Pay - Peaked

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Pay (pā), v. i. To give a recompense; to make payment, requital, or satisfaction; to discharge a debt.
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The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again. Ps. xxxvii. 21.
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2. Hence, to make or secure suitable return for expense or trouble; to be remunerative or profitable; to be worth the effort or pains required; as, it will pay to ride; it will pay to wait; politeness always pays.
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Coloq. To pay for . (a) To make amends for; to atone for; as, men often pay for their mistakes with loss of property or reputation, sometimes with life. (b) To give an equivalent for; to bear the expense of; to be mulcted on account of.
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'T was I paid for your sleeps; I watched your wakings. Beau. & Fl.
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-- Coloq. To pay off . [Etymol. uncertain.] (a) (Naut.) To fall to leeward, as the head of a vessel under sail. (b) to repay (a debt). -- Coloq. To pay on . [Etymol. uncertain.] To beat with vigor; to redouble blows. [Colloq.] -- Coloq. To pay round [Etymol. uncertain.] (Naut.) To turn the ship's head.
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Pay, n. 1. Satisfaction; content. Chaucer.
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2. An equivalent or return for money due, goods purchased, or services performed; salary or wages for work or service; compensation; recompense; payment; hire; as, the pay of a clerk; the pay of a soldier.
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Where only merit constant pay receives. Pope.
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There is neither pay nor plunder to be got. L'Estrange.
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Coloq. Full pay , the whole amount of wages or salary; maximum pay; especially, the highest pay or allowance to civil or military officers of a certain rank, without deductions. -- Coloq. Half pay . See under . -- Coloq. Pay day , the day of settlement of accounts. -- Coloq. Pay dirt (Mining), earth which yields a profit to the miner. [Western U.S.] -- Coloq. Pay office , a place where payment is made. -- Coloq. Pay roll , (a) a roll or list of persons entitled to payment, with the amounts due; now usually one word, payroll. (b) the total sum of money which is paid to all employees on payday.
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Payable (?), a. [Cf. F. payable. Cf. .] 1. That may, can, or should be paid; suitable to be paid; justly due. Drayton.
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Thanks are a tribute payable by the poorest. South.
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2. (Law) (a) That may be discharged or settled by delivery of value. (b) Matured; now due.
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payables n. money that a person or organization expects and is obligated to pay on notes and accounts.
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payback n. same as . [informal]
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2. same as . [informal]
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Pay Cerps. A staff corps in the United States navy, consisting of pay directors, pay inspectors, paymasters, passed assistant paymasters, and assistant paymasters, having relative rank from captain to ensign, respectively.
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{ Pay dirt, Pay rock, etc. } 1. (Mining) Earth, rock, etc., which yields a profit to the miner. [Western U. S.]
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2. a discovery, especially after an exploratory process, which yields a profit or sought-after benefit; -- used especially in the phrase “to hit pay dirt”.
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PAYE prop. n. the British system of withholding tax. [Acronym]
Syn. -- pay as you earn.
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Payee (?), n. The person to whom money is to be, or has been, paid; the person named in a bill or note, to whom, or to whose order, the amount is promised or directed to be paid. See Bill of exchange, under .
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Payen (?), n. & a. Pagan. [F.] [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Payer (?), n. One who pays; specifically, the person by whom a bill or note has been, or should be, paid.
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paying n. 1. the act of paying money.
Syn. -- payment, defrayal, defrayment.
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paying adj. yielding material gain or profit; as, paying investments. [Ant: unprofitable]
Syn. -- profitable.
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2. providing a salary for work performed; as, a paying job. [prenominal] [Ant: unpaid]
Syn. -- compensable, remunerative, salaried, stipendiary, gainful.
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payload (pālōd) n. The part of a missile or torpedo that carries the explosive charge.
Syn. -- warhead, load.
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2. The goods carried by a large vehicle.
Syn. -- cargo, lading, freight, load, loading, shipment, consignment.
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Paymaster (?), n. One who pays; one who compensates, rewards, or requites; specifically, an officer or agent of a government, a corporation, or an employer, whose duty it is to pay salaries, wages, etc., and keep account of the same.
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Paymaster-general. 1. (a) (Mil.) In the United States army, an officer of the rank of brigadier general, who commands the pay department, which is charged with the payment of the officers and men. (b) (Nav.) In the United States navy, the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, who has charge of the payment of officers and men and their clothing and subsistence. He has the rank of rear admiral.
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2. In Great Britain, an officer of the Treasury who makes all payments and disbursements, civil as well as military. He is a member of the ministry, but not of the cabinet.
