Chapter 81

3. (Law) To pursue with the intention of punishing; to accuse of some crime or breach of law, or to pursue for redress or punishment, before a legal tribunal; to proceed against judicially; as, to prosecute a man for trespass, or for a riot.

To acquit themselves and prosecute their foes.

Milton.

Pros"e*cute, v. i. 1. To follow after. [Obs.] Latimer.

2. (Law) To institute and carry on a legal prosecution; as, to prosecute for public offenses. Blackstone.

Pros`e*cu"tion (?), n. [L. prosecutio a following.] 1. The act or process of prosecuting, or of endeavoring to gain or accomplish something; pursuit by efforts of body or mind; as, the prosecution of a scheme, plan, design, or undertaking; the prosecution of war.

Keeping a sharp eye on her domestics . . . in prosecution of their various duties.

Sir W. Scott.

2. (Law) (a) The institution and carrying on of a suit in a court of law or equity, to obtain some right, or to redress and punish some wrong; the carrying on of a judicial proceeding in behalf of a complaining party, as distinguished from defense. (b) The institution, or commencement, and continuance of a criminal suit; the process of exhibiting formal charges against an offender before a legal tribunal, and pursuing them to final judgment on behalf of the state or government, as by indictment or information. (c) The party by whom criminal proceedings are instituted. Blackstone. Burrill. Mozley & W.

Pros"e*cu`tor (?), n. [Cf. L. prosecutor an attendant.] 1. One who prosecutes or carries on any purpose, plan, or business.

2. (Law) The person who institutes and carries on a criminal suit against another in the name of the government. Blackstone.

Pros"e*cu`trix (?), n. [NL.] A female prosecutor.

Pros"e*lyte (?), n. [OE. proselite, OF. proselite, F. proselytus, Gr. &?;, adj., that has come, n., a new comer, especially, one who has come over from heathenism to the Jewish religion; &?; toward, to + (prob.) the root of &?; to come.] A new convert especially a convert to some religion or religious sect, or to some particular opinion, system, or party; thus, a Gentile converted to Judaism, or a pagan converted to Christianity, is a proselyte.

Ye [Scribes and Pharisees] compass sea and land to make one proselyte.

Matt. xxiii. 15.

Fresh confidence the speculatist takes From every harebrained proselyte he makes.

Cowper.

Syn. -- See Convert.

Pros"e*lyte, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Proselyted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proselyting.] To convert to some religion, opinion, or system; to bring over. Dr. H. More.

Pros"e*ly*tism (?), n. [Cf. F. prosÈlytisme.] 1. The act or practice of proselyting; the making of converts to a religion or a religious sect, or to any opinion, system, or party.

They were possessed of a spirit of proselytism in the most fanatical degree.

Burke.

2. Conversion to a religion, system, or party.

Pros"e*ly*tize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. proselytized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Proselytizing (?).] To convert to some religion, system, opinion, or the like; to bring, or cause to come, over; to proselyte.

One of those whom they endeavor to proselytize.

Burke.

Pros"e*ly*tize, v. i. To make converts or proselytes.

Pros"e*ly*ti`zer, n. One who proselytes.

Prose"man (?), n. A writer of prose. [R.]

Pro*sem"i*na*ry (?), n. A seminary which prepares pupils for a higher institution. T. Warton.

Pro*sem`i*na"tion (?), n. [L. proseminare, proseminatum, to disseminate.] Propagation by seed. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.

Pros*en`ce*phal"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the prosencephalon.

Pros`en*ceph"a*lon (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; toward, near to + E. encephalon.] [Sometimes abbreviated to proen.] (Anat.) (a) The anterior segment of the brain, including the cerebrum and olfactory lobes; the forebrain. (b) The cerebrum. Huxley.

Pros*en"chy*ma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; near + -enchyma, as in parenchyma.] (Bot.) A general term applied to the tissues formed of elongated cells, especially those with pointed or oblique extremities, as the principal cells of ordinary wood.

Pros"er (?), n. 1. A writer of prose. [Obs.]

