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pith Definition

pith (pit̸h)

noun

  1. the soft, spongy tissue in the center of certain plant stems
  2. the soft core of various other things, as of a bone or feather
  3. the spongy, fibrous tissue lining the rind and surrounding the sections of an orange, grapefruit, etc.
  4. the essential part; substance; gist
  5. importance: now usually in of great pith and moment
  6. Archaic strength; vigor; force

Etymology: ME pithe < OE pitha, akin to MDu pitte, pit of a fruit, kernel, pith of a tree

transitive verb

  1. to remove the pith from (a plant stem)
  2. to pierce or sever the spinal cord of (an animal) in order to kill it or make it insensible for experimental purposes

pith Synonyms

pith

n.

center, stem, medulla; see fiber 1.

pith Usage Examples

Object

  • rod: The traditional coiled spring pithing rod regularly collected a build-up of brain matter.
  • animal: He occasionally pithed animals but had much less exposure than other abattoir workers and was essentially a stockman.

Converse of object

  • remove: Peel into a bowl the rinds of three lemons, cut very thin and with the pith removed.
  • discard: Zest and juice the lemon, discarding the pith and seeds.
  • take: Pretty dirty things Caroline Boucher gets a handle on heavy-duty pots and pans and a powerful juicer that really takes the pith.
  • have: Sambar antler is strong and heavy, having very little pith, and can be worked more extensively than most others.

Adjective modifier

  • white: Quarter the peppers, remove the stem and white pith and lay them skin side upwards on a foil lined grill pan.
  • bitter: If using the zest, scrub the skin thoroughly and avoid cutting or grating too deeply - the bitter white pith is best avoided.
  • soft: The soft pith from inside the tough stems was cut into long strips.
  • central: Cut the red peppers in half, cut out the central white pith and seeds, chop the peppers into smallish pieces.
  • very: The good Christian people had assimilated the consoling words, and they had become the very pith and marrow of their charitable souls.
  • elder: Elder pith could be hollowed out to leave a tube suitable for the making of a toy gun.

Modifies a noun

  • necrosis: Pith necrosis symptoms developed on inoculated plants in 7 days. No symptoms developed on negative control plants.
  • helmet: Showing two men in pith helmets seated in the shade of some trees.
  • ball: Demonstrations using pith balls and a Van de Graaf generator help to illustrate the principles presented.

Preposition: of

  • tree: Rice paper Edible paper made from the pith of a Chinese tree.
  • plant: It was manufactured from the pith of the papyrus plant, which then grew plentifully in the Nile.

Preposition: from

  • grapefruit: With a sharp knife, remove the skin and pith from the grapefruit.
  • pepper: Remove the seeds and pith from the red pepper and slice into 4 pieces.
  • orange: Remove and discard all the rind and pith from the remaining orange and slice the flesh.