Pulvil Pul"vil noun [ Italian
polviglio , from Latin
pulvis ,
pulveris , dust, powder: confer Spanish
polvillo .]
A sweet-scented powder; pulvillio. [ Written also
pulville .] [ Obsolete]
Gay.
Pulvil Pul"vil transitive verb To apply pulvil to. [ Obsolete]
Congreve.
Pulvillio, Pulvillo Pul·vil"li·o, Pul·vil"lo noun [ See
Pulvil .]
A kind of perfume in the form of a powder, formerly much used, -- often in little bags. Smells of incense, ambergris, and pulvillios .
Addison.
Pulvillus Pul·vil"lus noun ;
plural Pulvilli . [ Latin , a little cushion.]
(Zoology) One of the minute cushions on the feet of certain insects.
Pulvinar Pul·vi"nar noun [ Latin , a cushion.]
(Anat.) A prominence on the posterior part of the thalamus of the human brain.
Pulvinate, Pulvinated Pul"vi·nate, Pul"vi·na`ted adjective [ Latin
pulvinatus , from
pulvinus a cushion, an elevation.]
1. (Architecture) Curved convexly or swelled; as, a pulvinated frieze. Brande & C. 2. (Zoology) Having the form of a cushion.
Pulvinic Pul·vin"ic adjective [ From
Vulpinic , by transposition of the letters.]
(Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the decomposition of vulpinic acid, as a white crystalline substance.
Pulvinulus Pul·vin"u·lus noun ;
plural Pulvinuli . [ Latin , a little mound.]
(Zoology) Same as Pulvillus .
Puma Pu"ma (pū"mȧ)
noun [ Peruv.
puma .]
(Zoology) A large American carnivore ( Felis concolor ), found from Canada to Patagonia, especially among the mountains. Its color is tawny, or brownish yellow, without spots or stripes. Called also catamount , cougar , American lion , mountain lion , and panther or painter .
Pume Pume noun (Zoology) A stint.
Pumicate Pu"mi·cate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Pumicated ;
present participle & verbal noun Pumicating .] [ Latin
pumicatus , past participle of
pumicare to pumicate, from
pumex . See
Pumice .]
To make smooth with pumice. [ R.]
Pumice Pum"ice noun [ Latin
pumex ,
pumicis , probably akin to
spuma foam: confer Anglo-Saxon
pumic- stān. Confer
Pounce a powder,
Spume .]
(Min.) A very light porous volcanic scoria, usually of a gray color, the pores of which are capillary and parallel, giving it a fibrous structure. It is supposed to be produced by the disengagement of watery vapor without liquid or plastic lava. It is much used, esp. in the form of powder, for smoothing and polishing. Called also pumice stone .
Pumice stone Pum"ice stone` Same as Pumice .
Pumiced Pum"iced adjective (Far.) Affected with a kind of chronic laminitis in which there is a growth of soft spongy horn between the coffin bone and the hoof wall. The disease is called pumiced foot , or pumice foot .
Pumiceous Pu·mi`ceous adjective [ Latin
pumiceus .]
Of or pertaining to pumice; resembling pumice.
Pumiciform Pu·mic"i·form adjective [
Pumice +
-form .]
Resembling, or having the structure of, pumice.
Pummace Pum"mace noun Same as Pomace .
Pummel Pum"mel noun & transitive verb Same as Pommel .
Pump Pump (pŭmp)
noun [ Probably so called as being worn for
pomp or ornament. See
Pomp .]
A low shoe with a thin sole. Swift.
Pump Pump noun [ Akin to Dutch
pomp , German
pumpe , French
pompe ; of unknown origin.]
An hydraulic machine, variously constructed, for raising or transferring fluids, consisting essentially of a moving piece or piston working in a hollow cylinder or other cavity, with valves properly placed for admitting or retaining the fluid as it is drawn or driven through them by the action of the piston. » for various kinds of pumps, see
Air pump ,
Chain pump , and
Force pump ; also, under
Lifting ,
Plunger ,
Rotary , etc.
