Peritoneal Per`i·to·ne"al adjective [ Confer French péritonéal .] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the peritoneum.

Peritoneum Per`i·to·ne"um noun [ Latin peritoneum , peritonaeum , Greek ..., ..., from ... to stretch all around or over; ... around + ... to stretch.] (Anat.) The smooth serous membrane which lines the cavity of the abdomen, or the whole body cavity when there is no diaphragm, and, turning back, surrounds the viscera, forming a closed, or nearly closed, sac. [ Written also peritonæum .]

Peritonitis Per`i·to·ni"tis noun [ New Latin See Peritoneum , and -itis .] (Medicine) Inflammation of the peritoneum.

Peritonæum Per`i·to·næ"um noun (Anat.) Same as Peritoneum .

Peritracheal Per`i·tra"che·al adjective (Zoology) Surrounding the tracheæ.

Peritreme Per"i·treme noun [ Prefix peri- + Greek ... a hole.] (Zoology) (a) That part of the integument of an insect which surrounds the spiracles. (b) The edge of the aperture of a univalve shell.

Peritricha Pe·rit"ri·cha noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... about + ..., ..., hair.] (Zoology) A division of ciliated Infusoria having a circle of cilia around the oral disk and sometimes another around the body. It includes the vorticellas. See Vorticella .

Peritrochium Per`i·tro"chi·um noun [ New Latin , from Greek ...; ... around + ... a wheel.] (Mech.) The wheel which, together with the axle, forms the axis in peritrochio , which see under Axis .

Peritropal Per·it"ro·pal adjective [ Greek ..., from ... to turn around; ... around + ... to turn: confer French péritrope .] 1. Rotatory; circuitous. [ R.]

2. Having the axis of the seed perpendicular to the axis of the pericarp to which it is attached.

Peritropous Per·it"ro·pous adjective Peritropal.

Perityphlitis Per`i·typh·li"tis noun [ New Latin See Peri- , and Typhlitis .] (Medicine) Inflammation of the connective tissue about the cæcum.

Periuterine Per`i·u"ter·ine adjective (Medicine) Surrounding the uterus.

Perivascular Per`i·vas"cu·lar adjective Around the blood vessels; as, perivascular lymphatics.

Perivertebral Per`i·ver"te·bral adjective (Anat.) Surrounding the vertebræ.

Perivisceral Per`i·vis"cer·al adjective (Anat.) Around the viscera; as, the perivisceral cavity.

Perivitelline Per`i·vi·tel"line adjective [ Prefix peri- + vitelline .] (Biol.) Situated around the vitellus, or between the vitellus and zona pellucida of an ovum.

Periwig Per"i·wig noun [ Middle English perrwige , perwicke , corrupt. from French perruque ; confer OD. peruyk , from French. See Peruke , and confer Wig .] A headdress of false hair, usually covering the whole head, and representing the natural hair; a wig. Shak.

Periwig Per"i·wig transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Perwigged ; present participle & verbal noun Perwigging .] To dress with a periwig, or with false hair. Swift.

Periwinkle Per"i·win`kle noun [ From Anglo-Saxon pinewincla a shellfish, in which pine- is from Latin pina , pinna , a kind of mussel, akin to Greek .... Confer Winkle .] (Zoology) Any small marine gastropod shell of the genus Littorina. The common European species ( Littorina littorea ), in Europe extensively used as food, has recently become naturalized abundantly on the American coast. See Littorina .

» In America the name is often applied to several large univalves, as Fulgur carica , and F. canaliculata .

Periwinkle Per"i·win`kle noun [ Middle English pervenke , Anglo-Saxon pervince , from Latin pervinca .] (Botany) A trailing herb of the genus Vinca .

» The common perwinkle ( Vinca minor ) has opposite evergreen leaves and solitary blue or white flowers in their axils. In America it is often miscalled myrtle . See under Myrtle .

Perjenet Per"jen·et noun [ Confer Pear , and Jenneting .] A kind of pear. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Perjure Per"jure transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Perjured ; present participle & verbal noun Perjuring .] [ French parjurer , Latin perjurare , perjerare ; per through, over + jurare to swear. See Jury .] 1. To cause to violate an oath or a vow; to cause to make oath knowingly to what is untrue; to make guilty of perjury; to forswear; to corrupt; -- often used reflexively; as, he perjured himself.

Want will perjure
The ne'er-touched vestal.

Shak.

2. To make a false oath to; to deceive by oaths and protestations. [ Obsolete]

And with a virgin innocence did pray
For me, that perjured her.

J. Fletcher.

Syn. -- To Perjure , Forswear . These words have been used interchangeably; but there is a tendency to restrict perjure to that species of forswearing which constitutes the crime of perjury at law, namely, the willful violation of an oath administered by a magistrate or according to law.

