pithn.
/pɪθ/, U.S. /pɪθ/ 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. † c. Anatomy. = diploe n. 1. Obsolete.
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. 32v 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.
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. † b. Metallurgy. The imperfectly carburized core of an iron rod. Obsolete. rare.
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.
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.† 6. Substance, import, meaning (of words, speech, etc.). Obsolete.
4. † b. to the pith: thoroughly, to the very core. Obsolete.
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.
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. 4v 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.
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-coat n. Obsolete
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.
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† pith marrow n. Obsolete† pith pudding 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.
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.
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-drawn adj. Obsolete rare designating a tree that has broken raggedly, exposing the pith.† 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.
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.
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.
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.
/pɪθ/, U.S. /pɪθ/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).
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n.eOE
v.a1500