Pear-shaped adjective Of the form of a pear.

Pearl noun A fringe or border. [ Obsolete] -- transitive verb To fringe; to border. [ Obsolete] See Purl .

Pearl stitch . See Purl stitch , under Purl .

Pearl noun [ Middle English perle , French perle , Late Latin perla , perula , probably from (assumed) Latin pirulo , dim. of Latin pirum a pear. See Pear , and confer Purl to mantle.]
1. (Zoology) A shelly concretion, usually rounded, and having a brilliant luster, with varying tints, found in the mantle, or between the mantle and shell, of certain bivalve mollusks, especially in the pearl oysters and river mussels, and sometimes in certain univalves. It is usually due to a secretion of shelly substance around some irritating foreign particle. Its substance is the same as nacre, or mother-of- pearl. Pearls which are round, or nearly round, and of fine luster, are highly esteemed as jewels, and compare in value with the precious stones.

2. Hence, figuratively, something resembling a pearl; something very precious.

I see thee compassed with thy kingdom's pearl .

Shak.

And those pearls of dew she wears.

Milton.

3. Nacre, or mother-of-pearl.

4. (Zoology) A fish allied to the turbot; the brill.

5. (Zoology) A light-colored tern.

6. (Zoology) One of the circle of tubercles which form the bur on a deer's antler.

7. A whitish speck or film on the eye. [ Obsolete] Milton.

8. A capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing some liquid for medicinal application, as ether.

9. (Print.) A size of type, between agate and diamond.

» This line is printed in the type called pearl .

Ground pearl . (Zoology) See under Ground . -- Pearl barley , kernels of barley, ground so as to form small, round grains. -- Pearl diver , one who dives for pearl oysters. -- Pearl edge , an edge of small loops on the side of some kinds of ribbon; also, a narrow kind of thread edging to be sewed on lace. -- Pearl eye , cataract. [ R.] -- Pearl gray , a very pale and delicate blue-gray color. -- Pearl millet , Egyptian millet ( Penicillaria spicata ). -- Pearl moss . See Carrageen . -- Pearl moth (Zoology) , any moth of the genus Margaritia ; -- so called on account of its pearly color. -- Pearl oyster (Zoology) , any one of several species of large tropical marine bivalve mollusks of the genus Meleagrina , or Margaritifera , found in the East Indies (especially at Ceylon), in the Persian Gulf, on the coast of Australia, and on the Pacific coast of America. Called also pearl shell , and pearl mussel . -- Pearl powder . See Pearl white , below. -- Pearl sago , sago in the form of small pearly grains. -- Pearl sinter (Min.) , fiorite. -- Pearl spar (Min.) , a crystallized variety of dolomite, having a pearly luster. -- Pearl white . (a) Basic bismuth nitrate, or bismuth subchloride; -- used chiefly as a cosmetic . (b) A variety of white lead blued with indigo or Berlin blue.

Pearl adjective Of or pertaining to pearl or pearls; made of pearls, or of mother-of-pearl.

Pearl transitive verb
1. To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. Used also figuratively.

2. To cause to resemble pearls; to make into small round grains; as, to pearl barley.

Pearl intransitive verb
1. To resemble pearl or pearls.

2. To give or hunt for pearls; as, to go pearling .

Pearl-eyed adjective Having a pearly speck in the eye; afflicted with the cataract.

Pearlaceous adjective Resembling pearl or mother-of-pearl; pearly in quality or appearance.

Pearlash noun (Chemistry) A white amorphous or granular substance which consists principally of potassium carbonate, and has a strong alkaline reaction. It is obtained by lixiviating wood ashes, and evaporating the lye, and has been an important source of potassium compounds. It is used in making soap, glass, etc.

Pearlfish noun (Zoology) Any fish whose scales yield a pearl-like pigment used in manufacturing artificial pearls, as the bleak, and whitebait.

