Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)

Page 1168

Putrescent

Pu*tres"cent (?), a. [L. putrescens, p. pr.of putrescere to grow rotten, v. incho. fr. putrere to be rotten. See Putrid.]

1. Becoming putrid or rotten.

Externally powerful, although putrescent at the core. Motley.

2. Of or pertaining to the process of putrefaction; as, a putrescent smell.

Putrescible

Pu*tres"ci*ble (?), a. Capable of putrefaction; liable to become putrid; as, putrescible substances.

Putrescible

Pu*tres"ci*ble, n. A substance, usually nitrogenous, which is liable to undergo decomposition when in contact with air and moisture at ordinary temperatures.

Putrescin

Pu*tres"cin (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A nontoxic diamine, C4H12N2, formed in the putrefaction of the flesh of mammals and some other animals.

Putrid

Pu"trid (?), a. [L. putridus, fr. putrere to be rotten, fr.puter, or putris, rotten, fr. putere to stink, to be rotten: cf. F. putride. See Pus, Foul, a.]1. Tending to decomposition or decay; decomposed; rotten; -- said of animal or vegetable matter; as, putrid flesh. See Putrefaction. 2. Indicating or proceeding from a decayed state of animal or vegetable matter; as, a putrid smell. Putrid fever (Med.), typhus fever; -- so called from the decomposing and offensive state of the discharges and diseased textures of the body. -- Putrid sore throat (Med.), a gangrenous inflammation of the fauces and pharynx. Putridity Pu*trid"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. putridité.] The quality of being putrid; putrefaction; rottenness.

Putridness

Pu"trid*ness (?), n. Putridity. Floyer.

Putrifacted

Pu"tri*fac`ted (?), a. [See Putrefy.] Putrefied. [Obs.]

What vermin bred of putrifacted slime. Marston.

Putrification

Pu`tri*fi*ca"tion (?), n. Putrefaction.

Putrify

Pu"tri*fy (?), v. t. & i. To putrefy.

Putrilage

Pu"tri*lage (?), n. [F. putrilage, L. putrilago putrefaction.] That which is undergoing putrefaction; the products of putrefaction.

Putry

Pu"try (?), a. Putrid. [Obs.] Marston.

Putry

Pu"try, n. Putage. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Putter

Put"ter (?), n.

1. One who puts or plates.

2. Specifically, one who pushes the small wagons in a coal mine, and the like. [Prov. Eng.]

Putter

Put"ter (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puttered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puttering.] [See Potter.] To act inefficiently or idly; to trifle; to potter.

Putter-on

Put"ter-on` (?), n. An instigator. Shak.

Puttier

Put"ti*er (?), n. One who putties; a glazier.

Putting

Put"ting (?), n. The throwing of a heavy stone, shot, etc., with the hand raised or extended from the shoulder; -- originally, a Scottish game. Putting stone, a heavy stone used in the game of putting.

Puttock

Put"tock (?), n. [Cf. Pout a young bird, Poult.] (Zoöl.) (a) The European kite. (b) The buzzard. (c) The marsh harrier. [Prov. Eng.]

Puttock

Put"tock, n. (Naut.) See Futtock. [Obs.]

Putty

Put"ty (?), n. [F. potée, fr. pot pot; what was formerly called putty being a substance resembling what is now called putty powder, and in part made of the metal of old pots. See Pot.] A kind of thick paste or cement compounded of whiting, or soft carbonate of lime, and linseed oil, when applied beaten or kneaded to the consistence of dough, -- used in fastening glass in sashes, stopping crevices, and for similar purposes. Putty powder, an oxide of tin, or of tin and lead in various proportions, much used in polishing glass, metal, precious stones, etc.

Putty

Put"ty, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Puttied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puttying.] To cement, or stop, with putty.

Putty-faced

Put"ty-faced` (?), a. White-faced; -- used contemptuously. Clarke.

Puttyroot

Put"ty*root` (?), n. (Bot.) An American orchidaceous plant (Aplectrum hyemale) which flowers in early summer. Its slender naked rootstock produces each year a solid corm, filled with exceedingly glutinous matter, which sends up later a single large oval evergreen plaited leaf. Called also Adam-and-Eve.

Put-up

Put"-up (?), a. Arranged; plotted; -- in a bad sense; as, a put-up job. [Colloq.]