2. One who talks or writes tediously. Sir W. Scott.

Pro*sil"i*en*cy (?), n. [L. prosilere to leap forth.] The act of leaping forth or forward; projection. "Such prosiliency of relief." Coleridge.

Pros"i*ly (?), adv. In a prosy manner.

Pros`i*met"ric*al (?), a. [Prose + metrical.] Consisting both of prose and verse. Clarke.

||Pro*sim"i*Ê (?), n. pl. [NL. See Pro-. and Simia.] (Zoˆl.) Same as ||Lemuroidea.

Pros"i*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being prosy; tediousness; tiresomeness.

Pros"ing, n. Writing prose; speaking or writing in a tedious or prosy manner. Sir W. Scott.

Pros"ing*ly, adv. Prosily.

Pro*si"phon (?), n. [Pref. pro- for + siphon.] (Zoˆl.) A minute tube found in the protoconch of ammonites, and not connected with the true siphon.

Pro*slav"er*y (?), a. [Pref. pro- + slavery.] Favoring slavery. -- n. Advocacy of slavery.

Pros"o*branch (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Prosobranchiata.

||Pros`o*bran`chi*a"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; forward, further + ||&?; a gill.] (Zoˆl.) The highest division, or subclass, of gastropod ||mollusks, including those that have the gills situated anteriorly, or ||forward of the heart, and the sexes separate.

Pros"o*cúle (?), n. [Gr. &?; forward + &?; hollow.] (Anat.) The entire cavity of the prosencephalon. B. G. Wilder.

||Pros`o*cú"li*a (?), n.; pl. Prosocúlle (#), [NL.] (Anat.) Same as ||Prosocúle.

Pros`o*di"a*cal (?), a. Prosodical.

Pros`o*di"a*cal*ly, adv. Prosodically.

Pro*so"di*al (?), a. Prosodical.

Pro*so"di*an (?), n. A prosodist. Rush.

Pro*sod"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. prosodique, L. prosodiacus.] Of or pertaining to prosody; according to the rules of prosody. -- Pro*sod"ic*al*ly, adv.

Pros"o*dist (?), n. One skilled in prosody.

Pros"o*dy (?), n. [L. prosodia the tone or accent of a syllable, Gr. &?; a song sung to, or with, an accompanying song, the accent accompanying the pronunciation; &?; to + &?; song, ode: cf. F. prosodie. See Ode.] That part of grammar which treats of the quantity of syllables, of accent, and of the laws of versification or metrical composition.

||Pro*so"ma (?), n.; pl. Prosomata. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; before + &?;, ||&?;, body.] (Zoˆl.) The anterior of the body of an animal, as of a ||cephalopod; the thorax of an arthropod.

||Pros`o*pal"gi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; face + &?; pain.] (Med.) ||Facial neuralgia.

||Pros`o*po*ceph`a*la (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. pro`swpon face, ||appearance + &?; head.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Scaphopoda.

Pros`o*po*lep"sy (?), n. [Gr. &?;; pro`swpon a face, a person + &?; a taking, receiving, &?; to take.] Respect of persons; especially, a premature opinion or prejudice against a person, formed from his external appearance. [R.] Addison.

||Pros`o*po*pú"ia (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;; pro`swpon a face, a person ||+ &?; to make.] (Rhet.) A figure by which things are represented as ||persons, or by which things inanimate are spoken of as animated ||beings; also, a figure by which an absent person is introduced as ||speaking, or a deceased person is represented as alive and present. ||It includes personification, but is more extensive in its ||signification.

||Pros`o*pul`mo*na"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; forward + L. pulmo ||a lung.] (Zoˆl.) A division of pulmonate mollusks having the ||breathing organ situated on the neck, as in the common snail.

Pros"pect (?), n. [L. prospectus, fr. prospicere, prospectum, to look forward; pro before, forward + specere, spicere, look, to see: cf. OF. prospect. See Spy, v., and cf. Prospectus.] 1. That which is embraced by eye in vision; the region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook.

