Chapter LI: Bella (64)

Defn: An adjustable piece, pierced with a small hole to peep through in aiming, attached to a rifle or other firearm near the breech; -- distinguished from an open sight.

PEEPUL TREE Pee"pul tree`. Etym: [Hind. pipal, Skr. pippala.] (Bot.)

Defn: A sacred tree (Ficus religiosa) of the Buddhists, a kind of fig tree which attains great size and venerable age. See Bo tree. [Written also pippul tree, and pipal tree.]

PEER Peer, v. i. [imp. & p.p Peered; p. pr. & vb. n. Peering.] Etym: [OF. parir, pareir equiv. to F. paraître to appear, L. parere. Cf. Appear.]

1. To come in sight; to appear. [Poetic] So honor peereth in the meanest habit. Shak. See how his gorget peers above his gown! B. Jonson.

2. Etym: [Perh. a different word; cf. OE. piren, LG. piren. Cf. Pry to peep.]

Defn: To look narrowly or curiously or intently; to peep; as, the peering day. Milton. Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads. Shak. As if through a dungeon grate he peered. Coleridge.

PEER Peer, n. Etym: [OE. per, OF. per, F. pair, fr. L. par equal. Cf. Apparel, Pair, Par, n., Umpire.]

1. One of the same rank, quality, endowments, character, etc.; an equal; a match; a mate. In song he never had his peer. Dryden. Shall they consort only with their peers I. Taylor.

2. A comrade; a companion; a fellow; an associate. He all his peers in beauty did surpass. Spenser.

3. A nobleman; a member of one of the five degrees of the British nobility, namely, duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron; as, a peer of the realm. A noble peer of mickle trust and power. Milton. House of Peers, The Peers, the British House of Lords. See Parliament. -- Spiritual peers, the bishops and archibishops, or lords spiritual, who sit in the House of Lords.

PEER Peer v. t.

Defn: To make equal in rank. [R.] Heylin.

PEER Peer v. t.

Defn: To be, or to assume to be, equal. [R.]

PEERAGE Peer"age, n. Etym: [See Peer an equal, and cf. Parage.]

1. The rank or dignity of a peer. Blackstone.

2. The body of peers; the nobility, collectively. When Charlemain with all his peerage fell. Milton.

PEERDOM Peer"dom, n.

Defn: Peerage; also, a lordship. [Obs.]

PEERESS Peer"ess, n.

Defn: The wife of a peer; a woman ennobled in her own right, or by right of marriage.

PEERIE; PEERY Peer"ie, Peer"y, a. Etym: [See 1st Peer, 2.]

Defn: Inquisitive; suspicious; sharp. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] "Two peery gray eyes." Sir W. Scott.

PEERLESS Peer"less, a.

Defn: Having no peer or equal; matchless; superlative. "Her peerless feature." Shak. Unvailed her peerless light. Milton. --Peer"less*ly, adv. -- Peer"less*ness, n.

PEERT Peert, a.

Defn: Same as Peart.

PEERWEET Peer"weet, n.

Defn: Same as Pewit (a & b).

PEEVISH Pee"vish, a. Etym: [OE. pevische; of uncertain origin, perh. from a word imitative of the noise made by fretful children + -ish.]

1. Habitually fretful; easily vexed or fretted; hard to please; apt to complain; querulous; petulant. "Her peevish babe." Wordsworth. She is peevish, sullen, froward. Shak.

2. Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction; as, a peevish answer.

3. Silly; childish; trifling. [Obs.] To send such peevish tokens to a king. Shak.

Syn. -- Querulous; petulant; cross; ill-tempered; testy; captious; discontented. See Fretful.

PEEVISHLY Pee"vish*ly, adv.

Defn: In a peevish manner. Shak.

PEEVISHNESS Pee"vish*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being peevish; disposition to murmur; sourness of temper.

Syn. -- See Petulance.

PEEVIT; PEEWIT Pee"vit, Pee"wit, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Pewit.

PEG Peg, n. Etym: [OE. pegge; cf. Sw. pigg, Dan. pig a point, prickle, and E. peak.]

1. A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening boards together, in attaching the soles of boots or shoes, etc.; as, a shoe peg.

2. A wooden pin, or nail, on which to hang things, as coats, etc. Hence, colloquially and figuratively: A support; a reason; a pretext; as, a peg to hang a claim upon.

3. One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained. Shak.

4. One of the pins used for marking points on a cribbage board.

5. A step; a degree; esp. in the slang phrase "To take one down peg." To screw papal authority to the highest peg. Barrow. And took your grandess down a peg. Hudibras. Peg ladder, a ladder with but one standard, into which cross pieces are inserted. -- Peg tankard, an ancient tankard marked with pegs, so as divide the liquor into equal portions. "Drink down to your peg." Longfellow. -- Peg tooth. See Fleam tooth under Fleam. -- Peg top, a boy's top which is spun by throwing it. -- Screw peg, a small screw without a head, for fastening soles.

PEG Peg, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pegged; p. pr. & vb. n. Pegging.]

1. To put pegs into; to fasten the parts of with pegs; as, to peg shoes; to confine with pegs; to restrict or limit closely. I will rend an oak And peg thee in his knotty entrails. Shak.

2. (Cribbage)

Defn: To score with a peg, as points in the game; as, she pegged twelwe points. [Colloq.]

PEG Peg, v. i.

Defn: To work diligently, as one who pegs shoes; -- usually with on, at, or away; as, to peg away at a task.

PEGADOR Pe`ga*dor", n. Etym: [Sp., a sticker.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A species of remora (Echeneis naucrates). See Remora.

PEGASEAN Pe*ga"se*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Pegasus, or, figuratively, to poetry.

PEGASOID Peg"a*soid, a. Etym: [Pegasus + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like or pertaining to Pegasus.

PEGASUS Peg"a*sus, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

1. (Gr. Myth.)

Defn: A winged horse fabled to have sprung from the body of Medusa when she was slain. He is noted for causing, with a blow of his hoof, Hippocrene, the inspiring fountain of the Muses, to spring from Mount Helicon. On this account he is, in modern times, associated with the Muses, and with ideas of poetic inspiration. Each spurs his jaded Pegasus apace. Byron.

2. (Astron.)

Defn: A northen constellation near the vernal equinoctial point. Its three brightest stars, with the brightest star of Andromeda, form the square of Pegasus.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of small fishes, having large pectoral fins, and the body covered with hard, bony plates. Several species are known from the East Indies and China.

PEGGER Peg"ger, n.

Defn: One who fastens with pegs.

PEGGING Peg"ging, n.

Defn: The act or process of fastening with pegs.

PEGM Pegm, n. Etym: [L. pegma a movable stage, Gr.

Defn: A sort of moving machine employed in the old pageants. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

PEGMATITE Peg"ma*tite, n. Etym: [From Gr. pegmatite. See Pegm.] (Min.) (a) Graphic granite. See under Granite. (b) More generally, a coarse granite occurring as vein material in other rocks.

PEGMATITIC Peg`ma*tit"ic, a. (Min.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, pegmatite; as, the pegmatic structure of certain rocks resembling graphic granite.

PEGMATOID Peg"ma*toid, a. Etym: [Pegmatite + -oid.] (Min.)

Defn: Resembling pegmatite; pegmatic.

PEGOMANCY Peg"o*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. -macy.]

Defn: Divination by fountains. [R.]

