Actual Freedom – Definitions

Definitions

Peradventure; Perchance; Perfervid; Perpetual Motion

Persecute; Persuasion; Perversion; Perversity; Perversive

Pervicacious; Phoresy; Phobia; Physician; Pi; Piss-Weak

Pleasaunce/Pleasance; Pleonastic; Polemic; Polemist

Posit; Position; Postpuberal; Pother


Peradventure:

peradventure (adv.; archaic): perhaps; perchance; (n.): chance or uncertainty; doubt. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).


Perchance:

perchance (adv.; archaic or poetic): possibly but not certainly; (synonyms): perhaps, probably, maybe, possibly, by chance, for all you know; (archaic): mayhap, peradventure, haply; [e.g.]: “Are we, perchance, overlooking one small detail?” ~ (Collins English Thesaurus).

perchance (adv.; archaic or poetic): possibly but not certainly; (synonyms): perhaps, probably, maybe, possibly, by chance, for all you know; (archaic): mayhap, peradventure, haply; [e.g.]: “Are we, perchance, overlooking one small detail?” ~ (Collins English Thesaurus).


Perfervid:


Perpetual Motion:

• perpetual motion (n.): the hypothetical continuous operation of an isolated mechanical device or other closed system without a sustaining energy source. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).

• perpetual motion (n.): 1. motion of a hypothetical mechanism which continues indefinitely without any external source of energy; it is impossible in practice because of friction; also called: perpetual motion of the first kind; 2. motion of a hypothetical mechanism which derives its energy from a source at a lower temperature; it is impossible in practice because of the second law of thermodynamics; also called: perpetual motion of the second kind. ~ (Collins English Dictionary).

• perpetual motion (n.): the motion of a theoretical mechanism that, without any losses due to friction or other forms of dissipation of energy, would continue to operate indefinitely at the same rate without any external energy being applied to it. [1585-95]. ~ (Webster’s College Dictionary).

• perpetual motion (n.): 1. motion which continues indefinitely without any external source of energy; impossible in practice because of friction; [e.g.]: “Oh ye seekers after perpetual motion, how many vain chimeras have you pursued? Go and take your place with the alchemists”. (p. 92, “Leonardo da Vinci Notebooks” (1494), Edward McCurdy; 1906, Duckworth & Co.); (related words): motion (a state of change; [e.g.]: “They were in a state of steady motion”). ~ (Princeton’s WordNet 3.0).

• perpetual motion (n.): 1. a machine which should do work without exhausting any power of doing work—that is, its work must not be accompanied by any displacement (such as the fall of a weight, or the uncoiling of a spring) or transformation (such as the combustion of fuel) which could not be undone by a replacement or counter-transformation without the expenditure of as much work as the machine has done. Such a machine is impossible, and contrary to all experience; for power of doing work is never increased nor diminished. Nevertheless, very many pretended perpetual motions have been put forth by deluded or knavish inventors. Most of them are of two classes—first, those which depend upon gravity or magnetism, and, second, those which depend upon centrifugal force or other pressure mistaken for moving power; 2. the mode of motion of such a machine; 3. by a popular abuse of the term, a movement or machine which could go on indefinitely by its own self-generated power. Thus, if a man should pretend to have a wheel which turned upon its bearings without resistance, so that it would go on moving indefinitely, or to have a fluid which, though viscous, was frictionless, so that its motion, though continually decreasing, never came to rest, neither claim would be a claim to a perpetual motion, nor (however unfounded) would it violate any fundamental principle of mechanics. On the other hand, a machine (such as has actually been proposed) which would not go on moving of itself forever, but would require a little external force to overcome friction, but which with that little force should be capable of doing an indefinite amount of work, would, properly speaking, be a perpetual motion. [perpetual, adjective, from Middle English perpetuel, from Old French perpetuel, French perpétuel = Old Spanish perpetual = Italian perpetuale, from Medieval Latin perpetualis, ‘permanent’, Latin perpetualis, ‘universal’, from perpetuus, ‘continuing throughout’, ‘constant’, ‘universal’, ‘general’, ‘continuous’ (hence Italian, Spanish, Portuguese perpetuo, Old French perpetu, ‘perpetual’), from per, ‘through’ + petere, ‘fall upon’, ‘go to’, ‘seek’; see petition; motion, noun, from Middle English motion, mocion, from Old French motion, from French motion = Spanish mocion = Portuguese moção = Italian mozione, from Latin mōtio(n)-, ‘a moving’, ‘an emotion’, from movere, pp. motus, ‘move’; see move]. ~ (Century Dictionary and Cyclopaedia).