His eye discovers unaware The goodly prospect of some foreign land.

Milton.

2. Especially, a picturesque or widely extended view; a landscape; hence, a sketch of a landscape.

I went to Putney . . . to take prospects in crayon.

Evelyn.

3. A position affording a fine view; a lookout. [R.]

Him God beholding from his prospect high.

Milton.

4. Relative position of the front of a building or other structure; face; relative aspect.

And their prospect was toward the south.

Ezek. xl. 44.

5. The act of looking forward; foresight; anticipation; as, a prospect of the future state. Locke.

Is he a prudent man as to his temporal estate, that lays designs only for a day, without any prospect to, or provision for, the remaining part of life ?

Tillotson.

6. That which is hoped for; ground for hope or expectation; expectation; probable result; as, the prospect of success. "To brighter prospects born." Cowper.

These swell their prospectsd exalt their pride, When offers are disdain'd, and love deny'd.

Pope.

Pros"pect, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prospected; p. pr. & vb. n. Prospecting.] To look over; to explore or examine for something; as, to prospect a district for gold.

Pros"pect, v. i. To make a search; to seek; to explore, as for mines or the like; as, to prospect for gold.

Pro*spec"tion (?), n. The act of looking forward, or of providing for future wants; foresight.

Pro*spec"tive (?), a. [L. prospectivus: cf. F. prospectif. See Prospect, n.] 1. Of or pertaining to a prospect; furnishing a prospect; perspective. [Obs.]

Time's long and dark prospective glass.

Milton.

2. Looking forward in time; acting with foresight; -- opposed to retrospective.

The French king of Sweden are circumspect, industrious, and prospective, too, in this affair.

Sir J. Child.

3. Being within view or consideration, as a future event or contingency; relating to the future: expected; as, a prospective benefit.

Points on which the promises, at the time of ordination, had no prospective bearing.

W. Jay.

Pro*spec"tive (?), n. 1. The scene before or around, in time or in space; view; prospect. Sir H. Wotton.

2. A perspective glass. [Obs.] Chaucer. Beau. & Fl.

Pro*spec"tive*ly, adv. In a prospective manner.

Pro*spec"tive*ness, n. Quality of being prospective.

Pros"pect*less (?), a. Having no prospect.

Pros"pect*or (?), n. [L., one who looks out.] One who prospects; especially, one who explores a region for minerals and precious metals.

Pro*spec"tus (?), n. [L., a prospect, sight, view: cf. F. prospectus. See Prospect.] A summary, plan, or scheme of something proposed, affording a prospect of its nature; especially, an exposition of the scheme of an unpublished literary work.

Pros"per (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prospered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prospering.] [F. prospÈrer v. i., or L. prosperare, v. i., or L. prosperare, v. t., fr. prosper or prosperus. See Prosperous.] To favor; to render successful. "Prosper thou our handiwork." Bk. of Common Prayer.

All things concur toprosper our design.

Dryden.

Pros"per, v. i. 1. To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain.

They, in their earthly Canaan placed, Long time shall dwell and prosper.

Milton.

2. To grow; to increase. [Obs.]

Black cherry trees prosper even to considerable timber.

Evelyn.

Pros*per"i*ty (?), n. [F. prospÈritÈ, L. prosperitas. See Prosperous.] The state of being prosperous; advance or gain in anything good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; attainment of the object desired; good fortune; success; as, commercial prosperity; national prosperity.

Now prosperity begins to mellow.

Shak.

Prosperities can only be enjoyed by them who fear not at all to lose them.

Jer. Taylor.

Syn. -- Prosperousness; thrift; weal; welfare; well being; happiness.

Pros"per*ous (&?;), a. [L. prosperus or prosper, originally, answering to hope; pro according to + the root of sperare to hope. See Despair.] 1. Tending to prosperity; favoring; favorable; helpful.

A happy passage and a prosperous wind.

Denham.

2. Being prospered; advancing in the pursuit of anything desirable; making gain, or increase; thriving; successful; as, a prosperous voyage; a prosperous undertaking; a prosperous man or nation.