PEGROOTS Peg"roots`, n.

Defn: Same as Setterwort.

PEHLEVI Peh"le*vi`, n. Etym: [Parsee Pahlavi.]

Defn: An ancient Persian dialect in which words were partly represented by their Semitic equivalents. It was in use from the 3d century (and perhaps earlier) to the middle of the 7th century, and later in religious writings. [Written also Pahlavi.]

PEIGNOIR Pei`gnoir", n. [F., fr. peigner to comb, L. pectinare. See Pectinate.]

Defn: A woman's loose dressing sack; hence, a loose morning gown or wrapper.

PEIN Pein, n.

Defn: See Peen.

PEIRAMETER Pei*ram"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.]

Defn: A dynamometer for measuring the force required to draw wheel carriages on roads of different constructions. G. Francis.

PEIRASTIC Pei*ras"tic, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Fitted for trail or test; experimental; tentative; treating of attempts.

PEISE Peise, n. Etym: [See Poise.]

Defn: A weight; a poise. [Obs.] "To weigh pence with a peise." Piers Plowman.

PEISE Peise, v. t.

Defn: To poise or weight. [Obs.] Chaucer. Lest leaden slumber peise me down. Shak.

PEITREL Pei"trel, n. (Anc. Armor)

Defn: See Peytrel.

PEJORATIVE Pe*jor"a*tive, a. Etym: [F. péjoratif, fr. L. pejor, used as compar. of malus evil.]

Defn: Implying or imputing evil; depreciatory; disparaging; unfavorable.

PEKAN Pek"an, n. Etym: [F. pekan.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Fisher, 2.

PEKOE Pek"oe, n. Etym: [Chin. pih-hoau: cf. F. pekoë]

Defn: A kind of black tea. [Written also pecco.]

PELA Pe"la, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Wax insect, under Wax.

PELAGE Pel"age, n. Etym: [F. pelage, fr. L. pilus hair.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The covering, or coat, of a mammal, whether of wool, fur, or hair.

PELAGIAN Pe*la"gi*an, a. Etym: [L. pelagius, Gr. pélagien.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the sea; marine; pelagic; as, pelagian shells.

PELAGIAN Pe*la"gi*an, n. Etym: [L. Pelagianus: cf. F. pélagien.] (Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: A follower of Pelagius, a British monk, born in the later part of the 4th century, who denied the doctrines of hereditary sin, of the connection between sin and death, and of conversion through grace.

PELAGIAN Pe*la"gi*an, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pélagien.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Pelagius, or to his doctrines.

PELAGIANISM Pe*la"gi*an*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pélagianisme.]

Defn: The doctrines of Pelagius.

PELAGIC Pe*lag"ic, a. Etym: [L. pelagicus.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the ocean; -- applied especially to animals that live at the surface of the ocean, away from the coast.

PELARGONIC Pel`ar*gon"ic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid (called also nonoic acid) found in the leaves of the geranium (Pelargonium) and allied plants.

PELARGONIUM Pel`ar*go"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A large genus of plants of the order Geraniaceæ, differing from Geranium in having a spurred calyx and an irregular corolla.

Note: About one hundred and seventy species are known, nearly all of them natives of South Africa, and many having very beautiful blossoms. See the Note under Geranium.

PELASGIAN; PELASGIC Pe*las"gi*an, Pe*las"gic, a. Etym: [L. Pelasgus, Gr.

1. Of or pertaining to the Pelasgians, an ancient people of Greece, of roving habits.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Wandering.

PELECAN Pel"e*can, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Pelican.

PELECANIFORMES Pel`e*can`i*for"mes, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pelican, and -form.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Those birds that are related to the pelican; the Totipalmi.

PELECOID Pel"e*coid, n. Etym: [Gr. -oid.] (Geom.)

Defn: A figure, somewhat hatched-shaped, bounded by a semicircle and two inverted quadrants, and equal in area to the square ABCD inclosed by the chords of the four quadrants. [Written also pelicoid.] Math. Dict.

PELECYPODA Pel`e*cyp"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Lamellibranchia.

PELEGRINE Pel"e*grine, a.

Defn: See Peregrine. [Obs.]

PELERINE Pel"er*ine, n. Etym: [F. pèlerine a tippet, fr. pèlerin a pilgrim, fr. L. peregrinus foreign, alien. See Pilgrim.]

Defn: A woman's cape; especially, a fur cape that is longer in front than behind.

PELE'S HAIR Pe"le's hair. [After a Hawaiian goddess associated with the crater Kilauea.]

Defn: Glass threads or fibers formed by the wind from bits blown from frothy lava or from the tips of lava jets or from bits of liquid lava thrown into the air. It often collects in thick masses resembling tow.

PELF Pelf, n. Etym: [OE. pelfir booty, OF. pelfre, akin to pelfrer to plunder, and perh. to E. pillage. Cf. Pilfer.]

Defn: Money; riches; lucre; gain; -- generally conveying the idea of something ill-gotten or worthless. It has no plural. "Mucky pelf." Spenser. "Paltry pelf." Burke. Can their pelf prosper, not got by valor or industry Fuller.

PELFISH Pelf"ish, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to pelf. Stanyhurst.

PELFRAY; PELFRY Pel"fray, Pel"fry, n.

Defn: Pelf; also, figuratively, rubbish; trash. [Obs.] Cranmer.

PELICAN Pel"i*can, n. Etym: [F. pélican, L. pelicanus, pelecanus, Gr. paraçu.] [Written also pelecan.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any large webfooted bird of the genus of Pelecanus, of which about a dozen species are known. They have an enormous bill, to the lower edge of which is attached a pouch in which captured fishes are temporarily stored.

Note: The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and the brown species (P. fuscus) are abundant on the Florida coast in winter, but breed about the lakes in the Rocky Mountains and British America.

2. (Old Chem.)

Defn: A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.

Note: The principle is still employed in certain modern forms of distilling apparatus. Frigate pelican (Zoöl.), the frigate bird. See under Frigate. -- Pelican fish (Zoöl.), deep-sea fish (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) of the order Lyomeri, remarkable for the enormous development of the jaws, which support a large gular pouch. -- Pelican flower (Bot.), the very large and curiously shaped blossom of a climbing plant (Aristolochia grandiflora) of the West Indies; also, the plant itself. -- Pelican ibis (Zoöl.), a large Asiatic wood ibis (Tantalus leucocephalus). The head and throat are destitute of feathers; the plumage is white, with the quills and the tail greenish black. -- Pelican in her piety (in heraldry and symbolical art), a representation of a pelican in the act of wounding her breast in order to nourish her young with her blood; -- a practice fabulously attributed to the bird, on account of which it was adopted as a symbol of the Redeemer, and of charity. -- Pelican's foot (Zoöl.), a marine gastropod shell of the genus Aporrhais, esp. Aporrhais pes-pelicani of Europe.

PELICAN STATE Pel"i*can State.

Defn: Louisiana; -- a nickname alluding to the device on its seal.

PELICK Pel"ick, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American coot (Fulica).

PELICOID Pel"i*coid, n.

Defn: See Pelecoid.

PELICOSAURIA Pel`i*co*sau"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)

Defn: A suborder of Theromorpha, including terrestrial reptiles from the Permian formation.

PELIOM Pe"li*om, n. Etym: [See Pelioma.] (Min.)

Defn: A variety of iolite, of a smoky blue color; pelioma.

