Chapter XXXIV: Part 34

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

Pro*fi"cient*ly, adv. In a proficient manner.

Pro*fic"u*ous (?), a. [L. proficuus.] Profitable; advantageous; useful. [Obs.] Harvey.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Profiling machine, a jigging machine.

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

Pro"fil*ist, n. One who takes profiles.

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

Let no man anticipate uncertain profits.

Rambler.

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

This I speak for your own profit.

1 Cor. vii. 35.

If you dare do yourself a profit and a right.

Shak.

Syn. -- Benefit; avail; service; improvement; advancement; gain; emolument.

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

The word preached did not profit them.

Heb. iv. 2.

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

Dryden.

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

I profit not by thy talk.

Shak.

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

Riches profit not in the day of wrath.

Prov. xi. 4.

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

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

Arbuthnot.

-- Prof"it*a*ble*ness, n. -- Prof"it*a*bly, adv.

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

That thy profiting may appear to all.

1 Tim. iv. 15.

Prof"it*less, a. Without profit; unprofitable. Shak.

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

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

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

The foe is profligate, and run.

Hudibras.

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

A race more profligate than we.

Roscommon.

Made prostitute and profligate muse.

Dryden.

Syn. -- Abandoned; corrupt; dissolute; vitiated; depraved; vicious; wicked. See Abandoned.

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

Prof"li*gate (?), v. t. To drive away; to overcome. [A Latinism] [Obs.] Harvey.

Prof"li*gate*ly (?), adv. In a profligate manner.

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

Prof`li*ga"tion (?), n. [L. profligatio.] Defeat; rout; overthrow. [Obs.] Bacon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Milman.

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

What humble gestures! What profound reverence!

Duppa.

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

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

Sandys.

2. An abyss. Milton.

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

Pro*found", v. i. To dive deeply; to penetrate. [Obs.]

Pro*found"ly, adv. In a profound manner.

Why sigh you so profoundly?

Shak.

Pro*found"ness, n. The quality or state of being profound; profundity; depth. Hooker.

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

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

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

A green, shady bank, profuse of flowers.

Milton.

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

Syn. -- Lavish; exuberant; bountiful; prodigal; extravagant. -- Profuse, Lavish, Prodigal. Profuse denotes pouring out (as money, etc.) with great fullness or freeness; as, profuse in his expenditures, thanks, promises, etc. Lavish is stronger, implying unnecessary or wasteful excess; as, lavish of his bounties, favors, praises, etc. Prodigal is stronger still, denoting unmeasured or reckless profusion; as, prodigal of one's strength, life, or blood, to secure some object. Dryden.

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

Pro*fuse"ly (?), adv. In a profuse manner.

Pro*fuse"ness, n. Extravagance; profusion.

Hospitality sometimes degenerates into profuseness.

Atterbury.

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

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

Thy vast profusion to the factious nobles?

Rowe.

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

Pro*fu"sive (?), a. Profuse; lavish; prodigal.[Obs.]

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

A perfect artist in progging for money.

Fuller.

I have been endeavoring to prog for you.

Burke.

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

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

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

So long as he picked from the filth his prog.

R. Browning.

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

3. A goal; progue. [Scot.]

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

Pro*gen`er*a"tion (?), n. [L. progeneratio.] The act of begetting; propagation. [R.]

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

And reverence thee their great progenitor.

Milton.

Pro*gen"i*tor*ship, n. The state of being a progenitor.

Pro*gen"i*tress (?), n. A female progenitor.

Pro*gen"i*ture (?), n. [F. progÈniture.] A begetting, or birth. [R.]

Prog"e*ny (?), n. [OE. progenie, F. progÈnie, fr. L. progenies, fr. progignere. See Progenitor.] Descendants of the human kind, or offspring of other animals; children; offspring; race, lineage. " Issued from the progeny of kings." Shak.

Pro*glot"tid (?), n. (Zoˆl) Proglottis.

