Penetrate, pen′ē-trāt, v.t. to thrust into the inside: to pierce into: to affect the mind or feelings: to enter and to fill: to understand: to find out.—v.i. to make way: to pass inwards.—ns. Penetrabil′ity, Pen′etrableness.—adj. Pen′etrable, that may be penetrated or pierced by another body: capable of having impressions made upon the mind.—adv. Pen′etrably, so as to be penetrated—n.pl. Penetrā′lia, the inmost parts of a building: secrets: mysteries.—ns. Pen′etrance, Pen′etrancy, the quality of being penetrant.—adjs. Pen′etrant, subtle, penetrating; Pen′etrating, piercing or entering: sharp: subtle: acute: discerning.—adv. Pen′etratingly.—n. Penetrā′tion, the act or power of penetrating or entering: acuteness: discernment: the space-penetrating power of a telescope.—adj. Pen′etrative, tending to penetrate: piercing: sagacious: affecting the mind.—adv. Pen′etratively, in a penetrative manner.—n. Pen′etrativeness, the quality of being penetrative: penetrative power. [L. penetrāre, -ātum—penes, within.]
Pen-fish, pen′-fish, n. a sparoid fish of genus Calamus.
Penfold. Same as Pinfold.
Penguin, pen′gwin, n. an aquatic bird in the southern hemisphere, unable to fly, but very expert in diving—also Pin′guin.—n. Pen′guinery, a breeding-place of penguins. [Ety. dub.; a corr. of pen-wing, or from W. pen, head, gwen, white.]
Pen-gun, pen′-gun, n. a pop-gun.
Penicil, pen′i-sil, n. a brush of hairs: a pledget for wounds, &c.—adjs. Pen′icillate, Penicil′liform.—n. Penicil′lium, one of the blue-moulds.
Peninsula, pē-nin′sū-la, n. land so surrounded by water as to be almost an island.—adj. Penin′sular, pertaining to a peninsula: in the form of a peninsula: inhabiting a peninsula.—n. Peninsular′ity, state of being, or of inhabiting, a peninsula: narrow provincialism.—v.t. Penin′sulate, to form into a peninsula: to surround almost entirely with water.—Peninsular war, the war in Spain and Portugal, carried on by Great Britain against Napoleon's marshals (1804-1814).—The Peninsula, Spain and Portugal. [L.,—pæne, almost, insula, an island.]
Penis, pē′nis, n. the characteristic external male organ.—adj. Pē′nial. [L., a tail.]
Penistone, pen′i-stōn, n. a coarse frieze.—Penistone flags, a kind of sandstone for paving and building, brought from Penistone in Yorkshire.
Penitent, pen′i-tent, adj. suffering pain or sorrow for sin: contrite: repentant.—n. one who is sorry for sin: one who has confessed sin, and is undergoing penance.—ns. Pen′itence, Pen′itency, state of being penitent: sorrow for sin.—adj. Peniten′tial, pertaining to, or expressive of, penitence.—n. a book of rules relating to penance.—adv. Peniten′tially.—adj. Peniten′tiary, relating to penance: penitential.—n. a penitent: an office at the court of Rome for examining and issuing secret bulls, dispensations, &c.: a book for guidance in imposing penances: a place for the performance of penance: a house of correction and punishment for offenders.—adv. Pen′itently.—Penitential garment, a rough garment worn for penance; Penitential psalms, certain psalms suitable for being sung by penitents, as the 6th, 32d, 38th, 51st, 102d, 130th, 143d. [Fr.,—L. pœnitens, -entis—pœnitēre, to cause to repent.]