Picturer - Pigeon

Prev Next

Picturer (?), n. One who makes pictures; a painter. [R.] Fuller.
[ Webster]

Picturesque (?), a. [It. pittoresco: cf. F. pittoresque. See .] Forming, or fitted to form, a good or pleasing picture; representing with the clearness or ideal beauty appropriate to a picture; expressing that peculiar kind of beauty which is agreeable in a picture, natural or artificial; graphic; vivid; as, a picturesque scene or attitude; picturesque language.
[ Webster]

What is picturesque as placed in relation to the beautiful and the sublime? It is . . . the characteristic pushed into a sensible excess. De Quincey.
[ Webster]

-- Picturesquely, adv. -- Picturesqueness, n.
[ Webster]

Picturesquish, a. Somewhat picturesque. [R.]
[ Webster]

Picturize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Picturized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Picturizing.] [R.] 1. To picture.
[ Webster]

2. To adorn with pictures.
[ Webster]

Picul (?), n. [Jav. & Malay pikul, fr. pikul to carry on the back, to carry a burden; n., a man's burden.] A commercial weight varying in different countries and for different commodities. In Borneo it is 1355/8 lbs.; in China and Sumatra, 1331/2 lbs.; in Japan, 1331/3 lbs.; but sometimes 130 lbs., etc. Called also, by the Chinese, tan. [Written also pecul, and pecal.]
[ Webster]

Piculet (?), n. [Dim. of .] (Zoöl.) Any species of very small woodpeckers of the genus Picumnus and allied genera. Their tail feathers are not stiff and sharp at the tips, as in ordinary woodpeckers.
[ Webster]

Picus (?), n.; pl. Pici (#). [L., a woodpecker.] (Zoöl.) A genus of woodpeckers, including some of the common American and European species.
[ Webster]

Piddle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Piddled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Piddling (?).] [Cf. dial. Sw. pittla to keep picking at, Sw. peta to pick.] 1. To deal in trifles; to concern one's self with trivial matters rather than with those that are important. Ascham.
[ Webster]

2. To be squeamishly nice about one's food. Swift.
[ Webster]

3. To urinate; -- child's word.
[ Webster]

Piddler (?), n. One who piddles.
[ Webster]

Piddling (?), a.Trifling; trivial; frivolous; paltry; -- applied to persons and things.
[ Webster]

The ignoble hucksterage of piddling tithes. Milton.
[ Webster]

Piddock (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.) Any species of Pholas; a pholad. See .
[ Webster]

Pie (?), n. [OE. pie, pye; cf. Ir. & Gael. pighe pie, also Gael. pige an earthen jar or pot. Cf. .] 1. An article of food consisting of paste baked with something in it or under it; as, chicken pie; venison pie; mince pie; apple pie; pumpkin pie.
[ Webster]

2. See , n., 5. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
[ Webster]

Coloq. Pie crust , the paste of a pie.
[ Webster]

Pie, n. [F. pie, L. pica; cf. picus woodpecker, pingere to paint; the bird being perhaps named from its colors. Cf. , , .] 1. (Zoöl.) (a) A magpie. (b) Any other species of the genus Pica, and of several allied genera. [Written also pye.]
[ Webster]

2. (R. C. Ch.) The service book.
[ Webster]

3. (Pritn.) Type confusedly mixed. See .
[ Webster]

Coloq. By cock and pie , an adjuration equivalent to “by God and the service book.” Shak. -- Coloq. Tree pie (Zoöl.), any Asiatic bird of the genus Dendrocitta, allied to the magpie. -- Coloq. Wood pie . (Zoöl.) See French pie, under .
[ Webster]

Pie, v. t. See .
[ Webster]

Piebald (?), a. [Pie the party-colored bird + bald.] 1. Having spots and patches of black and white, or other colors; mottled; pied. “A piebald steed of Thracian strain.” Dryden.
[ Webster]

2. Fig.: Mixed. “Piebald languages.” Hudibras.
[ Webster]

Piece (?), n. [OE. pece, F. pièce, LL. pecia, petia, petium, probably of Celtic origin; cf. W. peth a thing, a part, portion, a little, Armor. pez, Gael. & Ir. cuid part, share. Cf. .] 1. A fragment or part of anything separated from the whole, in any manner, as by cutting, splitting, breaking, or tearing; a part; a portion; as, a piece of sugar; to break in pieces.
[ Webster]

