pit-wood 
pit-wood (pit'wud), ii. Timhcrused forframes, 
posts, etc., in mines or pits. 
Another consequence of the improvement that has set 
in with the coal trade Is the advance In piticoad. 
The Engineer, LXVI. 40. 
pit-work (pit'werk), n. The pump and gear 
connected with it in the engine-shaft of a mine. 
pity (pit'i), n. [Early mod. E. also pitty, pitie; 
< ME. pith; pite, p//t<; p<i<; < OF. pite, pitie, pitet, 
F. pilii' = Sp. jiiedad = Pg. piettaile = It. pie tit, 
pity, < L. pietit(t-)x, piety, affection, pity: see 
pi<-i;/. (T. pittance^.] 1. Sympathetic sorrow 
for and suffering with another; a feeling which 
inspires one to relieve the suffering of another. 
And sapheris swete that senate all wrongls, 
Ypoudriile wyth pete ther It be ouste, 
And traylld with trouthe and treste al aboute 
Richard the Kedekts, I. 46. 
For "II the peple haue I gret pMe. 
Rom. ofPartenay (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3194. 
I am not prone to weeping, aa our sex 
Commonly are: the want of which vain dew, 
Perchance, shall dry your pities. 
Shot., W. T., II. 1. 110. 
For pit ii melts the mind to love. 
Dryden, Alexander's Feast, 1. 06. 
Careless their merits or their faults to scan, 
His jiity gave ere charity began. 
Goldsmith, DCS. VII., 1. 102. 
Pita, which, being a sympathetic passion, implies a par- 
ticipation in sorrow, is yet confessedly agreeable 
Sir W. Hamilton, Metaph., xlly. 
2f. An appeal for pity. [Rare.] 
Let 's have no pity. 
For if you do, here 's that shall cut your whistle. 
Beau, and Fl. 
3. A cause, matter, or source of regret or 
grief ; a thing to be regretted : as, it is a pity 
you lost it ; it is a thousand pities that it should 
be so. 
Pendragon was ther deed, and many a-nothergode baron, 
wher-of was grete pite and lossc to the crlsten partye. 
Merlin (K. K. T. S.), I. 56. 
That he Is old, the more the pity, his white hairs do 
witness It. Shalt., I Hen. IV., II. 4. 514. 
They make the King heliciic they mend whats amlsac, 
and for money they make the thing worse than It la. 
Theres another thing in too, the more Is the ;<//'/. 
Ilcywowl, 1 Kdw. IV. (Works, ed. Pearaon, I. 4(1). 
He's a brave fellow ; 'tis pity he should perish thus. 
Fletcher, Humorous Lieutenant, iii. 6. 
'TIs a thousand pities (as I told my Lord of Arundcl his 
son) that that jewel should be given away. 
Evelyn, Diary, Aug. 23, 1678. 
To have pity upon, to take pity upon, generally, to 
show one's pity toward by some oenevolent act. 
He that hath pity upon the poor iendeth unto the Lord. 
Prov. xix. 17. 
= Syn. 1. Pity, Comiiassion, Commiseration, Sympathy, 
CoiMolence. I'ity is tne only one of these words that al- 
lows even a tinge of contempt ; pity and compassion come 
from one who is felt to be so far superior. Sympathy, 
on the other hand, puts the sufferer and the one sympa- 
thizing with him upon an equality by their fellow-feeling. 
Compassion does not keep so near its derivation ; it is deep 
tenderness of feeling for one who is suffering. Sympathy 
IB equal to compassion in its expression of tenderness. 
CVNMliMraitoK Is, by derivation, sharing another's misery; 
Mwfotmw is sharing another's grief. Commiseration may 
and OMMiofaMM must stand for the communication U> an- 
other of one's feelings of sorrow for his case. It is some 
comfort to receive commiseration or condolence; it gives 
one strength to receive sympathy from a loving heart ; it 
is irksome to need compassion; it galls us to be pitied. 
Xi/nif'tithy does not necessarily imply more than kinship 
of feeling. See also the quotations under condolence. 
The Maker saw, took pity, and bestowed 
Woman. Pope, January and May, L 63. 
In his face 
Divine compassion visibly appear'd. 
Love without end. Milton, P. L., 111. 141. 
Losses . . . 
Enow to press a royal merchant down 
And pluck commiseration of his state 
r'rom brassy bosoms, and rough hearts of flint. 
Shut., M. of V., Iv. 1. SO. 
With that symjiathy which links our fate with that of 
all past and future generations. 
Story, Salem, Sept. 18, 1828. 
To Thebes the neighb'ring princes all repair, 
And with condolence the misfortune share. 
Croxall, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph. 
pity tpit 'i), r. : pret. and pp. pitied, ppr.-jn'fyi'M;/. 
[< pity, .] I. tniHK. If. To excite pity in; 
fill with pity or compassion : used impersonally. 
It would pity a man's heart to hear that that I hear of 
the state of Cambridge. 
Latimer, 5th Sermon bef. Edw. VI., 1549. 
It pitied me to see this gentle fashion 
(If her sincere but unsuccessful Passion. 
