pithn.

Brit.

/pɪθ/, U.S.

/pɪθ/

Forms: Old English peoþa, Old English piða, early Middle English piþa, Middle English peþe, Middle English pid (transmission error), Middle English pidh (transmission error), Middle English pight, Middle English piþ, Middle English piþe, Middle English piþþe, Middle English pyf (perhaps transmission error), Middle English pyght, Middle English pyþe, Middle English–1500s peth, Middle English–1500s pytthe, Middle English–1600s pithe, Middle English–1600s pyth, Middle English–1600s pythe, Middle English– pith, 1500s–1600s pitth, 1500s–1600s pitthe, 1900s– pet (Irish English); English regional 1800s– paeth (south-western), 1800s– peeth (south-western), 1800s– peff (midlands), 1800s– peth (midlands), 1800s– pif (northern), 1800s– piff (northern); Scottish pre-1700 picht, pre-1700 pigh, pre-1700 pitht, pre-1700 pithte, pre-1700 pycht, pre-1700 pygh, pre-1700 pyth, pre-1700 pythe, pre-1700 pytht, pre-1700 1700s– pith, 1800s pithe. N.E.D. (1907) also records forms Middle English put, 1500s pit.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with (with diminutive suffix) Middle Low German peddik, peddek, (rare) piddek medulla, bone marrow, spinal cord, inner part of a horn or quill, also (figurative) essence, core, of unknown origin.Perhaps compare also West Frisian pit kernel of a fruit, medulla, energy (probably < Dutch), Middle Dutch pit kernel, stone of a fruit (1484; Dutch pit , †pitte kernel, pip, stone of a fruit, pith, spirit, body), German regional (Low German: East Friesland) pit marrow, kernel, innermost or best part, strength. These show a different final consonant which would make them difficult to account for as cognates; the Dutch and German words do, however, show a semantic development very similar to that in English. N.E.D. (1907) also compares Middle Low German pit and Danish pit , but these are not supported in recent authoritative dictionaries of the respective languages. In sense 2c after post-classical Latin meditullium meditullium n. In pith cylinder n. at Compounds 1a after German Markcylinder (1877 in the passage translated in quot. 1884 for pith cylinder n. at Compounds 1a).

I. Concrete uses.

1. The soft internal tissue of a plant part; esp. a central cylinder of parenchyma in a stem or root. Also: a layer of spongy tissue lining the rind in certain fruits, especially citrus fruits, in which it is white and often bitter-tasting. Cf. medulla n. 2a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > cell or aggregate tissue > [noun] > tissue > pith or soft internal tissue

marroweOE

pitheOE

flesh1574

fat1575

pulp1578

medulla1583

brain1601

matrix1633

eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) xxxiv. 91 Eall se dæl se ðe þæs treowes on twelf monðum gewexð, þæt he onginð of þæm wyrtrumum & swa upweardes grewð oð ðone stemn, & siððan andlang þæs piðan, & andlang þære rinde oð ðone helm.

?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 9 Eft nim ellenes piþan and ecede and wull eall togadere.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 209 In a harde tre is neisshe piþþe [L. medullam]..some men clepeþ þat piþþe þe moder of þe tre, for þer Inne þe semynal humour of þe tree is y-fedde.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 402 Pythe, medulla, vel pulpa. Pythe, of a stalke, hilus. Pythe, of a tree, hilum.

1483 Wardrobe Acct. in Grose's Antiquarian Repertory (1807) I. 39 A roll of pytthes of risshes.

1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xxi. sig. K.iii The walnut..doth comforte the brayne if the pyth or skyn be pylled of.

1597 J. Gerard Herball iii. 1214 The later Phisitions call the first Syringa,..that is to say, a Pipe, bicause the stalks and branches thereof, when the pith is taken out, are hollow like a Pipe.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. xvii. xv. 519 Fit one [vine stocke] to the other, ioyning pith to pith, and then binding them fast together so close, that no aire may enter between, vntill such time as the one hath adopted the other.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 209 Palmeto..at the top whereof is a soft pith, in which consists the soule and vegetatiue vertue of that tree, which cut out, the tree expires.

1682 N. Grew Anat. Plants iii. i. i. 106 Within the hollow of the Wood, stands the Pith.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 69. ⁋4 The Infusion of a China Plant sweetned with the Pith of an Indian Cane.

1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 52 Subularia... Leaves..semi-cylindrical, full of pith.

1855 ‘E. S. Delamer’ Kitchen Garden 119 In boiling ripe marrows,..take out the pith and seeds.

1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 198 The pith used by watch makers to clean their work is the pith of the elder.

1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns ix. 403 Only in a few woods does the pith become entirely empty and dried up.

1928 R. M. Holman & W. W. Robbins Elem. Bot. iii. 54 The pith is made up of large-celled parenchyma.

1956 F. W. Jane Struct. Wood iv. 74 The pith may be distinctive: thus, in oak it has, in section, the shape of a five-rayed star.

1994 Food & Wine Oct. 52/3 Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, discarding all the bitter white pith.

a. The soft interior tissue of an organ or animal structure; esp. the spongy core of a feather-shaft or the core of a horn.In quot. c1330: the tissues of the body within the skin considered collectively.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > hair > parts of hair > [noun]

pithOE

root end1675

shaft1748

medulla1826

stem1845

Henle's layer1850

Henle's sheath1853

epicuticle1949

OE Antwerp Gloss. (1955) 199 Hilum .i. medulla penne, peoþa.

c1330 Body & Soul (Auch.) (1889) 38 Þei þou roti pil and piþ [c1330 Laud pid; v.r. pyþe]..Ȝete þou schalt com, lim and liþ, Oȝain to me at domesday.

a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 32^v Hile, Þe peþe of a pen.

a1500 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 703/36 Ilum, the pyf of the penne.

?a1500 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 588/41 Ile, the pythe of a penne.

1757 D. P. Layard Ess. Contagious Distemper Horned Cattle 74 Let the horn be bored about two or three inches below the tip, without wounding the pith.

1785 Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. 1 531 It is a disease that affects the internal substance of the horn, commonly called the pith, insensibly wastes it, and leaves the horn hollow.

1835 R. Owen in Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. I. 350/2 Both sides [of the shaft of a feather]..inclose a peculiar white, soft, elastic substance called the pith.

1840 J. Buel Farmer's Compan. (ed. 2) 71 The piths of horns, or the residue of..horns after the comb-maker has taken all that is fit for his use.

1866 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 156 115 The splint bones may enfold persistent cartilage, or this pith may be absorbed.

1962 A. J. Marshall Parker & Haswell's Text-bk. Zool. (1966) II. 841 Each individual hair is a slender rod, and is composed of..a central part or pith containing air, and an outer more solid part or cortex.

1987 E. L. Kottick Harpsichord Owner's Guide vii. 101 Now cut yourself a plectrum in the end of the feather, and remove the pith found in the stalk.

b. The substance occupying the spinal canal; the spinal cord. Cf. marrow n.¹ 1b.Used chiefly with reference to animals and in non-scientific contexts.In quot. 1653: the substance of the brain.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > spine > [noun] > marrow of

marrowa1398

medulla?a1425

spinal marrow1578

pith1594

chine-marrow1661

thorny marrow1662

the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > brain > [noun] > substances of

medulla?a1425

pith1594

acervulus cerebri1791

brain sand1831

oleophosphoric acid1839

wetware1963

1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 357 The pith of the chine bone.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 371 Some..do twine out the pith of the backe with a long wire.

1627 T. May tr. Lucan Pharsalia (new ed.) vi. 764 The pyth of Staggs with Serpents nourished Was mixed there.

1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme i. xi. 37 This laxe pith or marrow in Mans head.

1706 R. Howlett Anglers Sure Guide xiv. 217 If you bait your Hook with the Pith of the Back-bone of an Ox, &c. carefully take off the outward tough Skin.

1737 Compl. Family-piece (ed. 2) i. ii. 155 Take a Quantity of the Pith of an Ox.

1876 F. Francis Bk. Angling (ed. 4) i. 47 The bait..consisting of..a bit of pith, bullock's marrow.

1996 Daily Tel. 24 July 4/4 Most good butchers already remove the ‘pith’, as the spinal cord is known, from chops and most other cuts of meat.

1998 Canberra Times 18 Oct. a26 The finest marrow, the spinal cord itself, is known as the ‘pith’... ‘Ox pith’ was particularly prized as a delicate, smooth substitute for the best butter in many dishes.

