Perseus 
sea - monster. 
2. An ancient 
northern con- 
stellation, the 
(igiirtt of wliieh 
represents I'er- 
seus iii a sin- 
gular posture, 
holilill^'l lie head 
of thetiorgonin 
one hand, and 
waving a sword 
with the otlier. 
persevert ( per- 
sev'er), r. t. An 
obsolete form of 
This is the first 
time that ever you 
resisted my will; 1 
thank you for it, but 
peneoer not In it. 
.Sir P. Sidney, Ar- 
[eiidiii. ill. 
The Constellation Perseus. 
To persever 
In obstinate condolement Is a coarse 
Of impious stubbornness. Shak., Hamlet, i. 2. 92. 
perseverance 1 (per-se-ver'ans), n. [< ME. 
''/icrarri-i-iiiii-r, /irrgiveraunsc, < OF. perseverance, 
!'. iM-rxi'ri'ritncc = Sp. persevcrancia = Pg. per- 
w >< riiiicn = It. perscrcranza, perseveranzia, < L. 
lii-ffU'i-n-tDitin, steadfastness, constancy, perse- 
verance, < perseveran(t-)s, ppr. of persererarr, 
persevere: see perseverant.} 1. ^The act or 
habit of persevering; persistence in anything 
undertaken; continued pursuit or prosecution 
of any business or enterprise begun; steady 
persistency in any state or course of action : 
applied alike to good and evil. 
Persiueraunse of purpos may quit you to lore, 
Your landys to lose, & langur for euer. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.X L 2655. 
Perseverance., dear my lord, 
Keeps honour bright. 
Shak., T. and C., iii. 8. 160. 
{Stuy vesant] possessed, in an eminent degree, that great 
quality in a statesman, called perseverance by the polite, 
but nicknamed obstinacy by the vulgar. 
Irving, Knickerbocker, p. 269. 
2. In theol., continuance in a state of grace, 
leading finally to a state of glory: sometimes 
called final perseverance. See perseverance of 
the saints, below. 
The perseverance of God's grace, with the knowledge of 
his good-will, increase with you unto the end. 
J. Bradford, Letters (Parker Soc., 1853), II. 20. 
Perseverance of the saints, the doctrine that "they 
whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called 
and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally 
fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly per- 
severe therein to the end and be eternally saved" (West. 
Conf. of Faith, xvil. 1). [This doctrine forms one of the 
"flve points of Calvinism," but is denied by Arminians, 
while the Anglican Church permits either position to be 
lu-lil. | = Syn. 1. Industry, Application, etc. (see assiduity), 
steadiness, steadfastness. 
perseverance'-t, See perceiverance. 
perseverantt (per-se-ver'ant), a. [< F. perst- 
verant = Sp. Pg. It.'perseverante, < L. pcrseve- 
ran( t-)s, ppr. of persecerare, persevere : see per- 
severe.'] Persevering; constant, persistent, or 
unflagging in pursuit of an undertaking. 
Such women as were not only devout, but sedulous, dili- 
gent, constant, perseeerant in their devotion. 
Donne, Sermons, xxiii. 
perseverantlyt (per-se-ver'ant-li), adv. Perse- 
veringly. l-'iu'i. 
persevere (per-se-ver'), v.; pret. and pp. per- 
xi-rcrctl, ppr. iirrxtrrring. [Formerly persever; 
< ME. jM-rnrrcren, < F. persererer = Sp. Pg. prr- 
.-i rcrar = It. perscrrrart, < L. perseverare, con- 
tinue steadfastly, persist, persevere, < perse- 
verus, very strict or earnest, < per, through, + 
.a'rcnig, strict, earnest : see severed] I. iiitruim. 
To persist in anything one has undertaken ; 
pursue steadily any design or course com- 
menced ; avoid giving over or abandoning what 
is undertaken ; be constant, steadfast, or un- 
tlinehing. 
To perneuere in any evil course makes you unhappy in 
this life, mid will certainly throw yon into everlasting tor- 
ments in the next. Abp. Wake, Preparation for l>t-:itli. 
