Chapter 37

Abutment pier, the pier of a bridge next the shore; a pier which by its strength and stability resists the thrust of an arch. -- Pier glass, a mirror, of high and narrow shape, to be put up between windows. -- Pier table, a table made to stand between windows.

Pier"age (?), n. Same as Wharfage. Smart.

Pierce (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pierced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Piercing (?).] [OE. percen, F. percer, OF. percier, perchier, parchier; perh. fr. (assumed) LL. pertusiare for pertusare, fr. L. pertundere, pertusum, to beat, push, bore through; per through + tundere to beat: cf. OF. pertuisier to pierce, F. pertuis a hole. Cf. Contuse, Parch, Pertuse.] 1. To thrust into, penetrate, or transfix, with a pointed instrument. "I pierce . . . her tender side." Dryden.

2. To penetrate; to enter; to force a way into or through; to pass into or through; as, to pierce the enemy's line; a shot pierced the ship.

3. Fig.: To penetrate; to affect deeply; as, to pierce a mystery. "Pierced with grief." Pope.

Can no prayers pierce thee?

Shak.

Pierce, v. i. To enter; to penetrate; to make a way into or through something, as a pointed instrument does; -- used literally and figuratively.

And pierced to the skin, but bit no more.

Spenser.

She would not pierce further into his meaning.

Sir P. Sidney.

Pierce"a*ble (?), a. That may be pierced.

Pierced (?), a. Penetrated; entered; perforated.

Pier"cel (?), n. [Cf. F. perce.] A kind of gimlet for making vents in casks; -- called also piercer.

Pier"cer (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, pierces or perforates; specifically: (a) An instrument used in forming eyelets; a stiletto. (b) A piercel.

2. (Zoˆl.) (a) The ovipositor, or sting, of an insect. (b) An insect provided with an ovipositor.

Pier"cing (?), a. Forcibly entering, or adapted to enter, at or by a point; perforating; penetrating; keen; -- used also figuratively; as, a piercing instrument, or thrust. "Piercing eloquence." Shak.

-- Pier"cing*ly, adv. -- Pier"cing*ness, n.

Pi*e"ri*an (?), a. [L. Pierius, from Mount Pierus, in Thessaly, sacred to the Muses.] Of or pertaining to Pierides or Muses.

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.

Pope.

Pi"er*id (?), n. [See Peirides.] (Zoˆl.) Any butterfly of the genus Pieris and related genera. See Cabbage butterfly, under Cabbage.

||Pi*er"i*des (?), n. pl. [L., fr. Gr. &?;. See Pierian.] (Class. ||Myth.) The Muses.

Pi"et (p"t), n. [Dim. of Pie a magpie: cf. F. piette a smew.] (Zoˆl.) (a) The dipper, or water ouzel. [Scot.] (b) The magpie. [Prov.Eng.]

Jay piet (Zoˆl.), the European jay. [Prov.Eng.] -- Sea piet (Zoˆl.), the oyster catcher. [Prov.Eng.]

||Pi*e*t‡" (p**t‰"), n. [It.] (Fine Arts) A representation of the dead ||Christ, attended by the Virgin Mary or by holy women and angels. ||Mollett.

Pi"e*tism (p"*tz'm), n. [Cf. G. pietismus, F. piÈtisme.] 1. The principle or practice of the Pietists.

2. Strict devotion; also, affectation of devotion.

The Schˆne Seele, that ideal of gentle pietism, in "Wilhelm Meister."

W. Pater.

Pi"e*tist (?), n. [Cf. G. pietist, F. piÈtiste. See Piety.] (Eccl. Hist.) One of a class of religious reformers in Germany in the 17th century who sought to revive declining piety in the Protestant churches; -- often applied as a term of reproach to those who make a display of religious feeling. Also used adjectively.

{ Pi`e*tis"tic (?), Pi`e*tis"tic*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to the Pietists; hence, in contempt, affectedly or demonstratively religious. Addison.

||Pi*e"tra du"ra (?). [It., hard stone.] (Fine Arts) Hard and fine ||stones in general, such as are used for inlay and the like, as ||distinguished from the softer stones used in building; thus, a ||Florentine mosaic is a familiar instance of work in pietra dura, ||though the ground may be soft marble.

