Thomas Davidson

“ Pepper's Ghost, pep′ėrs gōst, n. a device for associating on the same stage living persons and phantoms to act together—the phantom produced by a large sheet of unsilvered glass on the stage, practically invisible to the spectators, reflecting to them, along with a visible actor or actors, the appearance of another actor on an understage, himself invisible. ”

“ Periodic function, one whose operation being iterated a certain number of times restores the variable: a function having a period; Periodic inequality, a disturbance in the motion of a planet due to its position in its orbit relatively to another planet; Periodic law (chem.) , a relation of elements according to their atomic weights. [Fr.,—L.,—Gr. periodos—peri, around, hodos, a way.]
Periophthalmus, per-i-of-thal′mus, n. a genus of acanthopterous fishes, allied to gobies, with protruding mobile eyes, pectoral fins that can be used as legs. ”

“ Personal′ity, that which distinguishes a person from a thing, or one person from another: individuality: a derogatory remark or reflection directly applied to a person—esp. in pl. Personal′ities.—adv. Per′sonally, in a personal or direct manner: in person: individually.—n. Per′sonalty (law) , all the property which, when a man dies, goes to his executor or administrator, as distinguished from the realty, which goes to his heir-at-law.—v.t. ”

“ Personal identity, the continued sameness of the individual person, through all changes both without and within, as testified by consciousness; Personal rights, rights which belong to the person as a living, reasonable being ”

“ Peso, pā′so, n. a Spanish dollar. [Sp.,—L. pensum, pendĕre, to weigh.]
Pessary, pes′a-ri, n. an instrument worn in the vagina to remedy displacement of the womb. [Fr. pessaire—Low L. pessarium—Gr. pessos, a pebble.]
Pessimism, pes′i-mizm, n. the doctrine that on the whole the world is bad rather than good: a temper of mind that looks too much on the dark side of things: a depressing view of life.—v.i. Pess′imise.—n. Pess′imist, one who believes that everything is tending to the worst: one who looks too much on the dark side of things—opp. to Optimist.—adjs. ”

“ Peri, pē′ri, n. in Persian mythology, a female elf or fairy, represented as descended from the fallen angels. [Fr. péri—Pers. parī, a fairy.]
Periagua, per-i-ä′gwä, n. a canoe hollowed out of a single trunk, a dug-out: a vessel made by cutting a canoe in two lengthwise and inserting a large plank: a large keelless flat-bottomed boat for shoal-water navigation, decked at the ends only, propelled by rowing, or by sails on two masts capable of being struck.—Also Pirogue′. [Sp. piragua.] ”

“ Personal transaction, something done by a person's own effort, not through the agency of another.—In person, by one's self, not by a representative. [Fr.,—L. persōna, a player's mask, perh. from persŏnāre, -ātum—per, through, sonāre, to sound.]
Persona, pėr-sō′na, n. a person.—Persona grata, a person who is acceptable to those to whom he is sent.—Dramatis personæ, the characters in a play or story. [L.]
Personify, per-son′i-fī, v.t. (rhet.) to treat, look on, or describe as a person: to ascribe to any inanimate object the qualities of a person: to be the embodiment of:—pa.t. ”

“ Peripatet′ic, an adherent of the philosophy of Aristotle: one accustomed or obliged to walk: (pl.) instruction by lectures.—n. Peripatet′icism, the philosophy of Aristotle. [Gr. peripatētikos—peri, about, patein, to walk.] ”

“ Phag′ocytism, the nature or function of a phagocyte; Phagocytō′sis, the destruction of microbes by phagocytes. [Gr. phagein, to eat, kytos, a vessel.]
Phalæna, fā-lē′na, n. the Linnæan genus including moths.—adj. Phalē′noid. [Gr. phalaina, a moth.]
Phalange, fā-lanj′, n. a phalanx of a digit: any of the joints of an insect's tarsus: a bundle of stamens joined by their filaments: a socialistic community in Fourier's dream of an ideal arrangement of society, consisting of 1800 persons living in a phalanstère—generally in pl., the usual sing. ”