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Payment (?), n. [F. payment, paiement. See to requite.] 1. The act of paying, or giving compensation; the discharge of a debt or an obligation.
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No man envieth the payment of a debt. Bacon.
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2. That which is paid; the thing given in discharge of a debt, or an obligation, or in fulfillment of a promise; reward; recompense; requital; return. Shak.
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3. Punishment; chastisement. [R.]
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Payn (?), n. [OF. & F. pain, fr. L. panis bread.] Bread. Having Piers Plowman.
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Payndemain (?), n. [OF. pain bread + demaine manorial, lordly, own, private. See , and . Said to be so called from the figure of our Lord impressed upon it.] The finest and whitest bread made in the Middle Ages; -- called also paynemain, payman. [Obs.]
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Payne's process (?). A process for preserving timber and rendering it incombustible by impregnating it successively with solutions of sulphate of iron and calcium chloride in vacuo. -- Paynize, v. t.
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Paynim (?), n. & a. See .
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Paynize (?), v. t. [From Mr. Payne, the inventor.] To treat or preserve, as wood, by a process resembling kyanizing.
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payoff n. 1. profit or gain from an action; -- used broadly; as, lots of effort with little payoff.
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2. retribution, payback.
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3. The act of giving or receiving money or other valuable consideration as a bribe.
Syn. -- bribe.
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4. The money or item given as a bribe.
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5. same as 2.
Syn. -- compensation, remuneration, recompense.
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6. The climax or final result of an event or endeavor; the denoument of a narrative.
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Payor (?), n. (Law) See . [R.]
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pay-phone n. 1. a coin-operated telephone.
Syn. -- pay-station.
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Payse (?), v. t. To poise. [Obs.] Spenser.
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paysheet n. 1. the total amount of money paid in wages; as, the company had a large paysheet.
Syn. -- payroll.
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2. a list of employees and their salaries; as, the company had a long paysheet.
Syn. -- payroll.
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payslip n. 1. a slip of paper included with a person's salary payment, that records how much money the person has earned and how much tax or insurance etc. has been taken out.
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pay-station n. a coin-operated telephone.
Syn. -- pay-phone.
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Pay streak. 1. (Mining) The zone, parallel to the walls of a vein, in which the ore is concentrated, or any narrow streak of paying ore in less valuable material.
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2. (Oil Boring) A stratum of oil sand thick enough to make a well pay.
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Paytine (?), n. (Chem.) An alkaloid obtained from a white bark resembling that of the cinchona, first brought from Payta, in Peru.
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PBS n. 1. (Biochem.) [Initialism] Phosphate-buffered saline, a normal saline solution containing a phosphate buffer.
Syn. -- phosphate-buffered saline.
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2. [Initialism] Public Broadcasting System; a system of non-profit radio and television broadcasting stations.
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PC n. 1. (Computers) A personal computer; a computer{2} designed for use by one person at a time; -- contrasted with shared-time computers such as and , which may be accessed by multiple users each operating from a different input device (in the 1990's, usually a terminal). A typically uses a microprocessor for its CPU. [Initialism]
Syn. -- personal computer, microcomputer.
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2. Acronym for . [Initialism]
Syn. -- P. C., politically correct.
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PCP n. 1. a drug originally taken in the form of powder (dust) for its hallucinogenic effects.
Syn. -- phencyclidine hydrochloride, angel dust.
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pct n. [Abbreviation of percent.] Percent; a fractional proportion, multiplied by 100. [abbreviation]
Syn. -- percentage, percent, per cent.
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Pd prop. n. 1. The chemical symbol for palladium, an element of the platinum group of atomic number 46.
Syn. -- palladium.
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pe n. the 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
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Pea (pē), n. [OF. peis. See .] The sliding weight on a steelyard. [Written also pee.]
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Pea, n. (Naut.) See , n., 3.
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Pea, n.; pl. Peas (pēz) or Pease (pēz). [OE. pese, fr. AS. pisa, or OF. peis, F. pois; both fr. L. pisum; cf. Gr. pisos, pison. The final s was misunderstood in English as a plural ending. Cf. .] 1. (Bot.) A plant, and its fruit, of the genus Pisum, of many varieties, much cultivated for food. It has a papilionaceous flower, and the pericarp is a legume, popularly called a pod.
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☞ When a definite number, more than one, is spoken of, the plural form peas is used; as, the pod contained nine peas; but, in a collective sense, the form pease is preferred; as, a bushel of pease; they had pease at dinner. This distinction is not always preserved, the form peas being used in both senses.
