Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PU-DEN'DA, n. [plur. L.]

The parts of generation.

PU'DIC, or PU'DIC-AL, a. [L. pudicus, modest.]

Pertaining to the parts which modesty requires to be concealed; as, the pudic artery. – Quincy.

PU-DIC'I-TY, n. [Fr. pudicité; L. pudicitia.]

Modesty; chastity. – Howell.

PUE-FEL-LOW, n. [See PEW-FELLOW.]

PU'ER-ILE, a. [Fr. from L. puerilis, from puer, a boy.]

Boyish; childish; trifling; as, a puerile amusement. – Pope.

PU'ER-ILE-LY, adv.

Boyishly; triflingly.

PU-ER-IL'I-TY, or PU'ER-ILE-NESS, n. [Fr. puerilité; L. puerilitas, from puer, a boy.]

1. Childishness; boyishness; the manners or actions of a boy; that which is trifling. – Brown. Dryden.
2. In discourse, a thought or expression which is flat, insipid or childish. – Encyc.

PU-ER'PE-RAL, a. [L. puerpera, a lying-in-woman; puer, a boy, and pario, to bear.]

Pertaining to childbirth; as, a puerperal fever.

PU-ER'PER-OUS, a. [L. puerperus, supra.]

Bearing children; lying-in.

PU'ET, n. [See PEWET.]

PUFF, n. [D. pof; G. puff, a puff; a thump; puffen, to cuff; to thump, to buffet; Dan. puff, a puff, blast, buffet; puffer, to crack; W. pwf and pif. This is only a dialectical variation of buff, buffet; It. buffo, buffa, buffetto, beffa, whence buffoon; Sp. bufar, to puff. The radical sense is to drive, to thrust, hence to swell. See Buffet and Buffoon. The Dutch orthography is precisely the Pers. پُفْ pof, a puff.]

1. A sudden and single emission of breath from the mouth; a quick forcible blast; a whiff. Philips.
2. A sudden and short blast of wind. – Ralegh.
3. A fungous ball filled with dust.
4. Any thing light and porous, or something swelled and light; as, puff-paste. – Tatler.
5. A substance of loose texture, used to sprinkle powder on the hair. – Ainsworth.
6. A tumid or exaggerated statement or commendation. – Cibber.

PUFF, v.i. [G. puffen, to puff, to thump, to buffet: verpuffen, to detonize; D. poffen; W. pifiaw, pwfiaw, to puff; Fr. bouffer, to puff, to swell. See the Noun.]

1. To drive air from the mouth in a single and quick blast. – Shak.
2. To swell the cheeks with air.
3. To blow as an expression of scorn or contempt. It is really to defy heaven to puff at damnation. – South.
4. To breathe with vehemence, as after violent exertion. The ass comes back again, puffing and blowing from the chase. – L'Estrange.
5. To do or move with hurry, agitation and a tumid, bustling appearance. That came brave glory puffing by. – Herbert.
6. To swell with air; to dilate or inflate. – Boyle.

PUFF, v.t.

1. To drive with a blast of wind or air; as, the north wind puffs away the clouds. – Dryden.
2. To swell; to inflate; to dilate with air; as, a bladder puffed with air. The sea puffed up with winds. – Shak.
3. To swell; to inflate; to blow up; as, puffed up with pride, vanity or conceit; to puff up with praise or flattery. – Denham. Bacon.
4. To drive with a blast in scorn or contempt. I puff the prostitute away. – Dryden.
5. To praise with exaggeration; as, to puff a pamphlet.

PUFF-BALL, n.

A fungus or mushroom full of dust, of the genus Lycoperdon. – Lee.

PUFF'ED, pp.

Driven out suddenly, as air or breath; blown up; swelled with air; inflated with vanity or pride; praised.

PUFF'ER, n.

One that puffs; one that praises with noisy commendation.

PUFF'IN, n.

1. A water fowl of the genus Alca or auk.
2. A kind of fish.
3. A kind of fungus with dust; a fuzzball.

PUFF'IN-AP-PLE, n.

A sort of apple so called. – Ainsworth.

PUFF'I-NESS, n.

State or quality of being turgid.

PUFF'ING, ppr.

Driving out the breath with a single, sudden blast; blowing up; inflating; praising pompously.

PUFF'ING-LY, adv.

1. Tumidly; with swell.
2. With vehement breathing or shortness of breath.

PUFF'Y, a.

1. Swelled with air or any soft matter; tumid with a soft substance; as, a puffy tumor. – Wiseman.
2. Tumid; turgid; bombastic; as, a puffy style. – Dryden.

PUG, n. [Sax. piga, Sw. piga, a little girl; Dan. pige; W. baç, byçan; Sp. poco or pequeño, little; Ir. beag, from the root of pig, that is, a shoot, as we use imp. See Beagle.]

The name given to a little animal treated with familiarity, as a monkey, a little dog, &c. – Spectator.

PUG'GER-ED, pp.

for Puckered, is not in use. – More.

PUG'GING, n.

In architecture, the stuff made of plaster laid on the sounding boarding under the boards of a floor, to deaden the sound. – Brande.