A Sea of Words

by Dean King

  panegyric A public speech or piece of writing in praise of some person, thing, or achievement; a formal or elaborate encomium or eulogy; elaborate praise.

  pangolin A toothless mammal of the genus Manis, of tropical Asia and Africa, whose body is covered with horny scales and whose protruding snout and sticky tongue are ideal for catching ants, which it eats. A scaly anteater.

  Pantaloon A character in the commedia dell’arte portrayed as a lean and foolish old man wearing spectacles, slippers, and tight trousers. In modern pantomime, a character represented as a foolish and vicious old man, the butt of the clown’s jokes and his abettor in pranks and tricks. A dotard, an old fool.

  Pantelleria A small island in the Mediterranean Sea between Tunisia and Sicily. During Roman times it was a place of banishment.

  Papenburg or Pappenburg A shipbuilding city in the Grand Duchy of Arensburg (today part of Germany), near the Ems River and the Dutch border.

  paper nautilus A marine mollusk with a papery, thin, single-chambered, detached shell. Also called an argonaut.

  Papin’s digester A strong vessel in which bones or other substances can be dissolved by subjecting them to the action of water or another liquid at a temperature and pressure above the boiling point.

  papist or papisher A Roman Catholic, usually used disparagingly.

  Paracelsus (1493-1541) The professional name of Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim, a major forerunner of chemical pharmacology. The name Paracelsus refers to Celsus, who, although not a physician himself, wrote the first major work on medicine in Latin in the first century A.D. Discarding ancient humoral notions (see “The Disease Burden of the Royal Navy,” page 37), Paracelsus’s own medical theories, based on alchemical and astrological concepts, were fantastic and incomprehensible. Nevertheless, he introduced many chemical—that is, nonbotanical—drugs that remained in common use well into the 19th century.

  paradise-bird Any of various birds found chiefly in New Guinea, remarkable for the striking beauty of their plumage.

  parallel Each of the imaginary circles on the earth’s surface, or actually drawn on a globe or map (usually at intervals of 5° or 10°), that parallel the equator and mark the degrees of latitude. Short for “parallel of latitude.”

  parasol A species of mushroom with a broad reddish-brown pileus, or cap.

  parbuckle A rope whose middle is looped around a post and whose two ends are passed around a cask or other cylindrical object and that is hauled in or paid out to move the object up or down an inclined plane. To raise or lower by means of a parbuckle.

  parce, precor, precor Spare me, I beg you, I beg you (Latin).

  pardi Of course! (French).

  parietal Belonging or connected to the wall of the body or any of its cavities. Applied especially to a pair of bones forming part of the sides and top of the skull, between the frontal and occipital bones, and to structures connected with these or situated in the same region.

  parky Cold, chilly.

  parley An informal conference, especially between enemies for the discussion of terms or the arrangement of such matters as the exchange of prisoners. A discussion of terms.

  Parliament The supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, consisting of the three Estates, namely the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal (together forming the House of Lords), and the House of Commons, made up of representatives of the counties, cities, boroughs, and universities.

  parole Word of honor given or pledged, especially the pledge made by a prisoner of war that he will not try to escape, or that, if released, he will abide by stated conditions.

  parrel A band of rope, a chain, or an iron collar that holds a YARD to a MAST in such a way that it may be hoisted or lowered and trimmed to the best position for the wind.

  parthenogenic Organisms born in the absence of a sexual union; because the Greek goddess Athena was born from her father’s forehead, her great temple in Athens was called the Parthenon.

  partie A match in a game; a game.

  partita In music, a set of related instrumental pieces, as an air with variations, or a suite.

  partner A wooden frame used to strengthen a ship’s deck where a MAST, CAPSTAN, PUMP, or other device or structure passes through.

  parturition Childbirth.

