| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| pabular | adjective | Of, pertaining to, or fit for, pabulum or food; affording food. |
| pabulum | noun | The means of nutriment to animals or plants; food; nourishment; hence, that which feeds or sustains, as fuel for a fire; that upon which the mind or soul is nourished; as, intellectual pabulum. |
| pacable | adjective | Placable. |
| pacated | adjective | Pacified; pacate. |
| pachisi | noun | Alt. of Parchesi |
| pacific | adjective | Of or pertaining to peace; suited to make or restore peace; of a peaceful character; not warlike; not quarrelsome; conciliatory; as, pacific words or acts; a pacific nature or condition. |
| pacfier | noun | One who pacifies. |
| packing | present participle & vb. noun | of Pack, The act or process of one who packs., Any material used to pack, fill up, or make close., A substance or piece used to make a joint impervious, A thin layer, or sheet, of yielding or elastic material inserted between the surfaces of a flange joint., The substance in a stuffing box, through which a piston rod slides., A yielding ring, as of metal, which surrounds a piston and maintains a tight fit, as inside a cylinder, etc., Same as Filling., A trick; collusion. |
| package | noun | Act or process of packing., A bundle made up for transportation; a packet; a bale; a parcel; as, a package of goods., A charge made for packing goods., A duty formerly charged in the port of London on goods imported or exported by aliens, or by denizens who were the sons of aliens. |
| packmen | plural | of Packman |
| packman | noun | One who bears a pack; a peddler. |
| packwax | noun | Same as Paxwax. |
| packway | noun | A path, as over mountains, followed by pack animals. |
| paction | noun | An agreement; a compact; a bargain. |
| padding | present participle & vb. noun | of Pad, The act or process of making a pad or of inserting stuffing., The material with which anything is padded., Material of inferior value, serving to extend a book, essay, etc., The uniform impregnation of cloth with a mordant. |
| paddled | imp. & past participle | of Paddle |
| paddock | noun | A toad or frog., A small inclosure or park for sporting., A small inclosure for pasture; esp., one adjoining a stable. |
| paddies | plural | of Paddy |
| padella | noun | A large cup or deep saucer, containing fatty matter in which a wick is placed, — used for public illuminations, as at St. Peter’s, in Rome. Called also padelle. |
| padesoy | noun | See Paduasoy. |
| padlock | noun | A portable lock with a bow which is usually jointed or pivoted at one end so that it can be opened, the other end being fastened by the bolt, — used for fastening by passing the bow through a staple over a hasp or through the links of a chain, etc., Fig.: A curb; a restraint., To fasten with, or as with, a padlock; to stop; to shut; to confine as by a padlock. |
| padroni | plural | of Padrone |
| padrone | noun | A patron; a protector., The master of a small coaster in the Mediterranean., A man who imports, and controls the earnings of, Italian laborers, street musicians, etc. |
| paganic | adjective | Alt. of Paganical |
| paganly | adverb | In a pagan manner. |
| pageant | noun | A theatrical exhibition; a spectacle., An elaborate exhibition devised for the entertainmeut of a distinguished personage, or of the public; a show, spectacle, or display., Of the nature of a pageant; spectacular., To exhibit in show; to represent; to mimic. |
| paginae | plural | of Pagina |
| paginal | adjective | Consisting of pages. |
| pahlevi | noun | Same as Pehlevi. |
| pahutes | noun pl. | See Utes. |
| paijama | noun | Pyjama. |
| pailful | noun | The quantity that a pail will hold. |
| paining | present participle & vb. noun | of Pain |
| painful | adjective | Full of pain; causing uneasiness or distress, either physical or mental; afflictive; disquieting; distressing., Requiring labor or toil; difficult; executed with laborious effort; as a painful service; a painful march., Painstaking; careful; industrious. |
| painted | imp. & past participle | of Paint, Covered or adorned with paint; portrayed in colors., Marked with bright colors; as, the painted turtle; painted bunting. |
| painter | noun | A rope at the bow of a boat, used to fasten it to anything., The panther, or puma., One whose occupation is to paint, One who covers buildings, ships, ironwork, and the like, with paint., An artist who represents objects or scenes in color on a flat surface, as canvas, plaster, or the like. |
| pairing | present participle & vb. noun | of Pair, The act or process of uniting or arranging in pairs or couples., See To pair off, under Pair, v. i. |
| paisano | noun | The chaparral cock. |
| pakfong | noun | See Packfong. |
| paladin | noun | A knight-errant; a distinguished champion; as, the paladins of Charlemagne. |
| palaeo- | See Paleo-. | |
| palamme | plural | of Palama |
| palanka | noun | A camp permanently intrenched, attached to Turkish frontier fortresses. |
| palatal | adjective | Of or pertaining to the palate; palatine; as, the palatal bones., Uttered by the aid of the palate; — said of certain sounds, as the sound of k in kirk., A sound uttered, or a letter pronounced, by the aid of the palate, as the letters k and y. |
| palatic | adjective | Palatal; palatine., A palatal. |
| palato- | A combining form used in anatomy to indicate relation to, or connection with, the palate; as in palatolingual. | |
| palaver | noun | Talk; conversation; esp., idle or beguiling talk; talk intended to deceive; flattery., In Africa, a parley with the natives; a talk; hence, a public conference and deliberation; a debate., To make palaver with, or to; to used palaver;to talk idly or deceitfully; to employ flattery; to cajole; as, to palaver artfully. |
| paleola | noun | A diminutive or secondary palea; a lodicule. |
| paleous | adjective | Chaffy; like chaff; paleaceous. |
| palesie | noun | Alt. of Palesy |
| paletot | noun | An overcoat., A lady’s outer garment, — of varying fashion. |
| palette | noun | A thin, oval or square board, or tablet, with a thumb hole at one end for holding it, on which a painter lays and mixes his pigments., One of the plates covering the points of junction at the bend of the shoulders and elbows., A breastplate for a breast drill. |
| palfrey | noun | A saddle horse for the road, or for state occasions, as distinguished from a war horse., A small saddle horse for ladies. |
| palissy | adjective | Designating, or of the nature of, a kind of pottery made by Bernard Palissy, in France, in the 16th centry. |
| palling | present participle & vb. noun | of Pall |
| pallial | adjective | Of or pretaining to a mantle, especially to the mantle of mollusks; produced by the mantle; as, the pallial line, or impression, which marks the attachment of the mantle on the inner surface of a bivalve shell. See Illust. of Bivalve. |
| pallium | noun | A large, square, woolen cloak which enveloped the whole person, worn by the Greeks and by certain Romans. It is the Roman name of a Greek garment., A band of white wool, worn on the shoulders, with four purple crosses worked on it; a pall., The mantle of a bivalve. See Mantle., The mantle of a bird. |
| pallone | noun | An Italian game, played with a large leather ball. |
| palming | present participle & vb. noun | of Palm |
| palmary | adjective | Palmar., Worthy of the palm; palmy; preeminent; superior; principal; chief; as, palmary work. |
| palmate | noun | A salt of palmic acid; a ricinoleate., Alt. of Palmated |
| palmite | noun | A South African plant (Prionium Palmita) of the Rush family, having long serrated leaves. The stems have been used for making brushes. |
| palmyra | noun | A species of palm (Borassus flabelliformis) having a straight, black, upright trunk, with palmate leaves. It is found native along the entire northern shores of the Indian Ocean, from the mouth of the Tigris to New Guinea. More than eight hundred uses to which it is put are enumerated by native writers. Its wood is largely used for building purposes; its fruit and roots serve for food, its sap for making toddy, and its leaves for thatching huts. |
| palsied | adjective | Affected with palsy; paralyzed., of Palsy |
| palster | noun | A pilgrim’s staff. |
| palsies | plural | of Palsy |
| paltock | noun | A kind of doublet; a jacket. |
| paludal | adjective | Of or pertaining to marshes or fens; marshy. |
| palulus | noun | Same as Palus. |
| pampano | noun | Same as Pompano. |
| pampero | noun | A violent wind from the west or southwest, which sweeps over the pampas of South America and the adjacent seas, often doing great damage. |
| panning | present participle & vb. noun | of Pan |
| panacea | noun | A remedy for all diseases; a universal medicine; a cure-all; catholicon; hence, a relief or solace for affliction., The herb allheal. |
| panache | noun | A plume or bunch of feathers, esp. such a bunch worn on the helmet; any military plume, or ornamental group of feathers. |
| pancake | noun | A thin cake of batter fried in a pan or on a griddle; a griddlecake; a flapjack. |
| pandean | adjective | Of or relating to the god Pan. |
| pandect | noun | A treatise which comprehends the whole of any science., The digest, or abridgment, in fifty books, of the decisions, writings, and opinions of the old Roman jurists, made in the sixth century by direction of the emperor Justinian, and forming the leading compilation of the Roman civil law. |
| pandoor | noun | Same as Pandour. |
| pandora | noun | A beautiful woman (all-gifted), whom Jupiter caused Vulcan to make out of clay in order to punish the human race, because Prometheus had stolen the fire from heaven. Jupiter gave Pandora a box containing all human ills, which, when the box was opened, escaped and spread over the earth. Hope alone remained in the box. Another version makes the box contain all the blessings of the gods, which were lost to men when Pandora opened it., A genus of marine bivalves, in which one valve is flat, the other convex. |
| pandore | noun | An ancient musical instrument, of the lute kind; a bandore. |
| pandour | noun | One of a class of Hungarian mountaineers serving in the Austrian army; — so called from Pandur, a principal town in the region from which they originally came. |
| paneled | imp. & past participle | of Panel |
| panfuls | plural | of Panful |
| pangful | adjective | Full of pangs. |
| panical | adjective | See Panic, a. |
| panicle | noun | A pyramidal form of inflorescence, in which the cluster is loosely branched below and gradually simpler toward the end. |
| panicum | noun | A genus of grasses, including several hundred species, some of which are valuable; panic grass. |
| pannade | noun | The curvet of a horse. |
| pannage | noun | The food of swine in the woods, as beechnuts, acorns, etc.; — called also pawns., A tax paid for the privilege of feeding swine in the woods. |
| pannary | adjective | See Panary. |
| pannier | noun | A bread basket; also, a wicker basket (used commonly in pairs) for carrying fruit or other things on a horse or an ass, A shield of basket work formerly used by archers as a shelter from the enemy’s missiles., A table waiter at the Inns of Court, London., A framework of steel or whalebone, worn by women to expand their dresses; a kind of bustle. |
| pannose | adjective | Similar in texture or appearance to felt or woolen cloth. |
| panoply | noun | Defensive armor in general; a full suit of defensive armor. |
| panshon | noun | An earthen vessel wider at the top than at the bottom, — used for holding milk and for various other purposes. |
| pansied | adjective | Covered or adorned with pansies. |
| pansies | plural | of Pansy |
| panting | present participle & vb. noun | of Pant |
| panther | noun | A large dark-colored variety of the leopard, by some zoologists considered a distinct species. It is marked with large ringlike spots, the centers of which are darker than the color of the body., In America, the name is applied to the puma, or cougar, and sometimes to the jaguar. |
| pantile | noun | A roofing tile, of peculiar form, having a transverse section resembling an elongated S laid on its side (/). |
| pantler | noun | The servant or officer, in a great family, who has charge of the bread and the pantry. |
| panurgy | noun | Skill in all kinds of work or business; craft. |
| panyard | noun | See Pannier. |
| papagay | noun | See Popinjay, 1 (b). |
| papally | adverb | In a papal manner; popishly |
| papalty | noun | The papacy. |
| papaver | noun | A genus of plants, including the poppy. |
| papboat | noun | A kind of sauce boat or dish., A large spiral East Indian marine shell (Turbinella rapha); — so called because used by native priests to hold the oil for anointing. |
| papejay | noun | A popinjay. |
| papered | imp. & past participle | of Paper |
| paphian | adjective | Of or pertaining to Paphos, an ancient city of Cyprus, having a celebrated temple of Venus; hence, pertaining to Venus, or her rites., A native or inhabitant of Paphos. |
| papilio | noun | A genus of butterflies. |
| papilla | noun | Any minute nipplelike projection; as, the papillae of the tongue. |
| papized | adjective | Conformed to popery. |
| papoose | noun | A babe or young child of Indian parentage in North America. |
| pappose | adjective | Furnished with a pappus; downy. |
| pappous | adjective | Pappose. |
| papuars | noun pl. | The native black race of Papua or New Guinea, and the adjacent islands. |
| papulae | plural | of Papula |
| papular | adjective | Covered with papules., Consisting of papules; characterized by the presence of papules; as, a papular eruption. |
| papules | plural | of Papule |
| papyrus | noun | A tall rushlike plant (Cyperus Papyrus) of the Sedge family, formerly growing in Egypt, and now found in Abyssinia, Syria, Sicily, etc. The stem is triangular and about an inch thick., The material upon which the ancient Egyptians wrote. It was formed by cutting the stem of the plant into thin longitudinal slices, which were gummed together and pressed., A manuscript written on papyrus; esp., pl., written scrolls made of papyrus; as, the papyri of Egypt or Herculaneum. |
| parable | adjective | Procurable., A comparison; a similitude; specifically, a short fictitious narrative of something which might really occur in life or nature, by means of which a moral is drawn; as, the parables of Christ., To represent by parable. |
| paraded | imp. & past participle | of Parade |
| parados | noun | An intercepting mound, erected in any part of a fortification to protect the defenders from a rear or ricochet fire; a traverse. |
| paradox | noun | A tenet or proposition contrary to received opinion; an assertion or sentiment seemingly contradictory, or opposed to common sense; that which in appearance or terms is absurd, but yet may be true in fact. |
| paragon | noun | A companion; a match; an equal., Emulation; rivalry; competition., A model or pattern; a pattern of excellence or perfection; as, a paragon of beauty or eloquence., A size of type between great primer and double pica. See the Note under Type., To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with., To compare with; to equal; to rival., To serve as a model for; to surpass., To be equal; to hold comparison. |
| paramos | plural | of Paramo |
| parapet | noun | A low wall, especially one serving to protect the edge of a platform, roof, bridge, or the like., A wall, rampart, or elevation of earth, for covering soldiers from an enemy’s fire; a breastwork. See Illust. of Casemate. |
| parasol | noun | A kind of small umbrella used by women as a protection from the sun., To shade as with a parasol. |
| parboil | verb t. | To boil or cook thoroughly., To boil in part; to cook partially by boiling. |
| parcase | adverb | Perchance; by chance. |
| parched | imp. & past participle | of Parch |
| parcity | noun | Sparingless. |
| pardale | noun | A leopard. |
| pardine | adjective | Spotted like a pard. |
| parella | noun | Alt. of Parelle |
| parelle | noun | A name for two kinds of dock (Rumex Patientia and R. Hydrolapathum)., A kind of lichen (Lecanora parella) once used in dyeing and in the preparation of litmus. |
| parergy | noun | Something unimportant, incidental, or superfluous. |
| paresis | noun | Incomplete paralysis, affecting motion but not sensation. |
| paretic | adjective | Of or pertaining to paresis; affected with paresis. |
| parforn | verb t. | Alt. of Parfourn |
| paritor | noun | An apparitor. |
| parking | present participle & vb. noun | of Park |
| parleys | plural | of Parley |
| parlous | adjective | Attended with peril; dangerous; as, a parlous cough., Venturesome; bold; mischievous; keen. |
| parodic | adjective | Alt. of Parodical |
| paroket | noun | See Paroquet. |
| paroled | imp. & past participle | of Parole |
| paronym | noun | A paronymous word. |
| parotic | adjective | On the side of the auditory capsule; near the external ear. |
| parotid | adjective | Situated near the ear; — applied especially to the salivary gland near the ear., Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the parotid gland., The parotid gland. |
| parquet | noun | A body of seats on the floor of a music hall or theater nearest the orchestra; but commonly applied to the whole lower floor of a theater, from the orchestra to the dress circle; the pit., Same as Parquetry. |
| parrock | noun | A croft, or small field; a paddock. |
| parried | imp. & past participle | of Parry |
| parries | plural | of Parry |
| parsing | present participle & vb. noun | of Parse |
| parsley | noun | An aromatic umbelliferous herb (Carum Petroselinum), having finely divided leaves which are used in cookery and as a garnish. |
| parsnip | noun | The aromatic and edible spindle-shaped root of the cultivated form of the Pastinaca sativa, a biennial umbelliferous plant which is very poisonous in its wild state; also, the plant itself. |
| parting | present participle & vb. noun | of Part, Serving to part; dividing; separating., Given when departing; as, a parting shot; a parting salute., Departing., Admitting of being parted; partible., The act of parting or dividing; the state of being parted; division; separation., A separation; a leave-taking., A surface or line of separation where a division occurs., The surface of the sand of one section of a mold where it meets that of another section., The separation and determination of alloys; esp., the separation, as by acids, of gold from silver in the assay button., A joint or fissure, as in a coal seam., The breaking, as of a cable, by violence., Lamellar separation in a crystallized mineral, due to some other cause than cleavage, as to the presence of twinning lamellae. |
| partage | noun | Division; the act of dividing or sharing., Part; portion; share. |
| partook | imp. | of Partake, imp. of Partake. |
| partake | verb i. | To take a part, portion, lot, or share, in common with others; to have a share or part; to participate; to share; as, to partake of a feast with others., To have something of the properties, character, or office; — usually followed by of., To partake of; to have a part or share in; to share., To admit to a share; to cause to participate; to give a part to., To distribute; to communicate. |
| partial | noun | Of, pertaining to, or affecting, a part only; not general or universal; not total or entire; as, a partial eclipse of the moon., Inclined to favor one party in a cause, or one side of a question, more then the other; baised; not indifferent; as, a judge should not be partial., Having a predelection for; inclined to favor unreasonably; foolishly fond., Pertaining to a subordinate portion; as, a compound umbel is made up of a several partial umbels; a leaflet is often supported by a partial petiole. |
| partita | noun | A suite; a set of variations. |
| partite | adjective | Divided nearly to the base; as, a partite leaf is a simple separated down nearly to the base. |
| partlet | noun | A covering for the neck, and sometimes for the shoulders and breast; originally worn by both sexes, but laterby women alone; a ruff., A hen; — so called from the ruffing of her neck feathers. |
| partner | noun | One who has a part in anything with an other; a partaker; an associate; a sharer. “Partner of his fortune.” Shak. Hence: (a) A husband or a wife. (b) Either one of a couple who dance together. (c) One who shares as a member of a partnership in the management, or in the gains and losses, of a business., An associate in any business or occupation; a member of a partnership. See Partnership., A framework of heavy timber surrounding an opening in a deck, to strengthen it for the support of a mast, pump, capstan, or the like., To associate, to join. |
| parture | noun | Departure. |
| parties | plural | of Party |
| parusia | noun | A figure of speech by which the present tense is used instead of the past or the future, as in the animated narration of past, or in the prediction of future, events. |
| parvenu | noun | An upstart; a man newly risen into notice. |
| parvise | noun | a court of entrance to, or an inclosed space before, a church; hence, a church porch; — sometimes formerly used as place of meeting, as for lawyers. |
