Phytolacca noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... plant + Italian lacca lac.] (Botany) A genus of herbaceous plants, some of them having berries which abound in intensely red juice; poke, or pokeweed.

Phytolite noun [ Phyto- + -lite : confer French phytolithe .] An old name for a fossil plant.

Phytolithologist noun One versed in phytolithology; a paleobotanist.

Phytolithology noun [ Phyto- + lithology .] The branch of science which treats of fossil plants; -- usually called paleobotany , sometimes paleophytology .

Phytological adjective [ Confer French phytologique .] Of or pertaining to phytology; botanical.

Phytologist noun One skilled in phytology; a writer on plants; a botanist. Evelyn.

Phytology noun [ Phyto- + -logy : confer French phytologie .] The science of plants; a description of the kinds and properties of plants; botany. Sir T. Browne.

Phytomer, Phytomeron noun [ New Latin phytomeron , from Greek ... plant + ... share.] (Botany) An organic element of a flowering plant; a phyton.

Phyton noun ; plural Phytons . [ New Latin , from Greek ... plant.] (Botany) One of the parts which by their repetition make up a flowering plant, each being a single joint of a stem with its leaf or leaves; a phytomer.

Phytonomy noun [ Phyto- + Greek ... law: confer French phytonomie .] The science of the origin and growth of plants.

Phytopathologist noun One skilled in diseases of plants.

Phytopathology noun [ Phyto- + pathology .] The science of diseases to which plants are liable.

Phytophaga noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... a plant + ... to eat.] (Zoology) A division of Hymenoptera; the sawflies.

Phytophagic adjective (Zoology) Phytophagous.

Phytophagous adjective [ Phyto- + Greek ... to eat.] (Zoology) Feeding on plants; herbivorous; as, a phytophagous animal.

Phytophagy noun The eating of plants.

Phytophysiology noun [ Phyto- + physiology .] Vegetable physiology.

Phytotomist noun One versed in phytotomy.

Phytotomy noun [ Phyto- + Greek ... to cut.] The dissection of plants; vegetable anatomy.

Phytozoaria noun plural [ New Latin See Phytozoön .] (Zoology) Same as Infusoria .

Phytozoön noun ; plural Phytozoa . [ New Latin , from Greek ... + ... an animal.] (Zoology) A plantlike animal. The term is sometimes applied to zoöphytes.

Phyz noun See Phiz .

Pi noun [ See Pica , Pie magpie, service-book.] (Print.) A mass of type confusedly mixed or unsorted. [ Written also pie .]

Pi transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pied ; present participle & verbal noun Pieing .] (Print.) To put into a mixed and disordered condition, as type; to mix and disarrange the type of; as, to pi a form. [ Written also pie .]

Pi (pī) noun [ Greek pi^ .]
1. A Greek letter (Π, π) corresponding to the Roman letter P .

2. Specif.: (Math.) The letter Π, π, as used to denote the number or quotient approximately expressing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter; also, the quotient or the ratio itself. The value of the quotient pi , to eight decimal places, is 3.14159265. The quotient pi cannot be expressed as a root of an algebraic equation; and from this fact follows the impossibility of the quadrature of the circle by purely algebraic processes, or by the aid of a ruler and compass.

Piña noun [ Spanish , orig., pineapple, pine cone.]
1. (a) The pineapple. (b) Piña cloth or the fiber of which it is made.

2. Also Pi"na ( pron. also ...). (Metal.) A cone of silver amalgam prepared for retorting; also, the residuary cone of spongy silver left after the retorting.

Piña cloth A fine material for ladies' shawls, scarfs, handkerchiefs, etc., made from the fiber of the pineapple leaf, and perhaps from other fibrous tropical leaves. It is delicate, soft, and transparent, with a slight tinge of pale yellow.

Piña cloth [ See Piña .] A fine fabric for scarfs, handkerchiefs, embroidery, etc., woven from the fiber obtained from the leaf of the sterile pineapple plant. It is delicate, soft, and transparent, with a tinge of pale yellow.