By moderation either state to bear Prosperous or adverse.

Milton.

Syn. -- Fortunate; successful; flourishing; thriving; favorable; auspicious; lucky. See Fortunate.

-- Pros"per*ous*ly, adv. -- Pros"per*ous*ness, n.

||Pros"phy*sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;; &?; to + &?; to grow.] (Med.) ||A growing together of parts; specifically, a morbid adhesion of the ||eyelids to each other or to the eyeball. Dunglison.

Pro*spi"cience (?), n. [L. prospicientia, fr. prospiciens, p. pr. of prospicere. See Prospect.] The act of looking forward.

Pros"tate (?), a.[Gr. &?; standing before, fr. &?; to set before; &?; before + &?; to set: cf. F. prostate.] (Anat.) Standing before; -- applied to a gland which is found in the males of most mammals, and is situated at the neck of the bladder where this joins the urethra. -- n. The prostate gland.

Pro*stat"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the prostate gland.

Prostatic catheter. (Med.) See under Catheter.

||Pros`ta*ti"tis (?), n. [NL. See Prostate, and -itis.] (Med.) ||Inflammation of the prostate.

Pros`ter*na"tion (?), n. [F. See Prostration.] Dejection; depression. [Obs.] Wiseman.

Pro*ster"num (?), n. [NL. See Pro- and Sternum.] (Zoˆl.) The ventral plate of the prothorax of an insect.

||Pros"the*sis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?; an addition, fr. &?; to put to, ||to add; &?; to + &?; to put, place.] 1. (Surg.) The addition to the ||human body of some artificial part, to replace one that is wanting, ||as a log or an eye; -- called also prothesis.

2. (Gram.) The prefixing of one or more letters to the beginning of a word, as in beloved.

Pros*thet"ic (?), a. [Cf. Gr. &?; disposed to add, &?; put on.] Of or pertaining to prosthesis; prefixed, as a letter or letters to a word.

Pros*tib"u*lous (?), a. [L. prostibulum prostitute.] Of or pertaining to prostitutes or prostitution; meretricious. [Obs.] Bale.

Pros"ti*tute (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prostituted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prostituting.] [L. prostitutus, p. p. of prostituere to prostitute; pro before, forth + statuere to put, place. See Statute.] 1. To offer, as a woman, to a lewd use; to give up to lewdness for hire. "Do not prostitute thy daughter." Lev. xix. 29.

2. To devote to base or unworthy purposes; to give up to low or indiscriminate use; as, to prostitute talents; to prostitute official powers. Milton.

Pros"ti*tute, a. [L. prostitutus, p. p.] Openly given up to lewdness; devoted to base or infamous purposes.

Made bold by want, and prostitute for bread.

Prior

Pros"ti*tute, n. [L. prostituta.] 1. A woman giver to indiscriminate lewdness; a strumpet; a harlot.

2. A base hireling; a mercenary; one who offers himself to infamous employments for hire.

No hireling she, no prostitute to praise.

Pope.

Pros`ti*tu"tion (?), n. [L. prostitutio: cf. F. prostitution.] 1. The act or practice of prostituting or offering the body to an indiscriminate intercourse with men; common lewdness of a woman.

2. The act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes what is in one's power; as, the prostitution of abilities; the prostitution of the press. "Mental prostitution." Byron.

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Pros"ti*tu`tor (?), n. [L.] One who prostitutes; one who submits himself, of or offers another, to vile purposes. Bp. Hurd.

||Pro*sto"mi*um (?), n.; pl. Prostomia (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?; before + ||&?;, &?;, mouth.] (Zoˆl.) That portion of the head of an annelid ||situated in front of the mouth. -- Pro*sto"mi*al (#), a.

Pros"trate (?), a. [L. prostratus, p. p. of prosternere to prostrate; pro before, forward + sternere to spread out, throw down. See Stratum.] 1. Lying at length, or with the body extended on the ground or other surface; stretched out; as, to sleep prostrate. Elyot.

