pitch 
tenacious resinous substance, lined when cold, 
the residuum of tur after its volatile elements 
have I iccn expelled: ol>taine<l also from the resi- 
dues nf ilistilleil liir|>eiilinp. H IB manufactured 
mostly in tar-producing countries, especially KusBla. It la 
liirt-ely used to rover the seaniB of vessels after calking, 
nit to protect wood from the effects of moisture; also 
inriliriiciUy in ointments, etc. 
Thi! li(|iild pilch or tarre throughout all Europe is boiled 
out of the torch tree; and this kind of ;"'// scrveth to 
calke ships M i! hull, and for many other uses. 
Holland, tr. of 1'llny, xvi. 11. 
2. The sap or crude turpentine which exudes 
from the bark of pines. [An improper use.] 
3. Bitumen: a word of indefinite meaning used 
to designate any kind of bituminous material, 
but more especially the less fluid varieties (mal- 
tha and asphaltum). 
And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and 
the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall 
become burning pitch. Isa. xxxiv. 9. 
Burgundy or white pitch, the yellowish, ban! and brit- 
tle, strongly adhesive aromatic resin derived by Incision 
from the Norway spruce, Picea rxcelsa, and probably other 
conifers; obtained in various part* of Europe, perhaps for- 
merly in Burgundy. It is used as a mild rubefacient, and 
for non-medicinal purposes. It Is often replaced by in- 
ferior artificial substitutes.- Canada pitch, a resin ex- 
uding from the bark of the hemlock-spruce, Tntga {Abies) 
Cmuulnuin, In North America, It is used In medicine 
like Bargondj pitch. Also called hemlticlc-pitch and (im- 
properly) hemlock-gum. Elastic mineral pitch. See 
elastic. Jew's pitch, mineral pitch; bitumen.- Min- 
eral pitch. See mineral. 
pitch- (pich), !'. . [< ME. pitclten (= Sw. bccka 
= Dan. begc); from the noun.] 1. To smear 
or cover over with pitch : as, to pitch the seams 
of a ship. 
Then Into a pitched potte ho wol hem glene (collect). 
Or salt water oon day and nyght hem lene. 
J'alladim, Husbondrie (K. E. T. 8.), p. 90. 
Orcat and well pitched Cables were twined about the 
masts of their shippes. llakhiyt't t'oyaga, I. 598. 
Pitch it [the arkj within and without with pitch. 
Oen. vl. 14. 
2. To make pitch-dark ; darken. [Rare.] 
The welkin pitched with sudden cloud. Addisnn. 
3. Ill brewing, to add to (wort) the yeast for 
the purpose of settingup fermentation. pitched 
paper. See paper. 
pitch 11 (pich). i'. i. [An assibilated form of pink*, 
var. otpeak*.] To lose flesh in sickness; fall 
away; decline. Halliwell. [Prov. Kng.] 
pitch-and-toss (pich'and-tos'), n. A game in 
which tin' players pitch coins at a mark, that 
one whose coin lies nearest to the mark having 
the privilege of tossing up all the coins together 
and retaining all the coins that come down 
" head " up. The next nearest player tosses those that 
are left, and retains all that come down "head " up, and 
so on until the coins are all gone. 
Two or three chimney sweeps, two or three clowns 
Playing at pitch and torn, sport their " Browns." 
Iliifliiiw, Ingoldsby Legends, II. lot). 
pitch-back wheel. See breast-wheel. 
pitch-black (pich'blak), a. Black as pitch. 
pitch-blende (pich'blend), n. An oxid of ura- 
nium, usually occurring in pitchy black masses, 
rarely in octahedrons. Also peclMcnd, pech- 
bli'inl, . pechurane, uraninite. 
pitch-block (pich'blok), n. In metal-working, 
a bed for supporting the object to be worked 
in such a manner that it can be turned at any 
pitch or angle. The bottom of the block is hemispher- 
ical, and is supported in a corresponding hollow of a bed 
or foundation-block. For certain work a pad of leather 
Is interposed between this ami the pitch-block. It is used 
especially to support sheet-metal ware during the opera- 
tion of chasing. 
pitch-board (pich'bord), n. A guide used by 
stair-builders in their work, to regulate the 
angle of inclination. It consists of a piece of thin 
bond cut to the form of a right-angled triangle, of which 
the base is the exact width of the tread of the steps, and 
the perpendicular the height of the riser. 
pitch-boat (pich'bot), n. A boat in which pitch 
is melted for paying seams, as a precaution 
against danger of lire from melting it on board 
ship. 
pitch-chain (pich'chan), n. A chain composed 
of metallic plates bolted or riveted together, 
to work in the teeth of wheels. 
pitch-Circle(picli'ser*kl). H. In toothed wheels. 
thr circle which would bisect all the teeth. When 
two wheels are in gear, they are so arranged that their 
pitch-circles touch one another. Also called pitch-line. 
pitch-coal (pich'kol), n. 1. A kind of bitumi- 
nous coal. 2. Same as J' f-. linnnlr mid Cox. 
pitch-dark (pich'diirk), <r. Dark as pitch ; very 
dark. 