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2. A name given, especially in the Southern States, to the seed of several leguminous plants (species of Dolichos, Cicer, Abrus, etc.) esp. those having a scar (hilum) of a different color from the rest of the seed.
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☞ The name pea is given to many leguminous plants more or less closely related to the common pea. See the Phrases, below.
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Coloq. Beach pea (Bot.), a seashore plant, Lathyrus maritimus. -- Coloq. Black-eyed pea , a West Indian name for Dolichos sphærospermus and its seed. -- Coloq. Butterfly pea , the American plant Clitoria Mariana, having showy blossoms. -- Coloq. Chick pea . See . -- Coloq. Egyptian pea . Same as . -- Coloq. Everlasting pea . See under . -- Coloq. Glory pea . See under , n. -- Coloq. Hoary pea , any plant of the genus Tephrosia; goat's rue. -- Coloq. Issue pea , Coloq. Orris pea . (Med.) See under , and . -- Coloq. Milk pea . (Bot.) See under . -- Coloq. Pea berry , a kind of a coffee bean or grain which grows single, and is round or pea-shaped; often used adjectively; as, pea-berry coffee. -- Coloq. Pea bug . (Zoöl.) Same as . -- Coloq. Pea coal , a size of coal smaller than nut coal. -- Coloq. Pea crab (Zoöl.), any small crab of the genus Pinnotheres, living as a commensal in bivalves; esp., the European species (Pinnotheres pisum) which lives in the common mussel and the cockle. -- Coloq. Pea dove (Zoöl.), the American ground dove. -- Coloq. Pea-flower tribe (Bot.), a suborder (Papilionaceæ) of leguminous plants having blossoms essentially like that of the pea. G. Bentham. -- Coloq. Pea maggot (Zoöl.), the larva of a European moth (Tortrix pisi), which is very destructive to peas. -- Coloq. Pea ore (Min.), argillaceous oxide of iron, occurring in round grains of a size of a pea; pisolitic ore. -- Coloq. Pea starch , the starch or flour of the common pea, which is sometimes used in adulterating wheat flour, pepper, etc. -- Coloq. Pea tree (Bot.), the name of several leguminous shrubs of the genus Caragana, natives of Siberia and China. -- Coloq. Pea vine . (Bot.) (a) Any plant which bears peas. (b) A kind of vetch or tare, common in the United States (Lathyrus Americana, and other similar species). -- Coloq. Pea weevil (Zoöl.), a small weevil (Bruchus pisi) which destroys peas by eating out the interior. -- Coloq. Pigeon pea . (Bot.) See . -- Coloq. Sweet pea (Bot.), the annual plant Lathyrus odoratus; also, its many-colored, sweet-scented blossoms.
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Peabird (?), n. (Zoöl.) The wryneck; -- so called from its note. [Prov. Eng.]
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Peabody bird (?). (Zoöl.) An American sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) having a conspicuous white throat. The name is imitative of its note. Called also White-throated sparrow.
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Peace (?), n. [OE. pees, pais, OF. pais, paiz, pes, F. paix, L. pax, pacis, akin to pacere, paciscere, pacisci, to make an agreement, and prob. also pangere to fasten. Cf. , , a., , v., , , , to requite.] A state of quiet or tranquillity; freedom from disturbance or agitation; calm; repose; specifically: (a) Exemption from, or cessation of, war with public enemies. (b) Public quiet, order, and contentment in obedience to law. (c) Exemption from, or subjection of, agitating passions; tranquillity of mind or conscience. (d) Reconciliation; agreement after variance; harmony; concord. “The eternal love and pees.” Chaucer.
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☞ Peace is sometimes used as an exclamation in commanding silence, quiet, or order. “Peace! foolish woman.” Shak.
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Coloq. At peace , in a state of peace. -- Coloq. Breach of the peace . See under . -- Coloq. Justice of the peace . See under . -- Coloq. Peace of God . (Law) (a) A term used in wills, indictments, etc., as denoting a state of peace and good conduct. (b) (Theol.) The peace of heart which is the gift of God. -- Coloq. Peace offering . (a) (Jewish Antiq.) A voluntary offering to God in token of devout homage and of a sense of friendly communion with Him. (b) A gift or service offered as satisfaction to an offended person. -- Coloq. Peace officer , a civil officer whose duty it is to preserve the public peace, to prevent riots, etc., as a polliceman, sheriff or constable. -- Coloq. To hold one's peace , to be silent; to refrain from speaking. -- Coloq. To make one's peace with , to reconcile one with, to plead one's cause with, or to become reconciled with, another. “I will make your peace with him.” Shak.
