Pique Pique noun [ French, from piquer . See Pike .] 1. A feeling of hurt, vexation, or resentment, awakened by a social slight or injury; irritation of the feelings, as through wounded pride; stinging vexation.

Men take up piques and displeasures.

Dr. H. More.

Wars had arisen . . . upon a personal pique .

De Quincey.

2. Keenly felt desire; a longing.

Though it have the pique , and long,
'Tis still for something in the wrong.

Hudibras.

3. (Card Playing) In piquet, the right of the elder hand to count thirty in hand, or to play before the adversary counts one.

Syn. -- Displeasure; irritation; grudge; spite. Pique , Spite , Grudge . Pique denotes a quick and often transient sense of resentment for some supposed neglect or injury, but it is not marked by malevolence. Spite is a stronger term, denoting settled ill will or malice, with a desire to injure, as the result of extreme irritation. Grudge goes still further, denoting cherished and secret enmity, with an unforgiving spirit. A pique is usually of recent date; a grudge is that which has long subsisted; spite implies a disposition to cross or vex others.

Pique Pique transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Piqued ; present participle & verbal noun Piquing .] [ French piquer . See Pike .] 1. To wound the pride of; to sting; to nettle; to irritate; to fret; to offend; to excite to anger.

Pique her, and soothe in turn.

Byron.

2. To excite to action by causing resentment or jealousy; to stimulate; to prick; as, to pique ambition, or curiosity. Prior.

3. To pride or value; -- used reflexively.

Men . . . pique themselves upon their skill.

Locke.

Syn. -- To offend; displease; irritate; provoke; fret; nettle; sting; goad; stimulate.

Pique Pique intransitive verb To cause annoyance or irritation. "Every ...erse hath something in it that piques ." Tatler.

Piqueer Pi·queer" intransitive verb See Pickeer . [ R.]

Piqueerer Pi·queer"er noun See Pickeerer . [ R.]

Piquet Piqu"et noun See Picket . [ R.]

Piquet Pi·quet" noun [ French, probably from pique . See Pique , Pike , and Picket .] A game at cards played between two persons, with thirty-two cards, all the deuces, threes, fours, fives, and sixes, being set aside. [ Written also picket and picquet .]

Piracy Pi"ra·cy noun ; plural Piracies . [ Confer Late Latin piratia , Greek .... See Pirate .] 1. The act or crime of a pirate.

2. (Common Law) Robbery on the high seas; the taking of property from others on the open sea by open violence; without lawful authority, and with intent to steal; -- a crime answering to robbery on land.

» By statute law several other offenses committed on the seas (as trading with known pirates, or engaging in the slave trade) have been made piracy .

3. "Sometimes used, in a quasi- figurative sense, of violation of copyright; but for this, infringement is the correct and preferable term." Abbott.

Piragua Pi·ra"gua noun See Pirogue .

Pirai Pi·rai" noun (Zoology) Same as Piraya .

Pirameter Pi·ram"e·ter noun [ Greek ... trial + -meter .] A dynamometer for ascertaining the power required to draw carriages over roads.

Pirarucu Pi`ra·ru"cu noun [ From the native South American name.] (Zoology) Same as Arapaima .

Pirate Pi"rate noun [ Latin pirata , Greek ..., from ... to attempt, undertake, from making attempts or attacks on ships, ... an attempt, trial; akin to English peril : confer French pirate . See Peril .] 1. A robber on the high seas; one who by open violence takes the property of another on the high seas; especially, one who makes it his business to cruise for robbery or plunder; a freebooter on the seas; also, one who steals in a harbor.

2. An armed ship or vessel which sails without a legal commission, for the purpose of plundering other vessels on the high seas.

3. One who infringes the law of copyright, or publishes the work of an author without permission.

Pirate perch (Zoology) , a fresh- water percoid fish of the United States ( Aphredoderus Sayanus ). It is of a dark olive color, speckled with blackish spots.

Pirate Pi"rate intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pirated ; present participle & verbal noun Pirating .] [ Confer French pirater .] To play the pirate; to practice robbery on the high seas.

Pirate Pi"rate transitive verb To publish, as books or writings, without the permission of the author.

They advertised they would pirate his edition.

Pope.

Piratic Pi·rat"ic adjective Piratical.

Piratical Pi·rat"ic·al adjective [ Latin piraticus , Greek ...: confer French piratique .] Of or pertaining to a pirate; acquired by, or practicing, piracy; as, a piratical undertaking. " Piratical printers." Pope. -- Pi*rat"ic*al*ly , adverb

Piraya Pi·ra"ya noun [ From the native name.] (Zoology) A large voracious fresh-water fish ( Serrasalmo piraya ) of South America, having lancet-shaped teeth.

Pirie Pir"ie noun (Nautical) See Pirry .