J. Btaumont, Psyche, ii. 86. 
The poor man would stand shaking and shrinking : I 
daresay it would have pftii'ii one's heart to have seen him ; 
nor would he go back again. 
Hunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, p. 296. 
4519 
2. To feel pity or compassion for: compas- 
sionate; commiserate: as, to pity the blind or 
their misfortune; to pity the oppressed. 
Like as a father ptiieth his children, so the lend nitieth 
them that fear him. p. clii. is. 
He pities them whose fortune* are emhwk'd 
In his unlucky quarrel. 
Fletcher (and another), False Une, I. 1. 
A weak man, put to the test by rough and angry tlmea, 
as Waller was, may be ;.///../, but meanness is nothing but 
contemptible under any circumstances. 
liotceu, Among my Books, 1st er., p. 19. 
Syn. 3. To sympathize with, feel for. See pity, n. 
n. i 
pity. 
intruns. To be compassionate; exercise 
I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy. Jer. xiii. 14. 
pityingly (pit'i-ing-li), adv. So as to show pity; 
compassionately. 
Pitylina (pit-i-li'ne), . pi. [NL., < Pitylux + 
-.] A subfamily of Tanagridje, typified by 
the genus Pilyhm; the fringilline tanagers. hav- 
ing for the most part a conical or turgid bill, 
like a bullfinch's or a grosbeak's. The group is 
sometimes relegated to the Fringillidee. 
pityline(pit'i-lin), . [<.PUy{.wf-fci01.] Shar- 
ing the characters of grosbeaks and tanagers; 
of or pertaining to the Pitylinte. 
Pltylns (pit'i-lus), . [NL. (Cuvier, 1817), < 
Or. Km?, pine.] The typical genus of pity- 
line Tnnagridx or* grosbeak-tanagers, having a. 
tumid bill, as /'. ijrosinis. 
Pityophis (pi-ti'6-fis), w. [NL. (Hallowell, 
ISo'J; orig. Pitndphis, Holbrook, 184'.'), < Gr. 
T'rtf, pine, + 6-;, serpent.] A genus of North 
American Colitbridfe, having carinate scales, 
Pirn -sn.ikr ( a specif* of ritvr 
loral and anteorbital plates present, labials en- 
tering into the orbit, posterior gastrostege en- 
tire, and all the urosteges bifid. There are several 
species, growing to a large site, but harmless, as /'. bet- 
lona and /'. melanoleurus, known M pine. mates and bull- 
pityriasis (pit-i-ri'a-sis), w. [NL., < \AjT.mTv- 
liiaaif, a bran-like eruption, < Gr. jrinyiov. bran ; 
of. nriaattv, winnow.] 1. In pathol., a condi- 
tion of the skin or some portion of it in which 
it sheds more or less fine bran-like scales. 2. 
[en;).] In ornitii., a genus of piping-crows of 
the family Corrvte, founded by Lesson in 1837. 
The only species, /'. gymnofr]>luilun, inhabits 
Borneo and Sumatra Pityriasis alba. Same a> 
pityriasif simplex. Pityriasis capltis, alopecia pit)- 
rodea capillitli. See alopecia. - Pityriasis maculata et 
clrcinata. Same aa pttyrinni rmea. Pityriasis pila- 
ris, hypertrophy of the epidermis about the orifices of the 
hair-follicles. Also called keratotu pHaris and lichen 
pilaris. Pityriasis rosea, an affection of the skin last- 
ing a few weeks and disappearing spontaneously. It pre- 
sents round red macula?, level or slightly raised, and 
covered with scales ; it begins on the thorax usually, and 
may extend over the entire Itody. Regarded by some as 
a form of tinea circinata. Also railed pitifriasi* circinata, 
and pityriasis rubra maculata and cirnnatn. Pityriasis 
rubra. (a) A rare, usually chronic and fatal, affection in 
which all or nearly all of the skin Is a deep red, an<l <>.\ 
ered with scales ; itching and burning are slight or absent. 
Also called dermatitis exfulifttim and pityriasis rubra es- 
sentialis. (ft) A scaly eczema. Also called eczema qua- 
mtmtm and p>ria*u difusa. Pityriasis simplex, a 
simple scurfy condition of the epidermis, Indeix'ndt nt nf 
other trouble. Also called ntyruuif alba. Pityriasis 
tabe&centlum, soui-finess of the skin seen in certain de- 
bilitated statea. due to insufficient accretion of the seba- 
ceous glands and sweat-glands. Pityriasis versicolor 
Same as tinea rernimlor (which see, under titifa\ 
pityroid (pit'i-roid), a. [< MGr. rtrtfatt&K, 
(Jr. contr. irirv/xjfr/r, bran-like. < rri'ri'pov, bran, 
+ t-Mof. fonn.] Resembling bran ; bran-like. 
pitl (pu). '"''' [It., = F. ]>lll, < L. phix. l 
w pln.] More: as, piit allegro, quirki-r. 
pixy-stool 
pivot Ipiv'ot). n. [< F. pinil, pivot ; dim.. < It. 
pirn, piiin. a 1'ipc. a peg, < MI,, pipti. a pipr : 
s'c/'i/w'.] 1. A pill on which a wheel or other 
object turns. 2. Milit., the officer or soldier 
upon whom u line of troops wheels. 3. Figur- 
atively, that on which some matter or result 
hinges or depends; a turning-point. 
pivot (piv'oti. r. [< pirot. .] I. tr<im<. To 
]>)ace on a pivot; furnish with pivot. 