†c. Anatomy. = diploe n. 1. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > [noun] > bone-tissue

pith1684

1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician iii. 81 In some places the Skull is simple, thin and pellucid, without any Pith [L. absque meditullio].

1701 tr. A. Belloste Hospital-surgeon x. 84 I made eight or ten little Holes with the Percer upon the discovered Bone, not reaching so deep as the middle Pith or Diploe.

1703 T. Gibson Anat. Humane Bodies Epitomized (ed. 6) iii. iii. 575 Which Pith is called Diploe, and is a spongie and cavernous substance containing a medullar and somewhat bloody juice for the nourishment of the Skull.

a. The soft inner part of a loaf; = crumb n. 3a. Now English regional (south-western) and Irish English.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > loaf > [noun] > crumb of loaf

pith?c1425

crumbc1430

breadcrumb1656

?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 90 (MED) Take of þe piþþe [L. medulla] of soure brede..and putte it in scaldynge water.

a1475 Bk. Hawking (Harl. 2340) in Studia Neophilol. (1944) 16 16 (MED) Take a white lof sumwhat cooldere then it comyth oute of the ouen and kut her almoste a too in the peth, and ley þe haukes wyng þerin, and of the Cramp he is sauyd.

1597 W. Langham Garden of Health 90 Apply the pith of Bread baked with Coliander seede.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 280 They vse to lap it in the soft crum or pith of a loaf of bread.

1662 R. Watkins Flamma sine Fumo 134 The pith of Bread bak'd with Coriander seed Laid to the head, is good to help thy need.

1706 R. Howlett Anglers Sure Guide xiii. 192 Some like a Paste..made up with the Pith of a White Loaf.

1753 Ulster Misc. vii. 329 Behold that loaf! how hard the crust! The pith how soft and white!

1787 J. M. Adair Med. Cautions (ed. 2) 291 Biscuit boiled with water and a little milk, or the crust of a loaf, are much preferable to the pith of bread or flour, which are too glutinous, and produce acidities.

1868 R. W. Huntley Gloucs. Gloss. 54 Pith, the crumb of bread.

a1903 E. H. Goddard in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1903) IV. 529/1 [N. Wiltshire] Gie I the peth on't, I caant eat no crowst.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. viii. [Lestrygonians] 166 Wine soaked and softened rolled pith of bread mustard a moment mawkish cheese.

1979 N. Rogers Wessex Dial. 84/2 Pith, the crumb of the loaf.

†b. Metallurgy. The imperfectly carburized core of an iron rod. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > iron > [noun] > core of iron rod

pith1831

1831 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal I. 231 If [the carbonising process be] only partially effected the centre of the rod still exhibits its duller iron-like structure, or pith, as the workmen call it.

II. Abstract uses.

a. The innermost or central part of a thing; the essential or vital part; the spirit or essence; the core, the nub. Frequently in pith and marrow.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > essence or intrinsic nature > [noun]

pitheOE

i-cundeeOE

roota1325

substancec1330

juicec1380

marrowa1382

formc1385

acta1398

quidditya1398

substantial forma1398

inward1398

savourc1400

inwardc1450

allaya1456

essencya1475

being1521

bottom1531

spirit?1534

summary1548

ecceity1549

core1556

flower1568

formality1570

sum and substance1572

alloy1594

soul1598

inwardness1605

quid1606

fibre1607

selfness1611

whatness1611

essentialityc1616

propera1626

the whole shot1628

substantiala1631

esse1642

entity1643

virtuality1646

ingeny1647

quoddity1647

intimacy1648

ens1649

inbeing1661

essence1667

interiority1701

intrinsic1716

stamen1758

character1761

quidditas1782

hyparxis1792

rasa1800

bone1829

what1861

isness1865

inscape1868

as-suchness1909

Wesen1959

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > essential or central

pitheOE

effectc1405

substancec1450

kernel1556

nick1577

keystone1641

vitals1657

narrow1702

secret1738

ganglion1828

nub1833

primality1846

keyword1848

knub1864

buzzword1946

in word1964

the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > essence or intrinsic nature > [noun] > vital part or vitalizing influence

pitheOE

sap1526

quicka1566

lifeblood1582

heartstring1584

entelechy1603

heart1603

heart-blood1606

heart and soul1616

heart's-blooda1631

life's bloodc1635

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > [noun] > essential part

pointc1385

pithc1425

issue1553

extract1570

catch1600

hinge1638

punctuma1680

resa1732

jet1748

gist1820

bottom line1830

just it1862

crux1888

eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) ix. 55 Smeageað ðeah & ðeahtigað on hiera modes rinde monig god weorc to wyrcanne, ac on ðam piðan bið oðer gehyded.

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) Prol. 164 (MED) Ne hadde oure elderis cerched out and souȝt The sothefast pyth..Of thinges passed..But thoruȝ writyng þei be refresched newe.

?1467 J. Gresham in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 382 I prey you vnderstond the pyth of my seid wrytyng and enfourme my seid maister..of þe same.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Heb. viii. 1 Of the thynges which we have spoken this is the pyth.

1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. x. f. 232 Wherein standeth the pith and mary of the hole science.

1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth i. 111 The very pith and marrowe of sweet speech.

1679 T. Puller Moderation Church of Eng. vi. 143 Which doctrine of J. S. is condemned..as the pith of Manicheism.

1785 J. Trusler Mod. Times III. 166 Lord W. wished to appoint me his literator, which office was to cull out the pith of every new publication, and retail it to him at breakfast.

a1831 A. Knox Remains (1844) I. 80 The very pith and marrow of Mr. Wesley's views.

1877 J. A. Symonds Fine Arts in Renaissance in Italy (1897) III. ii. 42 Within the great cities the pith of the population was Latin.

1912 J. Galsworthy Eldest Son iii I want time to get the pith o' this.

1992 E. Acton Rethinking Russ. Rev. (BNC) 96 The pith and core of socialism was seen as the abolition of private property.

†b. to the pith: thoroughly, to the very core. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through

to the boneOE

through and throughc1225

out and outc1300

from top to tail1303

out and inc1390

(from) head to heel (also heels)c1400

(from) head to foot (also feet)c1425

from top to (into, unto) toec1425

to the skin1526

to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530

from first to last1536

up and down1542

whole out1562

to the pith1587

to the back1594

from A to (also until) Z1612

from clew to earing1627

from top to bottom1666

back and edge1673

all hollow1762

(all) to pieces1788

from A to Za1821

to one's (also the) fingertips1825

to one's fingernails1851

from tip to toe1853

down to the ground1859

to the backbone1864

right the way1867

pur sang1893

from the ground up1895

in and out1895

from soda (card) to hock1902

1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 1127/2 Shortlie after..she performed hir promise to the pith.

a. Physical strength or force; vigour, might; toughness, strength of character; mettle, backbone.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily strength > [noun] > robustness

hardishipa1250

stalworthnessa1340

stalworthinessa1387

pithc1395

hardinessc1405

robustness?1533

valiantness1553

validity1578

robustiousness1600

robustuousness1648

robusticness1676

robusticity1777

hardihood1780

ironness1803

induration1827

robustihood1834

stalwartness1859

c1395 G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale 475 But age, allas, that al wole enuenyme, Hath me biraft my beautee and my pith.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) 7090 (MED) Þorou his hare his strenght was made; atte xx mens pith [a1400 Vesp. might] he hadde.

c1440 (?a1400) Sir Perceval (1930) 1505 (MED) I giffe the prise to thi pyth; Vnkyndely talked thou me with.

c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 5 (MED) Herefor vs muste som tyme lowse our pithe, & suffre þaim hafe som recreacion & disporte.

1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 4^v Brasse, yron or style, haue theyr owne strength and pith in them.

1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 866 Thay preis furth properly thair pithis to prufe.

1601 Bp. W. Barlow Serm. Paules Crosse Martij 1600 17 A man of Sampsons pith.

1681 S. Colvil Mock Poem i. 52 We'l both defend with all our pith.

1692 E. Ward Miracles performed by Money 15 An old Grey withered Sot, Who has..No Pith in's Back, nor Vigour in his Breast.

1763 C. Churchill Epist. to W. Hogarth 3 Should love of Fame..Spur thee to deeds of pith.

1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 166 At Brooses thou had ne'er a fellow, For pith an speed.

