PITH

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

Etymology 1

Noun

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.

Synonyms

• (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

Verb

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.

Etymology 2

Adjective

pith (not comparable)

The ordinal form of the number pi.

Noun

pith (plural piths)

One divided by pi.

Anagrams

• 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