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piscatrii (|'is-kii'trik.s), . [L., fern, of pi'*- piscina (pi-si'iiii). H.; pi. piriiix(-n6). [L.: see 
/ivi-iiir?'.] 1. A basin or tank, usually oriiH- 
mental, at) for a fountain or a bath ; sometimes, 
a large shallow vase for ornamental fishes or 
aquatic plants; also, any tank or cistern of 
moderate size. 
lor, it fisherman.] 1. The feminine of pixca- 
tor. 2. [y.] [NL.] A genus of gannets of 
the family BvlfaM, the type of which JH 
pixrator. See finla. Reicfieiibaclt, 1853. 
Pisces (pis'ez), n. pi. [L., the Fishes, a con- 
stellation; pi. of pixels, n fish: see JbA 1 .] 1. 
A constellation and sign of the zodiac; the 
Fishes. n\ r figure represents two fishes united by a 
In the garden of the piscina |at FonUlnebleau) Is an 
Hercules of white marble. Karlyn, Diary, March 7, 1644. 
2. Eccles., a stone basin, in old churches gener- 
ally established within a canopied niche placed 
close to the altar, used to receive the water in 
The Constellation Pisces. 
ribbon attached to their tails. One of the Ashes Is east, 
the other south, of the square of Pegasus. 
2. In sool., a class of vertebrates, the fishes, 
to which different limits have been assigned. 
BeejbP. 
piscicapture (pis'i-kap-tur), . [< L. piscix, 
fish, + eaptura, taking: see capture.} The tak- 
ing of fish by any means, as angling or netting. 
Snatching Is a fonn of Illicit pucicaptun. 
Standard, Oct. 21, 1878. (MtriVx. I 
piscicolous (pi-sik'o-lus), a. [< L. piscis, fish, 
+ cotere, inhabit.] ' Parasitic upon or infesting 
fishes, as fish-lice. 
piscicultural (ms-i-knl'tu-ral), a. [< piscicul- 
ture + -a/.] Of or pertaining in any way to 
pisciculture; fish-cultural, 
pisciculture (pis'i-kul'tur), n. [= F. piitiriil- 
ture = Pg. piscicultura, ? L. piscix, fish, + cul- 
tura. cultivation: see culture."} The breeding, 
rearing, preservation, feeding, and fattening 
of fish by artificial means; fish-culture. Pisci- 
culture has been practised from very early ages. It ap- 
pear* tn have been In use In ancient Egypt, and was fol- 
lowed In China In early times on a very large scale. It 
was Introduced In (ireat Britain by Mr. Shaw of l>rumlan- 
rlg, In Dumfriesshire. Scotland, In 1S37. An Important 
branch of modern pisciculture Is the propagation and rear- 
Ing of young Hsh In artificial ponds, with the Ylew of Intro- 
ducing nsh previously not found In the locality, or of in 
creasing the supply of desirable food-Ashes. Salmon- and 
t r-.. ut "V.i sent from Oreat Britain have been successfully 
propagated In Australia and New Zealand, i if late years 
America has taken the lead in flan-culture, under the ad- 
ministration of the United States Fish Commission, and 
mil I ic mi of ova and fry have been planted in various rivers, 
pisciculturist (pis'i-kul'tur-ist), . [< piscicul- 
ture + -i/.] One who practises pisciculture, 
or is devoted to the breeding and rearing of 
fishes; a fish-culturist. 
Piscidia (pi-sid'i-a), . [NL. (Linnteus, 1737), 
< L. pinna, fish, -r- ctedere, kill.] A genus of 
plants of the order Legumiitosfe, tribe Dalber- 
ffiea, and subtribe LoncitocarpeK, characterized 
by wing-petals adherent to the keel, and long 
thick pods longitudinally four-winged. The only 
species. /'. Krylhrina, a native of the West Indies, Is a 
tree with alternate pinnate leaves, white and red flowers 
In short lateral panicles, and many-seeded Indehlscent 
linear pods. It Is known as Jamaica or vhite <J/i<W. 
reaches a height uf about 85 feet, extends intu Klorlda and 
Mexico, and produce* a valuable, very hard, close-grained 
wood, yellowish-brown In color and taking a high polish, 
used In It* native region for boat-building, firewood ami 
charcoal. (Kor the use of Its powdered leaves and twigs 
to stupefy nsh, see jtsA-uotW) Its gray or brown acrid 
bark I* Imported Into the lulled Hiatus for Its narcotic 
properties. 
piscifactory (pis'i-fak-to-ri), n. [< L. /.<, 
fish, + E. factory.] A place where piscicul- 
ture is earned on. [Rare.] 