1849 Times 14 Sept. 4/1 We have placed at their disposal the pith and courage of the bravest soldiers.

1886 R. L. Stevenson Kidnapped ii. 12 This [curse]..took the pith out of my legs.

1984 Guardian (Nexis) 19 Oct. Today's women they've got no pith, no backbone.

1991 Atlanta Jrnl. & Constit. (Nexis) 13 Oct. a1 Mr. Starrs's pith and vigor belie his 60ish age. He regularly bicycles 34 miles a day to work.

b. Force, power, energy (of words, speech, etc.). In later use chiefly: the quality of conveying meaning forcibly through brevity of expression; succinctness, conciseness.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > vigour or force > [noun]

eloquence1382

elocution1509

gravity?1520

pith?1531

vigour1532

emphasy1548

energy?1549

emphasisa1555

pithiness1557

abruptness1591

emphaticalness1647

nervousness1727

cogency1750

forcibility1771

cogence1782

verve1803

forcefulness1825

force1842

snap1870

full-bloodedness1894

punch1901

compulsiveness1918

punchiness1938

?1531 J. Frith Disput. Purgatorye i. sig. b4 Some man will thinke myne argumentes to be of small pith.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke Pref. 13 He shall fele a certain vertue and pith such as he shall not fele the lyke in any other bookes.

1714 Craig Answer in R. Smith Poems 15 I have confuted Mr. Smith, Your Adversar for all his pith.

1828 T. Carlyle Burns in Edinb. Rev. Dec. 280 Cool vigour and laconic pith.

1876 C. H. Spurgeon Commenting 2 Matthew Henry..is usually plain, quaint, and full of pith.

1909 C. F. Johnson Shakespeare & his Critics vi. 145 The style of the book imitates Dr. Johnson's sententious utterance, but lacks the wit and pith which give the original his rank among great writers.

1935 Times 28 June 10/3 He writes with pith and humour.

2003 India-West (Nexis) 14 Mar. 19 Mehboob's lyrics have both pith and simplicity.

†6. Substance, import, meaning (of words, speech, etc.). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > [noun] > texture of a work > substantial quality

pithc1450

c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) 4882 (MED) So ful of pith is the matere That swich a book in Romaunce Was neuer yet made in Fraunce.

a1529 J. Skelton Colyn Cloute (?1545) sig. A.iii It hath in it some pyth.

1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 202 With the whistling of lips or hands..sheepeheards cause their sheepe to arise, or lie downe, bicause they vnderstand not an articulate or distinct speech, that hath some pith in it.

1590 J. Greenwood in H. Barrow & J. Greenwood Coll. Certain Lett. & Conf. Pref. sig. A ij If thou finde not such pith or substance in the matters discussed.

7. Importance, gravity, weight. Now chiefly in of (great) pith and moment.Usually with allusion to Shakespeare's use (see quot. a1616).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > gravity or seriousness

peisec1425

poise1457

griefa1513

gravity1533

ponderosity1589

ponderance1600

pitha1616

seriousness1797

ponderation1873

gravitas1924

a1616 W. Shakespeare Hamlet (1623) iii. i. 88 Enterprizes of great pith [1604 pitch] and moment.

1624 W. Bedell Copies Certaine Lett. vi. 104 Neither is there any place..of speciall pith, that hath not beene obserued.

1776 J. Palmer Four Months Tour through France I. 158 You, who can enjoy the luxury of neat apartments and wholesome beds, must allow strollers to talk of those things, which are to them of greater pith and moment, than antiquities.

1826 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae xxiv, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 213 I hae a secret to communicate—a secret o' some pith and moment.

1830 J. W. Croker in Croker Papers (1884) II. xv. 85 We have seen the scruples..of one..cabinet minister alter the whole course of enterprises of great pith and moment.

1927 Amer. Mercury Feb. 208/2 They appear in the session laws in close juxtaposition to matters of great pith and moment.

1991 M. Kilby Man at Sharp End (BNC) 238 Your father and I are talking matters of great pith and moment.

Compounds

C1.

a. (In sense 1.)

pith cell n.

ΚΠ

1868 S. W. Johnson How Crops Grow iii. 275 In the potato tuber the pith cells are occupied throughout with starch.

1992 C. A. Smith & E. J. Wood Biosynthesis vii. 139 This promoted cell division in tobacco pith cells at a concentration of 1 μg dm⁻³.

† pith-coat n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1871 C. Kingsley At Last xiii Two or three blows with the cutlass, at the small end of the nut, cut off not only the pith-coat, but the point of the shell.

pith cylinder n.

ΚΠ

1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns 308 The pith-cylinders [Ger. Markeylinder (sic)] of the shoots..are only connected by narrow medullary rays.

1991 Bot. Gaz. 152 330/2 Cracks and furrows are present in the pith cylinder.

b. (In sense 2b.)

† pith bait n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1886 Academy 6 Feb. 88/2 The ‘pith’ bait is a recent invention of the Nottingham anglers.

pith cavity n.

ΚΠ

1875 T. H. Huxley & H. N. Martin Course Elem. Biol. viii. 77 The medullary or pith-cavity in the centre of the section.

1991 R. Goldring Fossils in Field iv. 63 Decay of the pith may result in the cavity becoming filled to form a cast of the pith cavity.

† pith marrow n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1655 T. Moffett & C. Bennet Healths Improvem. xiii. 113 Pith-Marrow, running all along from the hinder brain..to the end of the back-bone or chine of beasts.

1712 Boston News-let. 14 Apr. 1/2 A White-woman..was cut in five several places, her neck cut almost to the pith marrow behind, and yet she is alive, 'tis hop'd she may recover.

1772 M. Smith Compl. House-keeper 135 Take a quarter of a pound of pith marrow out of the back-bone of veal or mutton.

† pith pudding n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1728 E. Smith Compl. Housewife (ed. 2) 85 To make a Pith Pudding. Take a quantity of the Pith of an Ox, and let it lye all night in water to soak out the Blood; the next morning..beat it..till 'tis as fine as Pap [etc.].

C2.

pith ball n. a small ball of pith (usually from a tree), esp. one hanging from a thread in an electroscope, which is attracted or repelled by an electrostatically charged object.

ΚΠ

1760 Philos. Trans. 1759 (Royal Soc.) 51 317 I fasten the slip of wood, from one end of which the threads &c. hang down five inches, so that the pith balls are about four inches from the table.

1849 H. M. Noad Lect. Electr. (ed. 3) 14 A cylinder of brass, supported on a glass stand, and furnished with a pith ball electroscope.

1935 C. J. Smith Intermediate Physics (ed. 2) v. xxxv. 578 If two uncharged pith-balls are suspended side by side and an electrified rod brought near to them, both are attracted by the rod.

1999 EDN (Nexis) 13 May 28 You can store charged particles in a Leyden jar, or you can watch them attract pith balls, but you can't really do anything with charged particles unless you put them in motion.

† pith-drawn adj. Obsolete rare designating a tree that has broken raggedly, exposing the pith.

ΚΠ

1702 R. Neve Apopiroscopy i. 19 By this Method, Trees are prevented from being Rift or Cleft, or Pith-drawn, as some call it, by falling too soon, viz. before they are Sawn asunder.

pith fleck n. a discoloured patch or streak of parenchymatous tissue in wood, usually formed in response to injury by insects.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > [noun] > dark patch

pith fleck1890

pith-ray fleck1913

1890 W. Somerville tr. R. Hartig Timbers 77 Pith-flecks, darkish-coloured patches met with in some woods.

1956 F. W. Jane Struct. Wood x. 236 Rotary cut birch..has a most attractive figure, due largely to the very numerous pith flecks which it contains.

1992 Amer. Midland Naturalist 127 9 (caption) Cross section showing insect borings (pith flecks or medullary spots) in the petrified wood.

pith hat n. = pith helmet n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > made of specific material > pith of sola plant

topi1835

sola1844

pith hat1857

pith helmet1858

1857 Times 1 Aug. 11/6 His white pith hat, his small, active, springy figure, his constitutional good-humoured, devil-may-care laugh.

1859 Ladies Repository Jan. 46/1 I am forced to take the direct rays of the sun with no other protection than a pith hat.

1996 Times (Nexis) 20 July Atlanta's police and Games officials have been equipped with pith hats, making the shorter, fatter ones look like Lofty from It Ain't Half Hot Mum.

