| Term | Definition |
|---|
| philanthropist | lover of mankind; doer of good |
| philatelist | stamp-collector |
| philistine | narrow minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in material gain |
| philology | study of language |
| phlegmatic | calm, not easily disturbed |
| phobia | morbid fear |
| phoenix | symbol of immortality or rebirth |
| phylum | major classification, second to kingdom of plants and animals, division |
| physiognomy | face |
| physiological | pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms |
| piebald | of different colors; mottled; spotted |
| piecemeal | one part at a time; gradually |
| pied | variegated; multicolored |
| piety | devoutness; reverence to God |
| pigment | coloring matter |
| pillage | To rob of goods by force, especially in time of war; plunder |
| pillory | punish by placing in a wooden frame; subject to criticism and ridicule |
| pine | languish, decline; to have a strong longing for; yearn |
| pinion | restrain |
| pinnacle | peak; the highest point or state |
| pious | devout; religious |
| piquant | pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating |
| pique | irritation; resentment |
| piscatorial | pertaining to fishing |
| pitfall | hidden danger; concealed trap |
| pith | core or marrow; essence; substance |
| pithy | concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty |
| pittance | small allowance or wage |
| pivotal | central; critical |
| placate | pacify; conciliate |
| placebo | harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill |
| placid | peaceful; calm |
| plagiarize | steal another's idea and pass it as one's own |
| plaintive | mournful |
| plait | braid; intertwine |
| plasticity | ability to be molded |
| platitude | trite remark; commonplace remark |
| platonic | purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire |
| plaudit | enthusiastic approval; round of applause |
| plausible | having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious |
| plebeian | common; pertaining to the common people |
| plenary | complete ; full |
| plenitude | abundance; completeness |
| plethora | excess; overabundance |
| pliable | flexible; yielding; adaptable |
| pliant | flexible; easily influenced |
| plight | condition; state ( especially a bad state or condition); predicament |
| pluck | courage |
| plumage | feathers of a bird |
| plumb (v) | examine critically in order to understand |
| plumb (adj) | vertical |
| plummet | fall sharply |
| plutocracy | society ruled by the wealthy |
| podiatrist | doctor who treat ailments of the feet |
| podium | pedestal; raised platform |
| poignancy | quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion |
| polarize | split into opposite extremes or camps |
| polemic | controversy; argument in support of point of view |
| polemical | aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious |
| politic | expedient; well devised; artful |
| polity | form of government of nation or state |
| polygamist | one who has more than one spouse at a time |
| polyglot | speaking several languages |
| pomposity | self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt |
| ponderous | weighty; unwieldy |
| pontifical | pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious |
| pore | study industriously; ponder; scrutinize |
| porous | full of pores; like a sieve |
| portend | foretell; presage |
| portent | sign; omen; forewarning |
| portly | stout; corpulent |
| poseur | one who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant , etc to impress others |
| posterity | descendants; future generations |
| posthumous | after death ( as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death) |
| postulate | self-evident truth |
| posture | assume an affected pause; act artificially |
| potable | suitable for drinking |
| potent | powerful; persuasive; greatly influential |
| potentate | monarch; sovereign |
| potential | expressing possibility; latent |
| potion | dose (of liquid) |
| potpourri | heterogeneous mixture; medley |
| poultice | soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body |
| practicable | feasible |
| practical | based on experience; useful |
| pragmatic | practical ( as opposed to idealist); concerned with practical worth or impact of something |
| pragmatist | practical person |
| prate | speak foolishly; boast idly |
| prattle | babble |
| preamble | introductory statement |
| precarious | uncertain; risky |
| precedent | an earlier occurrence; something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action |
| precedent | preceding in time, rank, etc |
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