#62 patent ~ pensive Flashcards

1
Q

patent

/ˈpeɪtnt/

A

adj. obvious
- To say that the earth is flat is a patent absurdity since the world is obviously spherical.
- It was patently foolish of Lee to think that he could sail across the Pacific Ocean in a washtub.

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2
Q

paternal

/pəˈtɜrnl/

A

adj. fatherly; fatherlike

- Rich is paternal toward his niece.

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3
Q

maternal

/məˈtɜrnl/

A

adj. motherly; momlike

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4
Q

pathology

/pəˈθɒlədʒi/

A

n. the science of diseases

Pathology is the science or study of diseases, but not necessarily in the medical sense.

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5
Q

pathological

/ˌpæθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl/

A

adj. relating to pathology; arising from a disease

- If we say Brad is an inveterate, incorrigible, pathological liar, we are saying that Brad’s lying is a sickness.

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6
Q

patriarch

/ˈpeɪtriˌɑrk/

A

n. the male head of a family or tribe
- The patriarch of the Murphy family, Jacob V. Murphy, made millions selling cobra fillets and established the Murphy family’s empire in the snake meat business.
The adjective is patriarchal (/ˌpeɪtriˈɑrkəl/).
- In the patriarchal country of Spambulia, the ruling monarch can never be a woman, though the current king is such a numbskull that his sister run things behind the scenes.

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7
Q

matriarch

/ˈmeɪtriˌɑrk/

A

n. the female head of a family or tribe
- Spambulia is considering becoming a matriarchy (/ˈmeɪtriˌɑrki/).
The adjective is matriarchal.

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8
Q

patrician

/pəˈtrɪʃən/

A

n. a person of noble birth; an aristocrat
- Mr.s Perno was a patrician, and he was never truly happy unless his place at the dinner table was set with at least half a dozen forks.
Patrician can also be an adjective. Polo is a patrician sport.
- The noisy crowd on the luxury ocean liner was patrician in dress but not in behavior; they were wearing tuxedos but throwing deck chairs into the ocean.

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9
Q

patronize

/ˈpeɪtrəˌnaɪz, ˈpæ‐/

A

v. to treat as an inferior; to condescend to
- Our guide at the art gallery was extremely patronizing, treating us as though we wouldn’t be able to distinguish a painting from a piece of sidewalk without her help.
- We felt patronized by the waiter at the fancy restaurant; he ignored all our efforts to attract his attention and then pretended not to understand our accents.
Patronize also means to frequent or be a regular customer of. To patronize a restaurant is to eat there often, not to treat it as an inferior.

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10
Q

paucity

/ˈpɔsɪti/

A

n. scarcity
- There was a paucity of fresh vegetables at the supermarket, so we had to buy frozen ones.
- The plan was defeated by a paucity of support.
- There is no paucity of water in the ocean.

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11
Q

peccadillo

/ˌpɛkəˈdɪloʊ/

A

n. a minor offense
- The smiling defendant acted as though first-degree murder were a mere peccadillo rather than a hideous crime.
- The reporters sometimes seemed more interested in the candidates’ sexual peccadillos than in their inane programs and proposals.

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12
Q

pedantic

/pəˈdæntɪk/

A

adj. boringly scholarly or academic
- The discussion quickly turned pedantic as each participant tried to sound more learned than all the others.
- The professor’s interpretation of the poem was pedantic and empty of genuine feeling.
A pedantic person is called a pedant (/ˈpɛdnt/). A pedant is fond of pedantry (/ˈpɛdntri/).

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13
Q

pedestrian

/pəˈdɛstriən/

A

adj. unimaginative; banal
A pedestrian is someone walking, but to be pedestrian is to be sth. else altogether.
- Mary Anne said the young artist’s work was brilliant, but I found it to be pedestrian; I’ve seen better paintings in kindergarten classrooms.
- The menu was pedestrian; I had encountered each of the dishes dozens of times before.

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14
Q

pejorative

/pɪˈdʒɔrətɪv, -ˈdʒɒr-, ˈpɛdʒəˌreɪ-, ˈpidʒə-/

A

adj. negative; disparaging
“Hi, stupid” is a pejorative greeting. “Loudmouth” is a nickname with a pejorative connotation.
- Abe’s description of the college as “a pretty good school” was unintentionally pejorative.

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15
Q

penchant

/ˈpɛntʃənt; French pɑ̃ˈʃɑ̃/

A

n. a strong taste or liking for sth.; a predilection

- Dogs have a penchant for chasing cats and mail carriers.

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16
Q

penitent

/ˈpɛnɪtənt/

A

adj. sorry; repentant; contrite
- Julie was penitent when Kanye explained how much pain she had caused him.
- The two boys tried to sound penitent at the police station, but they weren’t really sorry that they had herded the sheep into Mr. Ingersoll’s house. They were impenitent.

17
Q

pensive

/ˈpɛnsɪv/

A

adj. thoughtful and sad

- Norton became suddenly pensive when Jack mentioned his dead father.