p Flashcards
pacific
(adj.) soothing (The chemistry professor’s pacific demeanor helped the class remain calm after the experiment exploded.)
palatable
(adj.) agreeable to the taste or sensibilities (Despite the unpleasant smell, the exotic cheese was quite palatable.)
palliate
(v.) to reduce the severity of (The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her patient’s discomfort.)
pallid
(adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of blood.)
panacea
(n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every disease, but sadly there is not.)
paradigm
(n.) an example that is a perfect pattern or model (Because the new SUV was so popular, it became the paradigm upon which all others were modeled.)
paragon
(n.) a model of excellence or perfection (The mythical Helen of Troy was considered a paragon of female beauty.)
pariah
(n.) an outcast (Following the discovery of his plagiarism, Professor Hurley was made a pariah in all academic circles.)
parsimony
(n.) frugality, stinginess (Many relatives believed that my aunt’s wealth resulted from her parsimony.)
partisan
(n.) a follower, adherent (The king did not believe that his rival could round up enough partisans to overthrow the monarchy.)
pathology
(n.) a deviation from the normal (Dr. Hastings had difficulty identifying the precise nature of Brian’s pathology.)
pathos
(n.) an emotion of sympathy (Martha filled with pathos upon discovering the scrawny, shivering kitten at her door.)
paucity
(adj.) small in quantity (Gilbert lamented the paucity of twentieth century literature courses available at the college.)
pejorative
(adj.) derogatory, uncomplimentary (The evening’s headline news covered an international scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had
made in reference to a foreign leader.)
pellucid
(adj.) easily intelligible, clear (Wishing his book to be pellucid to the common man, Albert Camus avoided using complicated grammar when composing The
Stranger.)
penchant
(n.) a tendency, partiality, preference (Jill’s dinner parties quickly became monotonous on account of her penchant for Mexican dishes.)
penitent
(adj.) remorseful, regretful (The jury’s verdict may have been more lenient if the criminal had appeared penitent for his gruesome crimes.)
penultimate
(adj.) next to last (Having smoked the penultimate cigarette remaining in
the pack, Cybil discarded the last cigarette and resolved to quit smoking.)
penurious
(adj.) miserly, stingy (Stella complained that her husband’s penurious ways made it impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved.)
perfidious
(adj.) disloyal, unfaithful (After the official was caught selling government secrets to enemy agents, he was executed for his perfidious ways.)
perfunctory
(adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm (The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner.)
permeate
(v.) to spread throughout, saturate (Mrs. Huxtable was annoyed that the wet dog’s odor had permeated the furniture’s upholstery.)
pernicious
(adj.) extremely destructive or harmful (The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation’s
stability.)
perspicacity
(adj.) shrewdness, perceptiveness (The detective was too humble to acknowledge that his perspicacity was the reason for his professional success.)
pert
(adj.) flippant, bold (My parents forgave Sandra’s pert humor at the dinner table because it had been so long since they had last seen her.)
pertinacious
(adj.) stubbornly persistent (Harry’s parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the closet
door and were eaten.)
perusal
(n.) a careful examination, review (The actor agreed to accept the role after a two-month perusal of the movie script.)
pervasive
(adj.) having the tendency to spread throughout (Stepping off the plane in Havana, I recognized the pervasive odor of sugar cane fields on fire.)
petulance
(n.) rudeness, irritability (The Nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance.)
phlegmatic
(adj.) uninterested, unresponsive (Monique feared her dog was ill after the animal’s phlegmatic response to his favorite chew toy.)
pithy
(adj.) concisely meaningful (My father’s long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements.)
pittance
(n.) a very small amount, especially relating to money (Josh complained that he was paid a pittance for the great amount of work he did at the firm.)
placate
(v.) to ease the anger of, soothe (The man purchased a lollipop to placate his irritable son.)
placid
(adj.) calm, peaceful (The placid lake surface was as smooth as glass.)
platitude
(n.) an uninspired remark, cliché (After reading over her paper, Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.)
plenitude
(n.) an abundance (My grandmother was overwhelmed by the plenitude of tomatoes her garden yielded this season.)
pliable
(adj.) flexible (Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not break in heavy turbulence.)
