ply 
4. To practise or perform with diligence and 
persistence; pursue steadily: as, to ply one's 
trade. 
Then, laying aside those their holy garments, theyptte 
their wurke till the cucning. Piirfhii*, Pilgrimage, p. 145. 
The needle plia its busy task. Courper, Task, Iv. 150, 
" When first" (he so began) "my trade I plied, 
Good master Addle was the parish-guide." 
<,>,/,. Works, I. 129. 
Gambling Is not permitted on the grounds at Epsom, 
but there were many gamblers on the grounds, and they 
sought every occasion to ply their vocation. 
T. C. Crauiford, English Life, p. 19. 
5. To attack or assail briskly, repeatedly, or 
persistently. 
They so warmly plied our divided fleets that whilst in 
conflict the merchants sail'd away, and got safe into Hol- 
land. Evelyn, Diary, March 12, 1672. 
The hero stands above, and from afar 
Plies him with darts and stones, and distant war. 
Dryden, MneiA, vili. 
Again he [Apollo) took 
The harnessed steeds, that still with horror shook, 
And }>li>-* 'em with a lash, and whips 'em on, 
And, as he whips, upbraids them with his son. 
.\ilil i*tm, tr. of Grid's Metamorph. , II. 
6. To address with importunity or persistent 
solicitation ; urge, or keep on urging or solicit- 
ing, as for a favor. 
Be ///. the duke at morning and at night. 
Shak., M. of V., lit 2. 279. 
A courtier would not ply it so for ajplace. 
/.'. Jonson, Volpono, Hi. 4. 
I have been always plying you to walk and rend. 
Swijt, Journal to Stella, xxxiv. 
Sunderland was plied at once with promises and men- 
aces. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., vl. 
7. To offer with persistency or frequency; 
press upon for acceptance ; continue to present 
or supply : as, to ply one with drink, or with 
flattery. 
If yon perceive that the nntravelted company about you 
take this down well, ply them with more such stuff. 
Detter, Gull's Hornbook, p. 113. 
With cup full ever plied, 
And hearts full never dried. 
Chaptnan, The Blind Beggar of Alexandria (song). 
They adore him, they ply him with flowers, and hymns, 
and incense, and flattery. Thackeray. 
8f. To apply ; devote with persistency or per- 
severance. 
Ne ever cast his mind to covet prayge, 
Or ply himselfe to any honest trade. 
Spenser, F. Q., III. vii. 12. 
9f. To exert ; acquit. 
But it Is worthy of memorie to see how the women of 
ye towne did plie themselues with their weapons, making 
a great massacre vpon our men. 
Webbe, Travels (ed. Arber), p. 23. 
H. intrans. If. To bend; yield; incline. 
The gold of hem hath now so badde alayes 
With bras that, though the coyne be fair at ye, 
It wolde rather breste atwo than plye. 
Chaucer, Clerk's Tale, 1. 1113. 
To fi'"' this wale or that waie to good or to bad, ye shall 
haue as ye vse a child in his youth. 
Atcham, The Scholemaster, p. 46. 
As like a lion he could pace with pride, 
/'/// like a plant, and like a river slide. 
Sir J. Dames, Dancing. 
2. To keep at work or in action ; busy one's 
self; work steadily; be employed. 
All D'Aulnay's company plied for their fortifying with 
palisadoes, and the friars as busy as any. 
Wiutknp, Hist. New England, II. 162. 
Ere half these authors be read (which will soon be with 
ffuiii'i hard and daily), they cannot choose but be mas- 
ters of any ordinary prose. Hilton. 
In vain their airy Unions ply. 
Congrcvc, Pindaric Odes, II. 
And around the bows and along the side 
The heavy hammers and malleU i>lii;i. 
Longfellow, Building of the Ship. 
3. To proceed in haste; sally forth. 
Thither he plieit, 
Undaunted to meet there whatever power 
Or spirit of the nethermost abyss 
Might in that noise reside. Milton, P. L., 11. II.M. 
