Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PITCH'PIPE, n.

An instrument used by choristers in regulating the pitch or elevation of the key or leading note of a tune. – Spectator.

PITCH'-STONE, n.

A mineral, a subspecies of quartz, which in luster and texture resembles pitch, whence its name. It is sometimes called resinite. Its colors, are several shades of green; black with green, brown or gray; brown, tinged with red, green or yellow; sometimes yellowish or blue. It occurs in large beds and sometimes forms whole mountains. – Cleaveland.

PITCH'Y, a.

1. Partaking of the qualities of pitch; like pitch. – Woodward.
2. Smeared with pitch. – Dryden.
3. Black; dark; dismal; as, the pitchy mantle of night. – Shak.

PIT'COAL, n.

Fossil coal; coal dug from the earth.

PIT'E-OUS, a. [See Pity.]

1. Sorrowful; mournful; that may excite pity; as, a piteous look.
2. Wretched; miserable; deserving compassion; as, a piteous condition.
3. Compassionate; affected by pity. – Prior. Pope.
4. Pitiful; paltry; poor; as, piteous amends. – Milton.

PIT'E-OUS-LY, adv.

1. In a piteous manner; with compassion. – Shak.
2. Sorrowfully; mournfully.

PIT'E-OUS-NESS, n.

1. Sorrowfulness.
2. Tenderness; compassion.

PIT'FALL, n.

A pit slightly covered for concealment, and intended to catch wild beasts or men.

PIT'FALL, v.t.

To lead into a pitfall. – Milton.

PIT'-FISH, n.

A small fish, of the Indian sea, about the size of a smelt, of a green and yellow color. It has the power of protruding or retracting its eyes at pleasure. – Dict. Nat. Hist.

PITH, n. [Sax. pitha; D. pit, pith, kernel.]

1. The soft spungy substance in the center of plants and trees. – Bacon. Encyc.
2. In animals, the spinal cord. – Ray.
3. Strength or force. – Shak.
4. Energy; cogency; concentrated force; closeness and vigor of thought and style.
5. Condensed substance or matter; quintessence. The summary contains the pith of the original.
6. Weight; moment; importance. Enterprises of great pith and moment. – Shak.

PITH, v.t.

To sever the spinal cord. – Library of Entertaining Knowledge.

PITH'I-LY, adv.

With strength; with close or concentrated force; cogently; with energy.

PITH'I-NESS, n.

Strength; concentrated force; as, the pithiness of a reply. – Spenser.

PITH'LESS, a.

1. Destitute of pith; wanting strength.
2. Wanting cogency or concentrated force.

PIT'HOLE, n.

A mark made by disease. Obs. – Beaum.

PITH'Y, a.

1. Consisting of pith; containing pith; abounding with pith; as, a pithy substance; a pithy stem.
2. Containing concentrated force; forcible; energetic; as, a pithy word or expression. This pithy speech prevailed and all agreed. – Dryden.
3. Uttering energetic words or expressions. In all these, Goodman Fact was very short, but pithy. – Addison.

PIT'I-A-BLE, a. [Fr. pitoyable; from pity.]

Deserving pity; worthy of compassion; miserable; as, pitiable persons; a pitiable condition. – Atterbury.

PIT'I-A-BLE-NESS, n.

State of deserving compassion. – Kettlewell.

PIT'I-A-BLY, adv.

In a manner deserving pity; miserably.

PIT'I-ED, pp.

Compassionated. [See the verb, to pity.]

PIT'I-FUL, a. [See Pity.]

1. Full of pity; tender; compassionate; having a heart to feel sorrow and sympathy for the distressed. – James v. 1 Pet. iii. [This is the proper sense of the word.]
2. Miserable; moving compassion; as, a sight most pitiful; a pitiful condition. – Shak. Ray. [This is a very improper use of pitiful for pitiable.]
3. To be pitied for its littleness or meanness; paltry; contemptible; despicable. That's villainous, and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it. – Shak.
4. Very small; insignificant.

PIT'I-FUL-LY, adv.

1. With pity; compassionately. Pitifully behold the sorrows of our hearts. – Com. Prayer.
2. In a manner to excite pity. They would sigh and groan as pitifully as other men. – Tillotson.
3. Contemptibly; with meanness. – Richardson.

PIT'I-FUL-NESS, n.

1. Tenderness of heart that disposes to pity; mercy; compassion. – Sidney.
2. Contemptibleness.

PIT'I-LESS, a.

1. Destitute of pity; hard hearted; applied to persons; as, a pitiless master.
2. Exciting no pity; as, a pitiless state.