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GRE Vocab - 4 > P-1 > Flashcards

P-1 Flashcards

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1
Q

pachyderm

A

thick-skinned animal (Eg: The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm. )

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2
Q

pacifist

A

one opposed to force; antimilitarist (Eg: The pacifists urged that we reduce our military budget and recall our troops stationed overseas. )

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3
Q

pacify

A

soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue (Eg: Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them. )

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4
Q

paean

A

song of praise or joy (Eg: paeans celebrating the victory filled the air. )

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5
Q

painstaking

A

showing hard work; taking great care (Eg: The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff. )

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6
Q

palatable

A

agreeable; pleasing to the taste (Eg: Neither Jack’s underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to me. )

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7
Q

palatial

A

magnificent (Eg: He proudly showed us through his palatial home. )

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8
Q

paleontology

A

study of prehistoric life (Eg: )

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9
Q

palette

A

board on which a painter mixes pigments (Eg: At the present time- art supply stores are selling a paper palette that may be discarded after use. )

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10
Q

palimpsest

A

parchment used for second time after original writing has been erased (Eg: Using chemical reagents- scientists have been able to restore the original writings on many palimpsests. )

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11
Q

pall

A

grow tiresome (Eg: The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep. )

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12
Q

pallet

A

small- poor bed (Eg: The weary traveler went to sleep on his straw pallet. )

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13
Q

palliate

A

ease pain; make less severe or offensive (Eg: If we cannot cure this disease at present- we can- at least try to palliate the symptoms. )

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14
Q

pallid

A

pale; wan (Eg: Because his occupation required that he work at night and sleep during the day- he had an exceptionally )

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15
Q

palpable

A

tangible; easily perceptible (Eg: I cannot understand how you could overlook such a palpable blunder. )

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16
Q

palpitate

A

throb; flutter (Eg: As he became excited- his heart began to palpitate more and more erratically. )

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17
Q

paltry

A

insignificant; petty (Eg: This is a paltry sum to pay for such a masterpiece. )

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18
Q

pan

A

criticize harshly (Eg: Hoping for a rave review of his new show- the playwright was miserable when the critics panned it )

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19
Q

panacea

A

cure-all; remedy for all diseases (Eg: There is no easy panacea that will solve our complicated international situation. )

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20
Q

panache

A

flair; flamboyance (Eg: Many performers imitate Noel Coward- but few have his panache and sense of style. )

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21
Q

pandemic

A

widespread; affecting the majority of people (Eg: They feared the AIDS epidemic would soon reach pandemic proportions. )

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22
Q

pandemonium

A

wild tumult (Eg: When the ships collided in the harbor- pandemonium broke out among the passengers. )

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23
Q

pander

A

cater to the low desires of others (Eg: The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses’ taste of violence. )

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24
Q

panegyric

A

formal praise (Eg: The modest hero blushed to hear the speakers delivering panegyrics about his valorous act. )

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25
Q

panoramic

A

denoting an unobstructed and comprehensive view (Eg: On a clear day- from the top of the World Trade Center you can get a panoramic view of New York City )

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26
Q

pantomime

A

acting without dialogue (Eg: Because he worked in pantomime- the clown could be understood wherever he appeared. )

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27
Q

papyrus

A

ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant (Eg: The ancient Egyptians were among the first to write on papyrus. )

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28
Q

parable

A

short- simple story teaching a moral (Eg: Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this parable teaches. )

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29
Q

paradigm

A

model; example; pattern (Eg: Pavlov’s experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the conditioned- )

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30
Q

paradox

A

statement that looks false but is actually correct; a contradictory statement (Eg: Wordworth’s ‘‘The child is father to the man’’ is an example of paradox. )

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31
Q

paragon

A

model of perfection (Eg: The class disliked him because the teacher was always pointing him out as a paragon of virtue. )

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32
Q

parallelism

A

state of being parallel; similarity (Eg: There is a striking parallelism between the twins. )

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33
Q

parameter

A

limit; independent variable (Eg: We need to define the parameters of the problem. )

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34
Q

paramount

A

foremost in importance; supreme (Eg: Proper nutrition and hygiene are of paramount importance in adolescent development and growth. )

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35
Q

paramour

A

illicit lover (Eg: She sought a divorce on the grounds that her husband had a paramour in another town. )