Adriacn Block . . . plied forth to explore the vicinity. 
Bancroft, Hist V. 8., II. 33. 
4. To go back and forth or backward and for- 
ward over the same course ; especially, to run 
or sail regularly along the same course, or be- 
tween two fixed places or ports; make more or 
less regular trips: as, the boats that ply on the 
Hudson; the steamers that ply between New 
York and Fall Kiver; the stage plieil between 
Concord and Boston: said both of the vessels 
or vehicles that make the trips aiid of those who 
sail or run them. 
And then they jily from th' canes vnto the ground, 
With mini mlxt Reed to wall their mansion round. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bnrtas's Weeks, ii., The llnnily Crafts. 
4573 
Cresar, causing all his Boats and .Shallops to be flM'd 
with Souldicrs, commanded to ply up and down continu- 
ally with relief where they saw need. Milton, Hist Eng., II. 
Busy housewives plied backwards and forwards along 
the lines, helping everything forward by the nimblencss 
of their tongues. Irving, Knickerbocker, p. 129. 
5. Naut., to beat; tack; work to windward: 
as, to ply northward. 
That day we plyed downe as farre as our Ladle of Hol- 
land, and there came to an anker. 
HaUtiyf* Voyage*, I. 310. 
The Currents at Cape La Vela do seldom shift therefore 
Ships that ply to Wind-ward to get about it do not ply 
near the shore, but stand off to Sea. 
Dampier, Voyages, II. 111. 101. 
She was flying dead Into the east, and every minute her 
keel passed over as many fathoms of sea as would take 
her hours of plying to recover. 
W. C. Hiwll, Death Ship, xll. 
6. To offer one's services for trips or jobs, as 
boatmen, hackmen, carriers, etc. 
He was forced to ply In the streets, as a porter, for his 
livelihood. Spectator. 
There is at Edinburgh a society or corporation of errand- 
boys called Cawdies, who ply In the streets at night with 
paper lanterns, and arc very serviceable In carrying mes- 
SilJ.'1-S. 
Smollett, Humphrey Clinker (J. Melford to Sir Watkin 
[Phillips). 
[It] will be readily pointed out by any one of the fifty In- 
telligent fly-drivers who ply upon the pier. 
Barnaul, Ingoldsby Legends, II. 139. 
ply (pli), . [< ply, v.~\ 1. A fold ; a thickness : 
often used in composition to designate the 
number of thicknesses or twists of which any- 
thing is made: as, three-j>/y thread ; threo-ply 
carpets. 
I found myself at last on the diver's platform, twenty 
pounds of lead upon each foot, and my whole person swol- 
len with ply amlyV'/ of woollen underclothing. 
A. L. Stevenson, Education of an Engineer. 
2. Bent; turn; direction; bias. 
Custom is most perfect when itbcginnethin young years; 
. . , late learners cannot so well take np thepf^. 
Bacon, Custom and Education (ed. 1887). 
He l>ent all the su1>ordlnate branches of their govern- 
ment to the ply of his own favourite passion. 
<;:/!/ nii't/i. Seven Years' War, v. 
Under Elizabeth the growing taste for theatrical repre- 
sentations had begun gradually to displace it (the baiting 
of animals, and especially of bulls and bearsj, and to give 
a new jilt/ and tone to the manners of the rich. 
Leclcy, Eng. in 18th Cent, iv. 
He [Hamilton] accepted the constitution as it was, and 
did his best to give it the ply which he desired by practi- 
cal interpretation. fiineteenth Century, XXIII. 105. 
Plyctolophinae, Plyctolophus. See Plictolo- 
phus, etc. 
plyer, n. See plier, 
plyghtH, and r. A Middle English form of 
J flight 1 , plifflift, etc. 
yght'-'t, plyghtet. Middle English forms of 
"the preterit and past participle of pluck 1 . 
Plymouth Brethren. See brother. 
Plymouth cloakt. A staff; a cudgel. [Slang.] 
[That is, a cane, a staff; whereof this is the occasion. 