| parvity | noun | Littleness. |
| paschal | adjective | Of or pertaining to the passover, or to Easter; as, a paschal lamb; paschal eggs. |
| pasquil | noun | See Pasquin., See Pasquin. |
| pasquin | noun | A lampooner; also, a lampoon. See Pasquinade., To lampoon; to satiraze. |
| passing | present participle & vb. noun | of Pass, The act of one who, or that which, passes; the act of going by or away., Relating to the act of passing or going; going by, beyond, through, or away; departing., Exceeding; surpassing, eminent., Exceedingly; excessively; surpassingly; as, passing fair; passing strange. |
| passade | verb i. | Alt. of Passado |
| passado | verb i. | A pass or thrust., A turn or course of a horse backward or forward on the same spot of ground. |
| passage | verb i. | The act of passing; transit from one place to another; movement from point to point; a going by, over, across, or through; as, the passage of a man or a carriage; the passage of a ship or a bird; the passage of light; the passage of fluids through the pores or channels of the body., Transit by means of conveyance; journey, as by water, carriage, car, or the like; travel; right, liberty, or means, of passing; conveyance., Price paid for the liberty to pass; fare; as, to pay one’s passage., Removal from life; decease; departure; death., Way; road; path; channel or course through or by which one passes; way of exit or entrance; way of access or transit. Hence, a common avenue to various apartments in a building; a hall; a corridor., A continuous course, process, or progress; a connected or continuous series; as, the passage of time., A separate part of a course, process, or series; an occurrence; an incident; an act or deed., A particular portion constituting a part of something continuous; esp., a portion of a book, speech, or musical composition; a paragraph; a clause., Reception; currency., A pass or en encounter; as, a passage at arms., A movement or an evacuation of the bowels., In parliamentary proceedings: (a) The course of a proposition (bill, resolution, etc.) through the several stages of consideration and action; as, during its passage through Congress the bill was amended in both Houses. (b) The advancement of a bill or other proposition from one stage to another by an affirmative vote; esp., the final affirmative action of the body upon a proposition; hence, adoption; enactment; as, the passage of the bill to its third reading was delayed. |
| passant | verb i. | Passing from one to another; in circulation; current., Curs/ry, careless., Surpassing; excelling., Walking; — said of any animal on an escutcheon, which is represented as walking with the dexter paw raised. |
| passion | noun | A suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress (as, a cardiac passion); specifically, the suffering of Christ between the time of the last supper and his death, esp. in the garden upon the cross., The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition; — opposed to action., Capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents., The state of the mind when it is powerfully acted upon and influenced by something external to itself; the state of any particular faculty which, under such conditions, becomes extremely sensitive or uncontrollably excited; any emotion or sentiment (specifically, love or anger) in a state of abnormal or controlling activity; an extreme or inordinate desire; also, the capacity or susceptibility of being so affected; as, to be in a passion; the passions of love, hate, jealously, wrath, ambition, avarice, fear, etc.; a passion for war, or for drink; an orator should have passion as well as rhetorical skill., Disorder of the mind; madness., Passion week. See Passion week, below., To give a passionate character to., To suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated. |
| passive | adjective | Not active, but acted upon; suffering or receiving impressions or influences; as, they were passive spectators, not actors in the scene., Receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient; not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive submission., Inactive; inert; not showing strong affinity; as, red phosphorus is comparatively passive., Designating certain morbid conditions, as hemorrhage or dropsy, characterized by relaxation of the vessels and tissues, with deficient vitality and lack of reaction in the affected tissues. |
| passmen | plural | of Passman |
| passman | noun | One who passes for a degree, without honors. See Classman, 2. |
| pasting | present participle & vb. noun | of Paste |
| pastern | noun | The part of the foot of the horse, and allied animals, between the fetlock and the coffin joint. See Illust. of Horse., A shackle for horses while pasturing., A patten. |
| pastime | noun | That which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably; sport; amusement; diversion., To sport; to amuse one’s self. |
| pasture | noun | Food; nourishment., Specifically: Grass growing for the food of cattle; the food of cattle taken by grazing., Grass land for cattle, horses, etc.; pasturage., To feed, esp. to feed on growing grass; to supply grass as food for; as, the farmer pastures fifty oxen; the land will pasture forty cows., To feed on growing grass; to graze. |
| pasties | plural | of Pasty |
| patting | present participle & vb. noun | of Pat |
| patache | noun | A tender to a fleet, formerly used for conveying men, orders, or treasure. |
| patagia | plural | of Patagium |
| patamar | noun | A vessel resembling a grab, used in the coasting trade of Bombay and Ceylon. |
| patched | imp. & past participle | of Patch |
| patcher | noun | One who patches or botches. |
| patella | noun | A small dish, pan, or vase., The kneepan; the cap of the knee., A genus of marine gastropods, including many species of limpets. The shell has the form of a flattened cone. The common European limpet (Patella vulgata) is largely used for food., A kind of apothecium in lichens, which is orbicular, flat, and sessile, and has a special rim not a part of the thallus. |
| patency | noun | The condition of being open, enlarged, or spread., The state of being patent or evident. |
| paterae | plural | of Patera |
| pathing | pr.p. & vb. noun | of Path |
| pathway | noun | A footpath; a beaten track; any path or course. Also used figuratively. |
| patible | adjective | Sufferable; tolerable; endurable. |
| patient | adjective | Having the quality of enduring; physically able to suffer or bear., Undergoing pains, trails, or the like, without murmuring or fretfulness; bearing up with equanimity against trouble; long-suffering., Constant in pursuit or exertion; persevering; calmly diligent; as, patient endeavor., Expectant with calmness, or without discontent; not hasty; not overeager; composed., Forbearing; long-suffering., ONe who, or that which, is passively affected; a passive recipient., A person under medical or surgical treatment; — correlative to physician or nurse., To compose, to calm. |
| patness | noun | Fitness or appropriateness; striking suitableness; convenience. |
| patonce | adjective | Having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end; — said of a cross. See Illust. 9 of Cross. |
| patrial | adjective | Derived from the name of a country, and designating an inhabitant of the country; gentile; — said of a noun., A patrial noun. Thus Romanus, a Roman, and Troas, a woman of Troy, are patrial nouns, or patrials. |
| patriot | noun | One who loves his country, and zealously supports its authority and interests., Becoming to a patriot; patriotic. |
| patrist | noun | One versed in patristics. |
| patrole | noun & verb | See Patrol, n. & v. |
| patroon | noun | One of the proprietors of certain tracts of land with manorial privileges and right of entail, under the old Dutch governments of New York and New Jersey. |
| pattern | noun | Anything proposed for imitation; an archetype; an exemplar; that which is to be, or is worthy to be, copied or imitated; as, a pattern of a machine., A part showing the figure or quality of the whole; a specimen; a sample; an example; an instance., Stuff sufficient for a garment; as, a dress pattern., Figure or style of decoration; design; as, wall paper of a beautiful pattern., Something made after a model; a copy., Anything cut or formed to serve as a guide to cutting or forming objects; as, a dressmaker’s pattern., A full-sized model around which a mold of sand is made, to receive the melted metal. It is usually made of wood and in several parts, so as to be removed from the mold without injuring it., To make or design (anything) by, from, or after, something that serves as a pattern; to copy; to model; to imitate., To serve as an example for; also, to parallel. |
| patties | plural | of Patty |
| paucity | noun | Fewness; smallness of number; scarcity., Smallnes of quantity; exiguity; insufficiency; as, paucity of blood. |
| paugies | plural | of Paugy |
| paulian | noun | Alt. of Paulianist |
| pauline | adjective | Of or pertaining to the apostle Paul, or his writings; resembling, or conforming to, the writings of Paul; as, the Pauline epistles; Pauline doctrine. |
| paulist | noun | A member of The Institute of the Missionary Priests of St. Paul the Apostle, founded in 1858 by the Rev. I. T. Hecker of New York. The majority of the members were formerly Protestants. |
| paunchy | adjective | Pot-bellied. |
| pausing | present participle & vb. noun | of Pause |
| pavesse | noun | Pavise. |
| paviage | noun | A contribution or a tax for paving streets or highways. |
| pavisor | noun | A soldier who carried a pavise. |
| pawning | present participle & vb. noun | of Pawn |
| pawnees | noun pl. | A tribe of Indians (called also Loups) who formerly occupied the region of the Platte river, but now live mostly in the Indian Territory. The term is often used in a wider sense to include also the related tribes of Rickarees and Wichitas. Called also Pani. |
| paxilli | plural | of Paxillus |
| payable | adjective | That may, can, or should be paid; suitable to be paid; justly due., That may be discharged or settled by delivery of value., Matured; now due. |
| payment | noun | The act of paying, or giving compensation; the discharge of a debt or an obligation., That which is paid; the thing given in discharge of a debt, or an obligation, or in fulfillment of a promise; reward; recompense; requital; return., Punishment; chastisement. |
| paynize | verb t. | To treat or preserve, as wood, by a process resembling kyanizing. |
| paytine | noun | An alkaloid obtained from a white bark resembling that of the cinchona, first brought from Payta, in Peru. |
| peabird | noun | The wryneck; — so called from its note. |
| peacher | noun | One who peaches. |
| peacock | noun | The male of any pheasant of the genus Pavo, of which at least two species are known, native of Southern Asia and the East Indies., In common usage, the species in general or collectively; a peafowl. |
| peafowl | noun | The peacock or peahen; any species of Pavo. |
| peagrit | noun | A coarse pisolitic limestone. See Pisolite. |
| peaking | present participle & vb. noun | of Peak, Mean; sneaking., Pining; sickly; peakish. |
| peakish | adjective | Of or relating to a peak; or to peaks; belonging to a mountainous region., Having peaks; peaked., Having features thin or sharp, as from sickness; hence, sickly. |
| pealing | present participle & vb. noun | of Peal |
| peanism | noun | The song or shout of praise, of battle, or of triumph. |
| peasant | noun | A countryman; a rustic; especially, one of the lowest class of tillers of the soil in European countries., Rustic, rural. |
| peascod | noun | The legume or pericarp, or the pod, of the pea. |
| pebbled | imp. & past participle | of Pebble, Abounding in pebbles. |
| pebrine | noun | An epidemic disease of the silkworm, characterized by the presence of minute vibratory corpuscles in the blood. |
| peccant | adjective | Sinning; guilty of transgression; criminal; as, peccant angels., Morbid; corrupt; as, peccant humors., Wrong; defective; faulty., An offender. |
| peccary | noun | A pachyderm of the genus Dicotyles. |
| peccavi | I have sinned; — used colloquially to express confession or acknowledgment of an offense. | |
| pecking | present participle & vb. noun | of Peck |
| peckish | adjective | Inclined to eat; hungry. |
| peckled | adjective | Speckled; spotted. |
| pectate | noun | A salt of pectic acid. |
| pectize | verb i. | To congeal; to change into a gelatinous mass. |
| pectose | noun | An amorphous carbohydrate found in the vegetable kingdom, esp. in unripe fruits. It is associated with cellulose, and is converted into substances of the pectin group. |
| pectous | adjective | Of, pertaining to, or consisting of, pectose. |
| pectora | plural | of Pectus |
| pedagog | noun | Pedagogue. |
| pedanty | noun | An assembly or clique of pedants. |
| peddled | imp. & past participle | of Peddle |
| peddler | noun | One who peddles; a traveling trader; one who travels about, retailing small wares; a hawker. |
| pedesis | noun | Same as Brownian movement, under Brownian. |
| pedicel | noun | A stalk which supports one flower or fruit, whether solitary or one of many ultimate divisions of a common peduncle. See Peduncle, and Illust. of Flower., A slender support of any special organ, as that of a capsule in mosses, an air vesicle in algae, or a sporangium in ferns., A slender stem by which certain of the lower animals or their eggs are attached. See Illust. of Aphis lion., The ventral part of each side of the neural arch connecting with the centrum of a vertebra., An outgrowth of the frontal bones, which supports the antlers or horns in deer and allied animals. |
| pedicle | noun | Same as Pedicel. |
| peeling | present participle & vb. noun | of Peel |
| peeping | present participle & vb. noun | of Peep |
| peering | present participle & vb. noun | of Peer |
| peerage | noun | The rank or dignity of a peer., The body of peers; the nobility, collectively. |
| peerdom | noun | Peerage; also, a lordship. |
| peeress | noun | The wife of a peer; a woman ennobled in her own right, or by right of marriage. |
| peevish | adjective | Habitually fretful; easily vexed or fretted; hard to please; apt to complain; querulous; petulant., Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction; as, a peevish answer., Silly; childish; trifling. |
| pegging | present participle & vb. noun | of Peg, The act or process of fastening with pegs. |
| pegador | noun | A species of remora (Echeneis naucrates). See Remora. |
| pegasus | noun | A winged horse fabled to have sprung from the body of Medusa when she was slain. He is noted for causing, with a blow of his hoof, Hippocrene, the inspiring fountain of the Muses, to spring from Mount Helicon. On this account he is, in modern times, associated with the Muses, and with ideas of poetic inspiration., A northen constellation near the vernal equinoctial point. Its three brightest stars, with the brightest star of Andromeda, form the square of Pegasus., A genus of small fishes, having large pectoral fins, and the body covered with hard, bony plates. Several species are known from the East Indies and China. |
| pehlevi | noun | An ancient Persian dialect in which words were partly represented by their Semitic equivalents. It was in use from the 3d century (and perhaps earlier) to the middle of the 7th century, and later in religious writings. |
| peitrel | noun | See Peytrel. |
| pelagic | adjective | Of or pertaining to the ocean; — applied especially to animals that live at the surface of the ocean, away from the coast. |
| pelecan | noun | See Pelican. |
| pelfish | adjective | Of or pertaining to pelf. |
| pelfray | noun | Alt. of Pelfry |
| pelican | noun | Any large webfooted bird of the genus Pelecanus, of which about a dozen species are known. They have an enormous bill, to the lower edge of which is attached a pouch in which captured fishes are temporarily stored., A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation. |
| pelioma | noun | A livid ecchymosis., See Peliom. |
| pelisse | noun | An outer garment for men or women, originally of fur, or lined with fur; a lady’s outer garment, made of silk or other fabric. |
| pellack | noun | A porpoise. |
| pellage | noun | A customs duty on skins of leather. |
| pellile | noun | The redshank; — so called from its note. |
| pelmata | plural | of Pelma |
| peloria | noun | Abnormal regularity; the state of certain flowers, which, being naturally irregular, have become regular through a symmetrical repetition of the special irregularity. |
| peloric | adjective | Abnormally regular or symmetrical. |
| pelting | present participle & vb. noun | of Pelt, Mean; paltry. |
| peltate | adjective | Alt. of Peltated |
| penning | present participle & vb. noun | of Pen, of Pen |
| penally | adverb | In a penal manner. |
| penalty | noun | Penal retribution; punishment for crime or offense; the suffering in person or property which is annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a crime, offense, or trespass., The suffering, or the sum to be forfeited, to which a person subjects himself by covenant or agreement, in case of nonfulfillment of stipulations; forfeiture; fine., A handicap. |
| penance | noun | Repentance., Pain; sorrow; suffering., A means of repairing a sin committed, and obtaining pardon for it, consisting partly in the performance of expiatory rites, partly in voluntary submission to a punishment corresponding to the transgression. Penance is the fourth of seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church., To impose penance; to punish. |
| penates | noun pl. | The household gods of the ancient Romans. They presided over the home and the family hearth. See Lar. |
| penaunt | noun | A penitent. |
| pending | present participle & vb. noun | of Pend, Not yet decided; in continuance; in suspense; as, a pending suit., During; as, pending the trail. |
| pendant | noun | Something which hangs or depends; something suspended; a hanging appendage, especially one of an ornamental character; as to a chandelier or an eardrop; also, an appendix or addition, as to a book., A hanging ornament on roofs, ceilings, etc., much used in the later styles of Gothic architecture, where it is of stone, and an important part of the construction. There are imitations in plaster and wood, which are mere decorative features., One of a pair; a counterpart; as, one vase is the pendant to the other vase., A pendulum., The stem and ring of a watch, by which it is suspended. |
| pendent | adjective | Supported from above; suspended; depending; pendulous; hanging; as, a pendent leaf., Jutting over; projecting; overhanging. |
| pendice | noun | A sloping roof; a lean-to; a penthouse. |
| pendule | noun | A pendulum. |
| penfish | noun | A squid. |
| penfold | noun | See Pinfold. |
| penguin | noun | Any bird of the order Impennes, or Ptilopteri. They are covered with short, thick feathers, almost scalelike on the wings, which are without true quills. They are unable to fly, but use their wings to aid in diving, in which they are very expert. See King penguin, under Jackass., The egg-shaped fleshy fruit of a West Indian plant (Bromelia Pinguin) of the Pineapple family; also, the plant itself, which has rigid, pointed, and spiny-toothed leaves, and is used for hedges. |
| penible | adjective | Painstaking; assidous. |
| penicil | noun | A tent or pledget for wounds or ulcers. |
| pennach | noun | A bunch of feathers; a plume. |
| pennage | noun | Feathery covering; plumage. |
| pennant | noun | A small flag; a pennon. The narrow, / long, pennant (called also whip or coach whip) is a long, narrow piece of bunting, carried at the masthead of a government vessel in commission. The board pennant is an oblong, nearly square flag, carried at the masthead of a commodore’s vessel., A rope or strap to which a purchase is hooked. |
| pennate | adjective | Alt. of Pennated |
| pennies | plural | of Penny |
| penrack | noun | A rack for pens not in use. |
| pensile | adjective | Hanging; suspended; pendent; pendulous. |
| pension | noun | A payment; a tribute; something paid or given., A stated allowance to a person in consideration of past services; payment made to one retired from service, on account of age, disability, or other cause; especially, a regular stipend paid by a government to retired public officers, disabled soldiers, the families of soldiers killed in service, or to meritorious authors, or the like., A certain sum of money paid to a clergyman in lieu of tithes., A boarding house or boarding school in France, Belgium, Switzerland, etc., To grant a pension to; to pay a regular stipend to; in consideration of service already performed; — sometimes followed by off; as, to pension off a servant. |
| pensive | adjective | Thoughtful, sober, or sad; employed in serious reflection; given to, or favorable to, earnest or melancholy musing., Expressing or suggesting thoughtfulness with sadness; as, pensive numbers. |
