Pentaptych Pen"tap·tych noun [
Penta- + Greek ..., ..., a fold.]
(Fine Arts) A picture, or combination of pictures, consisting of a centerpiece and double folding doors or wings, as for an altarpiece.
Pentarchy Pen"tar·chy noun [ Greek ...: confer French
pentarchie . See
Penta- , and
-archy .]
A government in the hands of five persons; five joint rulers. P. Fletcher. "The
pentarchy of the senses."
A. Brewer.
Pentaspast Pen"ta·spast noun [ Latin
pentaspaston , Greek ... (see
Penta- ) + ... to pull: confer French
pentaspaste .]
A purchase with five pulleys. [ R.]
Pentaspermous Pen`ta·sper"mous adjective [
Penta- + Greek ... seed.]
(Botany) Containing five seeds.
Pentastich Pen"ta·stich noun [ Greek ... of five verses; ... (see
Penta- ) + ... line, verse.]
A composition consisting of five verses.
Pentastichous Pen·tas"ti·chous adjective [
Penta- + Greek ... a row.]
(Botany) Having, or arranged in, five vertical ranks, as the leaves of an apple tree or a cherry tree.
Pentastomida Pen`ta·stom"i·da noun plural [ New Latin , from ... (see
Penta- ) + ... a mouth.]
(Zoology) Same as Linguatulina .
Pentastyle Pen"ta·style adjective [
Penta- + Greek ... a pillar.]
(Architecture) Having five columns in front; - - said of a temple or portico in classical architecture. --
noun A portico having five columns.
Pentateuch Pen"ta·teuch noun [ Latin
pentateuchus , Greek ...; ... (see
Penta- ) + ... a tool, implement, a book, akin to ... to prepare, make ready, and perhaps to English
text . See
Five , and
Text .]
The first five books of the Old Testament, collectively; -- called also the Law of Moses , Book of the Law of Moses , etc.
Pentateuchal Pen`ta·teu"chal adjective Of or pertaining to the Pentateuch.
Pentathionic Pen`ta·thi·on"ic adjective [
Penta- +
thionic .]
(Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of sulphur obtained by leading hydrogen sulphide into a solution of sulphur dioxide; -- so called because it contains five atoms of sulphur.
Pentathlon Pen·tath"lon noun [ New Latin , from Greek ...; ... five + ... a contest.]
(Gr. Antiq.) A fivefold athletic performance peculiar to the great national games of the Greeks, including leaping, foot racing, wrestling, throwing the discus, and throwing the spear.
Pentathlon Pen·tath"lon noun In the modern Olympic Games, a composite contest made up of a running broad jump, throwing the javelin, a 200-meter run, throwing the discus, and a 1500-meter run.
Pentatomic Pen`ta·tom"ic adjective [
Penta- +
atomic .]
(Chemistry) (a) Having five atoms in the molecule. (b) Having five hydrogen atoms capable of substitution.
Pentavalent Pen·tav"a·lent adjective [
Penta- + Latin
valens , present participle See
Valence .]
(Chemistry) Having a valence of five; -- said of certain atoms and radicals.
Penteconter Pen"te·con`ter noun [ Greek ... (sc. ...), from ... fifty.]
(Gr. Antiq.) A Grecian vessel with fifty oars. [ Written also
pentaconter .]
Pentecost Pen"te·cost noun [ Latin
pentecoste , Greek ... (sc. ...) the fiftieth day, Pentecost, from ... fiftieth, from ... fifty, from ... five. See
Five , and confer
Pingster .]
1. A solemn festival of the Jews; -- so called because celebrated on the fiftieth day (seven weeks) after the second day of the Passover (which fell on the sixteenth of the Jewish month Nisan); -- hence called, also, the Feast of Weeks . At this festival an offering of the first fruits of the harvest was made. By the Jews it was generally regarded as commemorative of the gift of the law on the fiftieth day after the departure from Egypt. 2. A festival of the Roman Catholic and other churches in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles; which occurred on the day of Pentecost; -- called also Whitsunday . Shak.
Pentecostal Pen`te·cos"tal adjective Of or pertaining to Pentecost or to Whitsuntide.
Pentecostals Pen`te·cos"tals noun plural Offerings formerly made to the parish priest, or to the mother church, at Pentecost. Shipley.
Pentecoster Pen`te·cos"ter noun [ New Latin , from Greek ..., from ... fifty.]
(Gr. Antiq.) An officer in the Spartan army commanding fifty men. Mitford.
Pentecosty Pen`te·cos"ty noun ;
plural Pentecosties . [ Greek ..., from ... the fiftieth, ... fifty.]
(Gr. Antiq.) A troop of fifty soldiers in the Spartan army; -- called also pentecostys . Jowett (Thucyd. ).
Pentelic, Pentelican Pen·tel"ic, Pen·tel"i·can adjective Of or pertaining to Mount Pentelicus, near Athens, famous for its fine white marble quarries; obtained from Mount Pentelicus; as, the Pentelic marble of which the Parthenon is built.
Pentene Pen"tene noun [ See
Penta- .]
(Chemistry) Same as Amylene .
