Vocab: P Flashcards
Paean
Song of joy or triumph; a fervent expression of joy
Paleontology
Study of past geological eras through fossil remains
Pallid
Lacking color or liveliness
Panegyric
Elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise
Paragon
Model of excellence of perfection
Partisan
One- sided; committed to a party, group, or cause; prejudiced
Pathological
Departing from normal condition
Patois
A regional dialect; nonstandard speech; jargon
Paucity
Scarcity
Pedantic
Showing off learning
Pellucid
Transparent; translucent; easily understood
Penchant
Inclination
Penury
Extreme poverty
Peregrinations
Wandering from place to place
Peremptory
Imperative; leaving no choice
Perennial
Present throughout the years; persistent
Perfidious
Faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy
Perfunctory
Superficial; not through; performed really as a duty
Perigee
Point in an orbit that is closest to the earth
Permeable
Penetrable
Perturb
To disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious; cause a body to deviate from its regular orbit
Pervasive
Spread throughout every part
Petulant
Rude; peevish
Phlegmatic
Calm in temperament; sluggish
Phoenix
Mythical, immoral bird that lives for 500 years, burns itself to death, and rises from its ashes; anything that is restored after suffering great destruction
Physiognomy
Facial features
Piety
Devoutness
Piquant
Appealingly stimulating; pleasantly pungent; attractive
Pique
Fleeting feeling of hurt pride
Placate
To lessen another’s anger; to pacify
Placid
Calm
Plaintive
Melancholy; mournful
Plasticity
Condition of being able to be shaped or formed; pliability
Platitude
Stale; overused expression
Platonic
Spiritual; without sensual desire; theoretical
Plethora
Excess; over abundance
Plumb
To determine the depth; to examine deeply
Plummet
To fall; plunge
Plutocracy
Society ruled by the wealthy
Porous
Full of hikes; permeable to liquids
Poseur
Person who affects an attitude or identity to impress others
Pragmatic
Practical
Prate
To talk idly; chatter
Prattle
Meaningless, foolish talk
Preamble
Preliminary statement
Precarious
Uncertain
Precept
Principle; law
Precursor
Forerunner; predecessor
Precipitate
V: To cause to happen; throw down from a height
ajd: rash; hasty; sudden
Preempt
To supersede; appropriate for oneself
Prehensile
Capable of grasping
Premonition
Forewarning; presentiment
Presage
To foretell; indicate in advance
Presumptuous
Rude; improperly bold
Preternatural
Beyond the normal course of nature; supernatural
Prevaricate
To quibble; evade the truth
Primordial
Original; existing from the beginning
Pristine
Untouched; uncorrupted
Probity
Honesty; high-mindedness
Problematic
Posing a problem; doubtful; unsettled
Prodigal
Wasteful; extravagant; lavish
Profound
Deep; not superficial
Prohibitive
So high as to prevent the purchase or use of; preventing; forbidding
Proliferate
To increase rapidly
Propensity
Inclination; tendency
Propitiate
To win over; appease
Propriety
Correct conduct; fitness
Proscribe
To condemn; forbid; outlaw
Provident
Providing for future needs; frugal
Puissant
Powerful
Punctilious
Careful in observing rules of behavior or ceremony
Pungent
Strong or sharp in smell or taste; penetrating; caustic; to the point
Purport
To profess; suppose; claim
Pusillanimous
Cowardly