Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PEISE, n. [See POISE.]

PEK'AN, n.

A species of weasel. – Buffon. Pennant.

PEK'MEZ, n. [Per.]

A syrup made from grapes, resembling melasses. – Southgate.

PEL'AGE, n. [Fr. from L. pilus, hair.]

The vesture or covering of wild beasts, consisting of hair, fur or wool. – Bacon.

PE-LA'GI-AN, or PEL'A-GIC, a. [L. pelagus, the sea.]

Pertaining to the sea; or deep sea; as, pelagian shells. – Journ. of Science.

PE-LA'GI-AN, a.

Pertaining to Pelagius and his doctrines. – South.

PE-LA'GI-AN, n. [from Pelagius, a native of Great Britain, who lived in the fourth century.]

A follower of Pelagius, a monk of Banchor or Bangor, who denied original sin, and asserted the doctrine of free will and the merit of good works. – Bp. Hall.

PE-LA'GI-AN-ISM, n.

The doctrines of Pelagius. – South.

PE-LAR-GON'I-CUM, n.

A genus of plants, differing from Geranium in having three petals below and two of a larger size above, and in other more important but less obvious particulars. In geraniums, the five petals are equal. This is an ornamental green house plant, often called Geranium. – Haldeman.

PELF, n. [Probably allied to pilfer.]

Money; riches; but it often conveys the idea of something ill gotten or worthless. It has no plural.

PEL'I-CAN, n. [Low L. pelecanus; Gr. πελεκαν; Fr. pelican.]

1. A palmiped fowl of the genus Pelecanus. It is larger than the swan, and remarkable for its enormous bill, to the lower edges of the under chop of which is attached a pouch or bag, capable of being distended so as to hold many quarts of water. In this bag the fowl deposits the fish it takes for food. – Encyc.
2. A chimical glass vessel or alembic with a tubulated capital, from which two opposite and crooked beaks pass out and enter again at the belly of the cucurbit. It is designed for continued distillation and cohobation; the volatile parts of the substance distilling, rising into the capital and returning through the beaks into the cucurbit. – Nicholson.

PE'LI-OM, n. [Gr. πελιωμα, black color.]

A mineral, a variety of iolite. – Cleaveland.

PE-LISSE', n. [pelee's; Fr. from L. pellis, skin.]

Originally, a furred robe or coat. But the name is now given to a silk coat or habit worn by ladies.

PELL, n. [L. pellis, It. pelle, a skin.]

A skin or hide. Clerk of the pells, in England, an officer of the exchequer, who enters every teller's bill on the parchment rolls, the roll of receipts and the roll of disbursements.

PEL'LET, n. [Fr. pelote; W. pellen, from L. pila, a ball; It. palla.]

1. A little ball; as, a pellet of wax or lint. – Bacon. Wiseman.
2. A bullet; a ball for fire-arms. [Not now used.] – Bacon. Ray.

PEL'LET-ED, a.

Consisting of bullets. – Shak.

PEL'LI-CLE, n. [L. pellicula, dim. of pellis, skin.]

1. A thin skin or film. – Sharp. Encyc.
2. Among chimists, a thin saline crust formed on the surface of a solution of salt evaporated to a certain degree. This pellicle consists of saline particles crystalized. – Encyc. Nicholson.

PEL'LI-TO-RY, n. [Sp. pelitre; corrupted perhaps from L. parietaria, the wall plant, from paries.]

The name of several plants of different genera. The pellitory of the wall or common pellitory is of the genus Parietaria; the bastard pellitory of the genus Achillea and the pellitory of Spain is the Anthemis pyrethrum. – Lee. Parr.

PELL'-MELL, adv.

With confused violence. – Shak. Hudibras.

PELLS, n.

The clerk of the pells in England, is an officer of the exchequer, who enters every teller's bill in a parchment roll called pellis acceptorum, the rolls of receipts, and also makes another roll called pellis exituum, roll of disbursements.

PEL-LU'CID, a. [L. pellucidus; per and lucidus; very bright. See Light.]

Perfectly clear; transparent; not opake; as, a body as pellucid as crystal. – Woodward.

PEL-LU-CID'I-TY, or PEL-LU'CID-NESS, n.

Perfect clearness; transparency; as, the pellucidity of the air; the pellucidness of a gem. – Locke. Keil.

PEL-LU'CID-LY, adv.

Transparently; clearly.

PELT, n. [G. pelz; Sp. pelada; L. pellis. See Fell.]

1. The skin of a beast with the hair on it; a raw hide. – Brown.
2. The quarry of a hawk all torn. – Ainsworth.
3. A blow or stroke from something thrown. [infra.]

PELT, v.t. [Fr. peloter, from pelote, a ball; or contracted from pellet. In Sw. bulta is to beat. The word is from Fr. pelote, a little ball, or from L. pello, Gr. βαλλω.]

1. Properly, to strike with something thrown, driven or falling; as, to pelt with stones; pelted with hail. The chiding billows seem to pelt the clouds. – Shak.
2. To drive by throwing something. – Atterbury.