poignant
(adj.) deeply affecting, moving (My teacher actually cried after reading to us the poignant final chapter of the novel.)
polemic
(n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion (My brother launched into a polemic against my arguments that capitalism was an unjust
economic system.)
portent
(n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister’s path while she was walking to school, she took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test.)
potable
(adj.) suitable for drinking (During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a supply of potable water because salty ocean water makes anyone who drinks it sick.)
potentate
(n.) one who has great power, a ruler (All the villagers stood along the town’s main road to observe as the potentate’s procession headed towards the capital.)
pragmatic
(adj.) practical (The politician argued that while increased security measures might not fit with the lofty ideals of the nation, they were a pragmatic necessity to
ensure everyone’s safety.)
precipice
(n.) the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung from a precipice before finding a handhold and pulling himself up.)
preclude
(v.) to prevent (My grandfather’s large and vicious guard dog precluded anyone from entering the yard.)
precocious
(adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old, he was already in the ninth grade.)
predilection
(n.) a preference or inclination for something (Francois has a predilection for eating scrambled eggs with ketchup, though I prefer to eat eggs without any
condiments.)
preponderance
(adj.) superiority in importance or quantity (Britain’s preponderance of naval might secured the nation’s role as a military power.)
prepossessing
(adj.) occupying the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts or feelings (His prepossessing appearance made it impossible for me to think of anything else.)
presage
(n.) an omen (When my uncle’s old war injury ached, he interpreted it as a presage of bad weather approaching.)
prescient
(adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (Questioning the fortune cookie’s prediction, Ray went in search of the old hermit who was rumored to be prescient.)
prescribe
(v.) to lay down a rule (The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the peasants living on his lands would have to pay higher taxes.)
presumptuous
(adj.) disrespectfully bold (The princess grew angry after the presumptuous noble tried to kiss her, even though he was far below her in social status.)
primeval
(adj.) original, ancient (The first primates to walk on two legs, called Australopithecus, were the primeval descendants of modern man.)
privation
(n.) lacking basic necessities (After decades of rule by an oppressive government that saw nothing wrong with stealing from its citizens, the recent
drought only increased the people’s privation.)
probity
(n.) virtue, integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity, no one was surprised by Mr. Samson’s immoral behavior.)
proclivity
(n.) a strong inclination toward something (In a sick twist of fate, Harold’s childhood proclivity for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon.)
procure
(v.) to obtain, acquire (The FBI was unable to procure sufficient evidence to charge the gangster with racketeering.)
profligate
(adj.) dissolute, extravagant (The profligate gambler loved to drink, spend money, steal, cheat, and hang out with prostitutes.)
profuse
(adj.) plentiful, abundant (The fans were profuse in their cheers for the star basketball player.)
promulgate
promote or make widely known (an idea or cause).
(these objectives have to be promulgated within the organization)
propagate
(v.) to multiply, spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney’s demise propagated like wildfire throughout the world.)
propensity
(n.) an inclination, preference (Silas has a propensity for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping.)
propitious
(adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be propitious for sailing.)
propriety
(n.) the quality or state of being proper, decent (Erma’s old-fashioned parents believed that her mini-skirt lacked the propriety expected of a “nice” girl.)
prosaic
(adj.) plain, lacking liveliness (Heather’s prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience.)
proscribe
(v.) to condemn, outlaw (The town council voted to proscribe the sale of alcohol on weekends.)
protean
(adj.) able to change shape; displaying great variety (Among Nigel’s protean talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue.)
prudence
(n.) cautious, circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my father vowed to practice greater prudence in future investments.)
puerile
(adj.) juvenile, immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer’s puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.)
pugnacious
(adj.) quarrelsome, combative (Aaron’s pugnacious nature led him to start several barroom brawls each month.)
pulchritude
(n.) physical beauty (Several of Shakespeare’s sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man.)
punctilious
(adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (Punctilious Bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire, insisted that his peers follow the rules.)
pungent
(adj.) having a pointed, sharp quality—often used to describe smells (The pungent odor in the classroom made Joseph lose his concentration during the test.)
punitive
(adj.) involving punishment (If caught smoking in the boys’ room, the punitive result is immediate expulsion from school.)
