Chapter LI: Bella (83)

3. One who pots meats or other eatables.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The red-bellied terrapin. See Terrapin. Potter's asthma (Med.), emphysema of the lungs; -- so called because very prevalent among potters. Parkers. -- Potter's clay. See under Clay. -- Potter's field, a public burial place, especially in a city, for paupers, unknown persons, and criminals; -- so named from the field south of Jerusalem, mentioned in Matt. xxvii. 7. -- Potter's ore. See Alquifou. -- Potter's wheel, a horizontal revolving disk on which the clay is molded into form with the hands or tools. "My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel." Shak. Potter wasp (Zoöl.), a small solitary wasp (Eumenes fraternal) which constructs a globular nest of mud and sand in which it deposits insect larvæ, such as cankerworms, as food for its young.

POTTER Pot"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pottered; p. pr. & vb. n. Pottering.] Etym: [Cf. W. pwtio to poke, or OD. poteren to search one thoroughly, Sw. påta, peta, to pick, E. pother, put.]

1. To busy one's self with trifles; to labor with little purpose, energy, of effect; to trifle; to pother. Pottering about the Mile End cottages. Mrs. Humphry Ward.

2. To walk lazily or idly; to saunter.

POTTER Pot"ter, v. t.

Defn: To poke; to push; also, to disturb; to confuse; to bother. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

POTTERN Pot"tern, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to potters. Pottern ore, a species of ore which, from its aptness to vitrify like the glazing of potter's wares, the miners call by this name. Boyle.

POTTERY Pot"ter*y, n.; pl. Potteries. Etym: [F. poterie, fr. pot. See Pot.]

1. The vessels or ware made by potters; earthenware, glazed and baked.

2. The place where earthen vessels are made.

POTTING Pot"ting, n.

1. Tippling. [Obs.] Shak.

2. The act of placing in a pot; as, the potting of plants; the potting of meats for preservation.

3. The process of putting sugar in casks for cleansing and draining. [West Indies] B. Edwards.

POTTLE Pot"tle, n. Etym: [OE. potel, OF. potel, dim. of pot. See Pot.]

1. A liquid measure of four pints.

2. A pot or tankard. Shak. A dry pottle of sack before him. Sir W. Scott.

3. A vessel or small basket for holding fruit. He had a . . . pottle of strawberries in one hand. Dickens. Pottle draught, taking a pottle of liquor at one draught. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

POTTO Pot"to, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A nocturnal mammal (Perodictius potto) of the Lemur family, found in West Africa. It has rudimentary forefingers. Called also aposoro, and bush dog. (b) The kinkajou.

POTT'S DISEASE Pott's" dis*ease". (Med.)

Defn: Caries of the vertebræ, frequently resulting in curvature of the spine and paralysis of the lower extremities; -- so named from Percival Pott, an English surgeon. Pott's fracture, a fracture of the lower end of the fibula, with displacement of the tibia. Dunglison.

POTULENT Pot"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. potulentus, fr. potus a drinking, drink, fr. potare to drink.]

1. Fit to drink; potable. [Obs.] Johnson.

2. Nearly drunk; tipsy. [Obs.]

POT-VALIANT Pot"-val`iant, a.

Defn: Having the courage given by drink. Smollett.

POT-WALLOPER Pot"-wal`lop*er, n.

1. A voter in certain boroughs of England, where, before the passage of the reform bill of 1832, the qualification for suffrage was to have boiled (walloped) his own pot in the parish for six months.

2. One who cleans pots; a scullion. [Slang, U. S.]

POUCH Pouch, n. Etym: [F. poche a pocket, pouch, bag; probably of Teutonic origin. See Poke a bag, and cf. Poach to cook eggs, to plunder.]

1. A small bag; usually, a leathern bag; as, a pouch for money; a shot pouch; a mail pouch, etc.

2. That which is shaped like, or used as, a pouch; as: (a) A protuberant belly; a paunch; -- so called in ridicule. (b) (Zoöl.) A sac or bag for carrying food or young; as, the cheek pouches of certain rodents, and the pouch of marsupials. (c) (Med.) A cyst or sac containing fluid. S. Sharp. (d) (Bot.) A silicle, or short pod, as of the shepherd's purse. (e) A bulkhead in the hold of a vessel, to prevent grain, etc., from shifting. Pouch mouth, a mouth with blubbered or swollen lips.

POUCH Pouch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pouched; p. pr. & vb. n. Pouching.]

1. To put or take into a pouch.

2. To swallow; -- said of fowls. Derham.

3. To pout. [Obs.] Ainsworth.

4. To pocket; to put up with. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

POUCHED Pouched, a. (Zoöl.) (a) Having a marsupial pouch; as, the pouched badger, or the wombat. (b) Having external cheek pouches; as, the pouched gopher. (c) Having internal cheek pouches; as, the pouched squirrels. Pouched dog. (Zoöl.) See Zebra wolf, under Zebra. -- Pouched frog (Zoöl.), the nototrema, the female of which has a dorsal pouch in which the eggs are hatched, and in which the young pass through their brief tadpole stage. -- Pouched gopher, or Pouched rat. (Zoöl.) See Pocket gopher, under Pocket. -- Pouched mouse. (Zoöl.) See Pocket mouse, under Pocket.

POUCHET BOX Pou"chet box`.

Defn: See Pouncet box.

POUCH-MOUTHED Pouch"-mouthed`, a.

Defn: Having a pouch mouth; blobber-lipped.

POUCHONG Pou*chong", n.

Defn: A superior kind of souchong tea. De Colange.

POUCH-SHELL Pouch"-shell`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small British and American pond snail (Bulinus hypnorum).

POUDRE Pou"dre, n. Etym: [See Powder.]

Defn: Dust; powder. [Obs.] Chaucer. Poudre marchant Etym: [see Merchant], a kind of flavoring powder used in the Middle Ages. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POUDRETTE Pou*drette", n. Etym: [F., dim. of poudre dust, powder. See Powder.]

Defn: A manure made from night soil, dried and mixed with charcoal, gypsum, etc.

POUF; POUFFE Pouf Pouffe (poof), n. [Written also pouff.] [F. pouf. Cf. Puff, n.] Lit., a puff; specif.: (a) A soft cushion, esp. one circular in shape and not, like a pilow, of bag form, or thin at the edges. (b) A piece of furniture like an ottoman, generally circular and affording cushion seats on all sides.

POULAINE Pou*laine", n. Etym: [F. soulier à la poulaine.]

Defn: A long pointed shoe. See Cracowes.

POULARD Pou*lard" (poo*lärd"), n. [F. poularde pullet, fr. poule hen. See Pullet.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A pullet from which the ovaries have been removed to produce fattening; hence, a fat pullet.

POULDAVIS Poul"da`vis, n.

Defn: Same as Poledavy. [Obs.]

POULDER Poul"der, n. & v.

Defn: Powder. [Obs.]

POULDRON Poul"dron, n.

Defn: See Pauldron.

POULP; POULPE Poulp, Poulpe, n. Etym: [F. poulpe, fr. L. polypus. See Polyp.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Octopus. Musk poulp (Zoöl.), a Mediterranean octopod (Eledone moschata) which emits a strong odor of musk.