Puy

Pu"y (?), n. See Poy.

Puzzel

Puz"zel (?), n. [Cf. F. pucelle a virgin.] A harlot; a drab; a hussy. [Obs.] Shak.

Puzzle

Puz"zle (?), n. [For opposal, in the sense of problem. See Oppose, Pose, v.]1. Something which perplexes or embarrasses; especially, a toy or a problem contrived for testing ingenuity; also, something exhibiting marvelous skill in making. 2. The state of being puzzled; perplexity; as, to be in a puzzle. Puzzle Puz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Puzzled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Puzzling (?).]

1. To perplex; to confuse; to embarrass; to put to a stand; to nonplus.

A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others. Dr. H. More.

He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders. Addison.

2. To make intricate; to entangle.

They disentangle from the puzzled skein. Cowper.

The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled in mazes, and perplexed with error. Addison.

3. To solve by ingenuity, as a puzzle; -- followed by out; as, to puzzle out a mystery. Syn. -- To embarrass; perplex; confuse; bewilder; confound. See Embarrass.

Puzzle

Puz"zle, v. i.

1. To be bewildered, or perplexed.

A puzzling fool, that heeds nothing. L'Estrange.

2. To work, as at a puzzle; as, to puzzle over a problem.

Puzzledom

Puz"zle*dom (?), n. The domain of puzzles; puzzles, collectively. C. Kingsley.

Puzzle-headed

Puz"zle-head`ed (?), a. Having the head full of confused notions. Johnson.

Puzzlement

Puz"zle*ment (?), n. The state of being puzzled; perplexity. Miss Mitford.

Puzzier

Puz"zier (?), n. One who, or that which, puzzles or perplexes.

Hebrew, the general puzzler of old heads. Brome.

Puzzlingly

Puz"zling*ly (?), adv. In a puzzling manner.

Puzzolan, Puzzolana

Puz"zo*lan (?), Puz`zo*la"na (?), n. See Pozzuolana.
Pyæmia
Py*æ"mi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. pus + blood.] (Med.) A form of blood poisoning produced by the absorption into the blood of morbid matters usually originating in a wound or local inflammation. It is characterized by the development of multiple abscesses throughout the body, and is attended with irregularly recurring chills, fever, profuse sweating, and exhaustion.
Pyæmic
Py*æ"mic (?), a. Of or pertaining to pyæmia; of the nature of pyæmia.
Pycnaspidean
Pyc`nas*pid"e*an (?), a. [Gr. thick, crowded + , , a shield.] (Zoöl.) Having the posterior side of the tarsus covered with small irregular scales; -- said of certain birds.
Pycnidium
Pyc*nid"i*um (?), n.; pl. Pycnidia (#). [NL., fr. Gr. crowded.] (Bot.) In certain fungi, a flask-shaped cavity from the surface of the inner walls of which spores are produced.
Pycnite
Pyc"nite (?), n. [Gr. thick.] (Min.) A massive subcolumnar variety of topaz.
Pycnodont
Pyc"no*dont (?), n. [Gr. thick, crowded + , , a tooth.] (Paleon.) Any fossil fish belonging to the Pycnodontini. They have numerous round, flat teeth, adapted for crushing.
Pycnodontini
Pyc`no*don"ti*ni (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) An extinct order of ganoid fishes. They had a compressed body, covered with dermal ribs (pleurolepida) and with enameled rhomboidal scales.
Pycnogonid
Pyc*nog"o*nid (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the Pycnogonida.
Pycnogonida
Pyc`no*gon"i*da (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. thick crowded + knee.] (Zoöl.) A class of marine arthropods in which the body is small and thin, and the eight legs usually very long; -- called also Pantopoda. &hand; The abdomen is rudimentary, and the triangular mouth is at the end of a tubular proboscis. Many of them live at great depths in the sea, and the largest of them measure two feet across the extended legs.
Pycnometer
Pyc*nom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. dense, compact + -meter.] (Physics) A specific gravity bottle; a standard flask for measuring and comparing the densities of liquids. [Also written pyknometer.]
Pycnostyle
Pyc"no*style (?), a. [Gr. with the pillars close together; close + a column, pillar: cf. F. pycnostyle.] (Anc. Arch.) See under Intercolumniation. -n. A pycnostyle colonnade.
Pye
Pye (?), n. See 2d Pie (b).
Pyebald
Pye"bald` (?), a. See Piebald.
Pyelitis
Py`e*li"tis (?). n. [Gr. basin + -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation of the pelvis of the kidney.
Pyemia
Py*e"mi*a (?), n. (Med.) See Pyæmia.
Pyet
Py"et (?), n. A magpie; a piet. [Prov. Eng.]
Here cometh the worthy prelate as pert as a pyet. Sir W. Scott.