| pentail | noun | A peculiar insectivore (Ptilocercus Lowii) of Borneo; — so called from its very long, quill-shaped tail, which is scaly at the base and plumose at the tip. |
| pentane | noun | Any one of the three metameric hydrocarbons, C5H12, of the methane or paraffin series. They are colorless, volatile liquids, two of which occur in petroleum. So called because of the five carbon atoms in the molecule. |
| pentene | noun | Same as Amylene. |
| pentice | noun | A penthouse. |
| pentile | noun | See Pantile. |
| pentine | noun | An unsaturated hydrocarbon, C5H8, of the acetylene series. Same as Valerylene. |
| pentoic | adjective | Pertaining to, or desingating, an acid (called also valeric acid) derived from pentane. |
| pentone | noun | Same as Valylene. |
| pinocle | noun | A game at cards, played with forty-eight cards, being all the cards above the eight spots in two packs., See Penuchle. |
| peonage | noun | The condition of a peon. |
| peonism | noun | Same as Peonage. |
| peonies | plural | of Peony |
| peopled | imp. & past participle | of People, Stocked with, or as with, people; inhabited. |
| peopler | noun | A settler; an inhabitant. |
| peorias | noun pl. | An Algonquin tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited a part of Illinois. |
| peppery | adjective | Of or pertaining to pepper; having the qualities of pepper; hot; pungent., Fig.: Hot-tempered; passionate; choleric. |
| peptics | noun | The science of digestion. |
| peptone | noun | The soluble and diffusible substance or substances into which albuminous portions of the food are transformed by the action of the gastric and pancreatic juices. Peptones are also formed from albuminous matter by the action of boiling water and boiling dilute acids., Collectively, in a broader sense, all the products resulting from the solution of albuminous matter in either gastric or pancreatic juice. In this case, however, intermediate products (albumose bodies), such as antialbumose, hemialbumose, etc., are mixed with the true peptones. Also termed albuminose. |
| pequots | noun pl. | A tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited Eastern Connecticut. |
| perbend | noun | See Perpender. |
| percale | noun | A fine cotton fabric, having a linen finish, and often printed on one side, — used for women’s and children’s wear. |
| percase | adverb | Perhaps; perchance. |
| percely | noun | Parsley. |
| percept | noun | That which is perceived. |
| perched | imp. & past participle | of Perch |
| percher | verb i. | One who, or that which, perches., One of the Insessores., A Paris candle anciently used in England; also, a large wax candle formerly set upon the altar. |
| percoid | adjective | Belonging to, or resembling, the perches, or family Percidae., Any fish of the genus Perca, or allied genera of the family Percidae. |
| percuss | verb t. | To strike smartly; to strike upon or against; as, to percuss the chest in medical examination., To strike or tap in an examination by percussion. See Percussion, 3. |
| perdure | verb i. | To last or endure for a long time; to be perdurable or lasting. |
| peregal | adjective | Fully equal. |
| perempt | verb t. | To destroy; to defeat. |
| perfect | adjective | Brought to consummation or completeness; completed; not defective nor redundant; having all the properties or qualities requisite to its nature and kind; without flaw, fault, or blemish; without error; mature; whole; pure; sound; right; correct., Well informed; certain; sure., Hermaphrodite; having both stamens and pistils; — said of flower., The perfect tense, or a form in that tense., To make perfect; to finish or complete, so as to leave nothing wanting; to give to anything all that is requisite to its nature and kind. |
| perfidy | noun | The act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust reposed; faithlessness; treachery. |
| perform | verb t. | To carry through; to bring to completion; to achieve; to accomplish; to execute; to do., To discharge; to fulfill; to act up to; as, to perform a duty; to perform a promise or a vow., To represent; to act; to play; as in drama., To do, execute, or accomplish something; to acquit one’s self in any business; esp., to represent sometimes by action; to act a part; to play on a musical instrument; as, the players perform poorly; the musician performs on the organ. |
| perfume | verb t. | To fill or impregnate with a perfume; to scent., The scent, odor, or odoriferous particles emitted from a sweet-smelling substance; a pleasant odor; fragrance; aroma., A substance that emits an agreeable odor. |
| perfuse | verb t. | To suffuse; to fill full or to excess. |
| perhaps | adverb | By chance; peradventure; perchance; it may be. |
| periapt | noun | A charm worn as a protection against disease or mischief; an amulet. |
| peridia | plural | of Peridium |
| peridot | noun | Chrysolite. |
| perigee | noun | Alt. of Perigeum |
| periled | imp. & past participle | of Peril |
| perilla | noun | A genus of labiate herbs, of which one species (Perilla ocimoides, or P. Nankinensis) is often cultivated for its purple or variegated foliage. |
| perisse | verb i. | To perish. |
| periwig | noun | A headdress of false hair, usually covering the whole head, and representing the natural hair; a wig., To dress with a periwig, or with false hair. |
| perjure | verb t. | To cause to violate an oath or a vow; to cause to make oath knowingly to what is untrue; to make guilty of perjury; to forswear; to corrupt; — often used reflexively; as, he perjured himself., To make a false oath to; to deceive by oaths and protestations., A perjured person. |
| perjury | verb | False swearing., At common law, a willfully false statement in a fact material to the issue, made by a witness under oath in a competent judicial proceeding. By statute the penalties of perjury are imposed on the making of willfully false affirmations. |
| perking | present participle & vb. noun | of Perk |
| perlite | noun | Same as Pearlite. |
| perlous | adjective | Perilous. |
| permian | adjective | Belonging or relating to the period, and also to the formation, next following the Carboniferous, and regarded as closing the Carboniferous age and Paleozoic era., The Permian period. See Chart of Geology. |
| permiss | noun | A permitted choice; a rhetorical figure in which a thing is committed to the decision of one’s opponent. |
| permute | verb t. | To interchange; to transfer reciprocally., To exchange; to barter; to traffic. |
| perogue | noun | See Pirogue. |
| perpend | verb t. | To weight carefully in the mind., To attend; to be attentive. |
| perplex | adjective | To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated, and difficult to be unraveled or understood; as, to perplex one with doubts., To embarrass; to puzzle; to distract; to bewilder; to confuse; to trouble with ambiguity, suspense, or anxiety., To plague; to vex; to tormen., Intricate; difficult. |
| perrier | noun | A short mortar used formerly for throwing stone shot. |
| persalt | noun | A term formerly given to the salts supposed to be formed respectively by neutralizing acids with certain peroxides. |
| persant | adjective | Piercing. |
| perseid | noun | One of a group of shooting stars which appear yearly about the 10th of August, and cross the heavens in paths apparently radiating from the constellation Perseus. They are beleived to be fragments once connected with a comet visible in 1862. |
| perseus | noun | A Grecian legendary hero, son of Jupiter and Danae, who slew the Gorgon Medusa., A consellation of the northern hemisphere, near Taurus and Cassiopea. It contains a star cluster visible to the naked eye as a nebula. |
| persian | adjective | Of or pertaining to Persia, to the Persians, or to their language., A native or inhabitant of Persia., The language spoken in Persia., A thin silk fabric, used formerly for linings., See Persian columns, under Persian, a. |
| persism | noun | A Persian idiom. |
| persist | verb i. | To stand firm; to be fixed and unmoved; to stay; to continue steadfastly; especially, to continue fixed in a course of conduct against opposing motives; to persevere; — sometimes conveying an unfavorable notion, as of doggedness or obstinacy. |
| persona | noun | Same as Person, n., 8. |
| pertain | verb i. | To belong; to have connection with, or dependence on, something, as an appurtenance, attribute, etc.; to appertain; as, saltness pertains to the ocean; flowers pertain to plant life., To have relation or reference to something. |
| perturb | verb t. | To disturb; to agitate; to vex; to trouble; to disquiet., To disorder; to confuse. |
| pertuse | adjective | Alt. of Pertused |
| perulae | plural | of Perula |
| perusal | noun | The act of carefully viewing or examining., The act of reading, especially of reading through or with care. |
| perused | imp. & past participle | of Peruse |
| peruser | noun | One who peruses. |
| pervade | verb t. | To pass or flow through, as an aperture, pore, or interstice; to permeate., To pass or spread through the whole extent of; to be diffused throughout. |
| pervert | verb t. | To turnanother way; to divert., To turn from truth, rectitude, or propriety; to divert from a right use, end, or way; to lead astray; to corrupt; also, to misapply; to misinterpret designedly; as, to pervert one’s words., To become perverted; to take the wrong course., One who has been perverted; one who has turned to error, especially in religion; — opposed to convert. See the Synonym of Convert. |
| pervial | adjective | Pervious. |
| peshito | noun | Alt. of Peshitto |
| pessary | noun | An instrument or device to be introduced into and worn in the vagina, to support the uterus, or remedy a malposition., A medicinal substance in the form of a bolus or mass, designed for introduction into the vagina; a vaginal suppository. |
| pessuli | plural | of Pessulus |
| pestful | adjective | Pestiferous. |
| pestled | imp. & past participle | of Pestle |
| petting | present participle & vb. noun | of Pet |
| petaled | adjective | Having petals; as, a petaled flower; — opposed to apetalous, and much used in compounds; as, one-petaled, three-petaled, etc. |
| petalum | noun | A petal. |
| petasus | noun | The winged cap of Mercury; also, a broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat worn by Greeks and Romans. |
| petered | imp. & past participle | of Peter |
| peterel | noun | See Petrel. |
| petiole | noun | A leafstalk; the footstalk of a leaf, connecting the blade with the stem. See Illust. of Leaf., A stalk or peduncle. |
| petitor | noun | One who seeks or asks; a seeker; an applicant. |
| petrary | noun | An ancient war engine for hurling stones. |
| petrean | adjective | Of or pertaining to to rock. |
| petrify | verb t. | To convert, as any animal or vegetable matter, into stone or stony substance., To make callous or obdurate; to stupefy; to paralyze; to transform; as by petrifaction; as, to petrify the heart. Young., To become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits., Fig.: To become stony, callous, or obdurate. |
| petrine | adjective | Of or pertaining to St.Peter; as, the Petrine Epistles. |
| petrous | adjective | Like stone; hard; stony; rocky; as, the petrous part of the temporal bone., Same as Petrosal. |
| pettily | adverb | In a petty manner; frivolously. |
| pettish | adjective | Fretful; peevish; moody; capricious; inclined to ill temper. |
| petunia | noun | A genus of solanaceous herbs with funnelform or salver-shaped corollas. Two species are common in cultivation, Petunia violacera, with reddish purple flowers, and P. nyctaginiflora, with white flowers. There are also many hybrid forms with variegated corollas. |
| petunse | noun | Alt. of Petuntze |
| petzite | noun | A telluride of silver and gold, related to hessite. |
| pewtery | adjective | Belonging to, or resembling, pewter; as, a pewtery taste. |
| peytrel | noun | The breastplate of a horse’s armor or harness. [Spelt also peitrel.] See Poitrel. |
| pfennig | noun | A small copper coin of Germany. It is the hundredth part of a mark, or about a quarter of a cent in United States currency. |
| phacoid | adjective | Resembling a lentil; lenticular. |
| phacops | noun | A genus of trilobites found in the Silurian and Devonian formations. Phacops bufo is one of the most common species. |
| phaeton | noun | A four-wheeled carriage (with or without a top), open, or having no side pieces, in front of the seat. It is drawn by one or two horses., See Phaethon., A handsome American butterfly (Euphydryas, / Melitaea, Phaeton). The upper side of the wings is black, with orange-red spots and marginal crescents, and several rows of cream-colored spots; — called also Baltimore. |
| phalanx | noun | A body of heavy-armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep. There were several different arrangements, the phalanx varying in depth from four to twenty-five or more ranks of men., Any body of troops or men formed in close array, or any combination of people distinguished for firmness and solidity of a union., A Fourierite community; a phalanstery., One of the digital bones of the hand or foot, beyond the metacarpus or metatarsus; an internode., A group or bundle of stamens, as in polyadelphous flowers. |
| phallic | adjective | Of or pertaining to the phallus, or to phallism. |
| phallus | noun | The emblem of the generative power in nature, carried in procession in the Bacchic orgies, or worshiped in various ways., The penis or clitoris, or the embryonic or primitive organ from which either may be derived., A genus of fungi which have a fetid and disgusting odor; the stinkhorn. |
| phantom | noun | That which has only an apparent existence; an apparition; a specter; a phantasm; a sprite; an airy spirit; an ideal image. |
| pharaoh | noun | A title by which the sovereigns of ancient Egypt were designated., See Faro. |
| pharaon | noun | See Pharaoh, 2. |
| pharynx | noun | The part of the alimentary canal between the cavity of the mouth and the esophagus. It has one or two external openings through the nose in the higher vertebrates, and lateral branchial openings in fishes and some amphibias. |
| phasmid | noun | Any orthopterous insect of the family Phasmidae, as a leaf insect or a stick insect. |
| phenose | noun | A sweet amorphous deliquescent substance obtained indirectly from benzene, and isometric with, and resembling, dextrose. |
| phialed | imp. & past participle | of Phial |
| philter | noun | A potion or charm intended to excite the passion of love., To impregnate or mix with a love potion; as, to philter a draught., To charm to love; to excite to love or sexual desire by a potion. |
| phlorol | noun | A liquid metameric with xylenol, belonging to the class of phenols, and obtained by distilling certain salts of phloretic acid. |
| phocine | adjective | Of or pertaining to the seal tribe; phocal. |
| phoebus | noun | Apollo; the sun god., The sun. |
| phoenix | noun | Same as Phenix., A genus of palms including the date tree. |
| phonics | noun | See Phonetics. |
| phorone | noun | A yellow crystalline substance, having a geraniumlike odor, regarded as a complex derivative of acetone, and obtained from certain camphor compounds. |
| photics | noun | The science of light; — a general term sometimes employed when optics is restricted to light as a producing vision. |
| phrasal | adjective | Of the nature of a phrase; consisting of a phrase; as, a phrasal adverb. |
| phrased | imp. & past participle | of Phrase |
| phratry | noun | A subdivision of a phyle, or tribe, in Athens. |
| phrenic | adjective | Of or pertaining to the diaphragm; diaphragmatic; as, the phrenic nerve. |
| phrensy | noun | Violent and irrational excitement; delirium. See Frenzy., To render frantic. |
| phycite | noun | See Erythrite, 1. |
| phyllo- | A combining form from Gr. / a leaf; as, phyllopod, phyllotaxy. | |
| phymata | plural | of Phyma |
| physics | noun | The science of nature, or of natural objects; that branch of science which treats of the laws and properties of matter, and the forces acting upon it; especially, that department of natural science which treats of the causes (as gravitation, heat, light, magnetism, electricity, etc.) that modify the general properties of bodies; natural philosophy. |
| phytoid | adjective | Resembling a plant; plantlike. |
| phytons | plural | of Phyton |
| piacaba | noun | See Piassava. |
| pianino | noun | A pianette, or small piano. |
| pianist | noun | A performer, esp. a skilled performer, on the piano. |
| piarist | noun | One of a religious order who are the regular clerks of the Scuole Pie (religious schools), an institute of secondary education, founded at Rome in the last years of the 16th century. |
| piaster | noun | A silver coin of Spain and various other countries. See Peso. The Spanish piaster (commonly called peso, or peso duro) is of about the value of the American dollar. The Italian piaster, or scudo, was worth from 80 to 100 cents. The Turkish and Egyptian piasters are now worth about four and a half cents. |
| piastre | noun | See Piaster. |
| piation | noun | The act of making atonement; expiation. |
| piazzas | plural | of Piazza |
| pibcorn | noun | A wind instrument or pipe, with a horn at each end, — used in Wales. |
| pibroch | noun | A Highland air, suited to the particular passion which the musician would either excite or assuage; generally applied to those airs that are played on the bagpipe before the Highlanders when they go out to battle. |
| picador | noun | A horseman armed with a lance, who in a bullfight receives the first attack of the bull, and excites him by picking him without attempting to kill him. |
| picamar | noun | An oily liquid hydrocarbon extracted from the creosote of beechwood tar. It consists essentially of certain derivatives of pyrogallol. |
| piccage | noun | Money paid at fairs for leave to break ground for booths. |
| piccolo | noun | A small, shrill flute, the pitch of which is an octave higher than the ordinary flute; an octave flute., A small upright piano., An organ stop, with a high, piercing tone. |
| piceous | adjective | Of or pertaining to pitch; resembling pitch in color or quality; pitchy. |
| picking | present participle & vb. noun | of Pick, The act of digging or breaking up, as with a pick., The act of choosing, plucking, or gathering., That which is, or may be, picked or gleaned., Pilfering; also, that which is pilfered., The pulverized shells of oysters used in making walks., Rough sorting of ore., Overburned bricks., Done or made as with a pointed tool; as, a picking sound., Nice; careful. |
| pickaxe | noun | A pick with a point at one end, a transverse edge or blade at the other, and a handle inserted at the middle; a hammer with a flattened end for driving wedges and a pointed end for piercing as it strikes. |
| pickeer | verb i. | To make a raid for booty; to maraud; also, to skirmish in advance of an army. See Picaroon. |
| pickery | noun | Petty theft. |
| pickled | imp. & past participle | of Pickle, Preserved in a pickle. |
| pickler | noun | One who makes pickles. |
| picotee | noun | Alt. of Picotine |
| picquet | noun | See Piquet. |
| picrate | noun | A salt of picric acid. |
| picrite | noun | A dark green igneous rock, consisting largely of chrysolite, with hornblende, augite, biotite, etc. |
| pictish | adjective | Of or pertaining to Picts; resembling the Picts. |
| pictura | noun | Pattern of coloration. |
| picture | noun | The art of painting; representation by painting., A representation of anything (as a person, a landscape, a building) upon canvas, paper, or other surface, produced by means of painting, drawing, engraving, photography, etc.; a representation in colors. By extension, a figure; a model., An image or resemblance; a representation, either to the eye or to the mind; that which, by its likeness, brings vividly to mind some other thing; as, a child is the picture of his father; the man is the picture of grief., To draw or paint a resemblance of; to delineate; to represent; to form or present an ideal likeness of; to bring before the mind. |
| piculet | noun | Any species of very small woodpeckers of the genus Picumnus and allied genera. Their tail feathers are not stiff and sharp at the tips, as in ordinary woodpeckers. |
| piddled | imp. & past participle | of Piddle |
| piddler | noun | One who piddles. |
| piddock | noun | Any species of Pholas; a pholad. See Pholas. |
| piebald | adjective | Having spots and patches of black and white, or other colors; mottled; pied., Fig.: Mixed. |
| piecing | present participle & vb. noun | of Piece |
| piecely | adverb | In pieces; piecemeal. |
| pierage | noun | Same as Wharfage. |
| pierced | imp. & past participle | of Pierce, Penetrated; entered; perforated. |
| piercel | noun | A kind of gimlet for making vents in casks; — called also piercer. |
| piercer | noun | One who, or that which, pierces or perforates, An instrument used in forming eyelets; a stiletto., A piercel., The ovipositor, or sting, of an insect., An insect provided with an ovipositor. |
| pierian | adjective | Of or pertaining to Pierides or Muses. |
| pietism | noun | The principle or practice of the Pietists., Strict devotion; also, affectation of devotion. |
