Chapter 1122

Peel , n. The skin or rind; as, the peel of an orange .

Peele <Xpage=1057>

Pee"le (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A graceful and swift South African antelope ( Pelea capreola ). The hair is woolly, and ash-gray on the back and sides. The horns are black, long, slender, straight, nearly smooth, and very sharp. Called also rheeboc , and rehboc .

Peeler <Xpage=1057>

Peel"er (?) , n. One who peels or strips.

Peeler <Xpage=1057>

Peel"er , n. [See Peel to plunder.] A pillager.

Peeler <Xpage=1057>

Peel"er , n. A nickname for a policeman; -- so called from Sir Robert Peel . [British Slang] See Bobby .

Peelhouse <Xpage=1057>

Peel"house` (?) , n. See 1st Peel .

Sir W. Scott.

Peen <Xpage=1057>

Peen (?) , n. [Cf. G. pinne pane of a hammer.] (a) A round-edged, or hemispherical, end to the head of a hammer or sledge, used to stretch or bend metal by indentation. (b) The sharp-edged end of the head of a mason's hammer. [Spelt also pane , pein , and piend .]

Peen <Xpage=1057>

Peen , v. t. To draw, bend, or straighten, as metal, by blows with the peen of a hammer or sledge.

Peenge <Xpage=1057>

Peenge (?) , v. i. To complain. [Scot.]

Peep <Xpage=1057>

Peep (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Peeped (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Peeping .] [Of imitative origin; cf. OE. pipen , F. piper , p\'82pier , L. pipire , pipare , pipiare , D. & G. piepen . Senses 2 and 3 perhaps come from a transfer of sense from the sound which chickens make upon the first breaking of the shell to the act accompanying it; or perhaps from the influence of peek , or peak . Cf. Pipe .] 1. To cry, as a chicken hatching or newly hatched; to chirp; to cheep.

There was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped . Is. x. 14.

2. To begin to appear; to look forth from concealment; to make the first appearance.

When flowers first peeped , and trees did blossoms bear. Dryden.

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3. To look cautiously or slyly; to peer, as through a crevice; to pry.

eep through the blanket of the dark. Shak.

From her cabined loophole peep . Milton.

Peep sight , an adjustable piece, pierced with a small hole to peep through in aiming, attached to a rifle or other firearm near the breech.

Peep <Xpage=1058>

Peep (?) , n. 1. The cry of a young chicken; a chirp.

2. First outlook or appearance.

Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn. Gray.

3. A sly look; a look as through a crevice, or from a place of concealment.

To take t' other peep at the stars. Swift.

4. (Zo\'94l.) (a) Any small sandpiper, as the least sandpiper ( Trigna minutilla ). (b) The European meadow pipit ( Anthus pratensis ).

Peep show , a small show, or object exhibited, which is viewed through an orifice or a magnifying glass. -- Peep-o'-day boys , the Irish insurgents of 1784; -- so called from their visiting the house of the loyal Irish at day break in search of arms. [Cant]

Peeper <Xpage=1058>

Peep"er (?) , n. 1. A chicken just breaking the shell; a young bird.

2. One who peeps; a prying person; a spy.

Who's there? peepers , . . . eavesdroppers? J. Webster.

3. The eye; as, to close the peepers . [Colloq.]

Peephole <Xpage=1058>

Peep"hole` (?) , n. A hole, or crevice, through which one may peep without being discovered.

Peeping hole <Xpage=1058>

Peep"ing hole` . See Peephole .

Peepul tree <Xpage=1058>

Pee"pul tree` (?) . [Hind. p\'c6pal , Skr. pippala .] (Bot.) A sacred tree ( Ficus religiosa ) of the Buddhists, a kind of fig tree which attains great size and venerable age. See Bo tree . [Written also pippul tree , and pipal tree .]

Peer <Xpage=1058>

Peer (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p.p Peered (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Peering .] [OF. parir , pareir equiv. to F. para\'8ctre to appear, L. parere . Cf. Appear .] 1. To come in sight; to appear. [Poetic]

So honor peereth in the meanest habit. Shak.

See how his gorget peers above his gown! B. Jonson.

2. [Perh. a different word; cf. OE. piren , LG. piren . Cf. Pry to peep.] To look narrowly or curiously or intently; to peep; as, the peering day .

Milton.

Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads. Shak.

As if through a dungeon grate he peered . Coleridge.