Pi"e*ty (?), n. [F. piÈtÈ; cf. It. piet‡; both fr. L. pietas piety, fr. pius pious. See Pious, and cf. Pity.] 1. Veneration or reverence of the Supreme Being, and love of his character; loving obedience to the will of God, and earnest devotion to his service.

Piety is the only proper and adequate relief of decaying man.

Rambler.

2. Duty; dutifulness; filial reverence and devotion; affectionate reverence and service shown toward parents, relatives, benefactors, country, etc.

Conferred upon me for the piety Which to my country I was judged to have shown.

Milton.

Syn. -- Religion; sanctity; devotion; godliness; holiness. See Religion.

Pie"wipe` (?), n. [So called from its note.] (Zoˆl.) The lapwing, or pewit. [Prov. Eng.]

Pi`e*zom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; to press + -meter: cf. F. piÈzomËtre.] 1. (Physics) An instrument for measuring the compressibility of liquids.

2. (Physics) A gauge connected with a water main to show the pressure at that point.

{ ||Pif"fe*ro (?), ||Pif"fa*ra (?), } n. [It. piffero.] (Mus.) A fife; also, a rude kind of oboe or a bagpipe with an inflated skin for reservoir.

Pig (?), n. A piggin. [Written also pigg.]

Pig, n. [Cf. D. big, bigge, LG. bigge, also Dan. pige girl, Sw. piga, Icel. pka.] 1. The young of swine, male or female; also, any swine; a hog. "Two pigges in a poke." Chaucer.

2. (Zoˆl.) Any wild species of the genus Sus and related genera.

3. [Cf. Sow a channel for melted iron.] An oblong mass of cast iron, lead, or other metal. See Mine pig, under Mine.

4. One who is hoggish; a greedy person. [Low]

Masked pig. (Zoˆl.) See under Masked. -- Pig bed (Founding), the bed of sand in which the iron from a smelting furnace is cast into pigs. -- Pig iron, cast iron in pigs, or oblong blocks or bars, as it comes from the smelting furnace. See Pig, 4. -- Pig yoke (Naut.), a nickname for a quadrant or sextant. -- A pig in a poke (that is, bag), a blind bargain; something bought or bargained for, without the quality or the value being known. [Colloq.]

Pig, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Pigged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pigging (?).] 1. To bring forth (pigs); to bring forth in the manner of pigs; to farrow.

2. To huddle or lie together like pigs, in one bed.

Pi"geon (?), n. [F., fr. L. pipio a young pipping or chirping bird, fr. pipire to peep, chirp. Cf. Peep to chirp.] 1. (Zoˆl.) Any bird of the order ColumbÊ, of which numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.

The common domestic pigeon, or dove, was derived from the Old World rock pigeon (Columba livia). It has given rise to numerous very remarkable varieties, such as the carrier, fantail, nun, pouter, tumbler, etc. The common wild pigeons of the Eastern United States are the passenger pigeon, and the Carolina dove. See under Passenger, and Dove. See, also, Fruit pigeon, Ground pigeon, Queen pigeon, Stock pigeon, under Fruit, Ground, etc.

2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang]

Blue pigeon (Zoˆl.), an Australian passerine bird (Graucalus melanops); -- called also black-faced crow. -- Green pigeon (Zoˆl.), any one of numerous species of Old World pigeons belonging to the family TreronidÊ. -- Imperial pigeon (Zoˆl.), any one of the large Asiatic fruit pigeons of the genus Carpophada. - - Pigeon berry (Bot.), the purplish black fruit of the pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See Pokeweed. -- Pigeon English [perhaps a corruption of business English], an extraordinary and grotesque dialect, employed in the commercial cities of China, as the medium of communication between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its base is English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindoostanee. Johnson's Cyc. -- Pigeon grass (Bot.), a kind of foxtail grass (Setaria glauca), of some value as fodder. The seeds are eagerly eaten by pigeons and other birds. - - Pigeon hawk. (Zoˆl.) (a) A small American falcon (Falco columbarius). The adult male is dark slate-blue above, streaked with black on the back; beneath, whitish or buff, streaked with brown. The tail is banded. (b) The American sharp- shinned hawk (Accipiter velox, or fuscus). -- Pigeon hole. (a) A hole for pigeons to enter a pigeon house. (b) See Pigeonhole. (c) pl. An old English game, in which balls were rolled through little arches. Halliwell. -- Pigeon house, a dovecote. -- Pigeon pea (Bot.), the seed of Cajanus Indicus; a kind of pulse used for food in the East and West Indies; also, the plant itself. -- Pigeon plum (Bot.), the edible drupes of two West African species of Chrysobalanus (C. ellipticus and C. luteus). -- Pigeon tremex. (Zoˆl.) See under Tremex. -- Pigeon wood (Bot.), a name in the West Indies for the wood of several very different kinds of trees, species of Dipholis, Diospyros, and Coccoloba. -- Pigeon woodpecker (Zoˆl.), the flicker. -- Prairie pigeon. (Zoˆl.) (a) The upland plover. (b) The golden plover. [Local, U.S.]