Circulating pump (Steam Engine) ,
a pump for driving the condensing water through the casing, or tubes, of a surface condenser. --
Pump brake .
See Pump handle , below. --
Pump dale .
See Dale . --
Pump gear ,
the apparatus belonging to a pump. Totten. --
Pump handle ,
the lever, worked by hand, by which motion is given to the bucket of a pump. --
Pump hood ,
a semicylindrical appendage covering the upper wheel of a chain pump. --
Pump rod ,
the rod to which the bucket of a pump is fastened, and which is attached to the brake or handle; the piston rod. --
Pump room ,
a place or room at a mineral spring where the waters are drawn and drunk. [ Eng.] --
Pump spear .
Same as Pump rod , above. --
Pump stock ,
the stationary part, body, or barrel of a pump. --
Pump well .
(Nautical) See Well .
Pump Pump transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Pumped (pŭmt; 215);
present participle & verbal noun pumping .]
1. To raise with a pump, as water or other liquid. 2. To draw water, or the like, from; to from water by means of a pump; as, they pumped the well dry; to pump a ship. 3. Figuratively, to draw out or obtain, as secrets or money, by persistent questioning or plying; to question or ply persistently in order to elicit something, as information, money, etc. But pump not me for politics.
Otway.
Pump Pump intransitive verb To work, or raise water, a pump.
Pumpage Pump"age noun That which is raised by pumps, or the work done by pumps. The pumpage last year amounted to . . . gallons.
Sci. Amer.
Pumper Pump"er noun One who pumps; the instrument or machine used in pumping. Boyle.
Pumpernickel Pump"er·nick`el noun [ G.]
A sort of bread, made of unbolted rye, which forms the chief food of the Westphalian peasants. It is acid but nourishing.
Pumpet Pum"pet noun A pompet. Pumpet ball (Print.) ,
a ball for inking types; a pompet.
Pumping Pump"ing adjective & noun from pump . Pumping engine ,
a steam engine and pump combined for raising water. See Steam engine .
Pumpion Pump"ion noun (Botany) See Pumpkin .
Pumpkin Pump"kin noun [ For older
pompion ,
pompon , Old French
pompon , Latin
pepo ,
peponis , Greek ..., properly, cooked by the sun, ripe, mellow; -- so called because not eaten till ripe. Confer
Cook ,
noun ]
(Botany) A well-known trailing plant ( Cucurbita pepo ) and its fruit, -- used for cooking and for feeding stock; a pompion. Pumpkin seed .
(a) The flattish oval seed of the pumpkin .
(b) (Zoology) The common pondfish.
Pumy Pu"my adjective [ Confer Prov. English
pummer big, large, and English
pomey pommel.]
Large and rounded. [ Obsolete]
A gentle stream, whose murmuring wave did play
Amongst the pumy stones.
Spenser.
Pun Pun transitive verb [ See
Pound to beat.]
To pound. [ Obsolete]
He would pun thee into shivers with his fist.
Shak.
Pun Pun noun [ Confer
Pun to pound,
Pound to beat.]
A play on words which have the same sound but different meanings; an expression in which two different applications of a word present an odd or ludicrous idea; a kind of quibble or equivocation. Addison. A better put on this word was made on the Beggar's Opera, which, it was said, made Gay rich, and Rich gay.
Walpole.
Pun Pun intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Punned ;
present participle & verbal noun Punning .]
To make puns, or a pun; to use a word in a double sense, especially when the contrast of ideas is ludicrous; to play upon words; to quibble. Dryden.
Pun Pun transitive verb To persuade or affect by a pun. Addison.
Puna Pu"na noun [ Spanish , of Peruv. origin.]
A cold arid table-land, as in the Andes of Peru.
Punch Punch noun [ Hind.
pānch five, Sanskrit
pa ...
can . So called because composed of five ingredients, viz., sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See
Five .]
