prurience, pruriency

[English pruri en(t); -се, -cy.] 1. The quality or state of being prurient; an itching or or longing desire or appetite for something. "There is a prurience in the speech of some." Cowper: Conversation, 31. 2. A tendency or disposition toward, or a dwelling upon, lewdne and lascivious thoughts. "If such action were prompted by motives of pruriency or lust."-London Daily Telegraph. prû-ri-ent, adj. [Latin. pruriens, pr. par. of prurio=to itch.] I. Ordinary Language : IMG:content-1668.png:[blocks in formation] "The Crucian Carp ( Car a i us car a i us) is generally distributed over Central and Northern Europe, and extends into Italy and Siberia. It inhabits stagnant waters only. It is much subject to variation of carps."-Günther: Study of Fishes , p. 391. IMG:content-1669.png:[blocks in formation] pru ic-acid, s. [HYDROCYANIC ACID.] prus-sin, s. [Eng. pru (ic); -in ( Chem.).] Chem.: Graham's name for the hypothetical radical, C3N3=Cy3 or Pr, which may be supposed to exist in the ferroand ferricyanides. Prû-těn-ic, a. [Lat. Prutenicus .] Pru ian; a term applied to certain astronomical tables published by Rimbold in the sixteenth century, founded on the principles of Copernicus. "To perfect such Prutenic tables."-Milton: Doctrine of Divorce, ch. i. IMG:content-1670.png:[blocks in formation] pry (2), s . [PRY (2), v .] A large lever used to raise, move, or force open heavy substances. pry-an, s . [Corn.pry i=clay.] 3280 psăl-1-do-proc-ni-næ, s. pl. [Mod. Lat. psali doprocn(e); Lat. fem. Patrem aduff. inde.] Ornith.: Rough-winged Swallows, a sub-family of Hi rund in ide, with two genera, Psalidoprocne and the first primary has a strongly serrated edge. Stelgidopteryx. In the males the outer margin of psalm ( l silent), *psalme, *salm, subst . [Latin psalm us , from Gr. psalmos a touching, espec. the strings of a harp, the sound of a harp, a song, a psalm, from psallo to touch, to twang; A.S.sealm; O. Fr. psalme , sal me ; French psaume ; Sp. & Ital. salmo; Port. psalmo .] A sacred song or hymn; a song or hymn composed on sacred subjects, and in praise or worship of God; espec. one of the hymns composed by David, and other Jewish sacred writers. The Book of Psalms : Old Test. Canon.: Heb. techillim or tehillim , an abnormal pl. of masc. form to the fem. techillah or tehillah (1) praise; (2) a hymn of praise; (3) glory. In one codex the Septuagint calls the book Psalmoi =Psalms; in another psalter i on =a stringed instrument. It was the praise-book or psalter of the Hebrew temple or synagogues. In the present Hebrew Bibles it is placed just after the Prophets at the head of the Hagiographa (q. v.), and in Luke xxiv. 44, is generally supposed to stand for that division of the Old Testament books. The hundred and fifty psalms are arranged in Hebrew in five books, each terminating with a doxology, in some cases closing with "Amen and amen." The R V. prints them separately. Book 1 contains i.-xli.; book 2, lxii.-lxxii.; book 3, lxxiii.-lxxxix.; book 4, xc-cvi., and book 5, cvii.-cl. All but thirty-four psalms have titles in the Hebrew Bible; the latter were called by the Rabbins orphan psalms. In the Septuagint all but two have titles. Though not as a rule accepted as part of Scripture, they are ancient, and worthy of high respect. They attribute all Book 1 to David, except Ps. i., ii., x., and xxxiii. The name of the Supreme Being used in this book is chiefly Jehovah. Book 2 a igns Psalms to David, to Korah, to Asaph, and to Solomon, and leaves others anonymous. The name for the Supreme Being in this book is Elohim (q. v.). Book 3 ascribes Psalms to pry-ěr, s. [PRIER.] the Ezrahite. Elohim and Jehovah are about equally common in the book, the former, however, being apparently preferred. Book 4 ascribes Psalm "The foremost of the prying band." Byron: Bride of Abydos , ii. 42. pry-ing-ly, adv . [Eng. prying ; -ly .] In a prying or inquisitive manner; with inquisitivene or impertinent peeping. *pryk, 8. [PRICK, 8.] A spur; hence, in feudal law, a kind of tenure or service under which the tenants holding land had to find a spur for the king.