Praiseworthiness Praise"wor`thi·ness noun The quality or state of being praiseworthy.
Praiseworthy Praise"wor`thy adjective Worthy of praise or applause; commendable; as, praiseworthy action; he was praiseworthy . Arbuthnot.
Prakrit Pra"krit noun [ Sanskrit
prākrta original, natural, usual, common, vulgar.]
Any one of the popular dialects descended from, or akin to, Sanskrit; -- in distinction from the Sanskrit, which was used as a literary and learned language when no longer spoken by the people. Pali is one of the Prakrit dialects.
Prakritic Pra·krit"ic adjective Pertaining to Prakrit.
Praline Pra"line (prä"lēn)
noun [ French]
A confection made of nut kernels, usually of almonds, roasted in boiling sugar until brown and crisp. Bonbons, pralines , . . . saccharine, crystalline substances of all kinds and colors.
Du Maurier.
Pralltriller Prall"tril`ler noun ;
G. plural -triller . [ G.]
(Music) A melodic embellishment consisting of the quick alternation of a principal tone with an auxiliary tone above it, usually the next of the scale; -- called also the inverted mordente .
Pram, Prame Pram, Prame noun (Nautical) See Praam .
Prance Prance intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Pranced ;
present participle & verbal noun Prancing .] [ Middle English
prauncen ; probably akin to
prank , transitive verb See Prank.]
1. To spring or bound, as a horse in high mettle. Now rule thy prancing steed.
Gay. 2. To ride on a prancing horse; to ride in an ostentatious manner. The insulting tyrant prancing o'er the field.
Addison. 3. To walk or strut about in a pompous, showy manner, or with warlike parade. Swift.
Prancer Pran"cer noun A horse which prances. Then came the captain . . . upon a brave prancer .
Evelyn.
Prandial Pran"di·al adjective [ Latin
prandium a repast.]
Of or pertaining to a repast, especially to dinner.
Prangos Pran"gos noun [ From the native name in Afghanistan.]
(Botany) A genus of umbelliferous plants, one species of which ( P. pabularia ), found in Thibet, Cashmere, Afghanistan, etc., has been used as fodder for cattle. It has decompound leaves with very long narrow divisions, and a highly fragrant smell resembling that of new clover hay.
Prank Prank transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Pranked ;
present participle & verbal noun Pranking .] [ Confer English
prink , also German
prangen ,
prunken , to shine, to make a show, Danish
prange ,
prunke , Swedish
prunka , Dutch
pronken .]
To adorn in a showy manner; to dress or equip ostentatiously; -- often followed by up ; as, to prank up the body. See Prink . In sumptuous tire she joyed herself to prank .
Spenser.
Prank Prank intransitive verb To make ostentatious show. White houses prank where once were huts.
M. Arnold.
Prank Prank noun A gay or sportive action; a ludicrous, merry, or mischievous trick; a caper; a frolic. Spenser. The harpies . . . played their accustomed pranks .
Sir W. Raleigh. His pranks have been too broad to bear with.
Shak.
Prank Prank adjective Full of gambols or tricks. [ Obsolete]
Pranker Prank"er noun One who dresses showily; a prinker. "A
pranker or a dancer."
Burton.
Prankish Prank"ish adjective Full of pranks; frolicsome.
Prase Prase noun [ Latin
prasius , from Greek ... of a leek-green, from Greek ... a leek: confer French
prase .]
(Min.) A variety of cryptocrystalline of a leek-green color.
Praseo- Pra"se·o- [ Greek ... leek-green, green, from ... a leek.] A combining form signifying green ; as, praseo cobalt, a green variety of cobalt.
Praseodymium Pra`se·o·dym"i·um noun [
Praseo- + di
dymium .]
(Chemistry) An elementary substance, one of the constituents of didymium; -- so called from the green color of its salts. Symbol Ps. Atomic weight 143.6.
Praseolite Pra"se·o·lite noun [
Praseo- +
-lite .]
(Min.) A variety of altered iolite of a green color and greasy luster.
Prasinous Pras"i·nous adjective [ Latin
prasinus , Greek ..., from ... a leek.]
Grass-green; clear, lively green, without any mixture. Lindley.
Prasoid Pra"soid adjective [ Greek ... leek +
- oid .]
(Min.) Resembling prase.
Prate Prate intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Prated ;
present participle & verbal noun Prating .] [ Akin to LG. & Dutch
praten , Danish
prate , Swedish & Icelandic
prata .]
To talk much and to little purpose; to be loquacious; to speak foolishly; to babble. To prate and talk for life and honor.
Shak. And make a fool presume to prate of love.
Dryden.
Prate Prate transitive verb To utter foolishly; to speak without reason or purpose; to chatter, or babble. What nonsense would the fool, thy master, prate ,
When thou, his knave, canst talk at such a rate !
Dryden.
Prate Prate noun [ Akin to LG. & Dutch
praat , Swedish
prat .]
Talk to little purpose; trifling talk; unmeaning loquacity. Sick of tops, and poetry, and prate .
Pope.
Prateful Prate"ful adjective Talkative. [ R.]
W. Taylor.
Prater Prat"er noun One who prates. Shak.
Pratic Prat"ic noun See Pratique .
Pratincole Pra"tin·cole noun (Zoology) Any bird of the Old World genus Glareola , or family Glareolidæ , allied to the plovers. They have long, pointed wings and a forked tail.
Pratingly Prat"ing·ly adverb With idle talk; with loquacity.
Pratique Prat"ique noun [ F.; confer Italian
pratica , Spanish
practica . See
Practice .]
