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Pacify
v. to mollify or soothe; to tranquilize or subdue
Packet
n. a small parcel or package; a small group of related materials
Pact
n. a treaty
Pagan
n. a heathen or follower of a polytheistic religion; someone who isn't guided by any established or socially accepted religion; a hedonistic individual
Pageant
n. a vainglorious or pretentious display; an elaborate spectacle that often includes music and drama
Palate
n. the tissue that comprises the roof of the mouth; one's personal taste
Palatial
adj. relating to a palace; grand; sublime
Paleontology
n. the scientific study of the hypothetical life present in former geological periods (as according to fossil remains)
Palette
n. a slender tablet used by painters to mix pigments on; a specific range or quality of elements
Palinode
n. a formal song or ode retracting something found in an earlier poem
Pall
v. to wane in strength or vigor; to become less effective; to lose interest; to dwindle
Palliate
v. to alleviate the symptoms of a disease without attacking the disease itself; to soothe or mitigate through apologetic excuses
Pallid
adj. lacking in color or wan; lifeless or dull
Palpable
n. tangible; readily perceivable
Palsy
n. a medical condition characterized by uncontrollable bodily tremors
Paly
adj. pallid
Pamphlet
n. a coverless, unbound printed publication
Pamphleteer
v. to produce pamphlets
Panacea
n. a magical cure for all ailments
Pan-American
adj. relating to both North and South America
Pandemic
adj. wide-spread geographically and across a population
Pandemonium
n. Hell; chaos and tumult
Panegyric
n. a formal expression of praise
Panel
n. a group of people assembled in order to perform some public service
Panic
n. an abrupt, overwhelming feeling of fright or anxiety; a sudden, irrational terror that tends to cause widespread flight
Panoply
n. a protective covering or armor; clothing intended for ceremonious display
Panorama
n. a comprehensive view or assessment of a territory or subject
Pantheism
n. a religious doctrine that encourages the equal worship of all gods or creeds
Pantheon
n. a multi-god temple
Pantomime
n. a dramatic performance that tells a story solely by use of expressive bodily or facial movements
Pantoscope
n. an optical device that allows a viewer to see everything
Papacy
n. the official office of the pope
Papyrus
n. the essence of the papyrus plant (a perennial sedge originating from the Nile Valley) that is often converted into writing material by being cut into strips and pressed
Parable
n. a fictional story told for the purpose of communicating a moral or religious principle
Paradox
n. an apparently contradictory or nonsensical statement that is nonetheless true or valid; someone who apparently has contradictory qualities
Paragon
n. an ideal model
Parallel
v. to make parallel to; to correspond to or compare with
Parallelism
n. the state of being parallel; correspondence; in literature, a series of syntactically similar words or phrases
Paralysis
n. a condition or state of being characterized by an inability to function, move or act
Paralyze
v. to render powerless; to stun
Paramount
adj. supreme or superior to everything
Paramour
n. a forbidden or unlawful lover
Paraphernalia
n. one’s personal possessions or accessory equipment
Paraphrase
v. to restate a textual passage using different wording
Pare
v. to cut off an excess segment of; to trim down
Parentage
n. lineage; origin
Pariah
n. a despised and shunned individual; an outcast
Parish
n. a community ecclesiastical church
Parisian
adj. characteristic of Paris
Parity
n. the state of being equivalent; the state of having borne children
Parlance
n. a kind of speech; a parlay
Parley
v. to confer; to consider and debate terms with an enemy
Parliament
n. the primary legislative body in a political system
Parlor
n. a reception room primarily used to entertain guests
Parody
v. to mock by imitating in the manner of a caricature
Paronymous
adj. a word that was formed from another word in a foreign language
Paroxysm
n. an abrupt attack or resurgence of symptoms; an emotional outburst
Parricide
n. the murder of a close relative, such as one's mother or father
Parse
v. to minutely and critically examine
Parsimonious
adj. stingy; excessively frugal or restrained
Partible
adj. capable of being separated; divisible
Participant
n. someone who participates in a given activity
Participate
v. to engage in an activity; to possess a share of something
Partisan
adj. affiliated with or allegiant to a faction or party
Partition
n. a division; a divisor; a section of a whole
Passible
adj. able to feel intense emotion or suffer emotional pain
Passive
adj. easily influenced by external forces; sluggish or lethargic; inactive; offering no resistance
Pastoral
adj. relating to shepherds or the countryside; conveying an idealized picture of country life; pleasantly peaceful or innocent
Paternal
adj. relating to a father
Paternity
n. the state of being a father
