Planer tree Plan"er tree` [ From J. S. Planer , a German botanist.] (Botany) A small-leaved North American tree ( Planera aquatica ) related to the elm, but having a wingless, nutlike fruit.

Planet Plan"et noun [ Middle English planete , French planète , Latin planeta , from Greek ..., and ... a planet; prop. wandering, from ... to wander, from ... a wandering.] 1. (Astron.) A celestial body which revolves about the sun in an orbit of a moderate degree of eccentricity. It is distinguished from a comet by the absence of a coma, and by having a less eccentric orbit. See Solar system .

» The term planet was first used to distinguish those stars which have an apparent motion through the constellations from the fixed stars, which retain their relative places unchanged. The inferior planets are Mercury and Venus, which are nearer to the sun than is the earth; the superior planets are Mars, the asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which are farther from the sun than is the earth. Primary planets are those which revolve about the sun; secondary planets , or moons , are those which revolve around the primary planets as satellites, and at the same time revolve with them about the sun.

2. A star, as influencing the fate of a men.

There's some ill planet reigns.

Shak.

Planet gear . (Machinery) See Epicyclic train , under Epicyclic . -- Planet wheel , a gear wheel which revolves around the wheel with which it meshes, in an epicyclic train.

Planet-stricken, Planet-struck Plan"et-strick`en, Plan"et-struck` adjective Affected by the influence of planets; blasted. Milton.

Like planet-stricken men of yore
He trembles, smitten to the core
By strong compunction and remorse.

Wordsworth.

Planetarium Plan`e·ta"ri·um noun [ New Latin : confer French planétaire . See Planetary .] An orrery. See Orrery .

Planetary Plan"et·a·ry adjective [ Confer Latin planetarius an astrologer, French planétaire planetary. See Planet .] 1. Of or pertaining to the planets; as, planetary inhabitants; planetary motions; planetary year.

2. Consisting of planets; as, a planetary system.

3. (Astrol.) Under the dominion or influence of a planet. "Skilled in the planetary hours." Drayton.

4. Caused by planets. "A planetary plague." Shak.

5. Having the nature of a planet; erratic; revolving; wandering. "Erratical and planetary life." Fuller.

Planetary days , the days of the week as shared among the planets known to the ancients, each having its day. Hutton. -- Planetary nebula , a nebula exhibiting a uniform disk, like that of a planet.

Planeted Plan"et·ed adjective Belonging to planets. [ R.] Young.

Planetic, Planetical Pla·net"ic, Pla·net"ic·al adjective [ Latin planeticus , Greek ....] Of or pertaining to planets. Sir T. Browne.

Planetoid Plan"et·oid noun [ Planet + -oid .] (Astron.) A body resembling a planet; an asteroid.

Planetoidal Plan"et·oid·al adjective Pertaining to a planetoid.

Planetule Plan"et·ule noun A little planet. [ R.] Conybeare.

Plangency Plan"gen·cy noun The quality or state of being plangent; a beating sound. [ R.]

Plangent Plan"gent adjective [ Latin plangens , -entis , from plangere to beat. See Plaint .] Beating; dashing, as a wave. [ R.] "The plangent wave." H. Taylor.

Plani-, Plano- Plan"i-, Plan"o- [ Latin planus . See Plane , adjective ] Combining forms signifying flat , level , plane ; as plani folious, plani metry, plano - concave.

Planifolious Plan`i·fo"li·ous adjective [ Plani- + Latin folium leaf.] (Botany) Flat-leaved.

Planiform Plan"i·form adjective (Anat.) Having a plane surface; as, a planiform , gliding, or arthrodial articulation.

Planimeter Pla·nim"e·ter noun [ Plani- + -meter . Confer Planometer .] An instrument for measuring the area of any plane figure, however irregular, by passing a tracer around the bounding line; a platometer.

Planimetric Plan`i·met"ric (?; 277), Plan`i*met"ric*al adjective [ Confer French planimétrique .] Of or pertaining to planimetry.

Planimetry Pla·nim"e·try noun [ Confer French planimétrie .] The mensuration of plane surfaces; -- distinguished from stereometry , or the mensuration of volumes.

Planing Plan"ing adjective & verbal noun from Plane , transitive verb

Planing machine . (a) See Planer . (b) A complex machine for planing wood, especially boards, containing usually a rapidly revolving cutter, which chips off the surface in small shavings as the piece to be planed is passed under it by feeding apparatus.

Planipennate Pla`ni·pen"nate adjective Of or pertaining to Planipennia.