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Pi"geon (?), v. t. To pluck; to fleece; to swindle by tricks in gambling. [Slang] Smart.

He's pigeoned and undone.

Observer.

Pi"geon-breast`ed (?), a. Having a breast like a pigeon, -- the sternum being so prominent as to constitute a deformity; chicken-breasted.

Pi"geon*foot` (?), n. (Bot.) The dove's-foot geranium (Geranium molle).

Pi"geon-heart`ed (?), a. Timid; easily frightened; chicken-hearted. Beau. & Fl.

Pi"geon*hole` (?), n. A small compartment in a desk or case for the keeping of letters, documents, etc.; -- so called from the resemblance of a row of them to the compartments in a dovecote. Burke.

Pi"geon*hole`, v. t. To place in the pigeonhole of a case or cabinet; hence, to put away; to lay aside indefinitely; as, to pigeonhole a letter or a report.

Pi"geon-liv`ered (?), a. Pigeon- hearted.

Pi"geon*ry (?), n. A place for pigeons; a dovecote.

Pi"geon*toed` (?), a. Having the toes turned in.

Pig"-eyed` (?), a. Having small, deep-set eyes.

Pig"fish` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) Any one of several species of salt-water grunts; -- called also hogfish. (b) A sculpin. The name is also applied locally to several other fishes.

Pig"foot` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A marine fish (ScorpÊna porcus), native of Europe. It is reddish brown, mottled with dark brown and black.

Pigg (?), n. A piggin. See 1st Pig. Sir W. Scott.

Pig"ger*y (?), n.; pl. Piggeries (&?;). A place where swine are kept.

Pig"gin (?), n. [Scot.; cf. Gael. pigean, dim. of pigeadh, pige, an earthen jar, pitcher, or pot, Ir. pigin, pighead, W. piccyn.] A small wooden pail or tub with an upright stave for a handle, -- often used as a dipper.

Pig"gish (?), a. Relating to, or like, a pig; greedy.

Pig"-head`ed (?), a. Having a head like a pig; hence, figuratively: stupidity obstinate; perverse; stubborn. B. Jonson. -- Pig"-head`ed*ness, n.

Pight (?), imp. & p. p. of Pitch, to throw; -- used also adjectively. Pitched; fixed; determined. [Obs.]

[His horse] pight him on the pommel of his head.

Chaucer.

I found him pight to do it.

Shak.

Pigh"tel (?), n. [Cf. Pight, Picle.] A small inclosure. [Written also pightle.] [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Pig"-jawed` (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Having the upper jaw projecting beyond the lower, with the upper incisors in advance of the lower; -- said of dogs.

Pig*me"an (?), a. See Pygmean.

Pig"ment (?), n. [L. pigmentum, fr. the root of pingere to paint: cf. F. pigment. See Paint, and cf. Pimento, Orpiment.] 1. Any material from which a dye, a paint, or the like, may be prepared; particularly, the refined and purified coloring matter ready for mixing with an appropriate vehicle.

2. (Physiol.) Any one of the colored substances found in animal and vegetable tissues and fluids, as bilirubin, urobilin, chlorophyll, etc.

3. Wine flavored with species and honey. Sir W. Scott.

Pigment cell (Physiol.), a small cell containing coloring matter, as the pigmented epithelial cells of the choroid and iris, or the pigmented connective tissue cells in the skin of fishes, reptiles, etc.

{ Pig*men"tal (?), Pig"men*ta*ry (?), } a. Of or pertaining to pigments; furnished with pigments. Dunglison.

Pigmentary degeneration (Med.), a morbid condition in which an undue amount of pigment is deposited in the tissues.

Pig`men*ta"tion (?), n. (Physiol.) A deposition, esp. an excessive deposition, of coloring matter; as, pigmentation of the liver.