Pathos
n. an artistic element that induces feelings of compassion or pity
Patriarch
n. a father; a founder of organization or movement; the oldest male member of a group
Patrician
adj. a cultivated or socially-high-ranking individual
Patrimony
n. property inherited from one's father; heritage
Patriotism
n. devotion to one’s nation
Patronize
v. to treat condescendingly
Patronymic
adj. relating to a name taken from a paternal ancestor
Patter
v. to talk rapidly and without emotion or conviction
Paucity
n. a dearth or lack of something
Pauper
n. a devastatingly poor individual that relies on charity for subsistence
Pauperism
n. the state of being extremely poor
Pavilion
n. a great luxurious tent
Payee
n. someone who receives a payment
Peaceable
adj. tending to be peaceful; devoid of disorder or quarrels
Peaceful
adj. free from conflict or trouble; tranquil or calm
Peccable
adj. likely to sin or err
Peccadillo
n. a minor offense
Peccant
adj. marked by a tendency to or history of sin or err
Pectoral
adj. relating to the chest or the emotional heart
Pecuniary
adj. relating to money
Pedagogics
n. pedagogy, or the science of education
Pedagogue
n. a dull teacher
Pedagogy
n. the science of education
Pedal
n. a foot lever that, in being pressed, activates a mechanism
Pedant
n. someone who flaunts his knowledge; an unimaginative and dull teacher
Peddle
v. to sell wares while traveling from location to location
Peddler
n. someone who attempts to sell wares on the street
Pedestal
n. a structural base or foundation; a position of high regard
Pedestrian
n. someone who is traveling on foot
Pediatrics
n. the medical area focusing on child care and development
Pedigree
n. one's lineage; the noted purity of breed of an individual
Peerage
n. a peer's dignity or rank
Peerless
adj. having no equal or match
Peevish
adj. fretful or temperamentally querulous; displaying ill temper
Pellucid
adj. clear; readily comprehendible; easily admitting light
Penalty
n. the designated punishment for a particular criminal offense; a loss or disadvantage imposed on an entity due to a violation of a rule or law
Penance
n. a self-abasing act performed to display repentance for one’s sins
Penchant
n. a predisposition for or liking of
Pendant
n. a suspended and free-hanging ornament
Pendulous
adj. disposed to swing freely like a pendulum; hanging downward; characterized by indecision or vacillation
Pendulum
n. a suspended and free-hanging body that naturally swings to and fro due to the influence of gravity
Penetrable
adj. open to penetration
Penetrate
v. to forcefully enter or pierce; to see or pass into; to ascertain the inner meaning of; to deeply emotionally effect
Penetration
n. the process of penetrating, or the act of discerning acutely or physically passing into
Peninsular
adj. relating to a peninsula, or a segment of land that is almost completely surrounded by water
Penitence
n. the state of being deeply apologetic for one's sins
Penitential
adj. relating to penitence, or sorrow and regret for one’s sins
Pennant
n. a small emblematic flag that tapers to a point and is used for identification purposes
Pension
n. a regularly paid wage or gratuity
Pentad
n. a cluster of five entities
Pentagon
n. a five-sided and five-angled polygon
Pentagram
n. a five-pointed star
Pentahedron
n. a five-faced solid figure
Pentameter
n. a poetic line composed of five metrical feet
Pentathlon
n. a contest for athletes composed of five different events
Pentavalent
adj. possessing a degree of five
Penultimate
adj. second to last
Penurious
adj. stingy; marked by severe poverty
Penury
n. a severe lack of resources or state of poverty; stinginess
Perambulate
v. to traverse; to officially inspect something on foot
Perceive
v. to gain awareness of; to understand; to observe
Perceptible
adj. accessible to the senses
Perception
n. an observation or discernment; a notion; a physical awareness of one’s surroundings; intuitive cognition
Percipience
n. perception, or the awareness of one's environment that results from one's use of the senses
Percipient
n. someone who perceives or observes
Percolate
v. to be passed through a permeable substance; to penetrate
Percolator
n. one that percolates, or diffuses a solvent through a permeable substance
Percussion
n. the musical or rhythmic technique of tapping or striking the surface of something in order to produce sound
Peremptory
adj. doing away with a right of action or delay in advance; urgent or mandatory; marked by arrogance; haughty
Perennial
adj. year-round; enduring
Perfectible
adj. capable of being perfected
Perfidy
n. the state of being treacherous or faithless; a disloyal act
Perforate
v. to penetrate or burrow through as if by way of a hole
Perfumery
n. the art of perfume-making; a place where people make perfumes
Perfunctory
adj. superficial; mechanical; insipid
Perigee
n. in space, the point of an object's orbit that is nearest to a planet's center
Periodicity
n. the state of being regularly recurrent
Peripatetic
adj. relating to walking
Perjure
v. to commit perjury, or knowingly swear to what is untrue
Perjury
n. the act of swearing something under oath that is in actuality a false statement
Permanence
n. the state of being permanent, or forever enduring
Permanent
adj. enduring forever
Permeate
v. to diffuse or pass through
Permissible
adj. allowable
Permutation
n. a fundamental alteration based on the rearrangement of currently present elements
Pernicious
adj. extremely nasty or harmful; deadly
Perpendicular
adj. positioned at right angles to a specific geometrical plane or line; dangerously steep; relating to or composed of dissimilar individuals
Perpetrator
n. someone who commits a crime
Perpetuate
v. to cause to endure or last forever; to continually occur
Perquisite
n. a monetary perk that is expected as an incidental addition to regular wages; gratuity
Persecution
n. the practice of persecuting, or harassing because of belief
Perseverance
n. the quality of persevering
Persevere
v. to continue onward despite discouragement and opposition
Persiflage
n. light banter
Persist
v. to persevere, or to continue onward despite discouragement and opposition; to exist longer than expected
Persistence
n. the act of persisting, or continuing onward despite considerable obstacles
Personage
n. a distinguished individual; a fictional character
Personnel
n. a group of people employed by an organization
Perspective
n. the ability to view things in light of their relative significance
Perspicacious
adj. exceptionally perceptive; keen or shrewd
Perspicacity
n. the ability to acutely discern; intellectual keenness
Perspicuous
adj. clear and therefore easily comprehended
Perspiration
n. the process of perspiring, or secreting particles through the skin; sweat
Perspire
v. to secrete liquid matter through the skin
Persuadable
adj. open to persuasion
Persuade
v. to cause to alter one’s belief or course of action through entreaty or argument
Pertinacious
adj. resolutely tenacious or persistent
Pertinacity
n. the quality of sticking tenaciously to an opinion or idea
Pertinent
adj. indisputably relevant to the matter under consideration
Perturb
v. to mentally disturb; to cause to enter into a state of disorder
Perturbation
n. the condition of being perturbed, or mentally, emotionally or physically disturbed
Perusal
n. the act of reading something very carefully or studying something; conversely, the act of glancing over something in a cursory manner
Pervade
v. to permeate throughout
Pervasion
n. the state of being thoroughly diffused into a situation or space
Pervasive
adj. disposed to pervade, or to permeate throughout
Perverse
adj. morally corrupt; socially improper or offensive
Perversion
n. the process of perverting, or twisting, corrupting or leading away from what is moral or generally accepted
Perversity
n. the state of being morally corrupt or socially improper or offensive
Pervert
n. someone who has been perverted
Pervious
adj. permeable or accessible
Pestilence
n. a virulent and contagious epidemic disease
Pestilent
adj. extremely injurious or destructive; contagious; annoying
Pestilential
adj. relating to pestilence; extremely harmful or deadly; intensely irritating
Peter
v. to gradually diminish into nothing
Petrify
v. to turn to stone; to cause to be lifeless; to stupefy
Petulance
n. the state of being petulant or peevish; the quality of having ill humor or poor temperament
Petulant
adj. capriciously ill tempered; rude
Pharmacopoeia
n. an authorized written work that contains descriptions of medical drugs and preparations
Pharmacy
n. the act of preparing and dispensing medical drugs; a drugstore
Phenomenal
adj. relating to a phenomenon; extraordinary
Phenomenon
n. an observable occurrence; something ascertained through the senses rather than through intellectual analysis; a perceivable circumstance subject to scientific explanation; a strikingly abnormal and seemingly inexplicable entity or occurrence
Philander
v. to engage in casual, unlawful sex with one or many women and thus be unfaithful to one's wife
Philanthropic
adj. relating to philanthropy, or the act of donating funds to charitable organizations
Philanthropist
n. someone who actively attempts to promote human welfare generally by giving charitable organizations money
Philanthropy
n. the act of donating funds to charitable organizations
Philately
n. the practice of collection stamps
Philharmonic
adj. relating to a symphony orchestra
Philogynist
n. someone who likes women as a gender
Philologist
n. someone who studies comparative literature and linguistics
Philology
n. the study of all aspects of literature with particular emphasis on cultural linguistics
Philosophize
v. to analyze or expound upon from a philosophical perspective
Philosophy
n. the science of ethics and fundamental beliefs; the study of the pursuit of wisdom; the basic beliefs held by a people or organization
Phlegmatic
adj. temperamentally lifeless; impassive
Phonetic
adj. relating to the sounds of speech
Phonic
