquens, p. pr. of logui to speak.]

Defn: Garrulous; loquacious. [R.]

POLYMASTISM
Pol`y*mas"tism, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: The condition of having more than two mammæ, or breasts.

POLYMATHIC
Pol`y*math"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. polymathique. See Polymathy.]

Defn: Pertaining to polymathy; acquainted with many branches of learning.

POLYMATHIST
Po*lym"a*thist, n.

Defn: One versed in many sciences; a person of various learning.

POLYMATHY
Po*lym"a*thy, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: The knowledge of many arts and sciences; variety of learning.
Johnson.

POLYMENISCOUS
Pol`y*me*nis"cous, a. Etym: [See Poly-, and Meniscus.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having numerous facets; — said of the compound eyes of insects and crustaceans.

POLYMER
Pol"y*mer, n. Etym: [See Polymeric.] (Chem.)

Defn: Any one of two or more substances related to each other by polymerism; specifically, a substance produced from another substance by chemical polymerization. [Formerly also written polymere.]

POLYMERIC
Pol`y*mer"ic, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Chem.)

Defn: Having the same percentage composition (that is, having the same elements united in the same proportion by weight), but different molecular weights; — often used with with; thus, cyanic acid (CNOH), fulminic acid (C2N2O2H2), and cyanuric acid (C3N3O3H3), are polymeric with each other.

Note: The figures expressing the number of atoms of each element in a number of polymeric substances are respectively multiples and factors of each other, or have some simple common divisor. The relation may be merely a numerical one, as in the example given above, or a chemical one, as in the case of aldehyde, paraldehyde, and metaldehyde.

POLYMERISM Po*lym"er*ism, n. (Chem.) (a) The state, quality, or relation of two or more polymeric substances. (b) The act or process of forming polymers.

POLYMERIZATION
Pol`y*mer`i*za"tion, n. (Chem.)

Defn: The act or process of changing to a polymeric form; the condition resulting from such change.

POLYMERIZE
Pol"y*mer*ize, v. t. (Chem.)

Defn: To cause polymerization of; to produce polymers from; to increase the molecular weight of, without changing the atomic proportions; thus, certain acids polymerize aldehyde.

POLYMERIZE
Pol"y*mer*ize, v. i. (Chem.)

Defn: To change into another substance having the same atomic proportions, but a higher molecular weight; to undergo polymerization; thus, aldehyde polymerizes in forming paraldehyde.

POLYMEROUS
Po*lym"er*ous, a.

1. (Bot.)

Defn: Having many parts or members in each set. Gray.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Polymeric. [Obs.]

POLYMNIA
Po*lym"ni*a, n.

Defn: See Polyhymnia.

POLYMNITE
Pol"ym*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)

Defn: A stone marked with dendrites and black lines, and so disposed as to represent rivers, marshes, etc.

POLYMORPH
Pol"y*morph, n. Etym: [Gr. polymorphe.] (Crystallog.)

Defn: A substance capable of crystallizing in several distinct forms; also, any one of these forms. Cf. Allomorph.

POLYMORPHIC
Pol`y*mor"phic, a.

Defn: Polymorphous.

POLYMORPHISM
Pol`y*mor"phism, n.

1. (Crystallog.)

Defn: Same as Pleomorphism.

2. (Biol.) (a) The capability of assuming different forms; the capability of widely varying in form. (b) Existence in many forms; the coexistence, in the same locality, of two or more distinct forms independent of sex, not connected by intermediate gradations, but produced from common parents.

POLYMORPHOSIS
Pol`y*mor*pho"sis, n. Etym: [NL. See Poly-, and Morphosis.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The assumption of several structural forms without a corresponding difference in function; — said of sponges, etc.

POLYMORPHOUS
Pol`y*mor"phous, a.

1. Having, or assuming, a variety of forms, characters, or styles; as, a polymorphous author. De Quincey.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: Having, or occurring in, several distinct forms; — opposed to monomorphic.

