kernel, substance, core, center, centre, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty
(noun) the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; “the gist of the prosecutor’s argument”; “the heart and soul of the Republican Party”; “the nub of the story”
pith
(noun) soft spongelike central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants
pith
(verb) remove the pith from (a plant)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
pith (usually uncountable, plural piths)
(botany) The soft, spongy substance in the center of the stems of many plants and trees.
The spongy interior substance of a feather or horn.
(anatomy) The spinal cord; the marrow.
(botany) The albedo of a citrus fruit.
(figuratively) The essential or vital part; force; energy; importance.
(figuratively) Power, strength, might.
• (essential or necessary part): core, essence, general tenor, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, quintessence, soul, spirit, stuff, substance; See also gist
pith (third-person singular simple present piths, present participle pithing, simple past and past participle pithed)
(transitive) To extract the pith from (a plant stem or tree).
(transitive) To kill (especially cattle or laboratory animals) by cutting or piercing the spinal cord.
pith (not comparable)
The ordinal form of the number pi.
pith (plural piths)
One divided by pi.
• phit
Source: Wiktionary
Pith, n. Etym: [AS. pi; akin to D. pit pith, kernel, LG. peddik. Cf. Pit a kernel.]
1. (Bot.)
Definition: The soft spongy substance in the center of the stems of many plants and trees, especially those of the dicotyledonous or exogenous classes. It consists of cellular tissue.
2. (a) (Zoöl.) The spongy interior substance of a feather. (b) (Anat.) The spinal cord; the marrow.
3. Hence: The which contains the strength of life; the vital or essential part; concentrated force; vigor; strength; importance; as, the speech lacked pith. Enterprises of great pith and moment. Shak. Pith paper. Same as Rice paper, under Rice.
Pith, v. t. (Physiol.)
Definition: To destroy the central nervous system of (an animal, as a frog), as by passing a stout wire or needle up and down the vertebral canal.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
23 December 2024
(noun) Australian tree having hard white timber and glossy green leaves with white flowers followed by one-seeded glossy blue fruit
Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.
