Repair to Pompey's porch, where you shall find find us.
Shak.
The Porch, a public portico, or great hall, in Athens, where Zeno, the
philosopher, taught his disciples; hence, sometimes used as equivalent
to the school of the Stoics. It was called "h poiki`lh stoa`. [See
Poicile.]
Por"cine (?), a. [L. porcinus, from porcus a swine. See Pork.] Of or
pertaining to swine; characteristic of the hog. "Porcine cheeks." G.
Eliot.
Por"cu*pine (?), n. [OE. porkepyn, porpentine, OF. porc-espi, F. porc-
Èpic (cf. It. porco spino, porco spinoso, Sp. puerco espino, puerco
espin, fr. L. porcus swine + spina thorn, spine). The last part of the
French word is perhaps a corruption from the It. or Sp.; cf. F. Èpi
ear, a spike of grain, L. spica. See Pork, Spike a large nail, Spine.]
1. (Zoˆl.) Any Old Word rodent of the genus Hystrix, having the back
covered with long, sharp, erectile spines or quills, sometimes a foot
long. The common species of Europe and Asia (Hystrix cristata) is the
best known.
2. (Zoˆl.) Any species of Erethizon and related genera, native of
America. They are related to the true porcupines, but have shorter
spines, and are arboreal in their habits. The Canada porcupine
(Erethizon dorsatus) is a well known species.
Porcupine ant-eater (Zoˆl.), the echidna. -- Porcupine crab (Zoˆl.), a
large spiny Japanese crab (Acantholithodes hystrix). -- Porcupine
disease (Med.). See Ichthyosis. -- Porcupine fish (Zoˆl.), any
plectognath fish having the body covered with spines which become erect
when the body is inflated. See Diodon, and Globefish. -- Porcupine
grass (Bot.), a grass (Stipa spartea) with grains bearing a stout
twisted awn, which, by coiling and uncoiling through changes in
moisture, propels the sharp-pointed and barbellate grain into the wool
and flesh of sheep. It is found from Illinois westward. See
Illustration in Appendix. -- Porcupine wood (Bot.), the hard outer wood
of the cocoa palm; -- so called because, when cut horizontally, the
markings of the wood resemble the quills of a porcupine.
Pore (?), n. [F., fr. L. porus, Gr. &?; a passage, a pore. See Fare,
v.] 1. One of the minute orifices in an animal or vegetable membrane,
for transpiration, absorption, etc.
2. A minute opening or passageway; an interstice between the
constituent particles or molecules of a body; as, the pores of stones.
Pore, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pored (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poring.] [OE.
poren, of uncertain origin; cf. D. porren to poke, thrust, Gael. purr.]
To look or gaze steadily in reading or studying; to fix the attention;
to be absorbed; -- often with on or upon, and now usually with
over."Painfully to pore upon a book." Shak.
The eye grows weary with poring perpetually on the same thing.
Dryden.
Pore"blind` (?), a. [Probably influenced by pore, v. See Purblind.]
Nearsighted; shortsighted; purblind. [Obs.] Bacon.
Por"er (?), n. One who pores.
Por"gy (?), n.; pl. Porgies (#). [See Paugie.] (Zoˆl.) (a) The scup.
(b) The sailor's choice, or pinfish. (c) The margate fish. (d) The
spadefish. (e) Any one of several species of embiotocoids, or surf
fishes, of the Pacific coast. The name is also given locally to several
other fishes, as the bur fish. [Written also porgee, porgie, and
paugy.]
||Po*rif"e*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. porus pore + ferre to bear.]
||(Zoˆl.) A grand division of the Invertebrata, including the sponges;
||-- called also SpongiÊ, Spongida, and Spongiozoa. The principal
||divisions are CalcispongiÊ, Keratosa or FibrospongiÊ, and Silicea.
Po*rif"er*an (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Polifera.
||Po*rif`e*ra"ta (?), n. pl. [NL.] The Polifera.
Po"ri*form (?), a. [L. porus pore + -form: cf. F. poriforme.]
Resembling a pore, or small puncture.
Po"rime (?), n. [Gr. &?; practicable.] (Math.) A theorem or proposition
so easy of demonstration as to be almost self-evident. [R.] Crabb.
Por"i*ness (?), n. Porosity. Wiseman.
Po"rism (?), n. [Gr. &?; a thing procured, a deduction from a
demonstration, fr. &?; to bring, provide: cf. F. porisme.] 1. (Geom.) A
proposition affirming the possibility of finding such conditions as
will render a certain determinate problem indeterminate or capable of
innumerable solutions. Playfair.