POLYMORPHY
Pol"y*mor`phy, n.

Defn: Existence in many forms; polymorphism.

POLY-MOUNTAIN Po`ly-moun"tain, n. (Bot.) (a) Same as Poly, n. (b) The closely related Teucrium montanum, formerly called Polium montanum, a plant of Southern Europe. (c) The Bartsia alpina, a low purple-flowered herb of Europe.

POLYMYODAE
Pol`y*my"o*dæ, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Polymyoid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Oscines.

POLYMYODOUS
Pol`y*my"o*dous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Polymyoid.

POLYMYOID
Po*lym"y*oid, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having numerous vocal muscles; of or pertaining to the
Polymyodæ.

POLYNEME
Pol"y*neme, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of tropical food fishes of the family Polynemidæ. They have several slender filaments, often very long, below the pectoral fin. Some of them yield isinglass of good quality. Called also threadfish.

POLYNEMOID
Pol`y*ne"moid, a. Etym: [Polyneme + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the polynemes, or the family Polynemidæ.

POLYNESIAN
Pol`y*ne"sian, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Polynesia (the islands of the eastern and central Pacific), or to the Polynesians.

POLYNESIANS
Pol`y*ne"sians, n. pl.; sing. Polynesian. (Ethnol.)

Defn: The race of men native in Polynesia.

POLYNIA Po*lyn"i*a, n. Etym: [Russ. poluineia a warm place in water, i. e., a place which does not freeze.]

Defn: The open sea supposed to surround the north pole. Kane.

POLYNOMIAL Pol`y*no"mi*al, n. Etym: [Poly- + -nomial, as in monomial, binomial: cf. F. polynôme.] (Alg.)

Defn: An expression composed of two or more terms, connected by the signs plus or minus; as, a2 - 2ab + b2.

POLYNOMIAL
Pol`y*no"mi*al, a.

1. Containing many names or terms; multinominal; as, the polynomial theorem.

2. Consisting of two or more words; having names consisting of two or more words; as, a polynomial name; polynomial nomenclature.

POLYNUCLEAR
Pol`y*nu"cle*ar, a. Etym: [Poly- + nuclear.] (Biol.)

Defn: Containing many nuclei.

POLYNUCLEOLAR
Pol`y*nu*cle"o*lar, a. Etym: [Poly- + nucleolar.] (Biol.)

Defn: Having more than one nucleolus.

POLYOMMATOUS
Pol`y*om"ma*tous, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr.

Defn: Having many eyes.

POLYONOMOUS
Pol`y*on"o*mous, a. Etym: [Poly- + Gr.

Defn: Having many names or titles; polyonymous. Sir W. Jones.

POLYONOMY
Pol`y*on"o*my, n. Etym: [Cf. Gr.

Defn: The use of a variety of names for the same object. G. S. Faber.

POLYONYM
Pol"y*o*nym, n.

1. An object which has a variety of names.

2. A polynomial name or term.

POLYONYMOUS
Pol`y*on"y*mous, a.

Defn: Polyonomous.

POLYOPTRON; POLYOPTRUM
Pol`y*op"tron, Pol`y*op"trum, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Opt.)

Defn: A glass through which objects appear multiplied, but diminished in size. [R.]

POLYORAMA
Pol`y*o*ra"ma, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr.

Defn: A view of many objects; also, a sort of panorama with dissolving views.

POLYP Pol"yp, n. Etym: [L. polypus, Gr. polype. See Poly- and Foot, and cf. Polypode, Polypody, Poulp.] (Zoöl.) (a) One of the feeding or nutritive zooids of a hydroid or coral. (b) One of the Anthozoa. (c) pl.

Defn: Same as Anthozoa. See Anthozoa, Madreporaria, Hydroid. [Written also polype.] Fresh-water polyp, the hydra. — Polyp stem (Zoöl.), that portion of the stem of a siphonophore which bears the polypites, or feeding zooids.