Penthouse Pent"house` noun [ A corruption of
pentice .]
A shed or roof sloping from the main wall or building, as over a door or window; a lean-to. Also figuratively. "The
penthouse of his eyes."
Sir W. Scott.
Penthouse Pent"house` adjective Leaning; overhanging. "
Penthouse lid."
Shak. "My
penthouse eyebrows."
Dryden.
Pentice Pen"tice noun [ French
appentis a penthouse. See
Append .]
A penthouse. [ Obsolete]
Sir H. Wotton.
Pentile Pen"tile` noun See Pantile .
Pentine Pen"tine noun [ See
Penta- .]
(Chemistry) An unsaturated hydrocarbon, C 5 H 8 , of the acetylene series. Same as Valerylene .
Pentoic Pen·to"ic adjective [ See
Penta- .]
(Chemistry) Pertaining to, or desingating, an acid (called also valeric acid ) derived from pentane.
Pentone Pen"tone noun [ See
Penta- .]
(Chemistry) Same as Valylene .
Pentosan Pen"to·san noun Also
-sane [ From
Pentose .]
(Chemistry) One of a class of substances (complex carbohydrates widely distributed in plants, as in fruits, gums, woods, hay, etc.) which yield pentoses on hydrolysis.
Pentose Pen"tose noun [
Penta- +
- ose .]
(Chemistry) Any of a group of sugars of the formula C 5 H 10 O 5 , as arabinose; -- so called from the five carbon atoms in the molecule. They are not fermented by yeast.
Pentoxide Pen·tox"ide noun [
Penta- +
oxide .]
(Chemistry) An oxide containing five atoms of oxygen in each molecule; as, phosphorus pentoxide , P 2 O 5 .
Pentremite Pen"tre·mite noun (Zoology) Any species of Pentremites.
Pentremites Pen`tre·mi"tes noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... five + Latin
remus an oar.]
(Zoology) A genus of crinoids belonging to the Blastoidea. They have five petal-like ambulacra.
Pentroof Pent"roof` noun [ French
pente slope + English
roof , or from
pent house
roof .]
See Lean-to .
Pentrough Pen"trough` noun A penstock.
Pentyl Pen"tyl noun [
Pent a +
- yl .]
(Chemistry) The hypothetical radical, C 5 H 11 , of pentane and certain of its derivatives. Same as Amyl .
Pentylic Pen·tyl"ic adjective Pertaining to, derived from, or containing, pentyl; as, pentylic alcohol
Penuchle, Pinocle Pe"nu·chle, Pin"o·cle noun A game at cards, played with forty-eight cards, being all the cards above the eight spots in two packs.
Penult Pe"nult noun [ Abbreviated from
penultima .]
(Gram. & Pros.) The last syllable but one of a word; the syllable preceding the final one.
Penultima Pe·nul"ti·ma noun [ Latin (sc.
syllaba ), from
penultimus ,
paenultimus , the last but one;
paene almost +
ultimus the last.]
Same as Penult .
Penultimate Pe·nul"ti·mate adjective Last but one; as, the penultimate syllable, the last syllable but one of a word.
Penultimate Pe·nul"ti·mate noun The penult.
Penumbra Pe·num"bra noun [ New Latin , from Latin
paene almost +
umbra shade.]
1. An incomplete or partial shadow. 2. (Astron.) The shadow cast, in an eclipse, where the light is partly, but not wholly, cut off by the intervening body; the space of partial illumination between the umbra, or perfect shadow, on all sides, and the full light. Sir I. Newton. » The faint shade surrounding the dark central portion of a solar spot is also called the
penumbra , and sometimes
umbra .
3. (Paint.) The part of a picture where the shade imperceptibly blends with the light.
Penumbrala Pe·num"brala Of or pertaining to a penumbra; resembling a penumbra; partially illuminated.
Penurious Pe·nu"ri·ous adjective [ From
Penury .]
1. Excessively sparing in the use of money; sordid; stingy; miserly. "A
penurious niggard of his wealth."
Milton. 2. Not bountiful or liberal; scanty. Here creeps along a poor, penurious stream.
C. Pitt. 3. Destitute of money; suffering extreme want. [ Obsolete] "My
penurious band."
Shak. Syn. -- Avaricious; covetous; parsimonious; miserly; niggardly; stingy. See
Avaricious . --
Pe*nu"ri*ous*ly ,
adverb --
Pe*nu"ri*ous*ness ,
noun
Penury Pen"u·ry noun [ Latin
penuria ; confer Greek ... hunger, ... poverty, need, ... one who works for his daily bread, a poor man, ... to work for one's daily bread, to be poor: confer French
pénurie .]
1. Absence of resources; want; privation; indigence; extreme poverty; destitution. "A
penury of military forces."
Bacon. They were exposed to hardship and penury .
Sprat. It arises in neither from penury of thought.
Landor. 2. Penuriousness; miserliness. [ Obsolete]
Jer. Taylor.
Penwiper Pen"wip`er noun A cloth, or other material, for wiping off or cleaning ink from a pen.
Penwoman Pen"wom`an noun ;
plural Penwomen A female writer; an authoress. Johnson.
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