Peer <Xpage=1058>

Peer , n. [OE. per , OF. per , F. pair , fr. L. par equal. Cf. Apparel , Pair , Par , n. , Umpire .] 1. One of the same rank, quality, endowments, character, etc.; an equal; a match; a mate.

In song he never had his peer . Dryden.

Shall they consort only with their peers ? I. Taylor.

2. A comrade; a companion; a fellow; an associate.

He all his peers in beauty did surpass. Spenser.

3. A nobleman; a member of one of the five degrees of the British nobility, namely, duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron; as, a peer of the realm .

A noble peer of mickle trust and power. Milton.

House of Peers , The Peers , the British House of Lords. See Parliament . -- Spiritual peers , the bishops and archibishops, or lords spiritual, who sit in the House of Lords.

Peer <Xpage=1058>

Peer v. t. To make equal in rank. [R.]

Heylin.

Peer <Xpage=1058>

Peer v. t. To be, or to assume to be, equal. [R.]

Peerage <Xpage=1058>

Peer"age (?) , n. [See Peer an equal, and cf. Parage .] 1. The rank or dignity of a peer.

Blackstone.

2. The body of peers; the nobility, collectively.

When Charlemain with all his peerage fell. Milton.

Peerdom <Xpage=1058>

Peer"dom (?) , n. Peerage; also, a lordship. [Obs.]

Peeress <Xpage=1058>

Peer"ess , n. The wife of a peer; a woman ennobled in her own right, or by right of marriage.

Peerie, Peery <Xpage=1058>

Peer"ie , Peer"y (?) , a. [See 1st Peer , 2.] Inquisitive; suspicious; sharp. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] "Two peery gray eyes."

Sir W. Scott.

Peerless <Xpage=1058>

Peer"less (?) , a. Having no peer or equal; matchless; superlative. "Her peerless feature."

Shak.

Unvailed her peerless light. Milton.

-- Peer"less*ly , adv. -- Peer"less*ness , n.

Peert <Xpage=1058>

Peert (?) , a. Same as Peart .

Peerweet <Xpage=1058>

Peer"weet (?) , n. Same as Pewit ( a & b ).

Peevish <Xpage=1058>

Pee"vish (?) , a. [OE. pevische ; of uncertain origin, perh. from a word imitative of the noise made by fretful children + -ish .] 1. Habitually fretful; easily vexed or fretted; hard to please; apt to complain; querulous; petulant. "Her peevish babe."

Wordsworth.

She is peevish , sullen, froward. Shak.

2. Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction; as, a peevish answer .

3. Silly; childish; trifling. [Obs.]

To send such peevish tokens to a king. Shak.

Syn. -- Querulous; petulant; cross; ill-tempered; testy; captious; discontented. See Fretful .

Peevishly <Xpage=1058>

Pee"vish*ly , adv. In a peevish manner.

Shak.

Peevishness <Xpage=1058>

Pee"vish*ness , n. The quality of being peevish; disposition to murmur; sourness of temper.

Syn. -- See Petulance .

Peevit, Peewit <Xpage=1058>

Pee"vit (?) , Pee"wit (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Pewit .

Peg <Xpage=1058>

Peg (?) , n. [OE. pegge ; cf. Sw. pigg , Dan. pig a point, prickle, and E. peak .] 1. A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening boards together, in attaching the soles of boots or shoes, etc.; as, a shoe peg .

2. A wooden pin, or nail, on which to hang things, as coats, etc. Hence, colloquially and figuratively: A support; a reason; a pretext; as, a peg to hang a claim upon .

3. One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained.

Shak.

4. One of the pins used for marking points on a cribbage board.

5. A step; a degree; esp. in the slang phrase "To take one down peg ."

To screw papal authority to the highest peg . Barrow.

And took your grandess down a peg . Hudibras.

Peg ladder , a ladder with but one standard, into which cross pieces are inserted. -- Peg tankard , an ancient tankard marked with pegs, so as divide the liquor into equal portions. "Drink down to your peg ." Longfellow . -- Peg tooth . See Fleam tooth under Fleam . -- Peg top , a boy's top which is spun by throwing it. -- Screw peg , a small screw without a head, for fastening soles.

Peg <Xpage=1058>

Peg (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Pegged (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Pegging (?) .] 1. To put pegs into; to fasten the parts of with pegs; as, to peg shoes ; to confine with pegs; to restrict or limit closely.

I will rend an oak And peg thee in his knotty entrails. Shak.