Pygal
Py"gal (?), a. [Gr. the rump.] (Anat.) Situated in the region of the rump, or posterior end of the backbone; -- applied especially to the posterior median plates in the carapace of chelonians.
Pygarg, Pygargus
Py"garg (?), Py*gar"gus (?),[L. pygargus, Gr. , literally, white rump; the rump + white: cf. F. pygargue.]
1. (Zoöl.) A quadruped, probably the addax, an antelope having a white rump. Deut. xiv. 5.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The female of the hen harrier. (b) The sea eagle.
Pygidium
Py*gid"i*um (?), n.; pl. Pygidia (#). [NL., fr. Gr. , dim. of the rump.] (Zoöl.) The caudal plate of trilobites, crustacean, and certain insects. See Illust. of Limulus and Trilobite.
Pygmy, Pygmean
Pyg"my (?), Pyg*me"an (?), a. [L. pygmaeus. See Pygmy.] Of or pertaining to a pygmy; resembling a pygmy or dwarf; dwarfish; very small. Like that Pygmean race." Milton. Pygmy antelope (Zoöl.), the kleeneboc. -- Pygmy goose (Zoöl.), any species of very small geese of the genus Nettapus, native of Africa, India, and Australia. -- Pygmy owl (Zoöl.), the gnome. Pygmy parrot (Zoöl.), any one of several species of very small green parrots (Nasiternæ), native of New Guinea and adjacent islands. They are not larger than sparrows. <-- Pygmy chimpanzee, a species of anthropoid ape (Pan paniscus) resembling the chimpanzee, but somewhat smaller; also called bonobo. It is considered (1996) as having the closest genetic relationship to humans of any other animal. It is found in forests in Zaire, and is an endangered species. -->
Pygmy
Pyg"my, n.; pl. Pygmies (#). [L. pygmaeus, Gr. , fr. the fist, a measure of length, the distance from the elbow to the knuckles, about 131 inches. Cf. Pugnacious, Fist.] [Written also pigmy.]
1. (Class. Myth.) One of a fabulous race of dwarfs who waged war with the cranes, and were destroyed.
2. Hence, a short, insignificant person; a dwarf. <--3. one of a race of short forest-dwelling African peoples. -->
Pygmies are pygmies still, though perched on Alps. And pyramids are pyramids in vales. Young.

