piss (n.) — plagioclase (n.)

piss (n.)

"urine," late 14c., from piss (v.). As a pure intensifier (piss-poor, piss-ugly, etc.) it dates from 1940, popularized in World War II. Piss and vinegar "vim, energy" is attested from 1942. Piss-prophet "one who diagnoses diseases by inspection of urine" is attested from 1620s. Piss proud "erect upon awakening" is attested from 1796.ETD piss (n.).2

pissed (adj.)

1929, "drunk," past-participle adjective from piss (v.). From 1946 as "angry," from piss off.ETD pissed (adj.).2

piss (v.)

"to urinate, discharge the fluid secreted by the kidneys and stored in the urinary bladder," c. 1300, pissen, from Old French pissier "urinate" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *pissiare, of imitative origin. To piss away (money, etc.) is from 1948. Related: Pissed; pissing. Pissing while (1550s) once meant "a short time."ETD piss (v.).2

To piss money on the walls "throw money around recklessly" is attested from 1540s.ETD piss (v.).3

pissant (n.)

1660s, "an ant," from first element of pismire (q.v.) + ant. Meaning "contemptible, insignificant person" is from 1903.ETD pissant (n.).2

pisser (n.)

1901, slang, "the penis," also "the female pudendum." The slang meaning "extraordinary person or thing" is by 1943, now usually meaning an extraordinarily distasteful or unpleasant person or thing.ETD pisser (n.).2

pissy (adj.)

"of or pertaining to piss," 1926, from piss (n.) + -y (2). Figurative use as a general term of abuse is by 1972.ETD pissy (adj.).2

piss off (v.)

1958, intransitive, "go away," chiefly British; the transitive meaning "annoy (someone)" is by 1968, chiefly U.S.; from piss (v.) + off (adv.). Pissed off "angry, fed up" is attested by 1946 (Partridge says 1937); said to have been used in the military in World War II; in common use from 1970s.ETD piss off (v.).2

piss-pot (n.)

"chamber-pot, earthenware vessel for urine," mid-15c., pisse-pot, from piss + pot (n.1).ETD piss-pot (n.).2

piste (n.)

also pist, "beaten track of a horse or other animal," 1727, from French piste, from Latin pista (via) "beaten (track)," from pistus, past participle of pinsere "to pound, stamp" (see pestle).ETD piste (n.).2

pistachio (n.)

1590s, "nut of the pistachio tree," from Italian pistacchio, from Latin pistacium "pistachio nut," from Greek pistakion "pistachio nut," from pistakē "pistachio tree," from Persian pistah "pistachio." Borrowed earlier in English as pystace, pistace (mid-15c.), from Old French pistace (13c.) and Medieval Latin pistacia, ultimately from the same source.ETD pistachio (n.).2

pistil (n.)

"female or seed-bearing organ of a flower," 1718, from French pistil, from Modern Latin pistillum "a pistil," so called from resemblance to a pestle, from Latin pistillum "pestle" (see pestle). Related: Pistillary; pistillaceous; pistillate; pistilline.ETD pistil (n.).2

pistle (n.)

"a letter, a communication," Old English pistol, a shortening of epistol, from Latin epistola (see epistle). Compare postle from apostle.ETD pistle (n.).2

pistol (n.)

"small firearm with a curved handle, intended to be held in one hand when aimed and fired," 1570s, from French pistole "short firearm" (1566), a word of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be from German Pistole, from Czech pis'tala "firearm," literally "tube, pipe," from pisteti "to whistle," a word of imitative origin, related to Russian pischal "shepherd's pipe."ETD pistol (n.).2

But the earlier English form pistolet (1550) is said to be from French pistolet "a small firearm," also "a small dagger," which is said to be connected with Italian pistolese, in reference to Pistoia, the town in Tuscany noted for gunsmithing.ETD pistol (n.).3

Pistol-whip (v.) "strike (someone) with the butt of a pistol is recorded by 1942. Pistol-grip "handle shaped like the butt of a pistol" is by 1874.ETD pistol (n.).4

pistole (n.)

1590s, former Spanish gold coin (not so called in Spanish), from French pistole, from Italian piastola, diminutive of piastra "plate or leaf of metal" (see piaster) and said to be so called for being smaller and thinner than the Crown. Compare earlier pistolet (1550s) "foreign coin," which OED says is from French pistolet "short firearm" (see pistol).ETD pistole (n.).2

pistolero (n.)

