Puerile Pu"er·ile adjective [ Latin
puerilis , from
puer a child, a boy: confer French
puéril .]
Boyish; childish; trifling; silly. The French have been notorious through generations for their puerile affectation of Roman forms, models, and historic precedents.
De Quincey. Syn. -- Youthful; boyish; juvenile; childish; trifling; weak. See
Youthful .
Puerilely Pu"er·ile·ly adverb In a puerile manner; childishly.
Puerileness Pu"er·ile·ness noun The quality of being puerile; puerility.
Puerility Pu`er·il"i·ty noun ;
plural Puerilities . [ Latin
puerilitas : confer French
puérilité .]
1. The quality of being puerile; childishness; puerileness. Sir T. Browne. 2. That which is puerile or childish; especially, an expression which is flat, insipid, or silly.
Puerperal Pu·er"per·al adjective [ Latin
puerpera a lying-in woman;
puer child +
parere to bear: confer French
puerpéral .]
Of or pertaining to childbirth; as, a puerperal fever.
Puerperous Pu·er"per·ous adjective Bearing children. [ R.]
Puet Pu"et noun (Zoology) The pewit.
Puff Puff (pŭf)
noun [ Akin to G. & Swedish
puff a blow, Danish
puf , Dutch
pof ; of imitative origin. Confer
Buffet .]
1. A sudden and single emission of breath from the mouth; hence, any sudden or short blast of wind; a slight gust; a whiff. " To every
puff of wind a slave."
Flatman. 2. Anything light and filled with air. Specifically:
(a) A puffball. (b) a kind of light pastry. (c) A utensil of the toilet for dusting the skin or hair with powder. 3. An exaggerated or empty expression of praise, especially one in a public journal. Puff adder .
(Zoology) (a) Any South African viper belonging to Clotho and allied genera. They are exceedingly venomous, and have the power of greatly distending their bodies when irritated. The common puff adder ( Vipera, or Clotho arietans ) is the largest species, becoming over four feet long. The plumed puff adder ( C. cornuta ) has a plumelike appendage over each eye. (b) A North American harmless snake ( Heterodon platyrrhinos ) which has the power of puffing up its body. Called also hog-nose snake , flathead , spreading adder , and blowing adder . --
Puff bird (Zoology) ,
any bird of the genus Bucco , or family Bucconidæ . They are small birds, usually with dull- colored and loose plumage, and have twelve tail feathers. See Barbet (b) .
Puff Puff intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Puffed (pŭft);
present participle & verbal noun Puffing .] [ Akin to German
puffen to pop, buffet, puff, Dutch
poffen to pop,
puffen to blow, Swedish
puffa to push, to cuff, Danish
puffe to pop, thump. See
Puff ,
noun ]
1. To blow in puffs, or with short and sudden whiffs. 2. To blow, as an expression of scorn; -- with at . It is really to defy Heaven to puff at damnation.
South. 3. To breathe quick and hard, or with puffs, as after violent exertion. The ass comes back again, puffing and blowing, from the chase.
L' Estrange. 4. To swell with air; to be dilated or inflated. Boyle. 5. To breathe in a swelling, inflated, or pompous manner; hence, to assume importance. Then came brave Glory puffing by.
Herbert.
Puff Puff transitive verb 1. To drive with a puff, or with puffs. The clearing north will puff the clouds away.
Dryden. 2. To repel with words; to blow at contemptuously. I puff the prostitute away.
Dryden. 3. To cause to swell or dilate; to inflate; to ruffle with puffs; -- often with up ; as, a bladder puffed with air. The sea puffed up with winds.
Shak. 4. To inflate with pride, flattery, self- esteem, or the like; -- often with up . Puffed up with military success.
Jowett (Thucyd. ) 5. To praise with exaggeration; to flatter; to call public attention to by praises; to praise unduly. " Puffed with wonderful skill."
Macaulay.
Puff Puff adjective Puffed up; vain. [ R.]
Fanshawe.
Puff-leg Puff"-leg` noun (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of beautiful humming birds of the genus Eriocnemis having large tufts of downy feathers on the legs.
