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A light, repeated sound; a pattering, as of the rain. "The pitapat of a pretty foot." Dryden.

Mineral pitch. See Bitumen and Asphalt. -- Pitch coal (Min.), bituminous coal. -- Pitch peat (Min.), a black homogeneous peat, with a waxy luster. -- Pitch pine (Bot.), any one of several species of pine, yielding pitch, esp. the Pinus rigida of North America.

A figure in which a word is separated or repeated by way of emphasis, so as not only to signify the individual thing denoted by it, but also its peculiar attribute or quality; as, "His wife's a wife indeed." Bailey.

To lay on closely, or in folds; to work upon steadily, or with repeated acts; to press upon; to urge importunately; as, to ply one with questions, with solicitations, or with drink. And plies him with redoubled strokes Dryden. He plies the duke at morning and at night. Shak.

Bearing fruit repeatedly, or year after year.

A figure by which a word is repeated in different forms, cases, numbers, genders, etc., as in Tennyson's line, -- "My own heart's heart, and ownest own, farewell."

A figure by which the conjunction is often repeated, as in the sentence, "We have ships and men and money and stores." Opposed to asyndeton.

Characterized by polysynthesis; agglutinative. Polysynthetic twinning (Min.), repeated twinning, like that of the triclinic feldspar, producing fine parallel bands in alternately reversed positions.

Bearing fruit repeatedly, as most perennial plants; polycarpic.

The action of a horse in rearing repeatedly and dangerously.

To strike repeatedly with some heavy instrument; to beat. With cruel blows she pounds her blubbered cheeks. Dryden.

Frequently repeated or customary action; habitual performance; a succession of acts of a similar kind; usage; habit; custom; as, the practice of rising early; the practice of making regular entries of accounts; the practice of daily exercise. A heart . . . exercised with covetous practices. 2 Pet. ii. 14.…

especially, a supplication addressed to God; as, a written or extemporaneous prayer; to repeat one's prayers. He made those excellent prayers which were published immediately after his death. Bp. Fell. Prayer book, a book containing devotional prayers. -- Prayer meeting, a meeting or gathering for prayer to God.…

renewed, or as at first. [Obs.] Night's bashful empress, though she often wane, As oft repeats her darkness, primes again. Quarles .

To write or repeat in a dull, tedious, or prosy way.

An old and common saying; a phrase which is often repeated; especially, a sentence which briefly and forcibly expresses some practical truth, or the result of experience and observation; a maxim; a saw; an adage. Chaucer. Bacon.

Any measured or regular beat; any short, quick motion, regularly repeated, as of a medium in the transmission of light, sound, etc.; oscillation; vibration; pulsation; impulse; beat; movement. The measured pulse of racing oars. Tennyson. When the ear receives any simple sound, it is struck by a single pulse of the air,…

A square piece of turf or peat. [Prov. Eng.]

Fourfold; doubled twice; four times repeated; as, a quadruplicate ratio, or a quadruplicate proportion.

To be agitated with quick, short motions continually repeated; to shake with fear, cold, etc.; to shudder; to tremble. Quaking for dread." Chaucer. She stood quaking like the partridge on which the hawk is ready to seize. Sir P. Sidney.