| pietist | noun | One of a class of religious reformers in Germany in the 17th century who sought to revive declining piety in the Protestant churches; — often applied as a term of reproach to those who make a display of religious feeling. Also used adjectively. |
| piewipe | noun | The lapwing, or pewit. |
| piffero | noun | Alt. of Piffara |
| piffara | noun | A fife; also, a rude kind of oboe or a bagpipe with an inflated skin for reservoir. |
| pigging | present participle & vb. noun | of Pig |
| pigfish | noun | Any one of several species of salt-water grunts; — called also hogfish., A sculpin. The name is also applied locally to several other fishes. |
| pigfoot | noun | A marine fish (Scorpaena porcus), native of Europe. It is reddish brown, mottled with dark brown and black. |
| piggery | noun | A place where swine are kept. |
| piggish | adjective | Relating to, or like, a pig; greedy. |
| pightel | noun | A small inclosure. |
| pigmean | adjective | See Pygmean. |
| pigment | noun | Any material from which a dye, a paint, or the like, may be prepared; particularly, the refined and purified coloring matter ready for mixing with an appropriate vehicle., Any one of the colored substances found in animal and vegetable tissues and fluids, as bilirubin, urobilin, chlorophyll, etc., Wine flavored with species and honey. |
| pignora | plural | of Pignus |
| pigskin | noun | The skin of a pig, — used chiefly for making saddles; hence, a colloquial or slang term for a saddle. |
| pigsney | noun | A word of endearment for a girl or woman. |
| pigtail | noun | The tail of a pig., A cue, or queue., A kind of twisted chewing tobacco. |
| pigweed | noun | A name of several annual weeds. See Goosefoot, and Lamb’s-quarters. |
| pikelet | noun | Alt. of Pikelin |
| pikelin | noun | A light, thin cake or muffin. |
| pikeman | plural | of Pikeman, A soldier armed with a pike., A miner who works with a pick., A keeper of a turnpike gate. |
| pilcher | noun | A scabbard, as of a sword., The pilchard. |
| pilcrow | noun | a paragraph mark, /. |
| pileate | adjective | Alt. of Pileated |
| pilenta | plural | of Pilentum |
| pileous | adjective | Consisting of, or covered with, hair; hairy; pilose. |
| pilfery | noun | Petty theft. |
| pilgrim | noun | A wayfarer; a wanderer; a traveler; a stranger., One who travels far, or in strange lands, to visit some holy place or shrine as a devotee; as, a pilgrim to Loretto; Canterbury pilgrims. See Palmer., Of or pertaining to a pilgrim, or pilgrims; making pilgrimages., To journey; to wander; to ramble. |
| pilling | present participle & vb. noun | of Pill |
| pillage | noun | The act of pillaging; robbery., That which is taken from another or others by open force, particularly and chiefly from enemies in war; plunder; spoil; booty., To strip of money or goods by open violence; to plunder; to spoil; to lay waste; as, to pillage the camp of an enemy., To take spoil; to plunder; to ravage. |
| pillery | noun | Plunder; pillage. |
| pillion | noun | A panel or cushion saddle; the under pad or cushion of saddle; esp., a pad or cushion put on behind a man’s saddle, on which a woman may ride. |
| pillory | noun | A frame of adjustable boards erected on a post, and having holes through which the head and hands of an offender were thrust so as to be exposed in front of it., To set in, or punish with, the pillory., Figuratively, to expose to public scorn. |
| pillowy | adjective | Like a pillow. |
| piloted | imp. & past participle | of Pilot |
| pilotry | noun | Pilotage; skill in the duties of a pilot. |
| pilular | adjective | Of or pertaining to pills; resembling a pill or pills; as, a pilular mass. |
| pimaric | adjective | Pertaining to, or designating, an acid found in galipot, and isomeric with abietic acid. |
| pimelic | adjective | Pertaining to, or designating, a substance obtained from certain fatty substances, and subsequently shown to be a mixture of suberic and adipic acids., Designating the acid proper (C5H10(CO2/H)2) which is obtained from camphoric acid. |
| pimenta | noun | Same as Pimento. |
| pimento | noun | Allspice; — applied both to the tree and its fruit. See Allspice. |
| pimlico | noun | The friar bird. |
| pimping | present participle & vb. noun | of Pimp, Little; petty; pitiful., Puny; sickly. |
| pimpled | adjective | Having pimples. |
| pinning | present participle & vb. noun | of Pin |
| pinaces | plural | of Pinax |
| pincers | noun pl. | See Pinchers. |
| pinched | imp. & past participle | of Pinch |
| pinchem | noun | The European blue titmouse. |
| pincher | noun | One who, or that which, pinches. |
| pinesap | noun | A reddish fleshy herb of the genus Monotropa (M. hypopitys), formerly thought to be parasitic on the roots of pine trees, but more probably saprophytic. |
| pinetum | noun | A plantation of pine trees; esp., a collection of living pine trees made for ornamental or scientific purposes. |
| pinfish | noun | The sailor’s choice (Diplodus, / Lagodon, rhomboides)., The salt-water bream (Diplodus Holbrooki). |
| pinfold | noun | A place in which stray cattle or domestic animals are confined; a pound; a penfold. |
| pinging | present participle & vb. noun | of Ping |
| pinguid | adjective | Fat; unctuous; greasy. |
| pinhold | noun | A place where a pin is fixed. |
| pinking | present participle & vb. noun | of Pink, The act of piercing or stabbing., The act or method of decorating fabrics or garments with a pinking iron; also, the style of decoration; scallops made with a pinking iron. |
| pinkish | adjective | Somewhat pink. |
| pinnace | noun | A small vessel propelled by sails or oars, formerly employed as a tender, or for coast defence; — called originally, spynace or spyne., A man-of-war’s boat., A procuress; a pimp. |
| pinnage | noun | Poundage of cattle. See Pound. |
| pinnate | adjective | Alt. of Pinnated |
| pinnock | noun | The hedge sparrow., The tomtit. |
| pinnula | noun | Same as Pinnule. |
| pinnule | noun | One of the small divisions of a decompound frond or leaf. See Illust. of Bipinnate leaf, under Bipinnate., Any one of a series of small, slender organs, or parts, when arranged in rows so as to have a plumelike appearance; as, a pinnule of a gorgonia; the pinnules of a crinoid. |
| pintado | noun | Any bird of the genus Numida. Several species are found in Africa. The common pintado, or Guinea fowl, the helmeted, and the crested pintados, are the best known. See Guinea fowl, under Guinea. |
| pintail | noun | A northern duck (Dafila acuta), native of both continents. The adult male has a long, tapering tail. Called also gray duck, piketail, piket-tail, spike-tail, split-tail, springtail, sea pheasant, and gray widgeon., The sharp-tailed grouse of the great plains and Rocky Mountains (Pediocaetes phasianellus); — called also pintailed grouse, pintailed chicken, springtail, and sharptail. |
| pinweed | noun | Any plant of the genus Lechea, low North American herbs with branching stems, and very small and abundant leaves and flowers. |
| pinworm | noun | A small nematoid worm (Oxyurus vermicularis), which is parasitic chiefly in the rectum of man. It is most common in children and aged persons. |
| pinxter | noun | See Pinkster. |
| pioneer | noun | A soldier detailed or employed to form roads, dig trenches, and make bridges, as an army advances., One who goes before, as into the wilderness, preparing the way for others to follow; as, pioneers of civilization; pioneers of reform., To go before, and prepare or open a way for; to act as pioneer. |
| piously | adverb | In a pious manner. |
| pipping | present participle & vb. noun | of Pip |
| piperic | adjective | Pertaining to, or derived from, or designating, a complex organic acid found in the products of different members of the Pepper family, and extracted as a yellowish crystalline substance. |
| pipette | noun | A small glass tube, often with an enlargement or bulb in the middle, and usually graduated, — used for transferring or delivering measured quantities. |
| piprine | adjective | Of or pertaining to the pipras, or the family Pipridae. |
| piquant | adjective | Stimulating to the taste; giving zest; tart; sharp; pungent; as, a piquant anecdote. |
| piquing | present participle & vb. noun | of Pique |
| piqueer | verb i. | See Pickeer. |
| piragua | noun | See Pirogue. |
| pirated | imp. & past participle | of Pirate |
| piratic | adjective | Piratical. |
| pirogue | noun | A dugout canoe; by extension, any small boat. |
| piscary | noun | The right or privilege of fishing in another man’s waters. |
| piscina | noun | A niche near the altar in a church, containing a small basin for rinsing altar vessels. |
| piscine | adjective | Of or pertaining to a fish or fishes; as, piscine remains. |
| pismire | noun | An ant, or emmet. |
| pistole | noun | The name of certain gold coins of various values formerly coined in some countries of Europe. In Spain it was equivalent to a quarter doubloon, or about $3.90, and in Germany and Italy nearly the same. There was an old Italian pistole worth about $5.40. |
| pitting | present participle & vb. noun | of Pit |
| pitapat | adverb | In a flutter; with palpitation or quick succession of beats., A light, repeated sound; a pattering, as of the rain. |
| pitched | imp. & past participle | of Pitch |
| pitcher | noun | One who pitches anything, as hay, quoits, a ball, etc.; specifically (Baseball), the player who delivers the ball to the batsman., A sort of crowbar for digging., A wide-mouthed, deep vessel for holding liquids, with a spout or protruding lip and a handle; a water jug or jar with a large ear or handle., A tubular or cuplike appendage or expansion of the leaves of certain plants. |
| piteous | adjective | Pious; devout., Evincing pity, compassion, or sympathy; compassionate; tender., Fitted to excite pity or sympathy; wretched; miserable; lamentable; sad; as, a piteous case., Paltry; mean; pitiful. |
| pitfall | noun | A pit deceitfully covered to entrap wild beasts or men; a trap of any kind. |
| pitheci | noun pl. | A division of mammals including the apes and monkeys. Sometimes used in the sense of Primates. |
| pithful | adjective | Full of pith. |
| pithily | adverb | In a pithy manner. |
| pitiful | adjective | Full of pity; tender-hearted; compassionate; kind; merciful; sympathetic., Piteous; lamentable; eliciting compassion., To be pitied for littleness or meanness; miserable; paltry; contemptible; despicable. |
| pituite | noun | Mucus, phlegm. |
| pitying | present participle & vb. noun | of Pity, Expressing pity; as, a pitying eye, glance, or word. |
| pivoted | imp. & past participle | of Pivot |
| pivotal | adjective | Of or pertaining to a pivot or turning point; belonging to, or constituting, a pivot; of the nature of a pivot; as, the pivotalopportunity of a career; the pivotal position in a battle. |
| placard | noun | A public proclamation; a manifesto or edict issued by authority., Permission given by authority; a license; as, to give a placard to do something., A written or printed paper, as an advertisement or a declaration, posted, or to be posted, in a public place; a poster., An extra plate on the lower part of the breastplate or backplate., A kind of stomacher, often adorned with jewels, worn in the fifteenth century and later., To post placards upon or within; as, to placard a wall, to placard the city., To announce by placards; as, to placard a sale. |
| placate | noun | Same as Placard, 4 & 5., To appease; to pacify; to concilate. |
| placing | present participle & vb. noun | of Place |
| placebo | noun | The first antiphon of the vespers for the dead., A prescription intended to humor or satisfy. |
| placita | plural | of Placitum |
| placket | noun | A petticoat, esp. an under petticoat; hence, a cant term for a woman., The opening or slit left in a petticoat or skirt for convenience in putting it on; — called also placket hole., A woman’s pocket. |
| placoid | adjective | Platelike; having irregular, platelike, bony scales, often bearing spines; pertaining to the placoids., Any fish having placoid scales, as the sharks., One of the Placoides. |
| plagate | adjective | Having plagae, or irregular enlongated color spots. |
| plagium | noun | Manstealing; kidnaping. |
| plagose | adjective | Fond of flogging; as, a plagose master. |
| plagued | imp. & past participle | of Plague |
| plaguer | noun | One who plagues or annoys. |
| plaided | adjective | Of the material of which plaids are made; tartan., Wearing a plaid. |
| plained | imp. & past participle | of Plain |
| plainly | adverb | In a plain manner; clearly. |
| plaited | imp. & past participle | of Plait, Folded; doubled over; braided; figuratively, involved; intricate; artful. |
| plaiter | noun | One who, or that which, plaits. |
| planned | imp. & past participle | of Plan |
| planary | adjective | Of or pertaining to a plane. |
| planing | present participle & vb. noun | of Plane, a. & vb. n. fr. Plane, v. t. |
| planish | verb | To make smooth or plane, as a metallic surface; to condense, toughen, and polish by light blows with a hammer. |
| planked | imp. & past participle | of Plank |
| planner | noun | One who plans; a projector. |
| planted | imp. & past participle | of Plant, Fixed in place, as a projecting member wrought on a separate piece of stuff; as, a planted molding. |
| plantal | adjective | Belonging to plants; as, plantal life. |
| plantar | adjective | Of or pertaining to the sole of the foot; as, the plantar arteries. |
| planter | noun | One who, or that which, plants or sows; as, a planterof corn; a machine planter., One who owns or cultivates a plantation; as, a sugar planter; a coffee planter., A colonist in a new or uncultivated territory; as, the first planters in Virginia. |
| planula | noun | In embryonic development, a vesicle filled with fluid, formed from the morula by the divergence of its cells in such a manner as to give rise to a central space, around which the cells arrange themselves as an envelope; an embryonic form intermediate between the morula and gastrula. Sometimes used as synonymous with gastrula., The very young, free-swimming larva of the coelenterates. It usually has a flattened oval or oblong form, and is entirely covered with cilia. |
| planxty | noun | An Irish or Welsh melody for the harp, sometimes of a mournful character. |
| plashed | imp. & past participle | of Plash, of Plash |
| plashet | noun | A small pond or pool; a puddle. |
| plasmic | adjective | Of, pertaining to, or connected with, plasma; plasmatic. |
| plasmid | noun | A piece of DNA, usually circular, functioning as part of the genetic material of a cell, not integrated with the chromosome and replicating independently of the chromosome, but transferred, like the chromosome, to subsequent generations. In bacteria, plasmids often carry the genes for antibiotic resistance; they are exploited in genetic engineering as the vehicles for introduction of extraneous DNA into cells, to alter the genetic makeup of the cell. The cells thus altered may produce desirable proteins which are extracted and used; in the case of genetically altered plant cells, the altered cells may grow into complete plants with changed properties, as for example, increased resistance to disease. |
| plasmin | noun | A proteid body, separated by some physiologists from blood plasma. It is probably identical with fibrinogen. |
| plasson | noun | The albuminous material composing the body of a cytode. |
| plaster | noun | An external application of a consistency harder than ointment, prepared for use by spreading it on linen, leather, silk, or other material. It is adhesive at the ordinary temperature of the body, and is used, according to its composition, to produce a medicinal effect, to bind parts together, etc.; as, a porous plaster; sticking plaster., A composition of lime, water, and sand, with or without hair as a bond, for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions of houses. See Mortar., Calcined gypsum, or plaster of Paris, especially when ground, as used for making ornaments, figures, moldings, etc.; or calcined gypsum used as a fertilizer., To cover with a plaster, as a wound or sore., To overlay or cover with plaster, as the ceilings and walls of a house., Fig.: To smooth over; to cover or conceal the defects of; to hide, as with a covering of plaster. |
| plastic | adjective | Having the power to give form or fashion to a mass of matter; as, the plastic hand of the Creator., Capable of being molded, formed, or modeled, as clay or plaster; — used also figuratively; as, the plastic mind of a child., Pertaining or appropriate to, or characteristic of, molding or modeling; produced by, or appearing as if produced by, molding or modeling; — said of sculpture and the kindred arts, in distinction from painting and the graphic arts., a substance composed predominantly of a synthetic organic high polymer capable of being cast or molded; many varieties of plastic are used to produce articles of commerce (after 1900). [MW10 gives origin of word as 1905] |
| plastid | noun | Alt. of Plastide |
| plastin | noun | A substance associated with nuclein in cell nuclei, and by some considered as the fundamental substance of the nucleus. |
| platted | imp. & past participle | of Plat |
| plating | present participle & vb. noun | of Plate, The art or process of covering anything with a plate or plates, or with metal, particularly of overlaying a base or dull metal with a thin plate of precious or bright metal, as by mechanical means or by electro-magnetic deposition., A thin coating of metal laid upon another metal., A coating or defensive armor of metal (usually steel) plates. |
| plateau | noun | A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table-land., An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver. |
| platina | noun | Platinum. |
| platoon | noun | Formerly, a body of men who fired together; also, a small square body of soldiers to strengthen the angles of a hollow square., Now, in the United States service, half of a company. |
| platten | adjective | To flatten and make into sheets or plates; as, to platten cylinder glass. |
| platter | noun | One who plats or braids., A large plate or shallow dish on which meat or other food is brought to the table. |
| plaudit | noun | A mark or expression of applause; praise bestowed. |
| playing | present participle & vb. noun | of Play, a. & vb. n. of Play. |
| playday | noun | A day given to play or diversion; a holiday. |
| playful | adjective | Sportive; gamboling; frolicsome; indulging a sportive fancy; humorous; merry; as, a playful child; a playful writer. |
| pleaded | imp. & past participle | of Plead |
| pleader | noun | One who pleads; one who argues for or against; an advotate., One who draws up or forms pleas; the draughtsman of pleas or pleadings in the widest sense; as, a special pleader. |
| pleased | imp. & past participle | of Please, Experiencing pleasure. |
| pleaser | noun | One who pleases or gratifies. |
| plectra | plural | of Plectrum |
| pledged | imp. & past participle | of Pledge |
| pledgee | noun | The one to whom a pledge is given, or to whom property pledged is delivered. |
| pledgor | noun | One who pledges, or delivers anything in pledge; a pledger; — opposed to pledgee. |
| pledger | noun | One who pledges. |
| pledget | noun | A small plug., A string of oakum used in calking., A compress, or small flat tent of lint, laid over a wound, ulcer, or the like, to exclude air, retain dressings, or absorb the matter discharged. |
| plenary | adjective | Full; entire; complete; absolute; as, a plenary license; plenary authority., Decisive procedure. |
| plenish | verb t. | To replenish., To furnish; to stock, as a house or farm. |
| plenist | noun | One who holds that all space is full of matter. |
| pleopod | noun | One of the abdominal legs of a crustacean. See Illust. under Crustacea. |
| plerome | noun | The central column of parenchyma in a growing stem or root. |
| plethra | plural | of Plethrum |
| pleurae | plural | of Pleura |
| pleuras | plural | of Pleura |
| pleural | adjective | Of or pertaining to the pleura or pleurae, or to the sides of the thorax. |
| pleuric | adjective | Pleural. |
| pleuro- | A combining form denoting relation to a side; specif., connection with, or situation in or near, the pleura; as, pleuroperitoneum. | |
| pleuron | noun | One of the sides of an animal., One of the lateral pieces of a somite of an insect., One of lateral processes of a somite of a crustacean. |
| plexure | noun | The act or process of weaving together, or interweaving; that which is woven together. |
| pliable | verb | Capable of being plied, turned, or bent; easy to be bent; flexible; pliant; supple; limber; yielding; as, willow is a pliable plant., Flexible in disposition; readily yielding to influence, arguments, persuasion, or discipline; easy to be persuaded; — sometimes in a bad sense; as, a pliable youth. |
| pliancy | noun | The quality or state of being pliant in sense; as, the pliancy of a rod. |
| plicate | adjective | Alt. of Plicated |
| pliform | adjective | In the form of a ply, fold, or doubling. |