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

||Prog"na*thi (?), n. pl. [NL. See Prognathous.] (Zoˆl) A comprehensive ||group of mankind, including those that have prognathous jaws.

Prog*nath"ic, a. (Anat.) Prognathous.

Prog"na*thism (?), n. (Anat.) Projection of the jaws. -- Prog"na*thy (#), n.

Prog"na*thous (?), a. [Gr. &?; before + &?; the jaw] (Anat.) Having the jaws projecting beyond the upper part of the face; -- opposed to orthognathous. See Gnathic index, under Gnathic.

Their countenances had the true prognathous character.

Kane.

<! p. 1145 !>

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

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

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

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

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

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

Macaulay.

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

Syn. -- Sign; omen; presage; token; indication.

Prog*nos"tic, v. t. To prognosticate. [Obs.]

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

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

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

Dryden.

Syn. -- To foreshow; foretoken; betoken; forebode; presage; predict; prophesy.

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

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

2. That which foreshows; a foretoken. Shak.

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

Pro"gram (?), n. Same as Programme.

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

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

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

3. See Programme.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The king being returned from his progresse.

Evelyn.

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

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

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

Shak.

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

Washington.

The war had progressed for some time.

Marshall.

2. To make improvement; to advance. Bayard.

If man progresses, art must progress too.

Caird.

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

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

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

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

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

Evelyn.

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

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

Arithmetical progression, a progression in which the terms increase or decrease by equal differences, as the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 1010, 8, 6, 4, 2 by the difference 2.

-- Geometrical progression, a progression in which the terms increase or decrease by equal ratios, as the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 6464, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2 by a continual multiplication or division by 2.

-- Harmonic progression, a progression in which the terms are the reciprocals of quantities in arithmetical progression, as Ω, º, , , .

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

Pro*gres"sion*ist, n.

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

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

Prog"ress*ist (?), n. One who makes, or holds to, progress; a progressionist.

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

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

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

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

-- Pro*gress"ive*ly, adv. -- Pro*gress"ive*ness, n.

Progue (?), v. i. To prog. [Obs.] P. Fletcher.

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

Pro"heme (?), n. Proem. [Obs.] Chaucer.

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

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

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

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

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

Milton.

Syn. -- To forbid; interdict; debar; prevent; hinder. -- Prohibit, Forbid. To forbid is Anglo-Saxon, and is more familiar; to prohibit is Latin, and is more formal or official. A parent forbids his child to be out late at night; he prohibits his intercourse with the profane and vicious.

Pro*hib"it*er (?), n. One who prohibits or forbids; a forbidder; an interdicter.

Pro`hi*bi"tion (?), n. [L. prohibitio: cf. F. prohibition.]

1. The act of prohibiting; a declaration or injunction forbidding some action; interdict.

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

Tillotson.

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

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

By ellipsis, prohibition is used for the writ itself.

Pro`hi*bi"tion*ist, n.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapman.

Proin, v. i. To employed in pruning. [Obs.]

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

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

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

Vented much policy, and projects deep.

Milton.

Projects of happiness devised by human reason.

Rogers.

He entered into the project with his customary ardor.

Prescott.

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

Syn. -- Design; scheme; plan; purpose. -- Project, Design. A project is something of a practical nature thrown out for consideration as to its being done. A design is a project when matured and settled, as a thing to be accomplished. An ingenious man has many projects, but, if governed by sound sense, will be slow in forming them into designs. See also Scheme.

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

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

Before his feet herself she did project.

Spenser.

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

Pope.

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

What sit then projecting peace and war?

Milton.

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

Pro*ject" (?), v. i.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. The act of throwing or shooting forward.

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

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

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

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

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

Syn. -- See Protuberance.

Pro*ject"ment (?), n. Design; contrivance; projection. [Obs.] Clarendon.

