The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 1168
Pli"ers (?) , n. pl. [From Ply to bend, fold.] A kind of small pinchers with long jaws, -- used for bending or cutting metal rods or wire, for handling small objects such as the parts of a watch, etc.
Pliform <Xpage=100>
Pli"form (?) , a [ Ply a fold + -form .] In the form of a ply, fold, or doubling. [Obs.]
Pennant.
Plight <Xpage=100>
Plight (?) , obs. imp. & p. p. of Plight , to pledge.
Chaucer.
Plight <Xpage=100>
Plight , obs. imp. & p. p. of Pluck .
Chaucer.
Plight <Xpage=100>
Plight , v. t. [OE. pliten ; probably through Old French, fr. LL. plectare , L. plectere . See Plait , Ply .] To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait. [Obs.] "To sew and plight ."<-- in the sense of fold, = pleat [plait 2 in MW10]-->
Chaucer.
A plighted garment of divers colors. Milton.
Plight <Xpage=100>
Plight (?) , n. A network; a plait; a fold; rarely a garment. [Obs.] "Many a folded plight ."<-- = pleat -->
Spenser.
Plight <Xpage=100>
Plight , n. [OE. pliht danger, engagement, AS. pliht danger, fr. ple\'a2n to risk; akin to D. plicht duty, G. pflicht , Dan. pligt . &root;28. Cf. Play .] 1. That which is exposed to risk; that which is plighted or pledged; security; a gage; a pledge. "That lord whose hand must take my plight ."
Shak.
2. [Perh. the same word as plight a pledge, but at least influenced by OF. plite , pliste , ploit , ploi , a condition, state; cf. E. plight to fold, and F. pli a fold, habit, plier to fold, E. ply .] Condition; state; -- risk, or exposure to danger, often being implied; as, a luckless plight . "Your plight is pitied."
Shak.
To bring our craft all in another plight Chaucer.
Plight <Xpage=100>
Plight , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Plighted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Plighting .] [AS. plihtan to expose to danger, pliht danger;cf. D. ver plichten to oblige, engage, impose a duty, G. ver pflichten , Sw. f\'94r plikta , Dan. for pligte . See Plight , n. ] 1. To pledge; to give as a pledge for the performance of some act; as, to plight faith, honor, word; -- never applied to property or goods. " To do them plighte their troth."
Piers Plowman.
He plighted his right hand Unto another love, and to another land. Spenser.
Here my inviolable faith I plight . Dryden.
2. To promise; to engage; to betroth.
Before its setting hour, divide The bridegroom from the plighted bride. Sir W. Scott.
Plighter <Xpage=100>
Plight"er (?) , n. One who, or that which, plights.
Plim <Xpage=100>
Plim (?) , v. i. [Cf. Plump .] To swell, as grain or wood with water. [Prov. Eng.]
Grose.
Plimsoll's mark <Xpage=100>
Plim"soll's mark` (?) . (Naut.) A mark conspicuously painted on the port side of all British sea-going merchant vessels, to indicate the limit of submergence allowed by law; -- so called from Samuel Plimsoll , by whose efforts the act of Parliament to prevent overloading was procured.
Plinth <Xpage=100>
Plinth (?) , n. [L. plinthus , Gr. <?/ a brick or tile, a plinth, perh. akin to E. flint : cf. F. plinthe .] (Arch.) In classical architecture, a vertically faced member immediately below the circular base of a column; also, the lowest member of a pedestal; hence, in general, the lowest member of a base; a sub-base; a block upon which the moldings of an architrave or trim are stopped at the bottom. See Illust . of Column .
Pliocene <Xpage=100>
Pli"o*cene (?) , a. [Written also pleiocene .] [Gr. <?/ more + <?/ new, recent.] (Geol.) Of, pertaining to, or characterizing, the most recent division of the Tertiary age.
Pliocene <Xpage=100>
Pli"o*cene , n. (Geol.) The Pliocene period or deposits.
Pliohippus <Xpage=100>
Pli`o*hip"pus (?) , n. [NL., fr. E. plio cene + Gr. <?/ horse.] (Paleon.) An extinct genus of horses from the Pliocene deposits. Each foot had a single toe (or hoof), as in the common horse.
Pliosaurus <Xpage=100>
Pli`o*sau"rus (?) , n. [NL., from Gr. <?/ greater + <?/ lizard.] (Paleon.) An extinct genus of marine reptiles allied to Plesiosaurus, but having a much shorter neck.
