pusillanimity (pu silanimiti)

[F. pu sillanimité = Pr. pus ill an i mit at = Sp. pusila nimidad = Pg. pusillanimidade = It. pusillani mità, The liver white and pale, which is the badge of pusil lanimity and cowardice. Shak., 2 Hen. IV., iv. 3. 114. There may be a pusillanimity even towards God; a man may over-clog his own conscience, and belie himself in his confe ions, out of a distempered jealousy. Donne, Sermons, xi. =Syn. Poltroonery. See coward, n. pusillanimous (pū-si-lan'i-mus), a. [= F. pu sill anime = Sp. pusilánime = Pg. pus ill anime = It. pus ill anime, pusillanimo, The dangers which he avoided with a caution almost pusillanimous never confused his perceptions. Macaulay , Machi a vell i. IMG:content-1341.png:[blocks in formation] He was a man of incurably commonplace intellect, and of no character but a hollow, blustery, pusillanimous, and unsound one. Carlyle, Sterling, iii. 5. 2. Proceeding from lack of courage; indicating timidity. An argument fit for great and mighty princes,. that, neither, by over-measuring their forces, they lose them vain enterprises; nor, the other side, by der valuing them, descend to fearful and pusillanimous Bacon, True Greatne of Kingdoms and Estates (ed. 1887). counsels. Pusillanimous character; pusillanimity. pusio, n.; pl. pusiones. Same as pis an2. pusley (pus'li), n. See pu ly. pusont, n. and v. A late Middle English form of poison. Cath. Ang., p. 295. pu (pus), n. [= D. poes = LG. pus, bus (in comp. puskatte ) = Dan. pus = Sw. dial. pus = Norw. puse, a cat, = Ir. pus, a cat, = Gael. puis, Ir. dim. puisīn, a kitten; similar forms are found in some remote tongues, and the word is supposed to have been orig. imitative, perhaps of the noise made by the cat when "spitting." Cf. Hind. fish, fish, popularly phis, phis, 'pu ! pu !" used in calling a cat.] 1. A cat; a pu y or pu y-cat. Thus Dorset, purring like a thoughtful cat, Married, but wiser pu ne'er thought of that. 2. A hare or rabbit. Dryden, E ay upon Satire, 1. 179. -wemust Scott, Kenilworth, xxix. Thou shalt not give Pu a hint to steal away-we catch her in her form. 3. A pu -moth.-4. A pet name for a child or young woman. Gone! what a pox had I just run her down, and is the little pu stole away at last? Colman , Jealous Wife, ii. 3. The little pu seems already to have airs enough to make a husband as miserable as it's a law of nature for a quiet man to be when he marries a beauty. George Eliot , Adam Bede, ix. Pu -in-the-corner, a children's game. "A certain number of boys or girls stand singly at different distances; suppose we say for instance one at each of the four corners of a room, a fifth is then placed in the middle; the busine of those who occupy the corners is to keep changing their positions in a regular succe ion, and of the out player to gain one of the corners vacated by the change before the succe or can reach it; if done, he retains it, and the loser takes his place in the middle." ( Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 488.)