pist, piste

[Fr. piste, from Lat. pistus, pa. par. of pin so =to beat, as in a mortar, to stamp; Ital. pest a.] The track or tread a horseman makes upon the ground he goes over. pis-ta-chi-ō, pis-ta-cho, *pis-ta-choe, s . [Sp. pistacho , from Lat. pistacium , from Gr. pistakion = the nut of the tree called pistake ; Pers. pistá =the pistachio-nut; Fr. pistache ; Ital. pistacchio .] The same as PISTACHIO-NUT (q.v.). pistachio-nut, *pistich-nut, *pistake-nut, s . 1. Bot. Comm., .: The nut of Pistacia vera (q. v.). It is oval, with a brittle shell inclosing a kernel, which is green and of an agreeable odor. It is from half an inch to an inch long. Pistachios are believed to have been the "nuts," Heb. botnim , sent by Jacob as part of a present to Pharaoh (Gen. xliii. 11). Pistachios are eaten by the natives of India. large quantities being yearly imported. They are also dried like almonds or made into confectionery. 2. Pharm .: Pistachio nuts are used in general debility; the oil of their kernel is demulcent and restorative. The bark is a tonic in indigestion. It is used in nausea in vomiting. pistachio-tree, s. [PISTACIA.] pis tā-çi-a, s. [Lat. pistacia, from Gr. pistakia, from. Pers. pistá.] Bot.: A genus of Anacardiaceae. Small trees, with pinnate leaves and small axillary panicles or racemes of small apetalous and diœcio us flowers. 3132 Found chiefly in Asia and the south of Europe. Pistacia vera is a small tree growing in Western Asia and Afghanistan. It produces the Pistachio nut (q. v.). Pistacia atlantic a , P. khinjak , P. cabulica , and P. lentisc us yield mastic (q. v.); P. terebinth us yields a balsamic resin called thios or Cyprus turpentine. P. integer rima , a large deciduous tree from the North-Western Him a lay as, the Suleiman Mountains, ., has a heart-wood, according to Brand is, the best and handsomest for carving furniture and ornamental work. The galls of P. integer rima and those of P. vera are used for dyeing; the oil of the latter is demulcent and rest or a tive. pistacia-fat, s. Chem.: A dark-green, sharp-tasting fat, extracted from the berries of Pistacia lentisc us by boiling with water. It melts at 34°. pis-ta-çīte, s. [Gr. pistakia =the pistachio-nut; suff. -ite ( Min .); Ger. pistazit .] Min.: The same as EPIDOTE (q. v.). pistacite-rock, s. Petrol.: The same as EPIDOSYTE (q. v.). pis-ta-reēn', s. [O. Sp.] An old Spanish silver coin, value twenty cents.