Vasques, satisfied in his mind that there was nothing 
extraordinary in the danger, persevered to pass the (.'ape in 
spite of all difficulties. Bruce, Source of the Nile, II. 111. 
= Syn. To keep on, hold on, stick to (one's work). See 
assiduity. 
II. t traiix. To continue; cause to abide or 
remain steadfast or unchanged. 
The Holy chost preserve you, your wife, and family, 
and persevere his grace in you unto the end. 
J. Bradford, Letters (Parker Soc., 1853), II. 20. 
4413 
persevering (por-se-ver'ing). p. a. Persisting 
in any business nr course begun; constant in 
the execution of a purpose or enterprise: as, a 
//'. r i nil;/ Ktlldelll. 
perseveringly (per-se-ver'in-li), aili: In a 
persevering manner; with perseverance or con- 
tinued pursuit of what is undertaken, 
rsewet, r. An obsolete form at pursue. 
ersian (ptVshnn), . and H. [= OF. pcrgien, 
/H-rxnn, F. persan = Sp. Pg. It. )>< rsi<n>, < L. UK 
if /Vr.w(ii//.s, < I'rrxin, /'/;.</*,< (ir. llepaif, Per- 
Hia, < OPers. I'iirxn, Hers. Pars ( > Ar. fan), Per- 
sia. Cf. Parsec.] I. a. 1. Of or pertaining to 
Persia, in any of the various limitations of the 
name, (a) An ancient region near the Persian Gulf, near- 
ly corresponding to the modern Karsistan, and the nucleus 
of the Persian empire. (6) An ancient empire urnlri UK- 
Acheemenians, and later restored under the Sassanians, 
comprising at Its height the greater part of western Asia 
with Egypt, etc. (<) A later kingdom, now extending 
from Russia and the Caspian southward to the Persian 
Gulf, and from Turkey eastward to Afghanistan and Balu- 
chistan (called Iran by the Persians). 
Hence (from the luxury of the ancient Per- 
sians) 2t. Splendid; magnificent; luxurious; 
soft. 
I do not like the fashion of your garments; you will 
say they are Persian attire ; but let them be changed. 
Shak., Lear, Iti. 6. 85. 
Our men are not onlie become willow, bat a great manie, 
through Persian dellcacie crept in among vs, altoglther of 
straw. Harrum, I. 212, col. 1, quoted Dy Ellis. 
Persian apple, the peach. Persian bed, a mattress, or 
framed cushion, so tufted and covered with such material 
that it has a certain decorative character and may serve as 
either a bed or a sofa. Persian berries, the fruit of one 
of several buckthorns, as Khammu infecttiriut, R. saxatttit, 
K. fileoidff, and perhaps others. They afford in decoction 
bright-yellow and green dyes applicable to woolen mate- 
rials, Including that of Oriental carpets, and also em- 
ployed in cotton-printing, paper-staining, and leather- 
dressing. They are grown in France, Spain, Asia Minor, 
etc., as well as In Persia, and are distinguished as Avignon 
grains or berries, Spanish berries, etc., though by dyers they 
are indiscriminately called Persian berrie*. Also called 
yellow berries. Persian blinds. Same as persiennes, 
Persian carpet, cat. See the nouns. Persian cord, 
a material for women's dresses, resembling rep, made of 
cotton and wool. Diet, of Needlework. Persian deer. 
(a) Cerms maral. (&) Damn mesopotamiea, related to the 
common fallow-deer. Persian drill, dualism, era. See 
the nouns. Persian fire, in pathol., same as anthrax. 
Persian gazel, Gaiella subgutturosa. Persian insect- 
powder. See insect powder. Persian lily, a plant of 
the genus Fritillaria (f. Persica\ a native of Persia, cul- 
tivated as a garden-flower. Persian lynx. Same as cara- 
cal. Persian morocco, a kind of morocco leather much 
used in bookbinding. It may be finished by graining in 
any style, but for the most part it is seal-grained that 
is, finished on the grain side in imitation of the grain of 
sealskin. It is mostly made in Germany, from the skins 
of hairy sheep called Persian goats, whence its name is de- 
rived. Persian tick, Argat persieus. See Argas. Per- 
sian ware, a kind of pottery, introduced by English 
makers about 1883, in which decoration is freely applied, 
modeled in low relief with a semi-transparent glaze, which 
appears darker in color where it is thicker, as in the hol- 
lows, and lighter on the projections. Persian wheel. 
