Part 259

Pi"a*cle (?), n. [L. piaculum a propitiatory sacrifice, that which requires expiation, a wicked action, fr. piare to appease, to expiate, pius pious.] A heinous offense which requires expiation. [R.] Howell.

Pi*ac"u*lar (?), a. [L. piacularis: cf. F. piaculaire.] 1. Expiatory; atoning. Sir G. C. Lewis.

2. Requiring expiation; criminal; atrociously bad. "Piacular pollution." De Quincey.

Pi*ac`u*lar"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being piacular; criminality; wickedness. De Quincey.

Pi*ac"u*lous (?), a. Same as Piacular.

Pi"al (?), a. (Anat.) Pertaining to the pia mater.

||Pi"a ma"ter (?). [NL., fr. L. pia (fem. of pius tender, kind) + mater ||mother.] (Anat.) The delicate and highly vascular membrane ||immediately investing the brain and spinal cord.

||Pian (?), n. [Pg. pian, epian, or. Sp. pian; from the native name in ||South America: cf. F. pian.] (Med.) The yaws. See Yaws.

Pi"a*net` (?), n. [Cf. Pie magpie.] (Zoˆl.) (a) The magpie. [Written also pianate, and pyenate.] (b) The lesser woodpecker. [Obs.] Bailey.

Pi*a*nette" (?), n. [Dim. of piano.] (Mus.) A small piano; a pianino.

||Pi`a*ni"no (?), n. [It., dim. of piano, adj. See Piano.] (Mus.) A ||pianette, or small piano.

||Pi`a*nis"si*mo (?), a.[It., superl. of piano.] (Mus.) Very soft; -- a ||direction to execute a passage as softly as possible. (Abbrev. pp.)

Pi*an"ist (?), n. [Cf. F. pianiste, It. pianista.] A performer, esp. a skilled performer, on the piano.

||Pi*a"no (?), a. & adv. [It., even, smooth, soft, fr. L. planus even, ||level.] (Mus.) Soft; -- a direction to the performer to execute a ||certain passage softly, and with diminished volume of tone. (Abbrev. ||p.)

{ Pi*an"o (?), Pi*an"o*for`te (?), } n. [It. piano soft (fr. L. planus even, smooth; see Plain, a.) + It. forte strong, fr. L. fortis (see Fort).] (Mus.) A well-known musical instrument somewhat resembling the harpsichord, and consisting of a series of wires of graduated length, thickness, and tension, struck by hammers moved by keys.

Dumb piano. See Digitorium. -- Grand piano. See under Grand. -- Square piano, one with a horizontal frame and an oblong case. -- Upright piano, one with an upright frame and vertical wires.

Pi*an"o*graph (?), n. [Piano + -graph.] (Mus.) A form of melodiograph applied to a piano.

Pi"a*pec (?), n. [Cf. Pie a magpie.] (Zoˆl.) A West African pie (Ptilostomus Senegalensis).

Pi"a*rist (?), n. [L. pius pious.] (R. C. Ch.) One of a religious order who are the regular clerks of the Scuole Pie (religious schools), an institute of secondary education, founded at Rome in the last years of the 16th century. Addis & Arnold.

Pi*as"sa*va (?), n. [Pg. piasaba.] A fibrous product of two Brazilian palm trees (Attalea funifera and Leopoldinia Piassaba), -- used in making brooms, and for other purposes. Called also piaÁaba and piasaba.

Pi*as"ter (?), n. [F. piastre, It. piastra a thin plate of metal, a dollar, LL. piastra, fr. L. emplastrum. See Plaster.] A silver coin of Spain and various other countries. See Peso. The Spanish piaster (commonly called peso, or peso duro) is of about the value of the American dollar. The Italian piaster, or scudo, was worth from 80 to 100 cents. The Turkish and Egyptian piasters are now worth about four and a half cents.

Pi*as"tre (?), n. See Piaster.

Pi*a"tion (?), n. [L. piatio. See Piacle.] The act of making atonement; expiation. [Obs.]

||Pi*at"ti (?), n. pl. [It., prop., plates.] (Mus.) Cymbals. [Written ||also pyatti.]

Pi*az"za (?), n.; pl. Piazzas (#). [It., place, square, market place, L. platea street, courtyard. See Place.] An open square in a European town, especially an Italian town; hence (Arch.), an arcaded and roofed gallery; a portico. In the United States the word is popularly applied to a veranda.

We walk by the obelisk, and meditate in piazzas.

Jer. Taylor.

Pib"corn` (?), n. [W. pib pipe + corn horn.] (Mus.) A wind instrument or pipe, with a horn at each end, -- used in Wales.