Pes"ti*lent*ly (?), adv. In a pestilent manner; mischievously;
destructively. "Above all measure pestilently noisome." Dr. H. More.
Pes"ti*lent*ness, n. The quality of being pestilent.
Pes`til*la"tion (?), n. [LL. pestillum, L. pistillum. See Pestle.] The
act of pounding and bruising with a pestle in a mortar. Sir T. Browne.
Pes"tle (ps"'l; 277), n. [OE. pestel, OF. pestel, LL. pestellum, L.
pistillum, pistillus, a pounder, pestle, fr. pisere, pinsere, to pound,
crush, akin to Gr. &?;, Skr. pish. Cf. Pistil.] 1. An implement for
pounding and breaking or braying substances in a mortar.
2. A constable's or bailiff's staff; -- so called from its shape.
[Obs.] Chapman.
3. The leg and leg bone of an animal, especially of a pig; as, a pestle
of pork.
Pes"tle (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Pestled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Pestling (?).] To pound, pulverize, bray, or mix with a pestle, or as
with a pestle; to use a pestle.
Pet (?), n. [Formerly peat, perhaps from Ir. peat, akin to Gael.
peata.] 1. A cade lamb; a lamb brought up by hand.
2. Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a fondling;
a darling; often, a favorite child.
The love of cronies, pets, and favorites.
Tatler.
3. [Prob. fr. Pet a fondling, hence, the behavior or humor of a spoiled
child.] A slight fit of peevishness or fretfulness. "In a pet she
started up." Tennyson.
Pet, a. Petted; indulged; admired; cherished; as, a pet child; a pet
lamb; a pet theory.
Some young lady's pet curate.
F. Harrison.
Pet cock. [Perh. for petty cock.] (Mach.) A little faucet in a water
pipe or pump, to let air out, or at the end of a steam cylinder, to
drain it.
Pet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Petted; p. pr. & vb. n. Petting.] To treat as
a pet; to fondle; to indulge; as, she was petted and spoiled.
Pet, v. i. To be a pet. Feltham.
Pet"al (?), n. [Gr. &?; a leaf, a leaf or plate of metal, fr. &?;
outspread, broad, flat: cf. F. pÈtale. See Fathom.] 1. (Bot.) One of
the leaves of the corolla, or the colored leaves of a flower. See
Corolla, and Illust. of Flower.
2. (Zoˆl.) One of the expanded ambulacra which form a rosette on the
black of certain Echini.
Pet"aled (?), a. (Bot.) Having petals; as, a petaled flower; -- opposed
to apetalous, and much used in compounds; as, one-petaled,
three-petaled, etc.
Pet`al*if"er*ous (?), a. [Petal + -ferous.] Bearing petals.
Pe*tal"i*form (?), a. (Bot.) Having the form of a petal; petaloid;
petal-shaped.
Pet"al*ine (?), a. [Cf. F. pÈtalin.] (Bot.) Pertaining to a petal;
attached to, or resembling, a petal.
Pet"al*ism (?), n. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; a leaf: cf. F. pÈtalisme.] (Gr.
Antiq.) A form of sentence among the ancient Syracusans by which they
banished for five years a citizen suspected of having dangerous
influence or ambition. It was similar to the ostracism in Athens; but
olive leaves were used instead of shells for ballots.
Pet"al*ite (?), n. [Cf. F. pÈtalite.] (Min.) A rare mineral, occurring
crystallized and in cleavable masses, usually white, or nearly so, in
color. It is a silicate of aluminia and lithia.
Pe*tal"o*dy (?), n. [Petal + Gr. &?; form.] (Bot.) The metamorphosis of
various floral organs, usually stamens, into petals.
Pet"al*oid (?), a. [Petal + - oid: cf. F. pÈtaloÔde.] (Bot.) Petaline.
Pet`al*oid"e*ous (?), a. (Bot.) Having the whole or part of the
perianth petaline.
Petaloideous division, that division of endogenous plants in which the
perianth is wholly or partly petaline, embracing the LiliaceÊ,
OrchidaceÊ, AmaryllideÊ, etc.
||Pet`a*los"ti*cha (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. &?; a leaf + &?; a row.]
||(Zoˆl.) An order of Echini, including the irregular sea urchins, as
||the spatangoids. See Spatangoid.
