PRO 



342 



PSE 



equivalent of oxygen combined 

 with one of a base, that is, the 

 first oxide, and so of numerous 

 other words similarly formed. 



Protozoa, n. plu., prot'o-zo'-a, also 

 Protozoans, n. plu.,_pro^o-zo-awz 

 (Gr. protos, first ; zoon, an 

 animal), the lowest division of 

 the animal kingdom, apparently 

 occupying a sort of neutral ground 

 between animals and vegetables : 

 protozoic, a., prot'-o-zo'-ik, be- 

 longing to the Protozoa ; con- 

 taining the first traces of life : 

 protozoon, n., prot'-o-zd'on, also 

 protozoan, n., -zo'dn, one of the 

 Protozoa. 



proventriculus, n., prfafenMM 

 ill-its (L. pro, in front of; ven- 

 triculus, the stomach from ven- 

 ter, the belly), the cardiac portion 

 of the stomach of birds. 



proximal, a., proks'-im-al (L. 

 proximus, next, nearest), toward 

 or nearest, as to a body or centre; 

 in zool, applied to the slowly- 

 growing, comparatively - fixed 

 extremity of a limb, or of an 

 organism : proximal part, the 

 part toward or nearest. 



proximate, a., proks'im-dt (L. 

 proximus, nearest), nearest ; 

 immediate : proximate cause, 

 that which immediately precedes 

 and produces the effect, though 

 not the only operating cause ; 

 opposed to 'remote or immediate ' : 

 proximate principles, in chem., 

 distinct compounds which exist 

 ready formed in animals, as 

 albumen, fat, etc., and in veget- 

 ables, as sugar, starch, etc. 



pruinose, a., pr6 r -in-oz f (L. prum- 

 osus, full of hoar-frost from 

 pruina, hoar-frost), in bot. , covered 

 with glittering particles, as if fine 

 globules of dew had been con- 

 gealed upon it. 



Primus, n., pr6n f -us (L. prunum, 

 a plum), a genus of plants, Ord. 

 Rosaceae : Prunus domestica, 

 ddm-est'-ik-a (L. domesticus, of 

 or belonging to the house from 



dtimus, the house), the Plum 

 tree and its varieties, which, 

 when dried, constitute prunes : 

 P. laurocerasus, Idior'd'Ser'-dS'US 

 (L. laurus, the laurel ; cerdsus, 

 the cherry tree), the Cherry- 

 laurel, or common Bay -laurel, 

 have been used as anodyne and 

 hypnotic remedies: P. Lusitanica, 

 Idz'-it-an'-ik-a (Lusitania, old 

 name for Portugal), the Portugal 

 laurel, cultivated as an evergreen: 

 P. spinosa, spln-oz'-a (L. spmos- 

 us, thorny, prickly from splna, 

 a spine), the Sloe, whose leaves 

 have been employed to adulterate 

 tea. 



prurigo, n. , pr6r-lg f -o (L. prurigo, 

 an itching, prurid, I itch), a 

 skin disease characterised by 

 intolerable itching : pruritus, n., 

 prdr-it'-us (L. pruritus, an itch- 

 ing), itching, forming the main 

 symptom of the disease prurigo. 



prussic, a. , prus'-ilc (from Prussia), 

 applied to a deadly poison or- 

 iginally obtained from Prussian- 

 blue, existing in the laurel, 

 and in kernels of various fruits 

 prepared commercially from 

 prussiate of potass j hydrocyanic 

 acid. 



psalterium, n., sdwlt-er'i'um (L. 

 psalterium, a stringed instr. of 

 the lute kind), the manyplies 

 or third cavity of the stomach of 

 a ruminant animal ; in anat. , a 

 part of the brain, consisting of 

 lines impressed on the under 

 surface of the posterior part of 

 the body of the fornix. 



psammoma, n., sdm-mom'a (Gr. 

 psammds, loose earth, sand), a 

 tumour usually found in the 

 brain and its appendages, whose 

 characteristic feature is the 

 occurrence of calcareous matter, 

 or * brain sand, ' in the centre of 

 small concentric lobules. 



pseudembryo, n., 



(Gr. pseudes, lying, false ; and 

 embryo), the larval form of an 

 Echinoderm. 