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Peace, v. t. & i. To make or become quiet; to be silent; to stop. [R.] “Peace your tattlings.” Shak.
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When the thunder would not peace at my bidding. Shak.
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Peaceable (?), a. [OE. peisible, F. paisible.] Begin in or at peace; tranquil; quiet; free from, or not disposed to, war, disorder, or excitement; not quarrelsome. -- Peaceableness, n. -- Peaceably, adv.
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Syn. -- Peaceful; pacific; tranquil; quiet; mild; undisturbed; serene; still. -- , . Peaceable describes the state of an individual, nation, etc., in reference to external hostility, attack, etc.; peaceful, in respect to internal disturbance. The former denotes “in the spirit of peace;” latter; “in the possession or enjoyment of peace.” A peaceable adjustment of difficulties; a peaceful life, scene.
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Peacebreaker (?), n. One who disturbs the public peace. -- Peacebreaking, n.
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Peaceful (?), a. 1. Possessing or enjoying peace; not disturbed by war, tumult, agitation, anxiety, or commotion; quiet; tranquil; as, a peaceful time; a peaceful country; a peaceful end.
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2. Not disposed or tending to war, tumult or agitation; pacific; mild; calm; peaceable; as, peaceful words.
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Syn. -- See .
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--Peacefully, adv.. -- Peacefulness, n.
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peacekeeper n. 1. a member of a military force that is assigned (often with international sanction) to preserve peace in a trouble area.
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2. someone who keeps peace; as, she's the peacekeeper in that family.
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3. the pistol of a law officer in the old West. [U. S. History]
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Peaceless, a. Without peace; disturbed. Sandys.
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peace-loving adj. Inclined or disposed to peace; as, peace-loving citizens. Opposed to warlike or belligerent.
Syn. -- peaceable, dovish, pacific.
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Peacemaker (?), n. One who makes peace by reconciling parties that are at variance. Matt. v. 9.
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--Peacemaking, n.
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peacenik n. someone who prefers negotiations to armed conflict in the conduct of foreign relations. [Derog.]
Syn. -- dove.
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peacetime n. A period of time during which there is no war; as, civil liberties are valued more highly in peacetime than in war.
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Peach (pēch), v. t. [See , .] To accuse of crime; to inform against. [Obs.] Foxe.
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Peach, v. i. To turn informer; to betray one's accomplice. [Obs. or Colloq.]
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If I be ta'en, I'll peach for this. Shak.
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Peach (pēch), n. [OE. peche, peshe, OF. pesche, F. pêche, fr. LL. persia, L. Persicum (sc. malum) a Persian apple, a peach. Cf. , and .] 1. (Bot.) A well-known high-flavored juicy fruit, containing one or two seeds in a hard almond-like endocarp or stone. In the wild stock the fruit is hard and inedible.
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2. The tree (Prunus Persica syn. Amygdalus Persica) which bears the peach fruit.
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3. The pale red color of the peach blossom, or the light pinkish yellow of the peach fruit.
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Coloq. Guinea peach , or Coloq. Sierra Leone peach , the large edible berry of the Sarcocephalus esculentus, a rubiaceous climbing shrub of west tropical Africa. -- Coloq. Palm peach , the fruit of a Venezuelan palm tree (Bactris speciosa). -- Coloq. Peach color , the pale red color of the peach blossom. -- Coloq. Peach-tree borer (Zoöl.), the larva of a clearwing moth (Ægeria exitiosa, or Sannina, exitiosa) of the family Ægeriidæ, which is very destructive to peach trees by boring in the wood, usually near the ground; also, the moth itself. See Illust. under .
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Peachblow, a. (Ceramics) Of the delicate purplish pink color likened to that of peach blooms; -- applied esp. to a Chinese porcelain, small specimens of which bring great prices in the Western countries.
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Peach-colored (pēchkŭlẽrd), a. Of the color of a peach blossom. “Peach-colored satin.” Shak.
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Peacher (pēchẽr), n. One who peaches. [Low] Foxe.
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Peachick (pēchĭk), n. (Zoöl.) The chicken of the peacock.
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peachwood (pēchw�d) n. 1. A tropical tree Caesalpinia echinata, having a prickly trunk; its heavy red wood yields a red dye and is used for cabinetry.
Syn. -- Caesalpinia echinata.
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2. The heavy red wood of the Caesalpinia echinata; brazilwood; pernambuco wood.
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Peachy (pēch�), a. Resembling a peach or peaches.