• perpetual motion (n.): the expression perpetual motion, or perpetuum mobile, arose historically in connection with the quest for a mechanism which, once set in motion, would continue to do useful work without an external source of energy or which would produce more energy than it absorbed in a cycle of operation. This type of motion, now called perpetual motion of the first kind, involves only one of the three distinct concepts presently associated with the idea of perpetual motion.

1. Perpetual motion of the first kind refers to a mechanism whose efficiency exceeds a hundred percent. Clearly such a mechanism violates the now firmly established principle of conservation of energy, in particular that statement of the principle of conservation of energy embodied in the first law of thermodynamics (indeed, the first law of thermodynamics is sometimes stated as “A perpetuum mobile of the first kind cannot exist”).

2. Perpetual motion of the second kind refers to a device which extracts heat from a source and then converts this heat completely into other forms of energy, a process which satisfies the principle of conservation of energy. A dramatic scheme of this type would be an ocean liner, which extracts heat from the nearly limitless oceanic source and then uses this heat for propulsion. This type of perpetual motion is, however, precluded by the second law of thermodynamics which is sometimes stated as “A perpetuum mobile of the second kind cannot exist”.

3. The third type of perpetual motion is, in contrast to the two types described above wherein useful output was the goal, merely a device which can continue moving forever. It could result in actual systems if all mechanisms by which energy is dissipated could be eliminated. Since experience indicates that dissipative effects in mechanical systems can be reduced, by lubrication in the case of friction, for example, but not eliminated, mechanical perpetual motion of the third kind can be approximated but never achieved. An example of a genuine case of this kind occurs in a superconductor. If a direct current is caused to flow in a superconducting ring, this current will continue to flow undiminished in time without application of any external force. ~ (McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopaedia of Physics).

• Perpetual motion is motion of bodies which continues indefinitely. A perpetual motion machine is a hypothetical machine which can do work indefinitely without an energy source. This kind of machine is impossible, as it would violate the first or second law of thermodynamics. (...). The history of perpetual motion machines dates back to the Middle Ages. For millennia, it was not clear whether perpetual motion devices were possible or not, but the development of modern theories of thermodynamics has shown that they are impossible. Despite this, many attempts have been made to construct such machines, continuing into modern times. (...). There is a scientific consensus that perpetual motion in an isolated system violates either the first law of thermodynamics, the second law of thermodynamics, or both. (...). The term “epistemic impossibility” describes things which absolutely cannot occur within our current formulation of the physical laws. This interpretation of the word “impossible” is what is intended in discussions of the impossibility of perpetual motion in a closed system. The conservation laws are particularly robust from a mathematical perspective. For example, if the true laws of physics remain invariant over time then the conservation of energy follows. On the other hand, if the conservation laws are invalid, then the foundations of physics would need to change.

Scientific investigations as to whether the laws of physics are invariant over time use telescopes to examine the universe in the distant past to discover, to the limits of our measurements, whether ancient stars were identical to stars today. Combining different measurements such as spectroscopy, direct measurement of the speed of light in the past and similar measurements demonstrates that physics has remained substantially the same, if not identical, for all of observable time spanning billions of years.

The principles of thermodynamics are so well established, both theoretically and experimentally, that proposals for perpetual motion machines are universally met with disbelief on the part of physicists.

• “The law that entropy always increases, holds, I think, the supreme position among the laws of Nature. If someone points out to you that your pet theory of the universe is in disagreement with Maxwell’s equations—then so much the worse for Maxwell’s equations. If it is found to be contradicted by observation—well, these experimentalists do bungle things sometimes. But if your theory is found to be against the second law of thermodynamics I can give you no hope; there is nothing for it but to collapse in deepest humiliation”. (Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, “The Nature of the Physical World”; 1927).

In the mid nineteenth-century Henry Dircks investigated the history of perpetual motion experiments, writing a vitriolic attack on those who continued to attempt what he believed to be impossible:

• “There is something lamentable, degrading, and almost insane in pursuing the visionary schemes of past ages with dogged determination, in paths of learning which have been investigated by superior minds, and with which such adventurous persons are totally unacquainted. The history of Perpetual Motion is a history of the fool-hardiness of either half-learned, or totally ignorant persons”. (p. 354, “Perpetuum Mobile: Or, A History of the Search for Self-Motive”, Henry Dircks; 1861).

As “perpetual motion” can only exist in isolated systems, and true isolated systems do not exist, there are not any real “perpetual motion” devices. ~ (2024 Wikipedia Encyclopaedia).


Persecute:

[Dictionary Definition]: persecute (tr.v.): (seek out and) subject to hostility or ill treatment, esp. on the grounds of political, religious, or other beliefs regarded as unacceptable; oppress. ~ (Oxford English Dictionary).