Bring it out piece by piece. Ezek. xxiv. 6.
[ Webster]

2. A definite portion or quantity, as of goods or work; as, a piece of broadcloth; a piece of wall paper.
[ Webster]

3. Any one thing conceived of as apart from other things of the same kind; an individual article; a distinct single effort of a series; a definite performance; especially: (a) A literary or artistic composition; as, a piece of poetry, music, or statuary. (b) A musket, gun, or cannon; as, a battery of six pieces; a following piece. (c) A coin; as, a sixpenny piece; -- formerly applied specifically to an English gold coin worth 22 shillings. (d) A fact; an item; as, a piece of news; a piece of knowledge.
[ Webster]

4. An individual; -- applied to a person as being of a certain nature or quality; often, but not always, used slightingly or in contempt. “If I had not been a piece of a logician before I came to him.” Sir P. Sidney.
[ Webster]

Thy mother was a piece of virtue. Shak.
[ Webster]

His own spirit is as unsettled a piece as there is in all the world. Coleridge.
[ Webster]

[ Webster]

5. (Chess) One of the superior men, distinguished from a pawn.
[ Webster]

6. A castle; a fortified building. [Obs.] Spenser.
[ Webster]

Coloq. Of a piece , of the same sort, as if taken from the same whole; like; -- sometimes followed by with. Dryden. -- Coloq. Piece of eight , the Spanish piaster, formerly divided into eight reals. -- Coloq. To give a piece of one's mind to , to speak plainly, bluntly, or severely to (another). Thackeray. -- Coloq. Piece broker , one who buys shreds and remnants of cloth to sell again. -- Coloq. Piece goods , goods usually sold by pieces or fixed portions, as shirtings, calicoes, sheetings, and the like.
[ Webster]

Piece, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pieced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Piecing (?).] 1. To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; as, to piece a garment; -- often with out. Shak.
[ Webster]

2. To unite; to join; to combine. Fuller.
[ Webster]

His adversaries . . . pieced themselves together in a joint opposition against him. Fuller.
[ Webster]

Piece (?), v. i. To unite by a coalescence of parts; to fit together; to join. “It pieced better.” Bacon.
[ Webster]

Pieceless, a. Not made of pieces; whole; entire.
[ Webster]

Piecely, adv. In pieces; piecemeal. [Obs.]
[ Webster]

Piecemeal (?), adv. [OE. pecemele; pece a piece + AS. m�lum, dat. pl. of m�l part. See a portion.] 1. In pieces; in parts or fragments. “On which it piecemeal brake.” Chapman.
[ Webster]

The beasts will tear thee piecemeal. Tennyson.
[ Webster]

2. Piece by piece; by little and little in succession.
[ Webster]

Piecemeal they win, this acre first, than that. Pope.
[ Webster]

Piecemeal, a. Made up of parts or pieces; single; separate. “These piecemeal guilts.” Gov. of Tongue.
[ Webster]

Piecemeal, n. A fragment; a scrap. R. Vaughan.
[ Webster]

Piecemealed (?), a. Divided into pieces.
[ Webster]

Piecener (?), n. 1. One who supplies rolls of wool to the slubbing machine in woolen mills.
[ Webster]

2. Same as , 2.
[ Webster]

Piecer (?), n. 1. One who pieces; a patcher.
[ Webster]

2. A child employed in spinning mill to tie together broken threads.
[ Webster]

Piecework (?), n. Work done by the piece or job; work paid for at a rate based on the amount of work done, rather than on the time employed.
[ Webster]

The reaping was piecework, at so much per acre. R. Jefferies.
[ Webster]

Pied (?), imp. & p. p. of , or , v.
[ Webster]

Pied (?), a. [From the party-colored bird.] Variegated with spots of different colors; party-colored; spotted; piebald. “Pied coats.” Burton. “Meadows trim with daisies pied.” Milton.
[ Webster]