The establishment In 1850 st Hnnlngne (Hunlngen) In 
Alsace by the French Government of the first Ash-breed- 
ing station, or puKUaetary. as It was named by Professor 
t ostc, 1s of great significance. Kneye. Brit.. XIX. 128. 
piscifauna (pis'i-rYi-nji). . [< L. pisnx, fish. + 
NL. fauna: see/<in.] The fauna of any re- 
gion or country, in so far us it is composed of 
fishes: correlated willi iirit'aiina. See fauna. 
piscifonn (pis'i-f6rm), a. ' [= F. i>ixriformc, < 
L. pixeix, nsh, + furma, form.] Having; (lie 
formofafish; like :i lisli in slmpe; technifiilly, 
lUh-like in strueturi- or ufllnities; ichthyupsi- 
dan; ichthyumorphic. 
Piscina in Morning Cha|>e], Lincoln Cathedral, England. 
which the priest washes his hands before the 
celebration of the eucharist, and washes the 
chalice after the celebration. Now rarely used 
in the sanctuary, bnt often in sacristies, 
piscinal(pis'i-nal), a. [< ML. 'piscinalix (LL. 
piseinalit, pertaining to a bath), < L. piscina, a 
fish-pond : see piscina.] Of or pertaining to a 
piscina. 
piscineM (l )is/i ")> " C< MK< l'y* e !l" e > < OF - ( au<1 
V.) piscine = Sp. Pg. It. pixcina, < L. piscina, a 
fish-pond, a pool, cistern, basin, < piseis, fish : 
Me Juki.] A fish-pond. 
And fyll all the pytciine*, whlche are In grett nowmber, 
and myche watlr rennetli now to waste. 
TarHmjtan, DUric of Eng. Travel!, p. 38. 
piscine 2 (pis'in), a. [< NL. piscinas, < L. pisciit, 
fish: sce^.i/1 1 .] Pertaining in any way to fish 
or fishes; ichthyic: as, piscine remains ; piscine 
affinities. 
Piscis Austrinus (pis'is as-tri'uus). [NL.: L. 
piscis, fish; auxtrinus, southern: see atutrine.] 
An ancient southern constellation, the South- 
ern Fish. It contains the 1.3 magnitude star Fomal- 
Thc Conjtcll.ilk.il Pbcts Auslrmuv 
liiiul, which Is .'10 degrees south of the equator, and Is In 
opjMisltlon on the .Id of September. The figure represents 
a nsh which swallows the water poured out of the vase by 
Aquarius. 
Piscis Volans (pis'is vo'lanz). FNL.: L-pisns, 
Hsh; rulantt, flying: see volant.] The Flying- 
Fish, one of the southern constellations intro- 
duced by Theodori, or Keyser, at the end of the 
sixteenth century. It is situated west of the 
star jl Argus, and contains two stars of the 
fourth magnitude. Also called f'olans. 
piscivorous ( pi-si v'o-rus), a. [= F. pixcivore 
= Pg. It. pixriroro, < L. pixcis, fish, -r- vorare, 
ih vriur.] Fish-eating, as a bird; habitually 
eating or feeding upon fishes; ichthyophapms. 
The meat Is swallowed Into the crop, or Into a kind of 
antestoinach observed In pucicnrmu birds. 
Jtay, Works of Creation. 
pis4 (pe-za'), H. [F., < pixn; buiM in pisi-. < L. 
l>ixir:. pnixi-i-i; linit. ]ioiiiiil. Imiy, crush.] In 
in-fit., stiff earth or clay, as used to form walls 
pismire 
or floors, being rammed down until it becomes 
firm. This method Is as old as the days of Pliny, and is 
still employed In France and In some parts of Kngland. 
pisgy (piz'gi), H. A dialectal form of pixy. 
pish (pish), interj. [Imitative of a sound made 
to show contempt.] An exclamation of con- 
tempt. 
It Is not words that shake me thus. Pith .' Noses, ears, 
and lips. Is 't possible? Shak., Othello, Iv. 1. 42. 
pish (pish), r. I. tntrans. To express contempt 
by or as by the exclamation "Pish!" 
Our very smiles are subject to constructions ; 
Nay, sir, It 's come to this, we cannot pith 
But 'tis a favour for some fool or other. 
Neither, Wit without Honey, iii. 1. 
Bab. This is a Toledo! Pish! 
Step. Why do you pith, captain ? 
