Webster's Dictionary, 1913
Pituitary adjective [ Latin pituita phlegm, pituite: confer French pituitarie .] (Anat.) (a) Secreting mucus or phlegm; as, the pituitary membrane, or the mucous membrane which lines the nasal cavities. (b) Of or pertaining to the pituitary body; as, the pituitary fossa.
Pituitary body or gland (Anat.) , a glandlike body of unknown function, situated in the pituitary fossa, and connected with the infundibulum of the brain; the hypophysis. -- Pituitary fossa (Anat.) , the ephippium.
Pituite noun [ Latin
pituita : confer French
pituite . Confer
Pip a disease of fowls.]
Mucus, phlegm.
Pituitous adjective [ Latin pituitosus : confer French pituiteux .] Consisting of, or resembling, pituite or mucus; full of mucus; discharging mucus.
Pituitous fever (Medicine) , typhoid fever; enteric fever.
Pituitrin noun (Biol. Chem.) A substance or extract from the pituitary body.
Pity noun ;
plural Pities . [ Middle English
pite , Old French
pité ,
pitié , French
pitié , Latin
pietas piety, kindness, pity. See
Pious , and confer
Piety .]
1. Piety. [ Obsolete]
Wyclif. 2. A feeling for the sufferings or distresses of another or others; sympathy with the grief or misery of another; compassion; fellow-feeling; commiseration. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.
Prov. xix. 17. He . . . has no more pity in him than a dog.
Shak. 3. A reason or cause of pity, grief, or regret; a thing to be regretted. "The more the
pity ."
Shak. What pity is it
That we can die but once to serve our country!
Addison. » In this sense, sometimes used in the plural, especially in the colloquialism: "It is a thousand
pities ."
Syn. -- Compassion; mercy; commiseration; condolence; sympathy, fellow-suffering; fellow-feeling. --
Pity ,
Sympathy ,
Compassion .
Sympathy is literally
fellow-feeling , and therefore requiers a certain degree of equality in situation, circumstances, etc., to its fullest exercise.
Compassion is deep tenderness for another under severe or inevitable misfortune.
Pity regards its object not only as suffering, but
weak , and hence as inferior.
Pity transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Pitied ;
present participle & verbal noun Pitying .]
1. To feel pity or compassion for; to have sympathy with; to compassionate; to commiserate; to have tender feelings toward (any one), awakened by a knowledge of suffering. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
Ps. ciii. 13. 2. To move to pity; -- used impersonally. [ Obsolete]
It pitieth them to see her in the dust.
Bk. of Com. Prayer.
Pity intransitive verb To be compassionate; to show pity. I will not pity , nor spare, nor have mercy.
Jer. xiii. 14.
Pitying adjective Expressing pity; as, a pitying eye, glance, or word. -- Pit"y*ing*ly , adverb
Pityriasis noun [ New Latin , from Greek ..., from ..., lit., bran.] (Medicine) A superficial affection of the skin, characterized by irregular patches of thin scales which are shed in branlike particles.
Pityriasis noun (Veter.) A disease of domestic animals characterized by dry epithelial scales, and due to digestive disturbances and alteration of the function of the sebaceous glands.
Pityroid adjective [ Greek ... bran + - oid .] Having the form of, or resembling, bran. Smart.
Pivot noun [ F.; probably akin to Italian
piva pipe, French
pipe . See
Pipe .]
1. A fixed pin or short axis, on the end of which a wheel or other body turns. 2. The end of a shaft or arbor which rests and turns in a support; as, the pivot of an arbor in a watch. 3. Hence, figuratively: A turning point or condition; that on which important results depend; as, the pivot of an enterprise. 4. (Mil.) The officer or soldier who simply turns in his place whike the company or line moves around him in wheeling; -- called also pivot man . Pivot bridge ,
a form of drawbridge in which one span, called the pivot span , turns about a central vertical axis. --
Pivot gun ,
a gun mounted on a pivot or revolving carriage, so as to turn in any direction. --
Pivot tooth (Dentistry) ,
an artificial crown attached to the root of a natural tooth by a pin or peg.
Pivot transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Pivoted ;
present participle & verbal noun Pivoting .]
To place on a pivot. Clarke.
Pivotal adjective Of or pertaining to a pivot or turning point; belonging to, or constituting, a pivot; of the nature of a pivot; as, the pivotal opportunity of a career; the pivotal position in a battle.
Pixy-led adjective Led by pixies; bewildered.
Pixy, Pixie noun ;
plural Pixies . [ For
Pucksy , from
Puck .]
1. An old English name for a fairy; an elf. [ Written also
picksy .]
