| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| poach | verb & noun | To cook, as eggs, by breaking them into boiling water; also, to cook with butter after breaking in a vessel., To rob of game; to pocket and convey away by stealth, as game; hence, to plunder., To steal or pocket game, or to carry it away privately, as in a bag; to kill or destroy game contrary to law, especially by night; to hunt or fish unlawfully; as, to poach for rabbits or for salmon., To stab; to pierce; to spear, as fish., To force, drive, or plunge into anything., To make soft or muddy by trampling, To begin and not complete., To become soft or muddy. |
| poake | noun | Waste matter from the preparation of skins, consisting of hair, lime, oil, etc. |
| pocan | noun | The poke (Phytolacca decandra); — called also pocan bush. |
| pocky | superl. | Full of pocks; affected with smallpox or other eruptive disease. |
| podge | noun | A puddle; a plash., Porridge. |
| podgy | adjective | Fat and short; pudgy. |
| podia | plural | of Podium |
| podo- | A combining form or prefix from Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot; as, podocarp, podocephalous, podology. | |
| poesy | noun | The art of composing poems; poetical skill or faculty; as, the heavenly gift of poesy., Poetry; metrical composition; poems., A short conceit or motto engraved on a ring or other thing; a posy. |
| poggy | noun | See Porgy., A small whale. |
| poind | verb t. | To impound, as cattle., To distrain. |
| point | verb t. & i. | To appoint., That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin., An instrument which pricks or pierces, as a sort of needle used by engravers, etchers, lace workers, and others; also, a pointed cutting tool, as a stone cutter’s point; — called also pointer., Anything which tapers to a sharp, well-defined termination. Specifically: A small promontory or cape; a tract of land extending into the water beyond the common shore line., The mark made by the end of a sharp, piercing instrument, as a needle; a prick., An indefinitely small space; a mere spot indicated or supposed. Specifically: (Geom.) That which has neither parts nor magnitude; that which has position, but has neither length, breadth, nor thickness, — sometimes conceived of as the limit of a line; that by the motion of which a line is conceived to be produced., An indivisible portion of time; a moment; an instant; hence, the verge., A mark of punctuation; a character used to mark the divisions of a composition, or the pauses to be observed in reading, or to point off groups of figures, etc.; a stop, as a comma, a semicolon, and esp. a period; hence, figuratively, an end, or conclusion., Whatever serves to mark progress, rank, or relative position, or to indicate a transition from one state or position to another, degree; step; stage; hence, position or condition attained; as, a point of elevation, or of depression; the stock fell off five points; he won by tenpoints., That which arrests attention, or indicates qualities or character; a salient feature; a characteristic; a peculiarity; hence, a particular; an item; a detail; as, the good or bad points of a man, a horse, a book, a story, etc., Hence, the most prominent or important feature, as of an argument, discourse, etc.; the essential matter; esp., the proposition to be established; as, the point of an anecdote., A small matter; a trifle; a least consideration; a punctilio., A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time, A dot or mark distinguishing or characterizing certain tones or styles; as, points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.; hence, a note; a tune., A dot placed at the right hand of a note, to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half, as to make a whole note equal to three half notes, a half note equal to three quarter notes., A fixed conventional place for reference, or zero of reckoning, in the heavens, usually the intersection of two or more great circles of the sphere, and named specifically in each case according to the position intended; as, the equinoctial points; the solstitial points; the nodal points; vertical points, etc. See Equinoctial Nodal., One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon., One of the points of the compass (see Points of the compass, below); also, the difference between two points of the compass; as, to fall off a point., A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails. See Reef point, under Reef., A a string or lace used to tie together certain parts of the dress., Lace wrought the needle; as, point de Venise; Brussels point. See Point lace, below., A switch., An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer., A fielder who is stationed on the off side, about twelve or fifteen yards from, and a little in advance of, the batsman., The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game; as, the dog came to a point. See Pointer., A standard unit of measure for the size of type bodies, being one twelfth of the thickness of pica type. See Point system of type, under Type., A tyne or snag of an antler., One of the spaces on a backgammon board., A movement executed with the saber or foil; as, tierce point., To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end; as, to point a dart, or a pencil. Used also figuratively; as, to point a moral., To direct toward an