#63 peremptory ~ peruse Flashcards
peremptory
/pəˈrɛmptəri, ˈpɛrəmpˌtɔri, -ˌtoʊri/
adj. final; categorical; dictatorial
Someone who is peremptory says or does sth. without giving anyone a chance to dispute it.
- Asher’s father peremptorily banished him to his room.
perennial
/pəˈrɛniəl/
adj. continual; happening again and again or year after year
- Mr. Lorenzo is a perennial favorite of students at the high school because he always gives everyone an A.
- Milton was a perennial candidate for governor; every four years he printed up another batch of his ‘Bingo and Horse Racing’ bumper stickers.
Flowers called perennials as flowers that bloom year after year without being replanted.
biennial
/baɪˈɛniəl/
adj. happening once every two years
biannual
/baɪˈænyuəl/
adj. happening twice a year
centennial
/sɛnˈtɛniəl/
adj. happening once every century
perfidy
/ˈpɜrfɪdi/
n. treachery
- It was the criminals’ natural perfidy that finally did them in, as each one became an informant on the other.
- I was appalled at Al’s perfidy. He had sworn to me that he was my best friend, but then he asked my girlfriend to the prom.
To engage in perfidy is to be perfidious (/pərˈfɪdiəs/).
perfunctory
/pərˈfʌŋktəri/
adj. unenthusiastic; careless
- John made a couple of perfunctory attempts at answering the questions on the test, but then he put down his pencil and his head and slept until the end of the period.
- Sandra’s lawn mowing was perfunctory at best: She skipped all the difficult parts and didn’t rake up any of the clippings.
peripatetic
/ˌpɛrəpəˈtɛtɪk/
adj. wandering; traveling continually; itinerant
- Groupies are a peripatetic bunch, traveling from concert to concert to follow their favorite rock stars.
periphery
/pəˈrɪfəri/
n. the outside edge of sth.
- José never got involved in any of our activities; he was always at the periphery.
- The professional finger painter enjoyed his position at the periphery of the art world.
To be at the periphery is to be peripheral (/pəˈrɪfərəl/). A peripheral interest is a secondary or side interest.
- Your peripheral vision is your ability to see to the right and left while looking straight ahead.
perjury
/ˈpɜrdʒəri/
n. lying under oath
- The defendant was acquitted of bribery but convicted of perjury because he had lied on the witness stand during his trial.
To commit perjury is to perjure oneself.
- The former cabinet official perjured himself when he said that he had not committed perjury during his trial for bribery.
permeate
/ˈpɜrmiˌeɪt/
v. to spread or seep through; to penetrate
- A horrible smell quickly permeated the room after Jock lit a cigarette.
- Corruption had permeated the company; every single one of its executives belonged in jail.
Sth. that can be permeated is said to be permeable. A permeable raincoat is one that lets water seep through.
pernicious
/pərˈnɪʃəs/
adj. deadly; extremely evil
- The drug dealers conducted their pernicious business on every street corner in the city.
- Lung cancer is a pernicious disease.
perquisite
/ˈpɜrkwəzɪt/
n. a privilege that goes along with a job; a “perk”
- Free access to a photocopies is a perquisite of most office jobs.
- The big corporate lawyer’s perquisites included a chauffeured limousine, a luxurious apartment in the city, and all the chocolate ice cream he could eat.
prerequisite
/prɪˈrɛkwəzɪt, pri-/
n. a necessity
- Health and happiness are two prerequisites of a good life.
- A college degree is a prerequisite for many high-paying jobs.
pertinent
/ˈpɜrtnənt/
adj. relevant; dealing with the matter at hand
- The suspect said that he was just borrowing the jewelry for a costume ball. The cop said he did not think that was pertinent.