  Pascal, Blaise (1623-1662) The French scientist and religious philosopher credited with founding the modern theory of probability, Pascal also contributed to the advance of differential calculus and to the understanding of atmospheric pressure. Beginning in 1654, he turned his attention to religion. His influential Lettres ecrites a un provincial (1656-57) circulated throughout Europe. His Pensees (1670), which argue that reason alone is inadequate to solve man’s difficulties or to satisfy his hopes, is considered a religious and philosophical classic.

  pasha A former title of honor used in the Ottoman Empire for officers of high rank, such as rulers of tributary states, military commanders, and provincial governors.

  passade A brief love affair; a passing romance.

  passaree also pazaree or placery A rope or TACKLE used to spread taut the foot of a square FORESAIL when sailing BEFORE THE WIND.

  passerine Of or pertaining to the largest order of birds (Passeriformes), which includes more than half of all known birds and consists of songbirds and perching birds such as jays, blackbirds, finches, warblers, and sparrows.

  passing note In music, a note not belonging to the harmony but interposed between two notes essential to it, in order to provide a smooth transition from one to the other.

  pasty A pie, usually consisting of seasoned venison or another meat enclosed in a crust of pastry and baked without a dish; a meat pie.

  patarero or pedrero A piece of ORDNANCE originally used for discharging stones. Also used to discharge broken iron, partridge shot, and other scattershot and for firing salutes.

  patchouli A shrubby mint, native to Silhat, Penang, and the MALAY Peninsula, that yields a fragrant essential oil; a penetrating and lasting perfume made from this oil.

  pater classis Father of the fleet (Latin).

  patristic Of or pertaining to the early fathers of the Christian church or their writings.

  patten An overshoe or sandal with a wooden sole mounted on an iron ring, or any similar device, whose purpose is to raise the ordinary shoes out of mud or wetness.

  patty A little pie; a PASTY baked in a small pan.

  patty-pan A small tin pan or shape in which PATTIES are baked.

  paunch A thick, strong mat woven of yarn or strands of rope, used on a ship to prevent chafing. A rubbing paunch is a wooden covering or shield mounted on the FORE side of a MAST to preserve it from chafing when the masts or SPARS are lowered or raised.

  Pavo A constellation in the Southern Hemisphere, from the Latin word for peacock.

  pawl Various forms of ratchet were used to prevent the WINDLASS or CAPSTAN from running backward when they were being used to HEAVE in the CABLE. To pawl is to stop a capstan’s backward motion.

  pay To smear or cover with waterproof material, such as PITCH, TAR, resin, or tallow.

  pay off Of a ship, to cause to fall to LEEWARD, or away from the wind.

  peach To give incriminating evidence against, to inform against, to betray. To turn informer. To blab, divulge.

  Pearl River Flows from Canton to the South China Sea, divided by the narrow channel called the Bocca Tigris into the upper and lower Pearl rivers. The lower river is the large bay that separates MACAO and present-day Hong Kong.

  pease Peas. Pease pudding is a dish of boiled, mashed peas.

  peccary A piglike nocturnal mammal native to the Americas, of which there are two species, the collared peccary, extending north to Texas, and the white-lipped peccary of South America.

  peccatum illud horribile inter Christianos non nominandum That terrible sin that has no name among Christians (Latin).

  peccavi An acknowledgment or confession of sin, from the Latin for “I have sinned.”

/>   peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, et opere I have sinned greatly in thought, word, and deed (Latin).

  peculation The appropriation of public money or property by one in an official position; the embezzlement of money or goods entrusted to one’s care.

  pediculus A louse, a parasitic insect that infests the hair and skin of humans and other warm-blooded animals, causing irritation. Also, other kinds of parasitic insects. Degraded crustaceans that infest fish.

  peepul-tree or pipal-tree An Indian species of fig tree, regarded as sacred by Buddhists.

  peerage The body of peers in the United Kingdom; the nobility, aristocracy. The rank or dignity of a peer, including the five titles: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. A book listing peers and their families.

  Pelagian Of or pertaining to Pelagius (c. 354-418), a heretical British monk who denied the Catholic doctrine of original sin and maintained that the human will is of itself capable of good without the assistance of divine grace.

  pelagic Of or pertaining to the open or high sea, as distinguished from shallow coastal water; oceanic. Now especially, living on or near the surface of the open sea or ocean, as distinguished from its depths.

  pelisse A long mantle or cloak lined with fur. A long, lightweight cloak worn by women, often with openings for the arms.

