pith

[ pith ]

/ pɪθ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR pith ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

the important or essential part; essence; core; heart: the pith of the matter.

significant weight; substance; solidity: an argument without pith.

Archaic. spinal cord or bone marrow.

Archaic. strength, force, or vigor; mettle: men of pith.

verb (used with object)

to remove the pith from (plants).

to destroy the spinal cord or brain of.

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

QUIZZES

Can You Ace This Quiz About “Compliment” vs. “Complement”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pith

before 900; Middle English; Old English pitha; cognate with Dutch pit. See pit²

Words nearby pith

pitchstone, pitchy, piteous, pitesti, pitfall, pith, pith helmet, pith ray, pithead, pithecanthrope, pithecanthropoid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pith

From numerous experiments it appears that the position of the pith does not bear any relation to the strength of the material.
The Mechanical Properties of Wood|Samuel J. Record
Such was the pith of Tessouat's discourse, and at each clause the conclave responded in unison with an approving grunt.
Pioneers Of France In The New World|Francis Parkman, Jr.
A roar of laughter followed this, and the doctor took off his pith helmet to wipe his forehead.
Jack at Sea|George Manville Fenn
The included portion is irregularly conical in shape with the tip at the pith.
The Mechanical Properties of Wood|Samuel J. Record

Other substitutes are the pith of various plants, especially of corn.
Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects|C. V. Riley

British Dictionary definitions for pith

pith

/ (pɪθ) /

noun

the soft fibrous tissue lining the inside of the rind in fruits such as the orange and grapefruit

the essential or important part, point, etc

weight; substance

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

the soft central part of a bone, feather, etc

verb (tr)

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

to kill (animals) by severing the spinal cord

to remove the pith from (a plant)

Word Origin for pith

Old English pitha; compare Middle Low German pedik, Middle Dutch pitt (e)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for pith

pith

[ pĭth ]

n.

The soft inner substance of a hair.

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

v.

To sever or destroy the spinal cord of a vertebrate animal, usually by means of a needle inserted into the vertebral canal.

Scientific definitions for pith

pith

[ pĭth ]

Noun

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. See illustration at xylem.

Verb

To remove the pith from a plant stem.

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.

pith

noun

verb (used with object)

QUIZZES

Origin of pith

Words nearby pith

Words related to pith

Example sentences from the Web for pith

British Dictionary definitions for pith

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for pith

Medical definitions for pith

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for pith

Noun

Verb