“ Peroxide, per-ox′īd, n. an oxide having a larger proportion of oxygen than any other oxide of the same series.—n. Peroxidā′tion.—v.t. and v.i. Perox′idise.
Perpend, per-pend′, v.t. to weigh in the mind, to consider carefully. [L. perpendĕre—per, inten., pendĕre, to weigh.] ”

“ Perfect, pėr′fekt, adj. done thoroughly or completely: completed: without blemish, fault, or error: having neither too much nor too little: entire, very great: in the highest degree: possessing every moral excellence: completely skilled or acquainted: (gram.) expressing an act completed: (bot.) having both stamens and pistils, hermaphrodite.—v.t. (or per-fekt′) to make perfect: to finish: to teach fully, to make fully skilled in anything.—ns. ”

“ Perpet′ually.—Perpetual curate, a curate of a parish where there was neither rector nor vicar, the tithes being in the hands of a layman—abolished in 1868, every incumbent not a rector now being a vicar; Perpetual motion, motion of a machine arising from forces within itself, constantly kept up without any force from without ”

“ Perōnēōtib′ial, pertaining to the perone and the tibia.—n. a muscle from the fibula to the tibia in some marsupials: an anomalous muscle in man, constant in apes, between the inner side of the head of the fibula and the tibia.—n. ”

“ Personnel′, the persons employed in any service, as distinguished from the materiel.—Personal estate, property, movable goods or property, as distinguished from freehold or real property, esp. in land ”

“ Pep′tics, digestion considered as a science: the digestive organs; Pep′togen, a substance producing peptone, any preparation that facilitates digestion.—adjs. Peptogen′ic, Peptog′enous, Pepton′ic.—ns. Pep′tōne, one of a class of albumenoids formed by the action of the chemical ferment pepsin and hydrochloric acid, the latter first converting into a syntonin or acid protein, the former converting this syntonin into peptone—they are soluble in water, are not coagulated by boiling, and pass readily through an animal membrane, being therefore easily absorbed ”

“ Phagedena, Phagedæna, faj-e-dē′na, n. a sloughing ulcer, hospital gangrene.—adjs. Phagedē′nic, Phagedæ′nic. [Gr. phagein, to eat.]
Phagocyte, fag′o-sīt, n. a white or colourless blood-corpuscle—also called leucocyte—an active amœboid cell, which engulfs both nutritive and harmful particles.—adjs. Phagocyt′ic, -al.—ns. ”

“ Perigynous, per-ij′i-nus, adj. (bot.) denoting flowers which have the petals and stamens growing on the calyx, or around the pistil.—n. Perigyn′ium. [Gr. peri, about, gynē, a female.]
Perihelion, per-i-hē′li-on, n. the point of the orbit of a planet or a comet at which it is nearest to the sun—opp. to Aphelion.—Also Perihē′lium. [Gr. peri, near, hēlios, the sun.]
Perihepatic, per-i-hē-pat′ik, adj. surrounding the liver.
Peril, per′il, n. danger: a source of danger: exposure to danger.—v.t. to expose to danger:—pr.p. per′illing; pa.t. and pa.p. per′illed.—adj. ”

“ Phenom′enalism, the philosophical doctrine that the phenomenal and the real are identical—that phenomena are the only realities—also Externalism; Phenom′enalist, one who believes in phenomenalism; Phenomenal′ity, the character of being phenomenal.—adv. ”