Perversion:

perversion (n.): 1. a curve that reverses the direction of something; [e.g.]: “the tendrils of the plant exhibited perversion”; “perversion also shows up in kinky telephone cords”; 2. an aberrant sexual practice; sexual perversion; paraphilia (abnormal sexual activity); 3. the action of perverting something (turning it to a wrong use); [e.g.]: “it was a perversion of justice”; actus reus {Latin; lit. ‘guilty act’}, wrongful conduct, misconduct, wrongdoing (activity that transgresses moral or civil law); [e.g.]: “he denied any wrongdoing”. ~ (Princeton’s WordNet 3.0).


Perversity:

perversity (n.): 1. deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline; contrariness; 2. deliberately deviating from what is good; [e.g.]: “there will always be a few people who, through macho perversity, gain satisfaction from bullying and terrorism”; perverseness. ~ (Princeton’s WordNet 3.0).


Perversive:

perversive (adj.): tending or having power to pervert or corrupt. [from Latin perversus , pp. of pervertere, ‘turn about’, ‘corrupt’, ‘pervert’ (from per, ‘through’ + vertere, ‘turn’) + -ive]. ~ (Century Dictionary and Cyclopaedia).

perversive (adj.): tending to corrupt or pervert; [e.g.]: “Collective laissez-faire gives room for perversive behaviours in the electoral process”; (synonyms): corruptive, pestiferous, contaminative; [e.g.]: “A pestiferous malignancy corrupted the entire mail-in ballot-count”; “Unaccountable money suffused their corruptive policies with meanness”; “Free handouts, contaminative throughout the electoral system, perverted its integrity”; (related terms): malevolence, wickedness; evil (vile iniquity or flagitious depravity); [e.g.]: “The whole enterprise was infused with malevolence”; “It was an all-pervasive wickedness”; “Once set in motion the evil deeds multiplied exponentially”). [1690, from Latin pervertere, ‘to overturn’, ‘subvert’, from per- (indicative of deviation) + vertere, ‘to turn’]. ~ (Online Neoteric Dictionary).


Pervicacious:


Persuasion:

persuasion (n.): any group or type of person or thing linked by a specified characteristic [‡], quality, or attribute; [e.g.]: “Pictured on the poster was a collared clergyperson *of the female persuasion*”; “There were a couple of mismatched kitchen units, a butler’s sink, an ancient gas oven *of the enamel persuasion*, a leaking radiator and an odd-legged table with a red Formica top”; “Many people *of a bohemian persuasion* passed through her living room, from artists to drug addicts, notthat those classifications were mutually exclusive”. [emphases added]. [origin: Late Middle English: from Latin persuasio(n-), from the verb persuadere, from per-, ‘through, to completion’ + suadere, ‘advise’]. ~ (Oxford English Dictionary).

persuasion (n.): a class that is defined by the common attribute or attributes possessed by all its members: breed, cast, description, feather, ilk, kind, lot, manner, mould, order, sort, species, stamp, stripe, type, variety.~ (American Heritage Roget’s Thesaurus).

[‡]The following examples are from a selective online sampling demonstrative of how the above definition (as in the above “any group or type of person...linked by a specified characteristic” that is) corresponds with everyday usage by the very persons thusly self-identifying. Viz.:

• “Like any good overly-neurotic male *of the homosexual persuasion*, I have a lot of irrational fears...”. [emphasis added].

[www.designsponge.com/2014/03/face-yo-fears-etc-learners-permit-edition.html].

• “Tinky Winky’s handbag accessory makes people assume the Teletubby is *of the homosexual persuasion*...”. [emphasis added].

[www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/19/printer_4512.php].

• “Those *of the homosexual persuasion* will find themselves drawn to South Beach...”. [emphasis added].

[www.fagabond.com/cities/miami/].

• “Head to the city beaches however, and you’re likely to see a fair few hunky men *of the homosexual persuasion*...”. [emphasis added].

[https://mygaytravelguide.com/going-gay-colombia].

• “In many ways, Dorothy was the original fag hag {i.e., the ‘Dorothy Gale’ character in the 1939 “Wizard of Oz” film}. It’s no wonder that the term ‘friend of Dorothy’ has long been used as a low-key way of asking whether a guy is *of the homosexual persuasion*...”. [emphasis added].

[www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/8905/camp-sites-wizard-oz/].

• “The word ‘gay’ meant many things before it was ever used in reference to those *of the homosexual persuasion*...”. [emphasis added].

[www.homorazzi.com/article/thats-so-gay-phrase-politically-correct/].


Phoresy:

“Phoresy is the act of ‘hitching a lift’ on another organism”. (viz.: www.amentsoc.org/insects/glossary/terms/phoresy).