POULT Poult, n. Etym: [OF. pulte, F. poulet, dim. of poule fowl. See Pullet.]

Defn: A young chicken, partridge, grouse, or the like. King. Chapman. Starling the heath poults or black game. R. Jefferise.

POULTER Poul"ter, n. Etym: [OE. pulter. See Poult.]

Defn: A poulterer. [Obs.] Shak.

POULTERER Poul"ter*er, n.

Defn: One who deals in poultry.

POULTICE Poul"tice, n. Etym: [L. puls, pl. pultes, a thick pap; akin to Gr. po`ltos. Cf. Pulse seeds.]

Defn: A soft composition, as of bread, bran, or a mucilaginous substance, to be applied to sores, inflamed parts of the body, etc.; a cataplasm. "Poultice relaxeth the pores." Bacon.

POULTICE Poul"tice, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poulticed; p. pr. & vb. n. Poulticing.]

Defn: To apply a poultice to; to dress with a poultice.

POULTIVE Poul"tive, n.

Defn: A poultice. [Obs.] W. Temple.

POULTRY Poul"try, n. Etym: [From Poult.]

Defn: Domestic fowls reared for the table, or for their eggs or feathers, such as cocks and hens, capons, turkeys, ducks, and geese.

POUNCE Pounce, n. Etym: [F. ponce pumice, pounce, fr. L. pumex, -icis, pumice. See Pumice.]

1. A fine powder, as of sandarac, or cuttlefish bone, -- formerly used to prevent ink from spreading on manuscript.

2. Charcoal dust, or some other colored powder for making patterns through perforated designs, -- used by embroiderers, lace makers, etc. Pounce box, a box for sprinkling pounce. -- Pounce paper, a transparent paper for tracing.

POUNCE Pounce, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Pouncing.]

Defn: To sprinkle or rub with pounce; as, to pounce paper, or a pattern.

POUNCE Pounce, n. Etym: [Prob. through French, from an assumed LL. punctiare to prick, L. pungere, punctum. See Puncheon, Punch, v. t.]

1. The claw or talon of a bird of prey. Spenser. Burke.

2. A punch or stamp. [Obs.] "A pounce to print money with." Withals.

3. Cloth worked in eyelet holes. [Obs.] Homilies.

POUNCE Pounce, v. t.

1. To strike or seize with the talons; to pierce, as with the talons. [Archaic] Stooped from his highest pitch to pounce a wren. Cowper. Now pounce him lightly, And as he roars and rages, let's go deeper. J. Fletcher.

2. To punch; to perforate; to stamp holes in, or dots on, by way of ornament. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.

POUNCE Pounce, v. i.

Defn: To fall suddenly and seize with the claws; -- with on or upon; as, a hawk pounces upon a chicken. Also used figuratively. Derision is never so agonizing as when it pounces on the wanderings of misguided sensibility. Jeffrey.

POUNCED Pounced, a.

1. Furnished with claws or talons; as, the pounced young of the eagle. Thomson.

2. Ornamented with perforations or dots. [Obs.] "Gilt bowls pounced and pierced." Holinshed.

POUNCET BOX Poun"cet box`. Etym: [Cf. F. poncette, fr. ponce pounce. See Pounce a powder.]

Defn: A box with a perforated lid, for sprinkling pounce, or for holding perfumes. Shak.

POUNCING Poun"cing, n.

1. The art or practice of transferring a design by means of pounce.

2. Decorative perforation of cloth. [Obs.]

POUND Pound, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Pounding.] Etym: [OE. pounen, AS. punian to bruise. Cf. Pun a play on words.]

1. To strike repeatedly with some heavy instrument; to beat. With cruel blows she pounds her blubbered cheeks. Dryden.

2. To comminute and pulverize by beating; to bruise or break into fine particles with a pestle or other heavy instrument; as, to pound spice or salt.

POUND Pound, v. i.

1. To strike heavy blows; to beat.

2. (Mach.)

Defn: To make a jarring noise, as in running; as, the engine pounds.

POUND Pound, n. Etym: [AS. pund an inclosure: cf. forpyndan to turn away, or to repress, also Icel. pynda to extort, torment, Ir. pont, pond, pound. Cf. Pinder, Pinfold, Pin to inclose, Pond.]

1. An inclosure, maintained by public authority, in which cattle or other animals are confined when taken in trespassing, or when going at large in violation of law; a pinfold. Shak.

2. A level stretch in a canal between locks.

3. (Fishing)

Defn: A kind of net, having a large inclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward. Pound covert, a pound that is close or covered over, as a shed. -- Pound overt, a pound that is open overhead.

POUND Pound, v. t.

Defn: To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound. Milton.

POUND Pound, n; pl. Pounds, collectively Pound pr Pounds. Etym: [AS. pund, fr. L. pondo, akin to pondus a weight, pendere top weigh. See Pendant.]

1. A certain specified weight; especially, a legal standard consisting of an established number of ounces.

Note: The pound in general use in the United States and in England is the pound avoirdupois, which is divided into sixteen ounces, and contains 7,000 grains. The pound troy is divided into twelve ounces, and contains 5,760 grains. 144 pounds avoirdupois are equal to 175 pounds troy weight. See Avoirdupois, and Troy.

2. A British denomination of money of account, equivalent to twenty shillings sterling, and equal in value to about $4.86. There is no coin known by this name, but the gold sovereign is of the same value.

Note: The pound sterling was in Saxon times, about A. D. 671, a pound troy of silver, and a shilling was its twentieth part; consequently the latter was three times as large as it is at present. Peacham.

POUNDAGE Pound"age, n.

1. A sum deducted from a pound, or a certain sum paid for each pound; a commission.

2. A subsidy of twelve pence in the pound, formerly granted to the crown on all goods exported or imported, and if by aliens, more. [Eng.] Blackstone.

3. (Law)

Defn: The sum allowed to a sheriff or other officer upon the amount realized by an execution; -- estimated in England, and formerly in the United States, at so much of the pound. Burrill. Bouvier.

POUNDAGE Pound"age, v. t.

Defn: To collect, as poundage; to assess, or rate, by poundage. [R.]

POUNDAGE Pound"age, n. Etym: [See 3d Pound.]

1. Confinement of cattle, or other animals, in a public pound.

2. A charge paid for the release of impounded cattle.

POUNDAL Pound"al, n. Etym: [From 5th Pound.] (Physics & Mech.)

Defn: A unit of force based upon the pound, foot, and second, being the force which, acting on a pound avoirdupois for one second, causes it to acquire by the of that time a velocity of one foot per second. It is about equal to the weight of half an ounce, and is 13,825 dynes.

POUND-BREACH Pound"-breach`, n.

Defn: The breaking of a public pound for releasing impounded animals. Blackstone.

POUNDCAKE Pound"cake`, n.

Defn: A kind of rich, sweet cake; -- so called from the ingredients being used by pounds, or in equal quantities.

POUNDER Pound"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, pounds, as a stamp in an ore mill.