PELIOMA Pe`li*o"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.

1. (Med.)

Defn: A livid ecchymosis.

2. (Min.)

Defn: See Peliom.

PELISSE Pe*lisse", n. Etym: [F., fr. L. pelliceus, pellicius, made of skins, fr. pellis a skin. Cf. Pelt skin, Pilch, and see 2d Pell.]

Defn: An outer garment for men or women, originally of fur, or lined with fur; a lady's outer garment, made of silk or other fabric.

PELL Pell, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Pelt, v. t.]

Defn: To pelt; to knock about. [Obs.] Holland.

PELL Pell, n. Etym: [OF. pel, F. peau, L. pellis a skin. See Fell a skin.]

1. A skin or hide; a pelt.

2. A roll of parchment; a parchment record. Clerk of the pells, formerly, an officer of the exchequer who entered accounts on certain parchment rolls, called pell rolls. [Eng.]

PELLACK Pel"lack, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. Peileag.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A porpoise.

PELLAGE Pell"age, n. Etym: [See 2d Pell.]

Defn: A customs duty on skins of leather.

PELLAGRA Pel"la*gra (pel"la*gra), n. (Med.)

Defn: An erythematous affection of the skin, with severe constitutional and nervous symptoms, endemic in Northern Italy.

PELLAGRIN Pel"la*grin, n.

Defn: One who is afficted with pellagra. Chambers's Encyc.

PELLAGROUS Pel*lag"rous, a. [It. pellagroso: cf. F. pellagreux.] (Med.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or affected with, or attendant on, pellagra; as, pellagrous insanity.

PELLET Pel"let, n. Etym: [F. pelote, LL. pelota, pilota, fr. L. pila a ball. Cf. Platoon.]

1. A little ball; as, a pellet of wax .

2. A bullet; a ball for firearms. [Obs.] Bacon. As swift as a pellet out of a gun. Chaucer. Pellet molding (Arch.), a narrow band ornamented with smalt, flat disks.

PELLET Pel"let, v.

Defn: To form into small balls. [Obs.] Shak.

PELLETED Pel"let*ed, a.

Defn: Made of, or like, pellets; furnished with pellets. [R.] "This pelleted storm." Shak.

PELLIBRANCHIATA Pel`li*bran`chi*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. pellis garment + branchia a gill.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of Nudibranchiata, in which the mantle itself serves as a gill.

PELLICLE Pel"li*cle, n. Etym: [L. pellicu, dim. of pellis skin: cf. F. pellicule.]

1. A thin skin or film.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: A thin film formed on the surface of an evaporating solution.

PELLICULAR Pel*lic"u*lar, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a pellicle. Henslow.

PELLILE Pel*li"le, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The redshank; -- so called from its note. [Prov. Eng.]

PELLITORY Pel"li*to*ry, n. Etym: [OE. paritorie, OF. paritoire, F. pariétaire; (cf. It. & Sp. parietaria), L. parietaria the parietary, or pellitory, the wall plant, fr. parietarus belonging to the walls, fr. paries, parietis a wall. Cf. Parietary.] (Bot.)

Defn: The common name of the several species of the genus Parietaria, low, harmless weeds of the Nettle family; -- also called wall pellitory, and lichwort.

Note: Parietaria officinalis is common on old walls in Europe; P.Pennsylvanica is found in the United States; and six or seven more species are found near the Mediterranean, or in the Orient.

PELLITORY Pel"li*to*ry, n. Etym: [Sp. pelitre, fr. L. pyrethrum. See Bertram.] (Bot.) (a) A composite plant (Anacyclus Pyrethrum) of the Mediterranean region, having finely divided leaves and whitish flowers. The root is the officinal pellitory, and is used as an irritant and sialogogue. Called also bertram, and pellitory of Spain. (b) The feverfew (Chrysanthemum Parthenium); -- so called because it resembles the above.

PELL-MELL Pell`-mell" (, n.

Defn: See Pall-mall.

PELLMELL Pell`mell", adv. Etym: [F. pêle-mêle, prob. fr. pelle a shovel + mêler to mix, as when different kinds of grain are heaped up and mixed with a shovel. See Pell shovel, Medley.]

Defn: In utter confusion; with confused violence. "Men, horses, chariots, crowded pellmell." Milton.

PELLUCID Pel*lu"cid, a. Etym: [L. pellucidus; per (see Per-) + lucidus clear, bright: cf. F. pellucide.]

Defn: Transparent; clear; limpid; translucent; not opaque. "Pellucid crystal." Dr. H. More. "Pellucid streams." Wordsworth.

PELLUCIDITY; PELLUCIDNESS Pel`lu*cid"i*ty, Pel*lu"cid*ness, n. Etym: [L. pelluciditas.]

Defn: The quality or state of being pellucid; transparency; translucency; clearness; as, the pellucidity of the air. Locke.

PELLUCIDLY Pel*lu"cid*ly, adv.

Defn: In a pellucid manner.

PELMA Pel"ma, n.; pl. Pelmata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The under surface of the foot.

PELOPIUM Pe*lo"pi*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. Pelops, brother of Niobe, Gr. (Chem.)

Defn: A supposed new metal found in columbite, afterwards shown to be identical with columbium, or niobium.

PELOPONNESIAN Pel`o*pon*ne"sian, a. Etym: [L. Peloponnesius, fr. Peloponnesus, Gr.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Peloponnesus, or southern peninsula of Greece. -- n.

Defn: A native or an inhabitant of the Peloponnesus.

PELORIA Pe*lo"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Abnormal regularity; the state of certain flowers, which, being naturally irregular, have become regular through a symmetrical repetition of the special irregularity.

PELORIC Pe*lo"ric, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Abnormally regular or symmetrical. Darwin.

PELORUS Pe*lo"rus, n. [After Pelorus, said to have been Hannibal's pilot when he left Italy.] (Navig.)

Defn: An instrument similar to a mariner's compass, but without magnetic needles, and having two sight vanes by which bearings are taken, esp. such as cannot be taken by the compass.

PELOTA Pe*lo"ta, n. [Sp., lit., ball.]

Defn: A Basque, Spanish, and Spanish-American game played in a court, in which a ball is struck with a wickerwork racket.

PELOTAGE Pel"o*tage, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Packs or bales of Spanish wool.

PELT Pelt, n. Etym: [Cf. G. pelz a pelt, fur, fr. OF. pelice, F. pelisse (see Pelisse); or perh. shortened fr. peltry.]

1. The skin of a beast with the hair on; a raw or undressed hide; a skin preserved with the hairy or woolly covering on it. See 4th Fell. Sir T. Browne. Raw pelts clapped about them for their clothes. Fuller.

2. The human skin. [Jocose] Dryden.

3. (Falconry)

Defn: The body of any quarry killed by the hawk. Pelt rot, a disease affecting the hair or wool of a beast.

PELT Pelt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pelted; p. pr. & vb. n. Pelting.] Etym: [OE. pelten, pulten, pilten, to thrust, throw, strike; cf. L. pultare, equiv. to pulsare (v. freq. fr. pellere to drive), and E. pulse a beating.]

1. To strike with something thrown or driven; to assail with pellets or missiles, as, to pelt with stones; pelted with hail. The children billows seem to pelt the clouds. Shak.

2. To throw; to use as a missile. My Phillis me with pelted apples plies. Dryden.

PELT Pelt, v. i.

