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An American Dictionary of the English Language

Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)

Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865

Entries
95,912
Pages
1,538
Illustrations
2,133

Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.

  1. Pēn'ni-less, a.p. 965Moneyless; destitute of money; poor.
  2. Pēn'ni-less-ness, n.p. 965The state of being penniless or without money; impecuniosity.
  3. Pĕn'ni-nĕrved, a.p. 965(Bot.) Having parallel veins or nerves diverging laterally from the midrib like the parts of a feather; pinnately veined or nerved.
  4. Pen-nĭp'o-tent, a.p. 965Strong of wing. [Poet.]
  5. Pĕn'non, n.p. 965A wing; pinion. “Fluttering his pennons vain, plumb down he drops.” Milton. 2. A pennant; a flag or streamer.
  6. Pĕn'non-cĕl' or Pĕn'non-cĕlle, n.p. 965See PENCEL.
  7. Pēn'ny, n.p. 965Pennies denotes the number of coins; pence the amount of pennies in value. [A-S. penig, peneg, pening, pending, D. & Sw. penning, O. Sax. penninc, O. H. Ger. pending, pendig, phending, phenning…
  8. Pēn'ny-a-līn'er, n.p. 966One who furnishes matter to a public journal at so much a line; a venal or interested contributor; a writer for pay.
  9. Pĕn'ny-fā'ther, n.p. 966A parsimonious or penurious person; a niggard. [Obs.] More.
  10. Pĕn'ny-grāss, n.p. 966Penny-royal. [Rare.]
  11. Pēn'ny-pōst, n.p. 966A post that carries letters from the post-office, and delivers them to the proper persons for a penny, or other small compensation.
  12. Pēn'ny-roy'al, n.p. 966(Bot.) An aromatic herb growing in Europe, the Mentha pulegium; also, a North American plant resembling it, the Hedeoma pulegioides.
  13. Pēn'ny-wed'ding, n.p. 966A wedding where the guests contribute to the household outfit.
  14. Pēn'ny-weight, n.p. 966A troy weight containing twenty-four grains, or the twentieth part of an ounce. It was anciently the weight of a silver penny, whence the name.
  15. Pĕn'ny-wīse', a.p. 966Saving small sums at the hazard of larger; niggardly on important occasions;—used chiefly in the phrase penny wise and pound foolish.
  16. Pēn'ny-worth, n.p. 966As much as is bought for a penny. “It being a dear pennyworth.” Evelyn. 2. Hence, familiarly, the full value of one's penny expended; due return for money laid out; good or advantageous bargain…
  17. Pēn'oek, n.p. 966Oil-cake; — so called in the East.
  18. Pēn/o-lŏg'ic-al, a.p. 966Pertaining to public punishment.
  19. Pe-nŏl'o-gy, n.p. 966The science which treats of public punishments, as they respect the public and the sufferer.
  20. Pĕn'-răck, n.p. 966A contrivance for supporting pens when not in use.
  21. Pēn’sile, a.p. 966Hanging; suspended; pendent; pendulous. “The long, pensile branches of the birches.” Howitt.
  22. Pēn'sile-ness, n.p. 966The state of being pensile; pendulousness.
  23. Pēn'sion, n.p. 966A payment made; rent; interest paid. 2. Specifically, a stated allowance to a person in consideration of past services; payment made to one retired from service, for age, disability, or other cause…
  24. Pĕn’sion, v. t.p. 966To grant a pension to; to support by an annual allowance from the public treasury.
  25. Pēn'sion-a-ry, a.p. 966Maintained by a pension; receiving a pension; as, pensionary spies. Donne. 2. Consisting of a pension; as, a pensionary provision for maintenance.
  26. Pēn'sion-a-ry, n.p. 966A person who receives a pension from government for past services, or a yearly allowance from some prince, company, or individual. 2. Hence, one of the chief municipal magistrates of the towns in…
  27. Pēn'sion-er, n.p. 966One to whom an annual sum of money is paid by government in consideration of past services; one who receives an annual allowance for services; a dependent. “The fickle pensioners of Morpheus’ train.”…
