Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

PALATINE — PANEGYRIST

PALATINE, a. [L. palatinus, from palatium, palace.] Pertaining to a palace; an epithet applied originally to persons holding an office or employment in the king’s palace; hence it imports possessing royal privileges; as a count palatine.

In England, formerly, were three counties palatine, Chester, Durham and Lancaster; the two former by prescription, the latter by grant of Edward III. They were so called, because the proprietors, the earl of Chester, the bishop of Durham and the duke of Lancaster, possessed royal rights, as fully as the king in his palace. Of these, the county of Durham is the only one now remaining in the hands of a subject.

PALATINE, n. One invested with royal privileges and rights. A palatine or count palatine, on the continent of Europe, is one delegated by a prince to hold courts of justice in a province, or one who has a palace and a court of justice in his own house. In Poland, a palatine may be regarded as the governor of a province.

PALATIVE, a. Pleasing to the taste. [Not used.]

PALAVER, n.

1. Idle talk.

2. Flattery; adulation. [This is used with us in the vulgar dialect.]

3. Talk; conversation; conference; a sense used in Africa, as appears by the relations of missionaries.

PAL`AVER, v.t. To flatter. [In vulgar use.]

PALE, a. [L. palleo, pallidus.]

1. White or whitish; wan; deficient in color; not ruddy or fresh of color; as a pale face or skin; pale cheeks. We say also, a pale red, a pale blue, that is, a whitish red or blue. Pale is not precisely synonymous with white, as it usually denotes what we call wan, a darkish dun white.

2. Not bright; not shining; of a faint luster; dim; as the pale light of the moon.

The night, methinks, is but the daylight sick;

It looks a little paler.

PALE, v.t. To make pale.

PALE, n. [L. palus; coinciding with Eng. pole, as well as pale. It has the elements of L. pala, a spade or shovel.]

1. A narrow board pointed or sharpened at one end, used in fencing or inclosing. This is with us more generally called a picket.

2. A pointed stake; hence to empale, which see.

3. An inclosure; properly, that which incloses, like fence, limit; hence, the space inclosed. He was born within the pale of the church; within the pale of christianity.

4. District; limited territory.

5. In heraldry, an ordinary, consisting of two perpendicular lines drawn from the top to the base of the escutcheon, and containing the third middle part of the field.

PALE, v.t. To inclose with pales or stakes.

1. To inclose; to encompass.

PALEACEOUS, a. [L. palea, straw, chaff.]

1. Chaffy; resembling chaff, or consisting of it; as a paleaceous pappus.

2. Chaffy; furnished with chaff; as a paleaceous receptacle.

PALED, pp. Inclosed with pales or pickets.

1. Striped.

PALE-EYED, a. Having eyes dimmed.

PALE-FACED, a. Having a pale or wan face.

1. Causing paleness of face; as pale-faced fear.

PALE-HEARTED, a. Dispirited.

PALELY, adv. Wanly; not freshly or ruddily.

PALENDAR, n. A kind of coasting vessel.

PALENESS, n. Wanness; defect of color; want of freshness or ruddiness; a sickly whiteness of look.

The blood the virgin’s cheek forsook,

A livid paleness spreads o’er all her look.

1. Want of color or luster; as the paleness of a flower.

PALEOGRAPHY, n. [Gr. ancient, and writing.]

1. The art of explaining ancient writings. More correctly,

2. An ancient manner of writing; as Punic paleography.

PALEOLOGIST, n. One who writes on antiquity, or one conversant with antiquity.

PALEOLOGY, n. [Gr. ancient, and discourse.] A discourse or treatise on antiquities, or the knowledge of ancient things.

PALEOUS, a. [L. palea, chaff.] Chaffy; like chaff.

PALESTRIAN, PALESTRIC, a. [Gr. a struggling or wrestling, to wrestle, to strive.] Pertaining to the exercise of wrestling.

PALET, n. The crown of the head. [Not used.]

PALETTE. [See Pallet.]

PALFREY, n. [Low L. paraveredi, [plu of veredus,] horses of a large size, used for carrying the baggage of an army.]

1. A horse used by noblemen and others for state, distinguished from a war horse.

2. A small horse fit for ladies.

PALFREYED, a. Riding on a palfrey.

PALIFICATION, n. [from L. palus, a stake or post.] The act or practice of driving piles or posts into the ground for making it firm.

PALINDROME, n. [Gr. again.] A word, verse or sentence that is the same when read backwards or forwards; as madam, or “Roma tibi subito motibus ibit amor.”

PALING, ppr. Inclosing with pales.

PALING, n. A fence formed with pales.

PALINODE, PALINODY, n. [Gr. again, and a song.] A recantation, or declaration contrary to a former one.