Pet"al*ous (?), a. Having petals; petaled; -- opposed to apetalous.
||Pet"a*lum (?), n.; pl. Petala (#). [NL.] A petal.
Pe*tar" (?), n. See Petard. [Obs.] "Hoist with his own petar." Shak.
Pe*tard" (?), n. [F. pÈtard, fr. pÈter to break wind, to crack, to
explode, L. pedere, peditum.] (Mil.) A case containing powder to be
exploded, esp. a conical or cylindrical case of metal filled with
powder and attached to a plank, to be exploded against and break down
gates, barricades, drawbridges, etc. It has been superseded.
{ Pet`ar*deer", Pet`ar*dier" } (?), n. [F. pÈtardier.] (Mil.) One who
managed a petard.
||Pet"a*sus (?), n. [L., from Gr. &?;.] (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.) The winged
||cap of Mercury; also, a broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat worn by Greeks
||and Romans.
Pe*tau"rist (?), n. [L. petaurista a ropedancer, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to
dance on a rope, fr. &?; a pole, a stage for ropedancers: cf. F.
pÈtauriste.] (Zoˆl.) Any flying marsupial of the genera Petaurus,
Phalangista, Acrobata, and allied genera. See Flying mouse, under
Flying, and Phalangister.
||Pe*tech"i*Ê (?), n. pl.; sing. Petechia (&?;). [NL., fr. LL.
||peteccia; cf. F. pÈtÈchie, It. petecchia, Sp. petequia, Gr. &?; a
||label, plaster.] (Med.) Small crimson, purple, or livid spots, like
||flea-bites, due to extravasation of blood, which appear on the skin
||in malignant fevers, etc.
Pe*tech"i*al (?), a. [Cf. F. pÈtÈchial, LL. petecchialis.] (Med.)
Characterized by, or pertaining to, petechiÊ; spotted.
Petechial fever, a malignant fever, accompanied with livid spots on the
skin.
Pe"ter (?), n. A common baptismal name for a man. The name of one of
the apostles,
Peter boat, a fishing boat, sharp at both ends, originally of the
Baltic Sea, but now common in certain English rivers. -- Peter Funk,
the auctioneer in a mock auction. [Cant, U.S.] -- Peter pence, or
Peter's pence. (a) An annual tax or tribute, formerly paid by the
English people to the pope, being a penny for every house, payable on
Lammas or St.Peter's day; -- called also Rome scot, and hearth money.
(b) In modern times, a voluntary contribution made by Roman Catholics
to the private purse of the pope. -- Peter's fish (Zoˆl.), a haddock;
-- so called because the black spots, one on each side, behind the
gills, are traditionally said to have been caused by the fingers of St.
Peter, when he caught the fish to pay the tribute. The name is applied,
also, to other fishes having similar spots.
<! p. 1073 !>
Pet"er (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Petered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Petering.]
[Etymol. uncertain.] To become exhausted; to run out; to fail; -- used
generally with out; as, that mine has petered out. [Slang, U.S.]
Pet"er*el (?), n. (Zoˆl.) See Petrel.
Pet`e*re"ro (?), n. (Mil.) See Pederero.
Pe"ter*man (?), n.; pl. Petermen (&?;). A fisherman; -- so called after
the apostle Peter. [An obs. local term in Eng.] Chapman.
Pe"ter*sham (?), n. [Named after Lord Petersham.] A rough, knotted
woolen cloth, used chiefly for men's overcoats; also, a coat of that
material.
Pe"ter*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) See Saint Peter's-wort, under Saint.
{ Pet"i*o*lar (?), Pet"i*o*la*ry (?), } a. [Cf. F. pÈtiolarie.] (Bot.)
Of or pertaining to petiole, or proceeding from it; as, a petiolar
tendril; growing or supported upon a petiole; as, a petiolar gland; a
petiolar bud.
{ Pet"i*o*late (?), Pet"i*o*la`ted (?), } a. (Bot. & Zoˆl.) Having a
stalk or petiole; as, a petioleate leaf; the petiolated abdomen of
certain Hymenoptera.
Pet"i*ole (?), n. [F. pÈtiole, fr. L. petiolus a little foot, a fruit
stalk; cf. pes, pedis, a foot.] 1. (Bot.) A leafstalk; the footstalk of
a leaf, connecting the blade with the stem. See Illust. of Leaf.