abject; to aim; as, to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort., Hence, to direct the attention or notice of., To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate; as, to point a composition., To mark (as Hebrew) with vowel points., To give particular prominence to; to designate in a special manner; to indicate, as if by pointing; as, the error was pointed out., To indicate or discover by a fixed look, as game., To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface., To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool., To direct the point of something, as of a finger, for the purpose of designating an object, and attracting attention to it; — with at., To indicate the presence of game by fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do., To approximate to the surface; to head; — said of an abscess. |
| poise | verb | Weight; gravity; that which causes a body to descend; heaviness., The weight, or mass of metal, used in weighing, to balance the substance weighed., The state of being balanced by equal weight or power; equipoise; balance; equilibrium; rest., That which causes a balance; a counterweight., To balance; to make of equal weight; as, to poise the scales of a balance., To hold or place in equilibrium or equiponderance., To counterpoise; to counterbalance., To ascertain, as by the balance; to weigh., To weigh (down); to oppress., To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt. |
| poize | noun | See Poise. |
| pokal | noun | A tall drinking cup. |
| poked | imp. & past participle | of Poke |
| poker | noun | One who pokes., That which pokes or is used in poking, especially a metal bar or rod used in stirring a fire of coals., A poking-stick., The poachard., A game at cards derived from brag, and first played about 1835 in the Southwestern United States., Any imagined frightful object, especially one supposed to haunt the darkness; a bugbear. |
| poket | noun | A pocket. |
| pokey | adjective | See Poky. |
| polar | adjective | Of or pertaining to one of the poles of the earth, or of a sphere; situated near, or proceeding from, one of the poles; as, polar regions; polar seas; polar winds., Of or pertaining to the magnetic pole, or to the point to which the magnetic needle is directed., Pertaining to, reckoned from, or having a common radiating point; as, polar coordinates., The right line drawn through the two points of contact of the two tangents drawn from a given point to a given conic section. The given point is called the pole of the line. If the given point lies within the curve so that the two tangents become imaginary, there is still a real polar line which does not meet the curve, but which possesses other properties of the polar. Thus the focus and directrix are pole and polar. There are also poles and polar curves to curves of higher degree than the second, and poles and polar planes to surfaces of the second degree. |
| poled | imp. & past participle | of Pole |
| poler | noun | One who poles., An extortioner. See Poller. |
| poley | noun | See Poly., Without horns; polled. |
| polka | noun | A dance of Polish origin, but now common everywhere. It is performed by two persons in common time., A lively Bohemian or Polish dance tune in 2-4 measure, with the third quaver accented. |
| polly | noun | A woman’s name; also, a popular name for a parrot. |
| poly- | adjective | A combining form or prefix from Gr. poly`s, many; as, polygon, a figure of many angles; polyatomic, having many atoms; polychord, polyconic. |
| polyp | noun | One of the feeding or nutritive zooids of a hydroid or coral., One of the Anthozoa., Same as Anthozoa. See Anthozoa, Madreporaria, Hydroid. |
| pomel | noun | A pommel. |
| pomey | noun | A figure supposed to resemble an apple; a roundel, — always of a green color. |
| pomme | adjective | Having the ends terminating in rounded protuberances or single balls; — said of a cross. |
| pongo | noun | Any large ape; especially, the chimpanzee and the orang-outang. |
| ponty | noun | See Pontee. |
| popet | noun | A puppet. |
| poppy | noun | Any plant or species of the genus Papaver, herbs with showy polypetalous flowers and a milky juice. From one species (Papaver somniferum) opium is obtained, though all the species contain it to some extent; also, a flower of the plant. See Illust. of Capsule., Alt. of Poppyhead |
| porch | noun | A covered and inclosed entrance to a building, whether taken from the interior, and forming a sort of vestibule within the main wall, or projecting without and with a separate roof. Sometimes the porch is large enough to serve as a covered walk. See also Carriage porch, under Carriage, and Loggia., A portico; a covered walk. |
| pored | imp. & past participle | of Pore |
| porer | noun | One who pores. |
| porgy | noun | The scup., The sailor’s choice, or pinfish., The margate fish., The spadefish., Any one of several species of embiotocoids, or surf fishes, of the Pacific coast. The name is also given locally to several other fishes, as the bur fish. |
| porta | noun | The part of the liver or other organ where its vessels and nerves enter; the hilus., The foramen of Monro. |
| porte | noun | The Ottoman court; the government of the Turkish empire, officially called the Sublime Porte, from the gate (port) of the sultan’s palace at which justice was administered. |