PALISADE, n. A fence or fortification consisting of a row of stakes or posts sharpened and set firmly in the ground. In fortification, the posts are set two or three inches apart, parallel to the parapet in the covered way, to prevent a surprise.

Palisades serve also to fortify the avenues of open forts, gorges, half-moons, the bottom of ditches, etc.

PALISADE, v.t. To surround, inclose or fortify with stakes or posts.

PALISH, a. [from pale.] Somewhat pale or wan; as a palish blue.

PALL, n. [L. pallium.]

1. A cloke; a mantle of state.

2. The mantle of an archbishop.

3. The cloth thrown over a dead body at funerals.

PALL, n. In heraldry, a figure like the Greek.

PALL, v.t. To cloke; to cover or invest.

PALL, v.i. [Gr. old.]

1. To become vapid; to lose strength, life, spirit or taste; to become insipid; as, the liquor palls.

Beauty soon grows familiar to the lover,

Fades in the eye and palls upon the sense.

PALL, v.t. To make vapid or insipid.

Reason and reflection--blunt the edge of the keenest desires, and pall all his enjoyments.

1. To make spiritless; to dispirit; to depress.

The more we raise our love,

The more we pall and cool and kill his ardor.

2. To weaken; to impair; as, to pall fortune.

3. To cloy; as the palled appetite.

PALLADIUM, n. [Gr. from Pallas, the goddess.]

1. Primarily, a statue of the goddess Pallas, which represented her as sitting with a pike in her right hand, and in her left a distaff and spindle. On the preservation of this statue depended the safety of Troy. Hence,

2. Something that affords effectual defense, protection and safety; as when we say, the trial by jury is the palladium of our civil rights.

3. A metal found in very small grains, of a steel gray color and fibrous structure, in auriferous and platiniferous sand. It is infusible by ordinary heat, and when native, is alloyed with a litter platina and iridium.

PALLET, n. [L. pala.]

1. Among painters, a little oval table or board, or piece of ivroy, on which the painter places the colors to be used. On the middle the colors are mixed to obtain the tints required.

2. Among potters, crucible makers, etc. a wooden instrument for forming, heating and rounding their works. It is oval, round, etc.

3. In gilding, an instrument made of a squirrel’s tail, to take up the gold leaves from the pillow, and to apply and extend them.

4. In heraldry, a small pale. [See Pale.]

5. A small part belonging to the balance of a watch; the nut of a watch. It is sometimes written pallat.

6. A measure formerly used by surgeons, containing three ounces.

PALLET, n. [L. palea, straw.] A small bed.

PALLIAMENT, n. [L. pallium, a cloke.] A dress; a robe. [Not used.]

PALLIARD, n. A lecher; a lewd person. [Not used nor English.]

PALLIARDISE, n. Fornication. [Not used.]

PALLIATE, v.t. [Low L. pallio, from pallium, a cloke or robe.]

1. To clothe.

2. To cover with excuse; to conceal the enormity of offenses by excuses and apologies; hence, to extenuate; to lessen; to soften by favorable representations; as, to palliate faults, offenses, crimes or vices.

3. To reduce in violence; to mitigate; to lessen or abate; as, to palliate a disease.

PALLIATE, a. Eased; mitigated. [Not used.]

PALLIATED, pp. Covered by excuses; extenuated; softened.

PALLIATING, ppr. Concealing the enormity or most censurable part of conduct; extenuating; softening.

PALLIATION, n. The act of palliating; concealment of the most flagrant circumstances of an offense; extenuation by favorable representation; as the palliation of faults, offenses, vices or crimes.

1. Mitigation; alleviation; abatement; as of a disease.

PALLIATIVE, a. Extenuating; serving to extenuate by excuses or favorable representation.

1. Mitigating; alleviating; as pain or disease.

PALLIATIVE, n. That which extenuates.

1. That which mitigates, alleviates or abates the violence of pain, disease or other evil.

PALLID, a. [L. pallidus, from palleo, to become pale. See Pale.]

Pale; wan; deficient in color; not high colored; as a pallid countenance; pallid blue.

PALLIDLY, adv. Palely; wanly.

PALLIDNESS, n. Paleness; wanness.

PALLMALL, n. [L. pila, a ball, and malleus, mallet.] A play in which a ball is driven through an iron ring by a mallet; also, the mallet.

PALLOR, n. [L.] Paleness.

PALM, n. p`am. [L. palma.]

1. The inner part of the hand.

2. A hand or hand’s breadth; a lineal measure of three inches.

3. The broad triangular part of an anchor at the end of the arms.

4. The name of many species of plants, but particularly of the date-tree or great palm, a native of Asia and Africa.

The palms constitute a natural order of monocotyledonous plants, with a simple cylindric stem, terminating in a crown of leaves or fronds, within which rises a tuft of flowers and fruits; all natives of warm climates. They vary in size from 2 to more than 100 feet in highth.