1937, "gunman, gangster," in a Spanish or Spanish-American context, from Spanish, so called from the name of the weapon (compare pistolier).ETD pistolero (n.).2

pistolier (n.)

also pistoleer, "one who uses a pistol, soldier armed with a pistol," 1570s from obsolete French pistolier, from pistole (see pistol).ETD pistolier (n.).2

piston (n.)

in mechanics, "a movable piece so fitted as to fill the section of a tube and capable of being driven alternately in two directions by pressure on either side," 1704, from French piston "a piston," in Middle French "large pestle," from Old Italian pistone "a piston," variant of pestone "a pestle," from pestare "to pound," from Late Latin pistare, frequentative of Latin pinsere (past participle pistus) "to pound" (see pestle). As a verb, "to move like a piston," from 1930.ETD piston (n.).2

pit (n.1)

Old English pytt (Kentish *pet), "natural or man-made depression in the ground, water hole, well; grave," from Proto-Germanic *putt- "pool, puddle" (source also of Old Frisian pet, Old Saxon putti, Old Norse pyttr, Middle Dutch putte, Dutch put, Old High German pfuzza, German Pfütze "pool, puddle"), an early borrowing from Latin puteus "well, pit, shaft."ETD pit (n.1).2

The Latin word is perhaps from PIE root *pau- (2) "to cut, strike, stamp," but there are phonetic and sense objections.ETD pit (n.1).3

Meaning "abode of evil spirits, hell" is attested from late 12c. Meaning "very small depression or dent in the surface of an object" is from early 15c. The anatomical sense of "natural depression or hollow in some part of the body" is by late 13c,; the pit of the stomach (1650s) is so called from the slight depression there between the ribs; earlier words for it were breast-pit (late 14c.), heart-pit (c. 1300).ETD pit (n.1).4

The meaning "part of a theater on the floor of the house, lower than the stage," is from 1640s; the sense of "that part of the floor of an exchange where business is carried on" is by 1903, American English. The pit dug under a large engine or other piece of machinery to allow workers to examine or repair it is attested by 1839; this later was extended in auto racing to "area at the side of a track where cars are serviced and repaired" (by 1912).ETD pit (n.1).5

pits (n.)

"the worst," by 1953, U.S. slang, said to be a shortened form of armpits.ETD pits (n.).2

pit (n.2)

"hard seed," 1841, from Dutch pit "kernel, seed, marrow," from Middle Dutch pitte, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *pithan-, source of pith (q.v.).ETD pit (n.2).2

pit (v.)

mid-15c., "to put or set in or into a pit," from pit (n.1); especially for purposes of fighting (of cocks, dogs, pugilists) from 18c. Hence the figurative sense of "to set in rivalry, match as opponents" (1754). Compare pit-bull as a dog breed, attested from 1922, short for pit-bull terrier (by 1912). The meaning "make pits in, form a little pit or hollow in" is from late 15c. Related: Pitted; pitting.ETD pit (v.).2

pita (n.)

"thick, flat bread," 1951, from Modern Hebrew pita or Modern Greek petta "bread," which is perhaps from Greek peptos "cooked," or from Gothic *bita- "bite, morsel," from Proto-Germanic *biton- (see bit (n.1)).ETD pita (n.).2

pit-a-pat (adv.)

also pitter-pat, 1520s; imitative. As a noun from 1580s.ETD pit-a-pat (adv.).2

Pitcairn

island in the central South Pacific, named 1767 by the commander of the British ship that found it for teen-aged midshipman Robert Pitcairn, who was first to sight it. Settled 1790 by mutineers from the Bounty and their Polynesian captives. Related: Pitcairnese.ETD Pitcairn.2

pitch (n.1)

1520s, "something that is thrust in or fixed or pierced," from pitch (v.1). Sense of "slope, degree, inclination" is from 1540s; from 1550s as "highest point or reach;" from 1620s as "height" in general. Meaning "height of an arched roof above the floor" is by 1610s.ETD pitch (n.1).2

Meaning "a throw, a toss, an act of throwing" is attested by 1833. Meaning "act of plunging headfirst" is from 1762. The musical sense of "characteristic of a sound or tone that depends upon relative rapidity of vibration" is from 1590s, also "particular tonal standard." See pitch (v.1) for sense evolutions, but the connection of many of these is obscure.ETD pitch (n.1).3

Some noun senses are from the older sense of pitch as "to thrust in, drive (a stake)." Thus, in cricket, "place where the wickets are pitched" (1871).ETD pitch (n.1).4

Sales pitch in the modern commercial advertising sense is from 1943, American English; pitch in the sense of "tedious or inflated sales talk" is attested by 1876, perhaps ultimately from the baseball sense. Pitch also was "place on which to pitch or set up a booth for sale or exhibition" (by 1851).ETD pitch (n.1).5

pitching (n.)