1. To throw missiles. Shak.

2. To throw out words. [Obs.] Another smothered seems to peltand swear. Shak.

PELT Pelt, n.

Defn: A blow or stroke from something thrown.

PELTA Pel"ta, n.; pl. Peltæ. Etym: [L., a shield, fr. Gr.

1. (Antiq.)

Defn: A small shield, especially one of an approximately elliptic form, or crescent-shaped.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A flat apothecium having no rim.

PELTATE; PELTATED Pel"tate, Pel"ta*ted, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pelté. See Pelta.]

Defn: Shield-shaped; scutiform; (Bot.) having the stem or support attached to the lower surface, instead of at the base or margin; -- said of a leaf or other organ. -- Pel"tate*ly, adv.

PELTER Pelt"er, n.

Defn: One who pelts.

PELTER Pel"ter, n.

Defn: A pinchpenny; a mean, sordid person; a miser; a skinflint. [Obs.] "Let such pelters prate." Gascoigne.

PELTIER EFFECT Pel`tier" ef*fect". [After Jean C. A. Peltier, French physicist, the discoverer.] (Elec.)

Defn: The production or absorption of heat at the junction of two metals on the passage of a current. Heat generated by the passage of the current in one direction will be absorbed if the current is reversed.

PELTIER'S CROSS Pel`tier's" cross. (Elec.)

Defn: A cross formed of two strips of different metals, to illustrate the Peltier effect.

PELTIFORM Pel"ti*form, a. Etym: [Pelta + -form.]

Defn: Shieldlike, with the outline nearly circular; peltate. Henslow.

PELTING Pel"ting, a.

Defn: Mean; paltry. [Obs.] Shak.

PELTON WHEEL Pel"ton wheel. (Mech.)

Defn: A form of impulse turbine or water wheel, consisting of a row of double cup-shaped buckets arranged round the rim of a wheel and actuated by one or more jets of water playing into the cups at high velocity.

PELTRY Pelt"ry, n. Etym: [F. pelleterie peltry, furriery, fr. pelletier a furrier, fr. OF. pel skin, F. peau, L. pelis. See Pelt a skin, Pell, n., Fell a skin.]

Defn: Pelts or skins, collectively; skins with the fur on them; furs.

PELTRYWARE Pelt"ry*ware`, n.

Defn: Peltry. [Obs.]

PELUDO Pe*lu"do, n. Etym: [Sp. peludo hairy.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The South American hairy armadillo (Dasypus villosus).

PELURE Pe*lure", n. [F., lit., peel, fr. peler to peel.]

Defn: A crisp, hard, thin paper, sometimes used for postage stamps.

PELUSIAC Pe*lu"si*ac, a. Etym: [L. Pelusiacus.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Pelusium, an ancient city of Egypt; as, the Pelusiac (or former eastern) outlet of the Nile.

PELVIC Pel"vic, a.

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pelvis; as, pelvic cellulitis. Pelvic arch, or Pelvic girdle (Anat.), the two or more bony or cartilaginous pieces of the vertebrate skeleton to which the hind limbs are articulated. When fully ossified, the arch usually consists of three principal bones on each side, the ilium, ischium, and pubis, which are often closely united in the adult, forming the innominate bone. See Innominate bone, under Innominate.

PELVIMETER Pel*vim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Pelvis + -meter.: cf. F. pelvimètre.]

Defn: An instrument for measuring the dimensions of the pelvis. Coxe.

PELVIMETRY Pel*vim"e*try, n. [Pelvis + -metry.] (Med.)

Defn: The measurement of the pelvis.

PELVIS Pel"vis, n. Etym: [L., a basin, laver; cf. Gr.

1. (Anat.)

Defn: The pelvic arch, or the pelvic arch together with the sacrum. See Pelvic arch, under Pelvic, and Sacrum.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The calyx of a crinoid. Pelvis of the kidney (Anat.), the basinlike cavity into which the ureter expands as it joins the kidney.

PEMBROKE TABLE Pem"broke ta`ble. [From Pembroke, a town and shire in Wales.]

Defn: A style of four-legged table in vogue in England, chiefly in the later Georgian period.

The characteristic which gives a table the name of Pembroke consists in the drop leaves, which are held up, when the table is open, by brackets which turn under the top. F. C. Morse.

PEMMICAN Pem"mi*can, n. Etym: [Written also pemican.]

1. Among the North American Indians, meat cut in thin slices, divested of fat, and dried in the sun. Then on pemican they feasted. Longfellow.

2. Meat, without the fat, cut in thin slices, dried in the sun, pounded, then mixed with melted fat and sometimes dried fruit, and compressed into cakes or in bags. It contains much nutriment in small compass, and is of great use in long voyages of exploration.

PEMPHIGUS Pem*phi"gus, n. Etym: [Nl., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A somewhat rare skin disease, characterized by the development of blebs upon different part of the body. Quain.

PEN Pen, n. Etym: [OE. penne, OF. penne, pene, F. penne, fr. L. penna.]

1. A feather. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. A wing. [Obs.] Milton.

3. An instrument used for writing with ink, formerly made of a reed, or of the quill of a goose or other bird, but now also of other materials, as of steel, gold, etc. Also, originally, a stylus or other instrument for scratching or graving. Graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock. Job xix. 24.

4. Fig.: A writer, or his style; as, he has a sharp pen. "Those learned pens." Fuller.

5. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The internal shell of a squid.

6. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A female swan. [Prov. Eng.] Bow pen. See Bow-pen. -- Dotting pen, a pen for drawing dotted lines. -- Drawing, or Ruling, pen, a pen for ruling lines having a pair of blades between which the ink is contained. -- Fountain pen, Geometric pen. See under Fountain, and Geometric. -- Music pen, a pen having five points for drawing the five lines of the staff. -- Pen and ink, or pen-and-ink, executed or done with a pen and ink; as, a pen and ink sketch. -- Pen feather. A pin feather. [Obs.] -- Pen name. See under Name. -- Sea pen (Zoöl.), a pennatula. [Usually written sea-pen.]

PEN Pen, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penned; p. pr. & vb. n. Penning.]

Defn: To write; to compose and commit to paper; to indite; to compose; as, to pen a sonnet. "A prayer elaborately penned." Milton.

PEN Pen, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penned or Pent (p. pr. & vb. n. Penning.] Etym: [OE. pennen, AS. pennan in on-pennan to unfasten, prob. from the same source as pin, and orig. meaning, to fasten with a peg.See Pin, n. & v.]

Defn: To shut up, as in a pen or cage; to confine in a small inclosure or narrow space; to coop up, or shut in; to inclose. "Away with her, and pen her up." Shak. Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve. Milton.

PEN Pen, n. Etym: [From Pen to shut in.]

Defn: A small inclosure; as, a pen for sheep or for pigs. My father stole two geese out of a pen. Shak.

PENAL Pe"nal, a. Etym: [L. poenalis, fr. poena punishment: cf. F. pénal. See Pain.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to punishment, to penalties, or to crimes and offenses; pertaining to criminal jurisprudence: as: (a) Enacting or threatening punishment; as, a penal statue; the penal code. (b) Incurring punishment; subject to a penalty; as, a penalact of offense. (c) Inflicted as punishment; used as a means of punishment; as, a penal colony or settlement. "Adamantine chains and penal fire." Milton. Penal code (Law), a code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment. -- Penal laws, Penal statutes (Law), laws prohibited certain acts, and imposing penalties for committing them. -- Penal servitude, imprisonment with hard labor, in a prison, in lieu of transportation. [Great Brit.] -- Penal suit, Penal action (Law), a suit for penalties.