Many a man of good extraction, coming home from far 
voyages, may chance to land here, and, being out of sorts, 
is unable for the present time and place to recruit him- 
self with clothes. Here (if not friendly provided) they make 
the next wood their draper's shop, where a staff cut out 
serves them for a covering. For we use, when we walk in 
cuerpo, to carry a staff in our hands, but none when in a 
cloak. Kay, Proverbs (1742X p. 238.) 
Reserving still the embleme of a souldier (his sword) and 
a 1'UiHottth doake, otherwise called a battoone. 
Lenten'g Charafterismi, Char. 30. (iVor.) 
Shall I walk in a Plymouth doak (that 's to say) like a 
rogue, in my hose and doublet, and a crab-tree cudgel in 
my hand? DeUcer, Honest Whore, 11. 
Plymouthism (plim'uth-izm), n. [< Plymouth 
+ -ism.] The doctrines of the Plymouth Breth- 
ren. See Plymouth Brethren, under brother. 
Plymouthist (plim'uth-ist), . [< Plymouth 
+ -)<.] An adherent of Plymouthism ; one of 
the Plymouth Brethren ; a Plymouthite. 
There are therefore at least five official divisions or sects 
of Plymouthist*. Kncyc. Brit., XIX. 239. 
Plymouthite (plim'uth-It), n. [< Plymouth + 
-ife 3 .] One of the Plymouth Brethren. 
Plymouth Bock. A large and serviceable va- 
riety of the domestic hen, of American origin. 
Both cock and hen have the plumage finely and evenly 
barred transversely throughout with blue-black on a 
ground of pearl-gray. The legs and beak are clear-yel- 
low, and the tail is very small. The normal variety has 
an upright comb ; but there arc also pea-combed Ply- 
mouth Rocks. White Plymouth Rocks have been Intro- 
duced recently. 
plytt, plytet, Middle English tortnsofplii/ltt-. 
P. M. An abbreviation: (a) of post meridiem, 
'after noon or midday' (also P. M., p.m.): fre- 
quently used as synonymous with nftrmitim or 
i'1-i'iiitifi; (h) of ptixlHiuxtt >; (c) of peculiar meter. 
pneumatic 
pm. In dental formulae, an abbreviation of 
l>ri miiliir. 
pneodynamics (ne'o-di-nam'iks), n. [Irreg. < 
Or. irveiv, breathe, + Siva/uf, power: see dynam- 
ics.'] The science of the mechanics of respira- 
tion. 
pneogaster (ne-o-gas'ter), n. [Irreg. < Gr. irvciv, 
breathe, + yaart/p, the stomach.] The respi- 
ratory tract; the respiratory or branchial intes- 
tine considered as a part of the general intes- 
tinal system, being developed from the embryo 
in connection therewith. It consists of air-pas- 
sages in the widest sense, as lungs, windpipes, 
etc., or their equivalents. 
pneogastric (ne-o-gas'trik), a. [< pneogagter 
+ -ic.] Of or pertaining to the pneogaster. 
pneograph (ue'o-graf), n. [Irreg. < Gr. irveiv, 
breathe, + y/Mfciv, write.] An instrument in- 
vented by Dr. Mortimer Qranville for testing 
and indicating the duration, force, and con- 
tinuity of expiration in diverse conditions of 
the lungs. It consist* of a delicately suspended and 
counterpoised semi-disk of talc, which Is moved by the 
breath when held in front of the mouth. The disk car- 
ries a needle, which makes a tracing on smoked paper 
caused to move uniformly in relation with the needle. 