late 14c., "act of planting or fixing in the ground," verbal noun from pitch (v.1). From 1650s as "act of throwing or hurling;" specifically in baseball by 1858.ETD pitching (n.).2

pitch (n.2)

"thick, tenacious, resinous substance obtained from tar or turpentine, wood tar," late 12c., pich, piche, from Old English pic "pitch," from a Germanic borrowing (compare Old Saxon and Old Frisian pik, Middle Dutch pik, Dutch pek, Old High German pek, German Pech, Old Norse bik) of Latin pix (genitive picis) "pitch" (source of Old French poiz), from PIE root *pik- "pitch" (source also of Greek pissa (Attic pitta), Lithuanian pikis, Old Church Slavonic piklu "pitch," Russian peklo "scorching heat, hell").ETD pitch (n.2).2

The English word was improperly applied to sap from pine bark from late 14c. As a type of blackness from c. 1300. Pitch-black "as black as pitch" is attested from 1590s; pitch-dark "as dark as pitch, very dark" from 1680s.ETD pitch (n.2).3

pitch (v.1)

c. 1200, "to thrust (something) in, drive (a stake), pierce with a sharp point," senses now obsolete, also "to fasten, settle," probably from an unrecorded Old English *piccean, related to prick (v.). The original past tense was pight.ETD pitch (v.1).2

The sense of "set upright" (mid-13c.) as in pitch a tent (late 13c.), is from the notion of driving or thrusting the pegs into the ground. The meaning "incline forward and downward" is from 1510s. The intransitive sense of "to plunge or fall headlong" is by 1680s, probably from the use with reference to ships (see below) extended to persons, animals, etc.ETD pitch (v.1).3

The meaning "to throw, fling, hurl, toss" (a ball, a person, hay, etc.) evolved by late 14c. from that of "hit the mark." Specifically in baseball, "to hurl (the ball) to the batter," by 1868.ETD pitch (v.1).4

Musical sense of "determine or set the key of" is by 1630s. Of ships, "to plunge with alternate fall and rise of the bow and stern" as in passing over waves, 1620s.ETD pitch (v.1).5

To pitch in "work vigorously" is from 1847, perhaps from farm labor. A pitched battle is one in which the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces (from the verb in the sense of "to fix or set in order, arrange," late 15c.). Related: Pitched.ETD pitch (v.1).6

pitch (v.2)

"to smear or cover with pitch," Middle English pichen, from Old English pician, from the source of pitch (n.2).ETD pitch (v.2).2

pitch-and-toss (n.)

1810, from pitch (v.1) + toss (v.).ETD pitch-and-toss (n.).2

pitchblende (n.)

also pitch-blende, oxide of uranium, usually occurring in pitchy black masses, 1770, a loan-translation of German Pechblende; see pitch (n.2) + blende.ETD pitchblende (n.).2

pitcher (n.1)

"jug with an open spout and generally a handle," originally of metal or earthenware, c. 1200, pichere, from Old French pechier, pichier (12c., altered from bichier), and Medieval Latin picarius, picherius (altered from bicarium), both probably from Greek bikos "earthen vessel" (see beaker). Pitcher-proud (early 15c.) was "drunk." The pitcher-plant (1819) is so called for the shape of the modified leaves, which commonly contain liquid and are adapted to capture and assimilate insects.ETD pitcher (n.1).2

pitcher (n.2)

1722, "one who pitches" in any sense, agent noun from pitch (v.1). Originally of one tossing hay into a wagon, etc. In ball games, "player who serves the ball to the batsman," by 1845.ETD pitcher (n.2).2

pitchfork (n.)

"fork for lifting and pitching" (hay, etc.), commonly with a long handle and two prongs, mid-14c., altered (by influence of pichen "to throw, thrust;" see pitch (v.1)) from Middle English pic-forken (c. 1200), from pik (see pike (n.2)) + fork (n.). The verb, "to lift or throw with a pitchfork," is attested from 1837.ETD pitchfork (n.).2

pitchy (adj.)

1510s, "of the nature of or resembling pitch," from pitch (n.2) + -y (2). From 1580s as "black, dark, dismal." Related: Pitchiness.ETD pitchy (adj.).2

pitchman (n.)

1926, American English, from pitch (n.1) in the sales sense + man (n.).ETD pitchman (n.).2

pitch-pipe (n.)