Phobia:

[Dictionary Definition]: ‘phobia: (a) fear, (a) horror, (an) aversion; esp. an abnormal and irrational fear or dread aroused by a particular object or circumstance.’ (Oxford Dictionary).


Pi:

[Dictionary Definition]: pi (n.): 1. the sixteenth letter in the Greek alphabet (Π, π), a consonant, transliterated as ‘p’; 2. a transcendental number, fundamental to mathematics, which is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter; approximate value: 3.141592+; symbol: π. [C18 mathematical use from Greek π, representing the first letter of Greek περιφέρεια (periféreia), ‘periphery’, ‘circumference’]. ~ (Collins English Dictionary).


Physician:

physician (n.): 1. a person who is legally qualified to practice medicine; doctor of medicine; 2. a person engaged in general medical practice, as distinguished from a surgeon; (adj.): *physicianly*. [1175-1225; Middle English fisicien from Old French; from fisique,‘physic’; from Latin physica, ‘natural science’ (Medieval Latin: ‘medical science’) from Greek physikē , ‘science of nature’]. [emphasis added]. ~ (Webster’s College Dictionary)


Piss-Weak:

piss-weak (slang, vulgar): extremely weak’. ~ (Wiktionary English Dictionary).


Pleasaunce/Pleasance:


Pleonastic:

[Dictionary Definition]: pleonastic (adj.): using more words than are required to express an idea; redundancy. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).

Pleonastic:


Phoresy:

“Phoresy is the act of ‘hitching a lift’ on another organism”. (viz.: www.amentsoc.org/insects/glossary/terms/phoresy).


Phobia:

[Dictionary Definition]: ‘phobia: (a) fear, (a) horror, (an) aversion; esp. an abnormal and irrational fear or dread aroused by a particular object or circumstance.’ (Oxford Dictionary).


Polemic:

polemic (n.): an aggressive controversialist; polemicist; disputant (=one who is engaged in a dispute). [1626; from polemique, ‘controversial’, from Greek polemikos, ‘warlike’, ‘hostile’, from polemos, ‘war’]. ~ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).


Polemist:

polemicist (n.): a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology); (synonyms): polemic, polemist. ~ (Princeton’s WordNet 3.0).


Posit:

• posit (tr.v.): 1. to lay down or assume as a fact or principle; postulate [viz.; to claim or assume the existence or truth of, esp. as a basis for reasoning or arguing]; 2. to place, put, or set; (n.): 3. something posited; assumption; postulate [viz.: something taken as self-evident or assumed without proof as a basis for reasoning]. [1640-50; from Latin positus, past participle of pōnere, ‘to place, put’].~ (Webster’s College Dictionary).

• posit (v.): to take for granted without proof; (synonyms): assume, postulate, premise, presume, presuppose, suppose; informal: reckon.~ (American Heritage Roget’s Thesaurus).


Position:

[Dictionary Definition]: ‘position (chiefly Logic & Philos.): the action of positing; the putting forward of a proposition; affirmation, postulation (now rare); a proposition laid down or stated; something posited; an assertion, a tenet’. (Oxford Dictionary).


Postpuberal:

postpuberal (post-pubertal): occurring in or pertaining to the period following puberty; postpubescent⁽*⁾. ~ (Miller-Keane Encyclopaedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health).

⁽*⁾postpubescent (adj.): subsequent to the period of puberty; (synonyms): postpuberal, post-pubertal. ~ (Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary).


Pother:

• pother (n.): an excited state of agitation; [e.g.]: “there was a terrible pother about the theft”; (synonyms): dither, fuss, tizzy, flap; agitation (a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance); (v.): 1. make upset or troubled; (synonyms): charge up, commove⁽*⁾, agitate, rouse, excite, turn on, charge (cause to be agitated, excited, or roused); 2. make a fuss; be agitated; dither, flap; fret, fuss, niggle (worry unnecessarily or excessively). ~ (Princeton’s WordNet 3.0).

⁽*⁾commove (v.): 1. cause to be agitated, excited, or roused; 2. change the arrangement or position of. ~ (Princeton’s WordNet 3.0).

• pother (n.): a tumult; disturbance; confusion; bustle; flutter; [e.g.]: “We run, we strive, and purchase things with our Blood and Money, quite foreign to our real intrinsic Happiness, which have a Being in Imagination only, as you may see by the Pother that is made about Precedence, Titles, Court-Favour, Maidenheads and Chinaware”. (Sir Richard Steele, “The Funeral: Or, Grief A-la-mode”, 1701, I. 1.). ~ (Century Dictionary and Cyclopaedia).


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