Portulaca
(||Por`tu*la"ca) n. [L., purslane.] (Bot.) A genus of polypetalous plants; also, any plant of the
genus.
Portulaca oleracea is the common purslane. P. grandiflora is a South American herb, widely cultivated
for its showy crimson, scarlet, yellow, or white, ephemeral blossoms.
Portulacaceous
(Por`tu*la*ca"ceous) a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants of which
Portulaca is the type, and which includes also the spring beauty (Claytonia) and other genera.
Porwigle
(Por"wi`gle) n. See Polliwig.
Pory
(Por"y) a. Porous; as, pory stone. [R.] Dryden.
Posé
(||Po`sé") a. [F., placed, posed.] (Her.) Standing still, with all the feet on the ground; — said of the
attitude of a lion, horse, or other beast.
Pose
(Pose) n. [AS. gepose; of uncertain origin; cf. W. pas a cough, Skr. kas to cough, and E. wheeze.]
A cold in the head; catarrh. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Pose
(Pose) n. [F. pose, fr. poser. See Pose, v. t.] The attitude or position of a person; the position
of the body or of any member of the body; especially, a position formally assumed for the sake of effect; an
artificial position; as, the pose of an actor; the pose of an artist's model or of a statue.
Pose
(Pose), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Posed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Posing.] [F. poser to place, to put, L. pausare
to pause, in LL. also, to place, put, fr. L. pausa a pause, Gr. fr. to make to cease, prob. akin to E.
few. In compounds, this word appears corresponding to L. ponere to put, place, the substitution in French
having been probably due to confusion of this word with L. positio position, fr. ponere. See Few, and
cf. Appose, Dispose, Oppose, Pause, Repose, Position.] To place in an attitude or fixed position,
for the sake of effect; to arrange the posture and drapery of (a person) in a studied manner; as, to pose
a model for a picture; to pose a sitter for a portrait.