  28. Pēn'sīve, a.p. 966Thoughtful, sober, or sad; employed in serious reflection; given to earnest or melancholy musing. “The pensive secrecy of desert cell.” Milton. Anxious cares the pensive nymph oppressed. Pope. 2.…
  29. Pĕn'sīved, a.p. 966Made pensive or sober; saddened. [Rare.] Shak.
  30. Pēn'sive-ly, adv.p. 966In a pensive manner; with thoughtfulness; with gloomy seriousness or some degree of melancholy.
  31. Pĕn'sive-ness, n.p. 966The state of being pensive; gloomy thoughtfulness; melancholy; seriousness from depressed spirits.
  32. Pĕn'-slide, n.p. 966An instrument for writing used in map-drawing, &c. Simmonds.
  33. Pēn'-stōck, n.p. 966[Probably from Eng. pen, that is, quill, and stock, the water often being discharged through a quill or other small pipe, or, possibly, from Fr. pente, inclination, slope, and Eng. stock. Cf.…
  34. Pēnt, p. p. or a.p. 966Shut up; closely confined;—often with up.
  35. Pēn'ta-cāp'su-lar, a.p. 966(Bot.) Having five capsules.
  36. Pēn’ta-chōrd, n.p. 966An instrument of music with five strings. 2. An order or system of five sounds. Busby.
  37. Pĕn’ta-cle, n.p. 966A figure composed of two equilateral triangles intersecting so as to form a six-pointed star, used in early ornamental art, and also, with superstitious import, by the astrologers and mystics of the…
  38. Pēn’ta-cŏc’cous, a.p. 966(Bot.) Having or containing five grains or seeds, or having five united cells with one seed in each.
  39. Pen-tăc'ri-nite, n.p. 966(Palæon.) A fossil crinoid;—so called from the pentagonal form of its jointed pedicel. Dana.
  40. Pĕn’ta-crŏs’tic, a.p. 966Containing five acrostics of the same name in five divisions of each verse.
  41. Pēnʹta-crōsʹtic, n.p. 966A set of verses so disposed as to have five acrostics of the same name in five divisions of each verse.
  42. Pēn’ta-dăc’tyl, a.p. 966Having five fingers to the hand or five toes to the foot. 2. Characterized by marks, structure, &c., resembling five fingers.
  43. Pēn’ta-gon, n.p. 966(Geom.) A plane figure having five angles, and, consequently, five sides. Regular pentagon, a pentagon in which the angles are all equal, and likewise the sides all equal.
  44. Pen-tăg'o-nal, a.p. 966Having five corners or angles.
  45. Pen-tăg'o-nal-ly, adv.p. 966So as to have the form of a pentagon; with five angles.
  46. Pen-täg'o-noŭs, a.p. 966Pentagonal.
  47. Pĕn’ta-grāph, n.p. 966The same as PANTOGRAPH, q. v.
  48. Pĕn’ta-grāph’ic or Pĕn’ta-grāph’ic-al, a.p. 966Pertaining to, or performed by, a pentagraph.
  49. Pēn'ta-gyn'i-ā, n.p. 966(Bot.) An order of plants, in the artificial system of Linnæus, having five styles or pistils.
  50. Pĕn′ta-gȳn′i-an or Pen-tāg′y-nŏus, a.p. 966(Bot.) Of, or pertaining to, plants of the order Pentagynia; having five styles.
  51. Pēn’ta-hē’/dral, a.p. 966Having five equal sides.
  52. Pēn'ta-hēd'ric-al, a.p. 966Pentahedral. [Rare.]
  53. Pēn′ta-hē′dron, n.p. 966A solid figure having five equal sides.
  54. Pēn’ta-hē’drous, a.p. 966Pentahedral.
  55. Pĕn’ta-hĕx/a-hĕ’/dral, a.p. 966(Crystallog.) Exhibiting five ranges of faces, one above another, each range containing six faces.
  56. Pen-tăm'er-an, n.p. 966(Entom.) One of a section of coleopterous insects, having five joints on the tarsus of each leg. Brande.
  57. Pen-tām'er-oŭs, a.p. 966(Bot.) Divided into, or consisting of, five parts, as a flower. Gray.
  58. Pen-tām'e-ter, n.p. 966(Gr. & Lat. Pros.) A verse of five feet, of which the first two may be either dactyls or spondees, the third is always a spondee, and the last two anapests. ☞ A pentameter verse, joined to a…
  59. Pen-tăm'e-ter, a.p. 966Having five metrical feet.
  60. Pen-tăm'y-rōn, n.p. 966(Med.) An ancient ointment, composed of five ingredients, supposed to have been storax, mastic, wax, opobalsam, and nard ointment. Dunglison.