Pearlins, Pearlings noun plural [ Prob. a corruption of purflings . See Purfle .] A kind of lace of silk or thread. [ Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

Pearlite, Pearlstone noun (Min.) A glassy volcanic rock of a grayish color and pearly luster, often having a spherulitic concretionary structure due to the curved cracks produced by contraction in cooling. See Illust. under Perlitic .

Pearlwort noun (Botany) A name given to several species of Sagina , low and inconspicuous herbs of the Chickweed family.

Pearly adjective
1. Containing pearls; abounding with, or yielding, pearls; as, pearly shells. Milton.

2. Resembling pearl or pearls; clear; pure; transparent; iridescent; as, the pearly dew or flood.

Pearmain noun (Botany) The name of several kinds of apples; as, the blue pearmain , winter pearmain , and red pearmain .

Peart adjective [ A variant of pert , adjective ] Active; lively; brisk; smart; -- often applied to convalescents; as, she is quite peart to-day. [ O. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]

There was a tricksy girl, I wot, albeit clad in gray,
As peart as bird, as straight as bolt, as fresh as flowers in May.

Warner (1592).

Peasant noun [ Old French païsant (the i being perhaps due to confusion with the present participle of verbs), païsan , French paysan , from Old French & French pays country, from Latin pagus the country. See Pagan .] A countryman; a rustic; especially, one of the lowest class of tillers of the soil in European countries.

Syn. -- Countryman; rustic; swain; hind.

Peasant adjective Rustic, rural. Spenser.

Peasantlike adjective Rude; clownish; illiterate.

Peasantly adjective Peasantlike. [ Obsolete] Milton.

Peasantry noun
1. Peasants, collectively; the body of rustics. "A bold peasantry ." Goldsmith.

2. Rusticity; coarseness. [ Obsolete] p. Butler.

Peascod noun The legume or pericarp, or the pod, of the pea.

Pease noun ; obsolete pl . Peases , Peasen . [ See Pea .]
1. A pea. [ Obsolete] "A peose ." "Bread . . . of beans and of peses ." Piers Plowman.

2. A plural form of Pea . See the Note under Pea .

Peastone noun (Min.) Pisolite.

Peasweep noun [ So called from its note.] [ Prov. Eng.] (Zoology) (a) The pewit, or lapwing. (b) The greenfinch.

Peat noun [ Confer Pet a fondling.] A small person; a pet; -- sometimes used contemptuously. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Peat noun [ Prob. for beat , prop., material used to make the fire burn better , from Anglo-Saxon b...tan to better, mend (a fire), b...t advantage. See Better , Boot advantage.] A substance of vegetable origin, consisting of roots and fibers, moss, etc., in various stages of decomposition, and found, as a kind of turf or bog, usually in low situations, where it is always more or less saturated with water. It is often dried and used for fuel.

Peat bog , a bog containing peat; also, peat as it occurs in such places; peat moss. -- Peat moss . (a) The plants which, when decomposed, become peat . (b) A fen producing peat . (c) (Botany) Moss of the genus Sphagnum , which often grows abundantly in boggy or peaty places. -- Peat reek , the reek or smoke of peat; hence, also, the peculiar flavor given to whisky by being distilled with peat as fuel. [ Scot.]

Peaty adjective Composed of peat; abounding in peat; resembling peat.

Peavey, Peavy noun [ Said to be from the inventor's name.] (Lumbering) A cant hook having the end of its lever armed with a spike.

Peba noun [ Confer Portuguese peba .] (Zoology) An armadillo ( Tatusia novemcincta ) which is found from Texas to Paraguay; -- called also tatouhou .

Pebble noun [ Anglo-Saxon papolstān ; confer Latin papula pimple, mote. See Stone .]
1. A small roundish stone or bowlder; especially, a stone worn and rounded by the action of water; a pebblestone. "The pebbles on the hungry beach." Shak.

As children gathering pebbles on the shore.

Milton.