Coloq. Pied antelope (Zoöl.), the bontebok. -- Coloq. Pied-billed grebe (Zoöl.), the dabchick. -- Coloq. Pied blackbird (Zoöl.), any Asiatic thrush of the genus Turdulus. -- Coloq. Pied finch (Zoöl.) (a) The chaffinch. (b) The snow bunting. [Prov. Eng.] -- Coloq. Pied flycatcher (Zoöl.), a common European flycatcher (Ficedula atricapilla). The male is black and white.
[ Webster]

Piedmont (?), a. [F. pied foot + mont mountain.] (Geol.) Noting the region of foothills near the base of a mountain chain.
[ Webster]

Piedmontite (?), n. (Min.) A manganesian kind of epidote, from Piedmont. See .
[ Webster]

Piedness (?), n. The state of being pied. Shak.
[ Webster]

Piédouche (?), n. [F., fr. It. peduccio console, corbel.] A pedestal of small size, used to support small objects, as busts, vases, and the like.
[ Webster]

Piedstall (?), n. See . [Obs.]
[ Webster]

Pieman (?), n.; pl. Piemen (�). A man who makes or sells pies.
[ Webster]

Piend (?), n. [Cf. Dan. pind a peg.] See .
[ Webster]

Pieno (?), a. [It., fr. L. plenus full.] (Mus.) Full; having all the instruments.
[ Webster]

Pieplant (?), n. (Bot.) A plant (Rheum Rhaponticum) the leafstalks of which are acid, and are used in making pies; the garden rhubarb.
[ Webster]

{ Piepoudre, Piepowder } (?), n. [Lit., dustyfoot, i. e., dusty-footed dealers, fr. F. pied foot + poudreux dusty.] (O. Eng. Law) An ancient court of record in England, formerly incident to every fair and market, of which the steward of him who owned or had the toll was the judge. Blackstone.
[ Webster]

Pier (?), n. [OE. pere, OF. piere a stone, F. pierre, fr. L. petra, Gr. �. Cf. .] 1. (Arch.) (a) Any detached mass of masonry, whether insulated or supporting one side of an arch or lintel, as of a bridge; the piece of wall between two openings. (b) Any additional or auxiliary mass of masonry used to stiffen a wall. See .
[ Webster]

2. A projecting wharf or landing place.
[ Webster]

Coloq. Abutment pier , the pier of a bridge next the shore; a pier which by its strength and stability resists the thrust of an arch. -- Coloq. Pier glass , a mirror, of high and narrow shape, to be put up between windows. -- Coloq. Pier table , a table made to stand between windows.
[ Webster]

Pierage (?), n. Same as . Smart.
[ Webster]

Pierce (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pierced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Piercing (?).] [OE. percen, F. percer, OF. percier, perchier, parchier; perh. fr. (assumed) LL. pertusiare for pertusare, fr. L. pertundere, pertusum, to beat, push, bore through; per through + tundere to beat: cf. OF. pertuisier to pierce, F. pertuis a hole. Cf. , , .] 1. To thrust into, penetrate, or transfix, with a pointed instrument. “I pierce . . . her tender side.” Dryden.
[ Webster]

2. To penetrate; to enter; to force a way into or through; to pass into or through; as, to pierce the enemy's line; a shot pierced the ship.
[ Webster]

3. Fig.: To penetrate; to affect deeply; as, to pierce a mystery. “Pierced with grief.” Pope.
[ Webster]

Can no prayers pierce thee? Shak.
[ Webster]

Pierce, v. i. To enter; to penetrate; to make a way into or through something, as a pointed instrument does; -- used literally and figuratively.
[ Webster]

And pierced to the skin, but bit no more. Spenser.
[ Webster]

She would not pierce further into his meaning. Sir P. Sidney.
[ Webster]

Pierceable (?), a. That may be pierced.
[ Webster]

Pierced (?), a. Penetrated; entered; perforated.
[ Webster]

Piercel (?), n. [Cf. F. perce.] A kind of gimlet for making vents in casks; -- called also piercer.
[ Webster]

Piercer (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, pierces or perforates; specifically: (a) An instrument used in forming eyelets; a stiletto. (b) A piercel.
[ Webster]

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The ovipositor, or sting, of an insect. (b) An insect provided with an ovipositor.
[ Webster]

Piercing (?), a. Forcibly entering, or adapted to enter, at or by a point; perforating; penetrating; keen; -- used also figuratively; as, a piercing instrument, or thrust. “Piercing eloquence.” Shak.
[ Webster]

