Petulant

pet'u-lant, a. Inclined to complain; cap- tious; caviling; irritable; peevish; cro ; fretful. [L. petulans, -lant is, ir.petere, to attack, seek: see Petition.]— Pefulantly, adv. — Pet'ulance, -lans, -lancy, -lan-sT, n. State of being petulant; freakish pa ion; pettishne . [F. petulance.] Petunia, pe-tu'nl-a, A S. Amer. plant allied to the tobacco family, many cultivated varieties of which furnish a profusion of beautiful flowers. [Brazil. petun, tobacco.] Pew, pu, An inclosed seat in a church. [OF. pui, hill, high place, fr. L. podium, elevated place, balcony.] Pewet.pe'wet.Pe'witjre. The lapwing or green plover. [Onomat., its cry; D.pie wit, kiewit, G. kibitz.] i?ewter, pu'ter, An alloy consisting chiefly of tin and lead; a cla of utensils made of pewter. [OF. pew tre, Sp. peltre, It. petro: prop, same as spelter, q. v.] jtcwu. — Pew'terer, One who works in pewter. Pfenning, fen'ning, A German copper coin about l-4th cent. [G. pfennig see Penny.] Phaeton, fa'e-ton, (Myth.) The son of Phcebus, who attempted to guio> the chariot of the sun. An open carriage like a chaise, on 4 wheels. [F., name of the carriage; F., L., and Gr. Pha'eth on, son of Phoebus or Helios, in Gr., prop, radiant, p. pr. of phaethein, phaein, to shine: see Phantasm.] Phalanx, fa'lanks or fal'anks, {Gr. Antiq.) A battalion or body of soldiers formed m ranks and files close and deep, so as to offer very firm resistance to a foe. Any body of troops formed in close array; any firm combination of people a compact society organized on the plan of the socialist Charles Fourier, and having a common dwelling. [L. and Gr.] — Phalan'ges, -jez, pi. (Anat.) The small bones forming the fingers and toes see Skeleton. [L., pi. of phalanx.] — Phalanstery, -steVY, The common dwelling of a Fourierite phalanx an a ociation organized on the plan of Fourier. [Gr. stereos, firm, solid.] Phalarope, faKa-rop, One of a genus of wading birds, found chiefly in northern localities. [Gr. phalaros, having a patch of white, and pous, foot.]