The tracings indicate by their undulations the character 
of the expiratory movement, from which the condition of 
the lungs may be inferred. 
pneometer (ne-om'e-ter), . [Irreg. < Gr. irniv, 
breathe, + /liT/mv, measure.] A spiroineter. 
pneometry (iie-om'et-ri), . [Irreg. < Gr. irveiv, 
breathe, -r ficrpia, < ukTpov, measure.] Measure- 
ment of inspired or expired air. 
pneoscope (ue'o-skop), . [Irreg. < Gr. irveiv, 
breathe, -t- ottneilv, view.] An instrument for 
measuring the extent of movement of the tho- 
rax. 
pneuma (nu'ma), n. [NL., < Gr. m>ei>ua, breath, 
< irveiv, blow, Breathe. Cf. iieume, ueuma.] 1. 
Breath; spirit; soul. 2. A breathing, in early 
church munc : (a) A form of ligature at the end of certain 
plain-chant melodies, resembling the perlelesis, but differ- 
ing from It In being sung to an unmeaning syllable having 
no connection with the text. Its use can be traced with 
certainty to the fourth century, and it is still employed In 
the services of the Roman Catholic Church, especially at 
high mass, (b) Same as neume, 2. 
pneumarthrosis (nu-jnar-thro'sis), . [NL., 
< Gr. irvevua, air, + a/>6p<jai(, a jointing: see 
arthrosis.'] The presence of air in the cavity of 
a joint. 
pneumathorax (nu-ma-tho'raks), n. An er- 
roneous form of pnfuniothorax. 
pneumatic (nu-mat'ik), a. and . [= P. pnev- 
mati<jue = Sp. pncumdtico = Pg. It. pncumatlco, 
(. L. pntumaticus, < Gr. irvcv^artKof, relating to 
wind or air, < irvevua, wind, air, breath, spirit, 
< iTvetv, blow, breathe.] I. a. 1. Of or pertain- 
ing to air, or gases in general, or their prop- 
erties; also, employing (compressed) air or 
other gas as a motive power, as, pneumatic 
experiments; a pneumatic engine. Pneumatic 
notes numerous instruments, machines, apparatus, etc., 
for experimenting on elastic fluids, or for working by 
means of the compression or exhaustion of air. 
2. Consisting of or resembling air; having the 
properties of an elastic fluid ; gaseous. 
The pneumatic substance being In some bodies the na- 
tive spirit of the body. Jlacon. 
3. Moved or played by means of air: as, a 
pneumatic instrument of music. 4. In :oiil. : 
(a) Filled with air; fitted to receive or contain 
air; pneumatized, as the air-cells or the bones 
of birds, (b) Of or pertaining to the respiratory 
system of any animal Pneumatic action, in or- 
gan-building, an action In which the keys, stop-knobs, or 
pedals merely make connections whereby the desired 
motions may be pneumatically effected. The pneumatic 
principle Involved is either that of a small bellows which 
Is inflated or emptied by the key or coupler, or that of a 
tube with pistons or valves at the ends which work sym- 
pathetically. Pneumatic bellows, coupler, .t,. See 
pneumatic action, above. Pneumatic cabinet. In med., 
an air-tight cabinet In which a patient is placed, so that 
the atmospheric pressure on the surface of the body may 
be Increased or diminished. Pneumatic caisson. See 
caiaoH,3(c\ Pneumatic car, clock, conductor, drill 
See the nouns Pneumatic despatch, the transmission 
of articles from one point to another by air-pressure through 
a tube specially prepared for the purpose. Practically 
this Is limited to the sending of small articles, as letters, 
telegraphic despatches, etc., for short distances, as lie- 
tween different stations in a large city. They are inclosed 
in a suitable box, which is propelled by compressed air 
through a tube from 2 to 3 inches in diameter ; the return 
takes place by the atmospheric pressure, the air in the 
tube bring exhausted at the first statical. Pneumatic- 
despatch tube a tube traversed by a car or carrier which 
receives and delivers letters or parcels at stations along a 
route. Motion is caused by pressure of air, which Is cither 
forced Into the tube from behind the car or exhausted In 
front of it, or both simultaneously. Special devices have 
been contrived for perfecting the construction of the 
cars and for arresting them at the points dfsirrd. The 
Brisbane carrier is a hollow ball which rolls along the 
interior of the pneumatic tube. Pneumatic differ- 
