Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter P - Page 153
Pygmy (n.) Hence, a short, insignificant person; a dwarf.
Pygmy (n.) One of a race of Central African Negritos found chiefly in the great forests of the equatorial belt. They are the shortest of known races, the adults ranging from less than four to about five feet in stature. They are timid and shy, dwelling in the recesses of the forests, though often on good terms with neighboring Negroes.
Pygmies are pygmies still, though perched on Alps. And pyramids are pyramids in vales. -- Young.
Pygmy (n.) An unusually small individual [syn: pygmy, pigmy].
Pygmy (n.) Any member of various peoples having an average height of less than five feet [syn: Pygmy, Pigmy].
Pygobranchia (n. pl.) (Zool.) A division of opisthobranchiate mollusks having the branchiae in a wreath or group around the anal opening, as in the genus Doris.
Pygopod (n.) (Zool.) One of the Pygopodes.
Pygopod (n.) (Zool.) Any species of serpentiform lizards of the family Pygopodidae, which have rudimentary hind legs near the anal cleft, but lack fore legs.
Pygopodes (n. pl.) [NL.] (Zool.) A division of swimming birds which includes the grebes, divers, auks, etc., in which the legs are placed far back.
Pygopodous (a.) (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the Pygopodes.
Pygostyle (n.) (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 vertebrae, and supports the uropigium.
Pyin (n.) (Physiol. Chem.) An albuminoid constituent of pus, related to mucin, possibly a mixture of substances rather than a single body.
Pyjama (n.) A pair of loose trousers tied by a drawstring around the waist; worn by men and women in some Asian countries [syn: pajama, pyjama].
Pyjama (n.) (Usually plural) Loose-fitting nightclothes worn for sleeping or lounging; have a jacket top and trousers [syn: pajama, pyjama, pj's, jammies].
Pyjama (n.) In India and Persia, thin loose trowsers or drawers; in Europe and America, drawers worn at night, or a kind of nightdress with legs. Usually used in the plural. See pajamas. [Written also paijama pajama.] [Chiefly British variant of pajama.] Pyjamas
Pykar (n.) An ancient English fishing boat.
Pylae (n. pl. ) of Pyla.
Pylas (n. pl. ) of Pyla.
Pyla (n.) (Anat.) The passage between the iter and optocoele in the brain. -- B. G. Wilder.
Pylagore (n.) (Gr. Antiq.) A deputy of a State at the Amphictyonic council.
Pylangia (n. pl. ) of Pylangium.
Pylangium (n.) (Anat.) The first and undivided part of the aortic trunk in the amphibian heart. -- Py*lan"gi*al, a.
Pylon (n.) A low tower, having a truncated pyramidal form, and flanking an ancient Egyptian gateway.
Massive pylons adorned with obelisks in front. -- J. W. Draper.
Pylon (n.) An Egyptian gateway to a large building (with or without flanking towers).
Pylon (n.) A tower, commonly of steelwork, for supporting either end of a wire, as for a telegraph line, over a long span.
Pylon (n.) (Aeronautics) Formerly, a starting derrick (the use of which is now abandoned) for an aeroplane.
Pylon (n.) (Aeronautics) A post, tower, or the like, as on an aerodrome, or flying ground, serving to bound or mark a prescribed course of flight.
Pylon (n.) A tower for guiding pilots or marking the turning point in a race.
Pylon (n.) A large vertical steel tower supporting high-tension power lines; "power pylons are a favorite target for terrorists" [syn: pylon, power pylon].
Pyloric (a.) (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pylorus; as, the pyloric end of the stomach.
Pyloric (a.) Relating to or near the pylorus.
Pylori (n. pl. ) of Pylorus.
Pylorus (n.) (Anat.) The opening from the stomach into the intestine.
Pylorus (n.) (Anat.) A posterior division of the stomach in some invertebrates.
Pyne (n. & v.) See Pine. [Obs.] -- Chaucer.
Pynoun (n.) A pennant. [Obs.] -- Chaucer.
Pyocyanin (n.) (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).
Pyocyanin (n.) A toxic blue crystalline antibiotic found in green pus.
Pyogenic (a.) (Med.) Producing or generating pus.
Pyogenic (a.) Producing pus.
Pyoid (a.) (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.
Pyongyang (n.) 平壤 Capital of North Korea and an industrial center; "Pyongyang is Korea's oldest city but little of its history has been preserved" [syn: Pyongyang, capital of North Korea].
Pyopneumothorax (n.) (Med.) Accumulation of air, or other gas, and of pus, in the pleural cavity.
Pyot (n.) (Zool.) The magpie. See Piet.
Pyoxanthose (n.) (Physiol. Chem.) A greenish yellow crystalline coloring matter found with pyocyanin in pus.
Pyracanth (n.) (Bot.) The evergreen thorn ({Crataegus Pyracantha), a shrub native of Europe.