"small musical pipe by which an instrument may be tuned or the proper pitch of a piece of music given," 1711, from pitch (n.1) in the musical sense + pipe (n.1).ETD pitch-pipe (n.).2

piteous (adj.)

c. 1300, pitous, "merciful, full of pity" (a sense now archaic; OED's last citation for it is in 1855); also "arousing or deserving pity, such as to excite compassion, lamentable, sorrowful," from Anglo-French pitous, Old French pitos, piteus "pious; merciful, compassionate, moved to pity; pitiful" (12c., Modern French piteux), from Medieval Latin pietosus "merciful, pitiful" (source also of Spanish piadoso), in Vulgar Latin "dutiful," from Latin pietas "dutiful conduct, compassion" (see piety). Also in Middle English "godly, righteous, devout, pious." With irregular development of form (according to OED the regular phonetic development from the French word would be *pitous). Related: Piteously; piteousness.ETD piteous (adj.).2

pitfall (n.)

mid-14c., "concealed hole into which a person or animal may fall unawares," from pit (n.1) + fall (n.). Figurative sense of "any hidden danger or concealed source of disaster" is recorded from early 15c.ETD pitfall (n.).2

pith (v.)

1805, "to kill by piercing the spinal cord," from pith (n.). By 1852 as "remove or extract the pith from." Related: Pithed; pithing.ETD pith (v.).2

pith (n.)

Old English piþa "central cylinder of the stems of plants," also, figuratively, "essential part, quintessence, condensed substance," from West Germanic *pithan- (source also of Middle Dutch pitte, Dutch pit, East Frisian pit), a Low German root of uncertain origin. Figurative sense of "energy, concentrated force, closeness and vigor of thought and style" is by 1520s. The pith helmet (1889, earlier pith hat, 1884) was so called because it is made from the dried pith of the Bengal spongewood.ETD pith (n.).2

pithecanthropus (n.)

genus of extinct primates, 1895, from Modern Latin, literally "monkey-man," from Greek pithēkos "ape" (see pitheco-) + anthrōpos "man" (see anthropo-). Coined 1868 by Haeckel as a name for a hypothetical link between apes and men (attested in English in this sense from 1876); applied by Dr. Eugène Dubois, physician of the Dutch army in Java, to remains he found there in 1891. Classical plural would have been pithecanthropi. Related: Pithecanthrope; pithecanthropoid.ETD pithecanthropus (n.).2

pitheco-

before vowels pithec-, word-forming element meaning "pertaining to an ape or monkey," from Greek pithēkos "ape," which Beekes calls "A loanword from an unknown language."ETD pitheco-.2

pithy (adj.)

early 14c., "strong, vigorous," from pith (n.) + -y (2). Meaning "full of substance or significance" is from 1520s; literal meaning "full of pith" not attested until 1560s. Related: Pithily; pithiness. Pithless "wanting strength, weak" is attested from 1550s but is rare.ETD pithy (adj.).2

pity (n.)

mid-13c., pite, "compassion, kindness, generosity of spirit;" c. 1300 "disposition to mercy, quality of being merciful," also "a feeling of sympathy and compassion aroused by the sorrow or suffering of another," from Old French pite, pitet "pity, mercy, compassion, care, tenderness; pitiful state, wretched condition" (11c., Modern French pitié), from Latin pietatem (nominative pietas) "piety, loyalty, duty" (see piety). Replaced Old English mildheortness, literally "mild-heartness," itself a loan-translation of Latin misericordia.ETD pity (n.).2

Middle English pity also could mean "devout obedience to God" (mid-14c.), and pity and piety were not fully distinguished until 17c. Transferred sense of "grounds or cause for pity, matter or source of grief or regret" is from late 14c.ETD pity (n.).3

pitiful (adj.)

mid-14c., piteful, "merciful, compassionate" (implied in pitifully), from pity (n.) + -ful. Sense of "exciting or deserving pity" is from mid-15c.; that of "mean, wretched, contemptible, to be pitied for its littleness or meanness" is attested from 1580s. Related: Pitifulness.ETD pitiful (adj.).2

pity (v.)

late 15c., pitien, "to feel pity for," from Old French pitier and from pity (n.). Meaning "excite pity in" is attested from 1510s, frequent 16c.-17c., in use as late as 1835, but now obsolete. Related: Pitied; pitying.ETD pity (v.).2

pitiable (adj.)

mid-15c., piteable, "merciful, compassionate" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French piteable "compassionate, merciful, pious" (13c.; Modern French pitoyable), from piteer "to pity" (see pity (v.)). Meaning "deserving pity, pitiful" is recorded from late 15c. Related: Pitiably.ETD pitiable (adj.).2

pitiless (adj.)

