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Thoughtful, sober, or sad; employed in serious reflection; given to, or favorable to, earnest or melancholy musing. The pensive secrecy of desert cell. Milton. Anxious cares the pensive nymph oppressed. Pope.

The skin of a pig, -- used chiefly for making saddles; hence, a colloquial or slang term for a saddle.

A panel or cushion saddle; the under pad or cushion of saddle; esp., a pad or cushion put on behind a man's saddle, on which a woman may ride. His [a soldier's] shank pillion without stirrups. Spenser.

A wheel, usually with radial handles projecting from the rim, for traversing the saddle of a machine tool, esp. an automatic machine tool, by hand.

Fitted to excite pity or sympathy; wretched; miserable; lamentable; sad; as, a piteous case. Spenser. The most piteous tale of Lear. Shak.

Expressive of sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad. "The most plaintive ditty." Landor. -- Plain"tive*ly, adv. -- Plain"tive*ness, n.

to offer in excuse; as, the law of nations may be pleaded in favor of the rights of ambassadors. Spenser. I will neither plead my age nor sickness, in excuse of faults. Dryden.

A person invested with full power to transact any business; especially, an ambassador or envoy to a foreign court, with full power to negotiate a treaty, or to transact other business.

The knob or protuberant part of a saddlebow.

To rise and sink in the saddle, in accordance with the motion of the horse, esp. in trotting. [Eng.]

To determine beforehand, especially to disadvantage; to prejudge. Our dearest friend Prejudicates the business. Shak.

Tending to obstruct or impair; hurtful; injurious; disadvantageous; detrimental. Hooker. His going away . . . was most prejudicial and most ruinous to the king's affairs. Clarendon. -- Prej`u*di"cial*ly, adv. -- Prej`u*di"cial*ness, n.

immediate; instant; coincident. "A present recompense." "A present pardon." Shak. An ambassador . . . desires a present audience. Massinger.

or efficacy; prevailing; predominant; successful; victorious. Brennus told the Roman embassadors, that prevalent arms were as good as any title. Sir W. Raleigh.

Beginning; commencement. [Obs.] Doubting sad end of principle unsound. Spenser.

reverso Etym: [It. riverso reverse], a backhanded stroke. Halliwell. "Ah, the immortal passado! the punto reverso!" Shak.

which does not rise above the ground; as, the radical leaves of the dandelion and the sidesaddle flower.

Resembling, or having the character of, raff, or a raff; worthless; low. A sad, raffish, disreputable character. Thackeray.

To call back; to summon to return; as, to recall troops; to recall an ambassador.

into one's house, presence, company, and the like; as, to receive a lodger, visitor, ambassador, messenger, etc. They kindled a fire, and received us every one. Acts xxviii. 2.