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Like stone; hard; stony; rocky; as, the petrous part of the temporal bone. Hooper.

Any body of troops or men formed in close array, or any combination of people distinguished for firmness and solidity of a union. At present they formed a united phalanx. Macaulay. The sheep recumbent, and the sheep that grazed, All huddling into phalanx, stood and gazed. Cowper.

ulders; as, to ride pickback. [Written also pickapack, pickback, and pickpack.] A woman stooping to take a child pickaback. R,Jefferies.

A detached body of troops serving to guard an army from surprise, and to oppose reconnoitering parties of the enemy; -- called also outlying picket.

One of many small loops, as of thread, forming an ornamental border, as on a ribbon.

To languish; to lose flesh or wear away, under any distress or anexiety of mind; to droop; -- often used with away. "The roses wither and the lilies pine." Tickell.

Languishing; drooping; wasting away, as with longing.

In a pining manner; droopingly. Poe.

Open; clear; unencumbered; equal; fair. Our troops beat an army in plain fight. Felton.

To give or afford pleasure to; to please; to gratify. Shak. [Rolled] his hoop to pleasure Edith. Tennyson.

To form a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; -- the opposite of deploy. Wilhelm.

The act or movement of forming a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; -- the opposite of deployment.

To adorn with feathers or plumes. "Farewell the plumed troop." Shak.

o pass through. A kind of poncho made of rubber or painted cloth is used by the mounted troops in the United States service.

er, etc., forming a portable float, used in building bridges quickly for the passage of troops.

Numerous; in large number. [Obs.] "The dust . . . raised by your populous troops." Shak. -- Pop"u*lous*ly, adv. -- Pop"u*lous*ness, n.

-- Strategic position (Mil.), a position taken up by an army or a large detachment of troops for the purpose of checking or observing an opposing force.

A military station; the place at which a soldier or a body of troops is stationed; also, the troops at such a station.

To strike or seize with the talons; to pierce, as with the talons. [Archaic] Stooped from his highest pitch to pounce a wren. Cowper. Now pounce him lightly, And as he roars and rages, let's go deeper. J. Fletcher.

See Poop, v. i. [Obs.] Chaucer.