Concert pitch
(Mus.),
the standard of pitch used by orchestras, as in concerts, etc. — Diametral
pitch (Gearing), the distance which bears the same relation to the pitch proper, or circular pitch, that
the diameter of a circle bears to its circumference; it is sometimes described by the number expressing
the quotient obtained by dividing the number of teeth in a wheel by the diameter of its pitch circle in
inches; as, 4 pitch, 8 pitch, etc. — Pitch chain, a chain, as one made of metallic plates, adapted for
working with a sprocket wheel. — Pitch line, or Pitch circle (Gearing), an ideal line, in a toothed
gear or rack, bearing such a relation to a corresponding line in another gear, with which the former works,
that the two lines will have a common velocity as in rolling contact; it usually cuts the teeth at about the
middle of their height, and, in a circular gear, is a circle concentric with the axis of the gear; the line, or
circle, on which the pitch of teeth is measured. — Pitch of a roof (Arch.), the inclination or slope of
the sides expressed by the height in parts of the span; as, one half pitch; whole pitch; or by the height
in parts of the half span, especially among engineers; or by degrees, as a pitch of 30°, of 45°, etc.; or
by the rise and run, that is, the ratio of the height to the half span; as, a pitch of six rise to ten run.
Equilateral pitch is where the two sloping sides with the span form an equilateral triangle. — Pitch of
a plane (Carp.), the slant of the cutting iron. — Pitch pipe, a wind instrument used by choristers in
regulating the pitch of a tune. — Pitch point (Gearing), the point of contact of the pitch lines of two
gears, or of a rack and pinion, which work together.
Pitch-black
(Pitch"-black`) a. Black as pitch or tar.
Pitchblende
(Pitch"blende`) n. [1st pitch + blende.] (Min.) A pitch-black mineral consisting chiefly of
the oxide of uranium; uraninite. See Uraninite.
Pitch-dark
(Pitch"-dark`), a. Dark as a pitch; pitch-black.
Pitcher
(Pitch"er) n.
1. One who pitches anything, as hay, quoits, a ball, etc.; specifically (Baseball), the player who delivers
the ball to the batsman.
2. A sort of crowbar for digging. [Obs.] Mortimer.
Pitcher
(Pitch"er) n. [OE. picher, OF. pichier, OHG. pehhar, pehhari; prob. of the same origin as E.
beaker. Cf. Beaker.]
1. A wide-mouthed, deep vessel for holding liquids, with a spout or protruding lip and a handle; a water
jug or jar with a large ear or handle.
2. (Bot.) A tubular or cuplike appendage or expansion of the leaves of certain plants.
American pitcher plants,
the species of Sarracenia. See Sarracenia. — Australian pitcher plant,
the Cephalotus follicularis, a low saxifragaceous herb having two kinds of radical leaves, some oblanceolate
and entire, others transformed into little ovoid pitchers, longitudinally triple-winged and ciliated, the mouth
covered with a lid shaped like a cockleshell. — California pitcher plant, the Darlingtonia California.
See Darlingtonia. — Pitcher plant, any plant with the whole or a part of the leaves transformed into
pitchers or cuplike organs, especially the species of Nepenthes. See Nepenthes.
Pitcherful
(Pitch"er*ful) n.; pl. Pitcherfuls The quantity a pitcher will hold.
Pitch-faced
(Pitch"-faced`) a. (Stone Cutting) Having the arris defined by a line beyond which the rock
is cut away, so as to give nearly true edges; — said of squared stones that are otherwise quarry-faced.
Pitchfork
(Pitch"fork`) n. A fork, or farming utensil, used in pitching hay, sheaves of grain, or the like.