| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Nonpareil | a flat disk of chocolate covered with beads of colored sugar |
| Nugatory | of no real value |
| Numismatics | the collection and study of money (and coins in particular) |
| Obeisance | the act of obeying |
| Obliquity | the quality of being deceptive |
| Obstreperous | boisterously and noisily aggressive |
| Oleaginous | containing an unusual amount of grease or oil |
| Ontology | the metaphysical study of the nature of being and existence |
| Oppugn | challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of |
| Otiose | disinclined to work or exertion |
| Outré | passing the bounds of what is usual or considered proper; unconventional; bizarre |
| Palatial | suitable for or like a palace |
| Palaver | loud and confused and empty talk |
| Pasquinade | a composition that imitates somebody's style in a humorous way |
| Passim | used to refer to cited works |
| Parapet | fortification consisting of a low wall |
| Patronymic | a name derived with an affix (such as -son in English or O'- in Irish) from the name of your father or a paternal ancestor |
| Parlance | a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language |
| Paroxysm | a sudden uncontrollable attack |
| Parsimonious | excessively unwilling to spend |
| Peccadillo | a petty misdeed |
| Peerage | the peers of a kingdom considered as a group |
| Peremptory | putting an end to all debate or action |
| Perigee | periapsis in Earth orbit |
| Peroration | (rhetoric) the concluding section of an oration |
| Perspicacity | the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly and to draw sound conclusions |
| Pettifogger | a disputant who quibbles |
| Philatelist | a collector and student of postage stamps |
| Plaudit | enthusiastic approval |
| Plebeian | one of the common people |
| Plebiscite | a vote by the electorate determining public opinion on a question of national importance |
| Pleonasm | using more words than necessary |
| Plutocrat | someone who exercises power by virtue of wealth |
| Poach | cook in a simmering liquid |
| Podgy | short and fat |
| Polity | shrewd or crafty management of public affairs |
| Poltroon | an abject coward |
| Portend | indicate by signs |
| Portmanteau | a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings |
| Prate | idle or foolish and irrelevant talk |
| Predestine | foreordain or determine beforehand |
| Predilection | a predisposition in favor of something |
| Preponderance | a superiority in numbers or amount |
| Presage | a sign of something about to happen |
| Primogeniture | right of inheritance belongs exclusively to the eldest son |
| Prismatic | exhibiting spectral colors formed by refraction of light through a prism |
| Proboscis | the human nose (especially when it is large) |
| Progenitor | an ancestor in the direct line |
| Prolix | tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length |
| Proffer | a proposal offered for acceptance or rejection |
| Prophylactic | defending or protecting from disease or infection, as a drug |
| Protean | taking on different forms |
| Proviso | a stipulated condition |
| Prurient | characterized by lust |
| Puckish | naughtily or annoyingly playful |
| Pugilism | fighting with the fists |
| Puntilious | very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety |
| Purblind | lacking in insight or discernment |
| Purview | the range of interest or activity that can be anticipated |
| Pusillanimous | lacking in courage and manly strength and resolution |
| Putsch | a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force |
| Pyrrhic | ruinous; gained at too great a cost |
| Quiddity | the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other |
| Quorum | a gathering of the minimal number of members of an organization to conduct business |
| Racketeer | some who commits crimes for profit (especially one who obtains money by fraud or extortion) |
| Raiment | especially fine or decorative clothing |
| Recidivism | habitual relapse into crime |
| Recreant | a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc. |
| Redolent | having a strong distinctive fragrance |
| Reprobate | a person without moral scruples |
| Roister | engage in boisterous, drunken merry-making |
| Roseate | rosy, optimistic |
| Rout | an overwhelming defeat |
| Sebaceous | containing an unusual amount of grease or oil |
| Sententious | concise and full of meaning |
| Shoring | the act of propping up with shores |
| Sidle | move sideways |
| Simulacrum | an insubstantial or vague semblance |
| Sinecure | an office that involves minimal duties |
| Skullduggery | verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way |
| Sobriquet | a familiar name for a person (often a shortened version of a person's given name) |
| Solecism | a socially awkward or tactless act |
| Spate | the occurrence of a water flow resulting from sudden rain or melting snow |
| Stolid | having or revealing little emotion or sensibility |
| Striate | mark with striae or striations |
| Supererogatory | more than is needed, desired, or required |
| Supernumerary | a minor actor in crowd scenes |
| Sylph | an elemental being believed to inhabit the air |
| Tendentious | having or marked by a strong tendency especially a controversial one |
| Tensile | capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out |
| Terpsichorean | of or relating to dancing |
| Torsion | a twisting force |
| Traduce | speak unfavorably about |
| Transpose | cause to change places |
| Travail | use of physical or mental energy |
| Truckle | yield to out of weakness |
| Tumefy | expand abnormally, cause to become very swollen |
| Unctuous | unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech |
| Wastrel | someone who dissipates resources self-indulgently |
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