Part 376

Whispering tongues can poison truth.

Coleridge.

Poi"son, v. i. To act as, or convey, a poison.

Tooth that poisons if it bite.

Shak.

Poi"son*a*ble (?), a. 1. Capable of poisoning; poisonous. [Obs.] "Poisonable heresies." Tooker.

2. Capable of being poisoned.

Poi"son*er (?), n. One who poisons. Shak.

Poi"son*ous (?), a. Having the qualities or effects of poison; venomous; baneful; corrupting; noxious. Shak. -- Poi"son*ous*ly, adv. -- Poi"son*ous*ness, n.

Poi"son*some (?), a. Poisonous.[Obs.] Holland.

Poi"sure (?), n. [See Poise.] Weight. [Obs.]

Poi"trel (?), n. [OE. poitrel, F. poitrail, fr. L. pectorale a breastplate, fr. pectoralis, a. See Pectoral, a.] (Anc. Armor) The breastplate of the armor of a horse. See Peytrel. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Poize (?), n. See Poise. [Obs.]

Po*kal" (?), n. [G.] A tall drinking cup.

Poke (?), n. (Bot.) A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca (P. decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries; -- called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.

Poke, n. [AS. poca, poha, pohha; akin to Icel. poki, OD. poke, and perh. to E. pock; cf. also Gael. poca, and OF. poque. Cf. Pock, Pocket, Pouch.] 1. A bag; a sack; a pocket. "He drew a dial from his poke." Shak.

They wallowed as pigs in a poke.

Chaucer.

2. A long, wide sleeve; -- called also poke sleeve.

To boy a pig a poke (that is, in a bag), to buy a thing without knowledge or examination of it. Camden.

Poke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poking.] [Cf. LG. poken to prick, pierce, thrust, pok a dagger, knife, D. pook, G. pocken to beat, also Ir. poc a blow, Gael. puc to push.] 1. To thrust or push against or into with anything pointed; hence, to stir up; to excite; as, to poke a fire.

He poked John, and said "Sleepest thou ?"

Chaucer.

2. To thrust with the horns; to gore.

3. [From 5th Poke, 3.] To put a poke on; as, to poke an ox. [Colloq. U. S.]

To poke fun, to excite fun; to joke; to jest. [Colloq.] -- To poke fun at, to make a butt of; to ridicule. [Colloq.]

Poke, v. i. To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, to poke about.

A man must have poked into Latin and Greek.