| plodded | imp. & past participle | of Plod |
| plodder | noun | One who plods; a drudge. |
| plongee | noun | A slope or sloping toward the front; as, the plongee of a parapet; the plongee of a shell in its course. |
| plotted | imp. & past participle | of Plot |
| plotful | adjective | Abounding with plots. |
| plotter | noun | One who plots or schemes; a contriver; a conspirator; a schemer. |
| plowing | present participle & vb. noun | of Plough |
| plowboy | noun | Alt. of Ploughboy |
| plowman | noun | Alt. of Ploughman |
| plucked | imp. & past participle | of Pluck, Having courage and spirit. |
| plucker | noun | One who, or that which, plucks., A machine for straightening and cleaning wool. |
| plugged | imp. & past participle | of Plug |
| plugger | noun | One who, or that which, plugs. |
| plumage | noun | The entire clothing of a bird. |
| plumbed | imp. & past participle | of Plumb |
| plumber | noun | One who works in lead; esp., one who furnishes, fits, and repairs lead, iron, or glass pipes, and other apparatus for the conveyance of water, gas, or drainage in buildings. |
| plumbic | adjective | Of, pertaining to, resembling, or containing, lead; — used specifically to designate those compounds in which it has a higher valence as contrasted with plumbous compounds; as, plumbic oxide. |
| plumbum | noun | The technical name of lead. See Lead. |
| pluming | present participle & vb. noun | of Plume |
| plumery | noun | Plumes, collectively or in general; plumage. |
| plummet | noun | A piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water., A plumb bob or a plumb line. See under Plumb, n., Hence, any weight., A piece of lead formerly used by school children to rule paper for writing. |
| plumose | adjective | Alt. of Plumous |
| plumous | adjective | Having feathers or plumes., Having hairs, or other parts, arranged along an axis like a feather; feathery; plumelike; as, a plumose leaf; plumose tentacles. |
| plumped | imp. & past participle | of Plump |
| plumper | noun | One who, or that which, plumps or swells out something else; hence, something carried in the mouth to distend the cheeks., A vote given to one candidate only, when two or more are to be elected, thus giving him the advantage over the others. A person who gives his vote thus is said to plump, or to plump his vote., A voter who plumps his vote., A downright, unqualified lie. |
| plumply | adverb | Fully; roundly; plainly; without reserve. |
| plumule | plural | of Plumula, The first bud, or gemmule, of a young plant; the bud, or growing point, of the embryo, above the cotyledons. See Illust. of Radicle., A down feather., The aftershaft of a feather. See Illust. under Feather., One of the featherlike scales of certain male butterflies. |
| plumula | noun | A plumule., A down feather. |
| plunder | verb t. | To take the goods of by force, or without right; to pillage; to spoil; to sack; to strip; to rob; as, to plunder travelers., To take by pillage; to appropriate forcibly; as, the enemy plundered all the goods they found., The act of plundering or pillaging; robbery. See Syn. of Pillage., That which is taken by open force from an enemy; pillage; spoil; booty; also, that which is taken by theft or fraud., Personal property and effects; baggage or luggage. |
| plunged | imp. & past participle | of Plunge |
| plunger | noun | One who, or that which, plunges; a diver., A long solid cylinder, used, instead of a piston or bucket, as a forcer in pumps., One who bets heavily and recklessly on a race; a reckless speculator., A boiler in which clay is beaten by a wheel to a creamy consistence., The firing pin of a breechloader. |
| plunket | noun | A kind of blue color; also, anciently, a kind of cloth, generally blue. |
| pluries | noun | A writ issued in the third place, after two former writs have been disregarded. |
| plurisy | noun | Superabundance; excess; plethora. |
| pluteal | adjective | Of or pertaining to a pluteus. |
| pluteus | noun | The free-swimming larva of sea urchins and ophiurans, having several long stiff processes inclosing calcareous rods. |
| pluvial | adjective | Of or pertaining to rain; rainy., Produced by the action of rain., A priest’s cope. |
| pluvian | noun | The crocodile bird. |
| pneumo- | A combining form from Gr. pney`mwn, pney`monos, a lung; as, pneumogastric, pneumology. | |
| poached | imp. & past participle | of Poach |
| poacher | noun | One who poaches; one who kills or catches game or fish contrary to law., The American widgeon. |
| pochard | noun | See Poachard. |
| pocoson | noun | Low, wooded grounds or swamps in Eastern Maryland and Virginia. |
| podding | present participle & vb. noun | of Pod |
| podagra | noun | Gout in the joints of the foot; — applied also to gout in other parts of body. |
| podesta | noun | One of the chief magistrates of the Italian republics in the Middle Ages., A mayor, alderman, or other magistrate, in some towns of Italy. |
| podetia | plural | of Podetium |
| podical | adjective | Anal; — applied to certain organs of insects. |
| podrida | noun | A miscellaneous dish of meats. See Olla-podrida. |
| podurae | plural | of Podura |
| poduras | plural | of Podura |
| podurid | noun | Any species of Podura or allied genera., Pertaining to the poduras. |
| poebird | noun | The parson bird. |
| poecile | noun | Same as Poicile., The frescoed porch or gallery in Athens where Zeno taught. |
| poenamu | noun | A variety of jade or nephrite, — used in New Zealand for the manufacture of axes and weapons. |
| poetess | noun | A female poet. |
| poetics | noun | The principles and rules of the art of poetry. |
| poetize | verb i. | To write as a poet; to compose verse; to idealize. |
| pohagen | noun | See Pauhaugen. |
| poicile | noun | Alt. of Poecile |
| poinder | noun | The keeper of a cattle pound; a pinder., One who distrains property. |
| pointed | imp. & past participle | of Point, Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock., Characterized by sharpness, directness, or pithiness of expression; terse; epigrammatic; especially, directed to a particular person or thing. |
| pointal | noun | The pistil of a plant., A kind of pencil or style used with the tablets of the Middle Ages., See Poyntel. |
| pointel | noun | See Pointal. |
| pointer | noun | One who, or that which, points., The hand of a timepiece., One of a breed of dogs trained to stop at scent of game, and with the nose point it out to sportsmen., The two stars (Merak and Dubhe) in the Great Bear, the line between which points nearly in the direction of the north star., Diagonal braces sometimes fixed across the hold. |
| poising | present participle & vb. noun | of Poise |
| poisure | noun | Weight. |
| poitrel | adjective | The breastplate of the armor of a horse. See Peytrel. |
| pokebag | noun | The European long-tailed titmouse; — called also poke-pudding. |
| polacca | noun | A vessel with two or three masts, used in the Mediterranean. The masts are usually of one piece, and without tops, caps, or crosstrees., See Polonaise. |
| polacre | noun | Same as Polacca, 1. |
| polaric | adjective | See Polar. |
| polaris | noun | The polestar. See North star, under North. |
| poldway | noun | A kind of coarse bagging, — used for coal sacks. |
| poleaxe | noun | Anciently, a kind of battle-ax with a long handle; later, an ax or hatchet with a short handle, and a head variously patterned; — used by soldiers, and also by sailors in boarding a vessel. |
| polecat | noun | A small European carnivore of the Weasel family (Putorius foetidus). Its scent glands secrete a substance of an exceedingly disagreeable odor. Called also fitchet, foulmart, and European ferret., The zorilla. The name is also applied to other allied species. |
| polemic | adjective | Of or pertaining to controversy; maintaining, or involving, controversy; controversial; disputative; as, a polemic discourse or essay; polemic theology., Engaged in, or addicted to, polemics, or to controversy; disputations; as, a polemic writer., One who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant., A polemic argument or controversy. |
| polenta | noun | Pudding made of Indian meal; also, porridge made of chestnut meal. |
| polewig | noun | The European spotted goby (Gobius minutus); — called also pollybait. |
| policed | imp. & past participle | of Police, Regulated by laws for the maintenance of peace and order, enforced by organized administration. |
| politic | adjective | Of or pertaining to polity, or civil government; political; as, the body politic. See under Body., Pertaining to, or promoting, a policy, especially a national policy; well-devised; adapted to its end, whether right or wrong; — said of things; as, a politic treaty., Sagacious in promoting a policy; ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; devoted to a scheme or system rather than to a principle; hence, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious; and in a bad sense, artful; unscrupulous; cunning; — said of persons., A politician. |
| polling | present participle & vb. noun | of Poll, The act of topping, lopping, or cropping, as trees or hedges., Plunder, or extortion., The act of voting, or of registering a vote. |
| pollack | noun | A marine gadoid food fish of Europe (Pollachius virens). Called also greenfish, greenling, lait, leet, lob, lythe, and whiting pollack., The American pollock; the coalfish. |
| pollage | noun | A head or poll tax; hence, extortion. |
| pollard | noun | A tree having its top cut off at some height above the ground, that may throw out branches., A clipped coin; also, a counterfeit., A fish, the chub., A stag that has cast its antlers., A hornless animal (cow or sheep)., To lop the tops of, as trees; to poll; as, to pollard willows. |
| pollock | noun | A marine gadoid fish (Pollachius carbonarius), native both of the European and American coasts. It is allied to the cod, and like it is salted and dried. In England it is called coalfish, lob, podley, podling, pollack, etc. |
| pollute | verb t. | To make foul, impure, or unclean; to defile; to taint; to soil; to desecrate; — used of physical or moral defilement., To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonor., To render ceremonially unclean; to disqualify or unfit for sacred use or service, or for social intercourse., Polluted. |
| polygon | noun | A plane figure having many angles, and consequently many sides; esp., one whose perimeter consists of more than four sides; any figure having many angles. |
| polygyn | noun | A plant of the order Polygynia. |
| polymer | noun | Any one of two or more substances related to each other by polymerism; specifically, a substance produced from another substance by chemical polymerization. |
| polynia | noun | The open sea supposed to surround the north pole. |
| polypus | noun | Same as Polyp., A tumor, usually with a narrow base, somewhat resembling a pear, — found in the nose, uterus, etc., and produced by hypertrophy of some portion of the mucous membrane. |
| poluria | noun | A persistently excessive flow of watery urine, with low specific gravity and without the presence of either albumin or sugar. It is generally accompanied with more or less thirst. |
| polyzoa | noun pl. | Same as Bryozoa. See Illust. under Bryozoa, and Phylactolaemata., of Polyzoon |
| pomatum | noun | A perfumed unguent or composition, chiefly used in dressing the hair; pomade., To dress with pomatum. |
| pomfret | noun | One of two or more species of marine food fishes of the genus Stromateus (S. niger, S. argenteus) native of Southern Europe and Asia., A marine food fish of Bermuda (Brama Raji). |
| pommage | noun | See Pomage. |
| pompano | noun | Any one of several species of marine fishes of the genus Trachynotus, of which four species are found on the Atlantic coast of the United States; — called also palometa., A California harvest fish (Stromateus simillimus), highly valued as a food fish. |
| pompion | noun | See Pumpion. |
| pompire | noun | A pearmain. |
| pomposo | adjective & adverb | Grand and dignified; in grand style. |
| pompous | adjective | Displaying pomp; stately; showy with grandeur; magnificent; as, a pompous procession., Ostentatious; pretentious; boastful; vainlorious; as, pompous manners; a pompous style. |
| ponchos | plural | of Poncho |
| ponghee | noun | A Buddhist priest of the higher orders in Burmah. |
| poniard | noun | A kind of dagger, — usually a slender one with a triangular or square blade., To pierce with a poniard; to stab. |
| pontage | noun | A duty or tax paid for repairing bridges. |
| pontiff | noun | A high priest., One of the sacred college, in ancient Rome, which had the supreme jurisdiction over all matters of religion, at the head of which was the Pontifex Maximus., The chief priest., The pope. |
| pontile | adjective | Of or pertaining to the pons Varolii. See Pons. |
| pontine | adjective | Of or pertaining to an extensive marshy district between Rome and Naples. |
| pontoon | noun | A wooden flat-bottomed boat, a metallic cylinder, or a frame covered with canvas, India rubber, etc., forming a portable float, used in building bridges quickly for the passage of troops., A low, flat vessel, resembling a barge, furnished with cranes, capstans, and other machinery, used in careening ships, raising weights, drawing piles, etc., chiefly in the Mediterranean; a lighter. |
| pooling | present participle & vb. noun | of Pool, The act of uniting, or an agreement to unite, an aggregation of properties belonging to different persons, with a view to common liabilities or profits. |
| pooping | present participle & vb. noun | of Poop, The act or shock of striking a vessel’s stern by a following wave or vessel. |
| poorbox | noun | A receptacle in which money given for the poor is placed. |
| popping | present participle & vb. noun | of Pop, a. & n. from Pop. |
| popedom | noun | The place, office, or dignity of the pope; papal dignity., The jurisdiction of the pope. |
| poplexy | noun | Apoplexy. |
| poppied | adjective | Mingled or interspersed with poppies., Affected with poppy juice; hence, figuratively, drugged; drowsy; listless; inactive. |
| poppies | plural | of Poppy |
| popular | adjective | Of or pertaining to the common people, or to the whole body of the people, as distinguished from a select portion; as, the popular voice; popular elections., Suitable to common people; easy to be comprehended; not abstruse; familiar; plain., Adapted to the means of the common people; possessed or obtainable by the many; hence, cheap; common; ordinary; inferior; as, popular prices; popular amusements., Beloved or approved by the people; pleasing to people in general, or to many people; as, a popular preacher; a popular law; a popular administration., Devoted to the common people; studious of the favor of the populace., Prevailing among the people; epidemic; as, a popular disease. |
| populin | noun | A glycoside, related to salicin, found in the bark of certain species of the poplar (Populus), and extracted as a sweet white crystalline substance. |
| porcate | adjective | Having grooves or furrows broader than the intervening ridges; furrowed. |
| porcine | adjective | Of or pertaining to swine; characteristic of the hog. |
| porgies | plural | of Porgy |
| porites | noun | An important genus of reef-building corals having small twelve-rayed calicles, and a very porous coral. Some species are branched, others grow in large massive or globular forms. |
| porotic | noun | A medicine supposed to promote the formation of callus. |
| porpita | noun | A genus of bright-colored Siphonophora found floating in the warmer parts of the ocean. The individuals are round and disk-shaped, with a large zooid in the center of the under side, surrounded by smaller nutritive and reproductive zooids, and by slender dactylozooids near the margin. The disk contains a central float, or pneumatocyst. |
| porrect | adjective | Extended horizontally; stretched out. |
| porting | present participle & vb. noun | of Port |
| portace | noun | See Portass. |
| portage | noun | A sailor’s wages when in port., The amount of a sailor’s wages for a voyage., A porthole., The act of carrying or transporting., The price of carriage; porterage., Capacity for carrying; tonnage., A carry between navigable waters. See 3d Carry., To carry (goods, boats, etc.) overland between navigable waters. |
| portass | noun | A breviary; a prayer book. |
| portate | adjective | Borne not erect, but diagonally athwart an escutcheon; as, a cross portate. |
| portend | verb t. | To indicate (events, misfortunes, etc.) as in future; to foreshow; to foretoken; to bode; — now used esp. of unpropitious signs., To stretch out before. |
| portent | noun | That which portends, or foretoken; esp., that which portends evil; a sign of coming calamity; an omen; a sign. |
| portico | noun | A colonnade or covered ambulatory, especially in classical styles of architecture; usually, a colonnade at the entrance of a building. |
| portion | noun | That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything., A part considered by itself, though not actually cut off or separated from the whole., A part assigned; allotment; share; fate., The part of an estate given to a child or heir, or descending to him by law, and distributed to him in the settlement of the estate; an inheritance., A wife’s fortune; a dowry., To separate or divide into portions or shares; to parcel; to distribute., To endow with a portion or inheritance. |
| portise | noun | See Portass. |
| portmen | plural | of Portman |
| portman | noun | An inhabitant or burgess of a port, esp. of one of the Cinque Ports. |
| portoir | noun | One who, or that which, bears; hence, one who, or that which, produces. |
| portray | verb t. | To paint or draw the likeness of; as, to portray a king on horseback., Hence, figuratively, to describe in words., To adorn with pictures. |
| posited | imp. & past participle | of Posit |
| possess | verb t. | To occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one’s own keeping; to have and to hold., To have the legal title to; to have a just right to; to be master of; to own; to have; as, to possess property, an estate, a book., To obtain occupation or possession of; to accomplish; to gain; to seize., To enter into and influence; to control the will of; to fill; to affect; — said especially of evil spirits, passions, etc., To put in possession; to make the owner or holder of property, power, knowledge, etc.; to acquaint; to inform; — followed by of or with before the thing possessed, and now commonly used reflexively. |
| posting | present participle & vb. noun | of Post, The act of traveling post., The act of transferring an account, as from the journal to the ledger. |
| postact | noun | An act done afterward. |
| postage | noun | The price established by law to be paid for the conveyance of a letter or other mailable matter by a public post. |
| postboy | noun | One who rides post horses; a position; a courier., A boy who carries letters from the post. |
| postern | noun | Originally, a back door or gate; a private entrance; hence, any small door or gate., A subterraneous passage communicating between the parade and the main ditch, or between the ditches and the interior of the outworks., Back; being behind; private. |
| postero | – (/). A combining form meaning posterior, back; as, postero-inferior, situated back and below; postero-lateral, situated back and at the side. | |
| postfix | noun | A letter, syllable, or word, added to the end of another word; a suffix., To annex; specifically (Gram.), to add or annex, as a letter, syllable, or word, to the end of another or principal word; to suffix. |
| postmen | plural | of Postman |
| postman | noun | A post or courier; a letter carrier., One of the two most experienced barristers in the Court of Exchequer, who have precedence in motions; — so called from the place where he sits. The other of the two is called the tubman. |
| posture | noun | The position of the body; the situation or disposition of the several parts of the body with respect to each other, or for a particular purpose; especially (Fine Arts), the position of a figure with regard to the several principal members by which action is expressed; attitude., Place; position; situation., State or condition, whether of external circumstances, or of internal feeling and will; disposition; mood; as, a posture of defense; the posture of affairs., To place in a particular position or attitude; to dispose the parts of, with reference to a particular purpose; as, to posture one’s self; to posture a model., To assume a particular posture or attitude; to contort the body into artificial attitudes, as an acrobat or contortionist; also, to pose., Fig.: To assume a character; as, to posture as a saint. |
| potting | present participle & vb. noun | of Pot, Tippling., The act of placing in a pot; as, the potting of plants; the potting of meats for preservation., The process of putting sugar in casks for cleansing and draining. |
| potable | adjective | Fit to be drunk; drinkable., A potable liquid; a beverage. |
| potager | noun | A porringer. |
| potagro | noun | See Potargo. |
