picaresque 
the beginning f the seventeenth century, of 
which "Gunman do Alt'iiraclie" was a typo. 
The rise of the taste for picarenqur. literature In Spain 
towards the clone of the loth century was fatal to the writ- 
if pastoral. Kuril,: llril., XVIII. 348. 
Picariae (pi-ka'ri-e), n. ill. [XL., t'eni. pi. of 
*;V(i )/*,< L. piciix. a woodpecker : see l'irnt. \ 
In Nit/.scli's system of classification, as edited 
by Burineister in 1840, an order of birds, in- 
stituted for the reception of the .l/mrorA/nx. 
I'liciiliiia; Piciiia', Pxi/tiiriiiir, ami .liii/>liilinl.-r 
of his earlier arrangement, with the addition 
of the Caprimulgiiix, I'mliilir, and 
(the last consisting of the genera 
r/ui]>ii. nml Alci-<l<>). With various modifications, 
and especially with the exclusion of the PtUiaci, the tenn 
continues in general use by ornithologists as the name of 
a group of noii-passcrino non-raptorial land.hirds; but it 
is so hetcTou'eneoiiH Hint no diagnostic characters can be 
assigned, and the tendency now is to drop the term and 
elevate several nf tin- groups of genera which it fonm-rly 
covered to ordinal or subordinal rank, under the names 
Macrochireg, Coccygen, and Pictfornws, or their equivalents. 
picarian (pl-kii'ri-an), n. and n. [< I'inirite + 
-an.'] I. rt. Of or pertaining to the Picariir; 
being or resembling one of the Picarise. 
II. n. One of the Picaria. 
picarot (pik'a-r6),n. [Also pii-l;nr<>; < Sp.pica- 
ro = Pg. picaro = It. picettro, a rogue ; of. F. 
picorer, steal cattle, forage: Heepickeer,pick< ///. ] 
A rogue ; a thief. 
The arts . . . used by our Spanish ptetarorel mean 
niching, foisting, ntimning, jilting. 
MiiMletna, Spanish Gypsy, II. 1. 
picaroon 1 (pik-ii-rOn'), . [Formerly alsojwcfV- 
aroune, pickeroon ; < Sp.picaron, a rogue, < ^co- 
co, a rogue: see pickeer, pickery.] 1. A rogue 
or cheat; one who lives by his wits; an adven- 
turer. 
I could not recover your Diamond Hatband, which the 
Picaroon snatched from you in the Coach, tho' I used all 
Means Possible. llmrrtl, Letters, I. 111. 30. 
I think I see in thy countenance something of the ped- 
larsomething of the picaroon. Scott, Kenilworth, xx. 
2. A plunderer; especially, a plunderer of 
wrecks ; a pirate ; a corsair. 
This poore vessell . . . the next day was taken by a 
French Pickarnune. so that the Frigot> out of hope of her 
prize, makes a second time for the West Indies. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works, II. 182. 
Some frigates should be always in the Downs to chase 
picaroons from infesting the coast. Lard Clarendon. 
picaroon 2 (pik-a-ron'). n. [Origin uncertain.] 
An instrument like a boat-hook, used in moor- 
ing logs or deals. [Canada.] 
Picathartes (pik-a-thar'tez), n. [NL. (Lesson, 
1828), for * Picacdthartes, < Pica + Catltartes, in 
allusion to the long tail, like a magpie's, and 
the bare bead, like that of an American vul- 
ture of the genus Catliartes."] A remarkable 
genus of Corvidfe. The only species, P. yymnoctpha- 
lut. Is found in the forests of Denkera, in the Interior of 
I'ie <rt\ftlM,trtts gymneteptlallu). 
the < fold Coast, western Africa. It Is IfU inches long, the 
tail ~\ : thchcail is liald ami of a bright-yellow color, with 
a round black patch behind: the upper parts are slaty- 
-rtay, inclining to blackish on the back, and the under 
part!, arc creamy white. Tins singular liit-d wa- called 
'".'/((/ <rradrtr in some of the old books, and Wagler named 
the genus duliiiliu In 1827: but the latter name is pre- 
occupied iii another connection (finiiHon, 1760). 
picayune (pik-a-yiin'), . and a. [Prob. for 
pifiii/iMiii (with tenn. as doubloon, etc.), < F. 
/liciiilltni. a fartliing. in slang use cash, "tin"; 
ef. It. /lici-iulinii, a farthing; piccolo, little.] I. 
H. Formerly, in Florida, Louisiana, and adja- 
cent regions, the .Spanish half-real, equal to V 6 
of a dollar, or 6J cents ; now, the five-cent piece 
or any similar small coin. 
