What does "pith" mean?
The soft, spongy substance inside plant parts; specifically, the parenchyma in the centre of the roots and stems of many plants and trees.
Pith
/pɪθ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The soft, spongy substance inside plant parts; specifically, the parenchyma in the centre of the roots and stems of many plants and trees.
- Grammar: pith is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: core, essence, heart, marrow.
- Useful contrasts: cortex, cortexes, expand.
- Usage evidence: The trunk is attached to the root. A log is the body of the tree cut down, without boughs: having bark and rind, pith and heart.
How to use "pith"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pith" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pith" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pith" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pith" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pith" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "core" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The soft, spongy substance inside plant parts; specifically, the parenchyma in the centre of the roots and stems of many plants and trees. uncountable, usually
"This ſvveete ſmelling Reede is of a darke dun colour, full of ioints and knees eaſie to be broken into ſmall ſplinters, hollovv and full of a certaine vvhite pith, cobvveb vviſe, ſomevvhat gummie in eating, and hanging in the teeth, and of a ſharpe bitter taſte."
- 2 One divided by pi, that is, 1/π (approximately 0.31831…). transitive
"not only that, but your "radian" axis can be labelled as *being* in units of pis, as opposed to the redundancy of 0pi, pi/2, pi etc.; conversely, your circumferential measure can be rational (or units) and your radius can be transcendental (or piths .-)"
- 3 the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience wordnet
- 4 The albedo (“whitish inner portion of the rind”) of a citrus fruit. uncountable, usually
- 5 soft spongelike central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants wordnet
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 Senses relating to humans and animals.; The soft tissue inside a human or animal body or one of their organs; specifically, the spongy interior substance of a horn or the shaft of a feather. broadly, uncountable, usually
- 7 Senses relating to humans and animals.; Chiefly of animals: the soft tissue inside a spinal cord; the spinal marrow; also, the spinal cord itself. broadly, uncountable, usually
"Becauſe many do hold this opinion that this diſeaſe doth conſume the marrovv of the backe: […] [s]ome againe, do tvvine out the pith of the backe vvith a long vvire thruſt vp into the horſſes head, and ſo into his necke and backe, vvith vvhat reaſon I knovv not."
- 8 Senses relating to humans and animals.; Synonym of diploe (“the thin layer of soft, spongy, or cancellate tissue between the bone plates which constitute the skull”). broadly, obsolete, uncountable, usually
- 9 Senses relating to humans and animals.; The soft tissue of the brain. broadly, obsolete, rare, uncountable, usually
"Verily if vvee take a right vievv of this laxe pith or marrovv in Mans head, neither our ſenſe nor underſtanding can diſcover any thing more in this ſubſtance that can pretend to ſuch noble operations as free Imagination and ſagacious collections of Reaſon, then vve can diſcern in a Cake of Sevvet or a bovvle of Curds."
- 10 The soft inner portion of a loaf of bread. Ireland, Southern-England, West-Country, broadly, uncountable, usually
"The berrie Coccum Gnidium, in colour reſembleth the Scarlet graine; in quantitie a pepper corne, but that it is bigger: of an ardent and cauſticke qualitie it is, and therefore they uſe to lap it in the ſoft crum or pith of a loafe of bread, and ſo ſvvallovv it, for feare it ſhould burne the throat as it paſſeth dovvn."
- 11 The central or innermost part of something; the core, the heart. figuratively, uncountable, usually
"In these days folk still believed in witches and trembled at a curse; and this one, falling so pat, like a wayside omen, to arrest me ere I carried out my purpose, took the pith out of my legs."
- 12 The essential or vital part of something; the essence. figuratively, uncountable, usually
"The pith of my idea is that people should choose their own work hours."
- 13 Physical power or strength; force, might. figuratively, uncountable, usually
"Iron bovves, and ſtele bovves, have bene of longe time, and alſo novv are uſed among the Turkes, but yet they muſt nedes be unprofitable. For if braſſe, iron, or ſtele, have their ovvne ſtrengthe and pithe in them, they be farrre^([sic]) above mans ſtrengthe: if they be made meete for mans ſtrengthe, theyr pithe is nothinge vvorth to ſhoote any ſhoote vvithall."
- 14 A quality of courage and endurance; backbone, mettle, spine. figuratively, uncountable, usually
- 15 The energy, force, or power of speech or writing; specifically, such force or power due to conciseness; punch, punchiness. figuratively, uncountable, usually
"I founde in myne owneſelfe, that litle fruite there commeth of the goſpell, if a man reade it but ſluggiſhely, and ſuperficially renne it ouer. But in caſe a mã [man] do with diligent and exquiſite meditacion kepe hymſelf occupied therin, he ſhal fele a certaine vertue and pith ſuche as he ſhall not fele the lyke in any other bookes."
- 16 Chiefly in of (great) pith and moment: gravity, importance, substance, weight. figuratively, uncountable, usually
"For though my ryme be ragged, / Tattered and iagged, / Rudely rayne beaten, / Rusty and moughte eaten, / If ye take well therwith, / It hath in it some pyth."
Verb
- 1 To render insensate or kill (an animal, especially cattle or a laboratory animal) by cutting, piercing, or otherwise destroying the spinal cord. transitive
- 2 remove the pith from (a plant) wordnet
- 3 To extract the pith from (something or (figurative) someone). transitive
"And yet, instead of exclaiming "Send this inconceivable Satanist to the stake," the respectable newspapers pith me by announcing "another book by this brilliant and thoughtful writer.""
Adjective
- 1 The ordinal form of the number pi (π; approximately 3.14159…). not-comparable, transitive
"The pith root of pi is approximately 1.439…"
Example
"The trunk is attached to the root. A log is the body of the tree cut down, without boughs: having bark and rind, pith and heart."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pith"?
Common synonyms include: core, essence, heart, marrow, affective meaning, albedo.
How do you use "pith" in a sentence?
The trunk is attached to the root. A log is the body of the tree cut down, without boughs: having bark and rind, pith and heart.
How do you pronounce "pith"?
Pronounced /pɪθ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The noun is derived from Middle English pith, pithe (“central tissue of a plant’s stem or a tree’s trunk and branches; other spongy inner tissue in a plant; flesh of a fruit, pulp; inner tissue in a body; inner part of an object; essential part, essence, quintessence; importance, value; energy, force, strength, vigour; severity”) [and other forms], from Old English piþa [and other forms], from Proto-Germanic *piþô, from earlier *piþō (oblique *pittan); further etymology unknown. Doublet of pit (“seed or stone inside a fruit”). The verb Middle English pethen (“to give courage or strength”), derived from the noun pith (noun), did not survive into modern English. Cognates * Dutch peen (“carrot”) * Middle Low German peddek, peddik, piddek (“bone marrow; medulla; spinal cord; inner part of a horn or quill; (figurative) core, essence”) (the last spelling rare) (Low German Peddik (“core; pulp”)) * West Frisian piid (“pulp, kernel”)
Etymology 2
From pi (“constant representing the ratio of the circumference of a Euclidean circle to its diameter”) + -th (suffix forming ordinal numerals).