Plitt <Xpage=100>
Plitt (?) , n. [Russ. plete .] An instrument of punishment or torture resembling the knout, used in Russia.
Ploc <Xpage=100>
Ploc (?) , n. [F.] (Naut.) A mixture of hair and tar for covering the bottom of a ship.
Ploce <Xpage=100>
Plo"ce (?) , n. [L., fr. Gr. <?/ complication, fr. <?/ to entwine.] (Rhet.) A figure in which a word is separated or repeated by way of emphasis, so as not only to signify the individual thing denoted by it, but also its peculiar attribute or quality; as, "His wife 's a wife indeed ."
Bailey.
Plod <Xpage=100>
Plod (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Plodded (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Plodding .] [Gf. Gael. plod a clod, a pool; also, to strike or pelt with a clod or clods.] 1. To travel slowly but steadily; to trudge.
Shak.
2. To toil; to drudge; especially, to study laboriously and patiently. " Plodding schoolmen."
Drayton.
Plod <Xpage=100>
Plod , v. t. To walk on slowly or heavily.
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way. Gray.
Plodder <Xpage=100>
Plod"der (?) , n. One who plods; a drudge.
Plodding <Xpage=100>
Plod"ding (?) , a. Progressing in a slow, toilsome manner; characterized by laborious diligence; as, a plodding peddler; a plodding student; a man of plodding habits. -- Plod"ding*ly , adv.
Plonge <Xpage=100>
Plonge (?) , v. t. [See Plunge .] To cleanse, as open drains which are entered by the tide, by stirring up the sediment when the tide ebbs.
Plong\'82e <Xpage=100>
Plon`g\'82e" (?) , n. [F. See Plunge .] (Mil.) A slope or sloping toward the front; as, the plong\'82e of a parapet; the plong\'82e of a shell in its course. [Sometimes written plonge .]
Plot <Xpage=100>
Plot (?) , n. [AS. plot ; cf. Goth. plats a patch. Cf. Plat a piece of ground.] 1. A small extent of ground; a plat; as, a garden plot .
Shak.
2. A plantation laid out. [Obs.]
Sir P. Sidney.
3. (Surv.) A plan or draught of a field, farm, estate, etc., drawn to a scale.
Plot <Xpage=100>
Plot , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Plotted (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Plotting .] To make a plot, map, pr plan, of; to mark the position of on a plan; to delineate.
This treatise plotteth down Cornwall as it now standeth. Carew.
Plot <Xpage=100>
Plot , n. [Abbrev. from complot .] 1. Any scheme, stratagem, secret design, or plan, of a complicated nature, adapted to the accomplishment of some purpose, usually a treacherous and mischievous one; a conspiracy; an intrigue; as, the Rye-house Plot .
I have overheard a plot of death. Shak.
O, think what anxious moments pass between The birth of plots and their last fatal periods! Addison.
2. A share in such a plot or scheme; a participation in any stratagem or conspiracy. [Obs.]
And when Christ saith. Who marries the divorced commits adultery, it is to be understood, if he had any plot in the divorce. Milton.
<-- p. 101 -->
3. Contrivance; deep reach thought; ability to plot or intrigue. [Obs.] "A man of much plot ."
Denham.
4. A plan; a purpose. "No other plot in their religion but serve Got and save their souls."
Jer. Taylor.
5. In fiction, the story of a play, novel, romance, or poem, comprising a complication of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.
If the plot or intrigue must be natural, and such as springs from the subject, then the winding up of the plot must be a probable consequence of all that went before. Pope.
Syn. -- Intrigue; stratagem; conspiracy; cabal; combination; contrivance.
Plot <Xpage=101>
Plot (?) , v. i. 1. To form a scheme of mischief against another, especially against a government or those who administer it; to conspire.
Shak.
The wicked plotteth against the just. Ps. xxxvii. 12.
2. To contrive a plan or stratagem; to scheme.
The prince did plot to be secretly gone. Sir H. Wotton.
Plot <Xpage=101>
Plot , v. t. To plan; to scheme; to devise; to contrive secretly. " Plotting an unprofitable crime." Dryden . " Plotting now the fall of others."
Milton
Plotful <Xpage=101>
Plot"ful (?) , a. Abounding with plots.
Pletinian <Xpage=101>
Ple*tin"i*an (?) , a. Of pertaining to the Plotinists or their doctrines.
