pith — the soft spongy white tissue lining the rind of citrus fruits
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the soft spongy white tissue lining the rind of citrus fruits
Pronunciation (IPA): /pɪθ/
Example Sentences
- My cooking teacher said to remove all the pith, but I accidentally made my orange look like it went through a paper shredder.
- The pith of her speech was lost in twenty minutes of unnecessary details.
- He's great at getting to the pith of complex problems, unlike me who gets distracted by snacks.
pith
NOUN[/pɪθ/]
the soft spongy white tissue lining the rind of citrus fruits
She removed the orange peel and cut into the fruit to reach its juicy pith.
The scientist ignored the outer details and searched for the pith—the essential core of the plant. (Think: PITH → “PEEL? In The Heart!”)
The pith was hidden inside the plant, like a myth about the fifth secret chamber.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old English 'pitha' meaning 'heart, strength, or vigor.' The word originally referred to the essential life force, later extending to mean the spongy tissue at the center of plant stems, and eventually the figurative sense of 'essence' or 'core meaning.'
Breakdown
pith (from Old English root meaning 'heart/essence') - no prefix or suffix, the word comes directly from the Germanic root
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cooking teacher said to remove all the pith, but I accidentally made my orange look like it went through a paper shredder.”
“The pith of her speech was lost in twenty minutes of unnecessary details.”
“He's great at getting to the pith of complex problems, unlike me who gets distracted by snacks.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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