Chapter XX: Part 20

Plasm (?), n. [L. plasma anything formed or molded, that which is molded, Gr. &?;, &?;, from &?; to form, mold: cf. F. plasme. Cf. Plasma.] 1. A mold or matrix in which anything is cast or formed to a particular shape. [R.] Woodward.

2. (Biol.) Same as Plasma.

Plas"ma (?), n. [See Plasm.] 1. (Min.) 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.) 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.) 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.

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{ Plas*mat"ic (?), Plas*mat"ic*al (?), } a. [Gr. &?;.] 1. Forming; shaping; molding. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

2. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to plasma; having the character of plasma; containing, or conveying, plasma.

Plas*ma"tion (?), n. [L. plasmatio.] The act of forming or molding. [R.] Grafton.

Plas*ma"tor (?), n. [L.] A former; a fashioner. [R.] "The sovereign plasmator, God Almighty." Urquhart.

Plas"ma*ture (?), n. Form; mold. [R.]

Plas"mic (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or connected with, plasma; plasmatic.

Plas"min (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A proteid body, separated by some physiologists from blood plasma. It is probably identical with fibrinogen.

Plas*mo"di*al (?), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to, or like, a plasmodium; as, the plasmodial form of a life cycle.

||Plas*mo"di*um (?), n.; pl. Plasmodia (#). [NL. See Plasma.] 1. ||(Biol.) A jellylike mass of free protoplasm, without any union of ||amúboid cells, and endowed with life and power of motion.

2. (Zoˆl.) A naked mobile mass of protoplasm, formed by the union of several amúbalike young, and constituting one of the stages in the life cycle of Mycetozoa and other low organisms.

Plas"mo*gen (?), n. [Plasma + -gen.] (Biol.) The important living portion of protoplasm, considered a chemical substance of the highest elaboration. Germ plasm and idioplasm are forms of plasmogen.

||Plas"son (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; to form.] (Biol.) The albuminous ||material composing the body of a cytode.

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.

Plas"ter (?), n. [AS., a plaster (in sense 1), fr. L. emplastrum, Gr. &?;, &?;, fr. &?; to daub on, stuff in; &?; in + &?; to mold: cf. OF. plastre a plaster (in sense 2), F. pl‚tre. Cf. Plastic, Emplaster, Piaster.] [Formerly written also plaister.] 1. (Med.) 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. [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.

Plas"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plastered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plastering.] [Cf. OF. plastrer to plaster (in sense 2), F. pl‚trer.] 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.

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.

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.

Plas"ter*ly, a. Resembling plaster of Paris. [R.] "Out of gypseous or plasterly ground." Fuller.

Plas"ter*work` (?), n. 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.

Plas"ter*y, a. Of the nature of plaster.

The stone . . . is a poor plastery material.

Clough.

-plas"tic (-pls"tk). [Gr. &?; fit for molding, plastic, fr. &?; to mold, to form.] A combining form signifying developing, forming, growing; as, heteroplastic, monoplastic, polyplastic.

Plas"tic (pls"tk), a. [L. plasticus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to form, mold: cf. F. 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.

Plas"tic*al (?), a. See Plastic. [R.]

Plas"tic*al*ly, adv. In a plastic manner.

Plas*tic"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. plasticitÈ.] 1. The quality or state of being plastic.

2. (Physiol.) Plastic force. Dunglison.

{ Plas"tid (?), Plas"tide (?), } n. [Gr. &?;, &?;, a creator.] 1. (Biol.) A formative particle of albuminous matter; a monad; a cytode. See the Note under Morphon. Haeckel.

2. (Bot.) 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.

||Plas`ti*do*zo"a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, creator + &?; ||animal.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Protoza.

Plas"ti*dule (?), n. [Dim. fr. Plastid.] (Biol.) One of the small particles or organic molecules of protoplasm. Haeckel.

Plas"tin (?), n. [Gr. &?; to form, mold.] (Biol.) A substance associated with nuclein in cell nuclei, and by some considered as the fundamental substance of the nucleus.

Plas*tog"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?;; &?; fored, molded + &?; to write.] 1. The art of forming figures in any plastic material.