2. (Cribbage) To score with a peg, as points in the game; as, she pegged twelwe points . [Colloq.]

Peg <Xpage=1058>

Peg , v. i. To work diligently, as one who pegs shoes; -- usually with on , at , or away ; as, to peg away at a task .

Pegador <Xpage=1058>

Pe`ga*dor" (?) , n. [Sp., a sticker.] (Zo\'94l.) A species of remora ( Echeneis naucrates ). See Remora .

Pegasean <Xpage=1058>

Pe*ga"se*an (?) , a. Of or pertaining to Pegasus, or, figuratively, to poetry.

Pegasoid <Xpage=1058>

Peg"a*soid (?) , a. [ Pegasus + -oid .] (Zo\'94l.) Like or pertaining to Pegasus.

Pegasus <Xpage=1058>

Peg"a*sus (?) , n. [L., fr. Gr. <?/.] 1. (Gr. Myth.) A winged horse fabled to have sprung from the body of Medusa when she was slain. He is noted for causing, with a blow of his hoof, Hippocrene, the inspiring fountain of the Muses, to spring from Mount Helicon. On this account he is, in modern times, associated with the Muses, and with ideas of poetic inspiration.

Each spurs his jaded Pegasus apace. Byron.

2. (Astron.) A northen constellation near the vernal equinoctial point. Its three brightest stars, with the brightest star of Andromeda, form the square of Pegasus .

3. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of small fishes, having large pectoral fins, and the body covered with hard, bony plates. Several species are known from the East Indies and China.

Pegger <Xpage=1058>

Peg"ger (?) , n. One who fastens with pegs.

Pegging <Xpage=1058>

Peg"ging (?) , n. The act or process of fastening with pegs.

Pegm <Xpage=1058>

Pegm (?) , n. [L. pegma a movable stage, Gr. <?/, orig., a framework.] A sort of moving machine employed in the old pageants. [Obs.]

B. Jonson.

Pegmatite <Xpage=1058>

Peg"ma*tite (?) , n. [From Gr. <?/ something fastened together, in allusion to the quartz and feldspar in graphic granite: cf. F. pegmatite . See Pegm .] (Min.) (a) Graphic granite. See under Granite . (b) More generally, a coarse granite occurring as vein material in other rocks.

Pegmatitic <Xpage=1058>

Peg`ma*tit"ic (?) , a. (Min.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, pegmatite; as, the pegmatic structure of certain rocks resembling graphic granite .

Pegtatoid <Xpage=1058>

Peg"ta*toid (?) , a. [ Pegmatite + -oid .] (Min.) Resembling pegmatite; pegmatic.

Pegomancy <Xpage=1058>

Peg"o*man`cy (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ fountain + -macy .] Divination by fountains. [R.]

Pegroots <Xpage=1058>

Peg"roots` (?) , n. Same as Setterwort .

Pehlevi <Xpage=1058>

Peh"le*vi` (?) , n. [Parsee Pahlavi .] An ancient Persian dialect in which words were partly represented by their Semitic equivalents. It was in use from the 3d century (and perhaps earlier) to the middle of the 7th century, and later in religious writings. [Written also Pahlavi .]

Pein <Xpage=1058>

Pein (?) , n. See Peen .

Peirameter <Xpage=1058>

Pei*ram"e*ter (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ a trail + -meter .] A dynamometer for measuring the force required to draw wheel carriages on roads of different constructions.

G. Francis.

Peirastic <Xpage=1058>

Pei*ras"tic (?) , a. [Gr. <?/, fr. <?/ to try, fr. <?/ a trail.] Fitted for trail or test; experimental; tentative; treating of attempts.

Peise <Xpage=1058>

Peise (?) , n. [See Poise .] A weight; a poise. [Obs.] "To weigh pence with a peise ."

Piers Plowman.

Peise <Xpage=1058>

Peise , v. t. To poise or weight. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Lest leaden slumber peise me down. Shak.

Peitrel <Xpage=1058>

Pei"trel (?) , n. (Anc. Armor) See Peytrel .

Pejorative <Xpage=1058>

Pe*jor"a*tive (?) , a. [F. p\'82joratif , fr. L. pejor , used as compar. of malus evil.] Implying or imputing evil; depreciatory; disparaging; unfavorable.

Pekan <Xpage=1058>

Pek"an (?) , n. [F. pekan .] (Zo\'94l.) See Fisher , 2.