2. Transparent and colorless rock crystal; as, Brazilian pebble ; -- so called by opticians.

Pebble powder , slow-burning gunpowder, in large cubical grains. -- Scotch pebble , varieties of quartz, as agate, chalcedony, etc., obtained from cavities in amygdaloid.

Pebble transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pebbled ; present participle & verbal noun Pebbling .] To grain (leather) so as to produce a surface covered with small rounded prominences.

Pebbled adjective Abounding in pebbles. Thomson.

Pebblestone A pebble; also, pebbles collectively. "Chains of pebblestone ." Marlowe.

Pebbly adjective Full of pebbles; pebbled. "A hard, pebbly bottom." Johnson.

Pebrine noun [ French] An epidemic disease of the silkworm, characterized by the presence of minute vibratory corpuscles in the blood.

Pecan noun [ Confer French pacane the nut.] (Botany) A species of hickory ( Carya olivæformis ), growing in North America, chiefly in the Mississippi valley and in Texas, where it is one of the largest of forest trees; also, its fruit, a smooth, oblong nut, an inch or an inch and a half long, with a thin shell and well-flavored meat. [ Written also pacane .]

Pecary noun (Zoology) See Peccary .

Peccability noun The state or quality of being peccable; lability to sin.

The common peccability of mankind.

Dr. H. More.

Peccable adjective [ Confer French peccable . See Peccant .] Liable to sin; subject to transgress the divine law. "A frail and peccable mortal." Sir W. Scott.

Peccadillo noun ; plural Peccadillos . [ Spanish pecadillo , dim. of pecado a sin, from Latin peccatum . See Peccant .] A slight trespass or offense; a petty crime or fault. Sir W. Scott.

Peccancy noun [ Latin peccantia .]
1. The quality or state of being peccant.

2. A sin; an offense. W. Montagu.

Peccant adjective [ Latin peccans , -antis , present participle of peccare to sin: confer French peccant .]
1. Sinning; guilty of transgression; criminal; as, peccant angels. Milton.

2. Morbid; corrupt; as, peccant humors. Bacon.

3. Wrong; defective; faulty. [ R.] Ayliffe.

Peccant noun An offender. [ Obsolete] Whitlock.

Peccantly adverb In a peccant manner.

Peccary noun ; plural Peccaries . [ From the native South American name: confer French pécari , Spanish pecar .] (Zoology) A pachyderm of the genus Dicotyles .

» The collared peccary, or tajacu ( Dicotyles torquatus ), is about the size and shape of a small hog, and has a white ring aroung the neck. It ranges from Arkansas to Brazil. A larger species ( D. labiatus ), with white cheeks, is found in South America.

Peccavi [ Latin ] I have sinned; -- used colloquially to express confession or acknowledgment of an offense. Aubrey.

Pecco noun See Pekoe .

Peck noun [ Perh. akin to pack ; or, orig., an indefinite quantity, and from peck , v. (below): confer also French picotin a peak.]
1. The fourth part of a bushel; a dry measure of eight quarts; as, a peck of wheat. "A peck of provender." Shak.

2. A great deal; a large or excessive quantity. "A peck of uncertainties and doubts." Milton.

Peck transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pecked ; present participle & verbal noun Pecking .] [ See Pick , v. ]
1. To strike with the beak; to thrust the beak into; as, a bird pecks a tree.

2. Hence: To strike, pick, thrust against, or dig into, with a pointed instrument; especially, to strike, pick, etc., with repeated quick movements.

3. To seize and pick up with the beak, or as with the beak; to bite; to eat; -- often with up . Addison.

This fellow pecks up wit as pigeons peas.

Shak.

4. To make, by striking with the beak or a pointed instrument; as, to peck a hole in a tree.

Peck intransitive verb
1. To make strokes with the beak, or with a pointed instrument. Carew.

2. To pick up food with the beak; hence, to eat.

[ The hen] went pecking by his side.

Dryden.

To peck at , to attack with petty and repeated blows; to carp at; to nag; to tease.

Peck noun A quick, sharp stroke, as with the beak of a bird or a pointed instrument.