Pehlevi Peh"le·vi` noun [ Parsee Pahlavi .] An ancient Persian dialect in which words were partly represented by their Semitic equivalents. It was in use from the 3d century (and perhaps earlier) to the middle of the 7th century, and later in religious writings. [ Written also Pahlavi .]

Peignoir Pei`gnoir" noun [ French, from peigner to comb, Latin pectinare . See Pectinate .] A woman's loose dressing sack; hence, a loose morning gown or wrapper.

Pein Pein noun See Peen .

Peirameter Pei·ram"e·ter noun [ Greek ... a trail + -meter .] A dynamometer for measuring the force required to draw wheel carriages on roads of different constructions. G. Francis.

Peirastic Pei·ras"tic adjective [ Greek ..., from ... to try, from ... a trail.] Fitted for trail or test; experimental; tentative; treating of attempts.

Peise Peise noun [ See Poise .] A weight; a poise. [ Obsolete] "To weigh pence with a peise ." Piers Plowman.

Peise Peise transitive verb To poise or weight. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Lest leaden slumber peise me down.

Shak.

Peitrel Pei"trel noun (Anc. Armor) See Peytrel .

Pejorative Pe·jor"a·tive adjective [ French péjoratif , from Latin pejor , used as compar. of malus evil.] Implying or imputing evil; depreciatory; disparaging; unfavorable.

Pekan Pek"an noun [ French pekan .] (Zoology) See Fisher , 2.

Pekoe Pek"oe noun [ Chin. pih-hoau : confer French pekoë ] A kind of black tea. [ Written also pecco .]

Pela Pe"la noun (Zoology) See Wax insect , under Wax .

Pelage Pel"age noun [ French pelage , from Latin pilus hair.] (Zoology) The covering, or coat, of a mammal, whether of wool, fur, or hair.

Pelagian Pe·la"gi·an adjective [ Latin pelagius , Greek ..., from ... the sea: confer French pélagien .] Of or pertaining to the sea; marine; pelagic; as, pelagian shells.

Pelagian Pe·la"gi·an noun [ Latin Pelagianus : confer French pélagien .] (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Pelagius , a British monk, born in the later part of the 4th century, who denied the doctrines of hereditary sin, of the connection between sin and death, and of conversion through grace.

Pelagian Pe·la"gi·an adjective [ Confer French pélagien .] Of or pertaining to Pelagius, or to his doctrines.

Pelagianism Pe·la"gi·an·ism noun [ Confer French pélagianisme .] The doctrines of Pelagius.

Pelagic Pe·lag"ic adjective [ Latin pelagicus .] Of or pertaining to the ocean; -- applied especially to animals that live at the surface of the ocean, away from the coast.

Pelargonic Pel`ar·gon"ic adjective (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid (called also nonoic acid ) found in the leaves of the geranium ( Pelargonium ) and allied plants.

Pelargonium Pel`ar·go"ni·um noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... a stork.] (Botany) A large genus of plants of the order Geraniaceæ , differing from Geranium in having a spurred calyx and an irregular corolla.

» About one hundred and seventy species are known, nearly all of them natives of South Africa, and many having very beautiful blossoms. See the Note under Geranium .

Pelasgian, Pelasgic Pe·las"gi·an, Pe·las"gic adjective [ Latin Pelasgus , Greek ... a Pelasgian.] 1. Of or pertaining to the Pelasgians, an ancient people of Greece, of roving habits.

2. (Zoology) Wandering.

Pele's hair Pe"le's hair [ After a Hawaiian goddess associated with the crater Kilauea.] Glass threads or fibers formed by the wind from bits blown from frothy lava or from the tips of lava jets or from bits of liquid lava thrown into the air. It often collects in thick masses resembling tow.

Pelecan Pel"e·can noun (Zoology) See Pelican .

Pelecaniformes Pel`e·can`i·for"mes noun plural [ New Latin See Pelican , and -form .] (Zoology) Those birds that are related to the pelican; the Totipalmi.

Pelecoid Pel"e·coid noun [ Greek ... a hatchet + -oid .] (Geom.) A figure, somewhat hatched-shaped, bounded by a semicircle and two inverted quadrants, and equal in area to the square ABCD inclosed by the chords of the four quadrants. [ Written also pelicoid .] Math. Dict.

Pelecypoda Pel`e·cyp"o·da noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... a hatchet + -poda .] (Zoology) Same as Lamellibranchia .

Pelegrine Pel"e·grine adjective See Peregrine . [ Obsolete]

Pelerine Pel"er·ine noun [ French pèlerine a tippet, from pèlerin a pilgrim, from Latin peregrinus foreign, alien. See Pilgrim .] A woman's cape; especially, a fur cape that is longer in front than behind.

Pelf Pelf noun [ Middle English pelfir booty, Old French pelfre , akin to pelfrer to plunder, and perhaps to English pillage . Confer Pilfer .] Money; riches; lucre; gain; -- generally conveying the idea of something ill-gotten or worthless. It has no plural. "Mucky pelf ." Spenser. "Paltry pelf ." Burke.

