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Definition of pith - 5 dictionary results

pith

  [pith]
Use pith in a Sentence
–noun
1. Botany. the soft, spongy central cylinder of parenchymatous tissue in the stems of dicotyledonous plants.
2. Zoology. the soft inner part of a feather, a hair, etc.
3. the important or essential part; essence; core; heart: the pith of the matter.
4. significant weight; substance; solidity: an argument without pith.
5. Archaic. spinal cord or bone marrow.
6. Archaic. strength, force, or vigor; mettle: men of pith.
–verb (used with object)
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.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE pitha; c. D pit. See pit 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pith   (pĭth)   
n.  

  1. Botany The soft, spongelike, central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants, composed mainly of parenchyma.

  2. Zoology The soft inner substance of a feather or hair.

  3. The essential or central part; the heart or essence. See Synonyms at substance.

  4. Strength; vigor; mettle.

  5. Significance; importance.

  6. Archaic Spinal cord or bone marrow.

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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pith 
O.E. piþa "pith of plants," also "essential part," from W.Gmc. *pithan- (cf. M.Du. pitte, E.Fris. pit), a Low Ger. root of uncertain origin. Fig. sense was in O.E. The verb meaning "to kill by piercing the spinal cord" is from 1805. Pithy "full of substance or significance" is recorded from 1529. Pith helmet (1889, earlier pith hat, 1884) so called because it is made from the dried pith of the Bengal spongewood.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pith
Pronunciation: 'pith
Function: transitive verb
1 : to kill (as cattle) by piercing or severing the spinal cord
2 : to destroy the spinal cord or central nervous system of (as a frog) usually by passing a wire or needle up and down the vertebral canal
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

pith (pĭth)
n.

  1. The soft inner substance of a hair.

  2. Spinal cord or bone marrow. No longer in technical use.

v. pithed, pith·ing, piths
To sever or destroy the spinal cord of a vertebrate animal, usually by means of a needle inserted into the vertebral canal.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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