Emily Dickinson Lexicon

POX, n. [a corruption of pocks, Sax. poc or poce, D. pok, that is, a push, eruption or pustule. It is properly a plural word, but by usage is singular.]

Strictly, pustules or eruptions of any kind, but chiefly or wholly restricted to three or four diseases, the small-pox, chicken-pox, the vaccine and the venereal diseases. Pox, when used without an epithet, signifies the latter, lues venerea.

POY, n. [Sp. apoyo, a prop or stay, Fr. appui. The verb signifies to bear or lean upon, from the root of poize.]

A rope dancer's pole.

POZE, v.t. [for Pose.]

To puzzle. [See Pose.]

POZ-ZU-O-LA'NA, n.

Volcanic ashes, used in the manufacture of mortar which hardens under water. They are from Pozzuoli, in Italy. – Brande.

PRAC'TIC, a.

for Practical, is not in use. It was formerly used for practical; and Spenser uses it in the sense of artful.

PRAC-TIC-A-BIL'I-TY, or PRAC'TIC-A-BLE-NESS, n. [from practicable.]

The quality or state of being practicable; feasibility.

PRAC'TIC-A-BLE, a. [Fr. practicable; It. practicabile; Sp. practicable. See Practice.]

1. That may be done, effected or performed by human means, or by powers that can be applied. It is sometimes synonymous with possible, but the words differ in this; possible is applied to that which might be performed, if the necessary powers or means could be obtained; practicable is limited in its application to things which are to be performed by the means given, or which may be applied. It was possible for Archimedes to lift the world, but it was not practicable.
2. That may be practiced; as, a practicable virtue. – Dryden.
3. That admits of use, or that may be passed or traveled; as, a practicable road. In military affairs, a practicable breach is one that can be entered by troops. – Mitford. Where the passage over the Euphrates is most practicable. – Murphy.

PRAC'TIC-A-BLY, adv.

In such a manner as may be performed. “A rule practicably applied before his eyes,” is not correct language. It is probably a mistake for practically. – Rogers.

PRAC'TIC-AL, a. [L. practicus; It. pratico; Fr. pratique; Sp. practico. See Practice.]

1. Pertaining to practice or action.
2. Capable of practice or active use; opposed to speculative; as, a practical understanding. – South.
3. That may be used in practice; that may be applied to use; as, practical knowledge. – Tillotson.
4. That reduces his knowledge or theories to actual use; as, a practical man.
5. Derived from practice or experience; as, practical skill or knowledge.

PRAC'TIC-AL-LY, adv.

1. In relation to practice.
2. By means of practice or use; by experiment; as, practically wise or skillful.
3. In practice or use; as, a medicine practically safe; theoretically wrong, but practically right.

PRAC'TIC-AL-NESS, n.

The quality of being practical.

PRAC'TICE, n. [Sp. practica; It. pratica; Fr. pratique; Gr. πρακτικη, from the root of πρασσω, πραττεω, to act, to do, to make. The root of this verb is πραγ or πρακ, as appears by the derivatives πραγμα, πρακτικη, and from the same root, in other languages, are formed G. brauchen, to use, brauch, use, practice; D. gebruiken, to use, employ, enjoy; bruiker, a tenant, one that occupies a farm; Sax. brucan, to use, to enjoy, to eat, whence Eng. to brook, and broker; Dan. bruger, to use or employ; brug, use, practice; Sw. bruka; L. fruor, for frugor or frucor, whence fructus, contracted into fruit; It. freacair, use, practice, frcquency, L. frequens. The W. praith, practice, preithiaw, to practice, may be the same word, with the loss of the palatal letter c or g.]