2. An instrument used for pounding; a pestle.

3. A person or thing, so called with reference to a certain number of pounds in value, weight, capacity, etc.; as, a cannon carrying a twelve-pound ball is called a twelve pounder.

Note: Before the English reform act of 1867, one who was an elector by virtue of paying ten pounds rent was called a ten pounder.

POUNDING Pound"ing, n.

1. The act of beating, bruising, or breaking up; a beating.

2. A pounded or pulverized substance. [R.] "Covered with the poundings of these rocks." J. S. Blackie.

POUNDKEEPER; POUND-KEEPER Pound"keep`er, n.

Defn: The keeper of a pound.

POUNDRATE Pound"*rate`, n.

Defn: A rate or proportion estimated at a certain amount for each pound; poundage.

POUP Poup, v. i.

Defn: See Powp. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POUPART'S LIGAMENT Pou*part's" lig"a*ment. (Anat.)

Defn: A ligament, of fascia, extending, in most mammals, from the ventral side of the ilium to near the symphysis of the pubic bones.

POUPETON Pou"pe*ton, n. Etym: [See Puppet.]

Defn: A puppet, or little baby. [Obs.] Palsgrave.

POUR Pour, a.

Defn: Poor. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POUR Pour, v. i.

Defn: To pore. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POUR Pour, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poured; p. pr. & vb. n. Pouring.] Etym: [OE. pouren, of uncertain origin; cf. W. bwrw to cast, throw, shed, bwrw gwlaw to rain.]

1. To cause to flow in a stream, as a liquid or anything flowing like a liquid, either out of a vessel or into it; as, to pour water from a pail; to pour wine into a decanter; to pour oil upon the waters; to pour out sand or dust.

2. To send forth as in a stream or a flood; to emit; to let escape freely or wholly. I . . . have poured out my soul before the Lord. 1 Sam. i. 15. Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee. Ezek. vii. 8. London doth pour out her citizens ! Shak. Wherefore did Nature pour her bounties forth With such a full and unwithdrawing hand Milton.

3. To send forth from, as in a stream; to discharge uninterruptedly. Is it for thee the linnet pours his throat Pope.

POUR Pour, v. i.

Defn: To flow, pass, or issue in a stream, or as a stream; to fall continuously and abundantly; as, the rain pours; the people poured out of the theater. In the rude throng pour on with furious pace. Gay.

POUR Pour, n.

Defn: A stream, or something like a stream; a flood. [Colloq.] "A pour of rain." Miss Ferrier.

POURELICHE Poure"liche`, adv.

Defn: Poorly. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POURER Pour"er, n.

Defn: One who pours.

POURLIEU Pour"lieu, n.

Defn: See Purlieu.

POURPARLER Pour`par`ler", n. Etym: [F.] (Diplomacy)

Defn: A consultation preliminary to a treaty.

POURPARTY Pour`par"ty, n.; pl. Pourparties. Etym: [See Purparty.] (Law)

Defn: A division; a divided share. To make pourparty, to divide and apportion lands previously held in common.

POURPOINT Pour"point, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A quilted military doublet or gambeson worn in the 14th and 15th centuries; also, a name for the doublet of the 16th and 17th centuries worn by civilians.

POURPRESTURE Pour*pres"ture, n. (Law)

Defn: See Purpresture.

POURSUIVANT Pour"sui*vant, n.

Defn: See Pursuivant.

POURTRAY Pour*tray", v. t.

Defn: See Portray.

POURVEYANCE Pour*vey"ance, n.

Defn: See Purveyance.

POUSSE Pousse, n.

Defn: Pulse; pease. [Obs.] Spenser.

POUSSE-CAFE Pousse"-ca`fé", n. [F., fr. pousser to push + café coffee.]

Defn: A drink served after coffee at dinner, usually one of several liqueurs, or cordials, of different specific gravities poured so as to remain separate in layers; hence, such a drink of cordials served at any time.

POUSSETTE Pous*sette", n. Etym: [F., pushpin, fr. pousser to push. See Push.]

Defn: A movement, or part of a figure, in the contradance. Dickens.

POUSSETTE Pous*sette", v. i.

Defn: To perform a certain movement in a dance. [R.] Tennyson. Down the middle, up again, poussette, and cross. J. & H. Smith.

POU STO Pou sto (poo sto; pou sto). [Gr. poy^ stw^ where I may stand; -- from the reputed saying of Archimedes, "Give me where I may stand and I will move the whole world with my steelyard."]

Defn: A place to stand upon; a locus standi; hence, a foundation or basis for operations.

POUT Pout, n. Etym: [F. poulet. See Poult.]

Defn: The young of some birds, as grouse; a young fowl. Carew.

POUT Pout, v. i.

Defn: To shoot pouts. [Scot.]

POUT Pout, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pouted; p. pr. & vb. n. Pouting.] Etym: [OE. pouten, of uncertain origin; cf. Prov. pot lip, Prov. F. potte, faire la potte to pout, W. pwdu to pout, be sullen, poten, potten, a paunch, belly.]

1. To thrust out the lips, as in sullenness or displeasure; hence, to look sullen. Thou poutest upon thy fortune and thy love. Shak.

2 2

Defn: To protrude. "Pouting lips." Dryden.

POUT Pout, n.

Defn: A sullen protrusion of the lips; a fit of sullenness. "Jack's in the pouts." J. & H. Smith.

POUT Pout, n. Etym: [Cf. Eelpout.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European whiting pout or bib. Eel pout. (Zoöl.) See Eelpout. -- Horn pout, or Horned pout. (Zoöl.) See Bullhead (b).

POUTER Pout"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, pouts.

2. Etym: [Cf. E. pout, and G. puter turkey.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A variety of the domestic pigeon remarkable for the extent to which it is able to dilate its throat and breast.

POUTING Pout"ing, n.

Defn: Childish sullenness.

POUTINGLY Pout"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a pouting, or a sullen, manner.

POVERT Pov"ert, n.

Defn: Poverty. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POVERTY Pov"er*ty, n. Etym: [OE. poverte, OF. poverté, F. pauvreté, fr. L. paupertas, fr. pauper poor. See Poor.]

1. The quality or state of being poor or indigent; want or scarcity of means of subsistence; indigence; need. "Swathed in numblest poverty." Keble. The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty. Prov. xxiii. 21.

2. Any deficiency of elements or resources that are needed or desired, or that constitute richness; as, poverty of soil; poverty of the blood; poverty of ideas. Poverty grass (Bot.), a name given to several slender grasses (as Aristida dichotoma, and Danthonia spicata) which often spring up on old and worn-out fields.

Syn. -- Indigence; penury; beggary; need; lack; want; scantiness; sparingness; meagerness; jejuneness. Poverty, Indigence, Pauperism. Poverty is a relative term; what is poverty to a monarch, would be competence for a day laborer. Indigence implies extreme distress, and almost absolute destitution. Pauperism denotes entire dependence upon public charity, and, therefore, often a hopeless and degraded state.

POWAN; POWEN Pow"an, Pow"en, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small British lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeoides, or C. ferus); -- called also gwyniad and lake herring.