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36
Q

paranoia

A

psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution (Eg: Suffering from paranois- he claimed everyone was out to get him; ironically- his claim was accurate; even )

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37
Q

paraphernalia

A

equipment; odds and ends (Eg: His desk was cluttered with paper- pen- ink- dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft. )

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38
Q

paraphrase

A

restate a passage in one’s own words while retaining thought of author (Eg: In 250 words or less- paraphrase this article. )

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39
Q

parasite

A

animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant (Eg: )

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40
Q

parched

A

extremely dry; very thirsty (Eg: The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life. )

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41
Q

pariah

A

social outcast (Eg: I am not a pariah to be shunned and ostracized. )

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42
Q

parity

A

equality; close resemblance (Eg: I find your analogy inaccurate because I do not see the parity between the two illustrations. )

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43
Q

parlance

A

language; idiom (Eg: All this legal parlance confuses me; I need an interpreter. )

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44
Q

parley

A

conference (Eg: The peace parley has not produced the anticipated truce. )

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45
Q

parochial

A

narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes (Eg: Although Jane Austen writes novels set in small rural communities- her concerns are universal- not )

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46
Q

parody

A

humorous imitation; travesty (Eg: We enjoyed the clever parodies of popular songs that the chorus sang. )

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47
Q

paroxysm

A

fit or attack of pain- laughter- rage (Eg: When he heared of his son’s misdeeds- he was seized by a paroxysm of rage. )

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48
Q

parquet

A

floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosic-like pattern. (Eg: In laying the floor- the carpenters combined redwood and oak in an elegant parquet. )

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49
Q

parry

A

ward off a blow (Eg: He was content to wage a defensive battle and tried to parry his opponent’s thrusts. )

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50
Q

parsimonious

A

stingy; excessively frugal (Eg: His parsimonious nature did not permit him to enjoy any luxuries. )

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51
Q

partial

A

incomplete (Eg: In this issue we have published only a partial list of contributors because we lack space to acknowledge )

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52
Q

partial

A

biased; having a liking for something (Eg: I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs. )

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53
Q

partiality

A

inclination; bias (Eg: As a judge- not only must I be unbiased- but I must also avoid any evidence of partiality when I award the )

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54
Q

partisan

A

one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party (Eg: On certain issues of conscience- she refused to take a partisan stand. )

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55
Q

passe

A

old-fashioned; past the prime (Eg: Her style is passe and reminiscent of the Victorian era. )

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56
Q

passive

A

not active; acted upon (Eg: Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance as he felt that it was more )

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57
Q

pastiche

A

imitation of another’s style in musical composition or in writing (Eg: We cannot even say that her music is a pastiche of this or that composer; it is rather- reminiscent of many )

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58
Q

pastoral

A

rural (Eg: In these stories of pastoral life- we find an understanding of the daily tasks of country folk. )

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59
Q

patent

A

open for the public to read; obvious (Eg: It was patent to everyone that the witness spoke the truth. )

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60
Q

pathetic

A

causing sadness- compassion- pity; touching (Eg: Everyone in the auditorium was weeping by the time he finished his pathetic tale about the orphaned boy. )

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61
Q

pathological

A

pertaining to disease (Eg: As we study the pathological aspects of this disease- we must not overlook the psychological elements. )

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62
Q

pathos

A

tender to sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings. (Eg: The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly )

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63
Q

patina

A

green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly taken by varnished painting (Eg: Judging by the patina on this bronze statue- we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist. )

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64
Q

patois

A

local or provincial dialect (Eg: His years of study of the language at the university did not enable him to understand the patois of the )

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65
Q

patriarch

A

father and ruler of a family or tribe (Eg: In many primitive tribes- the leader and lawmaker was the patriarch. )

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66
Q

patrician

A

noble; aristocratic (Eg: We greatly admired her well-bred- patrician elegance )

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67
Q

patronize

A

support; act superior toward (Eg: Experts in a field sometimes appear to patronize people who are less knowledgeable of the subject. )

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68
Q

paucity

A

scarcity (Eg: They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate. )

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69
Q

pauper

A

very poor person (Eg: Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income- she was by no means a pauper. )

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70
Q

peccadillo

A

slight offense (Eg: If we examine these escapades carefully- we will realize that they are mere peccadilloes rather than major )