Groveling and prostrate on yon lake of fire.

Milton.

2. Lying at mercy, as a supplicant. Dryden.

3. Lying in a humble, lowly, or suppliant posture.

Prostrate fall Before him reverent, and there confess Humbly our faults.

Milton.

4. (Bot.) Trailing on the ground; procumbent.

Pros"trate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prostrated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prostrating.] 1. To lay fiat; to throw down; to level; to fell; as, to prostrate the body; to prostrate trees or plants. Evelyn.

2. to overthrow; to demolish; to destroy; to deprive of efficiency; to ruin; as, to prostrate a village; to prostrate a government; to prostrate law or justice.

3. To throw down, or cause to fall in humility or adoration; to cause to bow in humble reverence; used reflexively; as, he prostrated himself. Milman.

4. To cause to sink totally; to deprive of strength; to reduce; as, a person prostrated by fever.

Pros*tra"tion (?), n. [L. prostratio: cf. F. prostration.] 1. The act of prostrating, throwing down, or laying fiat; as, the prostration of the body.

2. The act of falling down, or of bowing in humility or adoration; primarily, the act of falling on the face, but usually applied to kneeling or bowing in reverence and worship.

A greater prostration of reason than of body.

Shak.

3. The condition of being prostrate; great depression; lowness; dejection; as, a postration of spirits. "A sudden prostration of strength." Arbuthnot.

4. (Med.) A latent, not an exhausted, state of the vital energies; great oppression of natural strength and vigor.

Prostration, in its medical use, is analogous to the state of a spring lying under such a weight that it is incapable of action; while exhaustion is analogous to the state of a spring deprived of its elastic powers. The word, however, is often used to denote any great depression of the vital powers.

Pro"style (?), a. [L. prostylus, Gr. &?;; &?; before + &?; pillar, column: cf. F. prostyle.] (Arch.) Having columns in front. -- n. A prostyle portico or building.

Pros"y (?), a. [Compar. Prosier (?); superl. Prosiest.]

1. Of or pertaining to prose; like prose.

2. Dull and tedious in discourse or writing; prosaic.

Pro*sy"lo*gism (?), n. [Pref. pro- + syllogism.] (Logic) A syllogism preliminary or logically essential to another syllogism; the conclusion of such a syllogism, which becomes a premise of the following syllogism.

Pro*tac"tic (?), a. [Gr. &?; placing or placed before, fr. &?; to place in front; &?; before + &?; to arrange.] Giving a previous narrative or explanation, as of the plot or personages of a play; introductory.

Pro"ta*gon (?), n. [Proto- + Gr. &?; a contest. See. Protagonist. So called because it was the first definitely ascertained principle of the brain.] (Physiol. Chem.) A nitrogenous phosphorized principle found in brain tissue. By decomposition it yields neurine, fatty acids, and other bodies.

Pro*tag"o*nist (?), n. [Gr. &?;; prw^tos first + &?; an actor, combatant, fr. &?; a contest.] One who takes the leading part in a drama; hence, one who takes lead in some great scene, enterprise, conflict, or the like.

Shakespeare, the protagonist on the great of modern poetry.

De Quincey.

Pro"ta*min (?), n. [Gr. prw^tos first.] (Physiol. Chem.) An amorphous nitrogenous substance found in the spermatic fluid of salmon. It is soluble in water, which an alkaline reaction, and unites with acids and metallic bases.

Pro*tan"dric (?), a. [Proto- + Gr. &?;, &?;, a man.] (Zoˆl.) Having male sexual organs while young, and female organs later in life. -- Pro*tan"trism (#), n.

Pro*tan"drous (?), a. (Bot.) Proterandrous.

||Prot"a*sis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to stretch before, ||forward; &?; before + &?; to stretch.] 1. A proposition; a maxim. ||Johnson.

2. (Gram.) The introductory or subordinate member of a sentence, generally of a conditional sentence; -- opposed to apodosis. See Apodosis.