POWDER Pow"der, n. Etym: [OE. poudre, pouldre, F. poudre, OF. also poldre, puldre, L. pulvis, pulveris: cf. pollen fine flour, mill dust, E. pollen. Cf. Polverine, Pulverize.]

1. The fine particles to which any dry substance is reduced by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or into which it falls by decay; dust. Grind their bones to powder small. Shak.

2. An explosive mixture used in gunnery, blasting, etc.; gunpowder. See Gunpowder. Atlas powder, Baking powder, etc. See under Atlas, Baking, etc. -- Powder down (Zoöl.), the peculiar dust, or exfoliation, of powder-down feathers. -- Powder-down feather (Zoöl.), one of a peculiar kind of modified feathers which sometimes form patches on certain parts of some birds. They have a greasy texture and a scaly exfoliation. -- Powder-down patch (Zoöl.), a tuft or patch of powder-down feathers. -- Powder hose, a tube of strong linen, about an inch in diameter, filled with powder and used in firing mines. Farrow. -- Powder hoy (Naut.), a vessel specially fitted to carry powder for the supply of war ships. They are usually painted red and carry a red flag. -- Powder magazine, or Powder room. See Magazine, 2. -- Powder mine, a mine exploded by gunpowder. See Mine. -- Powder monkey (Naut.), a boy formerly employed on war vessels to carry powder; a powder boy. -- Powder post. See Dry rot, under Dry. -- Powder puff. See Puff, n.

POWDER Pow"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Powdered; p. pr. & vb. n. Powdering.] Etym: [F. poudrer.]

1. To reduce to fine particles; to pound, grind, or rub into a powder; to comminute; to pulverize; to triturate.

2. To sprinkle with powder, or as with powder; to be sprinkle; as, to powder the hair. A circling zone thou seest Powdered with stars. Milton.

3. To sprinkle with salt; to corn, as meat. [Obs.]

POWDER Pow"der, v. i.

1. To be reduced to powder; to become like powder; as, some salts powder easily.

2. To use powder on the hair or skin; as, she paints and powders.

POWDERED Pow"dered, a.

1. Reduced to a powder; sprinkled with, or as with, powder.

2. Sprinkled with salt; salted; corned. [Obs.] Powdered beef, pickled meats. Harvey.

3. (Her.)

Defn: Same as Semé. Walpole.

POWDERFLASK Pow"der*flask`, n.

Defn: A flask in which gunpowder is carried, having a charging tube at the end.

POWDERHORN Pow"der*horn`, n.

Defn: A horn in which gunpowder is carried.

POWDERING Pow"der*ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Powder, v. t. Powdering tub. (a) A tub or vessel in which meat is corned or salted. (b) A heated tub in which an infected lecher was placed for cure. [Obs.] Shak.

POWDERMILL Pow"der*mill`, n.

Defn: A mill in which gunpowder is made.

POWDER-POSTED Pow"der-post`ed, a.

Defn: Affected with dry rot; reduced to dust by rot. See Dry rot, under Dry. [U.S.]

POWDERY Pow"der*y, a.

1. Easily crumbling to pieces; friable; loose; as, a powdery spar.

2. Sprinkled or covered with powder; dusty; as, the powdery bloom on plums.

3. Resembling powder; consisting of powder. "The powdery snow." Wordsworth.

POWDIKE Pow"dike, n. Etym: [Scot. pow, pou, a pool, a watery or marshy place, fr. E. pool.]

Defn: A dike a marsh or fen. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

POWDRY Pow"dry, a.

Defn: See Powdery.

POWER Pow"er, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Poor, the fish.

POWER Pow"er, n. Etym: [OE. pouer, poer, OF. poeir, pooir, F. pouvoir, n. & v., fr. LL. potere, for L. posse, potesse, to be able, to have power. See Possible, Potent, and cf. Posse comitatus.]

1. Ability to act, regarded as latent or inherent; the faculty of doing or performing something; capacity for action or performance; capability of producing an effect, whether physical or moral: potency; might; as, a man of great power; the power of capillary attraction; money gives power. "One next himself in power, and next in crime." Milton.

2. Ability, regarded as put forth or exerted; strength, force, or energy in action; as, the power of steam in moving an engine; the power of truth, or of argument, in producing conviction; the power of enthusiasm. "The power of fancy." Shak.

3. Capacity of undergoing or suffering; fitness to be acted upon; susceptibility; -- called also passive power; as, great power of endurance. Power, then, is active and passive; faculty is active power or capacity; capacity is passive power. Sir W. Hamilton.

4. The exercise of a faculty; the employment of strength; the exercise of any kind of control; influence; dominion; sway; command; government. Power is no blessing in itself but when it is employed to protect the innocent. Swift.

5. The agent exercising an ability to act; an individual invested with authority; an institution, or government, which exercises control; as, the great powers of Europe; hence, often, a superhuman agent; a spirit; a divinity. "The powers of darkness." Milton. And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. Matt. xxiv. 29.

6. A military or naval force; an army or navy; a great host. Spenser. Never such a power . . . Was levied in the body of a land. Shak.

7. A large quantity; a great number; as, a power o. [Colloq.] Richardson.

8. (Mech.) (a) The rate at which mechanical energy is exerted or mechanical work performed, as by an engine or other machine, or an animal, working continuously; as, an engine of twenty horse power.

Note: The English unit of power used most commonly is the horse power. See Horse power. (b) A mechanical agent; that from which useful mechanical energy is derived; as, water power; steam power; hand power, etc. (c) Applied force; force producing motion or pressure; as, the power applied at one and of a lever to lift a weight at the other end.

Note: This use in mechanics, of power as a synonym for force, is improper and is becoming obsolete. (d) A machine acted upon by an animal, and serving as a motor to drive other machinery; as, a dog power.

Note: Power is used adjectively, denoting, driven, or adapted to be driven, by machinery, and not actuated directly by the hand or foot; as, a power lathe; a power loom; a power press.

9. (Math.)

Defn: The product arising from the multiplication of a number into itself; as, a square is the second power, and a cube is third power, of a number.

10. ( (Metaph.)

Defn: Mental or moral ability to act; one of the faculties which are possessed by the mind or soul; as, the power of thinking, reasoning, judging, willing, fearing, hoping, etc. I. Watts. The guiltiness of my mind, the sudden surprise of my powers, drove the grossness . . . into a received belief. Shak.

11. (Optics)

Defn: The degree to which a lens, mirror, or any optical instrument, magnifies; in the telescope, and usually in the microscope, the number of times it multiplies, or augments, the apparent diameter of an object; sometimes, in microscopes, the number of times it multiplies the apparent surface.

12. (Law)

Defn: An authority enabling a person to dispose of an interest vested either in himself or in another person; ownership by appointment. Wharton.

13. Hence, vested authority to act in a given case; as, the business was referred to a committee with power.

Note: Power may be predicated of inanimate agents, like the winds and waves, electricity and magnetism, gravitation, etc., or of animal and intelligent beings; and when predicated of these beings, it may indicate physical, mental, or moral ability or capacity. Mechanical powers. See under Mechanical. -- Power loom, or Power press. See Def. 8 (d), note. -- Power of attorney. See under Attorney. -- Power of a point (relative to a given curve) (Geom.), the result of substituting the coördinates of any point in that expression which being put equal to zero forms the equation of the curve; as, x2 + y2 - 100 is the power of the point x, y, relative to the circle x2 + y2 - 100 = 0.