PENALITY Pe*nal"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. LL. poenalitas. See Penalty.]

Defn: The quality or state of being penal; lability to punishment. Sir T. Browne.

PENALIZE Pe"nal*ize, v. t.

1. To make penal.

2. (Sport.)

Defn: To put a penalty on. See Penalty, 3. [Eng.]

PENALLY Pe"nal*ly, adv.

Defn: In a penal manner.

PENALTY Pe"nal*ty, n.; pl. Penalties. Etym: [F. pénalité. See Penal.]

1. Penal retribution; punishment for crime or offense; the suffering in person or property which is annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a crime, offense, or trespass. Death is the penalty imposed. Milton.

2. The suffering, or the sum to be forfeited, to which a person subjects himself by covenant or agreement, in case of nonfulfillment of stipulations; forfeiture; fine. The penalty and forfeit of my bond. Shak.

3. A handicap. [Sporting Cant]

Note: The term penalty is in law mostly applied to a pecuniary punishment. Bill of pains and penalties. See under Bill. -- On, or Under, penalty of, on pain of; with exposure to the penalty of, in case of transgression.

PENANCE Pen"ance, n. Etym: [OF. penance, peneance, L. paenitentia repentance. See Penitence.]

1. Repentance. [Obs.] Wyclif (Luke xv. 7).

2. Pain; sorrow; suffering. [Obs.] "Joy or penance he feeleth none." Chaucer.

3. (Eccl.)

Defn: A means of repairing a sin committed, and obtaining pardon for it, consisting partly in the performance of expiatory rites, partly in voluntary submission to a punishment corresponding to the transgression. Penance is the fourth of seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Schaff-Herzog Encyc. And bitter penance, with an iron whip. Spenser. Quoth he, "The man hath penance done, And penance more will do." Coleridge.

PENANCE Pen"ance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penanced.]

Defn: To impose penance; to punish. "Some penanced lady elf." Keats.

PENANCELESS Pen"ance*less, a.

Defn: Free from penance. [R.]

PENANG LAWYER Pe*nang" law"yer. [Prob. fr. Malay pinang liar.]

Defn: A kind of walking stick made from the stem of an East Asiatic palm (Licuala acutifida).

PENANG NUT Pe*nang" nut`. Etym: [From the native name.] (Bot.)

Defn: The betel nut. Balfour (Cyc. of India).

PENANNULAR Pen*an"nu*lar, a. Etym: [L. pene, paene, almost + E. annular.]

Defn: Nearly annular; having nearly the form of a ring. "Penannular relics." D. Wilson.

PENARY Pe"na*ry, a.

Defn: Penal. [Obs.] Gauden.

PENATES Pe*na"tes, n. pl. Etym: [L.] (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: The household gods of the ancient Romans. They presided over the home and the family hearth. See Lar.

PENAUNT Pen"aunt, n. Etym: [OF. penant, peneant. See Penitent.]

Defn: A penitent. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PENCE Pence, n.,

Defn: pl. of Penny. See Penny.

PENCEL Pen"cel, n. Etym: [See Pennoncel.]

Defn: A small, narrow flag or streamer borne at the top of a lance; - - called also pennoncel. [Obs.] Piers Plowman. Chaucer.

PENCHANT Pen`chant", n. Etym: [F., fr. pencher to bend, fr. (assumed) LL. pendicare, L. pendere. See Pendant.]

Defn: Inclination; decided taste; bias; as, a penchant for art.

PENCHUTE Pen"chute`, n.

Defn: See Penstock.

PENCIL Pen"cil, n. Etym: [OF. pincel, F. pinceau, L. penicillum, penicillus, equiv. to peniculus, dim. of penis a tail. Cf. Penicil.]

1. A small, fine brush of hair or bristles used by painters for laying on colors. With subtile pencil depainted was this storie. Chaucer.

2. A slender cylinder or strip of black lead, colored chalk, slate etc., or such a cylinder or strip inserted in a small wooden rod intended to be pointed, or in a case, which forms a handle, -- used for drawing or writing. See Graphite.

3. Hence, figuratively, an artist's ability or peculiar manner; also, in general, the act or occupation of the artist, descriptive writer, etc.

4. (Opt.)

Defn: An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point.

5. (Geom.)

Defn: A number of lines that intersect in one point, the point of intersection being called the pencil point.

6. (Med.)

Defn: A small medicated bougie. Pencil case, a holder for pencil lead. -- Pencil flower (Bot.), an American perennial leguminous herb (Stylosanthes elatior). -- Pencil lead, a slender rod of black lead, or the like, adapted for insertion in a holder.

PENCIL Pen"cil, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penciled or Pencilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Penciling or Pencilling.]

Defn: To write or mark with a pencil; to paint or to draw. Cowper. Where nature pencils butterflies on flowers. Harte.

PENCILED Pen"ciled, a. Etym: [Written also pencilled.]

1. Painted, drawn, sketched, or marked with a pencil.

2. Radiated; having pencils of rays.

3. (Nat. Hist.)

Defn: Marked with parallel or radiating lines.

PENCILING Pen"cil*ing, n. Etym: [Written also pencilling.]

1. The work of the pencil or bruch; as, delicate penciling in a picture.

2. (Brickwork)

Defn: Lines of white or black paint drawn along a mortar joint in a brick wall. Knight.

PENCILLATE; PENCILLATED Pen"cil*late, Pen"cil*la`ted, a.

Defn: Shaped like a pencil; penicillate.

PENCRAFT Pen"craft, n.

1. Penmanship; skill in writing; chirography.

2. The art of composing or writing; authorship. I would not give a groat for that person's knowledge in pencraft. S

PEND Pend, n.

Defn: Oil cake; penock. [India]

PEND Pend, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pended; p. pr. & vb. n. Pending.] Etym: [L. pendere.]

1. To hang; to depend. [R.] Pending upon certain powerful motions. I. Taylor.

2. To be undecided, or in process of adjustment.

PEND Pend, v. t. Etym: [Cf. pen to shut in, or AS. pyndan, E. pound an inclosure.]

Defn: To pen; to confine. [R.] ended within the limits . . . of Greece. Udall.

PENDANT Pend"ant, n. Etym: [F., orig. p.pr. of pendre to hang, L. pendere. Cf. Pendent, Pansy, Pensive, Poise, Ponder.]

1. Something which hangs or depends; something suspended; a hanging appendage, especially one of an ornamental character; as to a chandelier or an eardrop; also, an appendix or addition, as to a book. Some hang upon the pendants of her ear. Pope. Many . . . have been pleased with this work and its pendant, the Tales and Popular Fictions. Keightley.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: A hanging ornament on roofs, ceilings, etc., much used in the later styles of Gothic architecture, where it is of stone, and an important part of the construction. There are imitations in plaster and wood, which are mere decorative features. "[A bridge] with . . . pendants graven fair." Spenser.

3. (Fine Arts)

Defn: One of a pair; a counterpart; as, one vase is the pendant to the other vase.