Still, the fart rcnciin^ tliat the average '* Communist '' 
has not one pifauunf'g worth of interest in the State as 
such. .>< Priurel,:,i I:, ... I. ::- 
4471 
II. ii. Small; petty; of little value or ac- 
eount : as, ;m'<n/r politics. [U.S.] 
If only two cents are required, you will have prevented 
a picayune waste. The Writer, III. II-.'. 
picayunish (pik-a-vii'nish), n. [< picnyum + 
-M/I*.] Of little value or account; small; petty; 
paltry; mean. [Colloq., U. 8.] 
piccadillt (pik'a-<lil), n. \_\\aopickudiU, />u-/:<i- 
ilit. pirinlill. pii-i-inli-ll. )>icinl< II, piekadel, jiirl.n- 
di II. iiickiinlill : < I >F. /lii-i'inli/lf, /licinlil/i , a pic- 
cmlill, with dim. suflix, < iSp. jiicado, pricked, 
pierced, punctured (cf. pinulti, a puncture, pi- 
/'iilnra, an ornamental gusset), < picar, prick, 
pierce, puncture, <^c, a pike: see pike 1 .] 1. 
A large stiff collar in fashion about the begin- 
ning of the reign of James I., but the precise 
character of which is unknown. It appears to 
have been of French origin. 
This [halter] Is a coarse wearing ; 
'Twill sit lint scurvlly upon this collar; 
Hut patieuce is as good as a French piekadel. 
Fletcher, Pilgrim, U. 2. 
Which for a Spanish blocke his lands doth sell, 
Or for to buy a standing pickadell f 
Patqwt't XiyM-cap (1612). (Aam.) 
2. An edging of lace or cut-work, forming the 
ornamental part of the broad collar worn by 
women early in the seventeenth century. 
A short Dutch waist, with a round Catherine-wheel far 
dingale, a close sleeve with a cartoose collar, and a nicka- 
dtt. DeHer and Webster, Northward Ho, III. 1. 
And in her fashion she is likewise thus, 
In ev'iy thing she must be monstrous. 
llerpitadel above her crown lip-bears, 
Her fardfngale is set above her ears. 
Drayton, Mooncalf. 
piccaget, pickaget (pik'aj), n. [ME. picagium ; 
prob. < ()F.piqiter(1), Norm.pecKer, break open : 
see pick 1 .'] Money paid by strolling players 
and others for the privilege of breaking ground 
for the erection of their booths at fairs, etc. 
Know ye that King Athelstan of famous memory did 
grant ... an exemption of all manner of Imposts, Toll, 
Tallage, Stallage, Tunnage, Last age, Pictage, Wharfage. 
Defoe, Tour thro Great Britain, III. 188. (Danes.) 
Courts of pie-powder, stallages, tolls, piccages, with the 
fullest privileges ever enjoyed by the prior In the preposl- 
ture of Cartmel. 
Quoted In Baines't Hist Lancashire, II. 680. 
piccalilli (pik'a-lil-i), n. [Origin obscure.] A 
kind of pickle made up of various vegetables, 
chopped and seasoned with mustard and pun- 
gent spices. 
piccaninny, pickaninny (pik'a-nin-i), .; pi. 
piccaninnies, pickaninnies (-iz). [Also picanin- 
ny; Cuban piqitimni, little, an adj. used by 
negroes, and applied to persons and things'; 
perhaps an accommodation of Sp. pequefto 
niKo, little infant: pequefto (= Pg. pequeno), 
little, small (of. It. piccolo, small: see piccolo); 
niHo, m., a child, boy, nifta, a girl.] A baby; 
a child; especially, the child of a member of 
any negroid race. 
You should have seen me coming in state over the pad- 
dock with my hair down, and ftve-and-forty black fellows, 
lobros, picaninnifs, and all, at my heels. You would have 
laughed. H. Kingstey, Hillyars and Burtons, xxvlii 
You were an exceedingly small picaninnii 
Some nineteen or twenty short summers ago. 
F. Locker, The Old Cradle. 
A poor puny \ltt\e pickaninny, black as the ace of spades. 
Harper ' Mag., LXXVI. 809. 
picchet. A Middle English form of pitchl, pitcW, 
and oipike%. 
picchetato (pik-ke-ta'to), a. In music for in- 
struments of the viol family, detached, half- 
staccato: noting tones produced by short ab- 
rupt motions of the bow, without lifting it from 
the string. Also^ig<!, spiceato. 
piccolo (pik'o-16), M. [< It. piccolo, small; cf. 