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

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

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

Proke (?), v. i. To poke; to thrust. [Obs.] Holland.

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

Pro*lapse", v. i. To fall down or out; to protrude.

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

Pro*lap"sus (?), n. [L.] (Med.) Prolapse.

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

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

Pro*late" (?), v. t. To utter; to pronounce. [Obs.] "Foun-der-ed; prolate it right." B. Jonson.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Of or pertaining to prolepsis; anticipative. "A far-seeing or proleptic wisdom." De Quincey.

2. Previous; antecedent. Glanvill.

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

Pro*lep"tic*al*ly, adv. In a proleptical manner.

Pro*lep"tics (?), n. (Med.) The art and science of predicting in medicine. Laycock.

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

Prol`e*ta"ne*ous (?), a. [L. proletaneus.] Having a numerous offspring. [R.]

Prol`e*ta"ri*an (?), a. [L. proletarius. See Proletary.] Of or pertaining to the proletaries; belonging to the commonalty; hence, mean; vile; vulgar. "Every citizen, if he were not a proletarian animal kept at the public cost." De Quincey. -- n. A proletary.

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

Prol`e*ta"ri*ate (?), n. The lower classes; beggars. "The Italian proletariate." J. A. Symonds.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-- Pro*lif"er*ous*ly, adv.

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

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

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

3. (Bot.) Proliferous.

Pro*lif"ic*a*cy (?), n. Prolificness. [R.]

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

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

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

1. The generation of young.

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

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

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

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

With wig prolix, down flowing to his waist.

Cowper.

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

Syn. -- Long; diffuse; prolonged; protracted; tedious; tiresome; wearisome. -- Prolix, Diffuse. A prolix writer delights in circumlocution, extended detail, and trifling particulars. A diffuse writer is fond of amplifying, and abounds in epithets, figures, and illustrations. Diffuseness often arises from an exuberance of imagination; prolixity is generally connected with a want of it.

Pro*lix"ious (?), a. Dilatory; tedious; superfluous. [Obs.] "Lay by all nicety, and prolixious blushes." Shak.

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

Idly running on with vain prolixity.

Drayton.

Pro*lix"ly, adv. In a prolix manner. Dryden.

Pro*lix"ness, n. Prolixity. Adam Smith.

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

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

Though ye prolle aye, ye shall it never find.

Chaucer.

Proll"er (?), n. Prowler; thief. [Obs.] Chapman.

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

1. One who speaks for another. Jeffrey.

2. The presiding officer of a convocation. Macaulay.

Prol`o*cu"tor*ship, n. The office of a prolocutor.

Pro"log (?), n. & v. Prologue.

Pro"lo*gize (?), v. i. [Gr. &?;. See Prologue.] To deliver a Prologue. [R.] Whewell.

Pro"lo*gi`zer (?), n. One who prologizes. [R.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prolong awhile the traitor's life.

Shak.

The unhappy queen with talk prolonged the night.

Dryden.

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

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

Each syllable being a prolongable quantity.

Rush.

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

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

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

2. That which forms an additional length.

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

Pro*long"er (?), n. One who, or that which, causes an extension in time or space.

Pro*long"ment (?), n. Prolongation.

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

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

Sir W. Scott.

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

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

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

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

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

Prom`e*nad"er (?), n. One who promenades.

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

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

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

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

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

Pro*me"the*an (?), a. [L. Prometh&?;us: cf. F. promÈthÈen.]

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

2. Having a life-giving quality; inspiring.

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

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

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

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

2. That which is prominent; a protuberance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prom"i*nent*ly, adv. In a prominent manner.

Pro`mis*cu"i*ty (?), n. Promiscuousness; confusion. H. Spencer.

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

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

A wild, where weeds and flowers promiscuous shoot.

Pope.

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

Pro*mis"cu*ous*ly, adv. In a promiscuous manner.

Pro*mis"cu*ous*ness, n. The quality or state of being promiscuous.