Pekoe <Xpage=1058>

Pek"oe (?) , n. [Chin. pih-hoau : cf. F. peko\'89 ] A kind of black tea. [Written also pecco .]

Pela <Xpage=1058>

Pe"la (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Wax insect , under Wax .

Pelage <Xpage=1058>

Pel"age (?) , n. [F. pelage , fr. L. pilus hair.] (Zo\'94l.) The covering, or coat, of a mammal, whether of wool, fur, or hair.

Pelagian <Xpage=1058>

Pe*la"gi*an (?) , a. [L. pelagius , Gr. <?/, fr. <?/ the sea: cf. F. p\'82lagien .] Of or pertaining to the sea; marine; pelagic; as, pelagian shells .

Pelagian <Xpage=1058>

Pe*la"gi*an , n. [L. Pelagianus : cf. F. p\'82lagien .] (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Pelagius , a British monk, born in the later part of the 4th century, who denied the doctrines of hereditary sin, of the connection between sin and death, and of conversion through grace.

Pelagian <Xpage=1058>

Pe*la"gi*an , a. [Cf. F. p\'82lagien .] Of or pertaining to Pelagius, or to his doctrines.

Pelagianism <Xpage=1058>

Pe*la"gi*an*ism (?) , n. [Cf. F. p\'82lagianisme .] The doctrines of Pelagius.

Pelagic <Xpage=1058>

Pe*lag"ic (?) , a. [L. pelagicus .] Of or pertaining to the ocean; -- applied especially to animals that live at the surface of the ocean, away from the coast.

Pelargonic <Xpage=1058>

Pel`ar*gon"ic (?) , a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid (called also nonoic acid ) found in the leaves of the geranium ( Pelargonium ) and allied plants.

Pelargonium <Xpage=1058>

Pel`ar*go"ni*um (?) , n. [NL., fr. Gr. <?/ a stork.] (Bot.) A large genus of plants of the order Geraniace\'91 , differing from Geranium in having a spurred calyx and an irregular corolla.

&hand; About one hundred and seventy species are known, nearly all of them natives of South Africa, and many having very beautiful blossoms. See the Note under Geranium .

Pelasgian, Pelasgic <Xpage=1058>

Pe*las"gi*an (?) , Pe*las"gic (?) , a. [L. Pelasgus , Gr. <?/ a Pelasgian.] 1. Of or pertaining to the Pelasgians, an ancient people of Greece, of roving habits.

2. (Zo\'94l.) Wandering.

Pelecan <Xpage=1058>

Pel"e*can (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Pelican .

Pelecaniformes <Xpage=1058>

Pel`e*can`i*for"mes (?) , n. pl. [NL. See Pelican , and -form .] (Zo\'94l.) Those birds that are related to the pelican; the Totipalmi.

Pelecoid <Xpage=1058>

Pel"e*coid (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ a hatchet + -oid .] (Geom.) A figure, somewhat hatched-shaped, bounded by a semicircle and two inverted quadrants, and equal in area to the square ABCD inclosed by the chords of the four quadrants. [Written also pelicoid .]

Math. Dict.

Pelecypoda <Xpage=1058>

Pel`e*cyp"o*da (?) , n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. <?/ a hatchet + -poda .] (Zo\'94l.) Same as Lamellibranchia .

Pelegrine <Xpage=1058>

Pel"e*grine (?) , a. See Peregrine . [Obs.]

Pelerine <Xpage=1058>

Pel"er*ine (?) , n. [F. p\'8alerine a tippet, fr. p\'8alerin a pilgrim, fr. L. peregrinus foreign, alien. See Pilgrim .] A woman's cape; especially, a fur cape that is longer in front than behind.

Pelf <Xpage=1058>

Pelf (?) , n. [OE. pelfir booty, OF. pelfre , akin to pelfrer to plunder, and perh. to E. pillage . Cf. Pilfer .] Money; riches; lucre; gain; -- generally conveying the idea of something ill-gotten or worthless. It has no plural. "Mucky pelf ." Spenser . "Paltry pelf ." Burke .

Can their pelf prosper, not got by valor or industry? Fuller.

Pelfish <Xpage=1058>

Pelf"ish , a. Of or pertaining to pelf.

Stanyhurst.

Pelfray, Pelfry <Xpage=1058>

Pel"fray (?) , Pel"fry (?) , n. Pelf; also, figuratively, rubbish; trash. [Obs.]

Cranmer.

Pelican <Xpage=1058>