Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PED'I-CEL-LATE, a.

Having a pedicel, or supported by a pedicel.

PE-DIC'U-LAR, or PE-DIC'U-LOUS, a. [L. pedicularis, from pediculus, a louse.]

Lousy; having the lousy distemper.

PE-DIG'ER-OUS, a. [L. pes and gero.]

Having feet.

PED'I-GREE, n. [probably from L. pes, pedis, foot, like D. stam, G. stamm, stem, stock, degree.]

1. Lineage; line of ancestors from which a person or tribe descends; genealogy. Alterations of surnames have obscured the truth of pedigree. – Camden.
2. An account or register of a line of ancestors. The Jews preserved the pedigrees of their several tribes. – Atterbury.

PED'I-LU-VY, n. [L. pes, foot, and lavo, to wash.]

The bathing of the feet; a bath for the feet.

PED'I-MENT, n. [from L. pes, the foot.]

In architecture, an ornament that crowns the ordonnances, finishes the fronts of buildings and serves as a decoration over gates, windows and niches. It is of two forms, triangular and circular. A pediment is properly the representation of the roof. Encyc.

PED'I-PALP, n. [L. pes and palpo.]

An order of Arachnidans or spiders, whose feelers are extended before the head, armed with a forceps.

PE-DI-PAL'POUS, a.

Relating to a certain order of spiders.

PED'I-REME, n. [L. pes, a foot, and remus, an oar.]

A crustaceous animal, whose feet serve the purpose of oars.

PE-DO-BAP'TISM, n. [Gr. παις, παιδος, a child, and βαπτισμα, baptism.]

The baptism of infants or of children.

PE-DO-BAP'TIST, n.

One that holds to infant baptism; one that practices the baptism of children. Most denominations of Christians are pedobaptists.

PE-DOM'E-TER, n. [L. pes, the foot, and Gr. μετρον, measure.]

An instrument by which paces are numbered as a person walks, and the distance from place to place ascertained. It also marks the revolutions of wheels. This is done by means of wheels with teeth and a chain or string fastened to the foot or to the wheel of a carriage; the wheels advancing a notch at every step or at every revolution of the carriage wheel. – Encyc.

PED-O-MET'RIC-AL, a.

Pertaining to or measured by a pedometer.

PE-DUN'CLE, n. [L. pes, the foot.]

In botany, the stem or stalk that supports the fructification of a plant, i. e. the flower and the fruit. – Martyn.

PE-DUN'CU-LAR, a.

Pertaining to a peduncle; growing from a peduncle; as, a peduncular tendril. – Martyn.

PE-DUN'CU-LATE, a.

Growing on a peduncle; as, a pedunculate flower.

PEE, v.i.

To look with one eye. [Not used.] – Ray.

PEED, a.

Blind of one eye. [Not used.] – Ray.

PEEK, v.i.

In our popular dialect, is the same as Peep, to look through a crevice.

PEEL, n.¹ [L. pellis, Fr. peau, G. fell, D. vel, skin; from peeling.]

The skin or rind of any thing; as, the peel of an orange.

PEEL, n.² [Fr. pelle; L. Sp. and It. pala; W. pal, probably from thrusting, throwing, L. pello; Gr. βαλλω, like Eng. shovel, from shove; or from spreading.]

A kind of wooden shovel used by bakers, with a broad palm and long handle; hence, in popular use in America, any large fire-shovel.

PEEL, v.t. [Fr. peler, piller; Sp. pelar, pillar; Port. pelar, pilhar; It. pigliare; L. pilo, to pull off hair and to pillage; Arm. pilha; W. piliaw, to take off the surface or rind. The first verb peler, pelar, seems to be formed from L. pilus, the hair. The Eng. peel is therefore from the other verb. See Pill. Class Bl, No. 32, 44, 51.]

1. To strip off skin, bark or rind without a cutting instrument; to strip by drawing or tearing off the skin; to bark; to flay; to decorticate. When a knife is used, we call it paring. Thus we say, to peel a tree, to peel an orange; but we say, to pare an apple, to pare land.
2. In a general sense, to remove the skin, bark or rind, even with an instrument.
3. To strip; to plunder; to pillage; us, to peel a province or conquered people. – Milton. Dryden.

PEEL'ED, pp.

Stripped of skin, bark or rind; plundered; pillaged.

PEEL'ER, n.

1. One that peels, strips or flays.
2. A plunderer; a pillager.

PEEL'ING, ppr.

Stripping off skin or bark; plundering.