Pep"per (?), n. [OE. peper, AS. pipor, L. piper, fr. Gr. , , akin to Skr. pippala, pippali.] 1. A well-known, pungently aromatic condiment, the dried berry, either whole or powdered, of the Piper nigrum.
&hand; Common, or black, pepper is made from the whole berry, dried just before maturity; white pepper is made from the ripe berry after the outer skin has been removed by maceration and friction. It has less of the peculiar properties of the plant than the black pepper. Pepper is used in medicine as a carminative stimulant.
2. (Bot.) The plant which yields pepper, an East Indian woody climber (Piper nigrum), with ovate leaves and apetalous flowers in spikes opposite the leaves. The berries are red when ripe. Also, by extension, any one of the several hundred species of the genus Piper, widely dispersed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the earth.
3. Any plant of the genus Capsicum, and its fruit; red pepper; as, the bell pepper.
&hand; The term pepper has been extended to various other fruits and plants, more or less closely resembling the true pepper, esp. to the common varieties of Capsicum. See Capsicum, and the Phrases, below.
African pepper, the Guinea pepper. See under Guinea. -- Cayenne pepper. See under Cayenne. -- Chinese pepper, the spicy berries of the Xanthoxylum piperitum, a species of prickly ash found in China and Japan. -- Guinea pepper. See under Guinea, and Capsicum. -- Jamaica pepper. See Allspice. -- Long pepper. (a) The spike of berries of Piper longum, an East Indian shrub. (b) The root of Piper, ∨ Macropiper, methysticum. See Kava. -- Malaguetta, ∨ Meleguetta, pepper, the aromatic seeds of the Amomum Melegueta, an African plant of the Ginger family. They are sometimes used to flavor beer, etc., under the name of grains of Paradise. -- Red pepper. See Capsicum. -- Sweet pepper bush (Bot.), an American shrub (Clethra alnifolia), with racemes of fragrant white flowers; -- called also white alder. -- Pepper box ∨ caster, a small box or bottle, with a perforated lid, used for sprinkling ground pepper on food, etc. -- Pepper corn. See in the Vocabulary. -- Pepper elder (Bot.), a West Indian name of several plants of the Pepper family, species of Piper and Peperomia. -- Pepper moth (Zoöl.), a European moth (Biston betularia) having white wings covered with small black specks. -- Pepper pot, a mucilaginous soup or stew of vegetables and cassareep, much esteemed in the West Indies. -- Pepper root. (Bot.). See Coralwort. -- pepper sauce, a condiment for the table, made of small red peppers steeped in vinegar. -- Pepper tree (Bot.), an aromatic tree (Drimys axillaris) of the Magnolia family, common in New Zealand. See Peruvian mastic tree, under Mastic.
Pepper
Pep"per, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Peppered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Peppering.] 1. To sprinkle or season with pepper.
2. Figuratively: To shower shot or other missiles, or blows, upon; to pelt; to fill with shot, or cover with bruises or wounds. I have peppered two of them." I am peppered, I warrant, for this world."
Shak.
Pepper
Pep"per, v. i. To fire numerous shots (at).
Pepperbrand
Pep"per*brand` (?), n. (Bot.) See 1st Bunt.
Peppercorn
Pep"per*corn` (?), n. 1. A dried berry of the black pepper (Piper nigrum).
2. Anything insignificant; a particle.
Pepper dulse
Pep"per dulse` (?). (Bot.) A variety of edible seaweed (Laurencia pinnatifida) distinguished for its pungency. [Scot.]
Lindley.
Pepperer
Pep"per*er (?), n. A grocer; -- formerly so called because he sold pepper. [Obs.]
Peppergrass
Pep"per*grass` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) Any herb of the cruciferous genus Lepidium, especially the garden peppergrass, or garden cress, Lepidium sativum; -- called also pepperwort. All the species have a pungent flavor. (b) The common pillwort of Europe (Pilularia globulifera). See Pillwort.
Pepperidge
Pep"per*idge (?), n. [Cf. NL. berberis, E. barberry.] (Bot.) A North American tree (Nyssa multiflora) with very tough wood, handsome oval polished leaves, and very acid berries, -- the sour gum, or common tupelo. See Tupelo. [Written also piperidge and pipperidge.]