4. A pendulum. [Obs.] Sir K. Digby.

5. The stem and ring of a watch, by which it is suspended. [U.S.] Knight. Pendant post (Arch.), a part of the framing of an open timber roof; a post set close against the wall, and resting upon a corbel or other solid support, and supporting the ends of a collar beam or any part of the roof.

PENDENCE Pend"ence, n. Etym: [See Pendent.]

Defn: Slope; inclination. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.

PENDENCY Pend"en*cy, n.

1. The quality or state of being pendent or suspended.

2. The quality or state of being undecided, or in continuance; suspense; as, the pendency of a suit. Ayliffe.

PENDENT Pend"ent, a. Etym: [L. pendens, -entis, p.pr. of pendere to hang, to be suspended. Cf. Pendant.]

1. Supported from above; suspended; depending; pendulous; hanging; as, a pendent leaf. "The pendent world." Shak. Often their tresses, when shaken, with pendent icicles tinkle. Longfellow.

2. Jutting over; projecting; overhanging. "A vapor sometime like a . . . pendent rock." Shak.

PENDENTIVE Pen*den"tive, n. Etym: [F. pendentif, fr. L. pendere to hang.] (Arch.) (a) The portion of a vault by means of which the square space in the middle of a building is brought to an octagon or circle to receive a cupola. (b) The part of a groined vault which is supported by, and springs from, one pier or corbel.

PENDENTLY Pend"ent*ly, adv.

Defn: In a pendent manner.

PENDICE Pen"dice, n. Etym: [Cf. Pentice.]

Defn: A sloping roof; a lean-to; a penthouse. [Obs.] Fairfax.

PENDICLE Pen"di*cle, n. Etym: [Cf. Appendicle.]

Defn: An appendage; something dependent on another; an appurtenance; a pendant. Sir W. Scott.

PENDICLER Pen*di*cler, n.

Defn: An inferior tenant; one who rents a pendicle or croft. [Scot.] Jamieson.

PENDING Pend"ing, a. Etym: [L. pendere to hang, to be suspended. Cf. Pendent.]

Defn: Not yet decided; in continuance; in suspense; as, a pending suit.

PENDING Pend"ing, prep.

Defn: During; as, pending the trail.

PENDRAGON Pen"drag*on, n.

Defn: A chief leader or a king; a head; a dictator; -- a title assumed by the ancient British chiefs when called to lead other chiefs. The dread Pendragon, Britain's king of kings. Tennyson.

PENDULAR Pen"du*lar, a.

Defn: Pendulous.

PENDULATE Pen"du*late, v. i.

Defn: To swing as a pendulum. [R.]

PENDULE Pen"dule, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A pendulum. [R.] Evelyn.

PENDULINE Pen"du`line, n. Etym: [F. See Pendulum.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A European titmouse (Parus, or Ægithalus, pendulinus). It is noted for its elegant pendulous purselike nest, made of the down of willow trees and lined with feathers.

PENDULOSITY Pen`du*los"i*ty, n. Etym: [See Pendulous.]

Defn: The state or quality of being pendulous. Sir T. Browne.

PENDULOUS Pen"du*lous, a. Etym: [L. pendulus, fr. pendere to hang. Cf. Pendant, and cf. Pendulum.]

1. Depending; pendent loosely; hanging; swinging. Shak. "The pendulous round earth. Milton.

2. Wavering; unstable; doubtful. [R.] "A pendulous state of mind." Atterbury.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: Inclined or hanging downwards, as a flower on a recurved stalk, or an ovule which hangs from the upper part of the ovary.

PENDULOUSLY Pen"du*lous*ly, adv.

Defn: In a pendulous manner.

PENDULOUSNESS Pen"du*lous*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being pendulous; the state of hanging loosely; pendulosity.

PENDULUM Pen"du*lum, n.; pl. Pendulums. Etym: [NL., fr. L. pendulus hanging, swinging. See Pendulous.]

Defn: A body so suspended from a fixed point as to swing freely to and fro by the alternate action of gravity and momentum. It is used to regulate the movements of clockwork and other machinery.

Note: The time of oscillation of a pendulum is independent of the arc of vibration, provided this arc be small. Ballistic pendulum. See under Ballistic. -- Compensation pendulum, a clock pendulum in which the effect of changes of temperature of the length of the rod is so counteracted, usually by the opposite expansion of differene metals, that the distance of the center of oscillation from the center of suspension remains invariable; as, the mercurial compensation pendulum, in which the expansion of the rod is compensated by the opposite expansion of mercury in a jar constituting the bob; the gridiron pendulum, in which compensation is effected by the opposite expansion of sets of rodsof different metals. -- Compound pendulum, an ordinary pendulum; -- so called, as being made up of different parts, and contrasted with simple pendulum. -- Conical or Revolving, pendulum, a weight connected by a rod with a fixed point; and revolving in a horizontal cyrcle about the vertical from that point. -- Pendulum bob, the weight at the lower end of a pendulum. -- Pendulum level, a plumb level. See under Level. -- Pendulum wheel, the balance of a watch. -- Simple or Theoretical, pendulum, an imaginary pendulum having no dimensions except length, and no weight except at the center of oscillation; in other words, a material point suspended by an ideal line.

PENELOPE Pe*nel"o*pe, n. Etym: [From. L. Penelope, the wife of Ulysses, the hero of the Odyssey, Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of curassows, including the guans.

PENEPLAIN Pe"ne*plain`, n. [L. paene, pene, almost + E. plain.] (Phys. Geog.)

Defn: A land surface reduced by erosion to the general condition of a plain, but not wholly devoid of hills; a base-level plain.

PENETRABILITY Pen`e*tra*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pénétrabilité.]

Defn: The quality of being penetrable; susceptibility of being penetrated, entered, or pierced. Cheyne.

PENETRABLE Pen"e*tra*ble, a. Etym: [L. penetrabilus: cf. F. pénétrable.]

Defn: Capable of being penetrated, entered, or pierced. Used also figuratively. And pierce his only penetrable part. Dryden. I am not made of stones, But penetrable to your kind entreats. Shak. -- Pen"e*tra*ble*ness, n. -- Pen"e*tra*bly, adv.

PENETRAIL Pen"e*trail, n.

Defn: Penetralia. [Obs.] Harvey.

PENETRALIA Pen`e*tra"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [L., fr. penetralis penetrating, internal. See Penetrate.]

1. The recesses, or innermost parts, of any thing or place, especially of a temple or palace.

2. Hidden things or secrets; privacy; sanctuary; as, the sacred penetralia of the home.

PENETRANCE; PENETRANCY Pen"e*trance, Pen"e*tran*cy, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being penetrant; power of entering or piercing; penetrating power of quality; as, the penetrancy of subtile effluvia.

PENETRANT Pen"e*trant, a. Etym: [L. penetrans, p.pr. of penetrare: cf. F. pénétrant.]

Defn: Having power to enter or pierce; penetrating; sharp; subtile; as, penetrant cold. "Penetrant and powerful arguments." Boyle.

PENETRATE Pen"e*trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penetrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Penetrating.] Etym: [L. penetratus, p.p. of penetrare to penetrate; akin to penitus inward, inwardly, and perh. to pens with, in the power of, penus store of food, innermost part of a temple.]

1. To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to effect an entrance into; to pierce; as, light penetrates darkness.

2. To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to touch with feeling; to make sensible; to move deeply; as, to penetrate one's heart with pity. Shak. The translator of Homer should penetrate himself with a sense of the plainness and directness of Homer's style. M. Arnold.

