Pillion, O. E. A soft pad-saddle with a footrest, for a woman or child to ride on behind a man.
Pillow or Head-stool, Egyp. A kind of rest for the head, made sometimes of stone (onyx, alabaster, or sandstone), but more generally of wood, and used by the Egyptians to support and raise the head during sleep. In form it was a half-cylinder, and the base was more or less raised above the ground. This kind of pillow is still in use at the present day among various peoples, particularly the Nubians, the Japanese, and the Ashantees of Western Africa.
Pillow-beres, O. E. Pillow-cases. They were at all times an object of rich ornamentation.
Pillow Lace. Lace worked by hand, by throwing bobbins upon a cushion or pillow. (See Lace.)
Pilum, R. A javelin; the missile weapon of the Roman infantry, but used likewise as a pike for charging the enemy. It was a thick strong weapon, 6 feet 3 inches in length, half of wood and half of iron, with a barbed head of 9 inches of solid iron. The term also denotes a heavy pestle for bruising things in a mortar.
Pilus, Med. Lat. (Fr. pieu). A pointed club or javelin.
Pina, Sp. An amalgam of silver.
Pinacotheca, Gr. and R. (πινακο-θήκη). A picture-gallery, one of the ordinary adjuncts to Greek or Roman houses of wealthy private persons.
Pinaculum, Gr. and R. (a ridge or crest). A roof terminating in a ridge, the ordinary covering for a temple, whereas private houses had a flat roof.
Pinchbeck. An alloy of 85 per cent. copper or brass, and 15 per cent. zinc; named after its inventor. It is sometimes called tomback.