"merciless, without pity, hard-hearted," early 15c., piteles, from pity (n.) + -less. Related: Pitilessly; pitilessness.ETD pitiless (adj.).2

Pitman

surname, attested from c. 1200, literally "dweller by a pit or hollow;" see pit (n.) + man (n.). Meaning "one who works in a pit or mine" is from 1761. As the name of a popular system of shorthand writing, by 1865, from the name of U.S. popular educator Isaac Pitman (1813-97), who devised it in 1837.ETD Pitman.2

piton (n.)

"strong iron spike with an eye at one end through which a rope can be passed," 1898, from French piton "hook; peak of a mountain; piton, eyebolt," in Old French "nail, hook," from Vulgar Latin root *pitt- "point, peak" [Barnhart].ETD piton (n.).2

pit-saw (n.)

"large saw used for cutting timber, operated by two men, one (the pit-sawyer) standing in the pit below the log that is being sawed, the other (the top-sawyer) standing on the log," 1670s, from pit (n.) + saw (n.1).ETD pit-saw (n.).2

pittance (n.)

c. 1200, pitaunce, "pious donation to a religious house or order to provide extra food; the extra food provided," also "a small portion, scanty rations," from Old French pitance "pity, mercy, compassion; refreshment, nourishment; portion of food allowed a monk or poor person by a pious bequest," apparently literally "pity," from the source pity. Perhaps via Medieval Latin *pietantia, from an assumed verb *pietare, or otherwise derived from Latin pietas. Meaning "small amount, portion, or quantity" is attested by 1560s.ETD pittance (n.).2

pitter (n.)

"instrument for removing stones from cherries and other fruit," by 1868, from pit (n.2).ETD pitter (n.).2

pitter-patter (n.)

early 15c., "rapid repetition of words," from a rhyming reduplication of patter (v.2). As "alternating light beating sounds," 1670s, from patter (v.1). As a verb in this sense by 1708. Compare pit-a-pat.ETD pitter-patter (n.).2

Pittsburgh

city in Pennsylvania, U.S., founded 1754 by the French and called Fort Duquesne in honor of Michel-Ange Duquesne (1702-1778), governor of New France; captured by the British 1758 and renamed in honor of British statesman William Pitt the Elder (1708-1778). The Scottish -burgh is unusual in the U.S. (compare Edinburgh) and may be from the Scottish officers who led its capture in the Seven Years War. The spelling varied with -burg in 19c., but when the U.S. Board on Geographic Names regularized all -burgh spellings to -burg, the Pittsburghers protested, and the -h officially was restored in 1911ETD Pittsburgh.2

pituitary (adj.)

1610s, "secreting or containing mucus," originally in reference to the small glands under the cerebrum, from Latin pituitarius "mucous," from pituita "clammy moisture, phlegm, mucus, slime," a word of unknown etymology. Taken as the name for the gland because it was believed that it channeled mucus to the nose. As a noun by 1899.ETD pituitary (adj.).2

pit-viper (n.)

venomous serpent, so called from the characteristic depression between the eyes and the nose, by 1872, from pit (n.1) + viper.ETD pit-viper (n.).2

Pius

masc. proper name, from Latin pius "dutiful, pious" (see pious).ETD Pius.2

pivot (n.)

"pin on which a wheel or other object turns," 1610s, from French pivot, from Old French pivot "hinge pin, pivot" (12c.), also "penis," a word of uncertain origin. Pevetsheres, evidently some kind of shears, is mentioned in a will registered in York in 1398. Figurative sense of "turning point, that on which some matter hinges or depends" is recorded from 1813.ETD pivot (n.).2

pivot (v.)

by 1841, "to turn or swing on or as on a pivot," from French pivoter and from pivot (n.). Mechanical meaning "furnish with a pivot" is by 1851. Related: Pivoted; pivoting.ETD pivot (v.).2

pivotal (adj.)

"of the nature of a pivot," 1844, in the figurative sense, from pivot (n.) in the sense of "that upon which something turns or depends" + -al (1).ETD pivotal (adj.).2

pix (n.)

variant of pics, 1930 (see pic).ETD pix (n.).2

pixel (n.)

