Pert Pert adjective [ An aphetic form of Middle English & Old French apert open, known, true, free, or impudent. See Apert .] 1. Open; evident; apert. [ Obsolete] Piers Plowman.

2. Lively; brisk; sprightly; smart. [ Obsolete] Shak.

3. Indecorously free, or presuming; saucy; bold; impertinent. "A very pert manner." Addison.

The squirrel, flippant, pert , and full of play.

Cowper.

Pert Pert intransitive verb To behave with pertness. [ Obsolete] Gauden.

Pertain Per·tain" intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pertained ; present participle & verbal noun Pertaining .] [ Middle English partenen , Old French partenir , from Latin pertinere to stretch out, reach, pertain; per + tenere to hold, keep. See Per- , and Tenable , and confer Appertain , Pertinent .] 1. To belong; to have connection with, or dependence on, something, as an appurtenance, attribute, etc.; to appertain; as, saltness pertains to the ocean; flowers pertain to plant life.

Men hate those who affect that honor by ambition which pertaineth not to them.

Hayward.

2. To have relation or reference to something.

These words pertain unto us at this time as they pertained to them at their time.

Latimer.

Perterebration Per·ter`e·bra"tion noun [ Latin perterebratus , past participle of perterebrare to bore through.] The act of boring through. [ Obsolete] Ainsworth.

Perthiocyanogen Per·thi`o·cy·an"o·gen noun (Chemistry) Same as Persulphocyanogen .

Perthite Perth"ite noun [ So called from Perth , in canada.] (Min.) A kind of feldspar consisting of a laminated intertexture of albite and orthoclase, usually of different colors. -- Per*thit"ic adjective

Pertinacious Per`ti·na"cious adjective [ Latin pertinax , -acis ; per + tenax tenacious. See Per- , and Tenacious .] 1. Holding or adhering to any opinion, purpose, or design, with obstinacy; perversely persistent; obstinate; as, pertinacious plotters; a pertinacious beggar.

2. Resolute; persevering; constant; steady.

Diligence is a steady, constant, and pertinacious study.

South.

Syn. -- Obstinate; stubborn; inflexible; unyielding; resolute; determined; firm; constant; steady.

-- Per`ti*na"cious*ly , adverb -- Per`ti*na"cious*ness , noun

Pertinacity Per`ti·nac"i·ty noun [ Confer French pertinacité .] The quality or state of being pertinacious; obstinacy; perseverance; persistency. Macaulay.

Syn. -- See Obstinacy .

Pertinacy Per"ti·na·cy noun [ Latin pertinere to pertain. See Pertinence .] The quality or state of being pertinent; pertinence. [ Obsolete]

Pertinacy Per"ti·na·cy noun [ Latin pertinacia , from pertinax . See Pertinacious .] Pertinacity. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Pertinate Per"ti·nate adjective Pertinacious. [ Obsolete]

Pertinately Per"ti·nate·ly adverb Pertinaciously. [ Obsolete]

Pertinence, Pertinency Per"ti·nence, Per"ti·nen·cy noun [ Confer French pertinence . See Pertinent .] The quality or state of being pertinent; justness of relation to the subject or matter in hand; fitness; appositeness; relevancy; suitableness.

The fitness and pertinency of the apostle's discourse.

Bentley.

Pertinent Per"ti·nent adjective [ Latin pertinens , -entis , present participle of pertinere : confer French pertinent . See Pertain .] 1. Belonging or related to the subject or matter in hand; fit or appropriate in any way; adapted to the end proposed; apposite; material; relevant; as, pertinent illustrations or arguments; pertinent evidence.

2. Regarding; concerning; belonging; pertaining. [ R.] " Pertinent unto faith." Hooker.

Syn. -- Apposite; relevant; suitable; appropriate; fit.

-- Per"ti*nent*ly , adverb -- Per"ti*nent*ness , noun

Pertly Pert"ly adverb In a pert manner.

Pertness Pert"ness noun The quality or state of being pert.

Pertransient Per·tran"sient adjective [ Latin pertransiens , present participle of pertransire .] Passing through or over. [ R.]

Perturb Per·turb" transitive verb [ Latin perturbare , perturbatum ; per + turbare to disturb, from turba a disorder: confer Old French perturber . See Per- , and Turbid .] 1. To disturb; to agitate; to vex; to trouble; to disquiet.

Ye that . . . perturb so my feast with crying.

Chaucer.

2. To disorder; to confuse. [ R.] Sir T. Browne.

Perturbability Per·turb`a·bil"i·ty noun The quality or state of being perturbable.

Perturbable Per·turb"a·ble adjective Liable to be perturbed or agitated; liable to be disturbed or disquieted.

Perturbance Per·turb"ance noun Disturbance; perturbation. [ R.] " Perturbance of the mind." Sharp.

Perturbate Per"tur·bate transitive verb [ From Latin perturbatus , past participle ] To perturb. [ Obsolete] Dr. H. More.

Perturbate Per"tur·bate adjective Perturbed; agitated. [ R.]

Perturbation Per`tur·ba"tion noun [ Latin perturbatio : confer French perturbation .] 1. The act of perturbing, or the state of being perturbed; esp., agitation of mind.

