Penumbra (n.) An incomplete or partial shadow.
Penumbra (n.) The shadow cast, in an eclipse, where the light is partly, but not wholly, cut off by the intervening body; the space of partial illumination between the umbra, or perfect shadow, on all sides, and the full light.
Penumbra (n.) The part of a picture where the shade imperceptibly blends with the light.
Penumbrala () Of or pertaining to a penumbra; resembling a penumbra; partially illuminated.
Penurious (a.) Excessively sparing in the use of money; sordid; stingy; miserly.
Penurious (a.) Not bountiful or liberal; scanty.
Penurious (a.) Destitute of money; suffering extreme want.
Penury (n.) Absence of resources; want; privation; indigence; extreme poverty; destitution.
Penury (n.) Penuriousness; miserliness.
Penwiper (n.) A cloth, or other material, for wiping off or cleaning ink from a pen.
Penwomen (pl. ) of Penwoman
Penwoman (n.) A female writer; an authoress.
Peon (n.) See Poon.
Peon (n.) A foot soldier; a policeman; also, an office attendant; a messenger.
Peon (n.) A day laborer; a servant; especially, in some of the Spanish American countries, debtor held by his creditor in a form of qualified servitude, to work out a debt.
Peon (n.) See 2d Pawn.
Peonage (n.) The condition of a peon.
Peonism (n.) Same as Peonage.
Peonies (pl. ) of Peony
Peony (n.) A plant, and its flower, of the ranunculaceous genus Paeonia. Of the four or five species, one is a shrub; the rest are perennial herbs with showy flowers, often double in cultivation.
People (n.) The body of persons who compose a community, tribe, nation, or race; an aggregate of individuals forming a whole; a community; a nation.
People (n.) Persons, generally; an indefinite number of men and women; folks; population, or part of population; as, country people; -- sometimes used as an indefinite subject or verb, like on in French, and man in German; as, people in adversity.
People (n.) The mass of comunity as distinguished from a special class; the commonalty; the populace; the vulgar; the common crowd; as, nobles and people.
People (n.) One's ancestors or family; kindred; relations; as, my people were English.
People (n.) One's subjects; fellow citizens; companions; followers.
Peopled (imp. & p. p.) of People
Peopling (p. pr. & vb. n.) of People
People (v. t.) To stock with people or inhabitants; to fill as with people; to populate.
Peopled (a.) Stocked with, or as with, people; inhabited.
Peopleless (a.) Destitute of people.
Peopler (n.) A settler; an inhabitant.
Peoplish (a.) Vulgar.
Peorias (n. pl.) An Algonquin tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited a part of Illinois.
Pepastic (a. & n.) Same as Maturative.
Peperine (n.) Alt. of Peperino
Peperino (n.) A volcanic rock, formed by the cementing together of sand, scoria, cinders, etc.
Peplis (n.) A genus of plants including water purslane.
Peplus (n.) An upper garment worn by Grecian and Roman women.
Peplus (n.) A kind of kerchief formerly worn by Englishwomen.
Pepo (n.) Any fleshy fruit with a firm rind, as a pumpkin, melon, or gourd. See Gourd.
Pepper (n.) A well-known, pungently aromatic condiment, the dried berry, either whole or powdered, of the Piper nigrum.
Pepper (n.) 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.
Pepper (n.) Any plant of the genus Capsicum, and its fruit; red pepper; as, the bell pepper.
Peppered (imp. & p. p.) of Pepper
Peppering (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Pepper
Pepper (v. t.) To sprinkle or season with pepper.
Pepper (v. t.) Figuratively: To shower shot or other missiles, or blows, upon; to pelt; to fill with shot, or cover with bruises or wounds.
Pepper (v. i.) To fire numerous shots (at).
Pepperbrand (n.) See 1st Bunt.
Peppercorn (n.) A dried berry of the black pepper (Piper nigrum).
Peppercorn (n.) Anything insignificant; a particle.
Pepper dulse () A variety of edible seaweed (Laurencia pinnatifida) distinguished for its pungency.
Pepperer (n.) A grocer; -- formerly so called because he sold pepper.
Peppergrass (n.) 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.
Peppergrass (n.) The common pillwort of Europe (Pilularia globulifera). See Pillwort.
Pepperidge (n.) 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.
Peppering (a.) Hot; pungent; peppery.
Peppermint (n.) An aromatic and pungent plant of the genus Mentha (M. piperita), much used in medicine and confectionery.
Peppermint (n.) A volatile oil (oil of peppermint) distilled from the fresh herb; also, a well-known essence or spirit (essence of peppermint) obtained from it.
Peppermint (n.) A lozenge of sugar flavored with peppermint.
Pepperwort (n.) See Peppergrass.
Peppery (a.) Of or pertaining to pepper; having the qualities of pepper; hot; pungent.
Peppery (a.) Fig.: Hot-tempered; passionate; choleric.
Pepsin (n.) 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.
Pepsinhydrochloric (a.) Same as Peptohydrochloric.
Pepsinogen (n.) 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 (a.) Relating to digestion; promoting digestion; digestive; as, peptic sauces.
Peptic (a.) Able to digest.
Peptic (a.) 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 (n.) An agent that promotes digestion.
Peptic (n.) The digestive organs.
Peptics (n.) The science of digestion.
Peptogen (n.) A substance convertible into peptone.
Peptogenic (a.) Same as Peptogenous.
Peptogenous (a.) Capable of yielding, or being converted into, peptone.
Peptohydrochloric (a.) 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 (n.) 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.
Peptone (n.) 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.
Peptonize (v. t.) To convert into peptone; to digest or dissolve by means of a proteolytic ferment; as, peptonized food.
Peptonoid (n.) A substance related to peptone.
Peptonuria (n.) The presence of peptone, or a peptonelike body, in the urine.
Peptotoxine (n.) A toxic alkaloid found occasionally associated with the peptones formed from fibrin by pepsinhydrochloric acid.
Pequots (n. pl.) A tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited Eastern Connecticut.
Per- () 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.
Per- () 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 (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.
Peract (v. t.) To go through with; to perform.
Peracute (a.) Very sharp; very violent; as, a peracute fever.
Peradventure (adv. & conj.) By chance; perhaps; it may be; if; supposing.
Peradventure (n.) Chance; hap; hence, doubt; question; as, proved beyond peradventure.
Peraeopod (n.) One of the thoracic legs of a crustacean. See Illust. of Crustacea.
Peragrate (v. t.) To travel over or through.
Peragration (n.) The act or state of passing through any space; as, the peragration of the moon in her monthly revolution.
Perambulated (imp. & p. p.) of Perambulate
Perambulating (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Perambulate
Perambulate (v. t.) 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 (v. i.) To walk about; to ramble; to stroll; as, he perambulated in the park.
Perambulation (n.) The act of perambulating; traversing.
Perambulation (n.) An annual survey of boundaries, as of town, a parish, a forest, etc.
Perambulation (n.) A district within which one is authorized to make a tour of inspection.