Perjure Per"jure noun [ Latin perjurus : confer Old French parjur , French parjure .] A perjured person. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Perjured Per"jured adjective Guilty of perjury; having sworn falsely; forsworn. Shak. " Perjured persons." 1 Tim. i. 10. "Their perjured oath." Spenser.

Perjurer Per"jur·er noun One who is guilty of perjury; one who perjures or forswears, in any sense.

Perjurious, Perjurous Per·ju"ri·ous, Per"ju·rous adjective [ Latin perjuriosus , perjurus .] Guilty of perjury; containing perjury. [ Obsolete] Quarles. B. Johnson.

Perjury Per"ju·ry noun ; plural Perjuries . [ Latin perjurium . See Perjure , v. ] 1. False swearing.

2. (Law) At common law, a willfully false statement in a fact material to the issue, made by a witness under oath in a competent judicial proceeding. By statute the penalties of perjury are imposed on the making of willfully false affirmations.

» If a man swear falsely in nonjudicial affidavits, it is made perjury by statute in some jurisdictions in the United States.

Perk Perk transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Perked ; present participle & verbal noun Perking .] [ Confer W. percu to trim, to make smart.] To make trim or smart; to straighten up; to erect; to make a jaunty or saucy display of; as, to perk the ears; to perk up one's head. Cowper. Sherburne.

Perk Perk intransitive verb To exalt one's self; to bear one's self loftily. "To perk over them." Barrow.

To perk it , to carry one's self proudly or saucily. Pope.

Perk Perk adjective Smart; trim; spruce; jaunty; vain. " Perk as a peacock." Spenser.

Perk Perk intransitive verb To peer; to look inquisitively. Dickens.

Perkin Per"kin noun A kind of weak perry.

Perkinism Per"kin·ism noun (Medicine) A remedial treatment, by drawing the pointed extremities of two rods, each of a different metal, over the affected part; tractoration, -- first employed by Dr. Elisha Perkins of Norwich, Conn. See Metallotherapy .

Perky Perk"y adjective Perk; pert; jaunty; trim.

There amid perky larches and pines.

Tennyson.

Perlaceous Per·la"ceous adjective [ See Pearl .] Pearly; resembling pearl.

Perlid Per"lid noun (Zoology) Any insect of the genus Perla , or family Perlidæ . See Stone fly , under Stone .

Perlite Per"lite noun (Min.) Same as Pearlite .

Perlitic Per·lit"ic adjective (Min.) Relating to or resembling perlite, or pearlstone; as, the perlitic structure of certain rocks. See Pearlite .

Perlous Per"lous adjective Perilous. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Perlustration Per`lus·tra"tion noun [ Latin perlustrare to wander all through, to survey. See 3d Luster .] The act of viewing all over. [ Archaic] Howell.

Permanable Per"ma·na·ble adjective Permanent; durable. [ Obsolete] Lydgate.

Permanence, Permanency Per"ma·nence, Per"ma·nen·cy noun [ Confer French permanence .] The quality or state of being permanent; continuance in the same state or place; duration; fixedness; as, the permanence of institutions; the permanence of nature.

Permanent Per"ma·nent adjective [ Latin permanens , -entis , present participle of permanere to stay or remain to the end, to last; per + manere to remain: confer French permanent . See Per- , and Mansion .] Continuing in the same state, or without any change that destroys form or character; remaining unaltered or unremoved; abiding; durable; fixed; stable; lasting; as, a permanent impression.

Eternity stands permanent and fixed.

Dryden.

Permanent gases (Chem. & Physics) , hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide; -- also called incondensible or incoercible gases , before their liquefaction in 1877. -- Permanent way , the roadbed and superstructure of a finished railway; -- so called in distinction from the contractor's temporary way . -- Permanent white (Chemistry) , barium sulphate ( heavy spar ), used as a white pigment or paint, in distinction from white lead , which tarnishes and darkens from the formation of the sulphide.

Syn. -- Lasting; durable; constant. See Lasting .

Permanently Per"ma·nent·ly adverb In a permanent manner.

Permanganate Per·man"ga·nate noun (Chemistry) A salt of permanganic acid.

Potassium permanganate . (Chemistry) See Potassium permanganate , under Potassium .

Permanganic Per`man·gan"ic adjective (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, one of the higher acids of manganese, HMnO ₄ , which forms salts called permanganates .

Permansion Per·man"sion noun [ Latin permansio . See Permanent .] Continuance. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Permeability Per`me·a·bil"i·ty noun [ Confer French perméabilité .] The quality or state of being permeable.

Magnetic permeability (Physics) , the specific capacity of a body for magnetic induction, or its conducting power for lines of magnetic force. Sir W. Thomson.

Permeable Per"me·a·ble adjective [ Latin permeabilis : confer French perméable . See Permeate .] Capable of being permeated, or passed through; yielding passage; passable; penetrable; -- used especially of substances which allow the passage of fluids; as, wood is permeable to oil; glass is permeable to light. I. Taylor.

Permeably Per"me·a·bly adverb In a permeable manner.

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