Pig"ment*ed (?), a. Colored; specifically (Biol.), filled or imbued with pigment; as, pigmented epithelial cells; pigmented granules.

Pig*men"tous (?), a. Pigmental.

Pig"my (?), n. See Pygmy.

Pigmy falcon. (Zoˆl.) Same as Falconet, 2 (a).

Pig"ner*ate (?), v. t. [L. pigneratus, p. p. of pignerate to pledge.] 1. To pledge or pawn. [Obs.]

2. to receive in pawn, as a pawnbroker does. [Obs.]

Pig`no*ra"tion (?), n. [LL. pignoratio, L. pigneratio, fr. pignerate to pledge, fr. pignus, gen. -ous and -eris, a pledge, a pawn: cf. F. pignoration.] 1. The act of pledging or pawning.

2. (Civil Law) The taking of cattle doing damage, by way of pledge, till satisfaction is made. Burrill.

Pig"no*ra*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. pignoratif.] Pledging, pawning. [R.]

||Pig"nus (?), n.; pl. Pignora (#). [L.] (Rom. Law) A pledge or pawn.

Pig"nut (?), n. (Bot.) (a) See Groundnut (d). (b) The bitter- flavored nut of a species of hickory (Carya glabra, or porcina); also, the tree itself.

Pig"pen` (?), n. A pen, or sty, for pigs.

Pig"skin` (?), n. The skin of a pig, -- used chiefly for making saddles; hence, a colloquial or slang term for a saddle.

Pigs"ney (?), n. [Perh. a dim. of Dan. pige a girl, or Sw. piga; or from E. pig's eye.] A word of endearment for a girl or woman. [Obs.] [Written also pigsnie, pigsny, etc.] Chaucer.

Pig"-stick`ing (?), n. Boar hunting; -- so called by Anglo-Indians. [Colloq.] Tackeray.

Pig"sty` (?), n.; pl. Pigsties (&?;). A pigpen.

Pig"tail` (?), n. 1. The tail of a pig.

2. (Hair Dressing) A cue, or queue. J. & H. Smith.

3. A kind of twisted chewing tobacco.

The tobacco he usually cheweth, called pigtail.

Swift.

Pig"tailed` (?), a. Having a tail like a pig's; as, the pigtailed baboon.

Pig"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) A name of several annual weeds. See Goosefoot, and Lamb's- quarters.

Pig"wid`geon (?), n. [Written also pigwidgin and pigwiggen.] A cant word for anything petty or small. It is used by Drayton as the name of a fairy.

Pi"ka (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Any one of several species of rodents of the genus Lagomys, resembling small tailless rabbits. They inhabit the high mountains of Asia and America. Called also calling hare, and crying hare. See Chief hare.

Pike (?), n. [F. pique; perhaps of Celtic origin; cf. W. pig a prick, a point, beak, Arm. pik pick. But cf. also L. picus woodpecker (see Pie magpie), and E. spike. Cf. Pick, n. & v., Peak, Pique.] 1. (Mil.) A foot soldier's weapon, consisting of a long wooden shaft or staff, with a pointed steel head. It is now superseded by the bayonet.

2. A pointed head or spike; esp., one in the center of a shield or target. Beau. & Fl.

3. A hayfork. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Tusser.

4. A pick. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. Raymond.

5. A pointed or peaked hill. [R.]

6. A large haycock. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

7. A turnpike; a toll bar. Dickens.

8. (Zoˆl.) sing. & pl. A large fresh-water fish (Esox lucius), found in Europe and America, highly valued as a food fish; -- called also pickerel, gedd, luce, and jack.

Blue pike, grass pike, green pike, wall-eyed pike, and yellow pike, are names, not of true pike, but of the wall-eye. See Wall-eye.

Gar pike. See under Gar. -- Pike perch (Zoˆl.), any fresh-water fish of the genus Stizostedion (formerly Lucioperca). See Wall-eye, and Sauger. -- Pike pole, a long pole with a pike in one end, used in directing floating logs. -- Pike whale (Zoˆl.), a finback whale of the North Atlantic (BalÊnoptera rostrata), having an elongated snout; -- called also piked whale. -- Sand pike (Zoˆl.), the lizard fish. -- Sea pike (Zoˆl.), the garfish (a).