adj. relating to speech sounds
Phonogram
n. a character that represents a unit of sound
Phonology
n. the historical and theoretical study of linguistic speech sounds
Phosphorescence
n. fluorescence, or a kind of luminescence that endures without ongoing radiation or heat
Photoelectric
adj. relating to the scientific study of the production of electrical effects by way of the relationship between radiation and matter
Photometer
n. a mechanism used to measure the intensity of lumination
Photometry
n. the scientific study of the intensity of light
Physicist
n. someone who studies or specializes in physics
Physics
n. the scientific study of the relationship between matter and energy
Physiocracy
n. an economic theory that contends that national wealth is defined solely by agriculture
Physiognomy
n. the science of determining temperament and inner character by analyzing one’s external mannerisms and appearance
Physiography
n. physical geography
Physiology
n. the biological science that is concerned with the essential functions of living matter as well as the anatomical structure of that matter
Physique
n. an individual's bodily form
Picayune
adj. trivial in value; petty
Piccolo
n. a miniature flute that has a range that is an octave higher than that of a regular flute
Piece
n. a fragment of a whole
Piecemeal
adv. gradually; one bit at a time
Pillage
n. the act or product of plundering
Pillory
n. a mechanism consisting of a wooden frame with holes for peoples' heads and hands that was used to publicly shame criminal offenders
Pincers
n. a gripping mechanism consisting of two small handles and two grasping jaws that work on a pivot
Pinchers
n. pincers; an instrument used to grip things
Pinnacle
n. an extremely high summit or peak; the highest state of achievement
Pioneer
n. a person or group of people who open up a new intellectual or technical activity, philosophy or development; a person or group of people who are the first settlers in a given territory
Pious
adj. extremely reverent and devoted to divine worship; overtly religious; self-consciously virtuous; commendable
Pique
v. to irritate or arouse pointed resentment in; to provoke
Piteous
adj. inclined to be compassionate or display pity
Pitiable
adj. worthy of being pitied; deserving of contempt
Pitiful
adj. worthy of pity; arousing contempt
Pitiless
adj. lacking pity; cruel
Pittance
n. a meager portion or allowance
Placate
v. to mollify or appease; to pacify
Placid
adj. undisturbed; calm or peaceful
Plagiarism
n. the act of copying someone else's production and passing off the copy as one's own original work
Planisphere
n. a depiction of the circles within a sphere on a geometrical plane
Plasticity
n. the ability to be altered or effectively reshaped by applied pressure
Platitude
n. the state of being insipid; a trite comment
Plaudit
n. a round of applause
Plausible
adj. seemingly reasonable or pleasing; appearing valid
Playful
adj. inclined to play; frolicsome
Playwright
n. someone who authors plays
Plea
n. an appeal or sincere entreaty; an apology
Pleasant
adj. pleasing or agreeable
Pleasurable
adj. pleasing or pleasant; enjoyable
Plebeian
adj. coarse or common in manner
Pledgee
n. the recipient of a pledge
Pledgeor
n. someone who deposits property as a pledge
Plenary
adj. absolute or complete
Plenipotentiary
n. an agent vested with full power to transact business
Plenitude
n. the state of being complete; abundance
Plenteous
adj. existing in abundance; plentiful
Plumb
n. a lead weight used to communicate a vertical direction
Plummet
n. plumb, or a heavy weight connected to a line that is used to convey vertical direction
Pluperfect
adj. absolutely perfect
Plural
adj. consisting of more than one of a kind
Plurality
n. the state of being plural, or numerous; politically, the difference between the number of votes cast for any two adversarial political candidates
Plutocracy
n. a government entirely comprised of and representing the wealthy
Pneumatic
adj. relating to gas or air pressure
Poesy
n. a poetic piece; a poem
Poetaster
n. a lesser or incompetent poet
Poetic
adj. relating to poetry; emotionally moving or aesthetically pleasing like poetry
Poetics
n. poetic sentiments; the practice or theory of poetry
Poignancy
n. the state of being poignant, or deeply emotionally moving
Poignant
adj. deeply emotionally moving or touching; tending to make an impression
Poise
n. self-assurance in bearing and graciousness in manner
Polar
adj. relating to a geographic pole
Polemics
n. the art of controversy
Pollen
n. a seemingly dusty mass of granular microspores in a seed plant that are designed to be used for plant fertilization with the aid of bees
Pollute
v. to cause to be morally or physically unclean; to defile or contaminate
Polyarchy
n. a form of government in which three or more persons hold power
Polycracy
n. a nation or state governed by more than one person
Polygamy
n. a philosophy of marriage that allows either man or wife or both to have more than one spouse at a time