Pirie Pir"ie noun [ See Pear .] (Botany) A pear tree. [ Written also pery , pyrie .] [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Piririgua Pi`ri·ri"gua noun [ From the native name.] (Zoology) A South American bird ( Guira guira ) allied to the cuckoos.

Pirl Pirl transitive verb [ Confer Purl .] 1. To spin, as a top.

2. To twist or twine, as hair in making fishing lines.

Pirn Pirn noun [ Etymol. uncertain.] A quill or reed on which thread or yarn is wound; a bobbin; also, the wound yarn on a weaver's shuttle; also, the reel of a fishing rod. [ Scot.]

Pirogue Pi·rogue" noun [ Originally an American Indian word: confer French pirogue , Spanish piroga , piragua .] A dugout canoe; by extension, any small boat. [ Written variously periauger , perogue , piragua , periagua , etc.]

Pirouette Pir`ou·ette" noun [ F.; of uncertain origin.] 1. A whirling or turning on the toes in dancing.

2. (Man.) The whirling about of a horse.

Pirouette Pir`ou·ette" intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pirouetted ; present participle & verbal noun Pirouetting .] [ French pirouetter .] To perform a pirouette; to whirl, like a dancer.

Pirry, Pirrie Pir"ry, Pir"rie noun [ Confer Scot. pirr a gentle breeze, Icelandic byrr a prosperous wind, bylr a blast of wind.] A rough gale of wind. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Elyot.

Pisasphaltum Pis`as·phal"tum noun See Pissasphalt .

Pisay Pi"say noun (Architecture) See Pisé .

Piscary Pis"ca·ry noun [ Latin piscarius relating to fishes or to fishing, from piscis a fish.] (Law) The right or privilege of fishing in another man's waters. Blackstone.

Piscation Pis·ca"tion noun [ Latin piscatio , from piscari to fish.] Fishing; fishery. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Piscator Pis·ca"tor noun [ Latin ] A fisherman; an angler.

Piscatorial, Piscatory Pis`ca·to"ri·al, Pis"ca·to·ry adjective [ Latin piscatorius , from piscator a fisherman, from piscari to fish, from piscis a fish. See Fish the animal.] Of or pertaining to fishes or fishing. Addison.

Pisces Pis"ces noun plural [ Latin piscis a fish.] 1. (Astron.) (a) The twelfth sign of the zodiac, marked &pisces; in almanacs. (b) A zodiacal constellation, including the first point of Aries, which is the vernal equinoctial point; the Fish.

2. (Zoology) The class of Vertebrata that includes the fishes. The principal divisions are Elasmobranchii, Ganoidei, and Teleostei.

Piscicapture Pis"ci·cap`ture noun Capture of fishes, as by angling. [ R.] W. H. Russell.

Piscicultural Pis`ci·cul"tur·al adjective Relating to pisciculture.

Pisciculture Pis`ci·cul"ture noun [ Latin piscis a fish + English culture .] Fish culture. See under Fish .

Pisciculturist Pis`ci·cul"tur·ist noun One who breeds fish.

Pisciform Pis"ci·form adjective [ Latin piscis fish + -form .] Having the form of a fish; resembling a fish.

Piscina Pis·ci"na noun [ Latin , a certain, fishpond, from piscis a fish.] (Architecture) A niche near the altar in a church, containing a small basin for rinsing altar vessels.

Piscinal Pis"ci·nal adjective [ Latin piscinalis : confer French piscinal .] Belonging to a fishpond or a piscina.

Piscine Pis"cine adjective [ Latin piscis a fish.] (Zoology) Of or pertaining to a fish or fishes; as, piscine remains.

Piscivorous Pis·civ"o·rous adjective [ Latin piscis a fish + vorare to devour: confer French piscivore .] (Zoology) Feeding or subsisting on fish.

Pisé Pi`sé" noun [ French pisé , from piser to stamp, pound, Latin pisare .] (Architecture) A species of wall made of stiff earth or clay rammed in between molds which are carried up as the wall rises; -- called also pisé work . Gwilt.

Pish Pish interj. An exclamation of contempt.

Pish Pish intransitive verb To express contempt. Pope.

Pishu Pi"shu noun (Zoology) The Canada lynx. [ Written also peeshoo .]

Pisiform Pi"si·form adjective [ Latin pisum a pea + -form : confer French pisiforme .] Resembling a pea or peas in size and shape; as, a pisiform iron ore.

Pisiform Pi"si·form noun (Anat.) A small bone on the ulnar side of the carpus in man and many mammals. See Illust. of Artiodactyla .

Pismire Pis"mire noun [ Piss + mire ; so called because it discharges a moisture vulgarly considered urine. See Mire an ant.] (Zoology) An ant, or emmet.

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