5. Branches of the palm being worn in token of victory, hence the word signifies superiority, victory, triumph. The palm was adopted as an emblem of victory, it is said, because the tree is so elastic as when pressed, to rise and recover its correct position.

Namur subdued is England’s palm alone.

6. Among seamen, an instrument used in sewing canvas instead of a thimble.

PALM, v.t. p`am. To conceal in the palm of the hand.

They palmed the trick that lost the game.

1. To impose by fraud.

For you may palm upon us new for old.

2. To handle.

3. To stroke with the hand.

PALM-SUNDAY, n. p`am-sunday. The Sunday next before Easter; so called in commemoration of our Savior’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the multitude strewed palm branches in the way.

PALM-TREE, n. p`am-tree. The date tree, or Phoenix Lactylifera, a native of Asia and Africa, which grows to the highth of 60 and even of 100 feet, with an upright stem, crowned with a cluster of leaves or branches eight or nine feet long, extending all around like an umbrella. The fruit is in shape somewhat like an acorn. This tree transplanted will grow in Europe, but the fruit never ripens.

This name is applied to other species of palms.

PALMAR, a. [L. palmaris.] Of the breadth of the hand.

PALMATED, a. [L. palmatus, from palma, palm.]

1. Having the shape of a hand; resembling a hand with the fingers spread; as palmated leaves or stones.

2. Entirely webbed; as the palmated feet of aquatic fowls.

PALMER, n. p`amer. One that returned from the Holy Land bearing branches of palm; a pilgrim or crusader.

PALMER-WORM, n. pamer-worm. A worm covered with hair; supposed to be so called because he wanders over all plants. Joel 1:4.

PALMETTO, n. A species of palm-tree, growing in the West Indies, of the genus Chamaerops.

PALMIFEROUS, a. [L. palma and fero, to bear.] Bearing palms.

PALMIPED, a. [L. palma and pes, foot.] Web-footed; having the toes connected by a membrane; as a water fowl.

PALMIPED, n. A fowl that has webbed feet, or the toes connected by a membrane.

PALMISTER, n. [L. palma.] One who deals in palmistry, or pretends to tell fortunes by the palm of the hand.

PALMISTRY, n. [L. palma, palm.] The art or practice of divining or telling fortunes by the lines and marks in the palm of the hand; a trick of imposture, much practiced by gypsies.

1. Addison used it humorously for the action of the hand.

PALMY, a. p`amy. Bearing palms.

PALP, v.t. to feel. [Not authorized.]

PALPABILITY, n. [from palpable.]

The quality of being perceptible by the touch.

PALPABLE, a. [L. palpor, to feel.]

1. Perceptible by the touch; that may be felt; as a palpable substance; palpable darkness.

2. Gross; coarse; easily perceived and detected; as a palpable absurdity.

3. Plain; obvious; easily perceptible; as palpable phenomena; palpable proof.

PALPABLENESS, n. The quality of being palpable; plainness; obviousness; grossness.

PALPABLY, adv. In such a manner as to be perceived by the touch.

1. Grossly; plainly; obviously.

Clodius was acquitted by a corrupt jury that had palpably taken shares of money.

PALPATION, n. [L. palpatio, from palpo, to feel, to stroke, from the root of feel, and Gr. to shake. Probably the primary sense is to beat or strike gently, or to touch, or to spring, to leap.]

The act of feeling.

PALPITATE, v.i. [L. palpito, from palpo. Palpito illustrates the primary sense of palpo.] To beat gently; to beat, as the heart; to flutter, that is, to move with little throws; as we say, to go pit a pat; applied particularly to a preternatural or excited movement of the heart.

PALPITATION, n. [L. palpitatio.] A beating of the heart; particularly, a preternatural beating or pulsation excited by violent action of the body, by fear, fright or disease.

1. A violent, irregular motion of the heart.

PALSGRAVE, n. pawlzgrave. [L. palatium, palace, and graf, an earl.] A count or earl who has the superintendence of the king’s palace.

PALSICAL, a. s as z. [from palsy.] Affected with palsy; paralytic.

PALSIED, a. [from palsy.] Affected with palsy.

PALSY, n. s as z. [supposed to be contracted from Gr. relaxation; to loosen or relax.] The loss or defect of the power of voluntary muscular motion in the whole body, or in a particular part; paralysis. When one side only of the body is affected, it is called hemiplegy. When the lower part of the body is paralytic, it is called paraplegy. Palsy may be a loss of the power of motion without a loss of sensation, or a loss of sensation without loss of motion, or a loss of both.

PALSY, v.t. s as z. To paralyze; to deprive of the power of motion; to destroy energy.

PALTER, v.i. [Eng. fail.] To shift; to dodge; to play tricks. Rather, to fail; to come short; to balk.