3. The first part of a drama, of a poem, or the like; the introduction; opposed to epitasis. B. Jonson.

Pro*tat"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?;: cf. L. protaticus, F. protatique.] Of or pertaining to the protasis of an ancient play; introductory.

Pro`te*a"ceous (?), a. [From Proteus.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to the ProteaceÊ, an order of apetalous evergreen shrubs, mostly natives of the Cape of Good Hope or of Australia.

Pro"te*an (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus. " Protean transformations." Cudworth.

2. Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms; as, an amúba is a protean animalcule.

Pro"te*an*ly, adv. In a protean manner. Cudworth.

Pro*tect" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Protected; p. pr. & vb. n. Protecting.] [L. protectus, p. p. of protegere, literally, to cover in front; pro before + tegere to cover. See Tegument.] To cover or shield from danger or injury; to defend; to guard; to preserve in safety; as, a father protects his children.

The gods of Greece protect you!

Shak.

Syn. -- To guard; shield; preserve. See Defend.

Pro*tect"ing*ly (?), adv. By way of protection; in a protective manner.

Pro*tec"tion (?), n. [L. protectio: cf. F. protection.] 1. The act of protecting, or the state of being protected; preservation from loss, injury, or annoyance; defense; shelter; as, the weak need protection.

To your protection I commend me, gods.

Shak.

2. That which protects or preserves from injury; a defense; a shield; a refuge.

Let them rise up . . . and be your protection.

Deut. xxxii. 38.

3. A writing that protects or secures from molestation or arrest; a pass; a safe-conduct; a passport.

He . . . gave them protections under his hand.

Macaulay.

4. (Polit. Econ.) A theory, or a policy, of protecting the producers in a country from foreign competition in the home market by the imposition of such discriminating duties on goods of foreign production as will restrict or prevent their importation; -- opposed to free trade.

Writ of protection. (Law) (a) A writ by which the king formerly exempted a person from arrest; -- now disused. [Eng.] Blackstone. (b) A judicial writ issued to a person required to attend court, as party, juror, etc., intended to secure him from arrest in coming, staying, and returning.

Syn. -- Preservation; defense; guard; shelter; refuge; security; safety.

Pro*tec"tion*ism (?), n. (Polit. Econ.) The doctrine or policy of protectionists. See Protection, 4.

Pro*tec"tion*ist, n. (Polit. Econ.) One who favors protection. See Protection, 4.

Pro*tect"ive (?), a. [Cf. F. protectif.] Affording protection; sheltering; defensive. " The favor of a protective Providence." Feltham.

Protective coloring (Zoˆl.), coloring which serves for the concealment and preservation of a living organism. Cf. Mimicry. Wallace. -- Protective tariff (Polit. Econ.), a tariff designed to secure protection (see Protection, 4.), as distinguished from a tariff designed to raise revenue. See Tariff, and Protection, 4.

Pro*tect"ive*ness, n. The quality or state of being protective. W. Pater.

Pro*tect"or (?), n. [L.: cf. F. protecteur.] 1. One who, or that which, defends or shields from injury, evil, oppression, etc.; a defender; a guardian; a patron.

For the world's protector shall be known.

Waller.

2. (Eng. Hist.) One having the care of the kingdom during the king's minority; a regent.

Is it concluded he shall be protector !

Shak.

3. (R. C. Ch.) A cardinal, from one of the more considerable Roman Catholic nations, who looks after the interests of his people at Rome; also, a cardinal who has the same relation to a college, religious order, etc.

Lord Protector (Eng. Hist.), the title of Oliver Cromwell as supreme governor of the British Commonwealth (1653-1658).

Pro*tect"or*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a protector; protectorial; as, protectoral power.

Pro*tect"or*ate (?), n. [Cf. F. protectorat.] 1. Government by a protector; -- applied especially to the government of England by Oliver Cromwell.

2. The authority assumed by a superior power over an inferior or a dependent one, whereby the former protects the latter from invasion and shares in the management of its affairs.

Pro`tec*to"ri*al (?), a. [Cf. L. protectorius.] Same as Protectoral.