| posed | imp. & past participle | of Pose, Firm; determined; fixed. |
| poser | noun | One who, or that which, puzzles; a difficult or inexplicable question or fact. |
| posit | verb t. | To dispose or set firmly or fixedly; to place or dispose in relation to other objects., To assume as real or conceded; as, to posit a principle. |
| posse | noun | See Posse comitatus. |
| post- | A prefix signifying behind, back, after; as, postcommissure, postdot, postscript. | |
| potch | verb i. | To thrust; to push., See Poach, to cook. |
| potoo | noun | A large South American goatsucker (Nyctibius grandis). |
| potto | noun | A nocturnal mammal (Perodictius potto) of the Lemur family, found in West Africa. It has rudimentary forefingers. Called also aposoro, and bush dog., The kinkajou. |
| pouch | noun | A small bag; usually, a leathern bag; as, a pouch for money; a shot pouch; a mail pouch, etc., That which is shaped like, or used as, a pouch, A protuberant belly; a paunch; — so called in ridicule., A sac or bag for carrying food or young; as, the cheek pouches of certain rodents, and the pouch of marsupials., A cyst or sac containing fluid., A silicle, or short pod, as of the shepherd’s purse., A bulkhead in the hold of a vessel, to prevent grain, etc., from shifting., To put or take into a pouch., To swallow; — said of fowls., To pout., To pocket; to put up with. |
| poulp | noun | Alt. of Poulpe |
| poult | noun | A young chicken, partridge, grouse, or the like. |
| pound | verb t. | To strike repeatedly with some heavy instrument; to beat., To comminute and pulverize by beating; to bruise or break into fine particles with a pestle or other heavy instrument; as, to pound spice or salt., To strike heavy blows; to beat., To make a jarring noise, as in running; as, the engine pounds., An inclosure, maintained by public authority, in which cattle or other animals are confined when taken in trespassing, or when going at large in violation of law; a pinfold., A level stretch in a canal between locks., A kind of net, having a large inclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward., To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound., of Pound, A certain specified weight; especially, a legal standard consisting of an established number of ounces., A British denomination of money of account, equivalent to twenty shillings sterling, and equal in value to about $4.86. There is no coin known by this name, but the gold sovereign is of the same value. |
| powan | noun | Alt. of Powen |
| powen | noun | A small British lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeoides, or C. ferus); — called also gwyniad and lake herring. |
| power | noun | Same as Poor, the fish., Ability to act, regarded as latent or inherent; the faculty of doing or performing something; capacity for action or performance; capability of producing an effect, whether physical or moral: potency; might; as, a man of great power; the power of capillary attraction; money gives power., Ability, regarded as put forth or exerted; strength, force, or energy in action; as, the power of steam in moving an engine; the power of truth, or of argument, in producing conviction; the power of enthusiasm., Capacity of undergoing or suffering; fitness to be acted upon; susceptibility; — called also passive power; as, great power of endurance., The exercise of a faculty; the employment of strength; the exercise of any kind of control; influence; dominion; sway; command; government., The agent exercising an ability to act; an individual invested with authority; an institution, or government, which exercises control; as, the great powers of Europe; hence, often, a superhuman agent; a spirit; a divinity., A military or naval force; an army or navy; a great host., A large quantity; a great number; as, a power o/ good things., The rate at which mechanical energy is exerted or mechanical work performed, as by an engine or other machine, or an animal, working continuously; as, an engine of twenty horse power., A mechanical agent; that from which useful mechanical energy is derived; as, water power; steam power; hand power, etc., Applied force; force producing motion or pressure; as, the power applied at one and of a lever to lift a weight at the other end., A machine acted upon by an animal, and serving as a motor to drive other machinery; as, a dog power., The product arising from the multiplication of a number into itself; as, a square is the second power, and a cube is third power, of a number., Mental or moral ability to act; one of the faculties which are possessed by the mind or soul; as, the power of thinking, reasoning, judging, willing, fearing, hoping, etc., The degree to which a lens, mirror, or any optical instrument, magnifies; in the telescope, and usually in the microscope, the number of times it multiplies, or augments, the apparent diameter of an object; sometimes, in microscopes, the number of times it multiplies the apparent surface., An authority enabling a person to dispose of an interest vested either in himself or in another person; ownership by appointment., Hence, vested authority to act in a given case; as, the business was referred to a committee with power. |
| poxed | imp. & past participle | of Pox |
| poynd | noun | Alt. of Poynder |
| poyou | noun | A South American armadillo (Dasypus sexcinctus). Called also sixbanded armadillo. |