pith

• Nom désignant le tissu spongieux et mou au centre des tiges des plantes, ou, au sens figuré, le cœur, l'essentiel, la partie la plus importante d'une idée ou d'une expérience.

A noun referring to the soft, spongy central tissue in plant stems, or metaphorically to the essential, most vital part of an idea or experience.

indénombrable

1. Plant tissueB2formal

   The soft, spongy central cylinder found in the stems of most flowering plants.

   Moelle végétale

   • The pith of the sunflower stem is light and airy.
   • Botanists study the pith to understand plant growth.
   • The pith in young shoots is often white and tender.

   Synonymesmedulla

2. Core or essenceC1formal

   The most important, essential, or vital part of an idea, argument, or experience.

   Cœur, essence

   • The pith of her argument was that education must be free.
   • He quickly got to the pith of the matter during the discussion.
   • The pith of the novel is its exploration of human resilience.

   Synonymescorecruxessencegistheartkernelmarrowmeatnubsubstance

   Antonymesexteriorperipherysuperficiality

• Verbe désignant l'action d'ôter la moelle ou le cœur d'une plante, et par extension, de tuer ou de détruire la partie vitale de quelque chose, ou d'enlever l'essence ou la substance.

An archaic verb meaning to extract the pith from a plant, or figuratively, to kill or destroy the vital part of something.

1. Remove the pithB2formal

   To remove the soft, spongy white tissue from the rind of a citrus fruit or from a plant stem.

   Enlever la moelle

   • She carefully piths the oranges before making marmalade.
   • The chef piths the lemons to avoid bitterness in the sauce.
   • He piths the stems of the plants before using them in the arrangement.