B. Jonton, Every Man In his Ilumour, 111. 1. 
II. trans. To say "Pish!" to. 
Har. Pish; ha, ha! 
Lup. Dost thou pih me? Give me my long sword. 
B. Jonton, Poetaster, T. 1. 
pishamin (pish'a-miu), n. Same as persimmon. 
Sweet "inl sour pishamin, in Sierra Leone, two climb- 
ing shrubs, Carptuhnus dulci* and ' '. acida, of the Apo- 
ci/iuicf/r, bearing edible fruits resembling the persimmon : 
so called by colonists from the southern United States. 
pishaug (pi-shag'), . [Amer. Ind.] The fe- 
male or young of the surf-scoter, a duck, (Ede- 
mia pcrspicitttita. [Massachusetts.] 
pish-pasn (pish'pash), n. [E. Ind.] A broth 
of rice mixed with small bits of meat, much 
used us food for Anglo-Indian children. 
It [s child] surfeits itself to an apoplectic point with 
pish path; it burns its mouth with hot curry, and bawls. 
J. W. Palmer, The New and the Old, p. Ml. 
pishymew (pish'i-mu), n. A small white gull. 
[New Eng.] 
Pisidiidae (pis-i-di'i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Pisidium 
+ -(>/.] A family of dimyarian bivalves, typi- 
fied by the ge- 
nus I'isiiHuni. 
They have the 
branchial and pe- 
dal orifices con- 
fluent, the anal 
sfphonate, the 
foot large, the 
shell equlvalvc 
and oval or cunei- 
form, with the 
area In front of 
the umbones lar- 
ger than that In-hind, the hinge with two divergent cardi- 
nal teeth In each valve and four lateral teeth In the right 
and two in the left valve, and an external ligament. These 
small bivalves Inhabit fresh water, and are remarkable for 
the posterior position of the umbones. 
Pisidium (pl-tid'i-nm), . JNL. (Pfeiffer, 
1821), dim. of I'ixum, q. v.] The typical ge- 
nus of Pisidiidse, containing such forms as /'. 
aniiiiriim. 
pisiform (pi'si-fdrm), a. and n. [< NL. ;H- 
fiHriuu, < L.pi.tuni, a pea (see pease*, I'imtm), + 
forma, form.] I. a. Hav- 
ing the form of a pea, as 
an ossification in tendons 
at joints; having a struc- 
ture resembling peas. A 
variety of Iron ore Is called pin- 
farm, from Ita being made up 
of small rounded masses about 
the site of a pea. 
II. n. In mi-it., a sesa- 
moid bone, of about the 
size and shape of a pea, 
developed in the tendon 
of the flexor carpi uluaris 
muscle of man and some 
other animals. It Is gener- 
ally reckoned as one of the car- 
pal bones, making eight in all. 
In man, but Is not morphologl 
cally an element of the carpus. 
It Is often of Irregular shape, 
and sometimes oneof the liirgest 
hones in the carpus, as In the 
horse. See also cuts under Arti- 
odadula, I'maadactyla, miitl- 
sfHH*, and l/in-it. 
pisifonne (pi-si-f6r'me), 
H. ; pi. pixiformia (-mi-a). 
[NL., neut. of jiisiformis : 
see pisiform.'] The pisi- 
form bone: more fully 
called on pisiforme. 
pisk (pisk), n. Same as 
iiii/lit-lniir/,-, 1. 
piskashish (pis'ka-shish), 
. [Amer. Ind.] 8ame 
i which see, under goose). 
pislet, An obsolete form of pi:;le. I'urchas, 
I'il^riniiige, p. SOS. 
pismire (pis'mir). . [Karly mod. E. also ft* 
myre, pyatiiyre; < MK. pismire, pixxi tuyn, pyx- 
A. branchial and pedal orifice ; /, extended 
foot ; r, anal siphon. 
Pisiform and other Bone* of 
Right C..r{>u&of Hone, front 
view, corresponding to back 
of human wrist. The lar^e 
brine alove U the lower end 
of the r-.tliiiv The l.irye lione 
tielow is the upper end of the 
mi. I. Me tuctac.irjMl, or can- 
non-bone, fibowinff also the 
rn.lfc of the Ulcr.il meUcar 
pals, or splint boor*. . Be- 
tween these are the carjwl 
bones i. ometfonn ; a, lu- 
": 3. capbold; j, ptei- 
form ; 5. unctforni ; 6, mag- 
num ; 7, trapcioid. 
HtiffhtHif's 
