Percurrent
(Per*cur"rent) a. [L. percurrens, p. pr. of percurrere to run through; per through + currere
to run.] Running through the entire length.
Percursory
(Per*cur"so*ry) a. [L. percursor one who runs through, fr. percurrere. See Percurrent.]
Running over slightly or in haste; cursory. [R.]
Percuss
(Per*cuss") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Percussed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Percussing.] [L. percussus,
p. p. of percutere; per + quatere to shake, strike. See Quash.] To strike smartly; to strike upon or
against; as, to percuss the chest in medical examination.
Flame percussed by air giveth a noise.
Bacon. Percuss
(Per*cuss"), v. i. (Med.) To strike or tap in an examination by percussion. See Percussion,
3. Quain.
Percussion
(Per*cus"sion) n. [L. percussio: cf. F. percussion. See Percuss.]
1. The act of percussing, or striking one body against another; forcible collision, esp. such as gives a
sound or report. Sir I. Newton.
2. Hence: The effect of violent collision; vibratory shock; impression of sound on the ear.
The thunderlike percussion of thy sounds.
Shak. 3. (Med.) The act of tapping or striking the surface of the body in order to learn the condition of the
parts beneath by the sound emitted or the sensation imparted to the fingers. Percussion is said to be
immediate if the blow is directly upon the body; if some interventing substance, as a pleximeter, is, used,
it is called mediate.
Center of percussion. See under Center. — Percussion bullet, a bullet containing a substance
which is exploded by percussion; an explosive bullet. — Percussion cap, a small copper cap or cup,
containing fulminating powder, and used with a percussion lock to explode gunpowder. — Percussion
fuze. See under Fuze. — Percussion lock, the lock of a gun that is fired by percussion upon fulminating
powder. — Percussion match, a match which ignites by percussion. — Percussion powder, powder
so composed as to ignite by slight percussion; fulminating powder. — Percussion sieve, Percussion
table, a machine for sorting ores by agitation in running water.
Percussive
(Per*cuss"ive) a. Striking against; percutient; as, percussive force.
Percutient
(Per*cu"tient) a. [L. percutiens, p. pr. of percutere. See Percuss.] Striking; having the
power of striking. — n. That which strikes, or has power to strike. Bacon.
Perdicine
(Per"di*cine) a. [See Perdix.] (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the family Perdicidæ, or partridges.
Perdie
(Per*die") adv. See Parde. Spenser.
Perdifoil
(Per"di*foil) n. [L. perdere to lose + folium leaf.] (Bot.) A deciduous plant; - - opposed to
evergreen. J. Barton.
Perdition
(Per*di"tion) n. [F., fr. L. perditio, fr. perdere, perditum, to ruin, to lose; per (cf. Skr. para
away) + -dere (only in comp.) to put; akin to Gr. E. do. See Do.]