| potance | noun | The stud in which the bearing for the lower pivot of the verge is made. |
| potargo | noun | A kind of sauce or pickle. |
| potassa | noun | Potassium oxide., Potassium hydroxide, commonly called caustic potash. |
| potator | noun | A drinker. |
| potcher | noun | One who, or that which, potches. |
| potelot | noun | Molybdenum sulphide. |
| potence | noun | Potency; capacity. |
| potency | noun | The quality or state of being potent; physical or moral power; inherent strength; energy; ability to effect a purpose; capability; efficacy; influence. |
| potheen | noun | See Poteen. |
| pothole | noun | A circular hole formed in the rocky beds of rivers by the grinding action of stones or gravel whirled round by the water in what was at first a natural depression of the rock. |
| pothook | noun | An S-shaped hook on which pots and kettles are hung over an open fire., A written character curved like a pothook; (pl.) a scrawled writing. |
| potluck | noun | Whatever may chance to be in the pot, or may be provided for a meal. |
| potoroo | noun | Any small kangaroo belonging to Hypsiprymnus, Bettongia, and allied genera, native of Australia and Tasmania. Called also kangaroo rat. |
| pottage | noun | A kind of food made by boiling vegetables or meat, or both together, in water, until soft; a thick soup or porridge. |
| pottain | noun | Old pot metal. |
| potteen | noun | See Poteen. |
| pottern | adjective | Of or pertaining to potters. |
| pottery | noun | The vessels or ware made by potters; earthenware, glazed and baked., The place where earthen vessels are made. |
| pouched | imp. & past participle | of Pouch, Having a marsupial pouch; as, the pouched badger, or the wombat., Having external cheek pouches; as, the pouched gopher., Having internal cheek pouches; as, the pouched squirrels. |
| poulder | noun & verb | Powder. |
| poulter | noun | A poulterer. |
| poultry | noun | Domestic fowls reared for the table, or for their eggs or feathers, such as cocks and hens, capons, turkeys, ducks, and geese. |
| pounded | imp. & past participle | of Pounce, of Pound |
| pounced | adjective | Furnished with claws or talons; as, the pounced young of the eagle., Ornamented with perforations or dots. |
| poundal | noun | A unit of force based upon the pound, foot, and second, being the force which, acting on a pound avoirdupois for one second, causes it to acquire by the of that time a velocity of one foot per second. It is about equal to the weight of half an ounce, and is 13,825 dynes. |
| pounder | noun | One who, or that which, pounds, as a stamp in an ore mill., An instrument used for pounding; a pestle., A person or thing, so called with reference to a certain number of pounds in value, weight, capacity, etc.; as, a cannon carrying a twelve-pound ball is called a twelve pounder. |
| pouring | present participle & vb. noun | of Pour |
| pouting | present participle & vb. noun | of Pout, Childish sullenness. |
| poverty | noun | The quality or state of being poor or indigent; want or scarcity of means of subsistence; indigence; need., Any deficiency of elements or resources that are needed or desired, or that constitute richness; as, poverty of soil; poverty of the blood; poverty of ideas. |
| powdery | adjective | Easily crumbling to pieces; friable; loose; as, a powdery spar., Sprinkled or covered with powder; dusty; as, the powdery bloom on plums., Resembling powder; consisting of powder. |
| powdike | noun | A dike a marsh or fen. |
| poynado | noun | A poniard. |
| poynder | noun | See Poind, Poinder. |
| poyntel | noun | Paving or flooring made of small squares or lozenges set diagonally. |
| practic | adjective | Practical., Artful; deceitful; skillful. |
| praetor | noun | See Pretor. |
| prairie | noun | An extensive tract of level or rolling land, destitute of trees, covered with coarse grass, and usually characterized by a deep, fertile soil. They abound throughout the Mississippi valley, between the Alleghanies and the Rocky mountains., A meadow or tract of grass; especially, a so called natural meadow. |
| praised | imp. & past participle | of Praise |
| prakrit | noun | Any one of the popular dialects descended from, or akin to, Sanskrit; — in distinction from the Sanskrit, which was used as a literary and learned language when no longer spoken by the people. Pali is one of the Prakrit dialects. |
| pranced | imp. & past participle | of Prance |
| prancer | noun | A horse which prances. |
| prangos | noun | A genus of umbelliferous plants, one species of which (P. pabularia), found in Thibet, Cashmere, Afghanistan, etc., has been used as fodder for cattle. It has decompound leaves with very long narrow divisions, and a highly fragrant smell resembling that of new clover hay. |
| pranked | imp. & past participle | of Prank |
| pranker | noun | One who dresses showily; a prinker. |
| praseo- | A combining form signifying green; as, praseocobalt, a green variety of cobalt. | |
| prasoid | adjective | Resembling prase. |
| prating | present participle & vb. noun | of Prate |
| prattle | verb i. | To talk much and idly; to prate; hence, to talk lightly and artlessly, like a child; to utter child’s talk., To utter as prattle; to babble; as, to prattle treason., Trifling or childish tattle; empty talk; loquacity on trivial subjects; prate; babble. |
| pravity | noun | Deterioration; degeneracy; corruption; especially, moral crookedness; moral perversion; perverseness; depravity; as, the pravity of human nature. |
| praying | present participle & vb. noun | of Pray, a. & n. from Pray, v. |
| prebend | noun | A payment or stipend; esp., the stipend or maintenance granted to a prebendary out of the estate of a cathedral or collegiate church with which he is connected. See Note under Benefice., A prebendary. |
| precant | noun | One who prays. |
| precede | verb t. | To go before in order of time; to occur first with relation to anything., To go before in place, rank, or importance., To cause to be preceded; to preface; to introduce; — used with by or with before the instrumental object. |
| precent | noun | Any commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action; esp., a command respecting moral conduct; an injunction; a rule., A command in writing; a species of writ or process. |
| precept | verb t. | To teach by precepts. |
| precipe | noun | See Praecipe, and Precept. |
| precise | adjective | Having determinate limitations; exactly or sharply defined or stated; definite; exact; nice; not vague or equivocal; as, precise rules of morality., Strictly adhering or conforming to rule; very nice or exact; punctilious in conduct or ceremony; formal; ceremonious. |
| precoce | adjective | Precocious. |
| predate | verb t. | To date anticipation; to affix to (a document) an earlier than the actual date; to antedate; as, a predated deed or letter. |
| predial | adjective | Consisting of land or farms; landed; as, predial estate; that is, real estate., Attached to land or farms; as, predial slaves., Issuing or derived from land; as, predial tithes. |
| predict | verb t. | To tell or declare beforehand; to foretell; to prophesy; to presage; as, to predict misfortune; to predict the return of a comet., A prediction. |
| predoom | verb t. | To foredoom. |
| preempt | verb t. & i. | To settle upon (public land) with a right of preemption, as under the laws of the United States; to take by preemption. |
| preened | imp. & past participle | of Preen |
| preface | noun | Something spoken as introductory to a discourse, or written as introductory to a book or essay; a proem; an introduction, or series of preliminary remarks., The prelude or introduction to the canon of the Mass., To introduce by a preface; to give a preface to; as, to preface a book discourse., To make a preface. |
| prefect | noun | A Roman officer who controlled or superintended a particular command, charge, department, etc.; as, the prefect of the aqueducts; the prefect of a camp, of a fleet, of the city guard, of provisions; the pretorian prefect, who was commander of the troops guarding the emperor’s person., A superintendent of a department who has control of its police establishment, together with extensive powers of municipal regulation., In the Greek and Roman Catholic churches, a title of certain dignitaries below the rank of bishop. |
| prefine | verb t. | To limit beforehand. |
| preform | verb t. | To form beforehand, or for special ends. |
| pregage | verb t. | To preengage. |
| prehend | verb t. | To lay hold of; to seize. |
| prelacy | noun | The office or dignity of a prelate; church government by prelates., The order of prelates, taken collectively; the body of ecclesiastical dignitaries. |
| prelate | noun | A clergyman of a superior order, as an archbishop or a bishop, having authority over the lower clergy; a dignitary of the church., To act as a prelate. |
| prelaty | noun | Prelacy. |
| prelect | verb t. | To read publicly, as a lecture or discourse., To discourse publicly; to lecture. |
| prelook | verb i. | To look forward. |
| prelude | verb t. | An introductory performance, preceding and preparing for the principal matter; a preliminary part, movement, strain, etc.; especially (Mus.), a strain introducing the theme or chief subject; a movement introductory to a fugue, yet independent; — with recent composers often synonymous with overture., To play an introduction or prelude; to give a prefatory performance; to serve as prelude., To introduce with a previous performance; to play or perform a prelude to; as, to prelude a concert with a lively air., To serve as prelude to; to precede as introductory. |
| premial | adjective | Alt. of Premiant |
| premier | adjective | First; chief; principal; as, the premier place; premier minister., Most ancient; — said of the peer bearing the oldest title of his degree., The first minister of state; the prime minister. |
| premise | noun | A proposition antecedently supposed or proved; something previously stated or assumed as the basis of further argument; a condition; a supposition., Either of the first two propositions of a syllogism, from which the conclusion is drawn., Matters previously stated or set forth; esp., that part in the beginning of a deed, the office of which is to express the grantor and grantee, and the land or thing granted or conveyed, and all that precedes the habendum; the thing demised or granted., A piece of real estate; a building and its adjuncts; as, to lease premises; to trespass on another’s premises., To send before the time, or beforehand; hence, to cause to be before something else; to employ previously., To set forth beforehand, or as introductory to the main subject; to offer previously, as something to explain or aid in understanding what follows; especially, to lay down premises or first propositions, on which rest the subsequent reasonings., To make a premise; to set forth something as a premise. |
| premiss | noun | Premise. |
| premium | noun | A reward or recompense; a prize to be won by being before another, or others, in a competition; reward or prize to be adjudged; a bounty; as, a premium for good behavior or scholarship, for discoveries, etc., Something offered or given for the loan of money; bonus; — sometimes synonymous with interest, but generally signifying a sum in addition to the capital., A sum of money paid to underwriters for insurance, or for undertaking to indemnify for losses of any kind., A sum in advance of, or in addition to, the nominal or par value of anything; as, gold was at a premium; he sold his stock at a premium. |
| prender | noun | The power or right of taking a thing before it is offered. |
| prenote | verb t. | To note or designate beforehand. |
| preoral | adjective | Situated in front of, or anterior to, the mouth; as, preoral bands. |
| prepare | verb t. | To fit, adapt, or qualify for a particular purpose or condition; to make ready; to put into a state for use or application; as, to prepare ground for seed; to prepare a lesson., To procure as suitable or necessary; to get ready; to provide; as, to prepare ammunition and provisions for troops; to prepare ships for defence; to prepare an entertainment., To make all things ready; to put things in order; as, to prepare for a hostile invasion., To make one’s self ready; to get ready; to take the necessary previous measures; as, to prepare for death., Preparation. |
| prepaid | imp. & past participle | of Prepay |
| prepose | verb t. | To place or set before; to prefix. |
| prepuce | noun | The foreskin. |
| presage | verb t. | Something which foreshows or portends a future event; a prognostic; an omen; an augury., Power to look the future, or the exercise of that power; foreknowledge; presentiment., To have a presentiment of; to feel beforehand; to foreknow., To foretell; to predict; to foreshow; to indicate., To form or utter a prediction; — sometimes used with of. |
| present | adjective | Being at hand, within reach or call, within certain contemplated limits; — opposed to absent., Now existing, or in process; begun but not ended; now in view, or under consideration; being at this time; not past or future; as, the present session of Congress; the present state of affairs; the present instance., Not delayed; immediate; instant; coincident., Ready; quick in emergency; as a present wit., Favorably attentive; propitious., Present time; the time being; time in progress now, or at the moment contemplated; as, at this present., Present letters or instrument, as a deed of conveyance, a lease, letter of attorney, or other writing; as in the phrase, ” Know all men by these presents,” that is, by the writing itself, ” per has literas praesentes; ” — in this sense, rarely used in the singular., A present tense, or the form of the verb denoting the present tense., To bring or introduce into the presence of some one, especially of a superior; to introduce formally; to offer for acquaintance; as, to present an envoy to the king; (with the reciprocal pronoun) to come into the presence of a superior., To exhibit or offer to view or notice; to lay before one’s perception or cognizance; to set forth; to present a fine appearance., To pass over, esp. in a ceremonious manner; to give in charge or possession; to deliver; to make over., To make a gift of; to bestow; to give, generally in a formal or ceremonious manner; to grant; to confer., Hence: To endow; to bestow a gift upon; to favor, as with a donation; also, to court by gifts., To present; to personate., To nominate to an ecclesiastical benefice; to offer to the bishop or ordinary as a candidate for institution., To nominate for support at a public school or other institution ., To lay before a public body, or an official, for consideration, as before a legislature, a court of judicature, a corporation, etc.; as, to present a memorial, petition, remonstrance, or indictment., To lay before a court as an object of inquiry; to give notice officially of, as a crime of offence; to find or represent judicially; as, a grand jury present certain offenses or nuisances, or whatever they think to be public injuries., To bring an indictment against ., To aim, point, or direct, as a weapon; as, to present a pistol or the point of a sword to the breast of another., To appear at the mouth of the uterus so as to be perceptible to the finger in vaginal examination; — said of a part of an infant during labor., Anything presented or given; a gift; a donative; as, a Christmas present., The position of a soldier in presenting arms; as, to stand at present. |
| preshow | verb t. | To foreshow. |
| preside | verb i. | To be set, or to sit, in the place of authority; to occupy the place of president, chairman, moderator, director, etc.; to direct, control, and regulate, as chief officer; as, to preside at a public meeting; to preside over the senate., To exercise superintendence; to watch over. |
| pressed | imp. & past participle | of Press |
| presser | noun | One who, or that which, presses. |
| pressly | adverb | Closely; concisely. |
| pressor | adjective | Causing, or giving rise to, pressure or to an increase of pressure; as, pressor nerve fibers, stimulation of which excites the vasomotor center, thus causing a stronger contraction of the arteries and consequently an increase of the arterial blood pressure; — opposed to depressor. |
| prester | noun | A meteor or exhalation formerly supposed to be thrown from the clouds with such violence that by collision it is set on fire., One of the veins of the neck when swollen with anger or other excitement., A priest or presbyter; as, Prester John. |
| presume | verb t. | To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained., To take or suppose to be true, or entitled to belief, without examination or proof, or on the strength of probability; to take for granted; to infer; to suppose., To suppose or assume something to be, or to be true, on grounds deemed valid, though not amounting to proof; to believe by anticipation; to infer; as, we may presume too far., To venture, go, or act, by an assumption of leave or authority not granted; to go beyond what is warranted by the circumstances of the case; to venture beyond license; to take liberties; — often with on or upon before the ground of confidence. |
| pretend | verb t. | To lay a claim to; to allege a title to; to claim., To hold before, or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden., To hold out, or represent, falsely; to put forward, or offer, as true or real (something untrue or unreal); to show hypocritically, or for the purpose of deceiving; to simulate; to feign; as, to pretend friendship., To intend; to design; to plot; to attempt., To hold before one; to extend., To put in, or make, a claim, truly or falsely; to allege a title; to lay claim to, or strive after, something; — usually with to., To hold out the appearance of being, possessing, or performing; to profess; to make believe; to feign; to sham; as, to pretend to be asleep. |
| preter- | A prefix signifying past, by, beyond, more than; as, preter- mission, a permitting to go by; preternatural, beyond or more than is natural. | |
| pretext | noun | Ostensible reason or motive assigned or assumed as a color or cover for the real reason or motive; pretense; disguise. |
| pretzel | noun | A kind of German biscuit or cake in the form of a twisted ring, salted on the outside. |
| prevail | verb i. | To overcome; to gain the victory or superiority; to gain the advantage; to have the upper hand, or the mastery; to succeed; — sometimes with over or against., To be in force; to have effect, power, or influence; to be predominant; to have currency or prevalence; to obtain; as, the practice prevails this day., To persuade or induce; — with on, upon, or with; as, I prevailedon him to wait. |
| prevene | verb t. & i. | To come before; to anticipate; hence, to hinder; to prevent. |
| prevent | verb t. | To go before; to precede; hence, to go before as a guide; to direct., To be beforehand with; to anticipate., To intercept; to hinder; to frustrate; to stop; to thwart., To come before the usual time. |
| previse | verb t. | To foresee., To inform beforehand; to warn. |
| prewarn | verb t. & i. | To warn beforehand; to forewarn. |
| preying | present participle & vb. noun | of Prey |
| preyful | adjective | Disposed to take prey., Rich in prey. |
| pricing | present participle & vb. noun | of Price |
| pricked | imp. & past participle | of Prick |
| pricker | noun | One who, or that which, pricks; a pointed instrument; a sharp point; a prickle., One who spurs forward; a light horseman., A priming wire; a priming needle, — used in blasting and gunnery., A small marline spike having generally a wooden handle, — used in sailmaking. |
| pricket | noun | A buck in his second year. See Note under 3d Buck. |
| prickle | noun | A little prick; a small, sharp point; a fine, sharp process or projection, as from the skin of an animal, the bark of a plant, etc.; a spine., A kind of willow basket; — a term still used in some branches of trade., A sieve of filberts, — about fifty pounds., To prick slightly, as with prickles, or fine, sharp points. |
| prickly | adjective | Full of sharp points or prickles; armed or covered with prickles; as, a prickly shrub. |
| priding | present participle & vb. noun | of Pride |
| pridian | adjective | Of or pertaining to the day before, or yesterday. |
| prigged | imp. & past participle | of Prig |
| prighte | imp. of Prick. | |
| primmed | imp. & past participle | of Prim |
| primacy | adjective | The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, etc., hence, excellency; supremacy., The office, rank, or character of a primate; the chief ecclesiastical station or dignity in a national church; the office or dignity of an archbishop; as, the primacy of England. |
| primage | noun | A charge in addition to the freight; originally, a gratuity to the captain for his particular care of the goods (sometimes called hat money), but now belonging to the owners or freighters of the vessel, unless by special agreement the whole or part is assigned to the captain. |