POWERABLE Pow"er*a*ble, a.

1. Capable of being effected or accomplished by the application of power; possible. [R.] J. Young.

2. Capable of exerting power; powerful. Camden.

POWERFUL Pow"er*ful, a.

1. Full of power; capable of producing great effects of any kind; potent; mighty; efficacious; intense; as, a powerful man or beast; a powerful engine; a powerful argument; a powerful light; a powerful vessel. The powerful grace that lies In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities. Shak.

2. (Mining)

Defn: Large; capacious; -- said of veins of ore.

Syn. -- Mighty; strong; potent; forcible; efficacious; energetic; intense. -- Pow"er*ful*ly, adv. -- Pow"er*ful*ness, n.

POWERLESS Pow"er*less, a.

Defn: Destitute of power, force, or energy; weak; impotent; not able to produce any effect. -- Pow"er*less*ly, adv. -- Pow"er*less*ness, n.

POWLDRON Powl"dron, n. Etym: [OF. espauleron, from espaule shoulder, F. épaule.]

Defn: Same as Pauldron.

POWP Powp, v. i.

Defn: See Poop, v. i. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POWTER Pow"ter, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Pouter.

POWWOW Pow"wow`, n.

1. A priest, or conjurer, among the North American Indians. Be it sagamore, sachem, or powwow. Longfellow.

2. Conjuration attended with great noise and confusion, and often with feasting, dancing, etc., performed by Indians for the cure of diseases, to procure success in hunting or in war, and for other purposes.

3. Hence: Any assembly characterized by noise and confusion; a noisy frolic or gathering. [Colloq. U. S.]

POWWOW Pow"wow`, v. i.

1. To use conjuration, with noise and confusion, for the cure of disease, etc., as among the North American Indians.

2. Hence: To hold a noisy, disorderly meeting. [Colloq. U. S.]

POX Pox, n. Etym: [For pocks, OE. pokkes. See Pock. It is plural in form but is used as a singular.] (Med.)

Defn: Strictly, a disease by pustules or eruptions of any kind, but chiefly or wholly restricted to three or four diseases, -- the smallpox, the chicken pox, and the vaccine and the venereal diseases.

Note: Pox, when used without an epithet, as in imprecations, formerly signified smallpox; but it now signifies syphilis.

POX Pox, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poxed; p. pr. & vb. n. Poxing.]

Defn: To infect with the pox, or syphilis.

POY Poy, n. Etym: [OF. apui, apoi, a support, prop., staff, F. appui, fr. OF. apuier, apoier, to support, F. appuyer, fr. à to (L. ad) + OF. pui, poi, a rising ground, hill, L. podium. See Podium, Pew.]

1. A support; -- used in composition; as, teapoy.

2. A ropedancer's balancing pole. Johnson.

3. A long boat hook by which barges are propelled against the stream. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

POYNADO Poy*na"do, n.

Defn: A poniard. [Obs.] Lyly.

POYND; POYNDER Poynd, v., Poynd"er (, n.

Defn: See Poind, Poinder.

POY NETTE Poy nette", n. Etym: [Cf. Point.]

Defn: A bodkin. [Obs.]

POYNTEL Poyn"tel, n. Etym: [See Pointal.] (Arch.)

Defn: Paving or flooring made of small squares or lozenges set diagonally. [Formerly written pointal.]

POYOU Poy"ou, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A South American armadillo (Dasypus sexcinctus). Called also sixbanded armadillo.

POZE Poze, v. t.

Defn: See 5th Pose.

POZZUOLANA; POZZOLANA Poz`zu*o*la"na, Poz`zo*la"*na, n. Etym: [It.]

Defn: Volcanic ashes from Pozzuoli, in Italy, used in the manufacture of a kind of mortar which hardens under water.

PRAAM Praam, n. Etym: [D. praam; cf. G. prahm, F. prame; all of Slavonic origin, from a word akin to E. fare. See Fare.] (Naut.)

Defn: A flat-bottomed boat or lighter, -- used in Holland and the Baltic, and sometimes armed in case of war. [Written also pram, and prame.]

PRACTIC Prac"tic, a. Etym: [See Practical.]

1. Practical.

2. Artful; deceitful; skillful. [Obs.] "Cunning sleights and practick knavery." Spenser.

PRACTICABILITY Prac"ti*ca*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being practicable; practicableness; feasibility. "The practicability of such a project." Stewart.

PRACTICABLE Prac"ti*ca*ble, a. Etym: [LL. practicare to act, transact, fr. L. practicus active, Gr. practicable, pratiquer to practice. See Practical.]

1. That may be practiced or performed; capable of being done or accomplished with available means or resources; feasible; as, a practicable method; a practicable aim; a practicable good.

2. Capable of being used; passable; as, a practicable weapon; a practicable road. Practicable breach (Mil.), a breach which admits of approach and entrance by an assailing party.

Syn. -- Possible; feasible. -- Practicable, Possible. A thing may be possible, i. e., not forbidden by any law of nature, and yet may not now be practicable for want of the means requisite to its performance. -- Prac"ti*ca*ble*ness, n. -- Prac"ti*ca*bly, adv.

PRACTICAL Prac"ti*cal, a. Etym: [L. practicus active, Gr. pratique, formerly also practique. Cf. Pragmatic, Practice.]

1. Of or pertaining to practice or action.

2. Capable of being turned to use or account; useful, in distinction from ideal or theoretical; as, practical chemistry. "Man's practical understanding." South. "For all practical purposes." Macaulay.

3. Evincing practice or skill; capable of applying knowledge to some useful end; as, a practical man; a practical mind.

4. Derived from practice; as, practical skill. Practical joke, a joke put in practice; a joke the fun of which consists in something done, in distinction from something said; esp., a trick played upon a person.

PRACTICALITY Prac`ti*cal"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being practical; practicalness.

PRACTICALIZE Prac"ti*cal*ize, v. t.

Defn: To render practical. [R.] "Practicalizing influences." J. S. Mill.

PRACTICALLY Prac"ti*cal*ly, adv.

Defn: 1. In a practical way; not theoretically; really; as, to look at things practically; practically worthless.

2. By means of practice or use; by experience or experiment; as, practically wise or skillful; practically acquainted with a subject.

3. In practice or use; as, a medicine practically safe; theoretically wrong, but practically right. 4. Almost.

PRACTICALNESS Prac"ti*cal*ness, n.

Defn: Same as Practicality.

PRACTICE Prac"tice, n. Etym: [OE. praktike, practique, F. pratique, formerly also, practique, LL. practica, fr. Gr. Practical, and cf. Pratique, Pretty.]

1. Frequently repeated or customary action; habitual performance; a succession of acts of a similar kind; usage; habit; custom; as, the practice of rising early; the practice of making regular entries of accounts; the practice of daily exercise. A heart . . . exercised with covetous practices. 2 Pet. ii. 14.

