pith

[ pith ]

/ pɪθ /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of pith

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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

Word Origin and History for pith (1 of 2)

pith

Old English piþa "pith of plants," also "essential part," from West Germanic *pithan- (cf. Middle Dutch pitte, Dutch pit, East Frisian pit), a Low German root of uncertain origin. Figurative sense was in Old English. Pith helmet (1889, earlier pith hat, 1884) so called because it is made from the dried pith of the Bengal spongewood.

Word Origin and History for pith (1 of 2)

pith

"to kill by piercing the spinal cord," 1805, from pith (n.). Related: Pithed; pithing.

Medicine 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.

Science 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

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verb (used with object)

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Origin of pith

Examples from the Web for pith

British Dictionary definitions for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} pith

pith

noun

Word Origin for pith

Word Origin and History for pith (1 of 2)

pith

Word Origin and History for pith (1 of 2)

pith

Medicine definitions for pith

pith

n.

v.

Science definitions for pith

pith

Noun

Verb

noun

British Dictionary definitions for pith