Pepperidge bush (Bot.), the barberry.
Peppering
Pep"per*ing, a. Hot; pungent; peppery.
Swift.
Peppermint
Pep"per*mint (?), n. [Pepper + mint.] 1. (Bot.) An aromatic and pungent plant of the genus Mentha (M. piperita), much used in medicine and confectionery.
2. A volatile oil (oil of peppermint) distilled from the fresh herb; also, a well-known essence or spirit (essence of peppermint) obtained from it.
3. A lozenge of sugar flavored with peppermint.
Peppermint camphor. (Chem.) Same as Menthol. -- Peppermint tree (Bot.), a name given to several Australian species of gum tree (Eucalyptus amygdalina, E. piperita, E. odorata, etc.) which have hard and durable wood, and yield an essential oil.
Pepperwort
Pep"per*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) See Peppergrass.
Peppery
Pep"per*y (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to pepper; having the qualities of pepper; hot; pungent.
2. Fig.: Hot-tempered; passionate; choleric.
Pepsin
Pep"sin (?), n. [Gr. a cooking, digesting, digestion, fr. , , to cook, digest: cf. F. pepsine. Cf. Dyspepsia.] (Physiol. Chem.) An unorganized proteolytic ferment or enzyme contained in the secretory glands of the stomach. In the gastric juice it is united with dilute hydrochloric acid (0.2 per cent, approximately) and the two together constitute the active portion of the digestive fluid. It is the active agent in the gastric juice of all animals.
&hand; As prepared from the glandular layer of pigs' or calves' stomachs it constitutes an important article of pharmacy.
Pepsinhydrochloric
Pep`sin*hy`dro*chlo"ric (?), a. (Physiol. Chem.) Same as Peptohydrochloric.
Pepsinogen
Pep*sin"o*gen (?), n. [Pepsin + -gen.] (Physiol. Chem.) The antecedent of the ferment pepsin. A substance contained in the form of granules in the peptic cells of the gastric glands. It is readily convertible into pepsin. Also called propepsin.
Peptic
Pep"tic (?), a. [L. pepticus, Gr. . See Pepsin.] 1. Relating to digestion; promoting digestion; digestive; as, peptic sauces.
2. Able to digest. [R.]
Tolerably nutritive for a mind as yet so peptic.
Carlyle.
3. (Physiol. Chem.) Pertaining to pepsin; resembling pepsin in its power of digesting or dissolving albuminous matter; containing or yielding pepsin, or a body of like properties; as, the peptic glands.
Peptic
Pep"tic, n. 1. An agent that promotes digestion.
2. pl. The digestive organs.
Is there some magic in the place,
Or do my peptics differ?
Tennyson.
Peptics
Pep"tics (?), n. The science of digestion.
Peptogen
Pep"to*gen (?), n. [Peptone + -gen.] (Physiol.) A substance convertible into peptone.
Peptogenic
Pep`to*gen"ic (?), a. Same as Peptogenous.
Peptogenous
Pep*tog"e*nous (?), a. (Physiol. Chem.) Capable of yielding, or being converted into, peptone.
Peptohydrochloric
Pep`to*hy`dro*chlo"ric (?), a. [See Peptone, and Hydrochloric.] (Physiol. Chem.) Designating a hypothetical acid (called peptohydrochloric acid, pepsinhydrochloric acid, and chloropeptic acid) which is supposed to be formed when pepsin and dilute (0.1-0.4 per cent) hydrochloric acid are mixed together.
Peptone
Pep"tone (?), n. [Gr. cooked.] (Physiol. Chem.) (a) The soluble and diffusible substance or substances into which albuminous portions of the food are transformed by the action of the gastric and pancreatic juices. Peptones are also formed from albuminous matter by the action of boiling water and boiling dilute acids. (b) Collectively, in a broader sense, all the products resulting from the solution of albuminous matter in either gastric or pancreatic juice. In this case, however, intermediate products (albumose bodies), such as antialbumose, hemialbumose, etc., are mixed with the true peptones. Also termed albuminose.