"small, square single-colored display elements that comprise an image," 1969, coined to describe the photographic elements of a television image, from pix + first syllable of element.ETD pixel (n.).2

pixelation (n.)

also pixellation, graphics display effect in which individual pixels (small, square single-colored display elements that comprise the image) are visible, 1991, from pixel + -ation.ETD pixelation (n.).2

pixie (n.)

also pixy, "a fairy," in the rural parts of England associated with the "fairy rings" of old pastures, where they are supposed to dance by moonlight, c. 1630, a word of obscure origin, perhaps from or related to Swedish dialect pyske "small fairy," but the word's original home ("from Cornwall to Wiltshire and Dorset" - OED) suggests it might be Celtic, from Cornwall. The earliest printed references are in pixy-path "bewilderment," literally "path on which one is led astray by pixies," and pixie-led "lost, bewildered." Pixie-puff (1847) was a species of fungus; pixie-purse is an ovicapsule of a shark, skate, or ray found washed up on the shore.ETD pixie (n.).2

pixilated (adj.)

"mildly insane, bewildered, tipsy," 1848, pix-e-lated, from pixie + -lated, as in elated, etc., perhaps influenced by or a variant of pixie-led. A New England dialect word popularized 1936 by its use in movie "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town."ETD pixilated (adj.).2

pixilation (n.)

"creation of the effect of animation in live actors," 1947, from pixilated. For the computer image effect, see pixelation.ETD pixilation (n.).2

pizazz (n.)

also pizzaz; pizzazz, a vogue word from 1937 in the current sense of (more or less) "energetic and exciting quality," probably originally college or show-biz slang.ETD pizazz (n.).2

There is an earlier use, with an uncertain (but seemingly negative) sense, in a satirical Chicago Journal newspaper piece written in supposed current slang in 1912 ["Nix on the Rough Stuff: Chicago's Clean Language League Throws the Kibosh Into Low-Brow Lingo"]:ETD pizazz (n.).3

pizza (n.)

"a savoury dish of Italian origin, consisting of a base of dough, spread with a selection of such ingredients as olives, tomatoes, cheese, anchovies, etc., and baked in a very hot oven" [OED], 1931, from Italian pizza, originally "cake, tart, pie," a name of uncertain origin. The 1907 "Vocabolario Etimologico della Lingua Italiana" reports it is said to be from dialectal pinza "clamp" (from Latin pinsere "to pound, stamp"). Klein suggests a connection with Medieval Greek pitta "cake, pie" (see pita). Watkins says it is (perhaps via Langobardic) from a Germanic source akin to Old High German bizzo, pizzo "bite, morsel," from Proto-Germanic *biton- (see bit (n.1)). Ayto ["Diner's Dictionary"] seems inclined toward this explanation, too.ETD pizza (n.).2

pizzeria (n.)

"a shop where pizzas are made, sold, or eaten," by 1928 in restaurant names around New York city, from pizza with ending as in cafeteria. In 1920s and '30s it sometimes also meant "pizza pie" itself.ETD pizzeria (n.).2

pizzicato (n.)

1845; in music for stringed instruments of the viol family, noting a manner of playing (and the effect produced by it) when the strings are plucked by the finger instead of sounded by the bow, from Italian pizzicato "plucked," past participle of pizzicare "to pluck (strings), pinch," from pizzare "to prick, to sting," from Old Italian pizzo "point, edge," from Vulgar Latin *pits-, probably of imitative origin. As an adjective from 1880.ETD pizzicato (n.).2

pizzle (n.)

"penis of a bull used as a flogging instrument," 1520s, from Low German pesel or Flemish pezel, diminutive of root of Dutch pees "sinew," from Old Low German root *pisa.ETD pizzle (n.).2

PJs (n.)

short form of pajamas, attested by 1964.ETD PJs (n.).2

placable (adj.)

c. 1500, "pleasing, agreeable" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French placable "forgiving, conciliatory" and directly from Latin placabilis "easily appeased or pacified," from placare "to calm, appease, quiet, soothe, assuage," causative of placere "to please" (see please). From 1580s as "capable of being pleased or pacified, easily appeased, willing to forgive." Related: Placably; placability.ETD placable (adj.).2

placard (n.)

late 15c., "formal document authenticated by an affixed seal" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French placquard "official document with a large, flat seal" (14c.), also "plate of armor;" ultimately from Middle Dutch, either from Middle Dutch plackaerd or via the French verb plaquier "to lay on, cover up, plaster over," from Middle Dutch placken "to patch (a garment), to plaster," related to Middle High German placke "patch, stain," German Placken "spot, patch."ETD placard (n.).2

The meaning "written or printed paper displaying some proclamation or announcement, intended to be posted in a public place to attract attention" is attested in English by 1550s; this sense is in French from 15c. As a verb, "to put placards upon," by 1813.ETD placard (n.).3

Compare plack, a low-value Scottish coin of 15c.-16c., from Old French plaque, name of a coin, literally "slab, plate, patch, veneer, etc.," from Middle Dutch placke, name of a coin, also "a thin slice."ETD placard (n.).4

placation (n.)