Sp. pequeno = Pg. nequeKo, small (see picca- 
""'".'/)] 1. A small flute, sounding an octave 
higher than the ordinary flute. Also called 
flauto piccolo, octave-flute, ottavino, and otta- 
riim. 2. An organ-stop giving tones like those 
of a piccolo Bombardo piccolo. Same as oboe, 1. 
Piccolo piano, a small upright pianoforte, introduced 
by Robert Wornuin of London, in 1829. 
pice (pis), n. xinii. and }>/. [< Marathi ;iaa.] 
A money of account and a copper coin (one 
Picidse 
fourth of the iinnii) of India under British 
rule, equal to aliunt three fourths of a I'riited 
States cent. Also /KII/XII. pii*n. 
Picea (pl'se-ii), w. [XL. (Link, ]Kl!7),< L. pimi. 
the j>itch-pine, or perhiip> 'lie spnice or the 
fir (cf. Gr. itti-iui, the fir), < />" ( /ii< ->. pitch: see 
pitch,'] A genus of coniferous trees, of the 
tribe including the spruce. ItUchar- 
acterized by the cv< ruic< u f<.m tHi-d leaves Jointed to tin 
persistent petlole-hasc, Ktaminate (towers solitary in the 
axils of the upper leaves, and reflexed icmei. with persist- 
ent scales, hanging near the end of t! (ireat 
confusion regarding the spnice and tlr existed among the 
i, neks ami lioinaiis, and later among modems: many au- 
thors (following Don, 1858) long wrote J'irea for the flr, 
AMr* for the spruce ; Asa Oray and others (following .(us- 
sleu, 1789) united both under Abiet ; present usage adopts 
(since Itentham and Hooker, I8HO) Picea for the spruce. 
Abieg for the fir. /'!></ ineliitlcK about 12 species, natives 
of north temperate and arctic regions. They bear long 
and narrow spirally scattered leaves spreading In all di- 
rections, and long cones with double thin margined scales 
each witli two winged seeds. See ftjintce and king-pine, 
mil riinipareyt'r and pitch-. 
Picentine (pi'sen-tin), a. [< L. Picentinus, 
equiv. to Picons (Pifcnt-) and Picenus, pertain- 
ing to Picenum, < Pircniiiii, Picenum (see def.).] 
Of Picenum, a district in the eastern part of 
Italy noted for its fruits and oil. 
Admirable receipt of a salacacaby of Aplclns: . . . three 
crusts of pycentine bread, the flesh of a pullet, goat stones, 
vestine cheese, pine kernels, cucumbers, dried onions 
minced small : pour a soup over It, garnish it with snow, 
and send It up in the cacannlum. 
W. King, Art of Cookery, letter ix. 
piceous (pish'ius), a. [= Pg. It. piceo, < L. 
piceuSj pitchy, pitch-black, < fix (pic-), pitch : 
see pitch 2 .'] In bot. and zoiiL, pitch-black; 
black with faint dark-red tinge. 
picheH. A Middle English form of pitch 1 and 
pttofctf. 
plcne 2 t, [Eay'y mod. E., also pycbe ; < ME. 
piche,]>yclie; origin obscure.] A wicker basket; 
also, a basket or trap for fish. Cath.Ang., p. 277. 
pichert, H. A Middle English form otpitclier?. 
pichiciago (pich'i-si-a'go), n. [S. Amer.] The 
Pichiciago 
little truncate armadillo, Chlamydophorus trun- 
catus. 
Pichurim bean. A cotyledon of the seed of 
the South American tree Xectandra Puchury. 
These beans have the medicinal properties of common 
aromatlcs, and are said to be used in South America In 
place of nutmegs. Also Pitchurim bean, Brazilian bean, 
and sassafrag-mtt. 
Piciconrus (pi-si-kdr'vus), n. [NL. (Bonaparte, 
1850), lit. 'pie-crow,' < L. pica, a magpie, + 
corpus, crow.] A genus of corvine birds of 
western North America, having the form of the 
Old World nutcrackers of the genus Xitcifraga, 
Obrerae* 
Half Hit*, in the British Muv: 
of the original. 
Clarke's Crow, or American Nutcracker irtciforvm columbiaHttsl. 
but the plumage gray, with black and white 
wings and tail. The only species is P. eotmnbianm. 
commonly called Clarke's erotror American nutcracker, in- 
habiting mountainous and especially coniferous regions. 
Picida (pis'i-de), . pi. [NI^., < Pirux + -ids.'] 
A large family of scansorial zygodactyl picarian 
birds, named from the genus Picus, character- 
ized by the habit of picking the wood of trees 