-- Piercingly, adv. -- Piercingness, n.
[ Webster]

Pierian (?), a. [L. Pierius, from Mount Pierus, in Thessaly, sacred to the Muses.] Of or pertaining to Pierides or Muses.
[ Webster]

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. Pope.
[ Webster]

Pierid (?), n. [See .] (Zoöl.) Any butterfly of the genus Pieris and related genera. See Cabbage butterfly, under .
[ Webster]

Pierides (?), n. pl. [L., fr. Gr. �. See .] (Class. Myth.) The Muses.
[ Webster]

Pierre-perdu (?), n. [F. pierre perdue lost stone.] Blocks of stone or concrete heaped loosely in the water to make a foundation (as for a sea wall), a breakwater, a mole, etc.
[Webster Suppl.]

Piet (pīĕt), n. [Dim. of a magpie: cf. F. piette a smew.] (Zoöl.) (a) The dipper, or water ouzel. [Scot.] (b) The magpie. [Prov.Eng.]
[ Webster]

Coloq. Jay piet (Zoöl.), the European jay. [Prov.Eng.] -- Coloq. Sea piet (Zoöl.), the oyster catcher. [Prov.Eng.]
[ Webster]

Pietà (p��tä), n. [It.] (Fine Arts) A representation of the dead Christ, attended by the Virgin Mary or by holy women and angels. Mollett.
[ Webster]

Pietism (pī�tĭz'm), n. [Cf. G. pietismus, F. piétisme.] 1. The principle or practice of the Pietists.
[ Webster]

2. Strict devotion; also, affectation of devotion.
[ Webster]

The Schöne Seele, that ideal of gentle pietism, in “Wilhelm Meister.” W. Pater.
[ Webster]

Pietist (?), n. [Cf. G. pietist, F. piétiste. See .] (Eccl. Hist.) One of a class of religious reformers in Germany in the 17th century who sought to revive declining piety in the Protestant churches; -- often applied as a term of reproach to those who make a display of religious feeling. Also used adjectively.
[ Webster]

{ Pietistic (?), Pietistical (?), } a. Of or pertaining to the Pietists; hence, in contempt, affectedly or demonstratively religious. Addison.
[ Webster]

Pietra dura (?). [It., hard stone.] (Fine Arts) Hard and fine stones in general, such as are used for inlay and the like, as distinguished from the softer stones used in building; thus, a Florentine mosaic is a familiar instance of work in pietra dura, though the ground may be soft marble.
[ Webster]

Piety (?), n. [F. piété; cf. It. pietà; both fr. L. pietas piety, fr. pius pious. See , and cf. .] 1. Veneration or reverence of the Supreme Being, and love of his character; loving obedience to the will of God, and earnest devotion to his service.
[ Webster]

Piety is the only proper and adequate relief of decaying man. Rambler.
[ Webster]

2. Duty; dutifulness; filial reverence and devotion; affectionate reverence and service shown toward parents, relatives, benefactors, country, etc.
[ Webster]

Conferred upon me for the piety
Which to my country I was judged to have shown. Milton.
[ Webster]

Syn. -- Religion; sanctity; devotion; godliness; holiness. See .
[ Webster]

Piewipe (?), n. [So called from its note.] (Zoöl.) The lapwing, or pewit. [Prov. Eng.]
[ Webster]

[ Webster]

Piezometer (?), n. [Gr. � to press + -meter: cf. F. piézomètre.] 1. (Physics) An instrument for measuring the compressibility of liquids.
[ Webster]

2. (Physics) A gauge connected with a water main to show the pressure at that point.
[ Webster]

{ Piffero (?), Piffara (?), } n. [It. piffero.] (Mus.) A fife; also, a rude kind of oboe or a bagpipe with an inflated skin for reservoir.
[ Webster]

Piffle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Piffled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Piffling (?).] To be sequeamish or delicate; hence, to act or talk triflingly or ineffectively; to twaddle; piddle. [Dial. or Slang]
[Webster Suppl.]

Piffle, n. Act of piffling; trifling talk or action; piddling; twaddle. [Dial. or Slang] “Futile piffle.” Kipling.
[Webster Suppl.]

