PITH


Meaning of PITH in English

/pith/ , n.

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

2. Zool. 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.

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.

[ bef. 900; ME; OE pitha; c. D pit. See PIT 2 ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .