Barrons P

pachyderm

thick-skinned animal

pacifist

one opposed to force; antimilitarist; ADJ. N. pacifism: opposition to war as a means of resolving disputes

pacify

soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue; bring peace to

n paean

song of praise or joy; Ex. paeans celebrating the victory

n painstaking

taking pains; showing hard work; taking great care; very careful and through

n palatable

agreeable; pleasing to the taste

n palate

roof of the mouth; sense of the taste

n palatial

of or suitable for a palace; magnificent

n paleontology

study of prehistoric life or fossils; CF. paleo-: ancient or prehistoric; Ex. paleography: study of ancient written documents

palette

board on which painter mixes pigments(coloring matters)

n palimpsest

parchment or piece of writing material used for second time after original writing has been erased

s parchment

writing material made from the skin of a sheep or goat

n pall

become boring; grow tiresome

n pallet

small poor bed; Ex. straw pallet

n palliate

ease pain (without curing); make less severe or offensive (a crime or illness)

n pallid

pale; wan; Ex. pallid complexion

palpable

tangible; (of something bad) easily perceptible; obvious; Ex. palpable blunder

n palpitate

throb; beat rapidly; flutter; tremble; Ex. Her heart began to palpitate.

s throb

(of a heart or machine) beat rapidly or violently; N. Ex. hearthrob: heartbeat; sweetheart

n paltry

insignificant; petty; trifling; contemptible; Ex. paltry sum; CF. trash

n pan

criticize harshly

panacea

cure-all; remedy for all diseases

n panache

flair; manner of doing things without any difficulty (causing admiration); flamboyance; bunch of feathers (on a helmet); Ex. with great panache; CF. ÀÜ ¾Æ•¡•Î õÀ» »©³»´Â ¼Ø¾¾

pandemic

widespread; affecting the majority of people; N: pandemic disease; CF. all people

pandemonium

wild tumult(commotion); wild noisy disorder; CF. Paradise Lost

n pander

cater to (the low desires of others)

s cater

provide food and drink (for); cater to: try to satisfy (desires of a bad kind)

n panegyric

formal praise; encomium; Ex. I don't deserve such panegyrics.

panoramic

denoting an unobstructed and comprehensive view; N. panorama: unbroken view of a wide area

pantomime

acting without dialogue; V.

papyrus

ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant

n parable

short simple story teaching a moral

paradigm

model; example that serves as a model; pattern; list of all the inflectional forms of a word

paradox

something apparently contradictory in nature (that may nonetheless be true); statement that looks false but is actually correct

paragon

model of perfection; Ex. paragon of virtue

parallelism

state of being parallel; similarity; analogy

s parallel

similar; analogous; corresponding; N: parallel line; person or thing that is parallel (to another); similarity; Ex. know of no parallel to the case; Ex. without parallel; V: be similar to; make parallel; Ex. Your experience parallels mine; CF. unparalleled

n parameter

limit; independent variable; Ex. parameters of the problem; Ex. within the parameters of the budget

paramount

foremost in importance; supreme; CF. para-: beyond; above; Ex. paranormal

paramour

illicit lover

s inamorata

woman whom a man loves

paranoia

psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution; N: ADJ: paranoid

paraphernalia

equipment; odds and ends used in a particular activity; personal belongings; Ex. photographic paraphernalia; CF. married woman's property exclusive of her dowry

s dowry

money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage

paraphrase

restate a passage in one's own words while retaining thought of author; N: restatement of a text in other words

parasite

animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant; CF. para-: beside

s infest

inhabit in numbers large enough to be harmful; Ex. Mice infested the house; Ex. shark-infested waters

n parched

extremely dry; very thirsty; V. parch: make or become extremely dry (by exposure to heat)

n pariah

social outcast; Ex. Mariah the pariah

s outcast

one that has been excluded from a society; ADJ.

parity

equality; close resemblance; CF. disparate

n parlance

language; manner of speaking; idiom; Ex. in legal/common parlance

n parley

conference (between opponents); CF. speak

n parochial

narrow in scope or outlook; provincial; related to parishes

s parish

area in the care of a single priest and served by one main church

s outlook

point of view; view from a particular place; expectation for the future; prospect; Ex. outlook on life; Ex. pleasing outlook; Ex. weather outlook

parody

humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty; V.

s spoof

parody

s takeoff

burlesque; act of leaving the ground

paroxysm

fit or attack of pain

n parquet

floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosaic like matter; CF. strip: long narrow piece

parry

ward off a blow; deflect; Ex. He parried the unwelcome question very skillfully; N. CF. ¸•´Â´Ù´Â °³³äÀÌ ¾Æ´Ô

s ward

administrative division of a city; division in a hospital or prison; incompetent person placed under the protection of a guardian; V: guard; ward off: avert

parsimony

stinginess; excessive frugality; ADJ. parsimonious

partial

incomplete; favoring one side over another; having a liking for something

partiality

state of being partial; inclination; favorable bias; special fondness; preference

n partisan

one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party (with dislike of any others); N: strong supporter of a party; guerrilla

s parvenu

upstart; newly rich person

partition

divide into parts

n pass\'e

old-fashioned; past the prime

passive

not active; acted upon; receiving an action without acting in return; accepting without resistance

n pastiche

imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing; work of art openly imitating the works of other artists

pastoral

rural; of rural life; idyllic; of a pastor

patent

obvious; easily seen; open for the public to read; of or protected by a patent; Ex. patent to everyone; N.

pathetic

causing sadness

s touching

causing a feeling of pity or sympathy; pathetic; V. touch: cause to feel pity or sympathy; ADJ. touched

pathological

pertaining to disease; N. pathology: study of disease

n pathos

tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings; Ex. pathos that runs through the novel

n patina

green crust on old bronze works or copper; tone slowly taken by varnished painting

s varnish

paint used to coat a surface with a glossy film; glossy coating produced by using this substance; Ex. nail varnish; V.

n patois

local or provincial dialect

patriarch

father and ruler of a family or tribe

n patrician

noble; aristocratic; N: person of high rank; aristocrat; CF. member of the governing classes in ancient Rome; CF. plebian

patronize

support; act superior toward; treat in a condescending manner; be a customer of; N. patron: one that supports; regular customer; N. patronage; CF. boycott

paucity

scarcity; dearth

pauper

very poor person

n peccadillo

slight offense or fault; CF. sin

s swipe

hit with a sweeping motion; N.

pecuniary

pertaining to money

pedagogue

teacher; CF. child leader

pedagogy

teaching; art of education

n pedant

scholar who overemphasizes book learning

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

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

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

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

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

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

philanderer

faithless lover; flirt

philanthropist

lover of mankind; doer of good; N. philanthropy

n philatelist

stamp-collector; N. philately: stamp collecting

n philistine

narrow-minded person

n philology

study of language or words

n phlegmatic

calm and unexcitable; not easily disturbed; CF. phlegm: sticky mucus produced in the respiratory tract

phobia

morbid fear

phoenix

symbol of immortality or rebirth; Ex. phoenix rising from its ashes

n phylum

major classification

n physiognomy

face (as showing the character and the mind); art of judging human character from facial features

n physiological

pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms; N. physiology

n piebald

of different colors; mottled; spotted in different colors (esp. in black and white); Ex. piebald horse; CF. pie+bald

n piecemeal

one part at a time; gradually; in stages; Ex. read a novel piecemeal

n pied

piebald; variegated(many-colored); multicolored

piety

devoutness; reverence for God; ADJ. pious

n pigment

coloring matter (usually powder to be mixed with water or oil)

pillage

plunder

pillory

punish by placing in a wooden frame or pillory; subject or expose to criticism and ridicule; N.