Puff-legged Puff"-legged` adjective (Zoology) Having a conspicuous tuft of feathers on the legs.
Puffball Puff"ball` noun (Botany) A kind of ball-shaped fungus ( Lycoperdon giganteum , and other species of the same genus) full of dustlike spores when ripe; -- called also bullfist , bullfice , puckfist , puff , and puffin .
Puffer Puff"er noun 1. One who puffs; one who praises with noisy or extravagant commendation. 2. One who is employed by the owner or seller of goods sold at suction to bid up the price; a by-bidder. Bouvier. 3. (Zoology) (a) Any plectognath fish which inflates its body, as the species of Tetrodon and Diodon ; -- called also blower , puff-fish , swellfish , and globefish . (b) The common, or harbor, porpoise. 4. (Dyeing) A kier.
Puffery Puff"er·y noun The act of puffing; bestowment of extravagant commendation.
Puffin Puf"fin (pŭf"fĭn)
noun [ Akin to
puff .]
1. (Zoology) An arctic sea bird Fratercula arctica ) allied to the auks, and having a short, thick, swollen beak, whence the name; -- called also bottle nose , cockandy , coulterneb , marrot , mormon , pope , and sea parrot . » The name is also applied to other related species, as the horned puffin (
F. corniculata ), the tufted puffin (
Lunda cirrhata ), and the razorbill.
Manx puffin ,
the Manx shearwater. See under Manx . 2. (Botany) The puffball. 3. A sort of apple. [ Obsolete]
Rider's Dict. (1640).
Puffiness Puff"i·ness noun The quality or state of being puffy.
Puffing Puff"ing adjective & noun from Puff , intransitive verb & t. Puffing adder .
(Zoology) Same as Puff adder (b) , under Puff . --
Puffing pig (Zoology) ,
the common porpoise.
Puffingly Puff"ing·ly adverb In a puffing manner; with vehement breathing or shortness of breath; with exaggerated praise.
Puffy Puff"y adjective 1. Swelled with air, or any soft matter; tumid with a soft substance; bloated; fleshy; as, a puffy tumor. " A very stout,
puffy man."
Thackeray. 2. Hence, inflated; bombastic; as, a puffy style.
Pug Pug transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Pugged ;
present participle & verbal noun Pugging .] [ Confer German
pucken to thump. beat.]
1. To mix and stir when wet, as clay for bricks, pottery, etc. 2. To fill or stop with clay by tamping; to fill in or spread with mortar, as a floor or partition, for the purpose of deadening sound. See Pugging , 2.
Pug Pug noun 1. Tempered clay; clay moistened and worked so as to be plastic. 2. A pug mill. Pug mill ,
a kind of mill for grinding and mixing clay, either for brickmaking or the fine arts; a clay mill. It consists essentially of an upright shaft armed with projecting knives, which is caused to revolve in a hollow cylinder, tub, or vat, in which the clay is placed.
Pug Pug noun [ Corrupted from
puck . See
Puck .]
1. An elf, or a hobgoblin; also same as Puck . [ Obsolete]
B. Jonson. 2. A name for a monkey. [ Colloq.]
Addison. 3. A name for a fox. [ Prov. Eng.]
C. Kingsley. 4. An intimate; a crony; a dear one. [ Obsolete]
Lyly. 5. plural Chaff; the refuse of grain. [ Obsolete]
Holland. 6. A prostitute. [ Obsolete]
Cotgrave. 7. (Zoology) One of a small breed of pet dogs having a short nose and head; a pug dog. 8. (Zoology) Any geometrid moth of the genus Eupithecia .
Pug Pug noun [ Hind.
pag foot.]
A footprint; a track; as of a boar. [ India]
Pug nose Pug" nose` A short, thick nose; a snubnose. --
Pug"-nosed` adjective Pug-nose eel (Zoology) ,
a deep- water marine eel ( Simenchelys parasiticus ) which sometimes burrows into the flesh of the halibut.
Pug-faced Pug"-faced` adjective Having a face like a monkey or a pug; monkey-faced.
Puggaree Pug"ga·ree noun Same as Puggry .
Pugger Pug"ger transitive verb To pucker. [ Obsolete]
Puggered Pug"gered adjective Puckered. [ Obsolete]
Dr. H. More.