Pyracanth (n.) Any of various thorny shrubs of the genus Pyracantha bearing small white flowers followed by hard red or orange-red berries [syn: Pyracantha, pyracanth, fire thorn, firethorn].
Pyral (a.) Of or pertaining to a pyre. [R.]
Pyralid (n.) (Zool.) Any moth of the family Pyralidae. 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.
Pyralid (n.) Usually tropical slender-bodied long-legged moth whose larvae are crop pests [syn: pyralid, pyralid moth].
Pyramid (n.) 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.
Pyramid (n.) (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.
Pyramid (n.) pl. (Billiards) The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot. [Eng.]
Pyramid (n.) (Finance) A fraudulent investment scheme in which the manager promises high profits, but instead of investing the money in a genuine profit-making activity, uses the money from later investors to pay the profits to earlier investors; -- also called pyramid scheme or pyramid operation. This process inevitably collapses when insufficient new investors are available, leaving the later investors with total or near-total losses of their investments. The managers usually blame government regulations or interference for the collapse of the scheme, rather than admit fraud.
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.
Pyramid (v. i.) (Speculation) To enlarge one's holding or interest in a series of operations on a continued rise or decline by using the profits to buy or sell additional amounts on a margin, as where one buys on a 10% margin 100 shares of stock quoted at 100, holds it till it rises to 105, and then uses the paper profit to buy 50 shares more, etc. The series of operations constitutes a pyramid. A similar process of reinvesting gains or winnings (as of a gamble), but not involving operation on margin, is called a parlay.
Pyramid (v. t.) (Speculation) To use, or to deal in, in a pyramiding transaction. See Pyramid, v. i.
Pyramid (n.) A polyhedron having a polygonal base and triangular sides with a common vertex.
Pyramid (n.) (Stock market) A series of transactions in which the speculator increases his holdings by using the rising market value of those holdings as margin for further purchases.
Pyramid (n.) A massive monument with a square base and four triangular sides; begun by Cheops around 2700 BC as royal tombs in ancient Egypt [syn: Pyramid, Great Pyramid, Pyramids of Egypt].
Pyramid (v.) Enlarge one's holdings on an exchange on a continued rise by using paper profits as margin to buy additional amounts.
Pyramid (v.) Use or deal in (as of stock or commercial transaction) in a pyramid deal.
Pyramid (v.) Arrange or build up as if on the base of a pyramid.
Pyramid (v.) Increase rapidly and progressively step by step on a broad base.
Pyramidal (a.) 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.
Pyramidal (a.) (Crystallog.) Same as Tetragonal.
Pyramidal numbers (Math.), Certain series of figurate numbers expressing the number of balls or points that may be arranged in the form of pyramids. Thus 1, 4, 10, 20, 35, etc., are triangular pyramidal numbers; and 1, 5, 14, 30, 55, etc., are square pyramidal numbers.
Pyramidal (n.) (Anat.) One of the carpal bones. See Cuneiform, n., 2 (b).
Compare: Cuneiform
Cuneiform, Cuniform (n.) The wedge-shaped characters used in ancient Persian and Assyrian inscriptions. -- I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
Cuneiform (n.) (Anat.) One of the three tarsal bones supporting the first, second third metatarsals. They are usually designated as external, middle, and internal, or ectocuniform, mesocuniform, and entocuniform, respectively.
Cuneiform (n.) (Anat.) One of the carpal bones usually articulating with the ulna; -- called also pyramidal and ulnare.
Pyramidal (a.) Resembling a pyramid [syn: pyramidal, pyramidic, pyramidical].
Pyramidally (adv.) Like a pyramid. Pyramidic
Pyramidic (a.) Alt. of Pyramidical.
Pyramidical (a.) Of or pertaining to a pyramid; having the form of a pyramid; pyramidal. " A pyramidical rock." -- Goldsmith. "Gold in pyramidic plenty piled." -- Shenstone. -- Pyr`a*mid"ic*al*ly, adv. Pyr`a*mild"ic*al*ness, n.
Pyramidical (a.) Resembling a pyramid [syn: pyramidal, pyramidic, pyramidical].
Pyramidia (n. pl. ) of Pyramidion.
Pyramidion (n.) The small pyramid which crowns or completes an obelisk.
Pyramidoid (n.) A solid resembling a pyramid; -- called also pyramoid.
Pyramides (n. pl. ) of Pyramis.
Pyramis (n.) A pyramid.
Pyramoid (n.) See Pyramidoid.
Pyrargyrite (n.) Ruby silver; dark red silver ore. It is a sulphide of antimony and silver, occurring in rhombohedral crystals or massive, and is of a dark red or black color with a metallic adamantine luster.
Pyre (n.) A funeral pile; a combustible heap on which the dead are burned; hence, any pile to be burnt.
Pyrenae (n. pl. ) of Pyrena.
Pyrena (n.) A nutlet resembling a seed, or the kernel of a drupe.