See wheel. 
II. . 1. A native or an inhabitant of ancient 
or of modern Persia. The modern Persians are 
a mixed race, in part descended from the an- 
cient Iranians. 2. The language spoken in 
Persia, a member of the Iranian branch of the 
Aryan or Indo-European family of languages. 
Modern Persian dates from about A. D. 1000 ; older dia- 
lects are the Avestan or Zend, and the language of the 
Acheemenlan cuneiform inscriptions. 
3. Iii arch., a male figure draped in the an- 
cient Persian manner, and serving in place of 
a column or pilaster to support an entablature. 
See atlantes and caryatid. 4. A thin, soft, and 
fine silk used for linings and the like. 
One ditto [nightgown] of red and white broad strlpt 
Thread Sattin, lined with a green and white Persian. 
Quoted in Ashton's Social Life in Reign of Queen Anne, 
[1. 161. 
persiana (per-si-a'na), n. [NL.: see Persian, 
H., 4, jtersienne.'] A silk stuff decorated with 
large flowers. Diet, of Xeedlfwork. 
Persic (per'sik), a. and n. [= F. Persique = 
Sp. Pg. It. Persico (cf . D. Per:isch = G. Persiscli 
= Sw. Dan. Persist), < L. Persicun, < Gr. Htpat- 
Kuf, Persian, < Ilepoif, Persia: see Persian. Cf. 
peach 1 , from the same source.] Same as Per- 
xiitll. 
Persica (per'si-ka), n. [NL. (Tournefort, 1700), 
< L. perttica, peach: see peach 1 .] A genus of 
trees (the peach), now merged in Prvnua. 
persicaria (per-si-ka'ri-a), n. [NL. (cf. Ml,. 
IX'rsifdriiin, peach-tree), <. L. pcrgicum, a peach: 
see peachi.J The plant lady's-thumb, Poly- 
</intm Persicaria; also, the garden species P. 
orientals (see prince's-featlier, 2). Also called 
peaclncort. See li<'<trt's-catte,2(b) Water-persi- 
caria, Polygonum amphibiuin, a species common in the 
north temperate zone, with dense spikes of rather large 
bright rose-red flowers. 
persistence 
persicary (per'si-kii-ri), n. [< F. i>frnii-iiirr = 
!Sp. Pg. It. pcrxirurui, < NL. pirtticuriu, fj. v.] 
Kame as persiraria. 
Persicize (per'si-si/), v. t.; pret. and pp. / 
ci::nl, ppr. ri-rxiri:inf/. [< Permc + -i:e.~\ To 
make Persian ; assimilate in any way to some- 
thing Persian. 
"India," the abstract form of a word derived through 
the Oreeks from the I'traicucd form of the .Sanskrit >lil)m, 
a river, pre-eminently the Indus. Kncyc. Brit., XII. 7.S1. 
persicot(per'si-kot), H. [Also pcnerot ; < F. /HI - 
niciit, < Ij. /i< -ivii'iim. a peach: see ^v/r/i'.] A 
cordial prepared by macerating in alcohol lem- 
on-peel and different spices with a large pro- 
portion of the kernels of peaches, apricots, or 
similar fruits Persicot-water, a sweet syrup fla- 
vored In a manner similar to perslcot cordial, but much 
weaker, having but little alcohol. 
persienne (per-si-en'), . [F., fem. of OF. / / - 
sien, Persian: see Persian, n.,4.] An Eastern 
cambric or muslin printed with colored pat- 
terns. 
persiennes (pr-si-en'), n.pl. [F., pi. of )>- 
sienne, fem. of OF. persien, Persian: see fer- 
xiiut.] Outside window-shutters made of thin 
movable slats fastened in a frame on the prin- 
ciple of the Venetian blind. Also called Per- 
sian blinils. 
persiflage (F. pron. per'si-flazh), n. [F., < pcr- 
siflcr, banter, quiz, < \i.per, through, + F. sif- 
fler, hiss, whistle, < L. sibilare, sifilare, hiss: 
see sibilant."] Light, flippant banter; idle, 
bantering talk or humor; an ironical, frivo- 
lous, or jeering style of treating or regarding 
a subject, however serious it may be. 