Pugging Pug"ging noun [ See
Pug ,
transitive verb ]
1. The act or process of working and tempering clay to make it plastic and of uniform consistency, as for bricks, for pottery, etc. 2. (Architecture) Mortar or the like, laid between the joists under the boards of a floor, or within a partition, to deaden sound; -- in the United States usually called deafening .
Pugging Pug"ging adjective Thieving. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Puggry, Puggree Pug"gry, Pug"gree noun [ Written also
puggaree ,
puggeree , etc.] [ Hind.
pagri turban.]
A light scarf wound around a hat or helmet to protect the head from the sun. [ India]
Yule. A blue-gray felt hat with a gold puggaree .
Kipling.
Pugh Pugh interj. Pshaw! pish! -- a word used in contempt or disdain.
Pugil Pu"gil noun [ Latin
pugillus ,
pugillum , a handful, akin to
pugnus the fist.]
As much as is taken up between the thumb and two first fingers. [ Obsolete]
Bacon.
Pugilism Pu"gil·ism noun [ Latin
pugil a pugilist, boxer, akin to
pugnus the fist. Confer
Pugnacious ,
Fist .]
The practice of boxing, or fighting with the fist.
Pugilist Pu"gil·ist noun [ Latin
pugil .]
One who fights with his fists; esp., a professional prize fighter; a boxer.
Pugilistic Pu`gil·is"tic adjective Of or pertaining to pugillism.
Pugnacious Pug·na"cious adjective [ Latin
pugnax ,
-acis , from
pugnare to fight. Confer
Pugilism ,
Fist .]
Disposed to fight; inclined to fighting; quarrelsome; fighting. --
Pug*na"cious*ly ,
adverb --
Pug*na"cious*ness ,
noun
Pugnacity Pug·nac"i·ty noun [ Latin
pugnacitas : confer French
pugnacité .]
Inclination or readiness to fight; quarrelsomeness. " A national
pugnacity of character."
Motley.
Puh Puh interj. The same as Pugh .
Puisne Puis"ne (pū"nȳ)
adjective [ See
Puny .]
1. Later in age, time, etc.; subsequent. [ Obsolete] " A
puisne date to eternity."
Sir M. Hale. 2. Puny; petty; unskilled. [ Obsolete]
3. (Law) Younger or inferior in rank; junior; associate; as, a chief justice and three puisne justices of the Court of Common Pleas; the puisne barons of the Court of Exchequer. Blackstone.
Puisne Puis"ne noun One who is younger, or of inferior rank; a junior; esp., a judge of inferior rank. It were not a work for puisnes and novices.
Bp. Hall.
Puisny Puis"ny adjective Puisne; younger; inferior; petty; unskilled. [ R.]
A puisny tilter, that spurs his horse but on one side.
Shak.
Puissance Pu"is·sance noun [ French, from
puissant . See
Puissant , and confer
Potency ,
Potance ,
Potence .]
Power; strength; might; force; potency. " Youths of
puissance ."
Tennyson. The power and puissance of the king.
Shak. » In Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton,
puissance and
puissant are usually dissyllables.
Puissant Pu"is·sant adjective [ French, originally, a present participle formed from Latin
posse to be able: confer Latin
potens powerful. See
Potent .]
Powerful; strong; mighty; forcible; as, a puissant prince or empire. "
Puissant deeds."
Milton. Of puissant nations which the world possessed.
Spenser. And worldlings in it are less merciful,
And more puissant .
Mrs. Browning.
Puissantly Pu"is·sant·ly adverb In a puissant manner; powerfully; with great strength.
Puissantness Pu"is·sant·ness noun The state or quality of being puissant; puissance; power.
Puit Puit noun [ French
puits , from Latin
puteus well.]
A well; a small stream; a fountain; a spring. [ Obsolete]
The puits flowing from the fountain of life.
Jer. Taylor.
Puke Puke intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Puked ;
present participle & verbal noun Puking .] [ Confer German
spucken to spit, and English
spew .]
To eject the contests of the stomach; to vomit; to spew. The infant
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Shak.
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