Pygobranchia
Py`go*bran"chi*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. pugh` the rump + a gill.] (Zoöl.) A division of opisthobranchiate mollusks having the branchiæ in a wreath or group around the anal opening, as in the genus Doris.
Pygopod
Py"go*pod (?), n. [Gr. rump + -pod.]
1. (Zoöl.) One of the Pygopodes.
2. (Zoöl.) Any species of serpentiform lizards of the family Pygopodidæ, which have rudimentary hind legs near the anal cleft, but lack fore legs.
Pygropodes
Py*grop"o*des (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) A division of swimming birds which includes the grebes, divers, auks, etc., in which the legs are placed far back.
Pygopodous
Py*gop"o*dous (?), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Pygopodes.
Pygostyle
Py"go*style (?), n. [Gr. the rump + a pillar.] (Anat.) The plate of bone which forms the posterior end of the vertebral column in most birds; the plowshare bone; the vomer. It is formed by the union of a number of the last caudal vertebræ, and supports the uropigium.
Pyin
Py"in (?), n. [Gr. pus.] (Physiol. (Chem.) An albuminoid constituent of pus, related to mucin, possibly a mixture of substances rather than a single body.
Pyjama
Py*ja"ma (?), n. [Hind. pāe-jāma, literally, leg clothing.] In India and Persia, thin loose trowsers or drawers; in Europe and America, drawers worn at night, or a kind of nightdress with legs. [Written also paijama.]
Pykar
Pyk"ar (?), n. An ancient English fishing boat.
Pyla
Py"la n.; pl. L. Pylæ (#), E. Pylas (#). [NL., fr. Gr. an entrance.] (Anat.) The passage between the iter and optocœle in the brain. B. G. Wilder.
Pylagore
Pyl"a*gore (?), n. [Gr. ; Pylæ, or Thermopylæ, where the Amphictyonic council met + to assemble: cf. F. pylagore.] (Gr. Antiq.) a deputy of a State at the Amphictyonic council.
Pylangium
Py*lan"gi*um (?), n.; pl. Pylangia (). [NL., from Gr. an entrance + a vessel.] (Anat.) The first and undivided part of the aortic trunk in the amphibian heart. -- Py*lan"gi*al (#), a.
Pylon
Py"lon (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. a gateway.] (a) A low tower, having a truncated pyramidal form, and flanking an ancient Egyptian gateway.
Massive pylons adorned with obelisks in front. J. W. Draper.
(b) An Egyptian gateway to a large building (with or without flanking towers).
Pyloric
Py*lor"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. pylorique.] (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pylorus; as, the pyloric end of the stomach.
Pylorus
Py*lo"rus (?), n.; pl. Pylori (#). [L., fr. Gr. pylorus, gate keeper; a gate + watcher, guardian.] (Anat.) (a) The opening from the stomach into the intestine. (b) A posterior division of the stomach in some invertebrates.
Pyne
Pyne (?), n. & v. See Pine. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Pynoun
Py*noun" (?), n. A pennant. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Pyocyanin
Py`o*cy"a*nin (?), n. [Gr. pus + dark blue.] (Physiol. (Chem.) A blue coloring matter found in the pus from old sores, supposed to be formed through the agency of a species of bacterium (Bacillus pyocyaneus).<-- now, Pseudomonas aeruginosa C13H10N2O-->
Pyogenic
Py`o*gen"ic (?), a. [Gr. pus + root of to be born.] (Med.) Producing or generating pus.
Pyoid
Py"oid (?), a. [Gr. pus + --oid.] (Med.) Of or pertaining to pus; of the nature of, or like, pus. Pyoid corpuscles (Med.), cells of a size larger than pus corpuscles, containing two or more of the latter.
Pyopneumothorax
Py`op*neu`mo*tho"rax (?), n. [Gr. pus + E. pneumothorax.] (Med.) Accumulation of air, or other gas, and of pus, in the pleural cavity.
Pyot
Py"ot (?), n. (Zoöl.) The magpie. See Piet.
Pyoxanthose
Py`o*xan"those (?), n. [Gr. pus + yellow.] (Physiol. (Chem.) A greenish yellow crystalline coloring matter found with pyocyanin in pus.
Pyracanth
Pyr"a*canth (?), n. [Gr. fire + a thorn, prickly plant.] (Bot.) The evergreen thorn (Cratægus Pyracantha), a shrub native of Europe.
Pyral
Py"ral (?), a. Of or pertaining to a pyre. [R.]
Pyralid
Pyr"a*lid (?), n. [L. pyralis, -idis, a kind of winged insect.] (Zoöl.) Any moth of the family Pyralidæ. The species are numerous and mostly small, but some of them are very injurious, as the bee moth, meal moth, hop moth, and clover moth.
Pyramid
Pyr"a*mid (?), n. [L. pyramis, -idis, fr. Gr. , , of Egyptian origin: cf. F. pyramide.]
1. A solid body standing on a triangular, square, or polygonal base, and terminating in a point at the top; especially, a structure or edifice of this shape.
2. (Geom.) A solid figure contained by a plane rectilineal figure as base and several triangles which have a common vertex and whose bases are sides of the base.
3. pl. (Billiards) The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot. [Eng.] <-- financial scheme --> Altitude of a pyramid (Geom.), the perpendicular distance from the vertex to the plane of the base. -- Axis of a pyramid (Geom.), a straight line drawn from the vertex to the center of the base. -- Earth pyramid. (Geol.) See Earth pillars, under Earth. -- Right pyramid (Geom.) a pyramid whose axis is perpendicular to the base.
Pyramidal
Py*ram`i*dal (?), a. [Cf. F. pyramidal.]
1. Of or pertaining to a pyramid; in the form of a a pyramid; pyramidical; as, pyramidal cleavage.
The mystic obelisks stand up Triangular, pyramidal. Mrs. Browning.