Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PAWN'-BRO-KER, n.

One who lends money on pledge or the deposit of goods. – Arbuthnot.

PAWN'ED, pp.

Pledged; given in security.

PAWN-EE', n.

The person to whom a pawn is delivered as security; one that takes any thing in pawn. If the pawn is laid up and the pawnee robbed, he is not answerable. – Encyc.

PAWN'ER, n.

One that pledges any thing as security for the payment of borrowed money.

PAWN'ING, ppr.

Pledging, as goods; giving as security.

PAX, n. [L. pax, peace.]

A little image or piece of board with the image of Christ on it, which people before the Reformation, used to kiss after the service; the ceremony being considered as the kiss of peace. – Todd.

PAX'WAX, n.

A name given by English butchers to a strong, stiff cartilage running along the sides of a large quadruped to the middle of the back, as in an ox or horse. It seems intended to support the head in an horizontal position. – Paley.

PAY, n.

1. Compensation; recompense; an equivalent given for money due, goods purchased or services performed; salary or wages for services; hire. The merchant receives pay for goods sold; the soldier receives pay for his services, but the soldiers of the American revolution never received full pay.
2. Compensation; reward. Here only merit constant pay receives. – Pope.

PAY, v.i.

To pay, as, in seamen's language, is to fall to leeward, as the head of a ship. – Mar. Dict. To pay on, to beat with vigor; to redouble blows. [Colloquial.]

PAY, v.t. [pret. and pp. paid. Fr. payer, Norm. pair, contracted from It. pagare, Port and Sp. pagar, Arm. paca. Class Bg. From the different applications of pay, the sense appears to be to send or send to, for in our vulgar language, to pay on, is to strike, to beat; and to pay with pitch, is to put on or rub over. In the sense of strike, this coincides with the Greek παιω, εμπαιω, W. pwyaw. In another seamen's phrase, the word signifies to loosen or slacken, as to pay out cable, that is, to send or extend. But this word can not belong to the root of the Greek and Welsh words, unless these are contracted from Pg or Pk.]

1. To discharge a debt; to deliver to a creditor the value of the debt, either in money or goods, to his acceptance or satisfaction, by which the obligation of the debtor is discharged.
2. To discharge a duty created by promise or by custom or by the moral law; as, to pay a debt of honor or of kindness. You have paid down / More penitence, than done trespass. – Shak.
3. To fulfill; to perform what is promised; as, to pay one's vows. – Scripture.
4. To render what is due to a superior, or demanded by civility or courtesy; as, to pay respect to a magistrate; to pay due honor to parents.
5. To beat. For which, or pay me quickly, or I'll pay you. – B. Jonson.
6. To reward; to recompense; as, to pay for kindness with neglect. – Dryden. To pay for, to make amends; to atone by suffering. Men often pay for their mistakes with loss of property or reputation, sometimes with life.
7. To give on equivalent for any thing purchased. To pay, or pay over, in seamen's language, to daub or besmear the surface of any body, to preserve it from injury by water or weather. To pay the bottom of a vessel, to cover it with a composition of tallow, sulphur, resin, &c; to bream. To pay a mast or yard, to besmear it with tar, turpentine, resin, tallow or varnish. To pay a seam, to pour melted pitch along it, so as to defend the oakum. To pay off, to make compensation to and discharge; as, to pay off the crew of a ship. To pay out, to slacken, extend or cause to run out; as, to pay out more cable. – Mar. Dict.

PAY'A-BLE, a. [Fr.]

1. That may or ought to be paid. In general, money as payable as soon as it is due, or at the time payment is stipulated, or at the expiration, of the credit; but by the usage of merchants, three or more days of grace are allowed to the debtor, and a note due at the day when payment is promised, is not payable till the expiration of the days of grace.
2. That can be paid; that there is power to pay. Thanks are a tribute payable by the poorest. – South.

PAY'-BILL, n.

A bill of money to be paid to the soldiers of a company.

PAY'-DAY, n.

The day when payment is to be made or debts discharged; the day on which wages or money is stipulated to be paid. – Locke.

PAY-EE', n.

The person to whom money is to be paid; the person named in a bill or note to whom the amount is promised or directed to be paid.

PAY-ER, n.

One that pays. In bills of exchange, the person on whom the bill is drawn, and who is directed to pay this money to the holder.

PAY'ING, ppr.

Discharging a debt; fulfilling a promise; rewarding.

PAY'MAS-TER, n.

1. One who is to pay; one from whom wages or reward is received. – Taylor.
2. In the army, an officer whose duty is to pay the officers and soldiers their wages, and who is intrusted with money for this purpose.

PAY'MENT, n.

1. The act of paying or giving compensation. – Bacon.
2. The thing given in discharge of a debt or fulfillment of a promise. – Shak.
3. Reward; recompense. – South.
4. Chastisement; sound beating. [Not used.] – Ainsworth.

PAY'-NIM, n. [or adj. See PAINIM.]

PAY'OF-FICE, n.

A place or office where payment made of public debts.

PAYSE, or PAYS'ER, n. [for Poise, Poiser, not used.]

– Spenser.

PEA, n. [Sax. pisa; Fr. pois; It. pisello; L. pisum; Gr. πισον; W. pys, pysen; Ir. pis.]

A plant and its fruit of the genus Pisum of many varieties. This plant has a papilionaceous flower, and the pericarp of a legume, called in popular language a pod. In the plural we write peas, for two or more individual seeds, but pease for an indefinite number in quantity or bulk. We write two, three or four peas, but a bushel of pease. [This practice is arbitrary and improper.]

PEACE, n. [Sax. pais; Norm. pais; Fr. paix; It. pace; Sp. and Port. paz; Arm. peoch, from peoh; L. pax. Qu. Russ. pokoi. The elements are Pg, or their cognates, for the L. has paco, to appease, coinciding with the root of pack, and signifying to press or to stop.]

1. In a general sense, a state of quiet or tranquillity; freedom from disturbance or agitation; applicable to society, or individuals, or to the temper of the mind.
2. Freedom from war with a foreign nation; public quiet.
3. Freedom from internal commotion or civil war.
4. Freedom from private quarrels, suits or disturbance.
5. Freedom from agitation or disturbance by the passions, as from fear, terror, anger, anxiety or the like; quietness of mind; tranquillity; calmness; quiet of conscience. Great peace have they that love thy law. – Ps. cxix.
6. Heavenly rest; the happiness of heaven. – Is. lvii.
7. Harmony; concord; state of reconciliation between parties at variance.
8. Public tranquillity; that quiet, order and security which is guarantied by the laws; as, to keep the peace; to break the peace. This word is used in commanding silence or quiet; as, peace to this troubled soul. Peace, the lovers are asleep. – Crashaw. To be at peace, to be reconciled; to live in harmony. To make peace, to reconcile, as parties at variance. To hold the peace, to be silent; to suppress one's thoughts; not to speak.

PEACE'A-BLE, a.

1. Free from war, tumult or public commotion. We live in peaceable times. The Reformation was introduced in a peaceable manner.
2. Free from private feuds or quarrels. The neighbors are peaceable. These men are peaceable.
3. Quiet; undisturbed; not agitated with passion. Her mind is very peaceable.
4. Not violent, bloody or unnatural; as, to die a peaceable death.

PEACE'A-BLE-NESS, n.

1. The state of being peaceable; quietness.
2. Disposition to peace. – Hammond.