Part 161

Daniel.

Pen"e*tra`ting (?), a. 1. Having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading; sharp; subtile; penetrative; as, a penetrating odor.

2. Acute; discerning; sagacious; quick to discover; as, a penetrating mind.

Pen"e*tra`ting*ly, adv. In a penetrating manner.

Pen"e*tra`tion (?), n. [L. penetratio: cf. F. pÈnÈtration.] 1. The act or process of penetrating, piercing, or entering; also, the act of mentally penetrating into, or comprehending, anything difficult.

And to each in ward part, With gentle penetration, though unseen, Shoots invisible virtue even to the deep.

Milton.

A penetration into the difficulties of algebra.

Watts.

2. Acuteness; insight; sharp discoverment; sagacity; as, a person of singular penetration. Walpole.

Syn. -- Discernment; sagacity; acuteness; sharpness; discrimination. See Discernment, and Sagacity.

Pen"e*tra*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. pÈnÈtratif.] 1. Tending to penetrate; of a penetrating quality; piercing; as, the penetrative sun.

His look became keen and penetrative.

Hawthorne.

2. Having the power to affect or impress the mind or heart; impressive; as, penetrative shame. Shak.

3. Acute; discerning; sagacious; as, penetrative wisdom. "The penetrative eye." Wordsworth.

Led on by skill of penetrative soul.

Grainger.

Pen"e*tra*tive*ness, n. The quality of being penetrative.

Pen"fish` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A squid.

Pen"fold` (?), n. See Pinfold.

Pen"go*lin (?), n. (Zoˆl.)The pangolin.

Pen"guin (?), n. [Perh. orig. the name of another bird, and fr. W. pen head + gwyn white; or perh. from a native South American name.] 1. (Zoˆl.) Any bird of the order Impennes, or Ptilopteri. They are covered with short, thick feathers, almost scalelike on the wings, which are without true quills. They are unable to fly, but use their wings to aid in diving, in which they are very expert. See King penguin, under Jackass.

Penguins are found in the south temperate and antarctic regions. The king penguins (Aptenodytes Patachonica, and A. longirostris) are the largest; the jackass penguins (Spheniscus) and the rock hoppers (Catarractes) congregate in large numbers at their breeding grounds.

2. (Bot.) The egg-shaped fleshy fruit of a West Indian plant (Bromelia Pinguin) of the Pineapple family; also, the plant itself, which has rigid, pointed, and spiny- toothed leaves, and is used for hedges. [Written also pinguin.]

Arctic penguin (Zoˆl.), the great auk. See Auk.

Pen"guin*er*y (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A breeding place, or rookery, of penguins.

Pen"hold`er (?), n. A handle for a pen.