† pith-hat plant n. Obsolete rare a sola or joint-vetch plant, either Aeschynomene aspera or the related A. indica.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΚΠ

1889 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants Pith-hat plant, Æschynomene aspera.

pith helmet n. a lightweight helmet made of sola (the dried pith of Aeschynomene aspera or A. indica), worn as a protection against the sun; so pith-helmeted adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > made of specific material > pith of sola plant

topi1835

sola1844

pith hat1857

pith helmet1858

1858 R. B. Brough Siege of Troy v. 27 Ithacus, how d'ye like the new pith helmet?

1934 G. B. Shaw Too True to be Good ii. 50 He wears a pith helmet with a pagan.

2000 R. Sterling World Food: Vietnam 108 On the old streets of Hoi An..I spot a sinewy old man with a pith helmet covering his grizzled hair.

pith-helmeted adj. wearing a pith helmet.

ΚΠ

1916 ‘B. Cable’ Action Front 190 Half-forgotten illustrations in the papers of pith-helmeted infantry in the Boer War.

1989 J. Barnes Hist. World in 10½ Chapters 237 Those pith-helmeted cavaliers who despatched rhinos with a single well-placed slug from an army pistol.

pith paper n. paper made from the pith of any of various plants.

ΚΠ

1849 Sci. Amer. 9 June 299/4 Paper and ink of fine quality, and beautiful artificial flowers of pith paper, are produced there [sc. in Nanking].

1875 C. V. Bonney Legacy Hist. Gleanings (ed. 2) II. xvi. 325 The paintings on pith, or rice paper, are much sought after for their splendid colourings.

1999 Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair: 1999 Handbk. 171/1 (caption) One of a rare set of twelve Chinese watercolours of butterflies and flowers, painted on pith paper.

pith plant n. rare the Chinese shrub Tetrapanax papyriferus (family Araliaceae), which yields a pith from which rice paper is made.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > non-British shrubs > [noun] > Asian

Japan allspice1789

ramie1817

kaffir lime1824

luculia1826

rice-paper plant1832

pith plant1834

chimonanthus1836

jiti1836

rhea1837

leycesteria1838

wintersweet1846

crape-myrtle1850

skimmia1853

China-grass1858

taccada1866

saxaul1874

white kerria1900

sarcococca1914

1834 G. Bennett Wanderings New S. Wales II. iv. 75 The pith plant is procured from Oan-nāām, near the province of See-chuen.

1903 J. W. Davidson Formosa xxix. 542 Among the new growths that spring up over these blackened areas, the Pith-plant is often prominent.

2009 Harvard Mag. Mar.–Apr. 72/3 A photograph of the elusive pith plant.

pith ray n. = medullary ray n. at medullary adj. Compounds.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > cell or aggregate tissue > [noun] > tissue > pith or soft internal tissue > medullary ray(s)

insertment1671

ray1675

medullary ray1816

pith rayc1868

c1868 S. W. Johnson How Crops Grow iii. 276 The botanist terms them pith-rays or medullary rays.

1953 K. Esau Plant Anat. xv. 343 The spaces among the strands..are occupied by parenchymatic ground tissue. These plates of tissue can be designated as pith rays or medullary rays.

1988 Bot. Gaz. 149 121/1 In cross section, the tracheids are all radically aligned..and the pith rays are continuous with pith parenchyma.

pith-ray fleck n. = pith fleck n.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > [noun] > dark patch

pith fleck1890

pith-ray fleck1913

1913 Circular U.S. Forest Service No. 215 (title) Pith-ray flecks in wood.

1936 R. W. Doane et al. Forest Insects xi. 398 Three species [of agromyzid fly larvae] mine the cambium of trees, causing pith-ray flecks.

pith tree n. the ambatch, Aeschynomene elaphroxylon.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > African trees or shrubs > [noun] > other African trees or shrubs

keurboom1731

silver-tree1731

witteboom1799

Hottentot's bean1801

melkhouta1823

monkey apple1824

witgatboom1824

Hottentot's bean tree1833

spek-boom1834

mopane1854

Welwitschia1862

ambatch1863

miombo1864

pith tree1864

porkwood1875

tree purslane1882

buffalo-horn1887

monkey guava1887

bush willow1917

melkboom1917

msasa1923

rooibos1932

miraa1945

ovangkol1972

pigeon wood1972

tambotie1973

1864 J. A. Grant Walk across Afr. p. xv Ambadj; native name for the pith-tree.

1887 C. A. Moloney Sketch Forestry W. Afr. 313 Ambash or Pith-tree of the Nile... The wood is very light, and in the form of small logs is used by the natives to assist them in crossing rivers.

1961 F. R. Irvine Woody Plants of Ghana 360 Ambatch or Pith Tree of Nile Land... By rivers and in swamps in open country.

pithwork n. articles made of pith, esp. that of the plant Aeschynomene aspera; the craft or occupation of making such articles.

ΚΠ

1875 Times 2 June 6/5 Three exquisite examples of the pithwork of Madras. These are models of temples cut out of the pith of the solah (Æschynomene paludosa), from which are made the miscalled ‘solar’ pith hats worn by Anglo-Indians.

1891 Littell's Living Age 7 Mar. 630/2 Pith-work used to be one of the arts of India; fans used to be made from ‘paddy’ corns, necklaces made out of cocoanut for children during the hûli festivities.

2000 Hindu (Nexis) 8 Aug. Pithwork is among the many handicrafts in our country, which once was part of a rich heritage and provided a means of livelihood to craftsmen.

Derivatives

ˈpith-like adj.

ΚΠ

1678 J. Ray tr. F. Willughby Ornithol. i. 6 The external and superiour Membrane covering the Ventricle being..the most pith-like.

1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. I. at Æschynomene The pith-like stem of Æ. aspera is..used in India..for making hats, bottle-cases, swimming jackets [etc.].