I hear of Brougham from Sefton, with whom he passes 
most of his spare time, to relieve hli mind by small talk 
persiflage, and the gossip of the day. 
Grerille, Memoirs, March 15, 1831. 
persiflate (per'si-flat), v. i. ; pret. and pp. per- 
siflated, ppr. persiflattng. K F. persiflcr, ban- 
ter (see persiflage), + -ate*.] To indulge in 
persiflage, or light, flippant banter. [Rare.] 
We talked &\\(\ persiflated all the way to London. 
Thackeray, Letters, 1848. 
persifleur (per-si-fler'), n. [F., < persiflcr: see 
persiflage.] One who indulges in persiflage ; a 
banterer ; a quiz. 
No people ever were so little prone to admire at all as 
the French of Voltaire. Persiflage was the character of 
their whole mind. . . . They feel withal that, if persiflage 
be the great thing, there never was such a persifleur. 
Carlyle 
persimmon (per-sim'on), n. [Also persimoti; 
Amer. Ind.] 1. One of several species of the 
genus Diospyros; primarily, D. f'irginiana of 
North America, the date-plum, a tree common 
in the South, growing to a height of 60 feet. 
The hard fine wood of the species is used in turnery, etc. , 
and especially for shuttles. The black or Mexican per- 
simmon, or chapote, is D. Texana of Mexico and Texas, 
with a small black sweet and insipid fruit; Its wood is 
probably the best American substitute for box. D. KaH 
Is the Japanese persimmon. 
2. The fruit of any of the above-named trees. 
That of D. Virginiana is an inch in diameter, Is extreme- 
ly astringent when green, and is sometimes used as a 
remedy for diarrhea ; when frosted or thoroughly ripe it 
is sweet and edible. With other ingredients it yields a 
domestic beer. Not a huckleberry to one's persim- 
mon, not to be compared with one ; Insignificant In com- 
parison with one. [Southern t". 8.] That 's persim- 
mons or all persimmons I that'sflne! [Southern U.S.] 
The longest pole knocks tee persimmon, success 
falls to him who has the most advantages. [Southern 
U. 8.) 
persio (per'si-o), n. A powder used in dyeing: 
same as cudbear. 
Persism (per'sizm), n. [< Gr. as if "Uepaiafiof, 
< Hepaifetv. act, think, or speak with or like the 
Persians, < UfpmK, a Persian : see Persian.'] A 
Persian idiom. 
persist (p^r-sisf), r. i. [< F. persister = Sp. 
Pg. persistir = It. persistere, < L. persistere, con- 
tinue, persist, < per, through, + sisterc, causal 
of stare, stand : see stand. Cf. assist, etc.] To 
continue steadily and firmly in some state, 
course of action, or pursuit, especially in spite 
of opposition, remonstrance, etc.; persevere, 
especially with some degree of obstinacy. 
Thus to penift 
In doing wrong extenuates not wrong, 
But makes it much more heavy. 
S*o*., T. and C., IL 2. 188. 
As you have well begun, and well gone forward, so well 
persist and happily end. 
J. Bradford, Letters (Parker Soc., 1853), II. 71. 
It was otherwise in Saul, whom Jesus threw to the 
ground with a more angry sound than these persecutors; 
but Saul rose a saint, and they persisted devils. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1835), L 320. 
persistence (per-sis'tens), n. [Also i>er#istance ; 
< F. persistance = Sp. Pg. perswtencia = It. per- 