“ Periorbital, per-i-or′bi-tal, adj. pertaining to the orbit of the eye.
Periosteum, per-i-os′tē-um, n. a tough fibrous membrane which forms the outer coating of bones.—adjs. Perios′tēal, Perios′tēous; Periostit′ic.—n. Periostī′tis, inflammation of the periosteum. [Gr. periosteon—peri, around, osteon, a bone.]
Periotic, per-i-ō′tik, adj. surrounding the inner ear.—n. a periotic bone. [Gr. peri, about, ous, ōtos, the ear.]
Peripatetic, -al, per-i-pa-tet′ik, -al, adj. walking about: of or pertaining to the philosophy of Aristotle, who taught while walking up and down in the Lyceum at Athens.—n. ”

“ Permū′tant; Permutā′tion, act of changing one thing for another: (math.) the arrangement of things or letters in every possible order.—v.t. Permute′. [L.,—permutāre—per, through, mutāre, to change.]
Pern, pėrn, n. a honey-buzzard.—Also Per′nis.
Pernicious, per-nish′us, adj. killing utterly: hurtful: destructive: highly injurious.—adv. ”

“ Philander, fi-lan′dėr, v.i. to make love: to flirt or coquet.—n. a lover.—n. Philan′derer. [Gr. philandros, loving men—philos, dear—philein, to love, anēr, andros, a man.]
Philanthropy, fi-lan′thrō-pi, n. love of mankind, esp. as shown in good deeds and services to others: goodwill towards all men.—ns. Phil′anthrope, Philan′thropist, one who tries to benefit mankind.—adjs. Philanthrop′ic, -al, doing good to others, benevolent.—adv. Philanthrop′ically. [L.,—Gr. philanthrōpia—philos, loving, anthrōpos, a man.] ”

“ Phal′anstery, the dwelling of the phalange in the ideal social system of Fourier (1772-1837) , a vast structure in the midst of a square league of cultivated land.
Phalanger, fā-lan′jer, n. a genus of small arboreal Australasian marsupials. [Fr.,—L. phalanx.]
Phalanx, fal′angks, or fā′-, n. a line of battle: a square battalion of heavy-armed infantry drawn up in ranks and files close and deep: any compact body of men: one of the small bones of the fingers and toes:—pl. ”

“ Phenol, fē′nol. n. phenyl alcohol or carbolic acid. [Fr.]
Phenology, Phænology, fē-nol′ō-ji, n. the branch of biology treating of animal or plant life and development as affected by climate.—adjs. Phenolog′ic, -al.—n. Phenol′ogist. [Phenomenology.]
Phenomenon, fē-nom′e-non, n. an appearance: the appearance which anything makes to our consciousness, as distinguished from what it is in itself: an observed result: a remarkable or unusual person, thing, or appearance:—pl. ”

“ Pett′icoat-affair′, an affair in which a woman is concerned.—n.pl. Pett′icoat-breech′es, a loose short breeches worn by men in the 17th century.—adj. Pett′icoated.—Petticoat government, government by women, either at home or in the state. [Petty + coat.]
Pettifogger, pet′i-fog-ėr, n. a lawyer who practises only in paltry cases.—v.i. Pett′ifog, to play the pettifogger.—n. Pett′ifoggery, mean tricks: quibbles.—adj. Pett′ifogging. [Petty, and obs. fog, to cheat (cf. Old Dut. focker) .]
Pettitoes, pet′i-tōz, n.pl. the feet of a sucking pig: (Shak.) human feet. ”

“ Phanerogamous, fan-e-rog′a-mus, adj. having true flowers containing stamens and pistils—opp. to Cryptogamous—also Phanerogam′ic.—n. Phan′erogam, a phanerogamic plant. [Gr. phaneros, visible, gamos, marriage.]
Phantasm, fan′tazm, n. a vain, airy appearance: a fancied vision: an apparition or spectre—also Phantas′ma (Shak.) :—pl. Phan′tasms, Phantas′mata.—adjs. Phantas′mal; Phantasmā′lian (rare) .—n. Phantasmal′ity.—adv. Phantas′mally.—adjs. Phantasmat′ic, -al; Phantas′mic; Phantasmogenet′ic, begetting phantasms.—adv. Phantasmogenet′ically.—adj. ”