Pith: meaning, definitions and examples

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pith

[ pɪθ ]

^{Context #1}

anatomy

The soft, spongy tissue in the center of a plant stem or fruit.

Synonyms

center, core, heart

Examples of usage

The pith of a plant stem helps transport nutrients and water.
Pith is often removed from citrus fruits before eating.
The pith of a plant can vary in thickness.

^{Context #2}

figurative

The essential or central part of something.

Synonyms

core, essence, gist

Examples of usage

The pith of the argument was lost in the confusion.
She got straight to the pith of the matter.

^{Context #3}

cooking

To remove the spongy white tissue from the inside of a citrus fruit.

Synonyms

extract, remove, separate

Examples of usage

Be sure to pith the lemon before using it in the recipe.

Translations

Translations of the word "pith" in other languages:

🇵🇹 essência

🇮🇳 सार

🇩🇪 Kern

🇮🇩 inti

🇺🇦 суть

🇵🇱 rdzeń

🇯🇵 要点 (ようてん)

🇫🇷 moelle

🇪🇸 esencia

🇹🇷 öz

🇰🇷 핵심

🇸🇦 جوهر

🇨🇿 jádro

🇸🇰 jadro

🇨🇳 精髓 (jīngsuǐ)

🇸🇮 bistvo

🇮🇸 kjarni

🇰🇿 мәні

🇬🇪 ბირთვი (birtvi)

🇦🇿 mahiyyət

🇲🇽 esencia

Word origin

The word 'pith' originated in the 14th century from Middle English 'pith', which came from Old English 'pitha'. It is related to Middle Dutch 'pitte' and Old High German 'phit'. The term originally referred to the soft tissue of plants, and later expanded to include the central or essential part of anything.