POLYPAROUS
Po*lyp"a*rous, a. Etym: [Poly- + L. parere to produce.]

Defn: Producing or bearing a great number; bringing forth many.

POLYPARY
Pol"y*pa*ry, n.; pl. Polyparies. Etym: [See Polyp.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Polypidom.

POLYPE
Pol"ype, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Polyp.

POLYPEAN
Pol`y*pe"an, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a polyp, or polyps.

POLYPERYTHRIN
Pol`y*pe*ryth"rin, n. Etym: [Polyp + Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: A coloring matter found in many simple Anthozoa and some hydroids.

POLYPETALOUS
Pol`y*pet"al*ous, a. Etym: [Poly- + petal.] (Bot.)

Defn: Consisting of, or having, several or many separate petals; as, a polypetalous corolla, flower, or plant. Martyn.

POLYPHAGOUS
Po*lyph"a*gous, a. Etym: [L. polyphagus, Gr. polyphage.]

Defn: Eating, or subsisting on, many kinds of food; as, polyphagous animals.

POLYPHAGY
Po*lyph""a*gy, n.

Defn: The practice or faculty of subsisting on many kinds of food.

POLYPHARMACY Pol`y*phar"ma*cy, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. polypharmacie.] (Med.) (a) The act or practice of prescribing too many medicines. (b) A prescription made up of many medicines or ingredients. Dunglison.

POLYPHASE
Pol"y*phase, a. [Poly- + phase.] (Elec.)

Defn: Having or producing two or more phases; multiphase; as, a polyphase machine, a machine producing two or more pressure waves of electro-motive force, differing in phase; a polyphase current.

POLYPHASER
Pol"y*phas`er, n. (Elec.)

Defn: A machine generating more than one pressure wave; a multiphaser.

POLYPHEMUS Pol`y*phe"mus, n. Etym: [L. Polyphemus the one-eyed Cyclops who was blinded by Ulysses.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A very large American moth (Telea polyphemus) belonging to the Silkworm family (Bombycidæ). Its larva, which is very large, bright green, with silvery tubercles, and with oblique white stripes on the sides, feeds on the oak, chestnut, willow, cherry, apple, and other trees. It produces a large amount of strong silk. Called also American silkworm.

POLYPHONE
Pol"y*phone, n.

Defn: A character or vocal sign representing more than one sound, as read, which is pronounced red or rèd.

POLYPHONIC
Pol`y*phon"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. polyphone.]

1. Having a multiplicity of sounds.

2. Characterized by polyphony; as, Assyrian polyphonic characters.

3. (Mus.)

Defn: Consisting of several tone series, or melodic parts, progressing simultaneously according to the laws of counterpoint; contrapuntal; as, a polyphonic composition; — opposed to homophonic, or monodic.

POLYPHONISM
Po*lyph"o*nism, n.

Defn: Polyphony.

POLYPHONIST
Po*lyph"o*nist, n.

1. A proficient in the art of multiplying sounds; a ventriloquist.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: A master of polyphony; a contrapuntist.

POLYPHONOUS
Po*lyph"o*nous, a.

Defn: Same as Polyphonic.

POLYPHONY
Po*lyph"o*ny, n. Etym: [Gr.

1. Multiplicity of sounds, as in the reverberations of an echo.

2. Plurality of sounds and articulations expressed by the same vocal sign.

3. (Mus.)

Defn: Composition in mutually related, equally important parts which share the melody among them; contrapuntal composition; — opposed to homophony, in which the melody is given to one part only, the others filling out the harmony. See Counterpoint.

POLYPHORE
Pol"y*phore, n. Etym: [Poly- + Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A receptacle which bears many ovaries.

POLYPHOTAL; POLYPHOTE
Pol`y*pho"tal, Pol"y*phote, a. [Poly- + Gr., , light.] (Elec.)

Defn: Pertaining to or designating arc lamps so constructed that more than one can be used on a single circuit.