*pill*

a. [ L. capillaceus hairy, fr. capillus hair. ] Having long filaments; resembling a hair; slender. See Capillary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. capillaire maiden-hair; sirop de capillaire capillaire; fr. L. herba capillaris the maidenhair. ] 1. A sirup prepared from the maiden-hair, formerly supposed to have medicinal properties. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any simple sirup flavored with orange flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. capillamentum, fr. capillus hair: cf. F. capillament. ] 1. (Bot.) A filament. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Anat.) Any villous or hairy covering; a fine fiber or filament, as of the nerves. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being capillary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. capillarité. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The quality or condition of being capillary. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physics) The peculiar action by which the surface of a liquid, where it is in contact with a solid (as in a capillary tube), is elevated or depressed; capillary attraction. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Capillarity depends upon the relative attraction of the modecules of the liquid for each other and for those of the solid, and is especially observable in capillary tubes, where it determines the ascent or descent of the liquid above or below the level of the liquid which the tube is dipped; -- hence the name. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. capillaris, fr. capillus hair. Cf. Capillaire. ] 1. Resembling a hair; fine; minute; very slender; having minute tubes or interspaces; having very small bore; as, the capillary vessels of animals and plants. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Pertaining to capillary tubes or vessels; as, capillary action. [ 1913 Webster ]

Capillary attraction,
Capillary repulsion, the apparent attraction or repulsion between a solid and liquid caused by capillarity. See Capillarity, and Attraction. --
Capillarity tubes. See the Note under Capillarity.
[ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Capillaries 1. A tube or vessel, extremely fine or minute. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Anat.) A minute, thin-walled vessel; particularly one of the smallest blood vessels connecting arteries and veins, but used also for the smallest lymphatic and biliary vessels. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. capillatio the hair. ] A capillary blood vessel. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. capillatura. ] A bush of hair; frizzing of the hair. Clarke. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. capillus hair + -form. ] In the shape or form of, a hair, or of hairs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. capillosus. ] Having much hair; hairy. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. catyrpel, corrupted fr. OF. chatepelouse, or cate pelue, fr. chate, F. chatte, she-cat, fem. of chat, L. catus + L. pilosus hairy, or F. pelu hairy, fr. L. pilus hair. See Cat, and Pile hair. ] 1. (Zool.) The larval state of a butterfly or any lepidopterous insect; sometimes, but less commonly, the larval state of other insects, as the sawflies, which are also called false caterpillars. The true caterpillars have three pairs of true legs, and several pairs of abdominal fleshy legs (prolegs) armed with hooks. Some are hairy, others naked. They usually feed on leaves, fruit, and succulent vegetables, being often very destructive, Many of them are popularly called worms, as the cutworm, cankerworm, army worm, cotton worm, silkworm. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Scorpiurus, with pods resembling caterpillars. [ 1913 Webster ]

Caterpillar catcher, or
Caterpillar eater (Zool.), a bird belonging to the family of Shrikes, which feeds on caterpillars. The name is also given to several other birds. --
Caterpillar hunter (Zool.), any species of beetles of the genus Callosoma and other allied genera of the family Carabidæ which feed habitually upon caterpillars. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. an endless belt looped over several wheels, used in pairs in place of wheels to propel vehicles, such as tractors or military tanks, over rough ground. [ PJC ]

adj. having caterpillar treads or tracks on the wheels; as, a caterpillar-tracked earthmover.
Syn. -- caterpillar. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Physics) The occurrence or production of certain capillary effects by the action of an electrical current or charge. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physics) Pert. to, or caused by, electro-capillarity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Lapilli. ] The state of being, or the act of making, stony. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ L. lapillus a little stone, dim. of lapis stone. ] (Min.) Volcanic ashes, consisting of small, angular, stony fragments or particles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) An Australian myrtaceous tree (Eugenia Smithii), having smooth ovate leaves, and panicles of small white flowers. The wood is hard and fine-grained. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A layer of oil floating on water or covering the shoreline of a body of water; -- usually petroleum which has leaked from an oil tanker. [ PJC ]