Piñon noun [ Spanish piñon .] (Botany) (a) The edible seed of several species of pine; also, the tree producing such seeds, as Pinus Pinea of Southern Europe, and P. Parryana, cembroides, edulis, and monophylla , the nut pines of Western North America. (b) See Monkey's puzzle . [ Written also pignon .]

Pia mater [ New Latin , from Latin pia (fem. of pius tender, kind) + mater mother.] (Anat.) The delicate and highly vascular membrane immediately investing the brain and spinal cord.

Piaçaba noun See Piassava .

Piacle noun [ Latin piaculum a propitiatory sacrifice, that which requires expiation, a wicked action, from piare to appease, to expiate, pius pious.] A heinous offense which requires expiation. [ R.] Howell.

Piacular adjective [ Latin piacularis : confer French piaculaire .]
1. Expiatory; atoning. Sir G. C. Lewis.

2. Requiring expiation; criminal; atrociously bad. " Piacular pollution." De Quincey.

Piacularity noun The quality or state of being piacular; criminality; wickedness. De Quincey.

Piaculous adjective Same as Piacular .

Pial adjective (Anat.) Pertaining to the pia mater.

Pian noun [ Portuguese pian , epian , or. Spanish pian ; from the native name in South America: confer French pian .] (Medicine) The yaws. See Yaws .

Pianet noun [ Confer Pie magpie.] (Zoology) (a) The magpie. [ Written also pianate , and pyenate .] (b) The lesser woodpecker. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Pianette noun [ Dim. of piano .] (Mus.) A small piano; a pianino.

Pianino noun [ Italian , dim. of piano , adj. See Piano .] (Mus.) A pianette, or small piano.

Pianissimo adjective [ Italian , superl. of piano .] (Mus.) Very soft; -- a direction to execute a passage as softly as possible. (Abbrev. pp .)

Pianist noun [ Confer French pianiste , Italian pianista .] A performer, esp. a skilled performer, on the piano.

Piano adjective & adverb [ Italian , even, smooth, soft, from Latin planus even, level.] (Mus.) Soft; -- a direction to the performer to execute a certain passage softly, and with diminished volume of tone. (Abbrev. p.)

Piano, Pianoforte noun [ Italian piano soft (fr. Latin planus even, smooth; see Plain , adjective ) + Italian forte strong, from Latin fortis (see Fort ).] (Mus.) A well-known musical instrument somewhat resembling the harpsichord, and consisting of a series of wires of graduated length, thickness, and tension, struck by hammers moved by keys.

Dumb piano . See Digitorium . -- Grand piano . See under Grand . -- Square piano , one with a horizontal frame and an oblong case. -- Upright piano , one with an upright frame and vertical wires.

Pianograph noun [ Piano + -graph .] (Mus.) A form of melodiograph applied to a piano.

Piapec noun [ Confer Pie a magpie.] (Zoology) A West African pie ( Ptilostomus Senegalensis ).

Piarist noun [ Latin pius pious.] (R. C. Ch.) One of a religious order who are the regular clerks of the Scuole Pie (religious schools), an institute of secondary education, founded at Rome in the last years of the 16th century. Addis & Arnold.

Piassava noun [ Portuguese piasaba .] A fibrous product of two Brazilian palm trees ( Attalea funifera and Leopoldinia Piassaba ), -- used in making brooms, and for other purposes. Called also piaçaba and piasaba .

Piaster noun [ French piastre , Italian piastra a thin plate of metal, a dollar, Late Latin piastra , from Latin emplastrum . See Plaster .] A silver coin of Spain and various other countries. See Peso . The Spanish piaster (commonly called peso , or peso duro ) is of about the value of the American dollar. The Italian piaster, or scudo, was worth from 80 to 100 cents. The Turkish and Egyptian piasters are now worth about four and a half cents.

Piastre noun See Piaster .