Polyglot
adj. composed of or versed in multiple languages; culturally diverse
Polygon
n. a closed geometrical figure that is bounded by straight lines
Polyhedron
n. a geometric solid composed of plane faces
Polysyllable
n. a word that has more than three syllables
Polytechnic
adj. relating to the teaching of various technical arts or applied sciences
Polytheism
n. the state of worshiping more than one god
Pommel
v. to pummel, or beat
Pomposity
n. a pompous, or arrogant, act
Pompous
adj. excessively ornate; inclined to exaggerate one’s own importance; relating to pomp, or pretentious display
Ponder
v. to consider or reflect on
Ponderous
adj. clumsy due to substantial weight; painfully dull
Pontiff
n. a bishop or pope
Populace
n. the people as a group; the population
Populous
adj. possessing a large population
Portend
v. to anticipate through the interpretation of an omen
Portent
n. a sign or omen foreshadowing an impending occurrence
Portfolio
n. a bound collection of papers generally representing someone’s overall professional performance
Posit
v. to fix or set firmly; to affirm the truth of; to suggest
Position
n. an object’s physical location; a relative standing or social rank; an occupation; one’s standpoint on an issue
Positive
adj. confident; definite; actual rather than fictitious; relating to affirmation; optimistic
Posse
n. a sizable group of people united by a common purpose; a person’s group of attendants or followers
Possess
v. to own; to control or dominate
Possession
n. the act of occupying, dominating or taking for oneself
Possessive
adj. inclined to or desirous of controlling or owning
Possessor
n. one that dominates, controls or owns something
Possible
adj. capable of being realized
Postdate
v. to date an event with a date that is later in time than the event’s actual date of occurrence; to happen later in time than
Posterior
n. one's buttocks
Postgraduate
adj. relating to studies undertaken after graduation
Postscript
n. a series of notes added to the end of a literary work
Potency
n. the state of being powerful; the capacity to cause a specific result
Potent
adj. having influence or power; effective; rich or concentrated; fertile
Potentate
n. one that holds immense power or influence; ruler
Potential
n. something that has the ability to develop or manifest
Potion
n. a liquid concoction
Powerless
adj. lacking the authority or strength to act
Practicable
adj. capable of being practiced, utilized or done; possible or feasible
Prate
v. to chatter idly
Prattle
v. to voice meaningless sounds in the manner of small children; to babble
Preamble
n. an introduction that generally communicates the intent of a written work
Precarious
adj. dependent on personal whims, dubious developments or unstable conditions; risky or dangerous
Precaution
n. a cautionary measure taken in advance of an upcoming event; a safeguard
Precede
v. to exist or arrive before; to exceed in significance
Precedence
n. relative importance
Precedent
n. a previous occurrence of a similar event; an act or statement potentially serving as an example that could possibly justify a subsequent and similar act or statement
Precedential
adj. marked by precedence
Precession
n. a relatively slow gyration of a spinning body’s rotation axis around an intersecting line so as to represent a cone
Precipice
n. an extremely steep and therefore dangerous place; a brink
Precipitant
adj. precipitate, or characterized by a speedy and intense decline
Precipitate
v. to hurl violently; to cause to occur abruptly; to cause vapor to condense into liquid and fall
Precise
adj. clearly defined; exact; distinguishable
Precision
n. the state of being precise, or exact; relative refinement in performance or operation
Preclude
v. to cause to be impossible or unnecessary by acting in advance
Precocious
adj. acting surprisingly mature at an early age; unusually early developmentally
Precursor
n. something that comes before and signals the approach of a subsequent event or entity
Predatory
adj. characterized by the tendency to prey or plunder
Predecessor
n. someone who precedes someone else, especially in a professional position
Predicament
n. a frustrating and emotionally straining circumstance
Predicate
v. to declare to be an attribute of; to imply
Predict
v. to indicate in advance of an actual occurrence; to foretell
Prediction
n. something that is predicted, or foretold
Predominance
n. the state of being predominant, or superior in influence; the state of being the most common
Predominant
adj. dominant in strength or influence; being the most common
Predominate
v. to dominate; to prevail
Preeminence
n. the state of being preeminent, or paramount in rank
Preempt
v. to forestall or prevent from occurring; to establish precedence over
Preemption
n. the act of seizing or purchasing before any others
Preengage
v. to engage or put under obligation beforehand
Pre-establish
v. to prove or institute beforehand
Preexist
v. to exist at an earlier point than
Preexistence