2. (Botany) A low creeping evergreen plant ( Pyxidanthera barbulata ), with mosslike leaves and little white blossoms, found in New Jersey and southward, where it flowers in earliest spring. Pixy ring ,
a fairy ring or circle. [ Prov. Eng.] --
Pixy stool (Botany) ,
a toadstool or mushroom. [ Prov. Eng.]
Piü adverb [ Italian , from Latin
plus . See
Plus .]
(Mus.) A little more; as, piü allegro, a little more briskly.
Pizzicato [ Italian , pinched.] (Mus.) A direction to violinists to pluck the string with the finger, instead of using the bow. (Abrev. pizz.)
Pizzle noun [ Confer Prov. German pissel , pesel , peisel , peserich , Dutch pees a tendon or spring.] The penis; -- so called in some animals, as the bull. Shak.
Placability noun [ Latin placabilitas : confer French placabilité .] The quality or state of being placable or appeasable; placable disposition.
Placable adjective [ Latin
placabilis , from
placare to quiet, pacify: confer French
placable . See
Placate .]
Capable of being appeased or pacified; ready or willing to be pacified; willing to forgive or condone. Methought I saw him placable and mild.
Milton.
Placableness noun The quality of being placable.
Placard noun [ French, from
plaquer to lay or clap on,
plaque plate, tablet; probably from Dutch, confer Dutch
plakken to paste, post up,
plak a flat piece of wood.]
1. A public proclamation; a manifesto or edict issued by authority. [ Obsolete]
All placards or edicts are published in his name.
Howell. 2. Permission given by authority; a license; as, to give a placard to do something. [ Obsolete]
ller. 3. A written or printed paper, as an advertisement or a declaration, posted, or to be posted, in a public place; a poster. 4. (Anc. Armor) An extra plate on the lower part of the breastplate or backplate. Planché. 5. [ Confer
Placket .]
A kind of stomacher, often adorned with jewels, worn in the fifteenth century and later.
Placard transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Placarded ;
present participle & verbal noun Placarding .]
1. To post placards upon or within; as, to placard a wall, to placard the city. 2. To announce by placards; as, to placard a sale.
Placate noun Same as Placard , 4 & 5.
Placate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Placated ;
present participle & verbal noun Placating .] [ Latin
placatus , past participle of
placare to placate, akin to
placere to please. See
Please .]
To appease; to pacify; to concilate. "Therefore is he always propitiated and
placated ."
Cudworth.
Placation noun [ Latin placatio .] The act of placating. [ R.] Puttenham (1589).
Place noun [ French, from Latin
platea a street, an area, a courtyard, from Greek
platei^a a street, properly fem. of
platy`s , flat, broad; akin to Sanskrit
prthu , Lithuanian
platus . Confer
Flawn ,
Piazza ,
Plate ,
Plaza .]
1. Any portion of space regarded as measured off or distinct from all other space, or appropriated to some definite object or use; position; ground; site; spot; rarely, unbounded space. Here is the place appointed.
Shak. What place can be for us
Within heaven's bound?
Milton. The word place has sometimes a more confused sense, and stands for that space which any body takes up; and so the universe is a place .
Locke. 2. A broad way in a city; an open space; an area; a court or short part of a street open only at one end. "Hangman boys in the market
place ."
Shak. 3. A position which is occupied and held; a dwelling; a mansion; a village, town, or city; a fortified town or post; a stronghold; a region or country. Are you native of this place ?
Shak. 4. Rank; degree; grade; order of priority, advancement, dignity, or importance; especially, social rank or position; condition; also, official station; occupation; calling. "The enervating magic of
place ."
Hawthorne. Men in great place are thrice servants.
Bacon. I know my place as I would they should do theirs.
Shak. 5. Vacated or relinquished space; room; stead (the departure or removal of another being or thing being implied). "In
place of Lord Bassanio."
Shak. 6. A definite position or passage of a document. The place of the scripture which he read was this.
Acts viii. 32. 7. Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding; as, he said in the first place . 8. Reception; effect; -- implying the making room for. My word hath no place in you.
John viii. 37. 9. (Astron.) Position in the heavens, as of a heavenly body; -- usually defined by its right ascension and declination, or by its latitude and longitude. Place of arms (Mil.) ,
a place calculated for the rendezvous of men in arms, etc., as a fort which affords a safe retreat for hospitals, magazines, etc. Wilhelm. --
High place (Script.) ,
a mount on which sacrifices were offered. "Him that offereth in the
high place ."
Jer. xlviii. 35. --
In place ,
in proper position; timely. --
Out of place ,
inappropriate; ill-timed; as, his remarks were out of place . --
Place kick (Football) ,
the act of kicking the ball after it has been placed on the ground. --
Place name ,
the name of a place or locality. London Academy. --
To give place ,
to make room; to yield; to give way; to give advantage. "Neither
give place to the devil."