Planipennia Pla`ni·pen"ni·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Latin planus plane + penna wing.] (Zoology) A suborder of Neuroptera, including those that have broad, flat wings, as the ant-lion, lacewing, etc. Called also Planipennes .

Planipetalous Plan`i·pet"al·ous adjective [ Plani- + petal .] (Botany) Having flat petals.

Planish Plan"ish transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Planished ; present participle & verbal noun Planishing .] [ Old French planir , French planer . See Plane , v. , and -ish .] To make smooth or plane, as a metallic surface; to condense, toughen, and polish by light blows with a hammer.

Planisher Plan"ish·er noun One who, or that which, planishes. Weale.

Planishing Plan"ish·ing adjective & verbal noun from Planish , transitive verb

Planishing rolls (Coining) , rolls between which metal strips are passed while cold, to bring them to exactly the required thickness.

Planisphere Plan"i·sphere noun [ Plani- + sphere : confer French planisphère . See Plain , and Sphere .] The representation of the circles of the sphere upon a plane; especially, a representation of the celestial sphere upon a plane with adjustable circles, or other appendages, for showing the position of the heavens, the time of rising and setting of stars, etc., for any given date or hour.

Planispheric Plan`i·spher"ic adjective Of or pertaining to a planisphere.

Plank Plank noun [ Middle English planke , Old French planque , planche , French planche , from Latin planca ; confer Greek ..., ..., anything flat and broad. Confer Planch .] 1. A broad piece of sawed timber, differing from a board only in being thicker. See Board .

2. Fig.: That which supports or upholds, as a board does a swimmer.

His charity is a better plank than the faith of an intolerant and bitter-minded bigot.

Southey.

3. One of the separate articles in a declaration of the principles of a party or cause; as, a plank in the national platform. [ Cant]

Plank road , or Plank way , a road surface formed of planks. [ U.S.] -- To walk the plank , to walk along a plank laid across the bulwark of a ship, until one overbalances it and falls into the sea; -- a method of disposing of captives practiced by pirates.

Plank Plank transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Planked ; present participle & verbal noun Planking .] 1. To cover or lay with planks; as, to plank a floor or a ship. " Planked with pine." Dryden.

2. To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash; as, to plank money in a wager. [ Colloq. U.S.]

3. To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.

4. (Wooden Manuf.) To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.

Planked shad , shad split open, fastened to a plank, and roasted before a wood fire.

Plank-sheer Plank"-sheer` noun (Shipbuilding) The course of plank laid horizontally over the timberheads of a vessel's frame.

Planking Plank"ing noun 1. The act of laying planks; also, planks, collectively; a series of planks in place, as the wooden covering of the frame of a vessel.

2. The act of splicing slivers. See Plank , transitive verb , 4.

Plankton Plank"ton (plănk"tŏn) noun [ New Latin , from Greek plagto`n , neut. of plagto`s wandering, pla`zesqai to wander.] (Biol.) All the animals and plants, taken collectively, which live at or near the surface of salt or fresh waters. -- Plank*ton"ic adjective

Planless Plan"less adjective Having no plan.

Planner Plan"ner noun One who plans; a projector.

Plano- Pla"no- See Plani- .

Plano-concave Pla"no-con"cave adjective [ Plano- + concave .] Plane or flat on one side, and concave on the other; as, a plano-concave lens. See Lens .

Plano-conical Pla"no-con"ic·al adjective [ Plano- + conical .] Plane or flat on one side, and conical on the other. Grew.

Plano-convex Pla"no-con"vex adjective [ Plano- + convex .] Plane or flat on one side, and convex on the other; as, a plano-convex lens. See Convex , and Lens .

Plano-horizontal Pla"no-hor`i·zon"tal adjective [ Plano- + horizontal .] Having a level horizontal surface or position. Lee.

Plano-orbicular Pla"no-or·bic"u·lar adjective [ Plano- + orbicular .] Plane or flat on one side, and spherical on the other.

Plano-subulate Pla"no-su"bu·late adjective [ Plano- + subulate .] Smooth and awl-shaped. See Subulate .

Planoblast Plan"o·blast noun [ Greek ... to wander + -blast .] (Zoology) Any free-swimming gonophore of a hydroid; a hydroid medusa.

Planogamete Plan"o·ga·mete` noun [ Greek ... wandering + English gamete .] (Botany) One of the motile ciliated gametes, or zoögametes, found in isogamous plants, as many green algæ (Chlorophyceæ).