1997 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 84 1470 Notice the central region of relatively large pith-like parenchyma cells..surrounded by strands of elongate parenchyma cells.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	pith
释义	pithn. Brit. /pɪθ/, U.S. /pɪθ/ Forms: Old English peoþa, Old English piða, early Middle English piþa, Middle English peþe, Middle English pid (transmission error), Middle English pidh (transmission error), Middle English pight, Middle English piþ, Middle English piþe, Middle English piþþe, Middle English pyf (perhaps transmission error), Middle English pyght, Middle English pyþe, Middle English–1500s peth, Middle English–1500s pytthe, Middle English–1600s pithe, Middle English–1600s pyth, Middle English–1600s pythe, Middle English– pith, 1500s–1600s pitth, 1500s–1600s pitthe, 1900s– pet (Irish English); English regional 1800s– paeth (south-western), 1800s– peeth (south-western), 1800s– peff (midlands), 1800s– peth (midlands), 1800s– pif (northern), 1800s– piff (northern); Scottish pre-1700 picht, pre-1700 pigh, pre-1700 pitht, pre-1700 pithte, pre-1700 pycht, pre-1700 pygh, pre-1700 pyth, pre-1700 pythe, pre-1700 pytht, pre-1700 1700s– pith, 1800s pithe. N.E.D. (1907) also records forms Middle English put, 1500s pit. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with (with diminutive suffix) Middle Low German peddik, peddek, (rare) piddek medulla, bone marrow, spinal cord, inner part of a horn or quill, also (figurative) essence, core, of unknown origin.Perhaps compare also West Frisian pit kernel of a fruit, medulla, energy (probably < Dutch), Middle Dutch pit kernel, stone of a fruit (1484; Dutch pit , †pitte kernel, pip, stone of a fruit, pith, spirit, body), German regional (Low German: East Friesland) pit marrow, kernel, innermost or best part, strength. These show a different final consonant which would make them difficult to account for as cognates; the Dutch and German words do, however, show a semantic development very similar to that in English. N.E.D. (1907) also compares Middle Low German pit and Danish pit , but these are not supported in recent authoritative dictionaries of the respective languages. In sense 2c after post-classical Latin meditullium meditullium n. In pith cylinder n. at Compounds 1a after German Markcylinder (1877 in the passage translated in quot. 1884 for pith cylinder n. at Compounds 1a). I. Concrete uses. 1. The soft internal tissue of a plant part; esp. a central cylinder of parenchyma in a stem or root. Also: a layer of spongy tissue lining the rind in certain fruits, especially citrus fruits, in which it is white and often bitter-tasting. Cf. medulla n. 2a. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > cell or aggregate tissue > [noun] > tissue > pith or soft internal tissue marroweOE pitheOE flesh1574 fat1575 pulp1578 medulla1583 brain1601 matrix1633 eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) xxxiv. 91 Eall se dæl se ðe þæs treowes on twelf monðum gewexð, þæt he onginð of þæm wyrtrumum & swa upweardes grewð oð ðone stemn, & siððan andlang þæs piðan, & andlang þære rinde oð ðone helm. ?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 9 Eft nim ellenes piþan and ecede and wull eall togadere. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 209 In a harde tre is neisshe piþþe [L. medullam]..some men clepeþ þat piþþe þe moder of þe tre, for þer Inne þe semynal humour of þe tree is y-fedde. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 402 Pythe, medulla, vel pulpa. Pythe, of a stalke, hilus. Pythe, of a tree, hilum. 1483 Wardrobe Acct. in Grose's Antiquarian Repertory (1807) I. 39 A roll of pytthes of risshes. 1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xxi. sig. K.iii The walnut..doth comforte the brayne if the pyth or skyn be pylled of. 1597 J. Gerard Herball iii. 1214 The later Phisitions call the first Syringa,..that is to say, a Pipe, bicause the stalks and branches thereof, when the pith is taken out, are hollow like a Pipe. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. xvii. xv. 519 Fit one [vine stocke] to the other, ioyning pith to pith, and then binding them fast together so close, that no aire may enter between, vntill such time as the one hath adopted the other. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 209 Palmeto..at the top whereof is a soft pith, in which consists the soule and vegetatiue vertue of that tree, which cut out, the tree expires. 1682 N. Grew Anat. Plants iii. i. i. 106 Within the hollow of the Wood, stands the Pith. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 69. ⁋4 The Infusion of a China Plant sweetned with the Pith of an Indian Cane. 1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 52 Subularia... Leaves..semi-cylindrical, full of pith. 1855 ‘E. S. Delamer’ Kitchen Garden 119 In boiling ripe marrows,..take out the pith and seeds. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 198 The pith used by watch makers to clean their work is the pith of the elder. 1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns ix. 403 Only in a few woods does the pith become entirely empty and dried up. 1928 R. M. Holman & W. W. Robbins Elem. Bot. iii. 54 The pith is made up of large-celled parenchyma. 1956 F. W. Jane Struct. Wood iv. 74 The pith may be distinctive: thus, in oak it has, in section, the shape of a five-rayed star. 1994 Food & Wine Oct. 52/3 Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, discarding all the bitter white pith. 2. a. The soft interior tissue of an organ or animal structure; esp. the spongy core of a feather-shaft or the core of a horn.In quot. c1330: the tissues of the body within the skin considered collectively. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > hair > parts of hair > [noun] pithOE root end1675 shaft1748 medulla1826 stem1845 Henle's layer1850 Henle's sheath1853 epicuticle1949 OE Antwerp Gloss. (1955) 199 Hilum .i. medulla penne, peoþa. c1330 Body & Soul (Auch.) (1889) 38 Þei þou roti pil and piþ [c1330 Laud pid; v.r. pyþe]..Ȝete þou schalt com, lim and liþ, Oȝain to me at domesday. a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 32^v Hile, Þe peþe of a pen. a1500 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 703/36 Ilum, the pyf of the penne. ?a1500 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 588/41 Ile, the pythe of a penne. 1757 D. P. Layard Ess. Contagious Distemper Horned Cattle 74 Let the horn be bored about two or three inches below the tip, without wounding the pith. 1785 Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. 1 531 It is a disease that affects the internal substance of the horn, commonly called the pith, insensibly wastes it, and leaves the horn hollow. 1835 R. Owen in Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. I. 350/2 Both sides [of the shaft of a feather]..inclose a peculiar white, soft, elastic substance called the pith. 1840 J. Buel Farmer's Compan. (ed. 2) 71 The piths of horns, or the residue of..horns after the comb-maker has taken all that is fit for his use. 1866 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 156 115 The splint bones may enfold persistent cartilage, or this pith may be absorbed. 1962 A. J. Marshall Parker & Haswell's Text-bk. Zool. (1966) II. 841 Each individual hair is a slender rod, and is composed of..a central part or pith containing air, and an outer more solid part or cortex. 1987 E. L. Kottick Harpsichord Owner's Guide vii. 101 Now cut yourself a plectrum in the end of the feather, and remove the pith found in the stalk. b. The substance occupying the spinal canal; the spinal cord. Cf. marrow n.¹ 1b.Used chiefly with reference to animals and in non-scientific contexts.In quot. 1653: the substance of the brain. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > spine > [noun] > marrow of marrowa1398 medulla?a1425 spinal marrow1578 pith1594 chine-marrow1661 thorny marrow1662 the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > brain > [noun] > substances of medulla?a1425 pith1594 acervulus cerebri1791 brain sand1831 oleophosphoric acid1839 wetware1963 1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 357 The pith of the chine bone. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 371 Some..do twine out the pith of the backe with a long wire. 1627 T. May tr. Lucan Pharsalia (new ed.) vi. 764 The pyth of Staggs with Serpents nourished Was mixed there. 1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme i. xi. 37 This laxe pith or marrow in Mans head. 1706 R. Howlett Anglers Sure Guide xiv. 217 If you bait your Hook with the Pith of the Back-bone of an Ox, &c. carefully take off the outward tough Skin. 1737 Compl. Family-piece (ed. 2) i. ii. 155 Take a Quantity of the Pith of an Ox. 1876 F. Francis Bk. Angling (ed. 4) i. 47 The bait..consisting of..a bit of pith, bullock's marrow. 1996 Daily Tel. 24 July 4/4 Most good butchers already remove the ‘pith’, as the spinal cord is known, from chops and most other cuts of meat. 1998 Canberra Times 18 Oct. a26 The finest marrow, the spinal cord itself, is known as the ‘pith’... ‘Ox pith’ was particularly prized as a delicate, smooth substitute for the best butter in many dishes. †c. Anatomy. = diploe n. 1. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > [noun] > bone-tissue pith1684 1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician iii. 81 In some places the Skull is simple, thin and pellucid, without any Pith [L. absque meditullio]. 