1. (Com.) Primarily, liberty of converse; intercourse; hence, a certificate, given after compliance with quarantine regulations, permitting a ship to land passengers and crew; -- a term used particularly in the south of Europe. 2. Practice; habits. [ Obsolete] "One of English education and
pratique ."
R. North.
Prattle Prat"tle intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Prattled ;
present participle & verbal noun Prattling .] [ Freq.
of prate .]
To talk much and idly; to prate; hence, to talk lightly and artlessly, like a child; to utter child's talk.
Prattle Prat"tle transitive verb To utter as prattle; to babble; as, to prattle treason. Addison.
Prattle Prat"tle noun Trifling or childish tattle; empty talk; loquacity on trivial subjects; prate; babble. Mere prattle , without practice.
Shak.
Prattlement Prat"tle·ment noun Prattle. [ R.]
Jeffrey.
Prattler Prat"tler noun One who prattles. Herbert.
Pravity Prav"i·ty noun [ Latin
pravitas , from
pravus crooked, perverse.]
Deterioration; degeneracy; corruption; especially, moral crookedness; moral perversion; perverseness; depravity; as, the pravity of human nature. "The
pravity of the will."
South.
Prawn Prawn noun [ Middle English
prane , of unknown origin; confer Latin
perna a sea mussel.]
(Zoology) Any one of numerous species of large shrimplike Crustacea having slender legs and long antennæ. They mostly belong to the genera Pandalus , Palæmon , Palæmonetes , and Peneus , and are much used as food. The common English prawn is Palæmon serratus . » The name is often applied to any large shrimp.
Praxinoscope Prax·in"o·scope noun [ Greek ... action +
-scope .]
(Opt.) An instrument, similar to the phenakistoscope, for presenting to view, or projecting upon a screen, images the natural motions of real objects.
Praxis Prax"is noun [ New Latin , from Greek ..., from ... to do. See
Practice .]
1. Use; practice; especially, exercise or discipline for a specific purpose or object. "The
praxis and theory of music."
Wood. 2. An example or form of exercise, or a collection of such examples, for practice.
Pray Pray noun & v. See Pry . [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Pray Pray intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Prayed ;
present participle & verbal noun Praying .] [ Middle English
preien , Old French
preier , French
prier , Latin
precari , from
prex ,
precis , a prayer, a request; akin to Sanskrit
prach to ask, Anglo-Saxon
frignan ,
frīnan ,
fricgan , German
fragen , Goth.
fraíhnan . Confer
Deprecate ,
Imprecate ,
Precarious .]
To make request with earnestness or zeal, as for something desired; to make entreaty or supplication; to offer prayer to a deity or divine being as a religious act; specifically, to address the Supreme Being with adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving. And to his goddess pitously he preyde .
Chaucer. When thou prayest , enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matt. vi. 6. I pray , or (by ellipsis)
Pray ,
I beg; I request; I entreat you; -- used in asking a question, making a request, introducing a petition, etc.; as, Pray , allow me to go. I pray , sir. why am I beaten?
Shak. Syn. -- To entreat; supplicate; beg; implore; invoke; beseech; petition.
Pray Pray transitive verb 1. To address earnest request to; to supplicate; to entreat; to implore; to beseech. And as this earl was preyed , so did he.
Chaucer. We pray you . . . by ye reconciled to God.
2 Cor. v. 20. 2. To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication; to entreat for. I know not how to pray your patience.
Shak. 3. To effect or accomplish by praying; as, to pray a soul out of purgatory. Milman. To pray in aid .
(Law) (a) To call in as a helper one who has an interest in the cause .
Bacon. (b) A phrase often used to signify claiming the benefit of an argument. See under Aid . Mozley & W.
Prayer Pray"er noun One who prays; a supplicant.
Prayer Prayer (...; 277)
noun [ Middle English
preiere , Old French
preiere , French
prière , from Latin
precarius obtained by prayer, from
precari to pray. See
Pray ,
intransitive verb ]
1. The act of praying, or of asking a favor; earnest request or entreaty; hence, a petition or memorial addressed to a court or a legislative body. "Their meek
preyere ."
Chaucer 2. The act of addressing supplication to a divinity, especially to the true God; the offering of adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving to the Supreme Being; as, public prayer ; secret prayer . As he is famed for mildness, peace, and prayer .
Shak. 3. The form of words used in praying; a formula of supplication; an expressed petition; especially, a supplication addressed to God; as, a written or extemporaneous prayer ; to repeat one's prayers . He made those excellent prayers which were published immediately after his death.
Bp. Fell. Prayer book ,
a book containing devotional prayers. --
Prayer meeting ,
a meeting or gathering for prayer to God. Syn. -- Petition; orison; supplication; entreaty; suit.
Prayerful Prayer"ful adjective Given to prayer; praying much or often; devotional. "The
prayerful man."
J. S. Blackie. --
Prayer"ful*ly ,
adverb --
Prayer"ful*ness ,
noun
Prayerless Prayer"less adjective Not using prayer; habitually neglecting prayer to God; without prayer. "The next time you go
prayerless to bed."
Baxter. --
Prayer"less*ly ,
adverb --
Prayer"less*ness ,
noun
Praying Pray"ing adjective & noun from Pray , v. Praying insect ,
locust , or mantis
(Zoology) ,
a mantis, especially Mantis religiosa . See Mantis . --
Praying machine , or
Praying wheel ,
a wheel on which prayers are pasted by Buddhist priests, who then put the wheel in rapid revolution. Each turn in supposed to have the efficacy of an oral repetition of all the prayers on the wheel. Sometimes it is moved by a stream.
Prayingly Pray"ing·ly adverb With supplication to God.
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