Plotinist <Xpage=101>
Plo*ti"nist (?) , n. (Eccl. Hist.) A disciple of Plotinus, a celebrated Platonic philosopher of the third century, who taught that the human soul emanates from the divine Being, to whom it reunited at death.
Plot-proof <Xpage=101>
Plot"-proof` (?) , a. Secure against harm by plots.
Shak.
Plotter <Xpage=101>
Plot"ter (?) , n. One who plots or schemes; a contriver; a conspirator; a schemer.
Dryden.
Plough <Xpage=101>
Plough (?) , n. & v. See Plow .
Plover <Xpage=101>
Plov"er (?) , n. [OF. plovier , F. pluvier , prop., the rain bird, fr. LL. (assumed) pluviarius , fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to E. float , G. fliessen to flow. See Float .] 1. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family Charadrid\'91 , and especially those belonging to the subfamily Charadrins\'91 . They are prized as game birds.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Any grallatorial bird allied to, or resembling, the true plovers, as the crab plover ( Dromas ardeola ); the American upland, plover ( Bartramia longicauda ); and other species of sandpipers.
&hand; Among the more important species are the blackbellied, ∨ blackbreasted, plover ( Charadrius squatarola ) of America and Europe; -- called also gray plover , bull-head plover , Swiss plover , sea plover , and oxeye ; the golden plover (see under Golden ); the ring ∨ ringed plover ( \'92gialitis hiaticula ). See Ringneck . The piping plover ( \'92gialitis meloda ); Wilson's plover ( \'92. Wilsonia ); the mountain plover ( \'92. montana ); and the semipalmated plover ( \'92. semipalmata ), are all small American species.
Bastard plover (Zo\'94l.) , the lapwing. -- Long-legged , ∨ yellow-legged , plover . See Tattler . -- Plover's page , the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] -- Rock plover , ∨ Stone plover , the black-bellied plover. [Prov. Eng.] -- Whistling plover . (a) The golden plover . (b) The black-bellied plover.
Plow, Plough <Xpage=101>
Plow , Plough (plou) , n. [OE. plouh , plou , AS. pl\'d3h ; akin to D. ploeg , G. pflug , OHG. pfluog , pfluoh , Icel. pl\'d3gr , Sw. plog , Dan. ploug , plov , Russ. plug' , Lith. plugas .] 1. A well-known implement, drawn by horses, mules, oxen, or other power, for turning up the soil to prepare it for bearing crops; also used to furrow or break up the soil for other purposes; as, the subsoil plow ; the draining plow .
Where fern succeeds ungrateful to the plow . Dryden.
2. Fig.: Agriculture; husbandry.
Johnson.
3. A carucate of land; a plowland. [Obs.] [Eng.]
Johan, mine eldest son, shall have plowes five. Tale of Gamelyn.
4. A joiner's plane for making grooves; a grooving plane.
5. (Bookbinding) An implement for trimming or shaving off the edges of books.
6. (Astron.) Same as Charles's Wain .
Ice plow , a plow used for cutting ice on rivers, ponds, etc. , into cakes suitable for storing. [U. S.] -- Mackerel plow . See under Mackerel . -- Plow alms , a penny formerly paid by every plowland to the church. Cowell . -- Plow beam , that part of the frame of a plow to which the draught is applied. See Beam , n. , 9. -- Plow Monday , the Monday after Twelth Day, or the end of Christmas holidays. -- Plow staff . (a) A kind of long-handled spade or paddle for cleaning the plowshare; a paddle staff . (b) A plow handle. -- Snow plow , a structure, usually <LAMBDA/-shaped, for removing snow from sidewalks, railroads, etc., -- drawn or driven by a horse or a locomotive.
Plow, Plough <Xpage=101>
Plow , Plough , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Plowed (ploud) or Ploughed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Plowing or Ploughing .] 1. To turn up, break up, or trench, with a plow; to till with, or as with, a plow; as, to plow the ground; to plow a field.
2. To furrow; to make furrows, grooves, or ridges in; to run through, as in sailing.
Let patient Octavia plow thy visage up With her prepared nails. Shak.
With speed we plow the watery way. Pope.
3. (Bookbinding) To trim, or shave off the edges of, as a book or paper, with a plow. See Plow , n. , 5.
4. (Joinery) To cut a groove in, as in a plank, or the edge of a board; especially, a rectangular groove to receive the end of a shelf or tread, the edge of a panel, a tongue, etc.