Romans, that have spoke the word

And will not palter.

PALTER, v.t. To squander. [Not used.]

PALTERER, n. One that palters, fails or falls short.

PALTRINESS, n. [from paltry.] The state of being paltry, vile or worthless.

PALTRY, a. [Gr. vile, and to fail.] Ragged; mean; vile; worthless; despicable; as a paltry boy; a paltry slave; a paltry trifle.

PALY, a. [from pale.] Pale; wanting color; used only in poetry.

1. In heraldry, divided by pales into four equal parts.

PAM, n. [supposed to be from palm, victory.] The knave of clubs.

PAMPER, v.t. [L. bibo.]

1. To feed to the full; to glut; to saginate; to feed luxuriously; as, to pamper the body or the appetite.

We are proud of a body fattening for worms and pampered for corruption and the grave.

2. To gratify to the full; to furnish with that which delights; as, to pamper the imagination.

PAMPERED, pp. Fed high; glutted or gratified to the full.

PAMPERING, ppr. Glutting; feeding luxuriously; gratifying to the full.

PAMPERING, a. Luxuriancy.

PAMPHLET, n. A small book consisting of a sheet of paper, or of sheets stitched together but not bound.

PAMPHLET, v.t. To write a pamphlet or pamphlets.

PAMPHLETEER, n. A writer of pamphlets; a scribbler.

PAN, n.

1. A vessel broad and somewhat hollow or depressed in the middle, or with a raised border; used for setting milk and other domestic purposes.

2. The part of a gun-lock or other fire-arms which holds the priming that communicates with the charge.

3. Something hollow; as the brain pan.

4. Among farmers, the hard stratum of earth that lies below the soil; called the hard pan.

5. The top of the head.

PAN, v.t. To join; to close together. [Local.]

PANACEA, n. [L. from Gr. all, and to cure.]

1. A remedy for all diseases; a universal medicine.

2. An herb.

PANADA, PANADO, n. [L. panis.] A kind of food made by boiling bread in water to the consistence of pulp and sweetened.

PANCAKE, n. A thin cake fried in a pan.

Some folks think it will never be good times, till houses are tiled with pancakes.

PANCH, n. Among seamen, a thick and strong mat, to be fastened on yards to prevent friction.

PANCRATIC, PANCRATICAL, a. [Gr. all, and strength.] Excelling in all gymnastic exercises; very strong or robust.

PANCREAS, n. [Gr. all, and flesh.] A gland of the body situated between the bottom of the stomach and the vertebers of the loins, reaching from the liver to the spleen, and attached to the peritonaeum. It is two fingers in breadth, and six in length, soft and supple. It secretes a kind of saliva and pours it into the duodenum.

PANCREATIC, a. Pertaining to the pancreas; as pancreatic juice.

PANCY. [See Pansy.]

PANDECT, n. [L. pandectoe, from Gr. all, and to contain, to take.]

1. A treatise which contains the whole of any science.

2. Pandects, in the plural, the digest or collection of civil or Roman law, made by order of the emperor Justinian, and containing 534 decisions or judgments of lawyers, to which the emperor gave the force and authority of law. This compilation consists of fifty books, forming the first part of the civil law.

PANDEMIC, a. [Gr. all, and people.] Incident to a whole people; epidemic; as a pandemic disease.

PANDER, n. [L. mango.] A pimp, a procurer; a male bawd; a mean profligate wretch who caters for the lust of others.

PANDER, v.t. To pimp; to procure lewd women for others.

PANDER, v.i. To act as agent for the lusts of others.

1. To be subservient to lust or passion.

PANDERAGE, n. A procuring of sexual connection.

PANDERISM, n. The employment or vices of a pander; a pimping.

PANDERLY, a. Pimping; acting the pander.

PANDICULATION, n. [L. pandiculor, to yawn, to stretch.]

A yawning; a stretching; the tension of the solids that accompanies yawning, or that restlessness and stretching that accompanies the cold fit of an intermittent.

PANDIT, PUNDIT, n. In Hindoostan, a learned man.

PANDORE, PANDORAN, n. [Gr.] An instrument of music of the lute kind; a bandore.

PANE, n. A square of glass.

1. A piece of any thing in variegated works.

PANEGYRIC, n. [L. panegyricus, from Gr. a public meeting or celebration, all, and an assembly.]

1. An oration or eulogy in praise of some distinguished person or achievement; a formal or elaborate encomium.

2. An encomium; praise bestowed on some eminent person, action or virtue.

PANEGYRIC, a. Containing praise or eulogy; encomiastic.

PANEGYRIS, n. A festival; a public meeting.

PANEGYRIST, n. One who bestows praise; an eulogist; an encomiast, either by writing or speaking.