A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice of lemon, with spice or mint; -- specifically named from the kind of spirit used; as rum punch , claret punch , champagne punch , etc. Milk punch ,
a sort of punch made with spirit, milk, sugar, spice, etc. --
Punch bowl ,
a large bowl in which punch is made, or from which it is served. --
Roman punch ,
a punch frozen and served as an ice.
Punch Punch noun [ Abbrev, from
punchinello .]
The buffoon or harlequin of a puppet show. Punch and Judy ,
a puppet show in which a comical little hunchbacked Punch, with a large nose, engages in altercation with his wife Judy.
Punch Punch noun [ Prov. E. Confer
Punchy .]
1. A short, fat fellow; anything short and thick. I . . . did hear them call their fat child punch , which pleased me mightily, that word being become a word of common use for all that is thick and short.
Pepys. 2. One of a breed of large, heavy draught horses; as, the Suffolk punch .
Punch Punch transitive verb [ Middle English
punchen , perhaps the same word as English
punish : or confer English
bunch .]
To thrust against; to poke; as, to punch one with the end of a stick or the elbow.
Punch Punch noun A thrust or blow. [ Colloq.]
Punch Punch noun [ Abbrev. from
puncheon .]
1. A tool, usually of steel, variously shaped at one end for different uses, and either solid, for stamping or for perforating holes in metallic plates and other substances, or hollow and sharpedged, for cutting out blanks, as for buttons, steel pens, jewelry, and the like; a die. 2. (Pile Driving) An extension piece applied to the top of a pile; a dolly. 3. A prop, as for the roof of a mine. Bell punch .
See under Bell . --
Belt punch (Machinery) ,
a punch, or punch pliers, for making holes for lacings in the ends of driving belts. --
Punch press .
See Punching machine , under Punch , intransitive verb --
Punch pliers ,
pliers having a tubular, sharp- edged steel punch attached to one of the jaws, for perforating leather, paper, and the like.
Punch Punch transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Punched ;
present participle & verbal noun Punching .] [ From
Punch ,
noun , a tool; confer French
poinçonner .]
To perforate or stamp with an instrument by pressure, or a blow; as, to punch a hole; to punch ticket. Punching machine , or
Punching press ,
a machine tool for punching holes in metal or other material; -- called also punch press .
Puncheon Punch"eon noun [ French
poinçon awl, bodkin, crown, king-post, from Latin
punctio a pricking, from
pungere to prick. See
Pungent , and confer
Punch a tool,
Punction .]
1. A figured stamp, die, or punch, used by goldsmiths, cutlers, etc. 2. (Carp.) A short, upright piece of timber in framing; a short post; an intermediate stud. Oxf. Gloss. 3. A split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed; as, a floor made of puncheons . [ U.S.]
Bartlett. 4. [ French
poinçon , perhaps the same as
poinçon an awl.]
A cask containing, sometimes 84, sometimes 120, gallons.
Puncher Punch"er noun One who, or that which, punches.
Punchin Pun"chin noun See Puncheon .
Punchinello Pun`chi·nel"lo noun [ Italian
pulcinella , probably originally a word of endearment, dim. of
pulcina ,
pulcino , a chicken, from Latin
pullicenus ,
pullus . See
Pullet .]
A punch; a buffoon; originally, in a puppet show, a character represented as fat, short, and humpbacked. Spectator.
Punchy Punch"y adjective [ Perhaps for
paunchy , from
paunch . See 3d
Punch .]
Short and thick, or fat.
Punctated, Punctated Punc"ta·ted, Punc"ta·ted adjective [ From Latin
punctum point. See
Point .]
1. Pointed; ending in a point or points. 2. (Nat. Hist.) Dotted with small spots of color, or with minute depressions or pits.
Punctator Punc·ta"tor noun One who marks with points. specifically, one who writes Hebrew with points; -- applied to a Masorite. E. Robinson.
Puncticular Punc·tic"u·lar adjective Comprised in, or like, a point; exact. [ Obsolete & R.]
Sir T. Browne.
Use the search box below if you want to search in Websters only, use the search box at the right to search all of Enyclo.