2. Imitation of handwriting; forgery.

Plas"tron (?), n. [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) An iron breastplate, worn under the hauberk.

3. (Anat.) 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.

-plas"ty (?). [Gr. &?; to mold, form.] A combining form denoting the act or process of forming, development, growth; as, autoplasty, perineoplasty.

Plat (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Platted; p. pr. & vb. n. Platting.] [See Plait.] To form by interlaying interweaving; to braid; to plait. "They had platted a crown of thorns." Matt. xxvii. 29.

Plat, n. Work done by platting or braiding; a plait.

Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat.

Shak.

Plat, n. [Cf. Plat flat, which perh. caused this spelling, and Plot a piece of ground.] 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, v. t. To lay out in plats or plots, as ground.

Plat, a. [F. plat. See Plate, n.] Plain; flat; level. [Obs.] Gower.

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, 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.

Plat"an (?), n. [L. platanus. See Plane the tree.] [Written also platane.] The plane tree. Tennyson.

Plat"a*nist (?), n. [L. platanista a sort of fish, Gr. &?;: cf. F. plataniste.] (Zoˆl.) The soosoo.

||Plat"a*nus (?), n. [See Plane the tree.] (Bot.) A genus of trees; the ||plane tree.

Plat"band` (?), n. [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 (?), n. [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. &?;. See 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. [Cf. Sp. plata silver.] 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.) 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.) A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.

12. (Photog.) 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.

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 (?), 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 laminÊ.

5. To calender; as, to plate paper.

Pla*teau" (?), n.; pl. F. Plateaux (F. &?;; E. &?;), E. Plateaus (#). [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.

Plate"ful (?), n.; pl. Platefuls (&?;). Enough to fill a plate; as much as a plate will hold.

Plate"-gilled` (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Having flat, or leaflike, gills, as the bivalve mollusks.

Pla"tel (?), n. [OF. See Plateau.] A small dish.

Plat"en (?), n. [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.

Plat"er (?), n. One who plates or coats articles with gold or silver; as, a silver plater.

2. A machine for calendering paper.

Plat`er*esque" (?), a. [Sp. resco, from plata silver.] (Arch.) Resembling silver plate; -- said of certain architectural ornaments.

Plat"e*trope (?), n. [Gr. &?; breadth + &?; to turn.] (Anat.) One of a pair of a paired organs.

Plat"form` (?), n. [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.) 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&?;at. -- Platform scale, a weighing machine, with a flat platform on which objects are weighed.

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.

Plat*hel"minth (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Platyelminthes.

||Plat`hel*min"thes (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Platyelminthes.

Plat"in (?), n. (Mach.) See Platen.

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

Platina mohr, platinum black. -- Platina yellow, a pigment prepared from platinum.

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.

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

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

Plat`i*nif"er*ous (?), a. [Platinum + -ferous.] Yielding platinum; as, platiniferous sand.

Plat`i*ni*rid"i*um (?), n. (Chem. & Min.) A natural alloy of platinum and iridium occurring in grayish metallic rounded or cubical grains with platinum.

Plat"i*nize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Platinized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Platinizing (?).] To cover or combine with platinum.

Plat`i*no*chlo"ric (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid consisting of platinous chloride and hydrochloric acid, called platinochloric, or chloroplatinous, acid.

Plat`i*no*chlo"ride (?), n. (Chem.) A double chloride of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinochloric acid.

Plat`i*no*cy*an"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid compound of platinous cyanide and hydrocyanic acid. It is obtained as a cinnaber-red crystalline substance.

Plat`i*no*cy"a*nide (?), n. (Chem.) A double cyanide of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinocyanic acid.

Plat"i*node (?), n. [Platinum + Gr. &?; a way.] (Physics) A cathode. [R.]

Plat"i*noid (?), a. [Platinum + -oid.] Resembling platinum.

Plat"i*noid, n. (Chem.) An alloy of German silver containing tungsten; -- used for forming electrical resistance coils and standards.

Plat"i*no*type (?), n. [Platinum + -type.] (Photog.) 1. A permanent photographic picture or print in platinum black.