3. To pierce into by the mind; to arrive at the inner contents or meaning of, as of a mysterious or difficult subject; to comprehend; to understand. Things which here were too subtile for us to penetrate. Ray.

PENETRATE Pen"e*trate, v. i.

Defn: To pass; to make way; to pierce. Also used figuratively. Preparing to penetrate to the north and west. J. R. Green. Born where Heaven's influence scarce can penetrate. Pope. The sweet of life that penetrates so near. Daniel.

PENETRATING Pen"e*tra`ting, a.

1. Having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading; sharp; subtile; penetrative; as, a penetrating odor.

2. Acute; discerning; sagacious; quick to discover; as, a penetrating mind.

PENETRATINGLY Pen"e*tra`ting*ly, adv.

Defn: In a penetrating manner.

PENETRATION Pen"e*tra`tion, n. Etym: [L. penetratio: cf. F. pénétration.]

1. The act or process of penetrating, piercing, or entering; also, the act of mentally penetrating into, or comprehending, anything difficult. And to each in ward part, With gentle penetration, though unseen, Shoots invisible virtue even to the deep. Milton. A penetration into the difficulties of algebra. Watts.

2. Acuteness; insight; sharp discoverment; sagacity; as, a person of singular penetration. Walpole.

Syn. -- Discernment; sagacity; acuteness; sharpness; discrimination. See Discernment, and Sagacity.

PENETRATIVE Pen"e*tra*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pénétratif.]

1. Tending to penetrate; of a penetrating quality; piercing; as, the penetrative sun. His look became keen and penetrative. Hawthorne.

2. Having the power to affect or impress the mind or heart; impressive; as, penetrative shame. Shak.

3. Acute; discerning; sagacious; as, penetrative wisdom. "The penetrative eye." Wordsworth. Led on by skill of penetrative soul. Grainger.

PENETRATIVENESS Pen"e*tra*tive*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being penetrative.

PENFISH Pen"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A squid.

PENFOLD Pen"fold`, n.

Defn: See Pinfold.

PENGOLIN Pen"go*lin, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The pangolin.

PENGUIN Pen"guin, n. Etym: [Perh. orig. the name of another bird, and fr. W. pen head + gwyn white; or perh. from a native South American name.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any bird of the order Impennes, or Ptilopteri. They are covered with short, thick feathers, almost scalelike on the wings, which are without true quills. They are unable to fly, but use their wings to aid in diving, in which they are very expert. See King penguin, under Jackass.

Note: Penguins are found in the south temperate and antarctic regions. The king penguins (Aptenodytes Patachonica, and A. longirostris) are the largest; the jackass penguins (Spheniscus) and the rock hoppers (Catarractes) congregate in large numbers at their breeding grounds.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: The egg-shaped fleshy fruit of a West Indian plant (Bromelia Pinguin) of the Pineapple family; also, the plant itself, which has rigid, pointed, and spiny-toothed leaves, and is used for hedges. [Written also pinguin.] Arctic penguin (Zoöl.), the great auk. See Auk.

PENGUINERY Pen"guin*er*y, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A breeding place, or rookery, of penguins.

PENHOLDER Pen"hold`er, n.

Defn: A handle for a pen.

PENHOUSE Pen"house`, n.

Defn: A penthouse. [Obs.]

PENIBLE Pen*i"ble, a. Etym: [OF. penible. Cf. Painable.]

Defn: Painstaking; assidous. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PENICIL Pen"i*cil, n. Etym: [L. penicillum, penicillus, a painter's brush, a roil of lint, a tent for wounds.] (mented.)

Defn: A tent or pledget for wounds or ulcers.

PENICILLATE Pen`i*cil"late, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pénicillé. See Penicil.] (Biol.)

Defn: Having the form of a pencil; furnished with a pencil of fine hairs; ending in a tuft of hairs like a camel's-hair brush, as the stigmas of some grasses.

PENICILLIFORM Pen`i*cil"li*form, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Penicillate.

PENINSULA Pen*in"su*la, n. Etym: [L. peninsula or paeninsula; paene almost + insula an island. See Isle.]

Defn: A portion of land nearly surrounded by water, and connected with a larger body by a neck, or isthmus.

PENINSULAR Pen*in"su*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. péninsulaire.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a peninsula; as, a peninsular form; peninsular people; the peninsular war.

PENINSULA STATE Pen*in"su*la State.

Defn: Florida; -- a nickname.

PENINSULATE Pen*in"su*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Peninsulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Peninsulating.]

Defn: To form into a peninsula. South River . . . peninsulates Castle Hill farm. W. Bentley.

PENIS Pe"nis, n. Etym: [L.] (Anat.)

Defn: The male member, or organ of generation.

PENITENCE Pen"i*tence, n. Etym: [F. pénitence, L. paenitentia. See Penitent, and cf. Penance.]

Defn: The quality or condition of being penitent; the disposition of a penitent; sorrow for sins or faults; repentance; contrition. "Penitence of his old guilt." Chaucer. Death is deferred, and penitenance has room To mitigate, if not reverse, the doom. Dryden.

Syn. -- Repentance; contrition; compunction.

PENITENCER Pen"i*ten*cer, n. Etym: [F. pénitencier.]

Defn: A priest who heard confession and enjoined penance in extraordinary cases. [Written also penitenser.] [Obs.] Chaucer.

PENITENCY Pen"i*ten*cy, n.

Defn: Penitence. [Obs.]

PENITENT Pen"i*tent, a. Etym: [F. pénitent, L. paenitens, -entis, poenitens, p.pr. of paenitere, poenitere, to cause to repent, to repent; prob. akin to poena punishment. See Pain.]

1. Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on amendment of life. Be penitent, and for thy fault contrite. Milton. The pound he tamed, the penitent he cheered. Dryden.

2. Doing penance. [Obs.] Shak.

PENITENT Pen"i*tent, n.

1. One who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his transgressions.

2. One under church censure, but admitted to penance; one undergoing penance.

3. One under the direction of a confessor.

Note: Penitents is an appellation given to certain fraternities in Roman Catholic countries, distinguished by their habit, and employed in charitable acts.

PENITENTIAL Pen`i*ten"tial, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pénitentiel.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to penitence, or to penance; expressing penitence; of the nature of penance; as, the penitential book; penitential tears. "Penitential stripes." Cowper. Guilt that all the penitential fires of hereafter can not cleanse. Sir W. Scott.

PENITENTIAL Pen`i*ten"tial, n. (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: A book formerly used by priests hearing confessions, containing rules for the imposition of penances; -- called also penitential book.

PENITENTIALLY Pen`i*ten"tial*ly, adv.

Defn: In a penitential manner.

PENITENTIARY Pen`i*ten"tia*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. pénitentiaire.]

1. Relating to penance, or to the rules and measures of penance. "A penitentiary tax." Abp. Bramhall.

2. Expressive of penitence; as, a penitentiary letter.

3. Used for punishment, discipline, and reformation. "Penitentiary houses." Blackstone.

PENITENTIARY Pen`i*ten"tia*ry, n.; pl. Penitentiaries. Etym: [Cf. F. pénitencier. See Penitent.]

1. One who prescribes the rules and measures of penance. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. One who does penance. [Obs.] Hammond.