n.; pl. Papillæ [ L., a nipple, pimple. ] Any minute nipplelike projection; as, the papillæ of the tongue. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. papillaire. ] Same as Papillose. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. papillaire. ] Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a papilla or papillæ; bearing, or covered with, papillæ; papillose. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. To cover with papillæ; to take the form of a papilla, or of papillæ. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Same as Papillose. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Papilla + -form. ] Shaped like a papilla; mammilliform. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Papillomata [ NL. See Papilla, and -Oma. ] (Med.) A tumor formed by hypertrophy of the papillæ of the skin or mucous membrane, as a corn or a wart. Quain. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Of, pertaining to, or consisting of, papillomata. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. papilleux. ] Covered with, or bearing, papillæ; resembling papillæ; papillate; papillar; papillary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. papillon a butterfly. ] A small piece of paper on which women roll up their hair to make it curl; a curl paper. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Papillary; papillose. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having a minute papilla in the center of a larger elevation or depression. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Peel skin, or Pillion. ] The peel or skin. [ Obs. ] “Some be covered over with crusts, or hard pills, as the locusts.” Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To be peeled; to peel off in flakes. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Cf. L. pilare to deprive of hair, and E. pill, n. (above). ] 1. To deprive of hair; to make bald. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To peel; to make by removing the skin. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Jacob ] pilled white streaks . . . in the rods. Gen. xxx. 37. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ imp. & p. p. Pilled p. pr. & vb. n. Pilling. ] [ F. piller, L. pilare; cf. It. pigliare to take. Cf. Peel to plunder. ] To rob; to plunder; to pillage; to peel. See Peel, to plunder. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pillers and robbers were come in to the field to pill and to rob. Sir T. Malroy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. pilute, L. pilula a pill, little ball, dim. of L. pila a ball. Cf. Piles. ] 1. A medicine in the form of a little ball, or small round mass, to be swallowed whole. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Figuratively, something offensive or nauseous which must be accepted or endured. Udall. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pill beetle (Zool.), any small beetle of the genus Byrrhus, having a rounded body, with the head concealed beneath the thorax. --
Pill bug (Zool.), any terrestrial isopod of the genus Armadillo, having the habit of rolling itself into a ball when disturbed. Called also pill wood louse. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. piller to plunder. See Pill to plunder. ] 1. The act of pillaging; robbery. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is taken from another or others by open force, particularly and chiefly from enemies in war; plunder; spoil; booty. [ 1913 Webster ]

Which pillage they with merry march bring home. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Plunder; rapine; spoil; depredation. -- Pillage, Plunder. Pillage refers particularly to the act of stripping the sufferers of their goods, while plunder refers to the removal of the things thus taken; but the words are freely interchanged. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Pillaged p. pr. & vb. n. Pillaging ] To strip of money or goods by open violence; to plunder; to spoil; to lay waste; as, to pillage the camp of an enemy. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mummius . . . took, pillaged, and burnt their city. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To take spoil; to plunder; to ravage. [ 1913 Webster ]

They were suffered to pillage wherever they went. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who pillages. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. pilerF. pilier, LL. pilare, pilarium, pilarius, fr. L. pila a pillar. See Pile a heap. ] 1. The general and popular term for a firm, upright, insulated support for a superstructure; a pier, column, or post; also, a column or shaft not supporting a superstructure, as one erected for a monument or an ornament. [ 1913 Webster ]

Jacob set a pillar upon her grave. Gen. xxxv. 20. [ 1913 Webster ]

The place . . . vast and proud,
Supported by a hundred pillars stood. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Figuratively, that which resembles such a pillar in appearance, character, or office; a supporter or mainstay; as, the Pillars of Hercules; a pillar of the state. “You are a well-deserving pillar.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

By day a cloud, by night a pillar of fire. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (R. C. Ch.) A portable ornamental column, formerly carried before a cardinal, as emblematic of his support to the church. [ Obs. ] Skelton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Man.) The center of the volta, ring, or manege ground, around which a horse turns. [ 1913 Webster ]

From pillar to post, hither and thither; to and fro; from one place or predicament to another; backward and forward. [ Colloq. ] --
Pillar saint. See Stylite. --
Pillars of the fauces. See Fauces, 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Mach.) Having a support in the form of a pillar, instead of legs; as, a pillar drill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See under Pillow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Supported or ornamented by pillars; resembling a pillar, or pillars. “The pillared arches.” Sir W. Scott. “Pillared flame.” Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A little pillar. [ R. ] Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Eccl. Hist.) See Stylite. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Per. & Turk. pilau. ] An Oriental dish consisting of rice boiled with mutton, fat, or butter. [ Written also pilau. ] [ 1913 Webster ]