n pine

long for; yearn; languish from longing or grief; decline

n pinion

restrain or immobilize by binding the wings or legs; N: bird's wing

pinnacle

peak; highest point; acme; Ex. pinnacle of fame

pious

devout; religious; N. piety

n piquant

pleasantly tart-tasting; spicy; pleasantly stimulating; Ex. piquant situation when my old enemy asked for my help

s tart

sharp to the taste; acid-tasting; caustic; sarcastic; Ex. tart apple/reply

s sour

having a sharp or acid taste; acid; tart; bad-tempered; V.

pique

irritation; resentment from wounded pride (eg. loss in a contest); V: provoke; arouse; annoy; cause to feel resentment; Ex. pique her curiosity

n piscatorial

pertaining to fishing; CF. Pisces

pitfall

hidden danger; concealed trap

s beware

be cautious (of)

n pith

core or marrow; spongelike substance in the center of stems; essence; substance

s marrow

soft fatty tissue that fills most bone cavities and is the source of blood cells

pithy

concise and meaningful; substantial; meaty

n pittance

small amount (of money); small allowance or wage

pivotal

of a pivot; central; critical; crucial

placate

pacify; bring peace to; conciliate; appease

n placebo

harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill

s tablet

small round piece of medicine; flat piece of stone or metal bearing an inscription; Ex. stone tablet on the wall

placid

peaceful; calm; Ex. placid child/lake

n plagiarize

steal another's ideas or writings and pass them off as one's own; Ex. ideas plagiarized from my article; N. plagiarism; CF. kidnap

n plaintive

expressing sorrow; mournful; Ex. plaintive song

n plait

braid; interwine; interweave strands or lengths of; make by weaving strands together; Ex. plaited hair; N: braided length as of hair o fabric; CF. pigtail

n plasticity

ability to be molded; ADJ. plastic: capable of being shaped or molded; Ex. plastic material such as clay

platitude

trite remark; commonplace statement; ADJ. platitudinous

s commonplace

ordinary; N: something ordinary or common; trite remark

s commonwealth

nation governed by the people; republic; people of a nation

platonic

purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire

n plaudit

praise; enthusiastic approval; round(succession or series) of applause; ADJ. plauditory; CF. applaud

plausible

conceivably true; having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious

n plebeian

common; vulgar; pertaining to the common people; N: common people in ancient Rome; CF. patrician

s plebiscite

direct vote by the entire electorate (on an important issue)

s referendum

direct vote by all the people

n plenary

(of power) complete; full; fully attended by all qualified members; Ex. plenary power

n plenitude

abundance; plenty; great amount; completeness; fullness; CF. plenary

n plethora

excess; overabundance; Ex. a plethora of excuses

pliable

flexible; easily influenced; yielding; adaptable

pliant

flexible; easily influenced

plight

difficult condition; condition or state (esp. a bad state or condition); predicament

n pluck

courage; V: pull off or out; pull out the hair or feathers of; ADJ. plucky: courageous; brave

n plumage

feathers of a bird;

n plumb

exactly vertical; N: weight on the end of a line; V: examine very carefully or critically in order to understand; measure depth (by sounding); Ex. plumb the depth of

s plumber

one who installs and repairs pipes and plumbing(pipes)

n plummet

fall sharply; fall straight down; Ex. Stock prices plummeted.

plutocracy

society ruled by the wealthy

podiatrist

doctor who treats ailments of the feet; chiropodist; N. podiatrics

podium

pedestal; raised platform

s pedestal

support or base as for a pillar or statue

n poignancy

quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion; ADJ. poignant: touching; deeply moving; (of sorrow

n polarize

split into opposite extremes or camps

s polarity

state of having two opposite qualities

s polar

of a pole; characterized by opposite extremes; Ex. polar opposites

s camp

group sharing a common cause or opinion

n polemic

attack or defense of an opinion; controversy or refutation; argument in support of point of view; N. polemics: art of debate or controversy

n polemical(polemic)

aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious (rather than simply expressing opinions)

politic

prudent; judicious; well judged; expedient; well devised

polity

(particular form of) political organization; form of government of nation or state; Ex. student polity

polygamist

one who has more than one spouse at a time; CF. bigamy; CF. polyandry

polyglot

speaking several languages; multilingual; Ex. polyglot person/society; N.