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71
Q

pecuniary

A

pertaining to money (Eg: I never expected a pecuniary reward for my work in this activity. )

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72
Q

pedagogue

A

teacher (Eg: He could never be a stuffy pedagogue; his classes were always lively and filled with humor. )

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73
Q

pedagogy

A

teaching; art of education (Eg: Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations in pedagogy- it took years before her teaching )

74
Q

pedant

A

scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities (Eg: Her insistence that the book be memorized marked the teacher as a pedant rather than a scholar. )

75
Q

pedantic

A

showing off learning; bookish (Eg: Leaving his decisions with humorous- down-to-earth anecdotes- Judge Walker was not at all pedantic legal )

76
Q

pedestrian

A

ordinary; unimaginative (Eg: Unintentionally boring- he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose. )

77
Q

pediatrician

A

physician specializing in children’s diseases. (Eg: The family doctor advised the parents to consult a pediatrician about their child’s ailment. )

78
Q

pejorative

A

negative in connotation; having a belittling effect. (Eg: Instead of criticizing Clinton’s policies- the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character. )

79
Q

pellmell

A

in confusion; disorderly (Eg: The excited students dashed pellmell into the stadium to celebrate the victory. )

80
Q

pellucid

A

transparent; limpid; easy to understand (Eg: After reading these stodgy philosophers- I find his pellucid style very enjoyable. )

81
Q

penance

A

self-imposed punishment for sin (Eg: The Ancient Mariner said- ‘‘I have penance done and penance more will do-‘’ to atone for the sin of killing )

82
Q

penchant

A

strong inclination; liking (Eg: He had a strong penchant for sculpture and owned many statues. )

83
Q

pendant

A

hanging down from something (Eg: Her pendant earrings glistened in the light. )

84
Q

pendant

A

ornament (hanging from a necklace- etc.) (Eg: The grateful team presented the coach with a silver chain and pendant engraved with the school’s motto. )

85
Q

pendulous

A

hanging; suspended (Eg: The pendulous chandeliers swayed in the breeze as if they were about to fall from the ceiling. )

86
Q

penitent

A

repentant (Eg: When he realized the enormity of his crime- he became remorseful and penitent. )

87
Q

pensive

A

dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness (Eg: The pensive youth gazed at the painting for a long time and then sighed. )

88
Q

penumbra

A

partial shadow (in an eclipse) (Eg: During an eclipse- we can see an area of total darkness and a lighter area- which is the penumbra. )

89
Q

penurious

A

stingy; parsimonious (Eg: He was a penurious man- averse to spending money even for the necessities of life. )

90
Q

penury

A

extreme poverty (Eg: When his pension fund failed- George feared he would end his days in penury. )

91
Q

peon

A

landless agricultural worker; bond servant (Eg: The land reformers sought to liberate the peons and establish them as independent farmers. )

92
Q

perceptive

A

insightful; aware; wise (Eg: Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic- she had her blind sports: she could never see flaws in the )

93
Q

percussion

A

striking one object against another sharply (Eg: The drum is a percussion instrument. )

94
Q

perdition

A

damnation; complete ruin (Eg: Praying for salvation- young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition. )

95
Q

peregrination

A

journey (Eg: Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tiajuana to Timbuctoo. )

96
Q

peremptory

A

demanding and leaving no choice (Eg: From Jack’s peremptory knock on the door- Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in. )

97
Q

perennial

A

something long-lasting (Eg: Tese plants are hardy perennials and will bloom for many years. )

98
Q

perifidious

A

treacherous; disloyal (Eg: When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him- he reproached his perfidious friend. )

99
Q

perforate

A

pierce; put a hole through (Eg: Before you can open the aspirin bottle- you must first perforate the plastic safety seal that covers the cap. )

100
Q

perfunctory

A

superficial; not thorough; lacking interest- care- or enthusiasm (Eg: The auditor’s perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors. )

101
Q

perigee

A

point of moon’s orbit when it is nearest the earth (Eg: The rocket which was designed to take photographs of the moon was launched as the moon approached )

102
Q

perimeter

A

outer boundary (Eg: To find the perimeter of any quadrilateral- we add the lengths of the four sides. )

103
Q

peripatetic

A

walking about; moving (Eg: The peripatetic school of philosophy derives its name from the fact that Aristotle walked with his pupils )

