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To put or keep in, or as in, a phial. Its phial'd wrath may fate exhaust. Shenstone.

A lover of the truth. [Obs.] Brathwait.

To deal in trifles; to concern one's self with trivial matters rather than with those that are important. Ascham.

Work done by the piece or job; work paid for at a rate based on the amount of work done, rather than on the time employed. The reaping was piecework, at so much per acre. R. Jefferies.

as, a shepherd's pipe; the pipe of an organ. "Tunable as sylvan pipe." Milton. Now had he rather hear the tabor and the pipe. Shak.

Peaceful; favorable to, or characterized by, the music of the pipe rather than of the drum and fife. Shak.

To plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface. [R.] We would rake Europe rather, plain the East. Wither.

To bend; to yield. [Obs.] It would rather burst atwo than plye. Chaucer. The willow plied, and gave way to the gust. L'Estrange.

rases indicating the time or movement; as, poco più allegro, a little faster; poco largo, rather slow. Poco a poco Etym: [It.] (Mus.) Little by little; as, poco a poco crescendo, gradually increasing in loudness.

Uncommonly nice and exact; precise; particular. You are rather point-devise in your accouterments. Shak. Thus he grew up, in logic point-devise, Perfect in grammar, and in rhetoric nice. Longfellow.

Management or administration based on temporal or material interest, rather than on principles of equity or honor; hence, worldly wisdom; dexterity of management; cunning; stratagem.

ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; devoted to a scheme or system rather than to a principle; hence, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious; and in a bad sense, artful; unscrupulous; cunning; -- said of persons. Politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy. Shak.

colder climates. The fruit is as large as an orange, and has a hard rind containing many rather large seeds, each one separately covered with crimson, acid pulp.

A small and rather deep collection of (usually) fresh water, as one supplied by a spring, or occurring in the course of a stream; a reservoir for water; as, the pools of Solomon. Wyclif. Charity will hardly water the ground where it must first fill a pool. Bacon. The sleepy pool above the dam. Tennyson.…

strict sense the term post-impressionism is used to denote the effort at self-expression, rather than representation, shown in the work of Cézanne, Matisse, etc.; but it is more broadly used to include cubism, the theory or practice of a movement in both painting and sculpture which lays stress upon volume as the impo…

Philosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; -- said of literature. "Pragmatic history." Sir W. Hamilton. "Pragmatic poetry." M. Arnold. Pragmatic sanction, a solemn ordinance or decree issued by the head or legislature of a state upon weighty matters; -- a term…

favor, or liking; to regard or honor before another; to hold in greater favor; to choose rather; -- often followed by to, before, or above. If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. Ps. cxxxvii. 6. Preferred an infamous peace before a most just war. Knolles. Preferred stock, stock which takes a dividend before oth…

One ordained to the second order in the ministry; -- called also priest. I rather term the one sort presbyter than priest. Hooker. New presbyter is but old priest writ large. Milton.

uence, etc.; neighborhood without the intervention of anything that forbids intercourse. Wrath shell be no more Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire. Milton.

In some degree; moderately; considerably; rather; almost; -- less emphatic than very; as, I am pretty sure of the fact; pretty cold weather. Pretty plainly professes himself a sincere Christian. Atterbury.