2. The process by which such pictures are produced.

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

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

Plat"i*tude (?), n. [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.

Plat`i*tu`di*na"ri*an (?), n. One addicted to uttering platitudes, or stale and insipid truisms. "A political platitudinarian." G. Eliot.

Plat`i*tu"di*nize (?), v. i. To utter platitudes or truisms.

Plat`i*tu"di*nous (?), a. Abounding in platitudes; of the nature of platitudes; uttering platitudes. -- Plat`i*tu"di*nous*ness, n.

Plat"ly (?), a. Flatly. See Plat, a. [Obs.]

Plat"ness, n. Flatness. [Obs.] Palsgrave.

Pla*tom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; flat + -meter.] See Planimeter.

{ Pla*ton"ic (?), Pla*ton"ic*al (?), } a. [L. Platonicus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. 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.

Pla*ton"ic, n. A follower of Plato; a Platonist.

Pla*ton"ic*al*ly, adv. In a Platonic manner.

Pla"to*nism (?), n. [Cf. F. Platonisme.] 1. The doctrines or philosophy by Plato or of his followers.

Plato believed God to be an infinitely wise, just, and powerful Spirit; and also that he formed the visible universe out of preÎxistent 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.

Pla"to*nist (?), n. One who adheres to the philosophy of Plato; a follower of Plato. Hammond.

Pla"to*nize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Platonized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Platonizing.] To adopt the opinion of Plato or his followers. Milner.

Pla"to*nize, v. t. To explain by, or accomodate to, the Platonic philosophy. Enfield.

Pla"to*ni`zer (?), n. One who Platonizes.

Pla*toon" (?), n. [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 (?), n. (Mining) See Lodge, n. Raymond.

Platt"deutsch` (?), n. The modern dialects spoken in the north of Germany, taken collectively; modern Low German. See Low German, under German.

Plat"ten (?), v. t. [See Plat, a.] (Glass Making) To flatten and make into sheets or plates; as, to platten cylinder glass.

Plat"ter (?), n. [From Plat to braid.] One who plats or braids.

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

Plat"ter-faced` (?), a. Having a broad, flat face.

Plat"ting (?), n. Plaited strips or bark, cane, straw, etc., used for making hats or the like.

Plat"y (?), a. Like a plate; consisting of plates.

Plat"y- (?). A combining form from Gr. platy`s broad, wide, flat; as, platypus, platycephalous.

{ Plat`y*ce*phal"ic (?), Plat`y*ceph"a*lous (?), } a. [Platy + Gr. &?; head.] (Anat.) Broad-headed.

Plat`yc*ne"mic (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?; leg: cf. F. platycnÈmique.] (Anat.) Of, relating to, or characterized by, platycnemism.

Pla*tyc"ne*mism (?), n. (Anat.) Lateral flattening of the tibia.

Plat`y*cú"li*an (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?; hollow.] (Anat.) Flat at the anterior and concave at the posterior end; -- said of the centra of the vertebrÊ of some extinct dinouaurs.

||Plat`y*el*min"thes (?), n. pl. [NL. See Platy-, and Helminthes.] ||(Zoˆl.) A class of helminthes including the cestodes, or tapeworms, ||the trematodes, and the turbellarians. Called also flatworms.

||Plat`y*hel"mi*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Platyelminthes. ||[Written also Platyelmia.]

Pla*tym"e*ter (?), n. [Platy + -meter.] (Elec.) An apparatus for measuring the capacity of condensers, or the inductive capacity of dielectrics.

Plat"y*pod (?), n. [Platy + - pod.] (Zoˆl.) An animal having broad feet, or a broad foot.

||Pla*typ"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Prosobranchiata.

||Pla*typ"te*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; broad + &?; a wing.] ||(Zoˆl.) A division of Pseudoneuroptera including the species which ||have four broad, flat wings, as the termites, or white-ants, and the ||stone flies (Perla).

Plat"y*pus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; + &?; foot.] (Zoˆl.) The duck mole. See under Duck.