Planometer Pla·nom"e·ter noun [ Plano- + -meter . Confer Planimeter .] An instrument for gauging or testing a plane surface. See Surface gauge , under Surface .

Planometry Pla·nom"e·try noun (Mech.) The art or process of producing or gauging a plane surface.

Planorbis Pla·nor"bis noun [ New Latin , from Latin planus flat + orbis a circle.] (Zoology) Any fresh-water air-breathing mollusk belonging to Planorbis and other allied genera, having shells of a discoidal form.

Plant Plant noun [ Anglo-Saxon plante , Latin planta .] 1. A vegetable; an organized living being, generally without feeling and voluntary motion, and having, when complete, a root, stem, and leaves, though consisting sometimes only of a single leafy expansion, or a series of cellules, or even a single cellule.

» Plants are divided by their structure and methods of reproduction into two series, phænogamous or flowering plants , which have true flowers and seeds, and cryptogamous or flowerless plants , which have no flowers, and reproduce by minute one-celled spores. In both series are minute and simple forms and others of great size and complexity.

As to their mode of nutrition, plants may be considered as self-supporting and dependent . Self-supporting plants always contain chlorophyll, and subsist on air and moisture and the matter dissolved in moisture, and as a general rule they excrete oxygen, and use the carbonic acid to combine with water and form the material for their tissues. Dependent plants comprise all fungi and many flowering plants of a parasitic or saprophytic nature. As a rule, they have no chlorophyll, and subsist mainly or wholly on matter already organized, thus utilizing carbon compounds already existing, and not excreting oxygen. But there are plants which are partly dependent and partly self-supporting.

The movements of climbing plants, of some insectivorous plants, of leaves, stamens, or pistils in certain plants, and the ciliary motion of zoöspores, etc., may be considered a kind of voluntary motion.

2. A bush, or young tree; a sapling; hence, a stick or staff. "A plant of stubborn oak." Dryden.

3. The sole of the foot. [ R.] "Knotty legs and plants of clay." B. Jonson.

4. (Com.) The whole machinery and apparatus employed in carrying on a trade or mechanical business; also, sometimes including real estate, and whatever represents investment of capital in the means of carrying on a business, but not including material worked upon or finished products; as, the plant of a foundry, a mill, or a railroad.

5. A plan; an artifice; a swindle; a trick. [ Slang]

It was n't a bad plant , that of mine, on Fikey.

Dickens.

6. (Zoology) (a) An oyster which has been bedded, in distinction from one of natural growth. (b) A young oyster suitable for transplanting. [ Local, U.S.]

Plant bug (Zoology) , any one of numerous hemipterous insects which injure the foliage of plants, as Lygus lineolaris , which damages wheat and trees. -- Plant cutter (Zoology) , a South American passerine bird of the genus Phytotoma , family Phytotomidæ . It has a serrated bill with which it cuts off the young shoots and buds of plants, often doing much injury. -- Plant louse (Zoology) , any small hemipterous insect which infests plants, especially those of the families Aphidæ and Psyllidæ ; an aphid.

Plant Plant transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Planted ; present participle & verbal noun Planting .] [ Anglo-Saxon plantian , Latin plantare . See Plant , noun ] 1. To put in the ground and cover, as seed for growth; as, to plant maize.

2. To set in the ground for growth, as a young tree, or a vegetable with roots.

Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees.

Deut. xvi. 21.

3. To furnish, or fit out, with plants; as, to plant a garden, an orchard, or a forest.

4. To engender; to generate; to set the germ of.

It engenders choler, planteth anger.

Shak.

5. To furnish with a fixed and organized population; to settle; to establish; as, to plant a colony.

Planting of countries like planting of woods.

Bacon.

6. To introduce and establish the principles or seeds of; as, to plant Christianity among the heathen.

7. To set firmly; to fix; to set and direct, or point; as, to plant cannon against a fort; to plant a standard in any place; to plant one's feet on solid ground; to plant one's fist in another's face.

8. To set up; to install; to instate.

We will plant some other in the throne.

Shak.

Plant Plant intransitive verb To perform the act of planting.

I have planted ; Apollos watered.

1 Cor. iii. 6.

Plant-cane Plant"-cane` noun A stalk or shoot of sugar cane of the first growth from the cutting. The growth of the second and following years is of inferior quality, and is called rattoon .

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
You are here: Webster > Letter P > Page 100 of 206.
« Previous ¦92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 ¦ Next »