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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, 100,000 entries)

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Pestilent Pes"ti·lent adjective [ Latin pestilens , -entis , from pestis pest: confer French pestilent .] Pestilential; noxious; pernicious; mischievous. "Corrupt and pestilent ." Milton. "What a pestilent knave is this same!" Shak.

Pestilential Pes`ti·len"tial adjective [ Confer French pestilentiel .] 1. Having the nature or qualities of a pestilence. "Sends the pestilential vapors." Longfellow. 2. Hence: Mischievous; noxious; pernicious; morally destructive.

So pestilential , so infectious a thing is sin.

Jer. Taylor.

Pestilentially Pes`ti·len"tial·ly adverb Pestilently.

Pestilentious Pes`ti·len"tious adjective Pestilential. [ Obsolete]

Pestilently Pes"ti·lent·ly adverb In a pestilent manner; mischievously; destructively. "Above all measure pestilently noisome." Dr. H. More.

Pestilentness Pes"ti·lent·ness noun The quality of being pestilent.

Pestillation Pes`til·la"tion noun [ Late Latin pestillum , Latin pistillum . See Pestle .] The act of pounding and bruising with a pestle in a mortar. Sir T. Browne.

Pestle Pes"tle (pĕs"'l; 277) noun [ Middle English pestel , Old French pestel , Late Latin pestellum , Latin pistillum , pistillus , a pounder, pestle, from pisere , pinsere , to pound, crush, akin to Greek ..., Sanskrit pish . Confer Pistil .] 1. An implement for pounding and breaking or braying substances in a mortar. 2. A constable's or bailiff's staff; -- so called from its shape. [ Obsolete] Chapman. 3. The leg and leg bone of an animal, especially of a pig; as, a pestle of pork.

Pestle Pes"tle transitive verb & i. [ imperfect & past participle Pestled ; present participle & verbal noun Pestling .] To pound, pulverize, bray, or mix with a pestle, or as with a pestle; to use a pestle.

Pet Pet noun [ Formerly peat , perhaps from Ir. peat , akin to Gael. peata .] 1. A cade lamb; a lamb brought up by hand. 2. Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a fondling; a darling; often, a favorite child.

The love of cronies, pets , and favorites.

Tatler. 3. [ Prob. from Pet a fondling, hence, the behavior or humor of a spoiled child.] A slight fit of peevishness or fretfulness. "In a pet she started up." Tennyson.

Pet Pet adjective Petted; indulged; admired; cherished; as, a pet child; a pet lamb; a pet theory.

Some young lady's pet curate.

F. Harrison. Pet cock . [ Perh. for petty cock .] (Machinery) A little faucet in a water pipe or pump, to let air out, or at the end of a steam cylinder, to drain it.

Pet Pet transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Petted ; present participle & verbal noun Petting .] To treat as a pet; to fondle; to indulge; as, she was petted and spoiled.

Pet Pet intransitive verb To be a pet. Feltham.

Petal Pet"al noun [ Greek ... a leaf, a leaf or plate of metal, from ... outspread, broad, flat: confer French pétale . See Fathom .] 1. (Botany) One of the leaves of the corolla, or the colored leaves of a flower. See Corolla , and Illust. of Flower . 2. (Zoology) One of the expanded ambulacra which form a rosette on the black of certain Echini.

Petaled Pet"aled adjective (Botany) Having petals; as, a petaled flower; -- opposed to apetalous , and much used in compounds; as, one- petaled , three- petaled , etc.

Petaliferous Pet`al·if"er·ous adjective [ Petal + -ferous .] Bearing petals.

Petaliform Pe·tal"i·form adjective (Botany) Having the form of a petal; petaloid; petal-shaped.

Petaline Pet"al·ine adjective [ Confer French pétalin .] (Botany) Pertaining to a petal; attached to, or resembling, a petal.

Petalism Pet"al·ism noun [ Greek ..., from ... a leaf: confer French pétalisme .] (Gr. Antiq.) A form of sentence among the ancient Syracusans by which they banished for five years a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition. It was similar to the ostracism in Athens; but olive leaves were used instead of shells for ballots.