Can their pelf prosper, not got by valor or industry?

Fuller.

Pelfish Pelf"ish adjective Of or pertaining to pelf. Stanyhurst.

Pelfray, Pelfry Pel"fray, Pel"fry noun Pelf; also, figuratively, rubbish; trash. [ Obsolete] Cranmer.

Pelican Pel"i·can noun [ French pélican , Latin pelicanus , pelecanus , Greek ..., ..., ..., the woodpecker, and also a water bird of the pelican kind, from ... to hew with an ax, akin to Sanskrit paraçu .] [ Written also pelecan .] 1. (Zoology) Any large webfooted bird of the genus Pelecanus , of which about a dozen species are known. They have an enormous bill, to the lower edge of which is attached a pouch in which captured fishes are temporarily stored.

» The American white pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) and the brown species ( P. fuscus ) are abundant on the Florida coast in winter, but breed about the lakes in the Rocky Mountains and British America.

2. (Old Chem.) A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.

» The principle is still employed in certain modern forms of distilling apparatus.

Frigate pelican (Zoology) , the frigate bird. See under Frigate . -- Pelican fish (Zoology) , deep-sea fish ( Eurypharynx pelecanoides ) of the order Lyomeri , remarkable for the enormous development of the jaws, which support a large gular pouch. -- Pelican flower (Botany) , the very large and curiously shaped blossom of a climbing plant ( Aristolochia grandiflora ) of the West Indies; also, the plant itself. -- Pelican ibis (Zoology) , a large Asiatic wood ibis ( Tantalus leucocephalus ). The head and throat are destitute of feathers; the plumage is white, with the quills and the tail greenish black. -- Pelican in her piety (in heraldry and symbolical art), a representation of a pelican in the act of wounding her breast in order to nourish her young with her blood; -- a practice fabulously attributed to the bird, on account of which it was adopted as a symbol of the Redeemer, and of charity. -- Pelican's foot (Zoology) , a marine gastropod shell of the genus Aporrhais , esp. Aporrhais pes-pelicani of Europe.

Pelican State Pel"i·can State Louisiana; -- a nickname alluding to the device on its seal.

Pelick Pel"ick noun (Zoology) The American coot ( Fulica ).

Pelicoid Pel"i·coid noun See Pelecoid .

Pelicosauria Pel`i·co·sau"ri·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... a wooden bowl (but taken to mean, pelvis) + ... a lizard.] (Paleon.) A suborder of Theromorpha, including terrestrial reptiles from the Permian formation.

Peliom Pe"li·om noun [ See Pelioma .] (Min.) A variety of iolite, of a smoky blue color; pelioma.

Pelioma Pe`li·o"ma noun [ New Latin , from Greek ..., from ... livid.] 1. (Medicine) A livid ecchymosis.

2. (Min.) See Peliom .

Pelisse Pe·lisse" noun [ French, from Latin pelliceus , pellicius , made of skins, from pellis a skin. Confer Pelt skin, Pilch , and see 2d Pell .] An outer garment for men or women, originally of fur, or lined with fur; a lady's outer garment, made of silk or other fabric.

Pelisse Pe·lisse" noun A lady's or child's long outer garment, of silk or other fabric.

Pell Pell transitive verb [ Confer Pelt , transitive verb ] To pelt; to knock about. [ Obsolete] Holland.

Pell Pell noun [ Old French pel , French peau , Latin pellis a skin. See Fell a skin.] 1. A skin or hide; a pelt.

2. A roll of parchment; a parchment record.

Clerk of the pells , formerly, an officer of the exchequer who entered accounts on certain parchment rolls, called pell rolls . [ Eng.]

Pell-mell Pell`-mell" noun See Pall- mall .

Pellack Pel"lack noun [ Confer Gael. Peileag .] (Zoology) A porpoise.

Pellage Pell"age (pĕl"aj) noun [ See 2d Pell .] A customs duty on skins of leather.

Pellagra Pel"la·gra (pĕl"lȧ*grȧ) noun (Medicine) An erythematous affection of the skin, with severe constitutional and nervous symptoms, endemic in Northern Italy.

Pellagrin Pel"la·grin noun One who is afficted with pellagra. Chambers's Encyc.

Pellagrous Pel·lag"rous adjective [ Italian pellagroso : confer French pellagreux .] (Medicine) Pertaining to, or affected with, or attendant on, pellagra; as, pellagrous insanity.

Pellet Pel"let noun [ French pelote , Late Latin pelota , pilota , from Latin pila a ball. Confer Platoon .] 1. A little ball; as, a pellet of wax ... paper.

2. A bullet; a ball for firearms. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

As swift as a pellet out of a gun.

Chaucer.

Pellet molding (Architecture) , a narrow band ornamented with smalt, flat disks.

Pellet Pel"let v..... To form into small balls. [ Obsolete] Shak.

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