II. iiitran.i. To turn or swing on a pivot, or 
as on a pivot : hinge. 
pivotal (piv'ot-al),o. [< V.pirotal; as pirot + 
-al.] in the"nature of or forming a pivot; be- 
longing to or constituting a pivot, or that upou 
which something turns or depends: M, a /ir- 
I't'il question; a pivotal State in an election. 
The slavery question, . . . which both accepted at hut 
aa the piiiitnl matter of the whole < onflli-i. 
The .tilniilif. I. VIII. 424. 
pivotally (piv'ot-al-i), aar. In a pivotal man- 
ner; by means of or on a pivot. 
pivot-bx>lt (piv'ot-bolt), . The vertical bolt 
which serves as the axis about which a gun 
swings horizontally. 
pivot-bridge (piv'qt-brij), n. See brirtgrl. 
pivot-broach (piv'ot-broch), n. In u-atcli-mak- 
iny, a fine boring-tool use<l to open ]>ivot-holes. 
pivot-drill (piv'ot-dril), u. In tctitch-nmlciiit/, a 
bow-drill for making pivot-holes. 
pivot-file (piv'ot-fil), n. In VHtrk-niaHiiii, a fine 
file for dressing the pivots on watch-arbors. 
E. H. Knight. 
pivot-gearing (piv'ot-ger'ing), M. Any system 
of gearing so devised as to admit of shifting the 
axis of the driver, so that the machine can be 
set in any direction with relation to the power, 
as in portable drilling-machines, center-grind- 
ing attachments, eU 1 . 
pivot-gun (piv'ot-gun), n. A gun set upon a 
frame-carriage which can be turned about so 
as to point the piece in any direction. 
pivoting (piv'ot-ing), w. [Verbal n. of pirot, r.] 
The putting of an artificial crown on the root 
of a tooth by means of a peg or pivot. 
pivot-joint (piv'ot-joint), H. A lateral gingly- 
mus joint. See ryrlartlinntis. 
pivot-lathe (piv'pt-laTH), n. A small lathe used 
by watchmakers for turning the pivots on the 
ends of arbors. 
pivot-man (piv'ot-man), . The man at the 
flank of a line of soldiers, on whom, as a pivot, 
the rest of the line wheels. 
pivot-pin (piv'ot-pin), n. A pin serving as a 
pivot; the pin of a hinge. 
pivot-polisher (piv'ot-pol'ish-er), . In icatrh- 
makimj, an attachment to a bench-lathe for fin- 
ishing and grinding pivots and other small 
parts of the mechanism to any desired angle, 
and for drilling holes at accurately spaced in- 
tervals. 
pivot-span (piv'ot-span), i. The draw-span of 
a pivot-bridge. 
pivot-tooth (piv'ot-tCth), n. In flcntixlry, an 
artificial crown attached to the root of a natural 
tooth by means of a dowel-pin. K. H. Knight. 
piwarrie (pi-wor'i), . [Also piu-orrie; 8. 
Amer.] A fermented liquor made in parts of 
South America from cassava. 
pixt. An obsolete form of pyr. 
pixie, H. See V'lif- 
pix-jury (piks'jS'ri), w. In England, a jury of 
rneml>er8 of the goldsmiths' company, formed 
to test the purity of the coin. 
pixy, pixie (pik'si), .; pi. ;>i>* (-siz). [For- 
merly also picktty; dial, pitiky, pi*<ty : perhaps for 
pMBf, < park, with dim. formative -try.] A 
fairy : so called in rural parts of England, and 
associated with the "fairy rings" of old pas- 
tures, in which they are supposed to dance by 
moonlight. 
If thon 'rt of air. let the gray mist fold tbee ; 
If of earth, let the swart mine hold thee ; 
If * pixie, aeek thy ring. Scott, Pirate, xxiil. 
Pixy ring, a fairy ring or circle. See /airy ring, under 
.fairy. llalliiceU. 
pixy-led (pik'si-led), a. Led by pixies ; hence, 
liewildered. 
pixy-puff (pik'si-puf), . A broad species of 
fnninis. Iliiltiinl/. 
pixy-purse (pik'si-pers), it. The ovicapaule of 
a snark. skate, or ray; a sea-barrow. See cut 
under iermai<Fg-]nir!te. [Local, Eng.] 
pixy-seat (pik'si-set). . A snarl or entangled 
spot in a horse's mane. [Prov. Eng.] 
pixy-Stool ipik'si-stOl), n. A toadstool or 
mushroom: sometimes applied specifically to 
Cantharelltis cibari*it, or edible chanterelle." 