Pyrene (n.) One of the less volatile hydrocarbons of coal tar, obtained as a white crystalline substance, C16H10.
Pyrene (n.) Same as Pyrena.
Pyrenean (a.) Of or pertaining to the Pyrenees, a range of mountains separating France and Spain.
Pyrenean (n.) The Pyrenees.
Pyrenoid (n.) A transparent body found in the chromatophores of certain Infusoria.
Pyrethrin (n.) A substance resembling, and isomeric with, ordinary camphor, and extracted from the essential oil of feverfew; -- called also Pyrethrum camphor.
Pyrethrine (n.) An alkaloid extracted from the root of the pellitory of Spain (Anacyclus pyrethrum).
Pyretic (a.) Of or pertaining to fever; febrile.
Pyretology (n.) A discourse or treatise on fevers; the doctrine of fevers.
Pyrexiae (n. pl. ) of Pyrexia
Pyrexia (n.) The febrile condition.
Pyrexial (a.) Alt. of Pyrexical.
Pyrexical (a.) Of or pertaining to fever; feverish.
Pyrgom (n.) A variety of pyroxene; -- called also fassaite.
Pyrheliometer (n.) An instrument for measuring the direct heating effect of the sun's rays.
Pyridic (a.) Related to, or formed from, pyridin or its homologues; as, the pyridic bases.
Pyridine (n.) A nitrogenous base, C5H5N, obtained from the distillation of bone oil or coal tar, and by the decomposition of certain alkaloids, as a colorless liquid with a peculiar pungent odor. It is the nucleus of a large number of organic substances, among which several vegetable alkaloids, as nicotine and certain of the ptomaines, may be mentioned. See Lutidine.
Pyridyl (n.) A hypothetical radical, C5H4N, regarded as the essential residue of pyridine, and analogous to phenyl.
Pyriform (a.) Having the form of a pear; pear-shaped.
Pyritaceous (a.) Of or pertaining to pyrites. See Pyritic.
Pyrites (n. pl. ) of Pyrite.
Pyrite (n.) A common mineral of a pale brass-yellow color and brilliant metallic luster, crystallizing in the isometric system; iron pyrites; iron disulphide.
Pyrites (n.) A name given to a number of metallic minerals, sulphides of iron, copper, cobalt, nickel, and tin, of a white or yellowish color.
Pyritic (a.) Alt. of Pyritical.
Pyritical (a.) Of or pertaining to pyrites; consisting of, or resembling, pyrites.
Pyritiferous (a.) Containing or producing pyrites.
Pyritize (v. t.) To convert into pyrites.
Pyritohedral (a.) Like pyrites in hemihedral form.
Pyritohedron (n.) The pentagonal dodecahedron, a common form of pyrite.
Pyritoid (n.) Pyritohedron.
Pyritology (n.) The science of blowpipe analysis.
Pyritous (a.) Pyritic.
Pyro- () Alt. of Pyr-.
Pyr- () Combining forms designating fire or heat; specifically (Chem.), used to imply an actual or theoretical derivative by the action of heat; as in pyrophosphoric, pyrosulphuric, pyrotartaric, pyrotungstic, etc.
Pyro (n.) Abbreviation of pyrogallic acid.
Pyroacetic (a.) Pertaining to, and designating, a substance (acetone) obtained by the distillation of the acetates. It is now called also pyroacetic ether, and formerly was called pyroacetic spirit.
Pyroacid (n.) An acid obtained by sybjecting another acid to the action of heat. Cf. Pyro-.
Pyroantimonate (n.) A salt of pyroantimonic acid.
Pyroantimonic (a.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of antimony analogous to pyrophosphoric acid.
Pyroarsenate (n.) A salt of pyroarsenic acid.
Pyroarsenic (a.) Pertaining to or designating, an acid of arsenic analogous to pyrophosphoric acid.
Pyroborate (n.) A salt of pyroboric acid.
Pyroboric (a.) Pertaining to derived from, or designating, an acid, H2B4O7 (called also tetraboric acid), which is the acid ingredient of ordinary borax, and is obtained by heating boric acid.
Pyrocatechin (n.) A white crystalline substance, C6H4(OH)2, of the phenol series, found in various plants; -- so called because first obtained by distillation of gum catechu. Called also catechol, oxyphenol. etc.
Pyrochlore (n.) A niobate of calcium, cerium, and other bases, occurring usually in octahedrons of a yellowish or brownish color and resinous luster; -- so called from its becoming grass-green on being subjected to heat under the blowpipe.
Pyrocitric (a.) Pertaining to, or designating, any one of three acids obtained by the distillation of citric acid, and called respectively citraconic, itaconic, and mesaconic acid.
Purocoll (n.) A yellow crystalline substance allied to pyrrol, obtained by the distillation of gelatin.
Pyroelectric (a.) (Physics) Pertaining to, or dependent on, pyroelectricity; receiving electric polarity when heated.