104
Q

peripheral

A

marginal; outer (Eg: We lived- not in central London- but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of )

105
Q

periphery

A

edge- especially of a round surface (Eg: He sensed that there was something just beyond the periphery of his vision. )

106
Q

perjury

A

false testimony while under oath (Eg: When several witnesses appeared to challenge his story- he was indicted for perjury. )

107
Q

permeable

A

porous; allowing passage through (Eg: Glass is permeable to light. )

108
Q

pernicious

A

very destructive- harmful (Eg: He argued that these books had a pernicious effect on young and susceptible minds. )

109
Q

peroration

A

conclusion of an oration (Eg: The peroration was largely hortatory and brought the audience to its feet clamoring for action at its close. )

110
Q

perpetrate

A

commit an offense (Eg: Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime. )

111
Q

perpetual

A

everlasting (Eg: Ponce de Leon hoped to find perpetual youth. )

112
Q

perquisite

A

any gain above stipulated salary (Eg: The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates. )

113
Q

personable

A

attractive (Eg: The man I am seeking to fill this position must be personable since he will be representing us before the )

114
Q

perspicacious

A

having insight; penetrating; astute (Eg: The brillant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions. )

115
Q

perspicuity

A

clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity (Eg: One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear. )

116
Q

perspicuous

A

plainly expressed (Eg: Her perspicuous comments eliminated all posibility of misinterpretation. )

117
Q

pert

A

impertinent; forward (Eg: I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology. )

118
Q

pertinacious

A

stubborn; persistent (Eg: He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit. )

119
Q

pertinent

A

suitable; to the point (Eg: The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details. )

120
Q

perturb

A

disturb greatly (Eg: I am afraid this news will perturb him and cause him grief. )

121
Q

perusal

A

reading (Eg: I am certain that you have missed important details in your rapid perusal of this document. )

122
Q

pervasive

A

spread throughout (Eg: Despite airing them for several hours- she could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothbals that )

123
Q

perverse

A

stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and unacceptable (Eg: When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood- he ate the flesh of his victims. )

124
Q

perversion

A

corruption; turning from right to wrong (Eg: Inasmuch as he had no motive for his crimes- we could not understand his perversion. )

125
Q

pessimism

A

belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess (Eg: The good news we have been receiving lately indicates that there is little reason for your pessimism. )

126
Q

pestilential

A

causing plague; baneful (Eg: People were afraid to explore the pestilential swap. )

127
Q

pestle

A

tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl (Eg: From the way in which the elderly pharmacist pounded the drug with his pestle- young George could tell )

128
Q

petrify

A

turn to stone (Eg: His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her. )

129
Q

petty

A

trivial; unimportant; very small (Eg: She had no major complaints to make about his work- only a few petty quibbles that were almost too )

130
Q

petulant

A

touchy; peevish (Eg: The feverish patient was petulant and restless. )

131
Q

pharisaical

A

pertaining to Pharisees- who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; (Eg: hypocritical )

132
Q

phenomena

A

observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation (Eg: We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments. )

133
Q

philanderer

A

faithless lover; flirt (Eg: Swearing he had never so much as looked at another woman- Jack assured Jill he was no philanderer. )

134
Q

philanthropist

A

lover of mankind; doer of good (Eg: As he grew older- he became famous as a philanthropist and benefactor of the needy. )

135
Q

philatelist

A

stamp-collector (Eg: When she heard the value of the Penny Black stamp- Phyllis was inspired to become a philatelist. )

136
Q

philistine

A

narrow-minded person- uncultured and exculsively interested in material gain (Eg: We need more men of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among us. )

137
Q

philology

A

study of language (Eg: The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an international language. )

138
Q

phlegmatic

A

calm; not easily disturbed (Eg: The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person- unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies. )

139
Q

phobia

A

morbid fear (Eg: Her fear of flying was more than mere nervousness; it was a real phobia. )

140
Q

physiognomy

A

face (Eg: He prided himself on his ability to analyze a person’s character by studying his physiognomy. )

141
Q

physiological

A

pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms (Eg: To understand this disease fully- we must examine not only its physiological aspects but also its )

142
Q

piebald

A

of different colors; motled; spotted (Eg: You should be able to identify Polka Dot in this race; he is the only piebald horse running. )

