Lest leaden slumber peise me down to- morrow.
Shak.
Poise, v. i. To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended;
hence, to be in suspense or doubt.
The slender, graceful spars Poise aloft in air.
Longfellow.
Pois"er (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The balancer of dipterous insects.
Poi"son (?), n. [F. poison, in Old French also, a potion, fr. L. potio
a drink, draught, potion, a poisonous draught, fr. potare to drink. See
Potable, and cf. Potion.] 1. Any agent which, when introduced into the
animal organism, is capable of producing a morbid, noxious, or deadly
effect upon it; as, morphine is a deadly poison; the poison of
pestilential diseases.
2. That which taints or destroys moral purity or health; as, the poison
of evil example; the poison of sin.
Poison ash. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Amyris (A. balsamifera)
found in the West Indies, from the trunk of which a black liquor
distills, supposed to have poisonous qualities. (b) The poison sumac
(Rhus venenata). [U. S.] -- Poison dogwood (Bot.), poison sumac. --
Poison fang (Zoˆl.), one of the superior maxillary teeth of some
species of serpents, which, besides having the cavity for the pulp, is
either perforated or grooved by a longitudinal canal, at the lower end
of which the duct of the poison gland terminates. See Illust. under
Fang. -- Poison gland (Biol.), a gland, in animals or plants, which
secretes an acrid or venomous matter, that is conveyed along an organ
capable of inflicting a wound. -- Poison hemlock (Bot.), a poisonous
umbelliferous plant (Conium maculatum). See Hemlock. -- Poison ivy
(Bot.), a poisonous climbing plant (Rhus Toxicodendron) of North
America. It is common on stone walls and on the trunks of trees, and
has trifoliate, rhombic-ovate, variously notched leaves. Many people
are poisoned by it, if they touch the leaves. See Poison sumac. Called
also poison oak, and mercury. -- Poison nut. (Bot.) (a) Nux vomica. (b)
The tree which yields this seed (Strychnos Nuxvomica). It is found on
the Malabar and Coromandel coasts. -- Poison oak (Bot.), the poison
ivy; also, the more shrubby Rhus diversiloba of California and Oregon.
-- Poison sac. (Zoˆl.) Same as Poison gland, above. See Illust. under
Fang. -- Poison sumac (Bot.), a poisonous shrub of the genus Rhus (R.
venenata); -- also called poison ash, poison dogwood, and poison elder.
It has pinnate leaves on graceful and slender common petioles, and
usually grows in swampy places. Both this plant and the poison ivy
(Rhus Toxicodendron) have clusters of smooth greenish white berries,
while the red-fruited species of this genus are harmless. The tree
(Rhus vernicifera) which yields the celebrated Japan lacquer is almost
identical with the poison sumac, and is also very poisonous. The juice
of the poison sumac also forms a lacquer similar to that of Japan.
Syn. -- Venom; virus; bane; pest; malignity. -- Poison, Venom. Poison
usually denotes something received into the system by the mouth,
breath, etc. Venom is something discharged from animals and received by
means of a wound, as by the bite or sting of serpents, scorpions, etc.
Hence, venom specifically implies some malignity of nature or purpose.
Poi"son, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poisoned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poisoning.]
[Cf. OF. poisonner, F. empoissoner, L. potionare to give to drink. See
Poison, n.]
1. To put poison upon or into; to infect with poison; as, to poison an
arrow; to poison food or drink. "The ingredients of our poisoned
chalice." Shak.