Webster's Dictionary, 1913
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.
Phytozoön noun ;
plural Phytozoa . [ New Latin , from Greek ... + ... an animal.]
(Zoology) A plantlike animal. The term is sometimes applied to zoöphytes.
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.
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.
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.