2. Customary or constant use; state of being used. Obsolete words may be revived when they are more sounding or more significant than those in practice. Dryden.

3. Skill or dexterity acquired by use; expertness. [R.] "His nice fence and his active practice." Shak.

4. Actual performance; application of knowledge; -- opposed to theory. There are two functions of the soul, -- contemplation and practice. South. There is a distinction, but no opposition, between theory and practice; each, to a certain extent, supposes the other; theory is dependent on practice; practice must have preceded theory. Sir W. Hamilton.

5. Systematic exercise for instruction or discipline; as, the troops are called out for practice; she neglected practice in music.

6. Application of science to the wants of men; the exercise of any profession; professional business; as, the practice of medicine or law; a large or lucrative practice. Practice is exercise of an art, or the application of a science in life, which application is itself an art. Sir W. Hamilton.

7. Skillful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; art; stratagem; artifice; plot; -- usually in a bad sense. [Obs.] Bacon. He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer. Sir P. Sidney.

8. (Math.)

Defn: A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.

9. (Law)

Defn: The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts. Bouvier.

Syn. -- Custom; usage; habit; manner.

PRACTICE Prac"tice, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Practiced; p. pr. & vb. n. Practicing.] Etym: [Often written practise, practised, practising.]

1. To do or perform frequently, customarily, or habitually; to make a practice of; as, to practice gaming. "Incline not my heart . . . practice wicked works." Ps. cxli. 4.

2. To exercise, or follow, as a profession, trade, art, etc., as, to practice law or medicine.

2. To exercise one's self in, for instruction or improvement, or to acquire discipline or dexterity; as, to practice gunnery; to practice music.

4. To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do. "Aught but Talbot's shadow whereon to practice your severity." Shak. As this advice ye practice or neglect. Pope.

5. To make use of; to employ. [Obs.] In malice to this good knight's wife, I practiced Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her. Massinger.

6. To teach or accustom by practice; to train. In church they are taught to love God; after church they are practiced to love their neighbor. Landor.

PRACTICE Prac"tice, v. i. Etym: [Often written practise.]

1. To perform certain acts frequently or customarily, either for instruction, profit, or amusement; as, to practice with the broadsword or with the rifle; to practice on the piano. practise

2. To learn by practice; to form a habit. They shall practice how to live secure. Milton. Practice first over yourself to reign. Waller.

3. To try artifices or stratagems. He will practice against thee by poison. Shak.

4. To apply theoretical science or knowledge, esp. by way of experiment; to exercise or pursue an employment or profession, esp. that of medicine or of law. [I am] little inclined to practice on others, and as little that others should practice on me. Sir W. Temple.

PRACTICED Prac"ticed, a. Etym: [Often written practised.]

1. Experienced; expert; skilled; as, a practiced marksman. "A practiced picklock." Ld. Lytton.

2. Used habitually; learned by practice.

PRACTICER Prac"ti*cer, n. Etym: [Often written practiser.]

1. One who practices, or puts in practice; one who customarily performs certain acts. South.

2. One who exercises a profession; a practitioner.

3. One who uses art or stratagem. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

PRACTICIAN Prac*ti"cian, n. Etym: [F. praticien, OF. also practicien.]

Defn: One who is acquainted with, or skilled in, anything by practice; a practitioner.

PRACTICK Prac"tick, n.

Defn: Practice. [Obs.] Chaucer.

PRACTICO Prac"ti*co, n.; pl. Practicos (#). [Sp., lit., experienced, skilled. Cf. Practical.]

Defn: A guide. [Cuba & Phil. Islands] D. C. Worcester.

PRACTISANT Prac"ti*sant, n.

Defn: An agent or confederate in treachery. [Obs.] Shak.

PRACTISE Prac"tise, v. t. & i.

Defn: See Practice.

Note: The analogy of the English language requires that the noun and verb which are pronounced alike should agree in spelling. Thus we have notice (n. & v.), noticed, noticing, noticer; poultice (n. & v.); apprentice (n. & v.); office (n. & v.), officer (n.); lattice (n.), latticed (a.); benefice (n.), beneficed (a.), etc. Cf. sacrifice (surmise (promise (compromise (advice (advise (device (devise (

PRACTISOUR Prac"ti*sour, n.

Defn: A practitioner. [Obs.]

PRACTITIONER Prac*ti"tion*er, n. Etym: [From Practician.]

1. One who is engaged in the actual use or exercise of any art or profession, particularly that of law or medicine. Crabbe.

2. One who does anything customarily or habitually.

3. A sly or artful person. Whitgift. General practitioner. See under General, 2.

PRACTIVE Prac"tive, a.

Defn: Doing; active. [Obs.] Sylvester. -- Prac"tive*ly, adv. [Obs.] The preacher and the people both, Then practively did thrive. Warner.

PRAD Prad, n. Etym: [Cf. D. paard.]

Defn: A horse. [Colloq. Eng.]

PRAE- Præ-.

Defn: A prefix. See Pre-.

PRAECAVA Præ"ca`va, n. Etym: [NL. See Pre-, and 1st Cave.] (Anat.)

Defn: The superior vena cava. -- Præ"ca`val, a. B. G. Wilder.

PRAECIPE Præc"i*pe, n. Etym: [L., imperative of praecipere to give rules or precepts. See Precept.] (Law) (a) A writ commanding something to be done, or requiring a reason for neglecting it. (b) A paper containing the particulars of a writ, lodged in the office out of which the writ is to be issued. Wharton.

PRAECOCES Præ"co*ces, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Precocious.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of birds including those whose young are able to run about when first hatched.

PRAECOCIAL Præ*co"cial, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Præcoces.

PRAECOGNITA Præ*cog"ni*ta, n. pl. Etym: [L. praecognitus, p. p. of praecognoscere to foreknow. See Pre-, and Cognition.]

Defn: This previously known, or which should be known in order to understand something else.

PRAECOMMISSURE Præ*com"mis*sure, n. Etym: [Pref. præ + commissure.] (Anat.)

Defn: A transverse commissure in the anterior part of the third ventricle of the brain; the anterior cerebral commissure.

PRAECORACOID Præ*cor"a*coid, n. (Anat.)

Defn: See Precoracoid.

PRAECORDIA Præ*cor"di*a, n. Etym: [L., fr. prae before + cor, cordis, the heart.] (Anat.)

Defn: The front part of the thoracic region; the epigastrium.

PRAECORDIAL Præ*cor"di*al, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Same as Precordial.

PRAECORNU Præ*cor"nu, n.; pl. Præcornua. Etym: [NL. See Pre-, and Cornu.] (Anat.)

Defn: The anterior horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain. B. G. Wilder.

PRAEDIAL Præ"di*al, a.

Defn: See Predial.

PRAEFLORATION Præ`flo*ra"tion, n.

Defn: Same as Prefloration. Gray.

PRAEFOLIATION Præ*fo`li*a"tion, n.

Defn: Same as Prefoliation. Gray.

PRAEMAXILLA Præ`max*il"la, n.

Defn: See Premaxilla.

PRAEMOLAR Præ*mo"lar, a.

Defn: See Premolar.

PRAEMORSE Præ*morse", a.