143
Q

pied

A

variegated; multicolored (Eg: The pied piper of Hamelin got his name from the multicolored clothing he wore. )

144
Q

piety

A

devoutness; reverence for God (Eg: Living her life in prayer and good works- Mother Teresa exemplifies the true sprit of piety. )

145
Q

pigment

A

coloring matter (Eg: Van Gogh mixed various pigments with linseed oil to create his paints. )

146
Q

pillage

A

plunder (Eg: )

147
Q

pillory

A

punish by placing in a wooden frame; subject to criticism and ridicule (Eg: Even though he was mocked and pilloried- he maintained that he was correct in his beliefs. )

148
Q

pine

A

languish- decline; long for- yearn (Eg: Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city- Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff )

149
Q

pinion

A

restrain (Eg: They pinioned his arms against his body but left his legs free so that he could move about. )

150
Q

pinnacle

A

peak (Eg: We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the mountain lay in shadow. )

151
Q

pious

A

devout (Eg: The pious parents gave their children a religious upbringing. )

152
Q

piquant

A

pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating (Eg: The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal. )

153
Q

pique

A

irritation; resentment (Eg: She showed her pique by her refusal to appear with the other contestants at the end of the contest. )

154
Q

piscatorial

A

pertaining to fishing (Eg: He spent many happy hours at the lake in his piscatorial activities. )

155
Q

pithy

A

concise; meaty (Eg: I enjoy reading his essays because they are always compact and pithy. )

156
Q

pittance

A

a small allowance or wage (Eg: He could not live on the pittance he received as a pension and had to look for an additional source of )

157
Q

pivotal

A

central; critical (Eg: De Klerk’s decision to set Nelson Mandela free was pivotal; without Mandela’s release- there was no )

158
Q

placate

A

pacify; conciliate (Eg: The teacher tried to placate the angry mother. )

159
Q

placebo

A

harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill (Eg: In a controlled experiment- fifty volunteers were given erythromycin tablets; the control group received )

160
Q

placid

A

peaceful; calm (Eg: After his vacation in this placid section- he felt soothed and rested. )

161
Q

plagiarize

A

steal another’s ideas and pass them off as one’s own (Eg: )

162
Q

plaintive

A

mournful (Eg: The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call )

163
Q

plasticity

A

ability to be molded (Eg: When clay dries out- it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable. )

164
Q

platitude

A

trite remark; commonplace statement (Eg: The platitudes in his speech were applauded by the vast majority in his audience; only a few people )

165
Q

platonic

A

purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire (Eg: Accused of impropriety in his dealings with female students- the professor maintained he had only a )

166
Q

plauditory

A

approving; applauding (Eg: The theatrical company reprinted the plauditory comments of the critics in its advertisement. )

167
Q

plausible

A

having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious (Eg: Even though your argument is plausible- I still would like to have more proof. )

168
Q

plebeian

A

common; pertaining to the common people (Eg: His speeches were aimed at the plebeian minds and emotions; they disgusted the more refined. )

169
Q

plenary

A

complete; full (Eg: The union leader was given plenary power to negotiate a new contract with the employers. )

170
Q

plenitude

A

abundance; completeness (Eg: Looking in the pantry- we admired the plenitude of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer. )

171
Q

plethora

A

excess; overabundance (Eg: She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings. )

172
Q

pliable

A

flexible; yielding; adaptable (Eg: In remodeling the bathroom- we replaced all the old- rigid lead pipes with new- pliable copper tubing. )

173
Q

pliant

A

flexible; easily influenced (Eg: Catherine’s disposition was pliant; she was like putty in her suitor’s hands. )

174
Q

pluck

A

courage (Eg: Even the adversaries of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy’s pluck in trying to rescue the )

175
Q

plumb

A

vertical (Eg: Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide. )

176
Q

plummet

A

fall sharply (Eg: )

177
Q

plutocracy

A

society ruled by the wealthy (Eg: From the way the government caters to the rich- you might think our society is a plutocracy rather than a )

178
Q

podiatrist

A

doctor who treats ailments of the feet (Eg: He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches. )

179
Q

podium

A

pedestal; raised platform (Eg: The audience applauded as the conductor made his way to the podium. )

180
Q

poignancy

A

quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion (Eg: Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child- the social worker was touched by the )

GRE Vocab - 4 (4 decks)

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