Pig (?), n. A piggin. [Written also pigg.]
[ Webster]

Pig, n. [Cf. D. big, bigge, LG. bigge, also Dan. pige girl, Sw. piga, Icel. pīka.] 1. The young of swine, male or female; also, any swine; a hog. “Two pigges in a poke.” Chaucer.
[ Webster]

2. (Zoöl.) Any wild species of the genus Sus and related genera.
[ Webster]

3. [Cf. a channel for melted iron.] An oblong mass of cast iron, lead, or other metal. See Mine pig, under .
[ Webster]

4. One who is hoggish; a greedy person. [Low]
[ Webster]

Coloq. Masked pig . (Zoöl.) See under . -- Coloq. Pig bed (Founding), the bed of sand in which the iron from a smelting furnace is cast into pigs. -- Coloq. Pig iron , cast iron in pigs, or oblong blocks or bars, as it comes from the smelting furnace. See , 4. -- Coloq. Pig yoke (Naut.), a nickname for a quadrant or sextant. -- Coloq. A pig in a poke (that is, bag), a blind bargain; something bought or bargained for, without the quality or the value being known. [Colloq.]
[ Webster]

Pig, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Pigged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pigging (?).] 1. To bring forth (pigs); to bring forth in the manner of pigs; to farrow.
[ Webster]

2. To huddle or lie together like pigs, in one bed.
[ Webster]

Pigeon (?), n. [F., fr. L. pipio a young pipping or chirping bird, fr. pipire to peep, chirp. Cf. to chirp.] 1. (Zoöl.) Any bird of the order Columbæ, of which numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.
[ Webster]

☞ The common domestic pigeon, or dove, was derived from the Old World rock pigeon or rock dove (Columba livia), common in cities. It has given rise to numerous very remarkable varieties, such as the carrier, fantail, nun, pouter, tumbler, etc. The common wild pigeon of the Eastern United States is the Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura, called also Carolina dove). Before the 19th century, the most common pigeon was the passenger pigeon, but that species is now extinct. See , and Carolina dove under . See, also, Fruit pigeon, Ground pigeon, Queen pigeon, Stock pigeon, under , , etc.
[ Webster +PJC]

2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang]
[ Webster]

Coloq. Blue pigeon (Zoöl.), an Australian passerine bird (Graucalus melanops); -- called also black-faced crow. -- Coloq. Green pigeon (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of Old World pigeons belonging to the family Treronidæ. -- Coloq. Imperial pigeon (Zoöl.), any one of the large Asiatic fruit pigeons of the genus Carpophada. -- Coloq. Pigeon berry (Bot.), the purplish black fruit of the pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See . -- Coloq. Pigeon English [perhaps a corruption of business English], an extraordinary and grotesque dialect, employed in the commercial cities of China, as the medium of communication between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its base is English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindustani. Johnson's Cyc. -- Coloq. Pigeon grass (Bot.), a kind of foxtail grass (Setaria glauca), of some value as fodder. The seeds are eagerly eaten by pigeons and other birds. -- Coloq. Pigeon hawk . (Zoöl.) (a) A small American falcon (Falco columbarius). The adult male is dark slate-blue above, streaked with black on the back; beneath, whitish or buff, streaked with brown. The tail is banded. (b) The American sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter velox or Accipiter fuscus). -- Coloq. Pigeon hole . (a) A hole for pigeons to enter a pigeon house. (b) See . (c) pl. An old English game, in which balls were rolled through little arches. Halliwell. -- Coloq. Pigeon house , a dovecote. -- Coloq. Pigeon pea (Bot.), the seed of Cajanus Indicus; a kind of pulse used for food in the East and West Indies; also, the plant itself. -- Coloq. Pigeon plum (Bot.), the edible drupes of two West African species of Chrysobalanus (Chrysobalanus ellipticus and Chrysobalanus luteus). -- Coloq. Pigeon tremex . (Zoöl.) See under . -- Coloq. Pigeon wood (Bot.), a name in the West Indies for the wood of several very different kinds of trees, species of Dipholis, Diospyros, and Coccoloba. -- Coloq. Pigeon woodpecker (Zoöl.), the flicker. -- Coloq. Prairie pigeon . (Zoöl.) (a) The upland plover. (b) The golden plover. [Local, U.S.]
[ Webster]

Prev Next

Concept Explore Home

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z