  Pellew, Sir Edward, Viscount Exmouth (1757-1833) A daring and highly regarded FRIGATE captain and ADMIRAL, who went to sea at age 13 and quickly showed a talent for standing on his head on the YARDARMS. Pellew, commanding the frigate Nymphe, captured the French frigate Cleopatre, the first frigate taken in the War of the French Revolution (1793-1801), and with it the enemy’s signal code. In 1797, Pellew, commanding the frigate INDEFATIGABLE, in company with the Amazon, commanded by Captain R. C. Reynolds, destroyed Droits de l’Homme, a 74-gun French SHIP OF THE LINE off the coast of France in a famous all-night duel. Pellew later served as COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF in the EAST INDIES and the Mediterranean, commanding at the bombardment of Algiers in 1816.

  Peloponnese The Peloponnesus, the large peninsula south of the Gulf of Corinth that forms the southernmost part of the Greek mainland.

  Penang Prince of Wales Island, which lies off the west coast of the MALAY Peninsula and served as a base for the EAST INDIES STATION.

  pendants Short, heavy ropes secured to the lower MASTS, just under the SHROUDS. They had an EYE in the lower end to which were hooked the fore and main TACKLES.

  penetre Moved, affected, impressed (French).

  Penlee Point or Head Cape southwest of PLYMOUTH.

  pennant A tapered flag, longer in the fly than in the hoist, specifically one flown at the MASTHEAD of a vessel in commission, unless it is distinguished by a flag (making it a FLAGSHIP) or a broad pendant. The flying of the pendant at half-mast denotes the death of the Captain, its absence, that the vessel is out of commission. Abroad pendant is a short, swallow-tailed pendant indicating a COMMODORE’S ship in a SQUADRON.

  Penny-Post A post established for the benefit of London and the adjacent parts by which any letter or parcel weighing no more than 16 ounces could be quickly sent to and from all parts within ten miles of London.

  pennyweight A measure of weight equal to 24 grains, .05 of a troy ounce, or approximately 1.55 grams (formerly equal to 22.5 grains, which was the actual weight of a silver penny).

  pentamerous Having five parts or divisions. In botany, having flower parts in sets of five. In zoology, consisting of five joints, as the segmented tarsi of insects’ legs. Also applied to such insects themselves, as the beetles of the group Pentamera.

  Pentateuch The first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), traditionally ascribed to Moses.

  penteconter A ship of burden with 50 oars.

  perch A pole, rod, stick, or stake used as a weapon, a prop, or for various other purposes.

  percussion The technique, introduced by Leopold Auenbrugger of Vienna in 1751, of tapping, with the fingers, various areas of the body to determine by their resonance the condition of organs within the body cavities, and for ascertaining the location and amount of EDEMA fluid in the chest or abdomen. Auenbrugger based his technique on that used by innkeepers to determine how much beer or wine remained in wooden storage casks. See also CORVISART.

  peregrine A widely distributed falcon, with gray and white plumage, often used for falconry.

  Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista (1710-1736) Italian composer. Born in Jesi, Italy, Pergolesi entered the Conservatorium dei Poveri di Gesu Cristo in Naples at the age of 15. He composed 16 operas, in addition to many cantatas, sonatas, symphonies, and concertos, before dying of tuberculosis.

  pericardium The membranous sac that encloses the heart and roots of the great blood vessels of vertebrates and certain invertebrates.

  peritoneum The bilayered membrane that lines the cavity of the abdomen of mammals.

  Pernis apivorus The honey-buzzard, a bird of prey that feeds on the contents of bees’ and wasps’ nests.

  perspective-glass A telescope.

  Peruvian Bark See BARK.

  pervenche A shade of light blue, the color of periwinkle flowers, from the French word for periwinkle, with the same spelling.

  petechia A small red or purple spot on the skin caused by a minute hemorrhage, occurring with SCURVY and certain fevers, especially typhus and GAOL FEVER.

  peter-boat Name used on the Thames and adjacent coasts for a decked fishing boat smaller than a YAWL. Also, a double-ended boat used for dredging.

  petit-four A small iced cake, usually decorated.

