|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
pith
pith / pi[unvoicedth]/ • n. 1. soft or spongy tissue in plants or animals, in particular: ∎ spongy white tissue lining the rind of an orange, lemon, and other citrus fruits. ∎ Bot. the spongy cellular tissue in the stems and branches of many higher plants. ∎ archaic spinal marrow. 2. fig. the essence of something: the pith and core of socialism. 3. fig. forceful and concise expression: he writes with a combination of pith and exactitude. • v. [tr.] 1. dated, chiefly fig. remove the pith from. 2. rare pierce or sever the spinal cord of (an animal) so as to kill or immobilize it. DERIVATIVES: pith·less adj. |
|
|
Cite this article
"pith." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pith." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pith.html "pith." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pith.html |
|
pith
pith
1. (or medulla) The cylinder of parenchyma tissue found in the centre of plant stems to the inside of the vascular tissue. It is light in weight and has been put to various commercial uses, notably the manufacture of pith helmets. 2. (not in scientific usage) The white tissue below the rind of many citrus fruits. 3. To destroy the central nervous system of an animal, especially a laboratory animal such as a frog, by severing its spinal cord. |
|
|
Cite this article
"pith." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pith." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-pith.html "pith." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-pith.html |
|
pith
pith in botany, core of the stem of most plants. Pith is composed of large, loosely packed food-storage cells. As the stem grows older the pith usually dries out, and in some it disintegrates and the stem becomes hollow. In trees the pith becomes much reduced as the woody tissue (xylem) grows. In East Asia, rice paper is made from the pith of some shrubs. Candlewicks are made of the pith of certain rushes. |
|
|
Cite this article
"pith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pith.html "pith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pith.html |
|
pith
pith medulla of plants; central or vital part OE.; might, mettle XIII; core, marrow XV; gravity XVII. OE. piða, corr. to MLG., MDu. pit(te); of unkn. orig.
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "pith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "pith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pith.html T. F. HOAD. "pith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pith.html |
|
pith
|
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "pith." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "pith." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-pith.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "pith." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-pith.html |
|
pith
pith See albedo.
|
|
|
Cite this article
DAVID A. BENDER. "pith." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAVID A. BENDER. "pith." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-pith.html DAVID A. BENDER. "pith." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-pith.html |
|
pith
pith •myth, outwith, pith, smith
•twentieth • seventieth • eightieth
•fiftieth • sixtieth • ninetieth
•fortieth • thirtieth • Edith • Judith
•Meredith • Griffith • Hesketh
•tallith • Delyth • Lilith • megalith
•monolith • blacksmith • Nasmyth
•tinsmith • Ladysmith • locksmith
•songsmith • goldsmith • gunsmith
•coppersmith • silversmith
•wordsmith
•Kenneth, zenith
•Gwyneth • Lapith • Hollerith
•Asquith • Sopwith
|
|
|
Cite this article
"pith." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pith." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pith.html "pith." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pith.html |
|
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