Defn: Same as Premorse.

PRAEMUNIRE Præm`u*ni"re, n. Etym: [Corrupted from L. praemonere to forewarn, cite. See Admonish.] (Eng. Law) (a) The offense of introducing foreign authority into England, the penalties for which were originally intended to depress the civil power of the pope in the kingdom. (b) The writ grounded on that offense. Wharton. (c) The penalty ascribed for the offense of præmunire. Wolsey incurred a præmunire, and forfeited his honor, estate, and life. South.

Note: The penalties of præmunire were subsequently applied to many other offenses; but prosecutions upon a præmunire are at this day unheard of in the English courts. Blackstone.

PRAEMUNIRE Præm`u*ni"re, v. t.

1. The subject to the penalties of præmunire. [Obs.] T. Ward.

PRAEMUNITORY Præ*mu"ni*to*ry, a.

Defn: See Premunitory.

PRAENARES Præ*na"res, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pre-, Nares.] (Anat.)

Defn: The anterior nares. See Nares. B. G. Wilder.

PRAENASAL Præ*na"sal, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Same as Prenasal.

PRAENOMEN Præ*no"men, n.; pl. Prænomina. Etym: [L., fr. prae before + nomen name.] (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: The first name of a person, by which individuals of the same family were distinguished, answering to our Christian name, as Caius, Lucius, Marcus, etc.

PRAENOMINICAL Præ`no*min"ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a prænomen. [Obs.] M. A. Lower.

PRAEOPERCULUM Præ`o*per"cu*lum, n. Etym: [NL.] (Anat.)

Defn: Same as Preoperculum. -- Præ`o*per"cu*lar, a.

PRAEORAL; PRAEPUBIS; PRAESCAPULA; PRAESCUTUM; PRAESTERNUM Præ*o"ral, n., Præ*pu"bis, n., Præ*scap"u*la, n., Præ*scu"tum, n., Præ*ster"num, n.

Defn: Same as Preoral, Prepubis, Prescapula, etc.

PRAETER- Præ"ter-.

Defn: A prefix. See Preter-.

PRAETERIST Præt"er*ist, n. (Theol.)

Defn: See Preterist.

PRAETERMIT Præ`ter*mit", v. t.

Defn: See Pretermit.

PRAETEXTA Præ*tex"ta, n.; pl. Prætextæ, E. Prætextas. Etym: [L. (sc. toga), fr. praetextus, p. p. of praetexere to weave before, to fringe, border; prae before + texere to weave.] (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: A white robe with a purple border, worn by a Roman boy before he was entitled to wear the toga virilis, or until about the completion of his fourteenth year, and by girls until their marriage. It was also worn by magistrates and priests.

PRAETOR Præ"tor, n.

Defn: See Pretor.

PRAETORES Præ*to"res, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Pretor.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of butterflies including the satyrs.

PRAETORIAN Præ*to"ri*an, a.

Defn: See Pretorian.

PRAETORIUM Præ*to"ri*um, n.

Defn: See Pretorium.

PRAEZYGAPOPHYSIS Præ*zyg`a*poph"y*sis, n. (Anat.)

Defn: Same as Prezygapophysis.

PRAGMATIC; PRAGMATICAL Prag*mat"ic, Prag*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. pragmaticus busy, active, skilled in business, especially in law and state affairs, systematic, Gr. pragmatique. See Practical.]

1. Of or pertaining to business or to affairs; of the nature of business; practical; material; businesslike in habit or manner. The next day . . . I began to be very pragmatical. Evelyn. We can not always be contemplative, diligent, or pragmatical, abroad; but have need of some delightful intermissions. Milton. Low, pragmatical, earthly views of the gospel. Hare.

2. Busy; specifically, busy in an objectionable way; officious; fussy and positive; meddlesome. "Pragmatical officers of justice." Sir W. Scott. The fellow grew so pragmatical that he took upon him the government of my whole family. Arbuthnot.

3. Philosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; -- said of literature. "Pragmatic history." Sir W. Hamilton. "Pragmatic poetry." M. Arnold. Pragmatic sanction, a solemn ordinance or decree issued by the head or legislature of a state upon weighty matters; -- a term derived from the Byzantine empire. In European history, two decrees under this name are particularly celebrated. One of these, issued by Charles VII. of France, A. D. 1438, was the foundation of the liberties of the Gallican church; the other, issued by Charles VI. of Germany, A. D. 1724, settled his hereditary dominions on his eldest daughter, the Archduchess Maria Theresa.

PRAGMATIC Prag*mat"ic, n.

1. One skilled in affairs. My attorney and solicitor too; a fine pragmatic. B. Jonson.

2. A solemn public ordinance or decree. A royal pragmatic was accordingly passed. Prescott.

PRAGMATICALLY Prag*mat"ic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a pragmatical manner.

PRAGMATICALNESS Prag*mat"ic*al*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being pragmatical.

PRAGMATISM Prag"ma*tism, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being pragmatic; in literature, the pragmatic, or philosophical, method. The narration of this apparently trifling circumstance belongs to the pragmatism of the history. A. Murphy.

PRAGMATIST Prag"ma*tist, n.

Defn: One who is pragmatic.

PRAGMATIZE Prag"ma*tize, v. t.

Defn: To consider, represent, or embody (something unreal) as fact; to materialize. [R.] "A pragmatized metaphor." Tylor.

PRAIRIAL Prai`ri`al", n. Etym: [F., fr. prairie meadow.]

Defn: The ninth month of the French Republican calendar, which dated from September 22, 1792. It began May, 20, and ended June 18. See Vendemiaire.

PRAIRIE Prai"rie, n. Etym: [F., an extensive meadow, OF. praerie, LL. prataria, fr. L. pratum a meadow.]

1. An extensive tract of level or rolling land, destitute of trees, covered with coarse grass, and usually characterized by a deep, fertile soil. They abound throughout the Mississippi valley, between the Alleghanies and the Rocky mountains. From the forests and the prairies, From the great lakes of the northland. Longfellow.