| primary | adjective | First in order of time or development or in intention; primitive; fundamental; original., First in order, as being preparatory to something higher; as, primary assemblies; primary schools., First in dignity or importance; chief; principal; as, primary planets; a matter of primary importance., Earliest formed; fundamental., Illustrating, possessing, or characterized by, some quality or property in the first degree; having undergone the first stage of substitution or replacement., That which stands first in order, rank, or importance; a chief matter., A primary meeting; a caucus., One of the large feathers on the distal joint of a bird’s wing. See Plumage, and Illust. of Bird., A primary planet; the brighter component of a double star. See under Planet. |
| primate | adjective | The chief ecclesiastic in a national church; one who presides over other bishops in a province; an archbishop., One of the Primates. |
| priming | present participle & vb. noun | of Prime, The powder or other combustible used to communicate fire to a charge of gunpowder, as in a firearm., The first coating of color, size, or the like, laid on canvas, or on a building, or other surface., The carrying over of water, with the steam, from the boiler, as into the cylinder. |
| primely | adverb | At first; primarily., In a prime manner; excellently. |
| primero | noun | A game at cards, now unknown. |
| primine | noun | The outermost of the two integuments of an ovule. |
| primity | noun | Quality of being first; primitiveness. |
| primula | noun | The genus of plants including the primrose (Primula vera). |
| princox | noun | A coxcomb; a pert boy. |
| prinked | imp. & past participle | of Prink |
| prinker | noun | One who prinks. |
| printed | imp. & past participle | of Print |
| printer | noun | One who prints; especially, one who prints books, newspapers, engravings, etc., a compositor; a typesetter; a pressman. |
| priorly | adverb | Previously. |
| prisage | noun | A right belonging to the crown of England, of taking two tuns of wine from every ship importing twenty tuns or more, — one before and one behind the mast. By charter of Edward I. butlerage was substituted for this., The share of merchandise taken as lawful prize at sea which belongs to the king or admiral. |
| prithee | interj. | A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I. |
| privacy | noun | The state of being in retirement from the company or observation of others; seclusion., A place of seclusion from company or observation; retreat; solitude; retirement., Concealment of what is said or done., A private matter; a secret., See Privity, 2. |
| privado | noun | A private friend; a confidential friend; a confidant. |
| private | adjective | Belonging to, or concerning, an individual person, company, or interest; peculiar to one’s self; unconnected with others; personal; one’s own; not public; not general; separate; as, a man’s private opinion; private property; a private purse; private expenses or interests; a private secretary., Sequestered from company or observation; appropriated to an individual; secret; secluded; lonely; solitary; as, a private room or apartment; private prayer., Not invested with, or engaged in, public office or employment; as, a private citizen; private life., Not publicly known; not open; secret; as, a private negotiation; a private understanding., Having secret or private knowledge; privy., A secret message; a personal unofficial communication., Personal interest; particular business., Privacy; retirement., One not invested with a public office., A common soldier; a soldier below the grade of a noncommissioned officer., The private parts; the genitals. |
| privily | adverb | In a privy manner; privately; secretly. |
| privity | adjective | Privacy; secrecy; confidence., Private knowledge; joint knowledge with another of a private concern; cognizance implying consent or concurrence., A private matter or business; a secret., The genitals; the privates., A connection, or bond of union, between parties, as to some particular transaction; mutual or successive relationship to the same rights of property. |
| privies | plural | of Privy |
| prizing | present participle & vb. noun | of Prize, The application of a lever to move any weighty body, as a cask, anchor, cannon, car, etc. See Prize, n., 5. |
| probacy | noun | Proof; trial. |
| probang | noun | A slender elastic rod, as of whalebone, with a sponge on the end, for removing obstructions from the esophagus, etc. |
| probate | noun | Proof., Official proof; especially, the proof before a competent officer or tribunal that an instrument offered, purporting to be the last will and testament of a person deceased, is indeed his lawful act; the copy of a will proved, under the seal of the Court of Probate, delivered to the executors with a certificate of its having been proved., The right or jurisdiction of proving wills., Of or belonging to a probate, or court of probate; as, a probate record., To obtain the official approval of, as of an instrument purporting to be the last will and testament; as, the executor has probated the will. |
| probing | present participle & vb. noun | of Probe |
| probity | noun | Tried virtue or integrity; approved moral excellence; honesty; rectitude; uprightness. |
| problem | noun | A question proposed for solution; a matter stated for examination or proof; hence, a matter difficult of solution or settlement; a doubtful case; a question involving doubt., Anything which is required to be done; as, in geometry, to bisect a line, to draw a perpendicular; or, in algebra, to find an unknown quantity. |
| proceed | verb i. | To move, pass, or go forward or onward; to advance; to continue or renew motion begun; as, to proceed on a journey., To pass from one point, topic, or stage, to another; as, to proceed with a story or argument., To issue or come forth as from a source or origin; to come from; as, light proceeds from the sun., To go on in an orderly or regulated manner; to begin and carry on a series of acts or measures; to act by method; to prosecute a design., To be transacted; to take place; to occur., To have application or effect; to operate., To begin and carry on a legal process., See Proceeds. |
| procere | adjective | Of high stature; tall. |
| process | noun | The act of proceeding; continued forward movement; procedure; progress; advance., A series of actions, motions, or occurrences; progressive act or transaction; continuous operation; normal or actual course or procedure; regular proceeding; as, the process of vegetation or decomposition; a chemical process; processes of nature., A statement of events; a narrative., Any marked prominence or projecting part, especially of a bone; anapophysis., The whole course of proceedings in a cause real or personal, civil or criminal, from the beginning to the end of the suit; strictly, the means used for bringing the defendant into court to answer to the action; — a generic term for writs of the class called judicial. |
| procris | noun | Any species of small moths of the genus Procris. The larvae of some species injure the grapevine by feeding in groups upon the leaves. |
| proctor | noun | One who is employed to manage to affairs of another., A person appointed to collect alms for those who could not go out to beg for themselves, as lepers, the bedridden, etc.; hence a beggar., An officer employed in admiralty and ecclesiastical causes. He answers to an attorney at common law, or to a solicitor in equity., A representative of the clergy in convocation., An officer in a university or college whose duty it is to enforce obedience to the laws of the institution., To act as a proctor toward; to manage as an attorney or agent. |
| procure | verb t. | To bring into possession; to cause to accrue to, or to come into possession of; to acquire or provide for one’s self or for another; to gain; to get; to obtain by any means, as by purchase or loan., To contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause., To solicit; to entreat., To cause to come; to bring; to attract., To obtain for illicit intercourse or prostitution., To pimp., To manage business for another in court. |
| procyon | noun | A star of the first magnitude in the constellation Canis Minor, or the Little Dog., A genus of mammals including the raccoon. |
| prodded | imp. & past participle | of Prod |
| prodigy | noun | Something extraordinary, or out of the usual course of nature, from which omens are drawn; a portent; as, eclipses and meteors were anciently deemed prodigies., Anything so extraordinary as to excite wonder or astonishment; a marvel; as, a prodigy of learning., A production out of ordinary course of nature; an abnormal development; a monster. |
| proitor | noun | A traitor. |
| produce | verb t. | To bring forward; to lead forth; to offer to view or notice; to exhibit; to show; as, to produce a witness or evidence in court., To bring forth, as young, or as a natural product or growth; to give birth to; to bear; to generate; to propagate; to yield; to furnish; as, the earth produces grass; trees produce fruit; the clouds produce rain., To cause to be or to happen; to originate, as an effect or result; to bring about; as, disease produces pain; vice produces misery., To give being or form to; to manufacture; to make; as, a manufacturer produces excellent wares., To yield or furnish; to gain; as, money at interest produces an income; capital produces profit., To draw out; to extend; to lengthen; to prolong; as, to produce a man’s life to threescore., To extend; — applied to a line, surface, or solid; as, to produce a side of a triangle., To yield or furnish appropriate offspring, crops, effects, consequences, or results., That which is produced, brought forth, or yielded; product; yield; proceeds; result of labor, especially of agricultural labors, agricultural products. |
| product | noun | Anything that is produced, whether as the result of generation, growth, labor, or thought, or by the operation of involuntary causes; as, the products of the season, or of the farm; the products of manufactures; the products of the brain., The number or sum obtained by adding one number or quantity to itself as many times as there are units in another number; the number resulting from the multiplication of two or more numbers; as, the product of the multiplication of 7 by 5 is 35. In general, the result of any kind of multiplication. See the Note under Multiplication., To produce; to bring forward., To lengthen out; to extend., To produce; to make. |
| proface | interj. | Much good may it do you! — a familiar salutation or welcome. |
| profane | adjective | Not sacred or holy; not possessing peculiar sanctity; unconsecrated; hence, relating to matters other than sacred; secular; — opposed to sacred, religious, or inspired; as, a profane place., Unclean; impure; polluted; unholy., Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or undue familiarity; irreverent; impious., Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain; given to swearing; blasphemous; as, a profane person, word, oath, or tongue., To violate, as anything sacred; to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate; to pollute; as, to profane the name of God; to profane the Scriptures, or the ordinance of God., To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to make a base employment of; to debase; to abuse; to defile. |
| profert | noun | The exhibition or production of a record or paper in open court, or an allegation that it is in court. |
| profess | verb t. | To make open declaration of, as of one’s knowledge, belief, action, etc.; to avow or acknowledge; to confess publicly; to own or admit freely., To set up a claim to; to make presence to; hence, to put on or present an appearance of., To present to knowledge of, to proclaim one’s self versed in; to make one’s self a teacher or practitioner of, to set up as an authority respecting; to declare (one’s self to be such); as, he professes surgery; to profess one’s self a physician., To take a profession upon one’s self by a public declaration; to confess., To declare friendship. |
| proffer | verb t. | To offer for acceptance; to propose to give; to make a tender of; as, to proffer a gift; to proffer services; to proffer friendship., To essay or attempt of one’s own accord; to undertake, or propose to undertake., An offer made; something proposed for acceptance by another; a tender; as, proffers of peace or friendship., Essay; attempt. |
| profile | noun | An outline, or contour; as, the profile of an apple., A human head represented sidewise, or in a side view; the side face or half face., A section of any member, made at right angles with its main lines, showing the exact shape of moldings and the like., A drawing exhibiting a vertical section of the ground along a surveyed line, or graded work, as of a railway, showing elevations, depressions, grades, etc., to draw the outline of; to draw in profile, as an architectural member., To shape the outline of an object by passing a cutter around it. |
| profuse | adjective | Pouring forth with fullness or exuberance; bountiful; exceedingly liberal; giving without stint; as, a profuse government; profuse hospitality., Superabundant; excessive; prodigal; lavish; as, profuse expenditure., To pour out; to give or spend liberally; to lavish; to squander. |
| progged | imp. & past participle | of Prog |
| progeny | noun | Descendants of the human kind, or offspring of other animals; children; offspring; race, lineage. |
| program | noun | Same as Programme. |
| proheme | noun | Proem. |
| project | noun | The place from which a thing projects, or starts forth., That which is projected or designed; something intended or devised; a scheme; a design; a plan., An idle scheme; an impracticable design; as, a man given to projects., To throw or cast forward; to shoot forth., To cast forward or revolve in the mind; to contrive; to devise; to scheme; as, to project a plan., To draw or exhibit, as the form of anything; to delineate; as, to project a sphere, a map, an ellipse, and the like; — sometimes with on, upon, into, etc.; as, to project a line or point upon a plane. See Projection, 4., To shoot forward; to extend beyond something else; to be prominent; to jut; as, the cornice projects; branches project from the tree., To form a project; to scheme. |
| prolate | adjective | Stretched out; extended; especially, elongated in the direction of a line joining the poles; as, a prolate spheroid; — opposed to oblate., To utter; to pronounce. |
| prolata | plural | of Prolatum |
| prolled | imp. & past participle | of Proll |
| proller | noun | Prowler; thief. |
| prolong | adjective | To extend in space or length; as, to prolong a line., To lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue; as, to prolong one’s days., To put off to a distant time; to postpone. |
| promise | adjective | In general, a declaration, written or verbal, made by one person to another, which binds the person who makes it to do, or to forbear to do, a specified act; a declaration which gives to the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act., An engagement by one person to another, either in words or in writing, but properly not under seal, for the performance or nonperformance of some particular thing. The word promise is used to denote the mere engagement of a person, without regard to the consideration for it, or the corresponding duty of the party to whom it is made., That which causes hope, expectation, or assurance; especially, that which affords expectation of future distinction; as, a youth of great promise., Bestowal, fulfillment, or grant of what is promised., To engage to do, give, make, or to refrain from doing, giving, or making, or the like; to covenant; to engage; as, to promise a visit; to promise a cessation of hostilities; to promise the payment of money., To afford reason to expect; to cause hope or assurance of; as, the clouds promise rain., To make declaration of or give assurance of, as some benefit to be conferred; to pledge or engage to bestow; as, the proprietors promised large tracts of land; the city promised a reward., To give assurance by a promise, or binding declaration., To afford hopes or expectation; to give ground to expect good; rarely, to give reason to expect evil. |
| promont | noun | Promontory. |
| promote | verb t. | To contribute to the growth, enlargement, or prosperity of (any process or thing that is in course); to forward; to further; to encourage; to advance; to excite; as, to promote learning; to promote disorder; to promote a business venture., To exalt in station, rank, or honor; to elevate; to raise; to prefer; to advance; as, to promote an officer., To urge on or incite another, as to strife; also, to inform against a person. |
| promove | verb t. | To move forward; to advance; to promote. |
| pronaos | noun | The porch or vestibule of a temple. |
| pronate | adjective | Somewhat prone; inclined; as, pronate trees. |
| pronely | adverb | In a prone manner or position. |
| pronged | adjective | Having prongs or projections like the tines of a fork; as, a three-pronged fork. |
| pronity | noun | Proneness; propensity. |
| pronota | plural | of Pronotum |
| pronoun | noun | A word used instead of a noun or name, to avoid the repetition of it. The personal pronouns in English are I, thou or you, he, she, it, we, ye, and they. |
| prootic | adjective | In front of the auditory capsule; — applied especially to a bone, or center of ossification, in the periotic capsule., A prootic bone. |
| propped | imp. & past participle | of Prop |
| propane | noun | A heavy gaseous hydrocarbon, C3H8, of the paraffin series, occurring naturally dissolved in crude petroleum, and also made artificially; — called also propyl hydride. |
| propend | verb i. | To lean toward a thing; to be favorably inclined or disposed; to incline; to tend. |
| propene | noun | Same as Propylene. |
| prophet | noun | One who prophesies, or foretells events; a predicter; a foreteller., One inspired or instructed by God to speak in his name, or announce future events, as, Moses, Elijah, etc., An interpreter; a spokesman., A mantis. |
| propice | adjective | Fit; propitious. |
| propine | verb t. | To pledge; to offer as a toast or a health in the manner of drinking, that is, by drinking first and passing the cup., Hence, to give in token of friendship., To give, or deliver; to subject., A pledge., A gift; esp., drink money., Same as Allylene. |
| propleg | noun | Same as Proleg. |
| propone | verb t. | To propose; to bring forward. |
| propose | verb | To set forth., To offer for consideration, discussion, acceptance, or adoption; as, to propose terms of peace; to propose a question for discussion; to propose an alliance; to propose a person for office., To set before one’s self or others as a purpose formed; hence, to purpose; to intend., To speak; to converse., To form or declare a purpose or intention; to lay a scheme; to design; as, man proposes, but God disposes., To offer one’s self in marriage., Talk; discourse. |
| propugn | verb t. | To contend for; to defend; to vindicate. |
| propyla | plural | of Propylon |
| prorate | verb t. | To divide or distribute proportionally; to assess pro rata. |
| prosaic | adjective | Alt. of Prosaical |
| prosing | present participle & vb. noun | of Prose, Writing prose; speaking or writing in a tedious or prosy manner. |
| prosily | adverb | In a prosy manner. |
| prosody | noun | That part of grammar which treats of the quantity of syllables, of accent, and of the laws of versification or metrical composition. |
| prosoma | noun | The anterior of the body of an animal, as of a cephalopod; the thorax of an arthropod. |
| prosper | verb t. | To favor; to render successful., To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain., To grow; to increase. |
| protean | adjective | Of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus., Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms; as, an amoeba is a protean animalcule. |
| protect | verb t. | To cover or shield from danger or injury; to defend; to guard; to preserve in safety; as, a father protects his children. |
| protege | noun f. | Alt. of Protegee |
| proteid | noun | One of a class of amorphous nitrogenous principles, containing, as a rule, a small amount of sulphur; an albuminoid, as blood fibrin, casein of milk, etc. Proteids are present in nearly all animal fluids and make up the greater part of animal tissues and organs. They are also important constituents of vegetable tissues. See 2d Note under Food. |
| protein | noun | A body now known as alkali albumin, but originally considered to be the basis of all albuminous substances, whence its name. |
| protend | verb t. | To hold out; to stretch forth. |
