pith

[ pith ]

noun

1. Botany. the soft, spongy central cylinder of parenchymatous tissue in the stems of dicotyledonous plants.
2. the white, spongy part of a citrus fruit between the rind and the thin, transparent skin of individual segments.
3. Zoology. the soft inner part of a feather, a hair, etc.
4. the important or essential part; essence; core; heart:

   the pith of the matter.

5. significant weight; substance; solidity:

   an argument without pith.

6. Archaic. spinal cord or bone marrow.
7. Archaic. strength, force, or vigor; mettle:

   men of pith.

verb (used with object)

1. to remove the pith from (plants).
2. to destroy the spinal cord or brain of.
3. to slaughter, as cattle, by severing the spinal cord.

pith

/ pɪθ /

noun

1. the soft fibrous tissue lining the inside of the rind in fruits such as the orange and grapefruit
2. the essential or important part, point, etc
3. weight; substance
4. Also calledmedulla botany the central core of unspecialized cells surrounded by conducting tissue in stems
5. the soft central part of a bone, feather, etc

verb

1. to destroy the brain and spinal cord of (a laboratory animal) by piercing or severing
2. to kill (animals) by severing the spinal cord
3. to remove the pith from (a plant)

pith

/ pĭth /

Noun

1. The soft, spongy tissue in the center of the stems of most flowering plants, gymnosperms, and ferns. Pith is composed of parenchyma cells. In plants that undergo secondary growth, such as angiosperms, the pith is surrounded by the vascular tissues and is gradually compressed by the inward growth of the vascular tissue known as xylem. In plants with woody stems, the pith dries out and often disintegrates as the plant grows older, leaving the stem hollow.
2. See illustration at xylem

Verb

1. To remove the pith from a plant stem.
2. To sever or destroy the spinal cord of an animal for the purpose of dissecting it, usually by inserting a needle into the spinal canal.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pith¹

First recorded before before 900; Middle English pith(e), pitthe, Old English pitha; cognate with Dutch pit; pit ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of pith¹

Old English pitha; compare Middle Low German pedik, Middle Dutch pitt ( e )

Example Sentences

She also muddles or bruises herbs to express their aromatic oils, and removes the rind and pith from citrus to ward off unwanted bitterness.

From Eater

In a good Seville orange, oily and aromatic skin easily gives way to thick, bitter pith, followed by its heavily seeded segments.

From Popular-Science

It is more like a sweet wine with hints of dried apricots, grapefruit pith, cypress, and lemons.

From The Daily Beast

Haass, now the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, blends history, memoir, and policy pith to great effect.

From The Daily Beast

The unprepared sago is imported from the neighbouring island of Borromeo, and consists of the pith of a short, thick kind of palm.

From Project Gutenberg

The pith of the whole sentence can be stated in a few words, if the sentence has unity.

From Project Gutenberg

What a tendency there is to round off a narrative into falsehood; or else by parenthesis to destroy its pith and continuity.

From Project Gutenberg

These wicks of pith he sold about the town in small penny bundles.

From Project Gutenberg

Stem: Cylindrical; creamy white; hollow, or with a loose cottony pith.

From Project Gutenberg