To plow in , to cover by plowing; as, to plow in wheat . -- To plow up , to turn out of the ground by plowing. <-- plow ahead , to continue in spite of obstacles or resistence by others. Often used in a bad sense, meaning to continue obstinately in spite of the contrary advice of others. plow through , to execute a difficult or laborious task steadily, esp. one containing many parts; as, he plowed through the stack of correspondence until all had been answered. -->
Plow, Plough <Xpage=101>
Plow , Plough (plou) , v. i. To labor with, or as with, a plow; to till or turn up the soil with a plow; to till or turn up the soil with a plow; to prepare the soil or bed for anything.
Shak.
Doth the plowman plow all day to sow ? Isa. xxviii. 24.
Plowable, Ploughable <Xpage=101>
Plow"a*ble , Plough"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of being plowed; arable.
Plowbote, Ploughbote <Xpage=101>
Plow"bote` , Plough"bote` (?) , n. (Eng. Law) Wood or timber allowed to a tenant for the repair of instruments of husbandry. See Bote .
Plowboy, Ploughboy <Xpage=101>
Plow"boy` , Plough"boy` , n. A boy that drives or guides a team in plowing; a young rustic.
Plower, Plougher <Xpage=101>
Plow"er , Plough"er (?) , n. One who plows; a plowman; a cultivator.
Plowfoot, Ploughfoot <Xpage=101>
Plow"foot` , Plough"foot` (?) , n. An adjustable staff formerly attached to the plow beam to determine the depth of the furrow.
Piers Plowman.
Plowgang, Ploughgang <Xpage=101>
Plow"gang` , Plough"gang` (?) , n. Same as Plowgate .
Plowgate, Ploughgate <Xpage=101>
Plow"gate` , Plough"gate` (?) , n. The Scotch equivalent of the English word plowland .
Not having one plowgate of land. Sir W. Scott.
Plowhead, Ploughhead <Xpage=101>
Plow"head` , Plough"head` (?) , n. The clevis or draught iron of a plow.
Plowland, Plougland <Xpage=101>
Plow"land` , Ploug"land` (?) , n. 1. Land that is plowed, or suitable for tillage.
2. (O. Eng. Law) the quantity of land allotted for the work of one plow; a hide.
Plowman, Ploughman <Xpage=101>
Plow"man , Plough"man (?) , n. ; pl. -men (<?/) . 1. One who plows, or who holds and guides a plow; hence, a husbandman.
Chaucer. Macaulay.
2. A rustic; a countryman; a field laborer.
Plowman's spikenard (Bot.) , a European composite weed ( Conyza squarrosa ), having fragrant roots.
Dr. Prior.
Plowpoint, Ploughpoint <Xpage=101>
Plow"point` , Plough"point` (?) , n. A detachable share at the extreme front end of the plow body.
Plowshare, Ploughshare <Xpage=101>
Plow"share` , Plough"share" (?) , n. The share of a plow, or that part which cuts the slice of earth or sod at the bottom of the furrow.
Plowshare bone (Anat.) , the pygostyle.
Plowtail, Ploughtail <Xpage=101>
Plow"tail` , Plough"tail` (?) , n. The hind part or handle of a plow.
Plowwright, Ploughwright <Xpage=101>
Plow"wright` , Plough"wright` (?) , n. One who makes or repairs plows.
Ploy <Xpage=101>
Ploy (?) , n. Sport; frolic. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Ploy <Xpage=101>
Ploy , v. i. [Prob. abbrev. fr. deploy .] (Mil.) To form a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; -- the opposite of deploy .
Wilhelm.
Ployment <Xpage=101>
Ploy"ment (?) , n. (Mil.) The act or movement of forming a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; -- the opposite of deployment .
Pluck <Xpage=101>
Pluck (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Plucked (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Plucking .] [AS. pluccian ; akin to LG. & D. plukken , G. pfl\'81cken , Icel. plokka , plukka , Dan. plukke , Sw. plocka . <?/27.] 1. To pull; to draw.
Its own nature . . . plucks on its own dissolution. Je<?/. Taylor.
2. Especially, to pull with sudden force or effort, or to pull off or out from something, with a twitch; to twitch; also, to gather, to pick; as, to pluck feathers from a fowl; to pluck hair or wool from a skin; to pluck grapes.
I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude. Milton.
E'en children followed, with endearing wile, And plucked his gown to share the good man's smile. Goldsmith.