pith
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pith
(pĭth)n.
1. The soft, spongy tissue in the center of the stems of most vascular plants, consisting mainly of parenchyma.
2.
a. The soft inner substance of a feather or hair.
b. The spinal cord.
3. The essential or central part; the heart or essence: The pith of your argument is controversial.
4. Strength; vigor; mettle.
5. Significance; importance: matters of great pith.
tr.v. pithed, pith·ing, piths
1. To remove the pith from (a plant stem).
2. To sever or destroy the spinal cord of, usually by inserting a needle into the vertebral canal.
3. To kill (cattle) by cutting the spinal cord.
[Middle English, from Old English pitha.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pith
(pɪθ)n
1. (Botany) the soft fibrous tissue lining the inside of the rind in fruits such as the orange and grapefruit
2. the essential or important part, point, etc
3. weight; substance
4. (Botany) botany Also called: medulla the central core of unspecialized cells surrounded by conducting tissue in stems
5. (Biology) the soft central part of a bone, feather, etc
vb (tr)
6. (Zoology) to destroy the brain and spinal cord of (a laboratory animal) by piercing or severing
7. (Zoology) to kill (animals) by severing the spinal cord
8. (Botany) to remove the pith from (a plant)
[Old English pitha; compare Middle Low German pedik, Middle Dutch pitt(e)]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pith
(pɪθ)n.
1. the soft, spongy central cylinder of parenchymatous tissue in the stems of dicotyledonous plants.
2. the soft inner part of a feather, a hair, etc.
3. the important or essential part; core: the pith of the matter.
4. substance; solidity: an argument without pith.
5. Archaic. spinal cord or bone marrow.
6. Archaic. strength or vigor; mettle.
v.t. 7. to remove the pith from (plants).
8. to destroy the spinal cord or brain of.
9. to slaughter, as cattle, by severing the spinal cord.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English pitha; c. Dutch pit. compare pit2]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
pith
(pĭth) The soft, spongy tissue in the center of the stems of most flowering plants. Composed of parenchyma cells, the pith is gradually compressed by the inward growth of the vascular tissue known as xylem. As the plant grows older, the pith dries out and often disintegrates, leaving the stem hollow.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pith
- First referred to the spongy cellular tissue in the stems and branches of many plants, and also the spongy white tissue lining the rind of citrus fruits.See also related terms for rind.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
pith
Past participle: pithed
Gerund: pithing
| Imperative |
|---|
| pith |
| pith |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
pith
In citrus fruit, the soft fibrous tissue lining the inside of the rind.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | pith - soft spongelike central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants plant tissue - the tissue of a plant parenchyma - the primary tissue of higher plants composed of thin-walled cells that remain capable of cell division even when mature; constitutes the greater part of leaves, roots, the pulp of fruits, and the pith of stems |
| 2. | pith - the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story" essence, heart and soul, inwardness, nitty-gritty, substance, gist, kernel, nub, meat, core, sum, marrow, heart, center, centre cognitive content, mental object, content - the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned bare bones - (plural) the most basic facts or elements; "he told us only the bare bones of the story" hypostasis - (metaphysics) essential nature or underlying reality haecceity, quiddity - the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other quintessence - the purest and most concentrated essence of something stuff - a critically important or characteristic component; "suspense is the very stuff of narrative" | |
| Verb | 1. | pith - remove the pith from (a plant) get rid of, remove - dispose of; "Get rid of these old shoes!"; "The company got rid of all the dead wood" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
pith
nounThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
لُب المَوضوع، جَوْهَر النِّقاشلُب ساق النَّباتلُب قِشْرَة البُرتُقال
dřeňdužinajádro
hindekernemarv
bélfabél
barkarkjötmegur, kjarnimergur
būtībakodolsparenhīmaserde
dreň
pith
[pɪθ] N (Bot) parte interna blanquecina (endocarpo) de la cáscara de los cítricos → blanco m de la cáscara (fig) (= core) → meollo mCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
pith
n (Bot) → Mark nt; (of orange, lemon etc) → weiße Haut; (fig: = core) → Kern m, → Wesentliche(s) nt; remarks of pith (and moment) → bedeutungsschwere Äußerungen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
pith
[pɪθ] n (of plant) → midollo; (of oranges, lemons) → parte f bianca della scorza (fig) (core, of argument) → nocciolo, essenza, succo; (force) → vigore mCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
pith
(piθ) noun1. the white substance between the peel of an orange, lemon etc and the fruit itself.
2. the soft substance in the centre of the stems of plants.
3. the most important part of anything. the pith of the argument.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
pith
n. médula, parte principal.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012