FEN 



55S 



PEN 



ome cathedrals , vested with power from 

 the bishop to absolve, in cases reserved to 

 him. 4. A house of correction, where 

 offenders are confined for punishment and 

 reformation, and compelled to labour. 



PKN'ITENTS. In Roman Catholic coun- 

 tries, certain religious fraternities, dis- 

 tinguished by their particoloured gar- 

 ments. 



i'ENNAT'cLA. The sea-pen or feather : a 

 genus of zoophytes, distinguished by a 

 double set of branches, extending from a 

 calcareous axis, like the vanes of a quill. 

 They float about in the waters of the 

 ocean, just as the wind and current may 

 direct them. 



PEN'NIFORM, from penna, a feather, and 

 form; having the form of a feather. Ap- 

 plied to muscles when the fibres pass 

 obliquely outwards on either side from a 

 tendinous axis. 



PEN'NON. In heraldry, a small pointed 

 flag, borne by a gentleman. When knight- 

 hood was conferred upon him, the point 

 was cut off, and the square flag that re- 

 mained was a banner. 



PEN'KY, plu.jwmce. An ancient English 

 silver coin, but now a copper coin : the 

 twelfth part of a shilling. The penny 

 was the first silver coin struck by our 

 Saxon ancestors : it weighed 22J grains 

 troy, being the 240th part of their pound. 



PEN'NYWEIGHT. A troy weight, the 

 20th part of an ounce , and equal to 24 

 grains. 



PEN'SIONER. Literally, one who re- 

 ceives an allowance. At Cambridge and 

 Dublin Universities, however, it is ap- 

 plied to students who live at their own 

 expense. 



PEN'STOCK. A sluice or floodgate, serv- 

 ing to retain or let go at pleasure the 

 water of a mill-pond, &c. 



PENTACAP'SCLAR, from jrtvrs, five, and 

 eapsula, a capsule. Having five capsules 

 or cells. 



PEN'TACHORD, from jrsrf five, and 

 Xo?&7. chord. A musical instrument hav- 

 ing five strings. 



PENTACOC'COUS, from tritiTt, five, and 

 coccus, a berry. Having five united cells, 

 with one seed in each : five-seeded. 



PENTACRE'NUS, from !i/r6, five, and en- 

 crtniw. A genus of acephalous zoophytes, 

 of which there are few known living 

 species, but vast quantities are found 

 fossil in the lower oolite formation, and 

 especially in the lias. The animal is so 

 named from the pentagonal formation of 

 Its vertebral column. 



PENTACROS'TIC, from trivrt, five, and 

 acrostic. A set of verses so disposed as to 

 have five acrostics of the same name in 

 five divisions of each verse. 



PENTADAC'TVL, from rrevrt, fivp, and 

 lx,KW>.y>> a finger; having five fingers. 



1. Applied 

 gered fish, common in the East Indian 

 seas, and marked with five black streaks 

 on each side, resembling the prints of five 

 fingers. 

 PEN'TAOON, from iturt, five, and <y&vta t 



an angle. A geometrical figure naving 

 five sides and as many angles. 



PEN'TAGRAPH. An absurd orthography 

 of Pantograph (q. v.). 



PEUTAGYN'IA, from jrjvrt, five, and yvryi, 

 a female. An order of plants having five 

 pistils in a hermaphrodite flower. 

 PENTAHB'DRON, ' xrom -TJ, five, and 

 PENTAE'DRON. j VS ? , a base. Afigure 

 of five equal sides. Pentahedral, having 

 five equal sides. 



PEN'TAHEXAHE'DRAL. Having five 

 OTSHTJ) ranges of faces, one above ano- 

 ther, each range consisting of six faces, 

 that is, hexahedral. 



PENTAM'ETER, from jriurt, five, and 

 fMrget, measure. A sort of verse in an- 

 cient poetry, consisting of five feet. The 

 first two feet may be either dactyls or 

 spondees, the third always a spondee, 

 and the two last always anapests. A 

 pentameter verse subjoined to a hexa- 

 meter constitutes what is called elegiac. 

 PENTAN'DRIA, from trivrt, five, and 

 atmj, a male. The 

 name of a class of 

 plants in the sexual 

 system of Liuna?us, 

 embracing those 

 which have herma- 

 phrodite flowers and 

 five stimeus. 



PENTAN'GULAE, 

 from sr*iv<rt, five, 

 and angi.iar. Five- 

 angled. 



PENTAPET'ALOUS, from JTJVTS, five, and 

 jTSraXsv, a petal : flve-petalled. 



PENTAPHYL'LOCS, from xtv'rt, five, and 

 fuAAev, a leaf : five-leafed. 



PENTASPBR'MOUS, from JTEXTS, five, and 

 o-xiffAet, seed: five-seeded. Applied tc 

 capsules. 

 PEN'TASTILE, from *, five and 