n. existence in a preceding condition or state
Preface
n. an introduction to a larger work
Prefatory
adj. relating to a preface; positioned in front
Prefer
v. to approve of or like better
Preferable
adj. marked by greater desirability
Preference
n. something that is preferred
Preferential
adj. expressing or giving preference regarding candidates
Preferment
n. an official promotion
Prefix
v. to set in front
Prehensible
adj. capable of being grasped
Prehensile
adj. capable of grasping or seizing physically or intellectually
Prehension
n. the act of grasping; comprehension
Prejudice
n. an unwarranted and irrational hostile attitude towards a particular person or group of people
Prelacy
n. the office of a superior ranking ecclesiastic
Prelate
n. a superior-ranking ecclesiastic
Prelude
n. a brief performance that precedes and generally introduces the feature performance
Premature
adj. occurring before the expected or proper time
Premier
adj. of primary importance; earliest
Premise
n. an assumed statement or condition that forms the foundation of an argument
Premonition
n. a forewarning or anticipation of an otherwise unknowable upcoming event
Preoccupation
n. the act of preoccupying, or preferentially occupying the attention of; inordinate concern with something
Preoccupy
v. to engross the attention of at the expense of something else
Preordain
v. to ordain in advance
Preparation
n. the act of reading oneself for an upcoming event or circumstance
Preparatory
adj. serving to ready for something
Preponderant
adj. marked by dominance or superiority
Preponderate
v. to surpass in influence or significance
Prepossession
n. a preoccupation with a single concept or entity; prejudice
Preposterous
adj. unnatural and irrational; utterly absurd
Prerogative
n. a special or particular right or privilege
Presage
v. to forewarn or foreshadow; to foretell
Prescience
n. omniscience; foresight; foreknowledge of conditions or events
Prescient
adj. capable of foretelling or anticipating events
Prescript
adj. dictated as a rule
Prescriptible
adj. capable of being prescribed, or designated for use as a remedy
Prescription
n. written instructions recommending a particular medicine and detailing the proper uses of that medicine
Presentient
adj. inclined to have premonitions, or episodes marked by irrational anticipation or foreknowledge of an event
Presentiment
n. a premonition; an inkling that something will occur
Presentment
n. the act of setting forth or exhibiting something for consideration
Preservation
n. the act of protecting something from harm, destruction or decay
Presumption
n. an audacious attitude; an inference or assumption
Presumptuous
adj. tending to take undue liberties or overstep boundaries
Pretension
n. an attempt to establish a claim; a pretentious and generally unrealistic aspiration
Pretentious
adj. tending to propose unjustified and extreme claims; seemingly brimming with an affected, exaggerated sense of self-importance
Preternatural
adj. irregular or unnatural; extraordinary
Pretext
n. an alleged purpose presented to disguise one's true intentions
Prevalence
n. the state of being prevalent, or widely accepted
Prevalent
adj. dominant; widely accepted or adopted
Prevaricate
v. to stray from the truth; to mislead or lie
Prevention
n. the act of preventing, or stopping something from occurring
Prickle
v. to prick, or to penetrate slightly with a sharp point
Priggish
adj. tending to offend others by observing manners to an extreme and therefore obnoxious extent
Prim
adj. stuffily proper or prudish; orderly and trim
Prima
adj. principle or primary
Primer
n. a substance that is required for the adherence or formation of another substance
Primeval
adj. relating to the earliest ages of human history
Primitive
adj. relating to the earliest temporal period; barely developed or evolved; primary or original; fundamental or natural
Principal
adj. of primary importance; relating to a principal
Principality
n. the office of a principal; a prince’s jurisdiction or territory
Principle
n. a fundamental rule or doctrine; an origin; an underlying characteristic
Priory
n. a religious residence governed by a prior or prioress
Pristine
adj. pure, or unspoiled; original
Privateer
n. a private ship armed with weaponry that is authorized to attack enemy vessels
Privilege
n. a right granted as an advantage or benefit
Privity
n. joint knowledge of and interest in a private matter
Privy
adj. relating to someone in one's individual capacity; sharing of a secret
Probate
v. to make a legal document valid; to cause to be on probation
Probation
n. a period of freedom enjoyed by some well-behaving convicted offenders that is supervised by a probation officer; a careful examination and evaluation of a subject designed to ascertain fitness or competency
Probe
v. to thoroughly explore; to investigate through penetration
Probity
n. moral uprightness; honesty
Procedure
n. an accepted means or manner of accomplishing something; a set of steps or instructions designed to be used as a guide
Proceed
v. to move onward after an interruption; to carry out an action
Proclamation
n. a formal public statement
Procrastinate
v. to delay the commencement of an action intentionally
Procrastination
n. the act of intentionally putting something off
Proctor
n. an exam supervisor
Prodigal
n. someone who throws money away lavishly; someone who has come back after an absence
Prodigious
adj. inspiring wonder or awe; amazingly large or vast
Prodigy
n. an inexplicable and marvelous occurrence or accomplishment; an omen; an exceptionally talented youth
Productive
adj. tending to produce results
Profession
n. a primary occupation or professional calling; the act of publicly declaring a belief
Professor
n. an academic faculty member and teacher at a university or college
Proffer
v. to offer for consideration or acceptance
Proficiency
n. the state of being proficient, or significantly knowledgeable or skillful in an art or occupation
Proficient
adj. skillful and competent in a trade, art or activity
Profile
n. a graphic representation; an outline; a brief biographical sketch
Profiteer
n. someone who makes an apparently unreasonable profit from the sale of necessary wares or services during emergency circumstances
Profligacy
n. the state of being profligate, or obscenely extravagant
Profligate
adj. extremely extravagant and licentious
Profuse
adj. abundant; provided liberally; bountiful
Progeny
n. animal or vegetable offspring; a group of disciples; descendents
Progression
n. the process of advancing or moving forward; the act of proceeding
Prohibition
n. an official order to cease or restrain a given activity
Prohibitionist
n. someone who favors prohibition, or the act of forbidding a given commodity or activity
Prohibitory
adj. prohibitive, or tending to restrain or cease activity
Projection
n. the process of thrusting something forward; the formation of a hypothesis or plan; the act of presenting something for an audience
Proletarian
n. a member of the laboring or lower class
Prolific
adj. very productive; fruitful
Prolix
adj. unnecessarily long; characterized by excessive wordiness
Prologue
n. an introductory passage preceding a literary work that often recounts narrative events that ostensibly occurred prior to the narrative itself
Prolong
v. to extend or continue
Promenade
v. to stroll along a promenade,
Prominence
n. the state of being prominent, or highly noticeable and/or popularly known
Prominent
adj. protruding beyond a surface; highly noticeable; popular
Promiscuous
adj. unrestricted in taste; tending to have multiple sexual partners; casual
Promissory
adj. communicating or establishing a promise
Promontory
n. a mass of land that projects into or over another physical body
Promoter
n. someone who promotes something; a chemical substance that has the ability to increase the activity of a given catalyst
Promulgate
v. to publicly declare or proclaim; to enact or enforce a law
Propaganda
n. factual or fictitious information spread with the intent of aiding or injuring a cause, person or organization
Propagate
v. to create offspring; to cause to extend into a wider area; to transmit; to widely communicate knowledge and acceptance of an idea
Propel
v. to push onward with as if by a physical force
Propellant
adj. capable of propelling, or pushing onward by means of a motion-inducing force
Propeller
n. something that propels; a mechanism used to propel a vehicle
Prophecy
n. a foretelling of future events; the divinely inspired words of a prophet
Prophesy
v. to foretell based on mystic or divine knowledge or influence
Propitious
adj. favorable or auspicious; inclined to do good
Proportionate
adj. proportional; corresponding in ratio
Propriety
n. the state of being proper; adherence to socially acceptable speech or conduct
Propulsion
n. the process of propelling
Prosaic
adj. relating to prose rather than poetry; dull or ordinary
Proscenium
n. the foreground of a stage or scene
Proscribe
v. to forbid as illegal or harmful
Proscription
n. an official restriction; prohibition
Proselyte
n. a new religious or political convert
Prosody
n. the study of the rhythmic aspect of language
Prospector
n. someone who searches an area for mineral deposits
Prospectus
n. a statement that predicts the nature of something based on in-house calculations
Prostrate
adj. lying upon the ground face-down in an expression of submission; devoid of the vitality or will necessary to rise
Protagonist
n. the main character of a literary work; a champion of a social or political cause
Protection
n. the act of protecting, or guarding someone from injury or exposure
Protective
adj. inclined to fiercely guard or defend someone or something
Protector
n. a guardian
Protege
n. someone whose career is furthered by a person of prominence
Protestant
n. a Christian rather than a Catholic
Protocol
n. an original draft or record of a transaction or document; a strict etiquette code; a detailed set of conventions or procedure plan
