Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PIS'CINE, a. [L. piscis, a fish.]

Pertaining to fish or fishes; as, piscine remains. – Kirwan.

PIS-CIV'O-ROUS, a. [L. piscis, a fish, and voro, to eat.]

Feeding or subsisting on fishes. Many species of aquatic fowls are piscivorous.

PISH, exclam. [perhaps the oriental בוש or בזה. Class Bs, No. 2, 3.]

A word expressing contempt; sometimes spoken and written pshaw.

PISH, v.i.

To express contempt. – Pope.

PIS'I-FORM, a. [L. pisum, a pea, and forma, form.]

Having the form of a pea. Masses of pisiform argillaceous iron ore. – Kirwan.

PIS'MIRE, n. [The last syllable is the Sw. myra, Dan. myre, D. mier, an ant; Sax. myra, tender. I know not the origin or meaning of the first syllable.]

The insect called the ant or emmet. – Prior. Mortimer.

PIS'O-LITE, n. [Gr. πισον, a pea, and λιθος, a stone.]

Peastone, a carbonate of lime, slightly colored by the oxyd of iron. It occurs in little globular concretions of the size of a pea or larger, which usually contain each a grain of sand as a nucleus. These concretions in union sometimes compose entire beds of secondary mountains. It is sometimes called calcarious tufa. – Dict. Nat. Hist. Cleaveland.

PIS-O-LIT'IC, a.

In mineralogy, resembling in structure peas agglutinated. – Mantell.

PIS'O-PHALT, n.

Pea-mineral or mineral-pea; a soft bitumen, black and of a strong pungent smell. It appears to be petrol passing to asphalt. It holds a middle place between petrol, which is liquid, and asphalt, which is dry and brittle. – Dict. Nat. Hist. [A mistaken orthography of Pissasphalt, and not at all derived from πισον, a pea.]

PISS, n.

Urine; the liquor secreted by the kidneys into the bladder of an animal and discharged through the proper channel.

PISS, v.t. [D. and G. pissen; Dan. pisser; Sw. pissa; Fr. pisser; W. pisaw; Basque, pisye; It. pisciare; Pers. پِبشَاْر pishar, urine. Class Br, No. 61, 69.]

To discharge the liquor secreted by the kidneys and lodged in the urinary bladder.

PISS'A-BED, n.

The vulgar name of a yellow flower, growing among grass.

PIS'SA-SPHALT, n. [Gr. πισσασφαλτον; πισσα, turpentine, and ασφαλτος, asphalt; Sp. pisasfalto.]

Earth-pitch; a soft bitumen of the consistence of tar, black, and of a strong smell. It is inflammable, and intermediate between petroleum and asphalt, and appears to be a combination of naphtha and asphalt. It is now considered as a mere variety of petroleum. Deprived of its naphtha, asphalt remains.

PISS'BURNT, a.

Stained with urine.

PIST, or PISTE, n. [Fr. piste, from Sp. and Port. pista, from Sp. pistar, to beat, or pisonar, to ram or drive.]

The track or foot-print of a horseman on the ground he goes over. – Johnson.

PIS-TA'CHID, n. [Fr. pistache; It. pistacchio; L. pistachia; Gr. πιστακια; Pers. فُسْتُقْ; Ar. فُسْتَقٌ fostakon.]

The nut of the Pistacia terebinthus or turpentine-tree, containing a kernel of a pale greenish color, of a pleasant taste, resembling that of the almond, and yielding a well tasted oil. It is wholesome and nutritive. The tree grows in Syria, Arabia and Persia. – Encyc.

PIS'TA-CITE, or PIS'TA-ZITE, n. [See EPIDOTE.]

PIS-TA-REEN', n.

A silver coin of the value of 17 or 18 cents, or 9d. sterling.

PIS'TIL, n. [L. pistillum, a pestle.]

In botany, the central organ of a female phenogamous flower which contains the ovules, and in connection with which they become impregnated, and are matured into perfect seeds. It always consists of an ovary which is either one or more ovules, or a vessel containing them, and a stigma, which receives the pollen from the anther, and often also of a style which stands upon the ovary and supports the stigma.

PIS-TIL-LA'CEOUS, a.

Growing on the pistil of a flower. – Barton.

PIS'TIL-LATE, a.

Having a pistil.

PIS-TIL-LA'TION, n. [L. pistillum, a pestle, that is, a beater or driver.]

The act of pounding in a mortar. [Little used.]

PIS-TIL-LIF'ER-OUS, a. [pistil and L. fero, to bear.]

Having a pistil without stamens, as a female flower.

PIS'TOL, n. [Fr. pistole, pistolet; It. and Sp. pistola, a pistol. This word, like piston and pestle, signifies a driver, or a canal or spout, from the same root. Class Bs.]

A small fire-arm, or the smallest fire-arm used, differing from a musket chiefly in size. Pistols are of different lengths, and borne by horsemen in cases at the saddle bow, or by a girdle. Small pistols are carried in the pocket.

PIS'TOL, v.t. [Fr. pistoler.]

To shoot with a pistol.