'Pith' definitions:

Definition of 'pith'

(from WordNet)
noun
Soft spongelike central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants
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" [syn: kernel, substance, core, center, centre, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty- gritty]
verb
Remove the pith from (a plant)

Definition of 'Pith'

From: GCIDE
  • Pith \Pith\, n. [AS. pi?a; akin to D. pit pith, kernel, LG. peddik. Cf. Pit a kernel.]
  • 1. (Bot.) 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. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. (a) (Zool.) The spongy interior substance of a feather. (b) (Anat.) The spinal cord; the marrow. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. Hence: The which contains the strength of life; the vital or essential part; concentrated force; vigor; strength; importance; as, the speech lacked pith. [1913 Webster]
  • Enterprises of great pith and moment. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • Pith paper. Same as Rice paper, under Rice. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Pith'

From: GCIDE
  • Pith \Pith\, v. t. (Physiol.) 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. [1913 Webster]

Synonyms of 'pith'

From: Moby Thesaurus

Words containing 'Pith'