Eph. iv. 27. "Let all the rest
give place ."
Shak. --
To have place ,
to have a station, room, or seat; as, such desires can have no place in a good heart. --
To take place .
(a) To come to pass; to occur; as, the ceremony will not take place . (b) To take precedence or priority. Addison. (c) To take effect; to prevail. "If your doctrine
takes place ."
Berkeley. "But none of these excuses would
take place ."
Spenser. - -
To take the place of ,
to be substituted for. Syn. -- Situation; seat; abode; position; locality; location; site; spot; office; employment; charge; function; trust; ground; room; stead.
Place transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Placed ;
present participle & verbal noun Placing .] [ Confer French
placer . See
Place ,
noun ]
1. To assign a place to; to put in a particular spot or place, or in a certain relative position; to direct to a particular place; to fix; to settle; to locate; as, to place a book on a shelf; to place balls in tennis. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown.
Shak. 2. To put or set in a particular rank, office, or position; to surround with particular circumstances or relations in life; to appoint to certain station or condition of life; as, in whatever sphere one is placed . Place such over them to be rulers.
Ex. xviii. 21. 3. To put out at interest; to invest; to loan; as, to place money in a bank. 4. To set; to fix; to repose; as, to place confidence in a friend. "My resolution 's
placed ."
Shak. 5. To attribute; to ascribe; to set down. Place it for her chief virtue.
Shak. To place (a person),
to identify him. [ Colloq. U.S.]
Syn. -- See
Put .
Place noun (Racing) The position of first, second, or third at the finish, esp. the second position. In betting, to win a bet on a horse for place it must, in the United States, finish first or second, in England, usually, first, second, or third.
Place transitive verb
1. (Racing) To determine or announce the place of at the finish. Usually, in horse racing only the first three horses are placed officially. 2. (Rugby Football) To place-kick ( a goal).
Place-kick transitive verb & i. To make a place kick; to make (a goal) by a place kick. -- Place"- kick`er , noun
Place-proud adjective Proud of rank or office. Beau. & Fl.
Placebo noun [ Latin , I shall please, fut. of placere to please.]
1. (R. C. Ch.) The first antiphon of the vespers for the dead. 2. (Medicine) A prescription intended to humor or satisfy.
To sing placebo , to agree with one in his opinion; to be complaisant to. Chaucer.
Placeful adjective In the appointed place. [ Obsolete]
Placeless adjective Having no place or office.
Placeman noun ;
plural Placemen One who holds or occupies a place; one who has office under government. Sir W. Scott. Place"ment noun [ Confer French
placement .]
1. The act of placing, or the state of being placed. 2. Position; place.
Placenta noun ;
plural Latin
Placentæ , English
Placentas . [ Latin , a cake, Greek ... a flat cake, from ... flat, from ..., ..., anything flat and broad.]
1. (Anat.) The vascular appendage which connects the fetus with the parent, and is cast off in parturition with the afterbirth. » In most mammals the placenta is principally developed from the allantois and chorion, and tufts of vascular villi on its surface penetrate the blood vessels of the parental uterus, and thus establish a nutritive and excretory connection between the blood of the fetus and that of the parent, though the blood itself does not flow from one to the other.
2. (Botany) The part of a pistil or fruit to which the ovules or seeds are attached.
Placental adjective
1. Of or pertaining to the placenta; having, or characterized by having, a placenta; as, a placental mammal. 2. (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Placentalia.
Placental noun (Zoology) One of the Placentalia.
Placentalia noun plural [ New Latin ] (Zoology) A division of Mammalia including those that have a placenta, or all the orders above the marsupials.
Placentary adjective Having reference to the placenta; as, the placentary system of classification.
Placentation noun
1. (Anat.) The mode of formation of the placenta in different animals; as, the placentation of mammals. 2. (Botany) The mode in which the placenta is arranged or composed; as, axile placentation ; parietal placentation .
Placentiferous adjective [ Placenta + -ferous .] (Bot. & Zoology) Having or producing a placenta.
Placentiform adjective [ Placenta + -form .] (Botany) Having the shape of a placenta, or circular thickened disk somewhat thinner about the middle.
Placentious adjective [ See
Please .]
Pleasing; amiable. [ Obsolete] "A
placentious person."
Fuller.
Placer noun One who places or sets. Spenser.
Placer noun [ Spanish ] A deposit of earth, sand, or gravel, containing valuable mineral in particles, especially by the side of a river, or in the bed of a mountain torrent. [ U.S.]
Placet noun [ Latin
placet it pleases.]
1. A vote of assent, as of the governing body of a university, of an ecclesiastical council, etc. 2. The assent of the civil power to the promulgation of an ecclesiastical ordinance. Shipley. The king . . . annulled the royal placet .
J. P. Peters.
