Poynado Poy·na"do noun A poniard. [ Obsolete] Lyly.

Poynd Poynd v. , Poynd"er noun See Poind , Poinder .

Poyntel Poyn"tel noun [ See Pointal .] (Architecture) Paving or flooring made of small squares or lozenges set diagonally. [ Formerly written pointal .]

Poyou Poy"ou noun (Zoology) A South American armadillo ( Dasypus sexcinctus ). Called also sixbanded armadillo .

Poze Poze transitive verb See 5th Pose .

Pozzuolana, Pozzolana Poz`zu·o·la"na, Poz`zo·la"·na noun [ Italian ] Volcanic ashes from Pozzuoli, in Italy, used in the manufacture of a kind of mortar which hardens under water.

Praam Praam noun [ Dutch praam ; confer German prahm , French prame ; all of Slavonic origin, from a word akin to English fare . See Fare .] (Nautical) 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 adjective [ See Practical .] 1. Practical.

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

Practicability Prac"ti·ca·bil"i·ty noun The quality or state of being practicable; practicableness; feasibility. "The practicability of such a project." Stewart.

Practicable Prac"ti·ca·ble adjective [ Late Latin practicare to act, transact, from Latin practicus active, Greek ...: confer French 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 , noun -- Prac"ti*ca*bly , adverb

Practical Prac"ti·cal adjective [ Latin practicus active, Greek ... fit for doing or performing, practical, active, from ... to do, work, effect: confer French pratique , formerly also practique . Confer 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 noun The quality or state of being practical; practicalness.

Practicalize Prac"ti·cal·ize transitive verb To render practical. [ R.] " Practicalizing influences." J. S. Mill.

Practically Prac"ti·cal·ly adverb 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.

Practicalness Prac"ti·cal·ness noun Same as Practicality .

Practice Prac"tice noun [ Middle English praktike , practique , French pratique , formerly also, practique , Late Latin practica , from Greek ..., from ... practical. See Practical , and confer 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. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.

Sir P. Sidney.

8. (Math.) A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.

9. (Law) 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 transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Practiced ; present participle & verbal noun Practicing .] [ 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. [ Obsolete]

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 intransitive verb [ 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.

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 adjective [ 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 noun [ 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. [ Obsolete] B. Jonson.

Practician Prac·ti"cian noun [ French praticien , Old French also practicien .] One who is acquainted with, or skilled in, anything by practice; a practitioner.

Practick Prac"tick noun Practice. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Practico Prac"ti·co noun ; plural Practicos . [ Spanish , lit., experienced, skilled. Confer Practical .] A guide. [ Cuba & Phil. Islands] D. C. Worcester.

Practisant Prac"ti·sant noun An agent or confederate in treachery. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Practise Prac"tise transitive verb & i. See Practice .

» 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. Confer sacrifice (...; noun & v.), surmise (...; noun & v.), promise (...; noun & v.); compromise (...; noun & v.), etc. Contrast advice (...; noun ), and advise ; device and devise etc.

Practisour Prac"ti·sour noun A practitioner. [ Obsolete]

Practitioner Prac·ti"tion·er noun [ 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 adjective Doing; active. [ Obsolete] Sylvester. -- Prac"tive*ly , adverb [ Obsolete]

The preacher and the people both,
Then practively did thrive.

Warner.

Prad Prad noun [ Confer Dutch paard .] A horse. [ Colloq. Eng.]

Pragmatic Prag·mat"ic noun 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.

Pragmatic, Pragmatical Prag·mat"ic, Prag·mat"ic·al adjective [ Latin pragmaticus busy, active, skilled in business, especially in law and state affairs, systematic, Greek ..., from ... a thing done, business, from ... to do: confer French 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.

Pragmatically Prag·mat"ic·al·ly adverb In a pragmatical manner.

Pragmaticalness Prag·mat"ic·al·ness noun The quality or state of being pragmatical.

Pragmatism Prag"ma·tism noun 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 noun One who is pragmatic.

Pragmatize Prag"ma·tize transitive verb To consider, represent, or embody (something unreal) as fact; to materialize. [ R.] "A pragmatized metaphor." Tylor.

Prairial Prai`ri`al" noun [ French, from prairie meadow.] 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 noun [ French, an extensive meadow, Old French praerie , Late Latin prataria , from Latin 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 (Zoology) , 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 (Botany) , 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 (Botany) , a coarse composite plant ( Silphium terebinthaceum ) with large rough leaves and yellow flowers, found in the Western prairies. -- Prairie dog (Zoology) , 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 (Zoology) , a large long-eared Western hare ( Lepus campestris ). See Jack rabbit , under 2d Jack . -- Prairie hawk , Prairie falcon (Zoology) , 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 . (Zoology) Same as Prairie chicken , above. -- Prairie itch (Medicine) , 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 . (Zoology) Same as Prairie dog , above. -- Prairie mole (Zoology) , a large American mole ( Scalops argentatus ), native of the Western prairies. -- Prairie pigeon , plover , or snipe (Zoology) , the upland plover. See Plover , noun , 2. -- Prairie rattlesnake (Zoology) , the massasauga. -- Prairie snake (Zoology) , a large harmless American snake ( Masticophis flavigularis ). It is pale yellow, tinged with brown above. -- Prairie squirrel (Zoology) , any American ground squirrel of the genus Spermophilus , inhabiting prairies; -- called also gopher . -- Prairie turnip (Botany) , 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 (Zoology) , 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 . (Zoology) See Coyote .

Prairie State Prai"rie State Illinois; -- a nickname.

Praisable Prais"a·ble adjective Fit to be praised; praise-worthy; laudable; commendable. Wyclif (2 Tim. ii. 15).

Praisably Prais"a·bly adverb In a praisable manner.

Praise Praise transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Praised ; present participle & verbal noun Praising .] [ Middle English preisen , Old French preisier , prisier , French priser , Latin pretiare to prize, from pretium price. See Price , noun , and confer Appreciate , Praise , noun , 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. [ Obsolete] 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 noun [ Middle English preis , Old French 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.

» 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.

Praise-meeting Praise"-meet`·ing noun A religious service mainly in song. [ Local, U. S.]

Praiseful Praise"ful adjective Praiseworthy. [ Obsolete]

Praiseful Praise"ful adjective Praiseworthy. [ Obsolete]

Praiseless Praise"less adjective Without praise or approbation.

Praisement Praise"ment noun Appraisement. [ Obsolete]

Praiser Prais"er noun 1. One who praises. " Praisers of men." Sir P. Sidney.

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

Praiseworthily Praise"wor`thi·ly adverb In a praiseworthy manner. Spenser.

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