Part 370

Po*ha"gen, n. (Zoˆl.) See Pauhaugen.

Po"i (?), n. A national food of the Hawaiians, made by baking and pounding the kalo (or taro) root, and reducing it to a thin paste, which is allowed to ferment.

{ Poi"ci*le (?), or Pú"ci*le (?) }, n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; (sc. &?;); cf. L. poecile.] The frescoed porch or gallery in Athens where Zeno taught. R. Browning.

Poign"an*cy (?), n. The quality or state of being poignant; as, the poignancy of satire; the poignancy of grief. Swift.

Poign"ant (?), a. [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.] 1. Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. "His poignant spear." Spenser. "Poynaunt sauce." Chaucer.

2. Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical.

His wit . . . became more lively and poignant.

Sir W. Scott.

Poign"ant*ly, adv. In a poignant manner.

Poi`ki*lit"ic (?), a. (Geol.) See Púcilitic.

Poi"ki*lo*cyte (poi"k*l*st), n. [Gr. poiki`los diversified, changeable + ky`tos hollow vessel.] (Physiol.) An irregular form of corpuscle found in the blood in cases of profound anÊmia, probably a degenerated red blood corpuscle.

{ Poi`ki*lo*ther"mal (-thr"mal), Poi`ki*lo*ther"mic (-thr"mk), } a. [Gr. poiki`los changeable + E. thermal, thermic.] (Physiol.) Having a varying body temperature. See Homoiothermal.

Poi`ki*lo*ther"mous (-ms), a. (Physiol.) Poikilothermal.

||Poin`ci*a"na (?), n. [NL. Named after M. de Poinci, a governor of the ||French West Indies.] (Bot.) A prickly tropical shrub (CÊsalpinia, ||formerly Poinciana, pulcherrima), with bipinnate leaves, and racemes ||of showy orange-red flowers with long crimson filaments.

The genus Poinciana is kept up for three trees of Eastern Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and India.

Poind (poind), v. t. [See Pound to confine.] 1. To impound, as cattle. [Obs. or Scot.] Flavel.

2. To distrain. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

Poind"er (-r), n. 1. The keeper of a cattle pound; a pinder. [Obs. or Scot.] T. Adams.

2. One who distrains property. [Scot.] Jamieson.

||Poin*set"ti*a (poin*st"t*), n. [NL. Named after Joel R. Poinsett of ||South Carolina.] (Bot.) A Mexican shrub (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with ||very large and conspicuous vermilion bracts below the yellowish ||flowers.

Point (point), v. t. & i. To appoint. [Obs.] Spenser.

Point, n. [F. point, and probably also pointe, L. punctum, puncta, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. See Pungent, and cf. Puncto, Puncture.] 1. That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin.

2. An instrument which pricks or pierces, as a sort of needle used by engravers, etchers, lace workers, and others; also, a pointed cutting tool, as a stone cutter's point; -- called also pointer.

3. Anything which tapers to a sharp, well- defined termination. Specifically: A small promontory or cape; a tract of land extending into the water beyond the common shore line.

4. The mark made by the end of a sharp, piercing instrument, as a needle; a prick.

5. An indefinitely small space; a mere spot indicated or supposed. Specifically: (Geom.) That which has neither parts nor magnitude; that which has position, but has neither length, breadth, nor thickness, -- sometimes conceived of as the limit of a line; that by the motion of which a line is conceived to be produced.

6. An indivisible portion of time; a moment; an instant; hence, the verge.

When time's first point begun Made he all souls.