  petrel A seabird with black to gray or brown plumage and a hooked bill. Petrels breed on land but spend most of their lives at sea, primarily in the Southern Hemisphere but also along northern shores, including the Mediterranean. Related to ALBATROSses, the petrel species are found in three families: the large petrels; including the FULMAR; the prions and the SHEARWATERS; and the smaller STORM PETRELS and diving petrels. All have long wings and short, wide tails and are strong fliers. Storm petrels and diving petrels usually reach up to ten inches in length while large petrels can grow to three times that size. The name “petrel” probably derives from St. Peter, because, like the saint, the smooth-gliding petrel seems to walk on water.

  pettichaps The garden warbler and other species of warblers. The name was common in Yorkshire and Lancashire and entered into ornithological nomenclature in 1670, but never gained general usage.

  petticoat-trousers A wide outer garment of oilskins or rough canvas worn by fishermen in warm weather. They reach below the knee and are often undivided.

  pettifog To act as a pettifogger, a petty, squabbling, disreputable lawyer. To practice legal chicanery. To plead or conduct a petty case in a minor court of law. Also, to quibble about trifles.

  Petty Bag A clerk of the Court of Chancery, whose records were kept in petit (French for “little”) leather bags.

  petty officer A naval officer corresponding in rank to a noncommissioned officer in the army.

  Pezophaps solitarius The solitaire, a large flightless bird formerly inhabiting the island of Rodriguez, near MAURITIUS.

  Phaeacian An inhabitant of the island of Scheria (the name in ancient legend for Corfu), known for luxury; a gourmand.

  phalanger Any of various tree-dwelling marsupials of Australia, ranging in size from a mouse to a large cat, with thick woolly fur and long tails.

  phalarope Any of several small wading birds of the family Phalaropodidae, resembling sandpipers but with lobed toes that allow them to swim. They include the gray or red phalarope, noted for its spectacular seasonal changes of plumage.

  phanerogam A plant that has obvious reproductive organs, such as stamens and pistils.

  pharaoh’s hen The Egyptian vulture (Neophron perchopterus), also called pharaoh’s chicken.

  pharaonic Pertaining to the nature or character of a pharaoh, a ruler of ancient Egypt.

  pharmacopoeia A volume specifying the ingredients of a me
dicine in any one city or country, so that all apothecaries there would make up a given remedy in exactly the same way. The major British pharmacopoeias of the late 18th century were written and published by the physicians of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin; no national pharmacopoeias would be published before that of the United States, in 1820.

  Pherecratean A poetic measure, named for a fifth-century B.C. Greek poet, consisting of three feet, typically spondee, dactyl, and spondee (or trochee).

  philoprogenitive Inclined to produce offspring; prolific. Also, of or pertaining to love of offspring.

  philosophers’ stone A hypothetical substance or preparation believed to have the power of changing other metals into gold or silver, the discovery of which was an objective of alchemy. Some also believed it to prolong life indefinitely and to cure wounds and diseases.

  Philosophical Transactions One of the earliest learned journals, published since 1665 by the ROYAL SOCIETY of London, the oldest scientific society in Great Britain (established in 1660).

  Phoca Any aquatic mammal of the Phocidae, or seal and walrus family.

  Phoebe, H.M.S. A 36-gun fifth rate built on the Thames in 1795. In the Mediterranean in 1801, the Phoebe, under Captain Robert Barlow, captured the 40-gun L’Africaine, which was packed with 400 troops. During the two-hour action, L’Africaine lost 200 men killed and 143 wounded, while the Phoebe suffered only one killed and 12 wounded. The Phoebe fought at TRAFALGAR in 1805 under Captain Hon. Thomas Capel and helped capture Java and MAURITIUS in 1811, earning three single-ship action medal awards in the process. In 1814, under Captain Hillyar, she and the Cherub (20 guns) fought a famous battle with the U.S.S. Essex at VALPARAISO.

  phrenology The notion, developed after 1810 by GALL, that an individual’s moral, sexual, and intellectual traits, which he assumed to be located in specific areas of the brain, can be measured by palpating irregularities on the surfaces of the skull overlying those areas. Although it had a veneer of scientific respectability, phrenology was exploited by quacks and ridiculed by physicians.

  phthisis A progressive wasting disease, in most cases tuberculosis.

  physic Medicine, especially a cathartic or purgative. The profession of medicine.