pith

American  

[pith] / pɪθ /

noun

1. Botany. the soft, spongy central cylinder of parenchymatous tissue in the stems of dicotyledonous plants.

2. the white, spongy part of a citrus fruit between the rind and the thin, transparent skin of individual segments.

3. Zoology. the soft inner part of a feather, a hair, etc.

4. the important or essential part; essence; core; heart.

   the pith of the matter.

5. significant weight; substance; solidity.

   an argument without pith.

6. Archaic. spinal cord or bone marrow.

7. Archaic. strength, force, or vigor; mettle.

   men of pith.

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verb (used with object)

1. to remove the pith from (plants).

2. to destroy the spinal cord or brain of.

3. to slaughter, as cattle, by severing the spinal cord.

pith British  

/ pɪθ /

noun

1. 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. Also called: medulla.  botany the central core of unspecialized cells surrounded by conducting tissue in stems

5. the soft central part of a bone, feather, etc

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verb

1. to destroy the brain and spinal cord of (a laboratory animal) by piercing or severing

2. to kill (animals) by severing the spinal cord

3. to remove the pith from (a plant)

pith Scientific  

/ pĭth /

1. The soft, spongy tissue in the center of the stems of most flowering plants, gymnosperms, and ferns. Pith is composed of parenchyma cells. In plants that undergo secondary growth, such as angiosperms, the pith is surrounded by the vascular tissues and is gradually compressed by the inward growth of the vascular tissue known as xylem. In plants with woody stems, the pith dries out and often disintegrates as the plant grows older, leaving the stem hollow.

2. See illustration at xylem

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1. To remove the pith from a plant stem.

2. To sever or destroy the spinal cord of an animal for the purpose of dissecting it, usually by inserting a needle into the spinal canal.

Etymology

Origin of pith

First recorded before before 900; Middle English pith(e), pitthe, Old English pitha; cognate with Dutch pit; pit ²

Example Sentences

It looks pretty forthright on the page, but Mr. Isaacson skillfully teases fresh pith and resonance out of those familiar words.

From The Wall Street Journal

He wore a pith helmet that had been painted to match the balloon’s bright patchwork of colors and patterns, with a small, brave flag flying on top.

From Literature

Penelope’s scalp was already sweaty beneath her pith helmet, and she found herself shooing away imaginary gnats.

From Literature

Mountain yam, bamboo pith and shoots, lotus seeds and gorgon fruit, which Yin says “looks like chickpeas, and tastes like tapioca,” all appear on his menu, too.

From The Wall Street Journal

For example, some chimpanzees chew bitter piths of the medicinal shrub Vernonia amygdalina to treat worm infections—and even detour from their normal foraging routes to seek out the plants.

From Science Magazine