3. A small building in a monastery where penitents confessed. Shpiley.

4. That part of a church to which penitents were admitted. Shipley.

5. (R. C. Ch.) (a) An office of the papal court which examines cases of conscience, confession, absolution from vows, etc., and delivers decisions, dispensations, etc. Its chief is a cardinal, called the Grand Penitentiary, appointed by the pope. (b) An officer in some dioceses since A. D. 1215, vested with power from the bishop to absolve in cases reserved to him.

6. A house of correction, in which offenders are confined for punishment, discipline, and reformation, and in which they are generally compelled to labor.

PENITENTIARYSHIP Pen`i*ten"tia*ry*ship, n.

Defn: The office or condition of a penitentiary of the papal court. [R.] Wood.

PENITENTLY Pen"i*tent*ly, adv.

Defn: In a penitent manner.

PENK Penk, n.

Defn: A minnow. See Pink, n., 4. [Prov. Eng.] Walton.

PENKNIFE Pen"knife`, n.; pl. Penknives. Etym: [Pen + knife.]

Defn: A small pocketknife; formerly, a knife used for making and mending quill pens.

PENMAN Pen"man, n.; pl. Penmen (.

1. One who uses the pen; a writer; esp., one skilled in the use of the pen; a calligrapher; a writing master.

2. An author; a composer. South.

PENMANSHIP Pen"man*ship, n.

Defn: The use of the pen in writing; the art of writing; style or manner of writing; chirography; as, good or bad penmanship.

PENNA Pen"na, n.; pl. Pennæ. Etym: [L.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A perfect, or normal, feather.

PENNACEOUS Pen"na"ceous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like or pertaining to a normal feather.

PENNACH Pen"nach, n. Etym: [OF. pennache. See Panache.]

Defn: A bunch of feathers; a plume. [Obs.] Holland.

PENNACHED Pen"nached, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. pennaché. See Panache.]

Defn: Variegated; striped. [Obs.] Evelyn.

PENNAGE Pen"nage, n. Etym: [L. penna feather.]

Defn: Feathery covering; plumage. [Obs.] Holland.

PENNANT Pen"nant, n. Etym: [OE. penon, penoun, pynoun, OF. penon, F. pennon, fr. L. penna feather. See Pen a feather, and cf. Pennon, Pinion.] (Naut.) (a) A small flag; a pennon. The narrow, or long, pennant (called also whip or coach whip) is a long, narrow piece of bunting, carried at the masthead of a government vessel in commission. The board pennant is an oblong, nearly square flag, carried at the masthead of a commodore's vessel. "With flags and pennants trimmed." Drayton. (b) A rope or strap to which a purchase is hooked.

PENNATE; PENNATED Pen"nate, Pen"na*ted, a. Etym: [L. pennatus feathered, winged, from penna feather, wing.]

1. Winged; plume-shaped.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Pinnate.

PENNATULA Pen*nat"u*la, n.; pl. L. Pennatulæ, E. Pennatulas. Etym: [NL., fr. L. penna a feather.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of Pennatula, Pteroides, and allied genera of Alcyonaria, having a featherlike form; a sea-pen. The zooids are situated along one edge of the side branches.

PENNATULACEA Pen*nat`u*la"ce*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pennatula.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of alcyonoid corals, including the seapens and related kinds. They are able to move about by means of the hollow muscular peduncle, which also serves to support them upright in the mud. See Pennatula, and Illust. under Alcyonaria.

PENNED Penned, a.

1. Winged; having plumes. [Obs.]

2. Written with a pen; composed. "Their penned speech." Shak.

PENNER Pen"ner, n.

1. One who pens; a writer. Sir T. North.

2. A case for holding pens. [Obs.]

PENNIFORM Pen"ni*form, a. Etym: [L. penna feather + -form: cf. F. penniforme.]

Defn: Having the form of a feather or plume.

PENNIGEROUS Pen*nig"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. penniger; penna feather + gerere to bear.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Bearing feathers or quills.

PENNILESS Pen"ni*less, a. Etym: [From Penny.]

Defn: Destitute of money; impecunious; poor. -- Pen"ni*less*ness, n.

PENNINERVED Pen"ni*nerved`, a. Etym: [L. penna feather + E. nerve.]

Defn: Pinnately veined or nerved.

PENNIPOTENT Pen*nip"o*tent, a. Etym: [L. pennipotens; penna wing + potens strong.]

Defn: Strong of wing; strong on the wing. [Poetic] Davies (Holy Roode).

PENNON Pen"non, n. Etym: [Cf. Pinion.]

Defn: A wing; a pinion. Milton.

PENNON Pen"non, n. Etym: [See Pennant.]

Defn: A pennant; a flag or streamer. Longfellow.

PENNONCEL; PENNONCELLE Pen"non*cel`, Pen"non*celle`, n. Etym: [OF. penoncel. See Pennant.]

Defn: See Pencel.

PENNY Pen"ny, a. Etym: [Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound.]

Defn: Denoting pound weight for one thousand; -- used in combination, with respect to nails; as, tenpenny nails, nails of which one thousand weight ten pounds.

PENNY Pen*ny, n.; pl. Pennies or Pence (. Pennies denotes the number of coins; pence the amount of pennies in value. Etym: [OE. peni, AS. penig, pening, pending; akin to D. penning, OHG. pfenning, pfenting, G. pfennig, Icel. penningr; of uncertain origin.]

1. An English coin, formerly of copper, now of bronze, the twelfth part of an English shilling in account value, and equal to four farthings, or about two cents; -- usually indicated by the abbreviation d. (the initial of denarius).

Note: "The chief Anglo-Saxon coin, and for a long period the only one, corresponded to the denarius of the Continent . . . [and was] called penny, denarius, or denier." R. S. Poole. The ancient silver penny was worth about three pence sterling (see Pennyweight). The old Scotch penny was only one twelfth the value of the English coin. In the United States the word penny is popularly used for cent.

2. Any small sum or coin; a groat; a stiver. Shak.

3. Money, in general; as, to turn an honest penny. What penny hath Rome borne, What men provided, what munition sent Shak.

4. (Script.)

Defn: See Denarius. Penny cress (Bot.), an annual herb of the Mustard family, having round, flat pods like silver pennies (Thlaspi arvense). Dr. Prior. -- Penny dog (Zoöl.), a kind of shark found on the South coast of Britain: the tope. -- Penny father, a penurious person; a niggard. [Obs.] Robinson (More's Utopia). -- Penny grass (Bot.), pennyroyal. [R.] -- Penny post, a post carrying a letter for a penny; also, a mail carrier. -- Penny wise, wise or prudent only in small matters; saving small sums while losing larger; -- used chiefly in the phrase, penny wise and pound foolish.

PENNY Pen"ny, a.

Defn: Worth or costing one penny.

PENNY-A-LINER Pen"ny-a-lin"er, n.

Defn: One who furnishes matter to public journals at so much a line; a poor writer for hire; a hack writer. Thackeray.

PENNYROYAL Pen`ny*roy"al, n. Etym: [A corruption of OE. puliall royal. OE. puliall is ultimately derived fr. L. puleium, or pulegium regium (so called as being good against fleas), fr. pulex a flea; and royal is a translation of L. regium, in puleium regium.] (Bot.)

Defn: An aromatic herb (Mentha Pulegium) of Europe; also, a North American plant (Hedeoma pulegioides) resembling it in flavor. Bastard pennyroyal (Bot.) See Blue curls, under Blue.