Piked (?), a. Furnished with a pike; ending in a point; peaked; pointed. "With their piked targets bearing them down." Milton.

Pike`-de*vant" (?), n. [Pike point (fr. F. pique) + F. devant before.] A pointed beard. [Obs.]

{ Pike"let (?), Pike"lin (?), } n. A light, thin cake or muffin. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

Pike"man (?), n.; pl. Pikeman (&?;). 1. A soldier armed with a pike. Knolles.

2. A miner who works with a pick. Beaconsfield.

3. A keeper of a turnpike gate. T. Hughes.

Pike"staff` (?), n. 1. The staff, or shaft, of a pike.

2. A staff with a spike in the lower end, to guard against slipping. Sir W. Scott.

Pike"tail` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) See Pintail, 1.

Pik"ro*lite (?), n. (Min.) See Picrolite.

Pi"lage (?), n. See Pelage.

Pi*las"ter (?), n. [F. pilastre, It. pilastro, LL. pilastrum, fr. L. pila a pillar. See Pillar.] (Arch.) An upright architectural member right-angled in plan, constructionally a pier (See Pier, 1 (b)), but architecturally corresponding to a column, having capital, shaft, and base to agree with those of the columns of the same order. In most cases the projection from the wall is one third of its width, or less.

Pi*las"tered (?), a. Furnished with pilasters.

||Pi*lau" (?), n. See Pillau.

Pilch (?), n. [AS. pylce, pylece, LL. pellicia. See Pelisse, and Pelt skin.] A gown or case of skin, or one trimmed or lined with fur. [Obs.]

Pil"chard (?), n. [Cf. It. pilseir, W. pilcod minnows.] (Zoˆl.) A small European food fish (Clupea pilchardus) resembling the herring, but thicker and rounder. It is sometimes taken in great numbers on the coast of England.

Fools are as like husbands as pilchards are to herrings.

Shak.

Pilch"er (?), n. [From Pilch.] A scabbard, as of a sword. [Obs.] Shak.

Pilch"er, n. (Zoˆl.) The pilchard.

Pil"crow (?), n. [A corruption of Paragraph.] (Print.) a paragraph mark, ∂. [Obs.] Tusser.

Pile (?), n. [L. pilus hair. Cf. Peruke.] 1. A hair; hence, the fiber of wool, cotton, and the like; also, the nap when thick or heavy, as of carpeting and velvet.

Velvet soft, or plush with shaggy pile.

Cowper.

2. (Zoˆl.) A covering of hair or fur.

Pile, n. [L. pilum javelin. See Pile a stake.] The head of an arrow or spear. [Obs.] Chapman.

Pile, n. [AS. pl arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support of a building, a pier, or other superstructure, or to form a cofferdam, etc.

Tubular iron piles are now much used.

2. [Cf. F. pile.] (Her.) One of the ordinaries or subordinaries having the form of a wedge, usually placed palewise, with the broadest end uppermost.

Pile bridge, a bridge of which the roadway is supported on piles. -- Pile cap, a beam resting upon and connecting the heads of piles. -- Pile driver, or Pile engine, an apparatus for driving down piles, consisting usually of a high frame, with suitable appliances for raising to a height (by animal or steam power, the explosion of gunpowder, etc.) a heavy mass of iron, which falls upon the pile. -- Pile dwelling. See Lake dwelling, under Lake. -- Pile plank (Hydraul. Eng.), a thick plank used as a pile in sheet piling. See Sheet piling, under Piling. -- Pneumatic pile. See under Pneumatic. -- Screw pile, one with a screw at the lower end, and sunk by rotation aided by pressure.

Pile, v. t. To drive piles into; to fill with piles; to strengthen with piles.

To sheet-pile, to make sheet piling in or around. See Sheet piling, under 2nd Piling.

Pile, n. [F. pile, L. pila a pillar, a pier or mole of stone. Cf. Pillar.] 1. A mass of things heaped together; a heap; as, a pile of stones; a pile of wood.

2. A mass formed in layers; as, a pile of shot.

3. A funeral pile; a pyre. Dryden.

4. A large building, or mass of buildings.

The pile o'erlooked the town and drew the fight.

Dryden.

5. (Iron Manuf.) Same as Fagot, n., 2.

6. (Elec.) A vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, as copper and zinc, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; -- commonly called Volta's pile, voltaic pile, or galvanic pile.