Petalite Pet"al·ite noun [ Confer French pétalite .] (Min.) A rare mineral, occurring crystallized and in cleavable masses, usually white, or nearly so, in color. It is a silicate of aluminia and lithia.

Petalody Pe·tal"o·dy noun [ Petal + Greek ... form.] (Botany) The metamorphosis of various floral organs, usually stamens, into petals.

Petaloid Pet"al·oid adjective [ Petal + - oid : confer French pétaloïde .] (Botany) Petaline.

Petaloideous Pet`al·oid"e·ous adjective (Botany) Having the whole or part of the perianth petaline. Petaloideous division , that division of endogenous plants in which the perianth is wholly or partly petaline, embracing the Liliaceæ , Orchidaceæ , Amaryllideæ , etc.

Petalosticha Pet`a·los"ti·cha noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... a leaf + ... a row.] (Zoology) An order of Echini, including the irregular sea urchins, as the spatangoids. See Spatangoid .

Petalous Pet"al·ous adjective Having petals; petaled; -- opposed to apetalous .

Petalum Pet"a·lum noun ; plural Petala . [ New Latin ] A petal.

Petar Pe·tar" noun See Petard . [ Obsolete] "Hoist with his own petar ." Shak.

Petard Pe·tard" noun [ French pétard , from péter to break wind, to crack, to explode, Latin pedere , peditum .] (Mil.) A case containing powder to be exploded, esp. a conical or cylindrical case of metal filled with powder and attached to a plank, to be exploded against and break down gates, barricades, drawbridges, etc. It has been superseded.

Petardeer, Petardier Pet`ar·deer", Pet`ar·dier" noun [ French pétardier .] (Mil.) One who managed a petard.

Petasus Pet"a·sus noun [ Latin , from Greek ....] (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.) The winged cap of Mercury; also, a broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat worn by Greeks and Romans.

Petaurist Pe·tau"rist noun [ Latin petaurista a ropedancer, Greek ..., from ... to dance on a rope, from ... a pole, a stage for ropedancers: confer French pétauriste .] (Zoology) Any flying marsupial of the genera Petaurus , Phalangista , Acrobata , and allied genera. See Flying mouse , under Flying , and Phalangister .

Petechial Pe·tech"i·al adjective [ Confer French pétéchial , Late Latin petecchialis .] (Medicine) Characterized by, or pertaining to, petechiæ; spotted. Petechial fever , a malignant fever, accompanied with livid spots on the skin.

Petechiæ Pe·tech"i·æ noun plural ; sing. Petechia [ New Latin , from Late Latin peteccia ; confer French pétéchie , Italian petecchia , Spanish petequia , Greek ... a label, plaster.] (Medicine) Small crimson, purple, or livid spots, like flea-bites, due to extravasation of blood, which appear on the skin in malignant fevers, etc.

Peter Pe"ter noun A common baptismal name for a man. The name of one of the apostles, Peter boat , a fishing boat, sharp at both ends, originally of the Baltic Sea, but now common in certain English rivers. -- Peter Funk , the auctioneer in a mock auction. [ Cant, U.S.] -- Peter pence , or Peter's pence . (a) An annual tax or tribute, formerly paid by the English people to the pope, being a penny for every house, payable on Lammas or St.Peter's day; -- called also Rome scot , and hearth money . (b) In modern times, a voluntary contribution made by Roman Catholics to the private purse of the pope. -- Peter's fish (Zoology) , a haddock; -- so called because the black spots, one on each side, behind the gills, are traditionally said to have been caused by the fingers of St. Peter, when he caught the fish to pay the tribute. The name is applied, also, to other fishes having similar spots.

Peter Pet"er intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Petered ; present participle & verbal noun Petering .] [ Etymol. uncertain.] To become exhausted; to run out; to fail; -- used generally with out ; as, that mine has petered out. [ Slang, U.S.]

