percurrent

[Lat. percurrens, pr. par. of percurro to run through: per =through, and curro to run.] Running through from top to bottom. Obsolete, except in botany. †per-cür'-sör-ý, adj . [Pref. per , and English cursory (q. v.).] Cursory, slight, not minute; running over slightly or cursorily. per-cŭ , t. [Lat. percu us, pa. par. of cutio =to strike violently, or through and through: per = through, and quatio (in comp. -cutio ) = to shake.] To strike against forcibly; to strike upon; to come in collision with. per-cŭs-sión ( as sh), subst . [Lat. percu io, from percu us , pa. par. of percutio =to strike violently (PERCUSS]; Fr. percu ion=Sp. percusion ; Ital. percu i one.] I. Ordinary Language: 1. The act of striking one body against another with some violence; forcible collision, specially such as gives a sound or report. 3. The effect or impre ion of the sound of a collision on the ear. "The thunder-like percu ion of thy sounds." Shakesp.: Coriolanus, i. 4. *4. A stroke. (Bacon: E ays; Of Envie .) II. Technically: 1. Medicine: (1) A method of physical examination, performed by gently striking some part of the body-especially the chest or the abdomen-with the fingers or an instrument, to ascertain its healthy or diseased condition. Piorry advocated mediate percu ion; that is, with a solid body which was a good conductor of sound interposed between the hand of the examiner and the part explored. [PLEXIMETER.] (2) Shampooing, ma age (q. v.). 2. Music : An ingenious contrivance whereby a hammer strikes the tongue of a reed and sets it in motion simultaneously with the admi ion of air from the wind chest, thus securing the rapid speech of the reed. Were it not for the percu ion, the reed would be only gradually set in motion by the admi ion of the current of air, and the sound would not instantly follow the striking of the key. It is commonly used in cabinet organs, but has also been applied to the largest reeds of a church organ. (1) Center of percu ion : [CENTER.] (2) Instruments of percu ion : [INSTRUMENT, 8., IMG:content-0873.png:[blocks in formation] perdu percu ion-table, s. Metall .: A form of ore-separating apparatus consisting of a slightly sloping table on which stamped ore or metalliferous sand is placed to be sorted by gravity. A stream of water is directed over the ore, and the table is subjected to concu ion at intervals.