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Greek Roots/prefix > GRE Power Vocab - P > Flashcards

GRE Power Vocab - P Flashcards

1
Q

Paean

A

n. a song or expression of praise and thanksgiving

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2
Q

Palliate

A

v. to make something appear less serious, gloss over, mitigate

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3
Q

Panacea

A

n. a remedy for all dieases ro ills; an answer for all problems or difficulties

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4
Q

Panache

A

adj. a grand or flamboyant manner

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5
Q

Pandemic

A

adj. widespread; occurring over a large area or affecting an unusually large percentage of the population

pandemic can also be used as a noun.

For related word with a different meaning, see endemic

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6
Q

Panegyric

A

n. formal expression of praise

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7
Q

Paradigm

A

n. something that serves as a model, example, or pattern; the framework ofassumptions and understandings shared by a group or discipline that shapes its worldview

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8
Q

Paradox

A

n. a contradiction; a seemingly self-contradictory statement that seems true nonetheless

Paradoxical is the adjective form

originally, a paradox was a statement that conflicted with expectation or accepted opinions

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9
Q

Paragon

A

n. something regarded as a model of excellence or perfection in some way

the original meaning of paragon was a touchstone, or something used to distinguish good from bad. Now it tends to mean a standard by which a certain characteristic is judged

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10
Q

Pariah

A

n. an outcast, a rejected and despised person

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11
Q

Parody

A

n. a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, especially in literature and art, also something so bad as to be potentially mistaken for an intentional mockery

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12
Q

Parry

A

v. to block, evade or ward off, as a blow

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13
Q

Parsimonious

A

adj. cheap, miserly

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14
Q

Partisan

A

adj. one-sided, committed to a party, biased or prejudiced

Partisan can also be a noun, meaning supporter, adherent

a related word that we hear frequently is bipartisan, which means both parties. A very popular bill is likely to have bipartisan support

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15
Q

Pastoral

A

adj. having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or other characterisitcs generally attributed to rural areas; pertaining to life in the country

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16
Q

Paucity

A

adj. scarcity, a lacking of

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17
Q

Peccadillo

A

n. a slight offense; literally, a minor sin

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18
Q

Pedagogy

A

n. the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing

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19
Q

Pedantic

A

adj. ostentatious display of learning, excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules, unimaginative

one who has a pedantic style is called a pedant

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20
Q

Pedestrian

A

adj. commonplace, trite, unremarkable

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21
Q

Pellucid

A

adj. clear in meaning, expression, or style; translucent

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22
Q

Penchant

A

n. strong inclination, a liking

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23
Q

Penitential

A

adj. expressive of regret for one’s wrongdoing

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24
Q

Penurious

A

adj. penny-pinching, excessively thrifty; ungenerous

Penury is extreme poverty, destitution, or lack of resources

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25
Q

Peremptory

A

adj. admitting of no contradiction, putting an end to further debate, haughty, imperious

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26
Q

Perennial

A

adj. recurrent through the year or many years, happening repeatedly

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27
Q

Perfidy

A

n. intentional breach of faith, treachery

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28
Q

Perfunctory

A

adj. cursory, done without care of interest

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29
Q

Peripatetic

A

adj. itinerant, traveling, nomadic

Errant and itinerant are two synonyms for peripatetic

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30
Q

Pernicious

A

adj. extremely harmful, potentially causing death

Pernicious is similar in meaning to inimical

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31
Q

Personable

A

adj. pleasing in appearance, attractive

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32
Q

Perspicacious

A

adj. acutely perceptive, having keen discernment

Someone who is perspicacious probably has great acumen

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33
Q

Peruse

A

v. to examine with great care

be careful, many people misuse this word, believing that it means to glance over quickly

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34
Q

Pervade

A

v. to permeate throughout

Pervasive means having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout

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35
Q

Petrous

A

adj. like a rock; hard, stony

Petrous technically refers to the hard temporal bone that protects the inner ear

Petrify means to make hard or rocklike, or to paralyze with fear

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36
Q

Petulant

A

adj. impatient, irritable

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37
Q

Philanthropic

A

adj. humanitarian; benevolent

Philanthropic comes from the Greek roots “man-loving” - man meaning humankind. The act of doing humanitarian works is called philanthropy

Misanthrope is the exact opposite

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38
Q

Philistine

A

n. a crass individual guided by material rather than intellectual or artistic values

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39
Q

Phlegmatic

A

adj. calm, sluggish, unemotional, stoic

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40
Q

Picaresque

A

adj. involving clever rogues or adventurers

be careful not to confuse this with pictureesque, which means picture-like, charming, quaint

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41
Q

Pied

A

adj. multicolored, usually in blotches

42
Q

Pillory

A

v. to punish, hold up to public scoen

a pillory was a device for punishing people through public humiliation; it consisted of a wooden frame into which someone’s neck and hands could be locked, and was usually set up in a town square or other public place. It was very similar in design and purpose to the stocks

43
Q

PIne

A

v. to yearn intensely, to languish, to lose vigor

44
Q

Pious

A

adj. extremely reverent or devout

Pious can also have the sense of false or hypocritical devotion

The word piety means that state of bein pious

45
Q

Piquant

A

adj. agreebly pungent, spicy, stimulating

46
Q

Pique

A

n. resentment, feeling of irritation due to hurt pride

The pique can also be a verb, meaning to annoy or irritate, or to provoke or arouse, as in “you’ve piqued my curiousity”

