Part 450

Prov. xxiii. 21.

2. Any deficiency of elements or resources that are needed or desired, or that constitute richness; as, poverty of soil; poverty of the blood; poverty of ideas.

Poverty grass (Bot.), a name given to several slender grasses (as Aristida dichotoma, and Danthonia spicata) which often spring up on old and worn-out fields.

Syn. -- Indigence; penury; beggary; need; lack; want; scantiness; sparingness; meagerness; jejuneness. Poverty, Indigence, Pauperism. Poverty is a relative term; what is poverty to a monarch, would be competence for a day laborer. Indigence implies extreme distress, and almost absolute destitution. Pauperism denotes entire dependence upon public charity, and, therefore, often a hopeless and degraded state.

{ Pow"an (?), Pow"en (?) }, n. (Zoˆl.) A small British lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeoides, or C. ferus); -- called also gwyniad and lake herring.

Pow"der (?), n. [OE. poudre, pouldre, F. poudre, OF. also poldre, puldre, L. pulvis, pulveris: cf. pollen fine flour, mill dust, E. pollen. Cf. Polverine, Pulverize.] 1. The fine particles to which any dry substance is reduced by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or into which it falls by decay; dust.

Grind their bones to powder small.

Shak.

2. An explosive mixture used in gunnery, blasting, etc.; gunpowder. See Gunpowder.

Atlas powder, Baking powder, etc. See under Atlas, Baking, etc. -- Powder down (Zoˆl.), the peculiar dust, or exfoliation, of powder-down feathers. -- Powder- down feather (Zoˆl.), one of a peculiar kind of modified feathers which sometimes form patches on certain parts of some birds. They have a greasy texture and a scaly exfoliation. - - Powder-down patch (Zoˆl.), a tuft or patch of powder-down feathers. -- Powder hose, a tube of strong linen, about an inch in diameter, filled with powder and used in firing mines. Farrow. -- Powder hoy (Naut.), a vessel specially fitted to carry powder for the supply of war ships. They are usually painted red and carry a red flag. -- Powder magazine, or Powder room. See Magazine, 2. -- Powder mine, a mine exploded by gunpowder. See Mine. -- Powder monkey (Naut.), a boy formerly employed on war vessels to carry powder; a powder boy. -- Powder post. See Dry rot, under Dry. -- Powder puff. See Puff, n.

Pow"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Powdered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Powdering.] [F. poudrer.] 1. To reduce to fine particles; to pound, grind, or rub into a powder; to comminute; to pulverize; to triturate.

2. To sprinkle with powder, or as with powder; to be sprinkle; as, to powder the hair.

A circling zone thou seest Powdered with stars.

Milton.

3. To sprinkle with salt; to corn, as meat. [Obs.]

Pow"der, v. i. 1. To be reduced to powder; to become like powder; as, some salts powder easily.

2. To use powder on the hair or skin; as, she paints and powders.

Pow"dered (?), a. 1. Reduced to a powder; sprinkled with, or as with, powder.

2. Sprinkled with salt; salted; corned. [Obs.]

Powdered beef, pickled meats.

Harvey.

3. (Her.) Same as SemÈ. Walpole.

Pow"der*flask` (?), n. A flask in which gunpowder is carried, having a charging tube at the end.

Pow"der*horn` (?), n. A horn in which gunpowder is carried.

Pow"der*ing, a. & n. from Powder, v. t.

Powdering tub. (a) A tub or vessel in which meat is corned or salted. (b) A heated tub in which an infected lecher was placed for cure. [Obs.] Shak.

Pow"der*mill` (?), n. A mill in which gunpowder is made.

Pow"der-post`ed (?), a. Affected with dry rot; reduced to dust by rot. See Dry rot, under Dry. [U.S.]