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

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

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

Gal. iii. 18.

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

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

My native country was full of youthful promise.

W. Irving.

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

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

Acts i. 4.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rambler.

Prom"ise, v. i.

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

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

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

Shak.

Prom`is*ee" (?), n. (Law) The person to whom a promise is made.

Prom"is*er (?), n. One who promises.

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

Prom"is*or (?), n. (Law) One who engages or undertakes; a promiser. Burrill.

Pro*mis"sive (?), a. Making a promise; implying a promise; promising. [R.]

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Prom"is*so*ri*ly (?), adv. In a promissory manner. Sir T. Browne.

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

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

Prom"ont (?), n. Promontory. [R.] Drayton.

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

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

Like one that stands upon a promontory.

Shak.

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

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

Pro`mor*phol"o*gist (?), n. (Biol.) One versed in the science of promorphology.

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

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

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

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

I will promote thee unto very great honor.

Num. xxii. 17.

Exalt her, and she shall promote thee.

Prov. iv. 18.

Syn. -- To forward; advance; further; patronize; help; exalt; prefer; elevate; dignify.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from
the south.

Ps. lxxv. 6.

Pro*mo"tive (?), a. Tending to advance, promote, or encourage. Hume.

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

Pro*mov"er (?), n. A promoter. [Obs.]

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

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

Very discerning and prompt in giving orders.

Clarendon.

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

Shak.

And you, perhaps, too prompt in your replies.

Dryden.

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

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

Ames.

3. Easy; unobstructed. [Obs.]

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

Sir H. Wotton.

Syn. -- Ready; expeditious; quick; agile; alert; brisk; nimble. -- Prompt, Ready, Expeditious. One who is ready is prepared to act at the moment. One who is prompt acts at the moment. One who is expeditious carries through an undertaking with constant promptness.

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

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

J. S. Mill.

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

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

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

Jer. Taylor.

2. To suggest; to dictate.

And whispering angles prompt her golden dreams.

Pope.

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

Prompt"-book` (&?;), n. The book used by a prompter of a theater.

Prompt"er (?), n.

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

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

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

Men of action, of promptitude, and of courage.

I. Taylor.

Prompt"ly, adv. In a prompt manner.

Prompt"ness, n.

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

2. Cheerful willingness; alacrity.

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

Promp"tu*a*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to preparation. [R.] Bacon.

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

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

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

Syn. -- To publish; declare; proclaim. See Announce.

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

Pro"mul*ga`tor (?), n. [L.] One who promulgates or publishes. Dr. H. More.

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

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

Prescott.

Pro*mul"ger (?), n. One who promulges or publishes what was before unknown. Atterbury.

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

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

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

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

Pro*na"tor (?), n. [NL.] (Anat.) A muscle which produces pronation.

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

1. Bending forward; inclined; not erect.

Towards him they bend With awful reverence prone.

Milton.

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

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

Byron.

3. Headlong; running downward or headlong. "Down thither prone in flight." Milton.

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

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

Blackmore.

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

Poets are nearly all prone to melancholy.

Landor.

Prone"ly, adv. In a prone manner or position.

Prone"ness, n.

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

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

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

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

Pro*neph"ric (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the pronephros.

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

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

1. A sharp-pointed instrument.

Prick it on a prong of iron.

Sandys.

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

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

Prong"buck` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) The springbuck. (b) The pronghorn.

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

Prong"-hoe` (?), n. A hoe with prongs to break the earth.

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

Pro"ni*ty (?), n. [L. pronitas.] Proneness; propensity. [R.] Dr. H. More.

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

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

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

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

Pro*no"ta*ry (?), n. See Prothonotary.

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

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

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

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

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

Sternly he pronounced The rigid interdiction.

Milton.

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

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

Shak.

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

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

Keble.

Syn. -- To deliver; utter; speak. See Deliver.

Pro*nounce", v. i.

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

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