"act of pleasing, pacifying, or conciliating," 1580s, from French placation (16c.), from Latin placationem (nominative placatio) "an appeasing, pacifying, quieting," noun of action from past-participle stem of placare "to calm, appease, quiet, soothe, assuage," causative of placere "to please" (see please).ETD placation (n.).2

placate (v.)

"appease or pacify," 1670s, a back-formation from placation or else from Latin placatus "soothed, quiet, gentle, calm, peaceful," past participle of placare "to calm, appease, quiet, soothe, assuage," causative of placere "to please" (see please). Related: Placated; placating; placatingly.ETD placate (v.).2

placatory (adj.)

"conciliatory, intended to placate or appease," 1630s, from Latin placatorius "pertaining to appeasing," from placat-, past-participle stem of placare "to calm, appease, quiet, soothe, assuage," causative of placere "to please" (see please).ETD placatory (adj.).2

place (n.)

c. 1200, "space, dimensional extent, room, area," from Old French place "place, spot" (12c.) and directly from Medieval Latin placea "place, spot," from Latin platea "courtyard, open space; broad way, avenue," from Greek plateia (hodos) "broad (way)," fem. of platys "broad," from PIE root *plat- "to spread."ETD place (n.).2

Replaced Old English stow and stede. From mid-13c. as "particular part of space, extent, definite location, spot, site;" from early 14c. as "position or place occupied by custom, etc.; precedence, priority in rank or dignity; social status, position on some social scale;" from late 14c. as "inhabited place, town, country," also "place on the surface of something, portion of something, part." Meaning "a situation, appointment, or employment" is by 1550s. Meaning "group of houses in a town" is from 1580s.ETD place (n.).3

Also from the same Latin source are Italian piazza, Catalan plassa, Spanish plaza, Middle Dutch plaetse, Dutch plaats, German Platz, Danish plads, Norwegian plass. The word appears via the Bible in Old English (Old Northumbrian plaece, plaetse "an open place in a city"), but the modern word is a reborrowing.ETD place (n.).4

Sense of "a mansion with its adjoining grounds" is from mid-14c.; that of "building or part of a building set apart for some purpose is by late 15c. (in place of worship). Meaning "a broad way, square, or open space in a city or town," often having some particular use or character (Park Place, Waverly Place, Rillington Place) is by 1690s, from a sense in French. Its wide application in English covers meanings that in French require three words: place, lieu, and endroit. Cognate Italian piazza and Spanish plaza retain more of the etymological sense.ETD place (n.).5

To take place "happen, come to pass, be accomplished" (mid-15c., earlier have place, late 14c.), translates French avoir lieu. To know (one's) place "know how to behave in a manner befitting one's rank, situation, etc." is from c. 1600, from the "social status" sense; hence the figurative expression put (someone) in his or her place (1855). In in the first place, etc., it has the sense of "point or degree in order of proceeding" (1630s). Out of place "not properly adjusted or placed in relation to other things" is by 1520s. All over the place "in disorder" is attested from 1923.ETD place (n.).6

place (v.)

mid-15c., placen, "to determine the position of;" also "to put (something) in a particular place or position," from place (n.). The meaning "put or set (a number of things) in position or order, arrange" is from 1540s. Related: Placed; placing.ETD place (v.).2

Sense of "to find a home, situation, marriage, etc. for" is from 1590s. The horse racing sense of "to achieve a certain position" (usually in the top three finishers; in U.S., specifically second place) is attested by 1924, from earlier meaning "to state the position of" (among the first three finishers), 1826.ETD place (v.).3

placebo (n.)

early 13c., name given to the rite of Vespers of the Office of the Dead, so called from the opening of the first antiphon, "I will please the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm cxvi.9, in Vulgate Placebo Domino in regione vivorum), from Latin placebo "I shall please," future indicative of placere "to please" (see please).ETD placebo (n.).2

Medical sense is recorded by 1785, "a medicine given more to please than to benefit the patient." Placebo effect is attested from 1900.ETD placebo (n.).3

place-holder (n.)

also placeholder, 1550s, "one who acts as a deputy for another," from place (n.) + holder (n.).ETD place-holder (n.).2

place-kick (n.)

"a kick of a ball previously placed on the ground," 1845, originally in rugby, from place + kick (n.). As a verb by 1856. Related: Place-kicking.ETD place-kick (n.).2

place-mat (n.)

"table-mat for a place, setting," by 1949, from place (n.) + mat (n.).ETD place-mat (n.).2

placement (n.)