1701 tr. A. Belloste Hospital-surgeon x. 84 I made eight or ten little Holes with the Percer upon the discovered Bone, not reaching so deep as the middle Pith or Diploe. 1703 T. Gibson Anat. Humane Bodies Epitomized (ed. 6) iii. iii. 575 Which Pith is called Diploe, and is a spongie and cavernous substance containing a medullar and somewhat bloody juice for the nourishment of the Skull. 3. a. The soft inner part of a loaf; = crumb n. 3a. Now English regional (south-western) and Irish English. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > loaf > [noun] > crumb of loaf pith?c1425 crumbc1430 breadcrumb1656 ?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 90 (MED) Take of þe piþþe [L. medulla] of soure brede..and putte it in scaldynge water. a1475 Bk. Hawking (Harl. 2340) in Studia Neophilol. (1944) 16 16 (MED) Take a white lof sumwhat cooldere then it comyth oute of the ouen and kut her almoste a too in the peth, and ley þe haukes wyng þerin, and of the Cramp he is sauyd. 1597 W. Langham Garden of Health 90 Apply the pith of Bread baked with Coliander seede. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 280 They vse to lap it in the soft crum or pith of a loaf of bread. 1662 R. Watkins Flamma sine Fumo 134 The pith of Bread bak'd with Coriander seed Laid to the head, is good to help thy need. 1706 R. Howlett Anglers Sure Guide xiii. 192 Some like a Paste..made up with the Pith of a White Loaf. 1753 Ulster Misc. vii. 329 Behold that loaf! how hard the crust! The pith how soft and white! 1787 J. M. Adair Med. Cautions (ed. 2) 291 Biscuit boiled with water and a little milk, or the crust of a loaf, are much preferable to the pith of bread or flour, which are too glutinous, and produce acidities. 1868 R. W. Huntley Gloucs. Gloss. 54 Pith, the crumb of bread. a1903 E. H. Goddard in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1903) IV. 529/1 [N. Wiltshire] Gie I the peth on't, I caant eat no crowst. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. viii. [Lestrygonians] 166 Wine soaked and softened rolled pith of bread mustard a moment mawkish cheese. 1979 N. Rogers Wessex Dial. 84/2 Pith, the crumb of the loaf. †b. Metallurgy. The imperfectly carburized core of an iron rod. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > iron > [noun] > core of iron rod pith1831 1831 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal I. 231 If [the carbonising process be] only partially effected the centre of the rod still exhibits its duller iron-like structure, or pith, as the workmen call it. II. Abstract uses. 4. a. The innermost or central part of a thing; the essential or vital part; the spirit or essence; the core, the nub. Frequently in pith and marrow. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > essence or intrinsic nature > [noun] pitheOE i-cundeeOE roota1325 substancec1330 juicec1380 marrowa1382 formc1385 acta1398 quidditya1398 substantial forma1398 inward1398 savourc1400 inwardc1450 allaya1456 essencya1475 being1521 bottom1531 spirit?1534 summary1548 ecceity1549 core1556 flower1568 formality1570 sum and substance1572 alloy1594 soul1598 inwardness1605 quid1606 fibre1607 selfness1611 whatness1611 essentialityc1616 propera1626 the whole shot1628 substantiala1631 esse1642 entity1643 virtuality1646 ingeny1647 quoddity1647 intimacy1648 ens1649 inbeing1661 essence1667 interiority1701 intrinsic1716 stamen1758 character1761 quidditas1782 hyparxis1792 rasa1800 bone1829 what1861 isness1865 inscape1868 as-suchness1909 Wesen1959 the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > essential or central pitheOE effectc1405 substancec1450 kernel1556 nick1577 keystone1641 vitals1657 narrow1702 secret1738 ganglion1828 nub1833 primality1846 keyword1848 knub1864 buzzword1946 in word1964 the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > essence or intrinsic nature > [noun] > vital part or vitalizing influence pitheOE sap1526 quicka1566 lifeblood1582 heartstring1584 entelechy1603 heart1603 heart-blood1606 heart and soul1616 heart's-blooda1631 life's bloodc1635 the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > [noun] > essential part pointc1385 pithc1425 issue1553 extract1570 catch1600 hinge1638 punctuma1680 resa1732 jet1748 gist1820 bottom line1830 just it1862 crux1888 eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) ix. 55 Smeageað ðeah & ðeahtigað on hiera modes rinde monig god weorc to wyrcanne, ac on ðam piðan bið oðer gehyded. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) Prol. 164 (MED) Ne hadde oure elderis cerched out and souȝt The sothefast pyth..Of thinges passed..But thoruȝ writyng þei be refresched newe. ?1467 J. Gresham in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 382 I prey you vnderstond the pyth of my seid wrytyng and enfourme my seid maister..of þe same. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Heb. viii. 1 Of the thynges which we have spoken this is the pyth. 1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. x. f. 232 Wherein standeth the pith and mary of the hole science. 1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth i. 111 The very pith and marrowe of sweet speech. 1679 T. Puller Moderation Church of Eng. vi. 143 Which doctrine of J. S. is condemned..as the pith of Manicheism. 1785 J. Trusler Mod. Times III. 166 Lord W. wished to appoint me his literator, which office was to cull out the pith of every new publication, and retail it to him at breakfast. a1831 A. Knox Remains (1844) I. 80 The very pith and marrow of Mr. Wesley's views. 1877 J. A. Symonds Fine Arts in Renaissance in Italy (1897) III. ii. 42 Within the great cities the pith of the population was Latin. 1912 J. Galsworthy Eldest Son iii I want time to get the pith o' this. 1992 E. Acton Rethinking Russ. Rev. (BNC) 96 The pith and core of socialism was seen as the abolition of private property. †b. to the pith: thoroughly, to the very core. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through to the boneOE through and throughc1225 out and outc1300 from top to tail1303 out and inc1390 (from) head to heel (also heels)c1400 (from) head to foot (also feet)c1425 from top to (into, unto) toec1425 to the skin1526 to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530 from first to last1536 up and down1542 whole out1562 to the pith1587 to the back1594 from A to (also until) Z1612 from clew to earing1627 from top to bottom1666 back and edge1673 all hollow1762 (all) to pieces1788 from A to Za1821 to one's (also the) fingertips1825 to one's fingernails1851 from tip to toe1853 down to the ground1859 to the backbone1864 right the way1867 pur sang1893 from the ground up1895 in and out1895 from soda (card) to hock1902 1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 1127/2 Shortlie after..she performed hir promise to the pith. 5. a. Physical strength or force; vigour, might; toughness, strength of character; mettle, backbone. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily strength > [noun] > robustness hardishipa1250 stalworthnessa1340 stalworthinessa1387 pithc1395 hardinessc1405 robustness?1533 valiantness1553 validity1578 robustiousness1600 robustuousness1648 robusticness1676 robusticity1777 hardihood1780 ironness1803 induration1827 robustihood1834 stalwartness1859 c1395 G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale 475 But age, allas, that al wole enuenyme, Hath me biraft my beautee and my pith. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) 7090 (MED) Þorou his hare his strenght was made; atte xx mens pith [a1400 Vesp. might] he hadde. c1440 (?a1400) Sir Perceval (1930) 1505 (MED) I giffe the prise to thi pyth; Vnkyndely talked thou me with. c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 5 (MED) Herefor vs muste som tyme lowse our pithe, & suffre þaim hafe som recreacion & disporte. 1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 4^v Brasse, yron or style, haue theyr owne strength and pith in them. 1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 866 Thay preis furth properly thair pithis to prufe. 1601 Bp. W. Barlow Serm. Paules Crosse Martij 1600 17 A man of Sampsons pith. 1681 S. Colvil Mock Poem i. 52 We'l both defend with all our pith. 1692 E. Ward Miracles performed by Money 15 An old Grey withered Sot, Who has..No Pith in's Back, nor Vigour in his Breast. 1763 C. Churchill Epist. to W. Hogarth 3 Should love of Fame..Spur thee to deeds of pith. 1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 166 At Brooses thou had ne'er a fellow, For pith an speed. 1849 Times 14 Sept. 4/1 We have placed at their disposal the pith and courage of the bravest soldiers. 1886 R. L. Stevenson Kidnapped ii. 12 This [curse]..took the pith out of my legs. 1984 Guardian (Nexis) 19 Oct. Today's women they've got no pith, no backbone. 1991 Atlanta Jrnl. & Constit. (Nexis) 13 Oct. a1 Mr. Starrs's pith and vigor belie his 60ish age. He regularly bicycles 34 miles a day to work. b. Force, power, energy (of words, speech, etc.). In later use chiefly: the quality of conveying meaning forcibly through brevity of expression; succinctness, conciseness. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > vigour or force > [noun] eloquence1382 elocution1509 gravity?1520 pith?1531 vigour1532 emphasy1548 energy?1549 emphasisa1555 pithiness1557 abruptness1591 emphaticalness1647 nervousness1727 cogency1750 forcibility1771 cogence1782 verve1803 forcefulness1825 force1842 snap1870 full-bloodedness1894 punch1901 compulsiveness1918 punchiness1938 ?1531 J. Frith Disput. Purgatorye i. sig. b4 Some man will thinke myne argumentes to be of small pith. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke Pref. 13 He shall fele a certain vertue and pith such as he shall not fele the lyke in any other bookes. 1714 Craig Answer in R. Smith Poems 15 I have confuted Mr. Smith, Your Adversar for all his pith. 1828 T. Carlyle Burns in Edinb. Rev. Dec. 280 Cool vigour and laconic pith. 1876 C. H. Spurgeon Commenting 2 Matthew Henry..is usually plain, quaint, and full of pith. 1909 C. F. Johnson Shakespeare & his Critics vi. 145 The style of the book imitates Dr. Johnson's sententious utterance, but lacks the wit and pith which give the original his rank among great writers. 1935 Times 28 June 10/3 He writes with pith and humour. 2003 India-West (Nexis) 14 Mar. 19 Mehboob's lyrics have both pith and simplicity. †6. Substance, import, meaning (of words, speech, etc.). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > [noun] > texture of a work > substantial quality pithc1450 c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) 4882 (MED) So ful of pith is the matere That swich a book in Romaunce Was neuer yet made in Fraunce. a1529 J. Skelton Colyn Cloute (?1545) sig. A.iii It hath in it some pyth. 1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 202 With the whistling of lips or hands..sheepeheards cause their sheepe to arise, or lie downe, bicause they vnderstand not an articulate or distinct speech, that hath some pith in it. 1590 J. Greenwood in H. Barrow & J. Greenwood Coll. Certain Lett. & Conf. Pref. sig. A ij If thou finde not such pith or substance in the matters discussed. 7. Importance, gravity, weight. Now chiefly in of (great) pith and moment.Usually with allusion to Shakespeare's use (see quot. a1616). ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > gravity or seriousness peisec1425 poise1457 griefa1513 gravity1533 ponderosity1589 ponderance1600 pitha1616 seriousness1797 ponderation1873 gravitas1924 a1616 W. Shakespeare Hamlet (1623) iii. i. 88 Enterprizes of great pith [1604 pitch] and moment. 1624 W. Bedell Copies Certaine Lett. vi. 104 Neither is there any place..of speciall pith, that hath not beene obserued. 1776 J. Palmer Four Months Tour through France I. 158 You, who can enjoy the luxury of neat apartments and wholesome beds, must allow strollers to talk of those things, which are to them of greater pith and moment, than antiquities. 1826 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae xxiv, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 213 I hae a secret to communicate—a secret o' some pith and moment. 1830 J. W. Croker in Croker Papers (1884) II. xv. 85 We have seen the scruples..of one..cabinet minister alter the whole course of enterprises of great pith and moment. 1927 Amer. Mercury Feb. 208/2 They appear in the session laws in close juxtaposition to matters of great pith and moment. 1991 M. Kilby Man at Sharp End (BNC) 238 Your father and I are talking matters of great pith and moment. Compounds C1. a. (In sense 1.) pith cell n. ΚΠ 1868 S. W. Johnson How Crops Grow iii. 275 In the potato tuber the pith cells are occupied throughout with starch. 1992 C. A. Smith & E. J. Wood Biosynthesis vii. 139 This promoted cell division in tobacco pith cells at a concentration of 1 μg dm⁻³. † pith-coat n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1871 C. Kingsley At Last xiii Two or three blows with the cutlass, at the small end of the nut, cut off not only the pith-coat, but the point of the shell. pith cylinder n. ΚΠ 1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns 308 The pith-cylinders [Ger. Markeylinder (sic)] of the shoots..are only connected by narrow medullary rays. 1991 Bot. Gaz. 152 330/2 Cracks and furrows are present in the pith cylinder. b. (In sense 2b.) † pith bait n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1886 Academy 6 Feb. 88/2 The ‘pith’ bait is a recent invention of the Nottingham anglers. pith cavity n. ΚΠ 1875 T. H. Huxley & H. N. Martin Course Elem. Biol. viii. 77 The medullary or pith-cavity in the centre of the section. 1991 R. Goldring Fossils in Field iv. 63 Decay of the pith may result in the cavity becoming filled to form a cast of the pith cavity. † pith marrow n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1655 T. Moffett & C. Bennet Healths Improvem. xiii. 113 Pith-Marrow, running all along from the hinder brain..to the end of the back-bone or chine of beasts. 1712 Boston News-let. 14 Apr. 1/2 A White-woman..was cut in five several places, her neck cut almost to the pith marrow behind, and yet she is alive, 'tis hop'd she may recover. 1772 M. Smith Compl. House-keeper 135 Take a quarter of a pound of pith marrow out of the back-bone of veal or mutton. † pith pudding n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1728 E. Smith Compl. Housewife (ed. 2) 85 To make a Pith Pudding. Take a quantity of the Pith of an Ox, and let it lye all night in water to soak out the Blood; the next morning..beat it..till 'tis as fine as Pap [etc.]. C2. pith ball n. a small ball of pith (usually from a tree), esp. one hanging from a thread in an electroscope, which is attracted or repelled by an electrostatically charged object. ΚΠ 1760 Philos. Trans. 1759 (Royal Soc.) 51 317 I fasten the slip of wood, from one end of which the threads &c. hang down five inches, so that the pith balls are about four inches from the table. 1849 H. M. Noad Lect. Electr. (ed. 3) 14 A cylinder of brass, supported on a glass stand, and furnished with a pith ball electroscope. 1935 C. J. Smith Intermediate Physics (ed. 2) v. xxxv. 578 If two uncharged pith-balls are suspended side by side and an electrified rod brought near to them, both are attracted by the rod. 1999 EDN (Nexis) 13 May 28 You can store charged particles in a Leyden jar, or you can watch them attract pith balls, but you can't really do anything with charged particles unless you put them in motion. † pith-drawn adj. Obsolete rare designating a tree that has broken raggedly, exposing the pith. ΚΠ 1702 R. Neve Apopiroscopy i. 19 By this Method, Trees are prevented from being Rift or Cleft, or Pith-drawn, as some call it, by falling too soon, viz. before they are Sawn asunder. pith fleck n. a discoloured patch or streak of parenchymatous tissue in wood, usually formed in response to injury by insects. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > [noun] > dark patch pith fleck1890 pith-ray fleck1913 1890 W. Somerville tr. R. Hartig Timbers 77 Pith-flecks, darkish-coloured patches met with in some woods. 1956 F. W. Jane Struct. Wood x. 236 Rotary cut birch..has a most attractive figure, due largely to the very numerous pith flecks which it contains. 1992 Amer. Midland Naturalist 127 9 (caption) Cross section showing insect borings (pith flecks or medullary spots) in the petrified wood. pith hat n. = pith helmet n. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > made of specific material > pith of sola plant topi1835 sola1844 pith hat1857 pith helmet1858 1857 Times 1 Aug. 11/6 His white pith hat, his small, active, springy figure, his constitutional good-humoured, devil-may-care laugh. 1859 Ladies Repository Jan. 46/1 I am forced to take the direct rays of the sun with no other protection than a pith hat. 1996 Times (Nexis) 20 July Atlanta's police and Games officials have been equipped with pith hats, making the shorter, fatter ones look like Lofty from It Ain't Half Hot Mum. † pith-hat plant n. Obsolete rare a sola or joint-vetch plant, either Aeschynomene aspera or the related A. indica.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1889 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants Pith-hat plant, Æschynomene aspera. pith helmet n. a lightweight helmet made of sola (the dried pith of Aeschynomene aspera or A. indica), worn as a protection against the sun; so pith-helmeted adj. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > made of specific material > pith of sola plant topi1835 sola1844 pith hat1857 pith helmet1858 1858 R. B. Brough Siege of Troy v. 27 Ithacus, how d'ye like the new pith helmet? 1934 G. B. Shaw Too True to be Good ii. 50 He wears a pith helmet with a pagan. 2000 R. Sterling World Food: Vietnam 108 On the old streets of Hoi An..I spot a sinewy old man with a pith helmet covering his grizzled hair. pith-helmeted adj. wearing a pith helmet. ΚΠ 1916 ‘B. Cable’ Action Front 190 Half-forgotten illustrations in the papers of pith-helmeted infantry in the Boer War. 1989 J. Barnes Hist. World in 10½ Chapters 237 Those pith-helmeted cavaliers who despatched rhinos with a single well-placed slug from an army pistol. pith paper n. paper made from the pith of any of various plants. ΚΠ 1849 Sci. Amer. 9 June 299/4 Paper and ink of fine quality, and beautiful artificial flowers of pith paper, are produced there [sc. in Nanking]. 1875 C. V. Bonney Legacy Hist. Gleanings (ed. 2) II. xvi. 325 The paintings on pith, or rice paper, are much sought after for their splendid colourings. 1999 Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair: 1999 Handbk. 171/1 (caption) One of a rare set of twelve Chinese watercolours of butterflies and flowers, painted on pith paper. pith plant n. rare the Chinese shrub Tetrapanax papyriferus (family Araliaceae), which yields a pith from which rice paper is made. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > non-British shrubs > [noun] > Asian Japan allspice1789 ramie1817 kaffir lime1824 luculia1826 rice-paper plant1832 pith plant1834 chimonanthus1836 jiti1836 rhea1837 leycesteria1838 wintersweet1846 crape-myrtle1850 skimmia1853 China-grass1858 taccada1866 saxaul1874 white kerria1900 sarcococca1914 1834 G. Bennett Wanderings New S. Wales II. iv. 75 The pith plant is procured from Oan-nāām, near the province of See-chuen. 1903 J. W. Davidson Formosa xxix. 542 Among the new growths that spring up over these blackened areas, the Pith-plant is often prominent. 2009 Harvard Mag. Mar.–Apr. 72/3 A photograph of the elusive pith plant. pith ray n. = medullary ray n. at medullary adj. Compounds. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > cell or aggregate tissue > [noun] > tissue > pith or soft internal tissue > medullary ray(s) insertment1671 ray1675 medullary ray1816 pith rayc1868 c1868 S. W. Johnson How Crops Grow iii. 276 The botanist terms them pith-rays or medullary rays. 1953 K. Esau Plant Anat. xv. 343 The spaces among the strands..are occupied by parenchymatic ground tissue. These plates of tissue can be designated as pith rays or medullary rays. 1988 Bot. Gaz. 149 121/1 In cross section, the tracheids are all radically aligned..and the pith rays are continuous with pith parenchyma. pith-ray fleck n. = pith fleck n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > [noun] > dark patch pith fleck1890 pith-ray fleck1913 1913 Circular U.S. Forest Service No. 215 (title) Pith-ray flecks in wood. 1936 R. W. Doane et al. Forest Insects xi. 398 Three species [of agromyzid fly larvae] mine the cambium of trees, causing pith-ray flecks. pith tree n. the ambatch, Aeschynomene elaphroxylon. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > African trees or shrubs > [noun] > other African trees or shrubs keurboom1731 silver-tree1731 witteboom1799 Hottentot's bean1801 melkhouta1823 monkey apple1824 witgatboom1824 Hottentot's bean tree1833 spek-boom1834 mopane1854 Welwitschia1862 ambatch1863 miombo1864 pith tree1864 porkwood1875 tree purslane1882 buffalo-horn1887 monkey guava1887 bush willow1917 melkboom1917 msasa1923 rooibos1932 miraa1945 ovangkol1972 pigeon wood1972 tambotie1973 1864 J. A. Grant Walk across Afr. p. xv Ambadj; native name for the pith-tree. 1887 C. A. Moloney Sketch Forestry W. Afr. 313 Ambash or Pith-tree of the Nile... The wood is very light, and in the form of small logs is used by the natives to assist them in crossing rivers. 1961 F. R. Irvine Woody Plants of Ghana 360 Ambatch or Pith Tree of Nile Land... By rivers and in swamps in open country. pithwork n. articles made of pith, esp. that of the plant Aeschynomene aspera; the craft or occupation of making such articles. ΚΠ 1875 Times 2 June 6/5 Three exquisite examples of the pithwork of Madras. These are models of temples cut out of the pith of the solah (Æschynomene paludosa), from which are made the miscalled ‘solar’ pith hats worn by Anglo-Indians. 1891 Littell's Living Age 7 Mar. 630/2 Pith-work used to be one of the arts of India; fans used to be made from ‘paddy’ corns, necklaces made out of cocoanut for children during the hûli festivities. 2000 Hindu (Nexis) 8 Aug. Pithwork is among the many handicrafts in our country, which once was part of a rich heritage and provided a means of livelihood to craftsmen. Derivatives ˈpith-like adj. ΚΠ 1678 J. Ray tr. F. Willughby Ornithol. i. 6 The external and superiour Membrane covering the Ventricle being..the most pith-like. 1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. I. at Æschynomene The pith-like stem of Æ. aspera is..used in India..for making hats, bottle-cases, swimming jackets [etc.]. 1997 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 84 1470 Notice the central region of relatively large pith-like parenchyma cells..surrounded by strands of elongate parenchyma cells. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022). pithv. Brit. /pɪθ/, U.S. /pɪθ/ Forms: late Middle English (1800s Australian) peth, 1800s– pith. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: pith n. Etymology: < pith n. †1. intransitive. To supply a person with strength or courage. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > adhere constantly or steadfastly to [verb (transitive)] > make steadfast strongOE strengthc1200 stablea1300 resolvea1398 sadc1400 nourish?a1425 settle1435 pitha1500 stiffen?a1500 steel1581 toughen1582 ballastc1600 efforta1661 fix1671 balance1685 to fix the mercury1704 instrengthen1855 to put stuffing into1977 a1500 (?a1422) J. Lydgate Life Our Lady (Adv.) in W. B. D. D. Turnbull Visions of Tundale (1843) 93 (MED) It pethys fayre Ageynis wanhope and disperacyon..And who that maketh hys invocacion To thys name..Hit gyveth hym strenth; hit gevyth hym sykernes. 2. transitive. To pierce, sever, or destroy the upper spinal cord or brainstem of (an animal), so as to cause death or insensibility. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > kill animal [verb (transitive)] > by specific method sticklOE worry1340 strikea1400 spaya1425 lipc1475 smeek1691 pith1805 whoo-whoop1812 halal1819 to bark1865 destroy1866 flight1892 lethalize1897 lethal1922 1805 European Mag. & London Rev. June 482 The practice of slaughtering cattle by puncturing the medulla spinalis, or as it is now called, pithing cattle, is extending through all parts of the Kingdom. 1875 T. H. Huxley & H. N. Martin Course Elem. Biol. (1877) 203 The pulsation of the heart..should be studied in a Frog rendered insensible by chloroform or by being pithed. 1886 P. Clarke ‘New Chum’ in Austral. (ed. 2) xiii. 184 ‘Now then, shall we peth it or shoot it?’ says our butcher pro tem. 1920 B. Cronin Timber Wolves 141 In the end he unsheathed the skinning knife on his belt and pithed the animal with one skilful, downward stab. 1932 Amer. Jrnl. Physiol. 102 12 The animals were swiftly pithed through the temporal bone and then used without anesthesia. 1999 Farmers Guardian (Nexis) 9 July 21 It is recommended that..the animal is either pithed or bled to ensure rapid death. 3. transitive. To remove or extract the pith from. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > post-printing processes > [verb (transitive)] > make imperfect, cut off or destroy part of book mutilate1534 castrate1627 emasculate1756 bowdlerize1836 pith1852 the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > extract the core or pith of uncore1611 pith1852 plug1874 the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparing fruit and vegetables > prepare fruit and vegetables [verb (transitive)] > remove pith pith1852 the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > deprive of essential elements or qualities unbowel1552 kill1613 unessence1644 pith1903 1852 Ld. Haddo in Mem. (1866) x. 175 [We] fish, paddle in the water, or pith rushes till dinner. 1903 G. B. Shaw Man & Superman Pref. p. xxxiv And yet..the respectable newspapers pith me by announcing ‘another book by this brilliant and thoughtful writer’. 1935 G. B. Shaw Let. 25 July in To a Young Actress (1960) 163 I entirely approve of Peter's escaping [from a public school] before he is pithed and turned out as a political and moral gentleman several centuries out of date. 1987 Harrowsmith Nov. 120/3 Peel and pith oranges, then slice in rounds, removing any seeds. Derivatives pithed adj. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > [adjective] > by specific method stickedc1330 pithed1864 road-killed1943 autocidal1960 1864 H. Falconer in Reader 5 Mar. 302/2 It divides into two long diverging arms (like the legs of a pithed frog). 1967 Brain 90 790 The blood pressure of the pithed rat is sensitive to low concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline. 2001 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 2 June 33 Now thinly slice peeled and pithed oranges and toss them in a dressing of olive oil. ˈpithing n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > [noun] > by specific method cabaging1575 spearing1784 pithing1806 pig-sticking1821 worry1847 shechita1875 halal1888 estocada1910 lethalling1925 roadkill1943 autocide1967 the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > [noun] > means of pithing1806 killer1892 1806 J. Barrow Voy. Cochinchina 432 These people being well acquainted with the mode of slaughtering cattle by what is technically called pithing. 1831 W. Youatt Horse ix. 153 The operation is called pithing, from the name (the pith) given by butchers to the spinal morrow. 1952 C. D. O'Malley & J. B. de C. M. Sounders Leonardo da Vinci on Human Body 350 Some remarkable observations on the pithing of frogs. 2001 Consumer Policy Rev. (Nexis) May 78 The technique for slaughtering animals known as pithing..has been condemned by the European Commission and banned in Europe but has remained in use in Britain. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.eOEv.a1500
随便看	overfeed overfeeding overfeeds overfeel overfell overfellowly overfelon overfertility overfestoon overfew overfields overfierce out-of-the-wayness out-of-the-world out-of-the-worldish out-of-the-worldly out-of-the-worldness out-of-touchness out-of-towner out-of-true out-of-trueness out-of-tune out-of-tuneness out-of-tunish out-of-use

pithn.

Compounds

Derivatives

pithv.

Derivatives