Plat"y*rhine (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?;, &?;, nose.] (Anat.) Having the nose broad; -- opposed to leptorhine. -- n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Platyrhini.

||Plat`y*rhi"ni (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; broad + &?;, &?;, nose.] ||(Zoˆl.) 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 (?), v. t. To applaud. [Obs.] Chapman.

Plau"dit (?), n. [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.] 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.

Plau"di*to*ry (?), a. Applauding; commending.

Plau`si*bil"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. plausibilitÈ.] 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.

Plau"si*ble (?), a. [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.

Plau"si*ble*ize (?), v. t. To render plausible. [R.]

Plau"si*ble*ness, n. Quality of being plausible.

Plau"si*bly, adv. 1. In a plausible manner.

2. Contentedly, readily. [Obs.]

The Romans plausibly did give consent.

Shak.

Plau"sive (?), a. [L. plaudere, plausum, to applaud.] 1. Applauding; manifesting praise. Young.

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

Play (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Played (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Playing.] [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. &radic;28. 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, 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, 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.

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||Pla"ya (?), n. [Sp.] 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.

Play"bill` (?), n. A printed programme of a play, with the parts assigned to the actors.

Play"book` (?), n. A book of dramatic compositions; a book of the play. Swift.

Play"day` (?), n. A day given to play or diversion; a holiday. Swift.

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.

Play"fel`low (?), n. A companion in amusements or sports; a playmate. Shak.

Play"fere` (?), n. [Play + 1st fere.] A playfellow. [Obs.] [Also, playfeer, playphere.] Holinsheld.

Play"ful (?), a. Sportive; gamboling; frolicsome; indulging a sportive fancy; humorous; merry; as, a playful child; a playful writer. -- Play"ful*ly, adv. -- Play"ful*ness, n.

Play"game` (?), n. Play of children. Locke.

Play"go`er (?), n. One who frequents playhouses, or attends dramatic performances.

Play"go`ing, a. Frequenting playhouses; as, the playgoing public. -- n. The practice of going to plays.

Play"ground` (?), n. A piece of ground used for recreation; as, the playground of a school.

Play"house` (?), n. [AS. pleghs.] 1. A building used for dramatic exhibitions; a theater. Shak.

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

Play"ing, a. & vb. n. of Play.

Playing cards. See under Card.

Play"mak`er (?), n. A playwright. [R.]

Play"mate` (?), n. A companion in diversions; a playfellow.

Play"some (?), a. Playful; wanton; sportive. [R.] R. Browning. -- Play"some*ness, n. [R.]

Playte (?), n. (Naut.) See Pleyt.

Play"thing` (?), n. 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.

Play"time` (?), n. Time for play or diversion.

Play"wright` (?), n. A maker or adapter of plays.

Play"writ`er (?), n. A writer of plays; a dramatist; a playwright. Lecky.

||Pla"za (?), n. [Sp. See Place.] A public square in a city or town.

Plea (?), n. [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) 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) 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 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleached (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Pleaching.] [Cf. OF. plaissier to bend, and also F. plisser to plait, L. plicare, plicitum, to fold, lay, or wind together. Cf. Plash to pleach.] To unite by interweaving, as branches of trees; to plash; to interlock. "The pleached bower." Shak.

Plead (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleaded (colloq. Plead (?) or Pled); p. pr. & vb. n. Pleading.] [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) 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 (?), 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.

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.

Plead"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being pleaded; capable of being alleged in proof, defense, or vindication; as, a right or privilege pleadable at law. Dryden.

Plead"er (?), n. [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) One who draws up or forms pleas; the draughtsman of pleas or pleadings in the widest sense; as, a special pleader.

Plead"ing, n. The act of advocating, defending, or supporting, a cause by arguments.

Plead"ing*ly, adv. In a pleading manner.

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

Pleas"ance (?), n. [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.

Pleas"ant (?), a. [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.

Pleas"ant, n. A wit; a humorist; a buffoon. [Obs.]

Pleas"ant*ly, adv. In a pleasant manner.

Pleas"ant*ness, n. The state or quality of being pleasant.

Pleas"ant*ry (?), n.; pl. Pleasantries (#). [F. plaisanterie. See Pleasant.] 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.

Pleas"ant-tongued` (?), a. Of pleasing speech.