47
Q

Pirate

A

v. to use or reproduce illegally

48
Q

Pith

A

n. the essential or central part

Pithy means precise and brief

49
Q

Placate

A

v. to appease, to calm by making concessions

Mollify can be a synonym for placate

50
Q

Plaintive

A

adj. mournful, melancholy, sorrowful

51
Q

Plangent

A

adj. pounding, thundering, resounding

52
Q

Plastic

A

adj. moldable, pliable, not rigid

53
Q

Platitude

A

n. a superficial or trite remark, especially one offered as meaningful

54
Q

Plethora

A

n. an overabundance, a surplus

55
Q

Pluck

A

n. courage, spunk, fortitude

56
Q

Plumb

A

v. to measure the depth (as with a plumb line), to examine critically

plumb as an adjective means exactly vertical. Informally it can also mean directly (as in, “fell plumb on his butt”) or completely (as in, “plumb tuckered out”)

57
Q

Poignant

A

adj. distressing, pertinent, touching, stimulating, emotional

58
Q

Polemical

A

adj. controversial, argumentative

Polemics are the art or practice of controversy and argumentation

59
Q

Portentous

A

adj. ominously significant or indicative

60
Q

Pragmatic

A

adj. practical rather than idealistic

a pragmatist is one who is practical

61
Q

Prate

A

v. chatter, babble
prate is a synonym of prattle

62
Q

Prattle

A

v. to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idll manner

Prattle can also be a noun

63
Q

Precarious

A

adj. uncertain, risky, dangerous

64
Q

Precept

A

n. rule establishing standards of conduct, a doctrine that is taught

65
Q

Precipitate

A

adj. acting with excessive haste or impulse

as a verb, precipitate means to cause or happen before anticipated or required

66
Q

Precursor

A

n. something that precedes and indicates or announces another

67
Q

Predilection

A

n. a disposition in favor of something, preference

68
Q

Preeminent

A

adj. superior to others, surpassing

69
Q

Preempt

A

v. to replace, to supersede, to appropriate

Preemption is prior appropriation of or claim to something and preemptive means characterized by preemption

70
Q

Preen

A

v. to dress up, primp, groom oneself with elaborate care; in animals, to clean fur or feathers

71
Q

Premonitory

A

adj. serving to warn beforehand

72
Q

Prescience

A

n. knowing of events prior ro their occurring

73
Q

Presumptuous

A

adj. overstepping bounds, as of propriety or courtesy; taking liberties

74
Q

Prevaricate

A

v. to deliberately avoid the truth, mislead

75
Q

Pristine

A

adj. pure, uncorrupted, clean

76
Q

Prize

A

v. to pry, press or force with a lever

77
Q

Probity

A

adj. adherence to highest principles, uprightness

78
Q

Proclivity

A

n. a natural predisposition or inclination

79
Q

Prodigal

A

adj. recklessly wasteful, extravagant, profuse, lavish

80
Q

Prodigious

A

adj. abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

81
Q

Profligate

A

adj. excessively wasteful, recklessly extravagant

82
Q

Profuse

A

adj. given or coming forth abundantly, extravagant

Profusion means abundance or extravagance

83
Q

Prolific

A

adj. producing large volumes or amounts, productive

Proliferate is related word meaning to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly

Proliferation is the act of increasing quickly

84
Q

Prolix

A

adj. long-winded, verbose

see verbose for a synonym of prolix

85
Q

Promulgate

A

v. to make known by open declaration, proclaim formally, or put into operation

86
Q

Propensity

A

n. a natural inclination or tendency, penchant

86
Q

Propinquity

A

adj. nearness in time or place, affinity of nature kinship

86
Q

Propitiate

A

v. to appease or pacify

somethinng propitiatory is meant to propitiate

86
Q

Propitious

A

adj. auspicious, favorable

86
Q

Propriety

A

n. appropriateness, conformity with standards of acceptable behavior

be careful; this word is easy to confuse with proprietary, which means associated with ownership

87
Q

Prosaic

A

adj. dull, unimaginative

87
Q

Proscribe

A

v. to outlaw or prohibit

Proscription is the act of outlawing something; can also mean to outlaw or banish people, or pass sentence of death. Prescription and proscription often get mixed up; the former describes what you should do and the latter describes something that you are not allowed to do

88
Q

Provident

A

adj. frugal, looking to the future

Providential looks similar but means happening as if from divine intervention

89
Q

Puerile

A

adj. chilidhs, immature

90
Q

Pugnacious

A

adj. contentious, quarrelsome, given to fighting, belligerent

Bellicose and querulous are synonyms for pugnacious

91
Q

Punctilious

A

adj. precise, paying attention to trivialities especially in regard to etiquette

92
Q

Pundit

A

n. an authority on a subject, one who gives opinions

93
Q

Pungent

A

adj. characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste, penetrating, to the point

94
Q

Pusillanimous

A

adj. cowardly, craven

95
Q

Putrefy

A

v. to rot, decay, and give off a foul odor, become gangreous

Greek Roots/prefix (24 decks)

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