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Possible definitions for pitre

Mitre
President of Argentina (1862-68). An exiled critic of the dictator J. M. de Rosas, he helped defeat Rosas by leading Uruguayan forces against him, then led a successful campaign to make Buenos Aires the capital of a united Argentina. Once elected president, he suppressed the rural caudillos, extended mail and telegraph service, organized public finances, established new courts, and founded the newspaper La Nació n (1870) and the Argentine Academy of History. See also J. J. de Urquiza.


petrel
Any of numerous seabirds (order Procellariiformes, particularly family Procellariidae), incl. 24 species (genera Pterodroma and Bulweria) called gadfly petrels because of their fluttering flight. Most are dark above and light below, with long wings and a short, wedge-shaped tail. They nest in colonies on tropical and subtropical islands. Both parents tend the single chick until it is almost fully fledged. During the nonbreeding season, petrels roam the open ocean, eating squid and small fishes. Species in the family Pelecanoididae are called diving petrels. See also fulmar, shearwater, storm petrel.


citrine
Transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz. Citrine is a semiprecious gem that is valued for its yellow to brownish color and its resemblance to the rarer topaz. Natural citrine is rarer than amethyst or smoky quartz, both of which are often heated to change their natural color to that of citrine. Citrine is often marketed under various names that confuse it with topaz to inflate its price; it may be distinguished from topaz by its inferior hardness. It occurs mainly in Brazil, Uruguay, the Ural Mtns., Scotland, and N. Carolina.


citron
Small evergreen tree or shrub (Citrus medica) in the rue family, cultivated in Mediterranean countries and the W. Indies. It has irregular, spreading, spiny branches and large, pale green, broadly oblong leaves. The flowers of the acidic varieties (e.g., the Diamante) are purple on the outside and white on the inside; those of sweet varieties (e.g., the Corsican) are creamy white. The oval or oblong fruit yields firm pulp, either acidic or sweet, that is used only for by-products. The thick peel is cured in brine, candied, and sold as a confection. The fruit of the Etrog variety is used in Jewish religious rites.


citrus
Any of the plants that make up the genus Citrus, in the rue family, that yield pulpy fruits covered with fairly thick skins. The genus includes the lemon, lime, sweet and sour oranges, tangerine, grapefruit, citron, and shaddock (C. maxima, or C. grandis; also called pomelo).


fire
Rapid burning of combustible material, producing heat and usually accompanied by flame. For eons, lightning was the only source of fire. The earliest controlled use of fire seems to date to c.1,420,000 years ago, but not until c.7000 BC did Neolithic humans acquire reliable firemaking ...

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