| protest | verb i. | To affirm in a public or formal manner; to bear witness; to declare solemnly; to avow., To make a solemn declaration (often a written one) expressive of opposition; — with against; as, he protest against your votes., To make a solemn declaration or affirmation of; to proclaim; to display; as, to protest one’s loyalty., To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; to appeal to., A solemn declaration of opinion, commonly a formal objection against some act; especially, a formal and solemn declaration, in writing, of dissent from the proceedings of a legislative body; as, the protest of lords in Parliament., A solemn declaration in writing, in due form, made by a notary public, usually under his notarial seal, on behalf of the holder of a bill or note, protesting against all parties liable for any loss or damage by the nonacceptance or nonpayment of the bill, or by the nonpayment of the note, as the case may be., A declaration made by the master of a vessel before a notary, consul, or other authorized officer, upon his arrival in port after a disaster, stating the particulars of it, and showing that any damage or loss sustained was not owing to the fault of the vessel, her officers or crew, but to the perils of the sea, etc., ads the case may be, and protesting against them., A declaration made by a party, before or while paying a tax, duty, or the like, demanded of him, which he deems illegal, denying the justice of the demand, and asserting his rights and claims, in order to show that the payment was not voluntary. |
| proteus | noun | A sea god in the service of Neptune who assumed different shapes at will. Hence, one who easily changes his appearance or principles., A genus of aquatic eel-shaped amphibians found in caves in Austria. They have permanent external gills as well as lungs. The eyes are small and the legs are weak., A changeable protozoan; an amoeba. |
| protist | noun | One of the Protista. |
| protyle | noun | The hypothetical homogeneous cosmic material of the original universe, supposed to have been differentiated into what are recognized as distinct chemical elements. |
| proudly | adverb | In a proud manner; with lofty airs or mien; haughtily; arrogantly; boastfully. |
| provand | noun | Alt. of Proant |
| provant | verb t. | To supply with provender or provisions; to provide for., Provided for common or general use, as in an army; hence, common in quality; inferior. |
| proving | present participle & vb. noun | of Prove |
| provect | adjective | Carried forward; advanced. |
| provend | noun | See Provand. |
| provent | noun | See Provand. |
| proverb | noun | An old and common saying; a phrase which is often repeated; especially, a sentence which briefly and forcibly expresses some practical truth, or the result of experience and observation; a maxim; a saw; an adage., A striking or paradoxical assertion; an obscure saying; an enigma; a parable., A familiar illustration; a subject of contemptuous reference., A drama exemplifying a proverb., To name in, or as, a proverb., To provide with a proverb., To write or utter proverbs. |
| provide | verb t. | To look out for in advance; to procure beforehand; to get, collect, or make ready for future use; to prepare., To supply; to afford; to contribute., To furnish; to supply; — formerly followed by of, now by with., To establish as a previous condition; to stipulate; as, the contract provides that the work be well done., To foresee., To appoint to an ecclesiastical benefice before it is vacant. See Provisor., To procure supplies or means in advance; to take measures beforehand in view of an expected or a possible future need, especially a danger or an evil; — followed by against or for; as, to provide against the inclemency of the weather; to provide for the education of a child., To stipulate previously; to condition; as, the agreement provides for an early completion of the work. |
| provine | verb t. | To lay a stock or branch of a vine in the ground for propagation. |
| proviso | noun | An article or clause in any statute, agreement, contract, grant, or other writing, by which a condition is introduced, usually beginning with the word provided; a conditional stipulation that affects an agreement, contract, law, grant, or the like; as, the contract was impaired by its proviso. |
| provoke | verb t. | To call forth; to call into being or action; esp., to incense to action, a faculty or passion, as love, hate, or ambition; hence, commonly, to incite, as a person, to action by a challenge, by taunts, or by defiance; to exasperate; to irritate; to offend intolerably; to cause to retaliate., To cause provocation or anger., To appeal. [A Latinism] |
| provost | noun | A person who is appointed to superintend, or preside over, something; the chief magistrate in some cities and towns; as, the provost of Edinburgh or of Glasgow, answering to the mayor of other cities; the provost of a college, answering to president; the provost or head of certain collegiate churches., The keeper of a prison. |
| prowess | adjective | Distinguished bravery; valor; especially, military bravery and skill; gallantry; intrepidity; fearlessness. |
| prowled | imp. & past participle | of Prowl |
| prowler | noun | One that prowls. |
| proxene | noun | An officer who had the charge of showing hospitality to those who came from a friendly city or state. |
| proxime | adjective | Next; immediately preceding or following. |
| proximo | In the next month after the present; — often contracted to prox.; as, on the 3d proximo. | |
| proxies | plural | of Proxy |
| prudent | adjective | Sagacious in adapting means to ends; circumspect in action, or in determining any line of conduct; practically wise; judicious; careful; discreet; sensible; — opposed to rash; as, a prudent man; dictated or directed by prudence or wise forethought; evincing prudence; as, prudent behavior., Frugal; economical; not extravagant; as, a prudent woman; prudent expenditure of money. |
| prudery | noun | The quality or state of being prudish; excessive or affected scrupulousness in speech or conduct; stiffness; coyness. |
| prudish | adjective | Like a prude; very formal, precise, or reserved; affectedly severe in virtue; as, a prudish woman; prudish manners. |
| pruning | present participle & vb. noun | of Prune, The act of trimming, or removing what is superfluous., That which is cast off by bird in pruning her feathers; leavings. |
| prurigo | noun | A papular disease of the skin, of which intense itching is the chief symptom, the eruption scarcely differing from the healthy cuticle in color. |
| prussic | adjective | designating the acid now called hydrocyanic acid, but formerly called prussic acid, because Prussian blue is derived from it or its compounds. See Hydrocyanic. |
| prytany | noun | The period during which the presidency of the senate belonged to the prytanes of the section. |
| prythee | interj. | See Prithee. |
| psalter | noun | The Book of Psalms; — often applied to a book containing the Psalms separately printed., Specifically, the Book of Psalms as printed in the Book of Common Prayer; among the Roman Catholics, the part of the Breviary which contains the Psalms arranged for each day of the week., A rosary, consisting of a hundred and fifty beads, corresponding to the number of the psalms. |
| pseudo- | A combining form or prefix signifying false, counterfeit, pretended, spurious; as, pseudo-apostle, a false apostle; pseudo-clergy, false or spurious clergy; pseudo-episcopacy, pseudo-form, pseudo-martyr, pseudo-philosopher. Also used adjectively. | |
| psychal | adjective | Of or pertaining to the soul; psychical. |
| psychic | adjective | Alt. of Psychical |
| psycho- | A combining form from Gr. psychh` the soul, the mind, the understanding; as, psychology. | |
| psyllae | plural | of Psylla |
| pteryla | noun | One of the definite areas of the skin of a bird on which feathers grow; — contrasted with apteria. |
| ptyalin | noun | An unorganized amylolytic ferment, on enzyme, present in human mixed saliva and in the saliva of some animals. |
| puberal | adjective | Of or pertaining to puberty. |
| puberty | noun | The earliest age at which persons are capable of begetting or bearing children, usually considered, in temperate climates, to be about fourteen years in males and twelve in females., The period when a plant first bears flowers. |
| publish | verb t. | To make public; to make known to mankind, or to people in general; to divulge, as a private transaction; to promulgate or proclaim, as a law or an edict., To make known by posting, or by reading in a church; as, to publish banns of marriage., To send forth, as a book, newspaper, musical piece, or other printed work, either for sale or for general distribution; to print, and issue from the press., To utter, or put into circulation; as, to publish counterfeit paper. |
| puccoon | noun | Any one of several plants yielding a red pigment which is used by the North American Indians, as the bloodroot and two species of Lithospermum (L. hirtum, and L. canescens); also, the pigment itself. |
| pucelle | noun | A maid; a virgin. |
| puceron | noun | Any plant louse, or aphis. |
| puckery | adjective | Producing, or tending to produce, a pucker; as, a puckery taste., Inclined to become puckered or wrinkled; full of puckers or wrinkles. |
| puckish | adjective | Resembling Puck; merry; mischievous. |
| pudding | noun | A species of food of a soft or moderately hard consistence, variously made, but often a compound of flour or meal, with milk and eggs, etc., Anything resembling, or of the softness and consistency of, pudding., An intestine; especially, an intestine stuffed with meat, etc.; a sausage., Any food or victuals., Same as Puddening. |
| puddled | imp. & past participle | of Puddle |
| puddler | noun | One who converts cast iron into wrought iron by the process of puddling. |
| puddock | noun | A small inclosure. |
| pudency | noun | Modesty; shamefacedness. |
| pudenda | noun pl. | The external organs of generation. |
| pudical | adjective | Pudic. |
| puerile | adjective | Boyish; childish; trifling; silly. |
| puffing | present participle & vb. noun | of Puff, a. & n. from Puff, v. i. & t. |
| puffery | noun | The act of puffing; bestowment of extravagant commendation. |
| pugging | present participle & vb. noun | of Pug, The act or process of working and tempering clay to make it plastic and of uniform consistency, as for bricks, for pottery, etc., Mortar or the like, laid between the joists under the boards of a floor, or within a partition, to deaden sound; — in the United States usually called deafening., Thieving. |
| pulling | present participle & vb. noun | of Pull |
| pullail | noun | Poultry. |
| pulleys | plural | of Pulley |
| pulping | present participle & vb. noun | of Pulp |
| pulpous | adjective | Containing pulp; pulpy. |
| pulsate | verb | To throb, as a pulse; to beat, as the heart. |
| pulsion | noun | The act of driving forward; propulsion; — opposed to suction or traction. |
| pulsive | adjective | Tending to compel; compulsory. |
| pultise | noun | Poultry. |
| pumiced | adjective | Affected with a kind of chronic laminitis in which there is a growth of soft spongy horn between the coffin bone and the hoof wall. The disease is called pumiced foot, or pumice foot. |
| pummace | noun | Same as Pomace. |
| pumping | present participle & vb. noun | of Pump, a. & n. from pump. |
| pumpage | noun | That which is raised by pumps, or the work done by pumps. |
| pumpion | noun | See Pumpkin. |
| pumpkin | noun | A well-known trailing plant (Cucurbita pepo) and its fruit, — used for cooking and for feeding stock; a pompion. |
| punning | present participle & vb. noun | of Pun |
| punched | imp. & past participle | of Punch |
| puncher | noun | One who, or that which, punches. |
| punchin | noun | See Puncheon. |
| punctum | noun | A point. |
| pungent | verb t. | Causing a sharp sensation, as of the taste, smell, or feelings; pricking; biting; acrid; as, a pungent spice., Sharply painful; penetrating; poignant; severe; caustic; stinging., Prickly-pointed; hard and sharp. |
| pungled | adjective | Shriveled or shrunken; — said especially of grain which has lost its juices from the ravages of insects, such as the wheat midge, or Trips (Thrips cerealium). |
| punster | noun | One who puns, or is skilled in, or given to, punning; a quibbler; a low wit. |
| pupping | present participle & vb. noun | of Pup |
| puppies | plural | of Puppy |
| puppied | imp. & past participle | of Puppy |
| purring | present participle & vb. noun | of Pur |
| puranic | adjective | Pertaining to the Puranas. |
| purfile | noun | A sort of ancient trimming of tinsel and thread for women’s gowns; — called also bobbinwork. |
| purflew | noun | A hem, border., or trimming, as of embroidered work., A border of any heraldic fur. |
| purfled | adjective | Ornamented; decorated; esp., embroidered on the edges. |
| purging | present participle & vb. noun | of Purge, That purges; cleansing., The act of cleansing; excessive evacuations; especially, diarrhea. |
| purgery | noun | The part of a sugarhouse where the molasses is drained off from the sugar. |
| puritan | noun | One who, in the time of Queen Elizabeth and the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and formal usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship than those established by law; — originally, a term of reproach. The Puritans formed the bulk of the early population of New England., One who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; — often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has overstrict notions., Of or pertaining to the Puritans; resembling, or characteristic of, the Puritans. |
| purling | present participle & vb. noun | of Purl, The motion of a small stream running among obstructions; also, the murmur it makes in so doing. |
| purlieu | noun | Originally, the ground near a royal forest, which, having been unlawfully added to the forest, was afterwards severed from it, and disafforested so as to remit to the former owners their rights., Hence, the outer portion of any place; an adjacent district; environs; neighborhood. |
| purline | noun | In root construction, a horizontal member supported on the principals and supporting the common rafters. |
| purloin | verb t. | To take or carry away for one’s self; hence, to steal; to take by theft; to filch., To practice theft; to steal. |
| purples | plural | of Purple |
| purpled | imp. & past participle | of Purple |
| purport | noun | Design or tendency; meaning; import; tenor., Disguise; covering., To intend to show; to intend; to mean; to signify; to import; — often with an object clause or infinitive. |
| purpose | noun | That which a person sets before himself as an object to be reached or accomplished; the end or aim to which the view is directed in any plan, measure, or exertion; view; aim; design; intention; plan., Proposal to another; discourse., Instance; example., To set forth; to bring forward., To propose, as an aim, to one’s self; to determine upon, as some end or object to be accomplished; to intend; to design; to resolve; — often followed by an infinitive or dependent clause., To have a purpose or intention; to discourse. |
| purpura | noun | A disease characterized by livid spots on the skin from extravasated blood, with loss of muscular strength, pain in the limbs, and mental dejection; the purples., A genus of marine gastropods, usually having a rough and thick shell. Some species yield a purple dye. |
| purpure | noun | Purple, — represented in engraving by diagonal lines declining from the right top to the left base of the escutcheon (or from sinister chief to dexter base). |
| purrock | noun | See Puddock, and Parrock. |
| pursing | present participle & vb. noun | of Purse |
| pursive | adjective | Pursy. |
| pursual | noun | The act of pursuit. |
| pursued | imp. & past participle | of Pursue |
| pursuer | noun | One who pursues or chases; one who follows in haste, with a view to overtake., A plaintiff; a prosecutor. |
| pursuit | verb t. | The act of following or going after; esp., a following with haste, either for sport or in hostility; chase; prosecution; as, the pursuit of game; the pursuit of an enemy., A following with a view to reach, accomplish, or obtain; endeavor to attain to or gain; as, the pursuit of knowledge; the pursuit of happiness or pleasure., Course of business or occupation; continued employment with a view to same end; as, mercantile pursuits; a literary pursuit., Prosecution. |
| purview | noun | The body of a statute, or that part which begins with ” Be it enacted, ” as distinguished from the preamble., The limit or scope of a statute; the whole extent of its intention or provisions., Limit or sphere of authority; scope; extent. |
| pushing | present participle & vb. noun | of Push, Pressing forward in business; enterprising; driving; energetic; also, forward; officious, intrusive. |
| pushpin | noun | A child’s game played with pins. |
| pustule | noun | A vesicle or an elevation of the cuticle with an inflamed base, containing pus. |
| putting | present participle & vb. noun | of Put, The throwing of a heavy stone, shot, etc., with the hand raised or extended from the shoulder; — originally, a Scottish game. |
| putamen | noun | The shell of a nut; the stone of a drupe fruit. See Endocarp. |
| put-off | noun | A shift for evasion or delay; an evasion; an excuse. |
| putrefy | verb t. | To render putrid; to cause to decay offensively; to cause to be decomposed; to cause to rot., To corrupt; to make foul., To make morbid, carious, or gangrenous; as, to putrefy an ulcer or wound., To become putrid; to decay offensively; to rot. |
| putrify | verb t. & i. | To putrefy. |
| puttier | noun | One who putties; a glazier. |
| puttock | noun | The European kite., The buzzard., The marsh harrier., See Futtock. |
| puttied | imp. & past participle | of Putty |
| puzzled | imp. & past participle | of Puzzle |
| puzzier | noun | One who, or that which, puzzles or perplexes. |
| pyaemia | noun | A form of blood poisoning produced by the absorption into the blood of morbid matters usually originating in a wound or local inflammation. It is characterized by the development of multiple abscesses throughout the body, and is attended with irregularly recurring chills, fever, profuse sweating, and exhaustion. |
| pyaemic | adjective | Of or pertaining to pyaemia; of the nature of pyaemia. |
| pycnite | noun | A massive subcolumnar variety of topaz. |
| pyebald | adjective | See Piebald. |
| pygidia | plural | of Pygidium |
| pygmean | adjective | Of or pertaining to a pygmy; resembling a pygmy or dwarf; dwarfish; very small. |
| pygmies | plural | of Pygmy |
| pygopod | noun | One of the Pygopodes., Any species of serpentiform lizards of the family Pygopodidae, which have rudimentary hind legs near the anal cleft, but lack fore legs. |
| pyloric | adjective | Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pylorus; as, the pyloric end of the stomach. |
| pylorus | noun | The opening from the stomach into the intestine., A posterior division of the stomach in some invertebrates. |
| pyralid | noun | Any moth of the family Pyralidae. The species are numerous and mostly small, but some of them are very injurious, as the bee moth, meal moth, hop moth, and clover moth. |
| pyramid | noun | A solid body standing on a triangular, square, or polygonal base, and terminating in a point at the top; especially, a structure or edifice of this shape., A solid figure contained by a plane rectilineal figure as base and several triangles which have a common vertex and whose bases are sides of the base., The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot. |
| pyramis | noun | A pyramid. |
| pyrenae | plural | of Pyrena |
| pyretic | adjective | Of or pertaining to fever; febrile. |
| pyrexia | noun | The febrile condition. |
| pyridic | adjective | Related to, or formed from, pyridin or its homologues; as, the pyridic bases. |
| pyridyl | noun | A hypothetical radical, C5H4N, regarded as the essential residue of pyridine, and analogous to phenyl. |
| pyrites | plural | of Pyrite, A name given to a number of metallic minerals, sulphides of iron, copper, cobalt, nickel, and tin, of a white or yellowish color. |
| pyritic | adjective | Alt. of Pyritical |
| pyrogen | noun | Electricity., A poison separable from decomposed meat infusions, and supposed to be formed from albuminous matter through the agency of bacteria. |
| pyrosis | noun | See Water brash, under Brash. |
| pyrotic | adjective | Caustic. See Caustic., A caustic medicine. |
| pyrrhic | adjective | Of or pertaining to an ancient Greek martial dance., Of or pertaining to a pyrrhic, or to pyrrhics; containing pyrrhic; as, a pyrrhic verse., An ancient Greek martial dance, to the accompaniment of the flute, its time being very quick., A foot consisting of two short syllables. |
| pyruric | adjective | Same as Pyrouric. |
| pyruvic | adjective | Pertaining to, or designating, an acid (called also pyroracemic acid) obtained, as a liquid having a pungent odor, by the distillation of racemic acid. |
| pyruvil | noun | A complex nitrogenous compound obtained by heating together pyruvic acid and urea. |
| pythiad | noun | The period intervening between one celebration of the Pythian games and the next. |
| pythian | adjective | Of or pertaining to Delphi, to the temple of Apollo, or to the priestess of Apollo, who delivered oracles at Delphi. |
| pyxidia | plural | of Pyxidium |