Please (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleased; p. pr. & vb. n. Pleasing.] [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 (?), 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 (?), a. Experiencing pleasure. -- Pleas"ed*ly (#), adv. -- Pleas"ed*ness, n.

Please"man (?), n. An officious person who courts favor servilely; a pickthank. [Obs.] Shak.

Pleas"er (?), n. One who pleases or gratifies.

Pleas"ing, a. 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.

Pleas"ing, n. An object of pleasure. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Pleas"ur*a*ble (?), a. 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.

Pleas"ure (?), n. [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 pain, 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.

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.

Pleas"ure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleasured (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pleasuring.] To give or afford pleasure to; to please; to gratify. Shak.

[Rolled] his hoop to pleasure Edith.

Tennyson.

Pleas"ure, v. i. To take pleasure; to seek pursue pleasure; as, to go pleasuring.

Pleas"ure*ful (?), a. Affording pleasure. [R.]

Pleas"ure*less, a. Devoid of pleasure. G. Eliot.

Pleas"ur*er (?), n. A pleasure seeker. Dickens.

Pleas"ur*ist, n. A person devoted to worldly pleasure. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Pleat (plt), n. & v. t. See Plait.

Plebe (plb), n. [F. plËbe, fr. L. plebs.] 1. The common people; the mob. [Obs.]

The plebe with thirst and fury prest.

Sylvester.

2. [Cf. Plebeian.] A member of the lowest class in the military academy at West Point. [Cant, U.S.]

Ple*be"ian (pl*b"yan), a. [L. plebeius, from plebs, plebis, the common people: cf. F. plÈbÈien.] 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.

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.

Ple*be"iance (?), n. 1. Plebeianism. [Obs.]

2. Plebeians, collectively. [Obs.]

Ple*be"ian*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. plÈbÈianisme.] 1. The quality or state of being plebeian.

2. The conduct or manners of plebeians; vulgarity.

Ple*be"ian*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plebeianized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Plebeianizing.] To render plebeian, common, or vulgar.

Ple*bic"o*list (?), n. [L. plebs the common people + colere to cultivate.] One who flatters, or courts the favor of, the common people; a demagogue. [R.]

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

Ple*bis"ci*ta*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to plebiscite. The Century.

Pleb"i*scite (?), n. [F. plÈbiscite, fr. L. plebiscitum.] 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.

||Ple`bis*ci"tum (?), n. [L., fr. plebs, plebis, common people + scitum ||decree.] (Rom. Antiq.) A law enacted by the common people, under the ||superintendence of a tribune or some subordinate plebeian magistrate, ||without the intervention of the senate.

Plec"tile (?), a. [L. plectilis.] Woven; plaited. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

<! p. 1099 !>

Plec"tog*nath (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Plectognathi. - - n. One of the Plectognathi.

||Plec*to"gna*thi (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. &?; twisted (fr. &?; to ||plait, twist) + &?; jaw.] (Zoˆl.) An order of fishes generally having ||the maxillary bone united with the premaxillary, and the articular ||united with the dentary.

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.

{ Plec`tog*nath"ic (?), Plec-tog"na*thous (?), } a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Plectognathi.

||Plec`to*spon"dy*li (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; plaited + &?;, &?;, ||a vertebra.] (Zoˆl.) An extensive suborder of fresh-water ||physostomous fishes having the anterior vertebrÊ united and much ||modified; the Eventognathi.

Plec`to*spon"dy*lous (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Plectospondyli.

||Plec"trum (?), n.; pl. L. Plectra (#), E. Plectrums (#). [L., fr. Gr. ||&?; anything to strike with, fr.&?; to strike.] A small instrument of ||ivory, wood, metal, or quill, used in playing upon the lyre and other ||stringed instruments.

Pled (?), imp. & p. p. of Plead [Colloq.] Spenser.

Pledge (?), n. [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. &radic;28. Cf. Prebend, Replevin.] 1. (Law) 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.

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) 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. [A translation of LL. mortuum vadium.] (Law) A mortgage. See Mortgage. -- Living pledge. [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, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pledged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pledging.] [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.