The term is sometimes applied to other forms of apparatus designed to produce a current of electricity, or as synonymous with battery; as, for instance, to an apparatus for generating a current of electricity by the action of heat, usually called a thermopile.

7. [F. pile pile, an engraved die, L. pila a pillar.] The reverse of a coin. See Reverse.

Cross and pile. See under Cross. -- Dry pile. See under Dry.

Pile, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Piled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Piling.] 1. To lay or throw into a pile or heap; to heap up; to collect into a mass; to accumulate; to amass; -- often with up; as, to pile up wood. "Hills piled on hills." Dryden. "Life piled on life." Tennyson.

The labor of an age in piled stones.

Milton.

2. To cover with heaps; or in great abundance; to fill or overfill; to load.

To pile arms or muskets (Mil.), to place three guns together so that they may stand upright, supporting each other; to stack arms.

{ Pi"le*ate (?), Pi"le*a`ted (?), } a. [L. pileatus, fr. pileus a felt cap or hat.] 1. Having the form of a cap for the head.

2. (Zoˆl.) Having a crest covering the pileus, or whole top of the head.

Pileated woodpecker (Zoˆl.), a large American woodpecker (Ceophloeus pileatus). It is black, with a bright red pointed crest. Called also logcock, and woodcock.

Piled (?), a. [From 2d Pile.] Having a pile or point; pointed. [Obs.] "Magus threw a spear well piled." Chapman.

Piled, a. [From 1d Pile.] Having a pile or nap. "Three-piled velvet." L. Barry (1611).

Piled, a. [From 6d Pile.] (Iron Manuf.) Formed from a pile or fagot; as, piled iron.

Pi*le"i*form (?), a. [Pileus + -form.] Having the form of a pileus or cap; pileate.

Pile"ment (?), n. [From Pile to lay into a heap.] An accumulation; a heap. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

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||Pi*len"tum (?), n.; pl. Pilenta (#). [L.] (Rom. Antiq.) An easy ||chariot or carriage, used by Roman ladies, and in which the vessels, ||etc., for sacred rites were carried.

||Pi`le*o*rhi"za (?), n.; pl. PilorhizÊ (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a cap + ||&?; root.] (Bot.) A cap of cells which covers the growing extremity ||of a root; a rootcap.

Pi"le*ous (?), a. [See Pilous.] Consisting of, or covered with, hair; hairy; pilose.

Pil"er (?), n. One who places things in a pile.

Piles (?), n. pl. [L. pila a ball. Cf. Pill a medicine.] (Med.) The small, troublesome tumors or swellings about the anus and lower part of the rectum which are technically called hemorrhoids. See Hemorrhoids. [The singular pile is sometimes used.]

Blind piles, hemorrhoids which do not bleed.

Pi"le*us (?), n.; pl. Pilei (#). [L., a felt cap.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A kind of skull cap of felt.

2. (Bot.) The expanded upper portion of many of the fungi. See Mushroom.

3. (Zoˆl.) The top of the head of a bird, from the bill to the nape.

Pile"worm` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The teredo.

Pile"-worn` (?), a. Having the pile worn off; threadbare.

Pile"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant (Ranunculus Ficaria of LinnÊus) whose tuberous roots have been used in poultices as a specific for the piles. Forsyth.

Pil"fer (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pilfered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pilfering.] [OF. pelfrer. See Pelf.] To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practice petty theft.

Pil"fer, v. t. To take by petty theft; to filch; to steal little by little.

And not a year but pilfers as he goes Some youthful grace that age would gladly keep.

Cowper.

Pil"fer*er (?), n. One who pilfers; a petty thief.

Pil"fer*ing, a. Thieving in a small way. Shak. -- n. Petty theft. -- Pil"fer*ing*ly, adv.

Pil"fer*y (?), n. Petty theft. [R.] Sir T. North.

Pil*gar"lic (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] One who has lost his hair by disease; a sneaking fellow, or one who is hardly used.

Pil"grim (?), n. [OE. pilgrim, pelgrim, pilegrim, pelegrim; cf. D. pelgrim, OHG. piligrm, G. pilger, F. pËlerin, It. pellegrino; all fr. L. peregrinus a foreigner, fr. pereger abroad; per through + ager land, field. See Per-, and Acre, and cf. Pelerine, Peregrine.] 1. A wayfarer; a wanderer; a traveler; a stranger.

Strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Heb. xi. 13.