<-- soluble polypeptides produced by hydrolysis of protein -->
&hand; Pure peptones are of three kinds, amphopeptone, antipeptone, and hemipeptone, and, unlike the albumose bodies, are not precipitated by saturating their solutions with ammonium sulphate.
Peptonize
Pep"to*nize (?), v. t. (Physiol.) To convert into peptone; to digest or dissolve by means of a proteolytic ferment; as, peptonized food.
Peptonoid
Pep"to*noid (?), n. [Peptone + -oid.] (Physiol. Chem.) A substance related to peptone.
Peptonuria
Pep`to*nu"ri*a (?), n. [NL. See Peptone, and Urine.] (Med.) The presence of peptone, or a peptonelike body, in the urine.<-- not in Stedman's. Superseded by proteinuria? -->
Peptotoxine
Pep`to*tox"ine (?), n. [Peptone + toxic + -ine.] (Physiol. Chem.) A toxic alkaloid found occasionally associated with the peptones formed from fibrin by pepsinhydrochloric acid.
Pequots
Pe"quots (?), n. pl.; sing. Pequot (). (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited Eastern Connecticut. [Written also Pequods.]
Per-
Per- (?). [See Per.] 1. A prefix used to signify through, throughout, by, for, or as an intensive as perhaps, by hap or chance; perennial, that lasts throughout the year; perforce, through or by force; perfoliate, perforate; perspicuous, evident throughout or very evident; perplex, literally, to entangle very much.
2. (Chem.) Originally, denoting that the element to the name of which it is prefixed in the respective compounds exercised its highest valence; now, only that the element has a higher valence than in other similar compounds; thus, barium peroxide is the highest oxide of barium; while nitrogen and manganese peroxides, so-called, are not the highest oxides of those elements.
Per
Per (?), prep. [L. Cf. Far, For-, Pardon, and cf. Par, prep.] Through; by means of; through the agency of; by; for; for each; as, per annum; per capita, by heads, or according to individuals; per curiam, by the court; per se, by itself, of itself. Per is also sometimes used with English words.
Per annum, by the year; in each successive year; annually. -- Per cent, Per centum, by the hundred; in the hundred; -- used esp. of proportions of ingredients, rate or amount of interest, and the like; commonly used in the shortened form per cent.<-- commonly symbolized with the per cent sign, % --> -- Per diem, by the day. [For other phrases from the Latin, see Quotations, Phrases, etc., from Foreign Languages, in the Supplement.]
Peract
Per*act" (?), v. t. [L. peractus, p.p. of peragere.] To go through with; to perform. [Obs.]
Sylvester.
Peracute
Per`a*cute" (?), a. [L. peracutus. See Per-, and Acute.] Very sharp; very violent; as, a peracute fever. [R.]
Harvey.
Peradventure
Per`ad*ven"ture (?), adv. & conj. [OE. per aventure, F. par aventure. See Per, and Adventure.] By chance; perhaps; it may be; if; supposing. If peradventure he speak against me."
Shak.
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city.
Gen. xviii. 24.
Peradventure
Per`ad*ven"ture, n. Chance; hap; hence, doubt; question; as, proved beyond peradventure.
South.
Peræopod
Pe*ræ"o*pod (?), n. [Gr. on the opposite side + -pod.] (Zoöl.) One of the thoracic legs of a crustacean. See Illust. of Crustacea.
Peragrate
Per"a*grate (?), v. t. [L. peragratus, p.p. of peragrate.] To travel over or through. [Obs.]
Peragration
Per`agra"tion (?), n. [L. peragratio: cf. F. peragration.] The act or state of passing through any space; as, the peragration of the moon in her monthly revolution. [Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.
Perambulate
Per*am"bu*late (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Perambulated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Perambulating.] [L. perambulatus, p.p. of perambulare to perambulate; per through + ambulare to walk. See Per-, and Amble.] To walk through or over; especially, to travel over for the purpose of surveying or examining; to inspect by traversing; specifically, to inspect officially the boundaries of, as of a town or parish, by walking over the whole line.
Perambulate
Per*am"bu*late, v. i. To walk about; to ramble; to stroll; as, he perambulated in the park.