There was no moon ; the night was pitch dark. 
Thackeray. Bluebeard's Ghost. 
4515 
pitched (picht), i>. n. 1. Fully prepared for 
beforehand, and deliberately entered upon by 
both sides with formal array: used specifically 
of a battle. 
In the mean-time, two Armies Bye In, represented with 
foure swords and bucklers, and then what harde heart will 
not receiue It for * pitched Helde? 
Sir P. Sidney, Apol. for I'oetrle. 
In live pitched fields he well maintained 
The honoured place his worth obtained. 
Scott, Rokehy, IT. 1ft. 
The event of a ,,il,-ht,l battle won gve the rebellion and 
the Confederate government a standing and a sudden re- 
spectability before foreign powers it had hardly darvd hope 
tot- The Century, XXXVI. 28K. 
2. Hloped; sloping: as, a high-/(i<<-A<y/ roof . 
Wall fixtures ... are equally serviceable where roofs 
are pitched as when they are flat. 
T. D. Laclncood, Elect., Mag., and Teleg., p. 167. 
pitchelongest. aitr. [ME. ; < pitch* + -long + 
adv. gen. -es.\ Headlong. 
Uede It that the hades of hem alle 
Into sum greet diche pitchrlnnyrt falle. 
Palladia*, Husbondrie (K E. T. 8.), p. 150. 
pitching-temperature 
fi 
pitcher 1 (pich'er),n. fX/uiYfti +-!.] 1. One 
who pitches, (a) In hall-games, the player who serves 
the ball to the batsman. See bate-bail. (6) The person 
who pitches reaped grain or hay upon the wagon. 
2. In coal-mining, one who attends to loading 
at the shaft or other place of loading. [North. 
Eng.]- pitcher's box, in bax-baU, the station of the 
pitcher. 
pitcher 2 (pich'er), n. [< MK. piclier, pycher, 
picltrl, tankard, = It. pecchcro, bicchierc, a gob- 
let (= OHG. pechiiri, G. brchrr), < ML. picarium, 
bicariitm, a goblet, < Gr. /fcxoc, an earthen wine- 
cup, wine-jar: see beaker.'] 1. A vessel with 
an open spout and generally with a handle, used 
for holding water, milk, or other liquid. 
And . . . behold, Rel>ekah came forth with her pitcher 
on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and 
drew water. Gen. xxiv. 46. 
Ill take a pitcher in ilka hand, 
And do me to the well. 
Kir William Wallace (( 'hlld's Ballads, VI. 239). 
Dipping deep smooth pitchen of pure brass 
Under the bubbled wells. 
A. C. ftviuburne. At Eleusts. 
2. Ill lit., a specially adapted tubular or cup- 
shaped modification of the leaf of certain plants, 
particularly of the genera A'epenthen and fvir- 
racciiia; an ascidium. See axcidinni, pitchrr- 
plnat, \epeiitheg, and flarraceiiia Pitchers have 
ears, there may be listeners overhearing us : a punning 
proverb. In the form little pitcher* hare Inny ean It ap- 
plies to children. 
Not In my house, I.ucentio, for, you know, 
Pitchen hare ean, and I luve many servant*. 
Shale., T. of the S., Iv. 4. 52. 
pitcher-mant(pich'er-man). . Ahard drinker. 
For not one shoemaker In ten 
But are Ixion blades, true pitcher men. 
Poor Jtubin (17SS). (A'aret.) 
pitcher-mold (pich'er-mold), n. A terra-cotta 
mold in which large pieces of stoneware and 
other pottery were formerly made. See pitclicr- 
moltling. 
pitcher-molding (pich'er-mol'ding), n. In 
ceram., the operation of casting in a pitcher- 
mold. The mold is filled with the clay in a very diluted 
form ; this being poured out, a little remains adhering to 
the mold ; as soon a this is dry, the operation Is repeated, 
and so on until the requisite thickness is obtained. The 
vessel so cast is separated from the mold by drying at a 
low heat ; and the handles, spout, etc., are attached after- 
ward. 
pitcher-nose (pieh'er-noz), n. A form of fau- 
cet with a bent-down lip. 
pitcher-plant (pich'er-plant), . A plant whose 
leaves are so modified as to form a pitcher or 
ascidium. See cut under ascininm. The pitcher 
commonly contains a liquid, and is adapted to the capture 
and assimilation of Insects. The common North Ameri- 
can pitcher-plant Is Sarracenia purpurea (see cut In next 
column), and the parrot-beaked pitcher-plant of Georgia 
and Florida Is S. nn'ttacina. (See Sarracenia.) The Call- 
fornian pitcher-plant, sometimes called ea(ff-head, forms 
the allied genus Darlingtonia. Ueliamphora nutant, of 
the Sarrarniinretr. is a pitcher-plant of the mountains of 
Venezuela. A large and quite different group, the East 
Indian pitcher-plants, Is fmme.1 by the genus Xepenthet. 
