Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter P - Page 49

Pet (v. i.) To be a pet.

Petal (n.) One of the leaves of the corolla, or the colored leaves of a flower. See Corolla, and Illust. of Flower.

Petal (n.) One of the expanded ambulacra which form a rosette on the black of certain Echini.

Petaled (a.) Having petals; as, a petaled flower; -- opposed to apetalous, and much used in compounds; as, one-petaled, three-petaled, etc.

Petaliferous (a.) Bearing petals.

Petaliform (a.) Having the form of a petal; petaloid; petal-shaped.

Petaline (a.) Pertaining to a petal; attached to, or resembling, a petal.

Petalism (n.) A form of sentence among the ancient Syracusans by which they banished for five years a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition. It was similar to the ostracism in Athens; but olive leaves were used instead of shells for ballots.

Petalite (n.) A rare mineral, occurring crystallized and in cleavable masses, usually white, or nearly so, in color. It is a silicate of aluminia and lithia.

Petalody (n.) The metamorphosis of various floral organs, usually stamens, into petals.

Petaloid (a.) Petaline.

Petaloideous (a.) Having the whole or part of the perianth petaline.

Petalosticha (n. pl.) An order of Echini, including the irregular sea urchins, as the spatangoids. See Spatangoid.

Petalous (a.) Having petals; petaled; -- opposed to apetalous.

Petala (pl. ) of Petalum

Petalum (n.) A petal.

Petar (n.) See Petard.

Petard (n.) A case containing powder to be exploded, esp. a conical or cylindrical case of metal filled with powder and attached to a plank, to be exploded against and break down gates, barricades, drawbridges, etc. It has been superseded.

Petardeer (n.) Alt. of Petardier

Petardier (n.) One who managed a petard.

Petasus (n.) The winged cap of Mercury; also, a broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat worn by Greeks and Romans.

Petaurist (n.) Any flying marsupial of the genera Petaurus, Phalangista, Acrobata, and allied genera. See Flying mouse, under Flying, and Phalangister.

Petechiae (n. pl.) Small crimson, purple, or livid spots, like flea-bites, due to extravasation of blood, which appear on the skin in malignant fevers, etc.

Petechial (a.) Characterized by, or pertaining to, petechiae; spotted.

Peter (n.) A common baptismal name for a man. The name of one of the apostles,

Petered (imp. & p. p.) of Peter

Petering (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Peter

Peter (v. i.) To become exhausted; to run out; to fail; -- used generally with out; as, that mine has petered out.

Peterel (n.) See Petrel.

Peterero (n.) See Pederero.

Petermen (pl. ) of Peterman

Peterman (n.) A fisherman; -- so called after the apostle Peter.

Petersham (n.) A rough, knotted woolen cloth, used chiefly for men's overcoats; also, a coat of that material.

Peterwort (n.) See Saint Peter's-wort, under Saint.

Petiolar (a.) Alt. of Petiolary

Petiolary (a.) Of or pertaining to petiole, or proceeding from it; as, a petiolar tendril; growing or supported upon a petiole; as, a petiolar gland; a petiolar bud.

Petiolate (a.) Alt. of Petiolated

Petiolated (a.) Having a stalk or petiole; as, a petioleate leaf; the petiolated abdomen of certain Hymenoptera.

Petiole (n.) A leafstalk; the footstalk of a leaf, connecting the blade with the stem. See Illust. of Leaf.

Petiole (n.) A stalk or peduncle.

Petioled (a.) Petiolate.

Petiolulate (a.) Supported by its own petiolule.

Petiolule (n.) A small petiole, or the petiole of a leaflet.

Petit (a.) Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as Petty.

Petition (n.) A prayer; a supplication; an imploration; an entreaty; especially, a request of a solemn or formal kind; a prayer to the Supreme Being, or to a person of superior power, rank, or authority; also, a single clause in such a prayer.

Petition (n.) A formal written request addressed to an official person, or to an organized body, having power to grant it; specifically (Law), a supplication to government, in either of its branches, for the granting of a particular grace or right; -- in distinction from a memorial, which calls certain facts to mind; also, the written document.

Petitioned (imp. & p. p.) of Petition

Petitioning (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Petition

Petition (v. t.) To make a prayer or request to; to ask from; to solicit; to entreat; especially, to make a formal written supplication, or application to, as to any branch of the government; as, to petition the court; to petition the governor.