Protomartyr
n. a given cause's first martyr
Protoplasm
n. the aggregate of a biological cell's nucleus, cytoplasm, plastids and mitochondria
Prototype
n. a fundamental model that is used as a basis for subsequent models; a typical example
Protract
v. to continue onward in time or space
Protrude
v. to stand out or project from the surrounding area or context
Protrusion
n. something that protrudes, or sticks out from an encompassing surface
Protuberance
n. the state of being protuberant, or projecting outwards from a surrounding area
Protuberant
adj. protruding; prominent
Protuberate
v. to cause to project outwards from a surrounding area
Proverb
n. a concise, well-known maxim or saying; an adage
Provident
adj. providing for future circumstances; frugal
Providential
adj. relating to Providence, or divine guidance
Provincial
adj. relating to a province; narrow in outlook; lacking sophistication; relatively plain rather than ornate
Proviso
n. a clause that presents a conditional stipulation
Provocation
n. something that arouses or provokes
Prowess
n. notable bravery or valor; remarkable ability or skill
Proximately
adv. immediately; imminently
Proxy
n. an entity authorized to act for another entity
Prudence
n. shrewdness regarding one’s affairs; good judgment; caution regarding risks; wisdom; the capacity to govern oneself through reason
Prudential
adj. relating to prudence, or good judgment and sagacity
Prudery
n. an act or comment reflecting prudishness, or obnoxious observance of proprieties
Prurient
adj. tending to arouse unwholesome sexual desire
Pseudapostle
n. a spurious apostle
Pseudonym
n. a pen name or false name
Pseudonymity
n. the adoption and use of a pseudonym, or false name
Psychiatry
n. a medical field devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, social and behavioral disorders
Psychic
adj. relating to the psyche; characterized by mysterious perception or sensitivity; spiritual rather than material in nature
Psychopathic
adj. relating to psychopathology, or any antisocial disorder
Psychotherapy
n. the psychological treatment of mental and emotional disorders primarily through use of therapy
Pudgy
adj. short and chubby
Puerile
adj. childish or juvenile
Pugnacious
adj. combative or belligerent in nature
Puissant
adj. powerful
Pulmonary
adj. relating to the lungs
Punctilious
adj. characterized by exact conformity with the details of conventions
Punctual
adj. prompt; disposed to arrive on time
Pungency
n. the state of being pungent, or sharp in flavor, odor or character
Pungent
adj. sharp or biting in nature; acrid; intensely flavorful; stimulating to the senses
Punitive
adj. relating to punishment
Pupilage
n. the state of being a pupil, or student
Purgatory
n. a state of limited suffering
Purl
v. to edge, embroider or stitch with silver or gold thread
Purloin
v. to take wrongfully; to steal
Purport
n. professed meaning; substance
Purveyor
n. someone who sells wares or services
Pusillanimous
adj. contemptibly cowardly or timid
Putrescent
adj. relating to putrefaction, or organic decomposition
Pyre
n. a heap of material sometimes including human remains intended to be burned
Pyromania
n. an uncontrollable, sudden inclination to start fires
Pyrotechnic
adj. relating to pyrotechnics, or fireworks
Pyx
n. a small receptacle used to house and carry the holy host
Quackery
n. the practice of being a quack, or a charlatan posing as a medical doctor
Quadrate
adj. square in shape
Quadruple
v. to multiply by four
Qualification
n. a restrictive modification; a standard that must be met
Qualify
v. to meet specific required standards; to pass a required test of ability or skill and therefore gain acceptance into a level, activity, organization or office
Qualm
n. an abrupt attack of sickness or emotional uneasiness
Quandary
n. a state of troubling or distressing doubt
Quantity
n. an amount or number
Quarantine
n. a condition of mandatory, enforced isolation generally intended to prevent the spread of disease
Quarrelsome
adj. inclined to bicker or quarrel; confrontational
Quarter
n. one fourth of a whole; a city or town district
Quarterly
adj. occurring every three months
Quartet
n. a group of four performers
Quarto
n. one of four parts cut from a piece of paper
Quay
n. a man-made landing place built parallel to the bank of a waterway
Querulous
adj. regularly complaining; whining
Query
v. to ask a question; to inquire
Queue
n. a series of entities kept in temporary storage until further processing occurs
Quibble
n. an insignificant criticism
Quiescence
n. the state of being quiescent, or inactive
Quiescent
adj. tranquil; characterized by a lack of activity; in a state of rest
Quiet
adj. calm or gentle; tranquil; inactive; not noisy
Quietus
n. death; something that represses
Quintessence
n. something’s pure essence; the most regular representative
Quintet
n. a group of five performers
Quite
adv. totally; extremely; considerably
Quixotic
adj. rashly and foolishly romantic or idealistic; absurdly chivalrous
The End