2. (Astron.) A disturbance in the regular elliptic or other motion of a heavenly body, produced by some force additional to that which causes its regular motion; as, the perturbations of the planets are caused by their attraction on each other. Newcomb.

Perturbational Per`tur·ba"tion·al adjective Of or pertaining to perturbation, esp. to the perturbations of the planets. "The perturbational theory." Sir J. Herschel.

Perturbative Per"tur·ba·tive adjective Tending to cause perturbation; disturbing. Sir J. Herschel.

Perturbator Per"tur·ba`tor noun A perturber. [ R.]

Perturbed Per·turbed" adjective Agitated; disturbed; troubled. Shak. -- Per*turb"ed*ly , adverb

Perturber Per·turb"er noun One who, or that which, perturbs, or cause perturbation.

Pertusate Per·tus"ate adjective [ See Pertuse .] (Botany) Pierced at the apex.

Pertuse, Pertused Per·tuse", Per·tused" adjective [ Latin pertusus , past participle of pertundere to beat or thrust through, to bore through; per + tundere to beat: confer French pertus . Confer Pierce .] Punched; pierced with, or having, holes.

Pertusion Per·tu"sion noun [ Latin pertusio .] The act of punching or piercing with a pointed instrument; as, pertusion of a vein. [ R.] Arbuthnot.

2. A punched hole; a perforation. Bacon.

Pertussis Per·tus"sis noun [ New Latin , from Latin per through, very + tussis cough.] (Medicine) The whooping cough.

Peruke Per"uke noun [ French perruque , Italian perrucca , parrucca , from Latin pilus hair. Confer Periwig , Wig , Peel to strip off, Plush , Pile a hair.] A wig; a periwig.

Peruke Per"uke transitive verb To dress with a peruke. [ R.]

Perula Per"u·la noun ; plural Perulæ . [ Latin , dim. of pera wallet, Greek ...: confer French pérule .] 1. (Botany) One of the scales of a leaf bud.

2. (Botany) A pouchlike portion of the perianth in certain orchides.

Perule Per"ule noun Same as Perula .

Perusal Pe·rus"al noun [ From Peruse .] 1. The act of carefully viewing or examining. [ R.] Tatler.

2. The act of reading, especially of reading through or with care. Woodward.

Peruse Pe·ruse" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Perused ; present participle & verbal noun Perusing .] [ Prefix per- + use .] 1. To observe; to examine with care. [ R.]

Myself I then perused , and limb by limb
Surveyed.

Milton.

2. To read through; to read carefully. Shak.

Peruser Pe·rus"er noun One who peruses.

Peruvian Pe·ru"vi·an adjective [ Confer French péruvien , Spanish peruviano .] Of or pertaining to Peru, in South America. -- noun A native or an inhabitant of Peru.

Peruvian balsam . See Balsam of Peru , under Balsam . -- Peruvian bark , the bitter bark of trees of various species of Cinchona. It acts as a powerful tonic, and is a remedy for malarial diseases. This property is due to several alkaloids, as quinine, cinchonine, etc., and their compounds; -- called also Jesuit's bark , and cinchona . See Cinchona .

Pervade Per·vade" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pervaded ; present participle & verbal noun Pervading .] [ Latin pervadere , pervasum ; per + vadere to go, to walk. See Per- , and Wade .] 1. To pass or flow through, as an aperture, pore, or interstice; to permeate.

That labyrinth is easily pervaded .

Blackstone.

2. To pass or spread through the whole extent of; to be diffused throughout.

A spirit of cabal, intrigue, and proselytism pervaded all their thoughts, words, and actions.

Burke.

Pervasion Per·va"sion noun [ Latin pervasio . See Pervade .] The act of pervading, passing, or spreading through the whole extent of a thing. Boyle.

Pervasive Per·va"sive adjective Tending to pervade, or having power to spread throughout; of a pervading quality. "Civilization pervasive and general." M. Arnold.

Perverse Per·verse" adjective [ Latin perversus turned the wrong way, not right, past participle of pervertere to turn around, to overturn: confer French pervers . See Pervert .] 1. Turned aside; hence, specifically, turned away from the right; willfully erring; wicked; perverted.

The only righteous in a word perverse .

Milton.

2. Obstinate in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary.

To so perverse a sex all grace is vain.

Dryden.

Syn. -- Froward; untoward; wayward; stubborn; ungovernable; intractable; cross; petulant; vexatious. -- Perverse , Froward . One who is froward is capricious, and reluctant to obey. One who is perverse has a settled obstinacy of will, and likes or dislikes by the rule of contradiction to the will of others.

Perversed Per·versed" adjective Turned aside. [ Obsolete]

Perversedly Per·vers"ed·ly adverb Perversely. [ Obsolete]

Perversely Per·verse"ly adverb In a perverse manner.

Perverseness Per·verse"ness noun The quality or state of being perverse. "Virtue hath some perverseness ." Donne.

Perversion Per·ver"sion noun [ Latin perversio : confer French perversion . See Pervert .] The act of perverting, or the state of being perverted; a turning from truth or right; a diverting from the true intent or object; a change to something worse; a turning or applying to a wrong end or use. "Violations and perversions of the laws." Bacon.

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