Peculate, pek′ū-lāt, v.t. to take for one's own use money or property entrusted to one's care: to embezzle: to steal.—ns. Peculā′tion; Pec′ulātor. [L. peculāri, -ātus—pecūlium, private property, akin to pecunia, money.]
Peculiar, pē-kūl′yar, adj. one's own: belonging to no other: appropriate: particular: odd, uncommon, strange.—n. (obs.) private property: a parish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary or bishop in whose diocese it is placed.—v.t. Pecul′iarise, to set apart.—n. Peculiar′ity, quality of being peculiar or singular: that which is found in one and in no other: that which marks a person off from others: individuality.—adv. Pecul′iarly.—n. Pecū′lium, private property, esp. that given by a father to a son, &c.—Peculiar people, the people of Israel: a sect of faith-healers, founded in London in 1838, who reject medical aid in cases of disease, and rely on anointing with oil by the elders, and on prayer, with patient nursing. [Fr.,—L. peculiaris—peculium, private property.]
Pecuniary, pē-kū′ni-ar-i, adj. relating to money: consisting of money.—adv. Pecū′niarily.—adj. Pecū′nious, rich. [Fr.,—L. pecuniarius—pecunia, money—pecu-, which appears in L. pecudes (pl.), cattle.]
Ped, ped, n. (Spens.) a basket, a hamper. [Pad.]
Pedagogue, ped′a-gog, n. a teacher: a pedant.—v.t. to teach.—adjs. Pedagog′ic, -al, relating to teaching: belonging to, or possessed by, a teacher of children.—ns. Pedagog′ics, Ped′agogism, Ped′agogy, the science of teaching: instruction: discipline. [Fr.,—L.,—Gr. paidagōgos—pais, paidos, a boy, agōgos, a leader—agein, to lead.]
Pedal, ped′al, adj. pertaining to a foot.—n. any part of a machine transmitting power from the foot: in musical instruments, a lever moved by the foot.—v.i. to work a pedal.—n. Pēdā′le, a foot-cloth in front of an altar: a collection of canons of general councils in the Greek Church.—adjs. Pēdā′lian, relating to the foot, or to a metrical foot; Ped′āte, divided like a foot: (bot.) having the side lobes of a divided leaf also divided into smaller parts, the midribs of which do not run to a common centre as in the palmate leaf.—adv. Ped′ātely.—adj. Pedat′ifid, divided in a pedate manner, but having the divisions connected at the base.—Combination pedal, a metal pedal in organs controlling several stops at once. [L. pedalis—pes, pedis, the foot.]
Pedant, ped′ant, n. one who makes a vain display of learning: a pretender to knowledge which he does not possess: (Shak.) a pedagogue.—adjs. Pedant′ic, -al, displaying knowledge for the sake of showing.—adv. Pedant′ically, in a pedantic manner.—ns. Pedant′icism, Ped′antism.—v.i. Ped′antise, to play the pedant.—ns. Pedantoc′racy, government by pedants; Ped′antry, acts, manners, or character of a pedant: vain display of learning: (Swift) the overrating of any kind of knowledge we pretend to. [Fr.,—It. pedante—L. pædagogans, -antis, teaching—pædagogus, a pedagogue.]
Peddle, ped′l, v.i. to travel about with a basket or bundle of goods, esp. of smallwares, for sale: to trifle.—v.t. to retail in small quantities.—ns. Pedd′ler, Ped′lar, Ped′ler, a hawker or travelling merchant; Pedd′lery, Ped′lary, the trade or tricks of a peddler: wares sold by a peddler.—adj. Pedd′ling, unimportant.—n. the trade or tricks of a peddler. [Peddar, pedder, one who carries wares in a ped or basket.]
Pederasty, ped′e-rast-i, n. unnatural commerce of males with males, esp. boys.—n. Ped′erast, one addicted to this vice.—adj. Pederast′ic. [Gr., pais, paidos, a boy, erastēs—eraein, to love.]
Pederero, ped-e-rē′rō, n. an old gun for discharging stones, pieces of iron, &c., also for firing salutes.