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peacoat, pea coat (pēkōt), n. [Prob. fr. D. pij, pije, a coat of a coarse woolen stuff.] A thick loose double-breasted woolen jacket, or coat, commonly worn by sailors in cold weather; a pea-jacket.
Syn. -- pea coat, peacoat, pea jacket, peajacket, pea-jacket.
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Peacock (pēkŏk), n. [OE. pecok. Pea- in this word is from AS. peá, pāwa, peacock, fr. L. pavo, prob. of Oriental origin; cf. Gr. taws, taw^s, Per. tāus, tāwus, Ar. tāwūs. See the bird.] 1. (Zoöl.) The male of any pheasant of the genus Pavo, of which at least two species are known, native of Southern Asia and the East Indies.
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☞ The upper tail coverts, which are long and capable of erection, are each marked with a black spot bordered by concentric bands of brilliant blue, green, and golden colors. The common domesticated species is Pavo cristatus. The Javan peacock (Pavo muticus) is more brilliantly colored than the common species.
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2. In common usage, the species in general or collectively; a peafowl.
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Coloq. Peacock butterfly (Zoöl.), a handsome European butterfly (Hamadryas Io) having ocelli like those of peacock. -- Coloq. Peacock fish (Zoöl.), the European blue-striped wrasse (Labrus variegatus); -- so called on account of its brilliant colors. Called also cook wrasse and cook. -- Coloq. Peacock pheasant (Zoöl.), any one of several species of handsome Asiatic pheasants of the genus Polyplectron. They resemble the peacock in color.
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peacock-blue adj. A bright greenish blue.
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Peacock Throne. A famous throne formerly of the kings of Delhi, India, but since 1739, when it was carried off by Nadir Shah, held by the shahs of Persia (now Iran); -- so called from its bearing a fully expanded peacock's tail done in gems.
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2. [metonymically named after the throne on which he sat.] The office or position of the Shah of Iran; as, to ascend the Peacock Throne.
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Peafowl (?), n. [See .] (Zoöl.) The peacock or peahen; any species of Pavo.
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Peag (pēg), n. [Written also peage, peak, peeke.] [Prob. of North American Indian origin, by shortening of wampumpeag. RHUD.] A kind of aboriginal shell money, or wampum, of the Atlantic coast of the United States; -- originally applied only to polished white cylindrical beads. See also .
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Peage (?), n. See .
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Peagrit (?), n. (Min.) A coarse pisolitic limestone. See .
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Peahen (?), n. [See .] (Zoöl.) The hen or female peafowl.
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Pea-jacket, Pea jacket Pea jacket (?), n. [Prob. fr. D. pij, pije, a coat of a coarse woolen stuff.] A thick loose double-breasted woolen jacket, or coat, commonly worn by sailors in cold weather.
Syn. -- pea coat, peacoat, pea jacket.
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Peak (pēk), n. [OE. pek, AS. peac, perh of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. peac a sharp-pointed thing. Cf. .] 1. A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap. “Run your beard into a peak.” Beau. & Fl.
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2. The top, or one of the tops, of a hill, mountain, or range, ending in a point; often, the whole hill or mountain, esp. when isolated; as, the Peak of Teneriffe.
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Silent upon a peak in Darien. Keats.
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3. (Naut.) (a) The upper aftermost corner of a fore-and-aft sail; -- used in many combinations; as, peak-halyards, peak-brails, etc. (b) The narrow part of a vessel's bow, or the hold within it. (c) The extremity of an anchor fluke; the bill. [In the last sense written also pea and pee.]
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Coloq. Fore peak . (Naut.) See under .
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Peak, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Peaked (pēkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Peaking.] 1. To rise or extend into a peak or point; to form, or appear as, a peak.
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There peaketh up a mighty high mount. Holand.
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2. Hence: To achieve a maximum of numerical value, intensity of activity, popularity, or other characteristic, followed by a decline; as, the stock market peaked in January; his performance as a pitcher peaked in 1990; sales of the XTX model peaked at 20,000 per year.
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3. To acquire sharpness of figure or features; hence, to look thin or sickly. “Dwindle, peak, and pine.” Shak.
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4. [Cf. .] To pry; to peep slyly. [archaic] Shak.
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Coloq. Peak arch (Arch.), a pointed or Gothic arch.
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Peak, v. t. (Naut.) To raise to a position perpendicular, or more nearly so; as, to peak oars, to hold them upright; to peak a gaff or yard, to set it nearer the perpendicular.
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Peaked (pēkt or pēkĕd), a. 1. Pointed; ending in a point; as, a peaked roof.
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2. (Oftener pēkĕd) Sickly; not robust. [Colloq.]
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