"a putting, placing or setting; action of placing; fact of being placed," 1835, from place (v.) + -ment.ETD placement (n.).2

place-name (n.)

"the name of a place or locality," by 1868, from place (n.) + name (n.).ETD place-name (n.).2

placental (adj.)

"of or pertaining to a placenta," 1784, from Modern Latin placentalis, from placenta (see placenta).ETD placental (adj.).2

placenta (n.)

1670s of plants, "part of the ovary of flowering plants which bears the ovules," 1690s of mammals, "organ of attachment of a vertebrate embryo or fetus to the wall of the uterus or womb of the female," from Modern Latin placenta uterina "uterine cake" (so called 16c. by Italian anatomist Realdo Colombo), from Latin placenta "a cake, flat cake," from Greek plakoenta, accusative of plakoeis "flat," from plax "flat, flat land, surface, plate," from PIE root *plak- (1) "to be flat." So called from the shape.ETD placenta (n.).2

place-setting (n.)

"the cutlery, china, etc. required to set a place for one at a table," by 1939, from place (n.) + setting (n.).ETD place-setting (n.).2

placid (adj.)

"gentle, quiet, undisturbed, serene, calm," 1620s, from French placide (15c.) and directly from Latin placidus "pleasing, peaceful, quiet, gentle, still, calm," from placere "to please" (see please). Related: Placidly; placidness.ETD placid (adj.).2

placidity (n.)

"tranquility, peacefulness, quietness," 1610s, from Latin placiditatem (nominative placiditas), from placidus "peaceful, quiet, gentle, calm" (see placid).ETD placidity (n.).2

placitory (adj.)

"of or pertaining to pleas or pleading in a court of law," 1640s, from Medieval Latin placitum.ETD placitory (adj.).2

plagal (adj.)

denoting a mode or melody in Gregorian music in which the final is in the middle of the compass instead of at the bottom, 1590s, from Medieval Latin plagalis, from plaga "the plagal mode," probably from plagius, from Medieval Greek plagios "plagal," in classical Greek "oblique," from plagos "side" (from PIE root *plak- (1) "to be flat").ETD plagal (adj.).2

plage (n.)

"a region, district, land, country," late 14c., from Old French plage (13c.) and directly from Late Latin plagia "a plain, shore," noun use of adjective (plagia regio), from plaga "a region, stretch of country" (see pelagic). From early 15c. as "one of the four cardinal directions of the compass." Astronomical use in reference to a region of the sun's chromosphere is from 1949.ETD plage (n.).2

plagiarize (v.)

"to steal or purloin from the writings or ideas of another," 1716, from plagiary "plagiarist" (see plagiarism) + -ize. Related: Plagiarized; plagiarizing.ETD plagiarize (v.).2

plagiarism (n.)

"the purloining or wrongful appropriation of another's ideas, writing, artistic designs, etc., and giving these forth as one's own" [Century Dictionary], 1620s, from -ism + plagiary (n.) "plagiarist, literary thief" (c. 1600), from Latin plagiarius "kidnapper, seducer, plunderer, one who kidnaps the child or slave of another," used by Martial in the sense of "literary thief."ETD plagiarism (n.).2

This is from plagiare "to kidnap," plagium "kidnapping," which are from plaga "snare, hunting net" (also "open expanse, territory"), which is perhaps [Watkins] from PIE *plag- (on notion of "something extended"), variant form of root *plak- (1) "to be flat." De Vaan tentatively compares Greek plagia "sides, flanks," Old High German flah "flat," Old Saxon flaka "sole of the foot."ETD plagiarism (n.).3

plagiarise (v.)

alternative (chiefly British) spelling of plagiarize. Related: Plagiarised; plagiarising.ETD plagiarise (v.).2

plagiarist (n.)

"one who plagiarizes," 1670s; see plagiarism + -ist. The earlier noun in this sense was plagiary (c. 1600). Related: Plagiaristic.ETD plagiarist (n.).2

plagio-

before vowels plagi-, word-forming element meaning "slanting, oblique," from Greek plagios "oblique, slanting," from plagos "side," from PIE *plag- "flat, spread," variant form of root *plak- (1) "to be flat."ETD plagio-.2

plagioclase (n.)

"triclinic feldspar," 1868, coined in German 1847 by German mineralogist Johann Friedrich August Breithaupt (1791-1873) from plagio- "slanting" + Greek klasis "a fracture," from stem of klan "to break" (see clastic). So called because the two prominent cleavage directions are oblique to each other. Related: Plagioclastic.ETD plagioclase (n.).2