Poach
(Poach), v. i. To steal or pocket game, or to carry it away privately, as in a bag; to kill or destroy
game contrary to law, especially by night; to hunt or fish unlawfully; as, to poach for rabbits or for salmon.
Poach
(Poach), v. t. [Cf. OF. pocher to thrust or dig out with the fingers, to bruise F. pouce thumb, L.
pollex, and also E. poach to cook eggs, to plunder, and poke to thrust against.]
1. To stab; to pierce; to spear, \as fish. [Obs.] Carew.
2. To force, drive, or plunge into anything. [Obs.]
His horse poching one of his legs into some hollow ground.
Sir W. Temple. 3. To make soft or muddy by trampling Tennyson.
4. To begin and not complete. [Obs.] Bacon.
Poach
(Poach), v. i. To become soft or muddy.
Chalky and clay lands . . . chap in summer, and poach in winter.
Mortimer. Poachard
(Poach"ard) n. [From Poach to stab.] [Written also pocard, pochard.] (Zoöl.) (a) A common
European duck (Aythya ferina); — called also goldhead, poker, and fresh-water, or red-headed, widgeon.
(b) The American redhead, which is closely allied to the European poachard.
Red-crested poachard (Zoöl.), an Old World duck — Scaup poachard, the scaup duck. — Tufted
poachard, a scaup duck (Aythya, or Fuligula cristata), native of Europe and Asia.
Poacher
(Poach"er) n.
1. One who poaches; one who kills or catches game or fish contrary to law.
2. (Zoöl.) The American widgeon. [Local, U.S.]
Sea poacher (Zoöl.), the lyrie.
Poachiness
(Poach"i*ness) n. The state of being poachy; marshiness.
Poachy
(Poach"y) a. [See Poach to stab.] Wet and soft; easily penetrated by the feet of cattle; — said
of land
Poak
(Poak, Poake) n. Waste matter from the preparation of skins, consisting of hair, lime, oil, etc.
Pocan
(Po"can) n. (Bot.) The poke (Phytolacca decandra); — called also pocan bush.
Pochard
(Po"chard) n. (Zoöl.) See Poachard.
Pock
(Pock) n. [OE. pokke, AS. pocc, poc; akin to D. pok, G. pocke, and perh. to E. poke a pocket.
Cf. Pox.] (Med.) A pustule raised on the surface of the body in variolous and vaccine diseases.
Of pokkes and of scab every sore.
Chaucer. Pockarred
(Pock"arred) a. See Pockmarked. [Obs.]
Pock-broken
(Pock"-bro`ken) a. Broken out, or marked, with smallpox; pock-fretten.