1. Frequent or customary actions; a succession of acts of a similar kind or in a like employment; as, the practice of rising early or of dining late; the practice of reading a portion of Scripture morning and evening; the practice of making regular entries of accounts; the practice of virtue or vice. Habit is the effect of practice.
2. Use; customary use. Obsolete words may be revived when they are more sounding or significant than those in practice. Dryden.
3. Dexterity acquired by use. [Unusual.] – Shak.
4. Actual performance; distinguished from theory. There are two functions of the soul, contemplation and practice, according to the general division of objects, some of which only entertain our speculations, others employ our actions. – South.
5. Application of remedies; medical treatment of diseases. Two physicians may differ widely in their practice.
6. Exercise of any profession; as the practice of law or of medicine; the practice of arms.
7. Frequent use; exercise for instruction or discipline. The troops are daily called out for practice.
8. Skillful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; art; stratagem; artifice; usually in a bad sense. He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer. – Sidney. [This use of the word is genuine; Sp. practico, skillful, It. pratico; like expert, from L. experior. It is not a mistake as Johnson supposes. See the verb.]
9. A rule in arithmetic, by which the operations of the general rules are abridged in use.

PRAC'TICE, v.i.

1. To perform certain acts frequently or customarily, either for instruction, profit or amusement; as, to practice with, the broad-sword; to practice with the rifle.
2. To form a habit of acting in any manner. They shall practice how to live secure. – Milton.
3. To transact or negotiate secretly. I have practic'd with him, / And found means to let the victor know / That Syphax and Sempronius are his friends. – Addison.
4. To try artifices. Others, by guilty artifice and arts / Of promis'd kindness practic'd on our hearts. – Granville.
5. To use evil arts or stratagems. If you there / Did practice on my state … – Shak.
6. To use medical methods or experiments. I am little inclined to practice on others, and as little that others should practice on me. – Temple.
7. To exercise any employment or profession. A physician has practiced many years with success.

PRAC'TICE, v.t. [From the noun. The orthography of the verb ought to be the same as of the noun; as in notice and to notice.]

1. To do or perform frequently, customarily or habitually; to perform by a succession of acts; as, to practice gaming; to practice fraud or deception; to practice the virtues of charity and beneficence; to practice hypocrisy. – Isa. xxxii. Many praise virtue who do not practice it. – Anon.
2. To use or exercise any profession or art; as, to practice law or medicine; to practice gunnery or surveying.
3. To use or exercise for instruction, discipline or dexterity. [In this sense, the verb is usually intransitive.]
4. To commit; to perpetrate; as, the horrors practiced at Wyoming. – Marshall.
5. To use; as, a practiced road. [Unusual.] – Mitford.

PRAC'TIC-ED, pp.

Done by a repetition of acts; customarily performed or used.

PRAC'TI-CER, n.

1. One that practices; one that customarily performs certain acts.
2. One who exercises a profession. In this sense Practitioner is generally used.

PRAC'TI-CING, a.

Engaged in the use or exercise of any profession; as, a practicing physician or attorney.

PRAC'TI-CING, ppr.

Performed or using customarily; exercising an art or profession.

PRAC'TI-SANT, n.

An agent. [Not used.] – Shak.

PRAC-TI'TION-ER, n.

1. One who is engaged in the actual use or exercise of any art or profession, particularly in law or medicine.
2. One who does any thing customarily or habitually. – Whitgifte.
3. One that practices sly or dangerous arts. – South.

PRAE'CIPE, n. [PRÆ'CIPE.]

In law, a writ commanding something to be done, or requiring a reason for neglecting it.

PRAE-COG'NI-TA, n. [PRÆ-COG'NI-TA. plur. L. before known.]

Things previously known in order to understand something else. Thus a knowledge of the structure of the human body is one of the præcognita of medical science and skill.

PRAE-MU-NI'RE, n. [PRÆ-MU-NI'RE. A corruption of the L. præmonere, to pre-admonish.]

1. A writ, or the offense for which it is granted. The offense consists in introducing a foreign authority or power into England, that is, introducing and maintaining the papal power, creating imperium in imperio, and yielding that obedience to the mandates of the pope, which constitutionally belongs to the king. Both the offense and the writ are so denominated from the words used in the writ, præmunire facias, cause A. B. to be forewarned to appear before us to answer the contempt wherewith he stands charged. – Blackstone. Encyc.
2. The penalty incurred by infringing a statute. – South.

PRAE-TEX'TA, n. [PRÆ-TEX'TA. L.]

A white robe worn by a Roman youth before he was entitled to wear the toga virilis, or until he was seventeen years of age.

PRAE-TO'RI-UM, n. [PRÆ-TO'RI-UM. from prætor.]

A hall of justice in Rome, also a patrician's seat or manor house. – Elmes.