spiral wrote:hvered wrote:I looked up pyx and found
I didn't bother looking it up. I just assume it's "pitch" because it's blinking obvious it's a beacon site...
Your instinct is good!
Pitch[pytche; pytch; pitche; pick; piche; pich; peiche]
In Latin PIX, this is a tenacious resinous substance of a black or black-brown colour, hard when cold, but becoming a thick, semi-viscid liquid when heated. It is obtained either as a residuum from the boiling or distillation of TAR or TURPENTINE or, although rarely, from mineral sources. It was used among other things to stop the seams of ships after caulking and to protect WOOD from moisture. Pitch was therefore an important component of NAVAL STORES. It was also used medicinally to treat coughs, arthritis, and as an ingredient of OINTMENTs.
In the Books of Rates of 1657 and 1660 pitch was classified as of two types 'small band' and 'great band' [Rates (1657)]; [Rates (1660)], the meanings of which are unclear.
OED earliest date of use: a700
Found described as BROKEN, COMMON, ENGLISH, ENGLISH MADE, ENGLISH PLANTATION, of the growth of East Florida Found in units of BAR, BARREL, C, CWT, HUNDRED, LB, QUARTER, STONE, TON of 20 gross HUNDRED in 8 BARREL Found imported from Spain, Sweden by the BARREL, CASK, LAST Found rated by the LAST of 12 BARREL each of 31½ GALLON
See also BARREL PITCH, BURGUNDY PITCH, HIRTHE PITCH, PLANTATION PITCH, STONE PITCH, PIX.
Sources: Acts, Diaries, Houghton, Inventories (early), Inventories (mid-period), Rates.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... mpid=58842