pomposity

self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt(pompous person); ADJ. pompous: self-important

n ponderous

having great weight; weighty; unwieldy; lacking lightness; dull; Ex. ponderous body/style of writing

n pontifical

pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious; CF. pontiff: pope; bishop

n pore

study industriously; ponder; scrutinize; Ex. pore over the book; N.

porous

full of pores; like a sieve

s interstice

narrow space between things

portend

foretell; presage; be a sign or warning of; N. portent: sign; omen; forewarning

s soothsayer

one who foretells the future

n portly

stout; corpulent

s stout

rather fat; strong in body; sturdy; resolute; determined; strong in determination; Ex. stout stick/supporter

n poseur

person who pretends to be sophisticated

s pose

assume a particular posture; put forward; present; affect a particular attitude (to impress others); Ex. pose a threat; N.

n posterity

descendants; future generations; Ex. go down to posterity; CF. posterior

n posthumous

after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death); coming or occurring after one's death; Ex. posthumous fame/novel

s postmortem

autopsy; ADJ: occurring after death; of a postmortem

n postulate

self-evident truth; something assumed without proof; V: assume the truth of (as a basis of an argument)

n posture

assume an affected pose; act artificially; N: pose; attitude

n potable

suitable for drinking; drinkable

potent

powerful; convincing; persuasive; greatly influential

n potentate

monarch; sovereign

potential

expressing possibility; latent; N: capacity for growth

potion

dose (of liquids); liquid dose

n potpourri

heterogeneous mixture; medley; mixture of dried flower petals a pot (to give a pleasant smell to a room)

n poultice

soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body

practicable

feasible

practical

based on experience; of or acquired through practice (rather than theory); useful; Ex. practical man

pragmatic

practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with practical worth or impact of something; Ex. pragmatic test of the skill

pragmatist

practical person; N. pragmatism: pragmatic way of dealing with things

s prance

move about in a spirited manner (proudly and confidently)

n prate

talk idly; speak foolishly; boast idly

n prattle

talk idly; babble; N. CF. prate

s idle

not working; not employed or busy; lazy; without purpose; useless; lacking substance; baseless; not based on truth; Ex. idle worker; Ex. talk idly; V.

preamble

introductory statement

n precarious

unsafe; lacking in stability; uncertain; risky; Ex. precarious living

precedent

something preceding in time which may be used as an authority or guide for future action; V. precede; CF. unprecedented

precedent

preceding (in time

precept

practical rule guiding conduct; Ex. mother's precept

precipice

cliff; dangerous position; Ex. on the edge of the precipice

s brink

edge (at the top of a cliff); Ex. on the brink of the Grand Canyon

precipitant

something that causes a substance in a chemical solution to separate out in solid form; ħÀüÁ¦; OP. solvent

precipitate

hurl downward; throw headlong; hasten; cause to happen sooner; condense and fall as rain or snow; cause (a solid substance) to be separated from a solution; ADJ. hasty; rash; premature; sudden

precipitous

steep; overhasty; precipitate

n pr\'ecis

abstract; concise summing up of main points; concise summary of a text

precise

exact

preclude

make impossible; prevent; exclude; eliminate

precocious

advanced in development; N. precocity

precursor

forerunner; predecessor

predator

predatory animal or bird; predatory person; creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others; ADJ. predatory: living by preying on other organisms; plundering; N. predation

predecessor

former occupant of a post

predetermine

determine in advance; predestine; settle or decide beforehand; influence markedly

predicament

difficult situation; tricky or dangerous situation; dilemma

n predilection

preference; partiality

n predispose

give an inclination toward (in advance); make susceptible to; Ex. predispose people to certain cancer; N. predisposition

preeminent

outstanding; superior