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Percussive

Striking against; percutient; as, percussive force.

Percutient

Striking; having the power of striking. That which strikes, or has power to strike.

Perdicine

Of or pertaining to the family Perdicid/, or partridges.

Perdifoil

A deciduous plant; -- opposed to evergreen.

Perdition

Entire loss; utter destruction; ruin.

Perdix

A genus of birds including the common European partridge. Formerly the word was used in a much wider sense to include many allied genera.

Perdu

One placed on watch, or in ambush.

perdurantism

The philosophical view considering the fundamental objects of the real world as extended in the direction of time, so that the objects themselves do not change, though temporal parts may have different properties. Contrasted to endurantism, a view considering objects to be wholly present at each instant of time.

perdurantist

A philosopher who considers the fundamental objects of the real world as extended in the direction of time, so that the objects themselves do not change, though temporal parts may have different properties. Contrasted to endurantist, one who considers objects to be wholly present at each instant.

Perdure

To last or endure for a long time; to be perdurable or lasting.

Pere

Father; -- often used after French proper names to distinguish a father from his son; as, Dumas p/re.

Peregrination

A traveling from one country to another; a wandering; sojourn in foreign countries.

Peremptory

Precluding debate or expostulation; not admitting of question or appeal; positive; absolute; decisive; conclusive; final.

perennate

To survive from season to season, of plants.

Perennial

A perennial plant; a plant which lives or continues more than two years, whether it retains its leaves in winter or not.

Perennibranchiata

Those Batrachia which retain their gills through life, as the menobranchus.

Perennibranchiate

Having branch/, or gills, through life; -- said especially of certain Amphibia, like the menobranchus. Opposed to caducibranchiate.

Pererration

A wandering, or rambling, through various places.

Perfect

To make perfect; to finish or complete, so as to leave nothing wanting; to give to anything all that is requisite to its nature and kind.

perfectability perfectibility

The capability of becoming perfect; as, he believes in the ultimate perfectability of man; -- usually spelled perfectibility.

perfected

Brought into final form; completely formed; -- of plans, ideas, etc.

Perfecter

One who, or that which, makes perfect.

Perfectible

Capable of becoming, or being made, perfect.

Perfectional

Of or pertaining to perfection; characterized by perfection.

Perfectionist

One pretending to perfection; esp., one pretending to moral perfection; one who believes that persons may and do attain to moral perfection and sinlessness in this life.

Perfectionment

The act of bringing to perfection, or the state of having attained to perfection.

Perfective

Tending or conducing to make perfect, or to bring to perfection; -- usually followed by of.

Perfectly

In a perfect manner or degree; in or to perfection; completely; wholly; thoroughly; faultlessly.

Perfectness

The quality or state of being perfect; perfection.

Perfervid

Very fervid; too fervid; glowing; ardent.

Perficient

One who performs or perfects a work; especially, one who endows a charity.

Perfidious

Guilty of perfidy; violating good faith or vows; false to trust or confidence reposed; treacherous; faithless; as, a perfidious friend.

Perfidy

The act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust reposed; faithlessness; treachery.

Perfix

To fix surely; to appoint.

Perfoliate

Having the basal part produced around the stem; -- said of leaves which the stem apparently passes directory through.

Perforata

A division of corals including those that have a porous texture, as Porites and Madrepora; -- opposed to Aporosa. A division of Foraminifera, including those having perforated shells.

Perforate

To bore through; to pierce through with a pointed instrument; to make a hole or holes through by boring or piercing; to pierce or penetrate the surface of.

Perforated Perforate

Pierced with a hole or holes, or with pores; having transparent dots resembling holes.

Perforation

The act of perforating, or of boring or piercing through.

Perforator

One who, or that which, perforates; esp., a cephalotome.

Perform

To do, execute, or accomplish something; to acquit one's self in any business; esp., to represent sometimes by action; to act a part; to play on a musical instrument; as, the players perform poorly; the musician performs on the organ.

Performable

Admitting of being performed, done, or executed; practicable.

Performance

The act of performing; the carrying into execution or action; execution; achievement; accomplishment; representation by action; as, the performance of an undertaking of a duty.

Performer

One who performs, accomplishes, or fulfills; as, a good promiser, but a bad performer; especially, one who shows skill and training in any art; as, a performer of the drama; a performer on the harp.

Perfume

The scent, odor, or odoriferous particles emitted from a sweet-smelling substance; a pleasant odor; fragrance; aroma.

perfumed

Filled or impregnated with perfume; as, perfumed stationery; a perfumed boudoir.

Perfumer

One who, or that which, perfumes.

Perfunctory

Done merely to get rid of a duty; performed mechanically and as a thing of rote; done in a careless and superficial manner; characterized by indifference; as, perfunctory admonitions; a perfunctory greeting.

Perfuncturate

To perform in a perfunctory manner; to do negligently.

Perfuse

To suffuse; to fill full or to excess.

Perfusive

Of a nature to flow over, or to spread through.

Pergola

Lit., an arbor or bower; An arbor or trellis treated architecturally, as with stone columns or similar massive structure.

Pergolo

A continuous colonnade or arcade; -- applied to the decorative groups of windows, as in Venetian palazzi.

Perhaps

Posibly; by chance; peradventure; perchance; it may be.

Peri

An imaginary being, male or female, like an elf or fairy, represented as a descendant of fallen angels, excluded from paradise till penance is accomplished.

Perianth

The leaves of a flower generally, especially when the calyx and corolla are not readily distinguished. A saclike involucre which incloses the young fruit in most hepatic mosses. See Illust. of Hepatica.

Periapt

A charm worn as a protection against disease or mischief; an amulet.

Periastron

That point, in the real or apparent orbit of one star revolving around another, at which the former is nearest to the latter.

Periblast

The protoplasmic matter which surrounds the entoblast, or cell nucleus, and undergoes segmentation.

Periblem

Nascent cortex, or immature cellular bark.

Peribolos

In ancient architecture, an inclosed court, esp., one surrounding a temple.

Peribranchial

Surrounding the branchi/; as, a peribranchial cavity.

Peribronchial

Around the bronchi or bronchial tubes; as, the peribronchial lymphatics.

Pericambium

A layer of thin-walled young cells in a growing stem, in which layer certain new vessels originate.

Pericardium

The double baglike fold of serous membrane which incloses the heart.

Pericarp

The ripened ovary; the walls of the fruit. See Illusts. of Capsule, Drupe, and Legume.

Pericellular

Surrounding a cell; as, the pericellular lymph spaces surrounding ganglion cells.

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