Petition (v. i.) To make a petition or solicitation.

Petitionarily (adv.) By way of begging the question; by an assumption.

Petitionary (a.) Supplicatory; making a petition.

Petitionary (a.) Containing a petition; of the nature of a petition; as, a petitionary epistle.

Petitionee (n.) A person cited to answer, or defend against, a petition.

Petitioner (n.) One who presents a petition.

Petitioning (n.) The act of presenting apetition; a supplication.

Petitor (n.) One who seeks or asks; a seeker; an applicant.

Petitory (a.) Petitioning; soliciting; supplicating.

Petong (n.) See Packfong.

Petralogy (n.) See Petrology.

Petrary (n.) An ancient war engine for hurling stones.

Petrean (a.) Of or pertaining to to rock.

Petre (n.) See Saltpeter.

Petrel (n.) Any one of numerous species of longwinged sea birds belonging to the family Procellaridae. The small petrels, or Mother Carey's chickens, belong to Oceanites, Oceanodroma, Procellaria, and several allied genera.

Petrescence (n.) The process of changing into stone; petrification.

Petrescent (a.) Petrifying; converting into stone; as, petrescent water.

Petrifaction (n.) The process of petrifying, or changing into stone; conversion of any organic matter (animal or vegetable) into stone, or a substance of stony hardness.

Petrifaction (n.) The state or condition of being petrified.

Petrifaction (n.) That which is petrified; popularly, a body incrusted with stony matter; an incrustation.

Petrifaction (n.) Fig.: Hardness; callousness; obduracy.

Petrifactive (a.) Having the quality of converting organic matter into stone; petrifying.

Petrifactive (a.) Pertaining to, or characterized by, petrifaction.

Petrific (a.) Petrifying; petrifactive.

Petrificate (v. t.) To petrify.

Petrification (n.) See Petrifaction.

Petrification (n.) Fig.: Obduracy; callousness.

Petrified (imp. & p. p.) of Petrify

Petrifying (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Petrify

Petrify (v. t.) To convert, as any animal or vegetable matter, into stone or stony substance.

Petrify (v. t.) To make callous or obdurate; to stupefy; to paralyze; to transform; as by petrifaction; as, to petrify the heart. Young.

Petrify (v. i.) To become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits.

Petrify (v. i.) Fig.: To become stony, callous, or obdurate.

Petrine (a.) Of or pertaining to St.Peter; as, the Petrine Epistles.

Petro- () A combining form from Gr. / a rock, / a stone; as, petrology, petroglyphic.

Petrogale (n.) Any Australian kangaroo of the genus Petrogale, as the rock wallaby (P. penicillata).

Petroglyphic (a.) Of or pertaining to petroglyphy.

Petroglyphy (n.) The art or operation of carving figures or inscriptions on rock or stone.

Petrographic (a.) Alt. of Petrographical

Petrographical (a.) Pertaining to petrography.

Petrography (n.) The art of writing on stone.

Petrography (n.) The scientific description of rocks; that department of science which investigates the constitution of rocks; petrology.

Petrohyoid (a.) Pertaining to petrous, oe periotic, portion of the skull and the hyoid arch; as, the petrohyoid muscles of the frog.

Petrol (n.) Petroleum.

Petrolatum (n.) A semisolid unctuous substance, neutral, and without taste or odor, derived from petroleum by distilling off the lighter portions and purifying the residue. It is a yellowish, fatlike mass, transparent in thin layers, and somewhat fluorescent. It is used as a bland protective dressing, and as a substitute for fatty materials in ointments.

Petroleum (n.) Rock oil, mineral oil, or natural oil, a dark brown or greenish inflammable liquid, which, at certain points, exists in the upper strata of the earth, from whence it is pumped, or forced by pressure of the gas attending it. It consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, largely of the methane series, but may vary much in appearance, composition, and properties. It is refined by distillation, and the products include kerosene, benzine, gasoline, paraffin, etc.

Petroleur (n. f.) Alt. of Petroleuse

Petroleuse (n. f.) One who makes use of petroleum for incendiary purposes.

Petroline (n.) A paraffin obtained from petroleum from Rangoon in India, and practically identical with ordinary paraffin.

Petrologic (a.) Alt. of Petrological

Petrological (a.) Of or pertaining to petrology.

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