Penury, pen′ū-ri, n. want: absence of means or resources: great poverty.—adj. Penū′rious, showing penury: not bountiful: too saving: sordid: miserly.—adv. Penū′riously.—n. Penū′riousness. [Fr.,—L. penuria; Gr. peina, hunger, penēs, poor.]
Peon, pē′on, n. a day-labourer, esp. in South America, one working off a debt by bondage: in India, a foot-soldier, a messenger, a native policeman.—ns. Pē′onage, Pē′onism, this kind of agricultural servitude. [Sp.,—Low L. pedo—L. pes, pedis, a foot.]
Peony, pē′o-ni, n. a genus of plants of the natural order Ranunculaceæ, with large showy flowers, carmine, in some white. [O. Fr. pione (Fr. pivoine)—L. pæonia, healing—Gr. Paiōn.]
People, pē′pl, n. persons generally: the men, women, and children of a country or a nation: the mass of persons as distinguished from the rulers, &c.: an indefinite number: inhabitants: the vulgar: the populace:—pl. Peoples (pē′plz), races, tribes.—v.t. to stock with people or inhabitants.—People's palace, an institution for the amusement, recreation, and association of the working-classes, as that in the East End of London, inaugurated in 1887.—Chosen people, the Israelites; Good people, or folk, a popular euphemistic name for the fairies; Peculiar people (see Peculiar); The people, the populace, the mass. [Fr. peuple—L. populus, prob. reduplicated from root of plebs, people.]
Peotomy, pē-ot′ō-mi, n. the amputation of the penis. [Gr. peos, the penis, temnein, to cut.]
Peperin, pep′e-rin, n. a volcanic tufa found in the Alban Hills near Rome. [It. peperino—pepe, pepper—L. piper, pepper.]
Pepita, pe-pē′ta, n. a nugget of gold. [Sp.]
Peplum, pep′lum, n. an upper robe worn by women in ancient Greece.—Also Pep′lus. [L.,—Gr. peplos.]
Pepo, pē′pō, n. a fruit like that of the gourd. [Gr.]
Pepper, pep′ėr, n. a pungent aromatic condiment consisting of the dried berries of the pepper-plant, entire or powdered: any plant of genus Piper: a plant of genus Capsicum, or one of its pods, whence Cayenne pepper.—v.t. to sprinkle with pepper: to hit or pelt with shot, &c.: to pelt thoroughly: to do for.—adj. Pepp′er-and-salt′, of a colour composed of a light ground dotted with fine spots of a dark colour, or of a dark ground with light spots.—ns. Pepp′er-box, a box with a perforated top for sprinkling pepper on food; Pepp′er-cake, a kind of spiced cake or gingerbread; Pepp′er-cast′er, the vessel, on a cruet-stand, from which pepper is sprinkled; Pepp′ercorn, the berry of the pepper plant: something of little value—Peppercorn rent, a nominal rent; Pepp′erer, one who sells pepper, a grocer; Pepp′er-gin′gerbread, hot-spiced gingerbread; Pepp′er-grass, any plant of genus Lepidium; Pepp′eriness; Pepp′ermint, a species of mint, aromatic and pungent like pepper: a liquor distilled from the plant: a lozenge flavoured with peppermint—Peppermint-drop, a confection so flavoured; Pepp′er-pot, a West Indian dish, of cassareep, together with flesh or dried fish and vegetables, esp. green okra and chillies: tripe shredded and stewed, with balls of dough and plenty of pepper; Pepp′er-tree, a shrub of the cashew family, native to South America, &c.—also Pepper shrub and Chili pepper; Pepp′erwort, the dittander.—adj. Pepp′ery, possessing the qualities of pepper: hot, choleric.—Æthiopian pepper, the produce of Xylopia Æthiopica; Benin pepper, of Cubeba Clusii; Guinea pepper, or Maleguetta pepper, of Amomum; Jamaica pepper, or Pimento, of species of Eugenia (Myrtaceæ); Long pepper, the fruit of Piper Longum; White pepper, the seed freed from the skin and fleshy part of the fruit by soaking in water and rubbing the dried fruit. [A.S. pipor—L. piper—Gr. peperi—Sans. pippala.]