Perambulation
Per*am`bu*la"tion (?), n. 1. The act of perambulating; traversing.
Bacon.
2. An annual survey of boundaries, as of town, a parish, a forest, etc.
3. A district within which one is authorized to make a tour of inspection. The . . . bounds of his own perambulation." [Obs.]
Holyday.
Perambulator
Per*am"bu*la`tor (?), n. 1. One who perambulates.
2. A surveyor's instrument for measuring distances. It consists of a wheel arranged to roll along over the ground, with an apparatus of clockwork, and a dial plate upon which the distance traveled is shown by an index. See Odometer.
3. A low carriage for a child, propelled by pushing.
Perameles
Per`a*me"les (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. a pouch + L. meles a badger.] (Zoöl.) Any marsupial of the genus Perameles, which includes numerous species found in Australia. They somewhat resemble rabbits in size and form. See Illust. under Bandicoot.
Perbend
Per"bend (?), n. See Perpender.
Perbreak
Per"break` (?), n. [Obs.] See Parbreak.
Perbromate
Per*bro"mate (?), n. (Chem.)A salt of perbromic acid.
Perbromic
Per*bro"mic (?), a. [Pref. per- + bromic.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, the highest oxygen acid, HBrO4, of bromine.
Perbromide
Per*bro"mide (?), n. (Chem.) A bromide having a higher proportion of bromine than any other bromide of the same substance or series.
Perca
Per"ca (?), n. [L., a perch.] (Zoöl.) A genus of fishes, including the fresh-water perch.
Percale
Per`cale" (?), n. [F.] A fine cotton fabric, having a linen finish, and often printed on one side, -- used for women's and children's wear.
Percaline
Per`ca`line" (?), n. [F.] A fine kind of French cotton goods, usually of one color.
Percarbide
Per*car"bide (?), n. [Pref. per- + carbide.] (Chem.)A compound containing a relatively large amount of carbon. [R.]
Percarburet
Per*car"bu*ret (?), n. [Pref. per- + carburet.] (Chem.) A percarbide. [Obsoles.]
Percarbureted
Per*car"bu*ret`ed, a. (Chem.) Combined with a relatively large amount of carbon.
Percase
Per*case" (?), adv. [OE. per cas. See Parcase.] Perhaps; perchance. [Obs.]
Bacon.
Perce
Perce (?), v. t. To pierce. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Perceivable
Per*ceiv"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being perceived; perceptible. -- Per*ceiv"a*bly, adv.
Perceivance
Per*ceiv"ance (?), n. Power of perceiving. [Obs.] The senses and common perceivance."
Milton.
Perceive
Per*ceive" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Perceived (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Perceiving.] [OF. percevoir, perceveir, L. percipere, perceptum; per (see Per-) + capere to take, receive. See Capacious, and cf. Perception.] 1. To obtain knowledge of through the senses; to receive impressions from by means of the bodily organs; to take cognizance of the existence, character, or identity of, by means of the senses; to see, hear, or feel; as, to perceive a distant ship; to perceive a discord.
Reid.
2. To take intellectual cognizance of; to apprehend by the mind; to be convinced of by direct intuition; to note; to remark; to discern; to see; to understand.
Jesus perceived their wickedness.
Matt. xxii. 18.
You may, fair lady,
Perceive I speak sincerely.
Shak.
Till we ourselves see it with our own eyes, and perceive it by our own understandings, we are still in the dark.
Locke.
3. To be affected of influented by. [R.]
The upper regions of the air perceive the collection of the matter of tempests before the air here below.
Bacon.
Syn. -- To discern; distinguish; observe; see; feel; know; understand. -- To Perceive, Discern. To perceive a thing is to apprehend it as presented to the senses or the intellect; to discern is to mark differences, or to see a thing as distinguished from others around it. We may perceive two persons afar off without being able to discern whether they are men or women. Hence, discern is often used of an act of the senses or the mind involving close, discriminating, analytical attention. We perceive that which is clear or obvious; we discern that which requires much attention to get an idea of it. We perceive light, darkness, colors, or the truth or falsehood of anything. We discern characters, motives, the tendency and consequences of actions, etc."
Crabb.