| Term | Definition |
|---|
| pecuniary | pertaining to money |
| pedagogue | teacher; CF. child leader |
| pedagogy | teaching; art of education |
| n pedant | scholar who overemphasizes book learning, trivial details of learning, or technicalities |
| n pedantic | bookish; showing off learning; marked by an excessive ostentatious concern for book learning; N. pedantry |
| s bookish | fond of books and reading |
| s studious | given to diligent study |
| n pedestrian | ordinary; dull; unimaginative(lacking in imagination); going on foot; Ex. pedestrian prose; N. |
| s precinct | division of a city for election or police purposes; precincts: space that surrounds a building; Ex. precincts of the college |
| s pedigree | ancestry; lineage |
| pediatrician | physician specializing in children's diseases; N. pediatrics |
| peerless | having no equal; incomparable |
| s peer | one who has equal standing with another; nobleman; V: look intently; N. peerage; CF. peeress |
| n pejorative | (of a word or phrase) suggesting that someone is of little value; negative in connotation; having a belittling effect; Ex. Many women now considers ``housewife'' a pejorative expression, because it patronized them. |
| n pell-mell | in confusion; disorderly; Ex. dash pell-mell |
| n pellucid | transparent; limpid(crystal clear); clear in meaning; easy to understand |
| n penance | self-imposed punishment for sin; Ex. do penance for one's sins; CF. penitent |
| n penchant | strong inclination; strong liking (esp. for something that is disapproved of by other people); Ex. penchant for fast cars |
| pendant(pendent) | hanging down from something; pending; N: ornament (hanging from a necklace etc.) |
| s pending | not yet decided or settled; impending; Ex. pending decision; PREP. while awaiting; until; Ex. delay the decision pending his return |
| n pendulous | hanging; suspended |
| s suspend | cause to stop for a period; interrupt; hold in abeyance; defer; hang from above; exclude for a period from a position; Ex. suspended state; Ex. suspend judgment; Ex. suspended from the team; N. suspension |
| s suspense | state of being undecided; anxiety or apprehension resulting from uncertainty |
| penitent | repentant; N. |
| n pensive | dreamily or deeply thoughtful; sadly thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness; contemplative; CF. think over |
| n penumbra | partial shadow (in an eclipse); CF. almost shadow |
| penury | extreme poverty; stinginess; ADJ. penurious: very poor; stingy |
| n peon | landless agricultural worker; bond servant; menial worker; N. peonage |
| perceptive | insightful; showing a good ability at perceiving and understanding; aware; wise; of perception |
| n percussion | striking one object against another sharply; Ex. percussion instrument; N: striking together of two bodies; sound caused by percussion |
| n perdition | damnation; complete ruin; hell |
| s damn | condemn; criticize severely; condemn to everlasting punishment; doom; bring to ruin; N. damnation |
| s doom | condemnation to a severe penalty; ruin; fate (esp. a tragic or ruinous one); V. |
| peregrination | journey; V. peregrinate |
| n peremptory | demanding and leaving no choice; imperative; Ex. peremptory decree/knock |
| perennial | something long-lasting; perennial plant; ADJ: lasting through the year or many years; lasting for a long time; enduring |
| perfidious | treacherous; disloyal; N. perfidy: treachery |
| perforate | pierce; put a hole through |
| perfunctory | done routinely and with little care; superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; Ex. perfunctory kiss |
| perigee | point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth; CF. apogee |
| perimeter | outer boundary; length of the outer boundary; circumference |
| s bound | leap or spring; limit or confine; constitute the limit of; Ex. bounded by Canada; N: leap or jumping; boundary; ADJ: certain; having a duty to do something (legally or morally); confined by bonds; Ex. We are bound to be late; Ex. I am bound to say my opinion; CF. bounce, rebound |
| n peripatetic | walking about from place to place (to work); moving; Ex. peripatetic school of philosophy |
| n peripheral | of a periphery; marginal; outer; of minor importance; not central; Ex. peripheral nerve/interest |
| n periphery | outside edge especially of a round surface; perimeter; Ex. periphery of the town |
| perjury | false testimony while under oath; V. perjure oneself: testify falsely under oath |
| permeable | that can be permeated; penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through; V. permeate: spread or flow throughout; charge |
| n pernicious | very harmful; deadly; very destructive; Ex. pernicious effect/anemia |
| n peroration | conclusion of an oration; perorating; V. perorate: conclude a speech; speak at great length |
| n perpetrate | commit an offense; do (something wrong) |
| perpetual | everlasting |
| perpetuate | make perpetual; make something last for a long time; preserve from extinction; N. perpetuity |
| n perquisite(perk) | any gain above stipulated salary; Ex. perquisites such as free meals and a car |
| n personable | attractive (in personality or appearance) |
| perspicacious | (of someone) having insight; penetrating; astute |
| perspicuity | clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity |
| perspicuous | (of something) plainly expressed; easy to understand; Ex. perspicuous comments |
| n pert | (esp. of a girl or young woman) impertinent; forward; trim; jaunty; Ex. pert young miss/hat |
| s forward | presumptuous or bold |
| pertinacious | holding tenaciously to an action; stubborn; persistent |
| pertinent | suitable; to the point; relevant |
| perturb | disturb greatly |
| n peruse | read through with care; N. perusal |
| pervasive | spread throughout; V. pervade: (of smells, ideas, feelings) spread throughout; charge; permeate |
| n perverse | purposely continuing to do something wrong; stubbornly wrongheaded; perverted; directed away from what is right; wicked and unacceptable; Ex. perverse satisfaction; Ex. Hannibal Lecter in a perverse mood; N. perversity |
| perversion | corruption; turning from right to wrong |
| s pervert | corrupt; turn from right to wrong; misuse; Ex. perverted sexual desire/scientific knowledge; N: person whose sexual behavior is not natural |
| s wrongheaded | stubbornly wrong |
| pessimism | belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess; tendency to take the gloomiest possible view of a situation; ADJ. pessimistic |
| n pestilential(pestilent) | causing plague; tending to cause death; baneful; N. pestilence: fatal epidemic disease (esp. bubonic plague) |
| n pestle | tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl or mortar |
| s mortar | vessel in which substances are crushed with a pestle |
| s mash | crush into mash; convert into mash; N: mixture of ground grain and nutrients fed to livestock and fowl |
| n petrify | turn to stone; cause to become stonelike; stun or paralyze |
| petty | trivial; unimportant; very small; small-minded; petty-minded |
| n petulant | touchy; peevish; ill-tempered |
| s phalanx | formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears; group of men packed together (for attack or defense) |
| n pharisaical | pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical |
| s pharisee | Pharisee: member of an ancient Jewish group that emphasized strict observance of the Mosaic law (considering themselves very holy); hypocritical self-righteous person |
| s self-righteous | sure of one's own righteousness; moralistic |
| n phenomena | observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation; SG. phenomenon: observable fact; very unusual person, thing, or event; marvel; wonder; CF. phenomenons; ADJ. phenomenal: very unusual; extraordinary; of a phenomenon; Ex. phenomenal strength |
| philanderer | faithless lover; flirt |
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