For the Australian pitcher-plant, see Crphaloltu. 
pitcher-shaped (pich'er-shapt), a. In but., hav- 
ing the shape of a pitcher. See anciilitim. L'. 
pitcher-vase (pich r-vas), . A vase having 
the form of an aiguiere with spout and handle 
on opposite sides : distinguished from a pitcher 
in that it is merely decorative. 
pitch-faced t pich'fast), a. In masonry, having 
the arris cut true, but the face beyond the arris- 
Pitcher plant t.tnrracfnt'a 
a. n flower, showing the c.ilyx,oneofthe stamens, nl the style with 
its umbrella and hook-like stiirtnas, the petals removed : A, longitu- 
dinal section of the whole pistil : c. the umbrella of the style, seen 
from above. 
edge left projecting and comparatively rough, 
being simply dressed with a pitching-chisel : 
said of a block or of a whole piece of masonry. 
pitch-farthing (pich'far'THing), n. [< pitcli^, 
r., + obi. farthing.'] Same as cliiick-fitrthiiii/. 
pitch-fleldt (picb/feld), . A pitched battle. 
There has been a pitchjirlrt, my child, between the 
naughty Spaniels and the Englishmen. 
Keau. and Ft., Knight of Burning Pestle, II. _>. 
pitchfork (pich'fork), H. 1. A fork for lifting 
and pitching hay or the like, (a) A fork with a 
long handle and usually two prongs or tines, used for 
moving hay, sheaves of grain, straw, et. (fc) A fork with 
a short handle and three or four prongs, used for lifting 
manure, etc. ; a dung-fork. 
2. A tuning-fork. 
pitchfork (Pich'fork), r.r. [<pitchforlc,n.'] 1. 
To lift or throw with a pitchfork. Hence 2. 
To put, throw, or thrust suddenly or abruptly 
into any position. 
Your young city curate piteh/nrlred Into a rural benefice, 
when all his sympathies and habits and training are of 
the streets streety, Is the most forlorn, melancholy, and 
dated of all human creatures. 
nineteenth Century, XXII. 277. 
pitchiness (pich'i-nes), n. The state or quality 
of being pitchy; hence, blackness; darkness. 
pitching (pich'ing), n. [Verbal n. of pitch!, 
r.] 1. The act of throwing or hurling. 2. A 
facing of dry stone laid upon a bank as a pro- 
tection against the wash of waves or current: 
a lining or sheathing of masonry. 
Timber laden steamers of nearly. If not quite, lono tons 
burthen run up to Wlsbech, some twelve miles up the 
None, the hanks of which, moreover, are steep, being held 
up by faggotting and stone pitching. 
The Kngineer, I.XVII. 139. 
The channel Is t" be made of clay with rubble stone 
pitching. IlatMne, steam Engine, 1 14O. 
3. In Ifathrr-mannf., same as 6/oow', 6 (</). En- 
cyc. Brit., XIV. 384. 4. In brciring, the admix- 
ture of yeast with the wort to initiate fermenta- 
tion. Also called netting the irort. 
pitching (pich'ing), p.a. [(.pitch 1 , r.J In gun., 
noting the fire of cannon at full charge against 
an object covered in front by a work or a natural 
obstacle. Farrow, Mil. En'cyc., II. 531. 
pitching-machine (pich'ing-ma-shen'), n. A 
machine used by brewers for coating the inte- 
riors of barrels or casks with pitch. 
pitching-pencefpich'ing-pens). . .Money paid 
for the privilege of pitching or setting down 
merchandise in a fair or market, generally one 
penny per sack or pack. [Great Britain.] 
pitching-piece (picli'ing-pes), n. In joinery, 
sanii- as ii/n'im-j 
pitching-stable (pich'ing-sta'bl), n. A variety 
of Cornish irranile used for paving. 
pitching-temperature (pi'-li'ing-tem'per-a- 
tur), n. In oreirini/, the temperature of the 
wort at the time the yeast is added to it. This 
temperature has an Important influence on the activity 
of the fermentation. The English practice is to cool the 
wort to from 51" to 54' F. The Bavarian brewers cool 
the wort to from 45' to 5O' F. Between these extremes 
the temperature Is regulated according to the tempera- 
ture of the t tin lo-nii or fermeiiting-room and the strength 
of the wort, which is pitched at a lower temperature In 
summer than In winter, and at a lower temperature with 
light beers intended for Immediate use than for gtrong 
stock-ales or porter. Wort for pale ales Is also pitched at 
a low temperature. 