2. A meadow or tract of grass; especially, a so called natural meadow. Prairie chicken (Zoöl.), any American grouse of the genus Tympanuchus, especially T. Americanus (formerly T. cupido), which inhabits the prairies of the central United States. Applied also to the sharp-tailed grouse. -- Prairie clover (Bot.), any plant of the leguminous genus Petalostemon, having small rosy or white flowers in dense terminal heads or spikes. Several species occur in the prairies of the United States. -- Prairie dock (Bot.), a coarse composite plant (Silphium terebinthaceum) with large rough leaves and yellow flowers, found in the Western prairies. -- Prairie dog (Zoöl.), a small American rodent (Cynomys Ludovicianus) allied to the marmots. It inhabits the plains west of the Mississippi. The prairie dogs burrow in the ground in large warrens, and have a sharp bark like that of a dog. Called also prairie marmot. -- Prairie grouse. Same as Prairie chicken, above. -- Prairie hare (Zoöl.), a large long-eared Western hare (Lepus campestris). See Jack rabbit, under 2d Jack. -- Prairie hawk, Prairie falcon (Zoöl.), a falcon of Western North America (Falco Mexicanus). The upper parts are brown. The tail has transverse bands of white; the under parts, longitudinal streaks and spots of brown. -- Prairie hen. (Zoöl.) Same as Prairie chicken, above. -- Prairie itch (Med.), an affection of the skin attended with intense itching, which is observed in the Northern and Western United States; -- also called swamp itch, winter itch. -- Prairie marmot. (Zoöl.) Same as Prairie dog, above. -- Prairie mole (Zoöl.), a large American mole (Scalops argentatus), native of the Western prairies. -- Prairie pigeon, plover, or snipe (Zoöl.), the upland plover. See Plover, n., 2. -- Prairie rattlesnake (Zoöl.), the massasauga. -- Prairie snake (Zoöl.), a large harmless American snake (Masticophis flavigularis). It is pale yellow, tinged with brown above. -- Prairie squirrel (Zoöl.), any American ground squirrel of the genus Spermophilus, inhabiting prairies; -- called also gopher. -- Prairie turnip (Bot.), the edible turnip-shaped farinaceous root of a leguminous plant (Psoralea esculenta) of the Upper Missouri region; also, the plant itself. Called also pomme blanche, and pomme de prairie. -- Prairie warbler (Zoöl.), a bright-colored American warbler (Dendroica discolor). The back is olive yellow, with a group of reddish spots in the middle; the under parts and the parts around the eyes are bright yellow; the sides of the throat and spots along the sides, black; three outer tail feathers partly white. -- Prairie wolf. (Zoöl.) See Coyote.

PRAIRIE STATE Prai"rie State.

Defn: Illinois; -- a nickname.

PRAISABLE Prais"a*ble, a.

Defn: Fit to be praised; praise-worthy; laudable; commendable. Wyclif (2 Tim. ii. 15).

PRAISABLY Prais"a*bly, adv.

Defn: In a praisable manner.

PRAISE Praise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Praised; p. pr. & vb. n. Praising.] Etym: [OE. preisen, OF. preisier, prisier, F. priser, L. pretiare to prize, fr. pretium price. See Price, n., and cf. Appreciate, Praise, n., Prize, v.]

1. To commend; to applaud; to express approbation of; to laud; -- applied to a person or his acts. "I praise well thy wit." Chaucer. Let her own works praise her in the gates. Prov. xxxi. 31. We praise not Hector, though his name, we know, Is great in arms; 't is hard to praise a foe. Dryden.

2. To extol in words or song; to magnify; to glorify on account of perfections or excellent works; to do honor to; to display the excellence of; -- applied especially to the Divine Being. Praise ye him, all his angels; praise ye him, all his hosts! Ps. cxlviii. 2.

3. To value; to appraise. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.

Syn. -- To commend; laud; eulogize; celebrate; glorify; magnify. -- To Praise, Applaud, Extol. To praise is to set at high price; to applaud is to greet with clapping; to extol is to bear aloft, to exalt. We may praise in the exercise of calm judgment; we usually applaud from impulse, and on account of some specific act; we extol under the influence of high admiration, and usually in strong, if not extravagant, language.

PRAISE Praise, n. Etym: [OE. preis, OF. preis price, worth, value, estimation. See Praise, v., Price.]

1. Commendation for worth; approval expressed; honor rendered because of excellence or worth; laudation; approbation. There are men who always confound the praise of goodness with the practice. Rambler.

Note: Praise may be expressed by an individual, and thus differs from fame, renown, and celebrity, which are always the expression of the approbation of numbers, or public commendation.

2. Especially, the joyful tribute of gratitude or homage rendered to the Divine Being; the act of glorifying or extolling the Creator; worship, particularly worship by song, distinction from prayer and other acts of worship; as, a service of praise.

3. The object, ground, or reason of praise. He is thy praise, and he is thy God. Deut. x.

Syn. -- Encomium; honor; eulogy; panegyric; plaudit; applause; acclaim; eclat; commendation; laudation.

PRAISEFUL Praise"ful, a.

Defn: Praiseworthy. [Obs.]

PRAISEFUL Praise"ful, a.

Defn: Praiseworthy. [Obs.]

PRAISELESS Praise"less, a.

Defn: Without praise or approbation.

PRAISE-MEETING Praise"-meet`*ing, n.

Defn: A religious service mainly in song. [Local, U. S.]

PRAISEMENT Praise"ment, n.

Defn: Appraisement. [Obs.]

PRAISER Prais"er, n.

1. One who praises. "Praisers of men." Sir P. Sidney.

2. An appraiser; a valuator. [Obs.] Sir T. North.

PRAISEWORTHILY Praise"wor`thi*ly, adv.

Defn: In a praiseworthy manner. Spenser.

PRAISEWORTHINESS Praise"wor`thi*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being praiseworthy.

PRAISEWORTHY Praise"wor`thy, a.

Defn: Worthy of praise or applause; commendable; as, praiseworthy action; he was praiseworthy. Arbuthnot.

PRAKRIT Pra"krit, n. Etym: [Skr. prakrsta original, natural, usual, common, vulgar.]

Defn: Any one of the popular dialects descended from, or akin to, Sanskrit; -- in distinction from the Sanskrit, which was used as a literary and learned language when no longer spoken by the people. Pali is one of the Prakrit dialects.

PRAKRITIC Pra*krit"ic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to Prakrit.

PRALINE Pra"line (prä"len), n. [F.]

Defn: A confection made of nut kernels, usually of almonds, roasted in boiling sugar until brown and crisp.

Bonbons, pralines, . . . saccharine, crystalline substances of all kinds and colors. Du Maurier.

PRALLTRILLER Prall"tril`ler, n.; G. pl. -triller. [G.] (Music)

Defn: A melodic embellishment consisting of the quick alternation of a principal tone with an auxiliary tone above it, usually the next of the scale; --called also the inverted mordente.

PRAM; PRAME Pram, Prame, n. (Naut.)

Defn: See Praam.

PRANCE Prance, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pranced; p. pr. & vb. n. Prancing.] Etym: [OE. prauncen; probably akin to prank, v. t. See Prank.]

1. To spring or bound, as a horse in high mettle. Now rule thy prancing steed. Gay.

2. To ride on a prancing horse; to ride in an ostentatious manner. The insulting tyrant prancing o'er the field. Addison.

3. To walk or strut about in a pompous, showy manner, or with warlike parade. Swift.

PRANCER Pran"cer, n.

Defn: A horse which prances. Then came the captain . . . upon a brave prancer. Evelyn.

PRANDIAL Pran"di*al, a. Etym: [L. prandium a repast.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a repast, especially to dinner.

PRANGOS Pran"gos, n. Etym: [From the native name in Afghanistan.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of umbelliferous plants, one species of which (P. pabularia), found in Thibet, Cashmere, Afghanistan, etc., has been used as fodder for cattle. It has decompound leaves with very long narrow divisions, and a highly fragrant smell resembling that of new clover hay.

PRANK Prank, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pranked; p. pr. & vb. n. Pranking.] Etym: [Cf. E. prink, also G. prangen, prunken, to shine, to make a show, Dan. prange, prunke, Sw. prunka, D. pronken.]