Peterel Pet"er·el noun (Zoology) See Petrel .

Peterero Pet`e·re"ro noun (Mil.) See Pederero .

Peterman Pe"ter·man noun ; plural Petermen A fisherman; -- so called after the apostle Peter. [ An obsolete local term in Eng.] Chapman.

Petersham Pe"ter·sham noun [ Named after Lord Petersham .] A rough, knotted woolen cloth, used chiefly for men's overcoats; also, a coat of that material.

Peterwort Pe"ter·wort` noun (Botany) See Saint Peter's-wort , under Saint .

Petiolar, Petiolary Pet"i·o·lar, Pet"i·o·la·ry adjective [ Confer French pétiolarie .] (Botany) Of or pertaining to petiole, or proceeding from it; as, a petiolar tendril; growing or supported upon a petiole; as, a petiolar gland; a petiolar bud.

Petiolate, Petiolated Pet"i·o·late, Pet"i·o·la`ted adjective (Bot. & Zoology) Having a stalk or petiole; as, a petioleate leaf; the petiolated abdomen of certain Hymenoptera.

Petiole Pet"i·ole noun [ French pétiole , from Latin petiolus a little foot, a fruit stalk; confer pes , pedis , a foot.] 1. (Botany) A leafstalk; the footstalk of a leaf, connecting the blade with the stem. See Illust. of Leaf . 2. (Zoology) A stalk or peduncle.

Petioled Pet"i·oled adjective Petiolate.

Petiolulate Pet`i·ol"u·late adjective (Botany) Supported by its own petiolule. Gray.

Petiolule Pet"i·o·lule noun [ Confer French pétiolule .] (Botany) A small petiole, or the petiole of a leaflet.

Petit Pet"it adjective [ French See Petty .] Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as Petty . [ Obsolete, except in legal language.]

By what small, petit hints does the mind catch hold of and recover a vanishing notion.

South. Petit constable , an inferior civil officer, subordinate to the high constable. -- Petit jury , a jury of twelve men, impaneled to try causes at the bar of a court; -- so called in distinction from the grand jury . -- Petit larceny , the stealing of goods of, or under, a certain specified small value; -- opposed to grand larceny . The distinction is abolished in England. -- Petit maître [ French, lit., little master.] A fop; a coxcomb; a ladies' man. Goldsmith. -- Petit serjeanty (Eng. Law) , the tenure of lands of the crown, by the service of rendering annually some implement of war, as a bow, an arrow, a sword, a flag, etc. -- Petit treason , formerly, in England, the crime of killing a person to whom the offender owed duty or subjection, as one's husband, master, mistress, etc. The crime is now not distinguished from murder.

Petit mal Pe·tit" mal" [ French, lit., little sickness.] (Medicine) The mildest form of epilepsy, with momentary faintness or unconsciousness, but without convulsions; -- opposed to grand mal .

Petite Pe·tite" adjective [ French, fem. of petit .] Small, little; of a woman or girl, of small size and trim figure.

Petition Pe·ti"tion noun [ French pétition , Latin petitio , from petere , petitum , to beg, ask, seek; perhaps akin to English feather , or find .] 1. A prayer; a supplication; an imploration; an entreaty; especially, a request of a solemn or formal kind; a prayer to the Supreme Being, or to a person of superior power, rank, or authority; also, a single clause in such a prayer.

A house of prayer and petition for thy people.

1 Macc. vii. 37.

This last petition heard of all her prayer.

Dryden. 2. A formal written request addressed to an official person, or to an organized body, having power to grant it; specifically (Law) , a supplication to government, in either of its branches, for the granting of a particular grace or right; -- in distinction from a memorial , which calls certain facts to mind; also, the written document. Petition of right (Law) , a petition to obtain possession or restitution of property, either real or personal, from the Crown, which suggests such a title as controverts the title of the Crown, grounded on facts disclosed in the petition itself. Mozley & W. -- The Petition of Right (Eng. Hist.) , the parliamentary declaration of the rights of the people, assented to by Charles I.

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