Word List 28 Flashcards
plight
an unfortunate, difficult, or precarious situation
alight
to come down from something; dismount, deplane
to descend from or as if from the air and come to rest; land, settle
e.g. A group of tourists alighted from the boat.
A flock of swans circled above, and then alighted on the pond.
plinth
the lowest member of a base; subbase
a usually square block serving as a base
plod
to work laboriously and monotonously; drudge
to walk heavily or slowly; trudge
to proceed slowly or tediously
e.g. We plodded through mud that came up past our ankles/
The movie’s plot just plods along.
plough/plow
an implement used to cut, life, and turn over soil especially in preparing a seedbed
to work with or as if with a plow
the cleave the surface of or move through (water)
to clear away snow from with a snowplow
to spend or invest money in substantial amounts
to move forcefully into or through something
to proceed steadily and laboriously
e.g. freshly plowed soil whales plowing the ocean plow money into stocks The car plowed into a fence. had to plow through a stack of letters
ploy
escapade, frolic
a tactic intended to embarrass or frustrate an opponent
a devised or contrived move; stratagem
e.g. Asking me to take her shopping turned out to be a ploy to get me to the surprise party.
pluck
to pull or pick off or out
to remove something from by or as if by plucking
rob, fleece
an act or instance of plucking
courageous readiness to fight or continue against odds; dogged resolution
e.g. pluck a white hair from my head
pluck the child from the middle of the street
She showed pluck in getting up on stage.
spunk
a woody tinder; punk
mettle, pluck
spirit, liveliness
e.g. had the spunk to overcome a severe physical disability
plumb
a lead weight attached to a line and used to indicate a vertical direction
vertically
in a direct manner; exactly; also, without interval of time
to examine minutely and critically
to measure the depth of with a plumb
e.g. I plumb forgot about the party.
The book plumbs the complexities of human relationship.
plume
a feather of a bird
material (as a feather, cluster of feathers, or a tuft of hair) worn as an ornament or a token of honor
to provide or deck with feathers; to array showily
to indulge (oneself) in pride with an obvious or vain display of self-satisfaction
e.g. a hat with bright ostrich plumes
The Nobel Prize for Literature is the plume that all authors covet.
That jerk plumes himself on his supposed athletic skills.
preen
to groom with the bill
to dress or smooth (oneself) up; primp
to pride or congratulate (oneself) on an achievement
e.g. Adolescents preening in their bedroom mirrors.
He’s busy preening himself on acquiring such a pretty girlfriend.
plummet
plumb
to fall perpendicularly
to drop sharply and abruptly
e.g. The acrobat plummeted into the net.
Prices plummeted.
plunder
to take the goods of by force (as in war); pillage
to take by force or wrongfully; steal, loot
to make extensive use of as if by plundering; use or use up wrongfully
e.g. The village was plundered by the invading army.
plundered artifacts from the tomb
plunder the land
plush
a thick, soft fabric
relating to, resembling, or made of plush
notably luxurious
rich, full
e.g. The hotel accommodations were plush.
the plush sound of his saxophone playing
a particularly plush and buttery chardonnay
plutocracy
government by the wealthy a controlling class of the wealthy
e.g. If only the wealthy can afford to run for public office, are we more a plutocracy than a democracy?
corporate greed and America’s growing plutocracy
podium
a low wall serving as a foundation or terrace wall
a dais especially for an orchestral conductor
lectern
poignant
pungently pervasive painfully affecting the feelings; piercing deeply affecting; touching designed to make an impression; cutting pleasurably stimulating being to the point; apt
e.g. a poignant perfume
a poignant reminder of her childhood
a poignant story of a love affair that ends in tragedy
poignant satire
poise
balance
to put into readiness; brace
equilibrium
easy self-possessed assurance of manner; gracious tact in coping or handling
the pleasantly tranquil interaction between persons
a particular way of carrying oneself
e.g. She poised her pencil above the paper and waited for the signal to begin writing.
The disgraced business executive poised herself for the difficult press conference.
a poise between widely divergent impulses
No angry outbursts marred the poise of the meeting.
polemic
an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another
an aggressive controversialist; disputant
e.g. Her book is a fierce polemic against the inequities in our society.
They managed to discuss the issue without resorting to polemics.
polemical
of, relating to, or being a polemic; controversial
engaged in or addicted to polemics; disputatious
e.g. an unnecessarily polemical look at the supposed incompatibility between science and religion
polish
freedom from rudeness or coarseness; culture
a state of high development or refinement
e.g. The movie has the polish we’ve come to expect from that director.
pollinate
to give (a plant) pollen from another plant of the same kind so that seeds will be produced to mark or smudge with pollen
pollster
one that conducts a poll or compiles data obtained by a poll
e.g. He refused to tell the exit pollster whom he’d voted for because he is ashamed that he voted for Trump.
pompous
excessively elevated or ornate
having or exhibiting self-importance; arrogant
relating to or suggestive of pomp of splendor; magnificent
e.g. pompous rhetoric
She found it difficult to talk about her achievements without sounding pompous.
ponder
to weigh in mind; appraise
to think about; reflect on
e.g. He pondered the question before he answered.
The team pondered their chances of success.
ponderable
significant enough to be worth considering; appreciable
ponderous
of very great weight
unwieldy or clumsy because of weight and size
oppressively or unpleasantly dull; lifeless
e.g. a ponderous lecture
gossamer
a piece of a spider’s web
something light, delicate, or insubstantial
extremely light, delicate, or tenuous
e.g. the gossamer of youth’s dreams
The gossamer veil seemed to float about the bride as she walked down the aisle.
pontifical
of, relating to, or coming from a pope
pompous
pretentiously dogmatic
e.g. a theater critic known for his pontifical pronouncements on what is or is not worth seeing
pontificate
the position of a pope
the period of time during which a person is pope
to officiate as a pontiff
to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way
e.g. elected to the pontificate
during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II
We had to listen to her pontificate about the best way to raise children.
populace
the common people; masses
population
e.g. high officials awkwardly mingling with the general populace
populous
densely populated; having a large population
numerous; filled to capacity
e.g. the most populous state in the U.S.
porcupine
a small animal that has very stiff, sharp parts (called quills) all over its body
portentous
giving a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
eliciting amazement or wonder; prodigious
being a grave or serious matter
self-consciously solemn or important; pompous
ponderously excessive
e.g. suspense, portentous foreshadowing, hints of sinister and violent mysteries
regarded the first landing on the moon as a truly portentous event
portentous decision
portentous declamation unsalted by the least trace of humor
that disciple’s overwrought, portentous phrases
poseur
a person who pretends to be what he or she is not; an affected or insincere person
posit
to dispose or set firmly; fix
to assume or affirm the existence of; postulate
to propose as an explanation; suggest
e.g. Advocates of intervention may want to posit the nation as the world’s police.
His more polemical books often posit a worldview bleak enough to make everyone blanch.
I posit that …
posse
a large group often with a common interest
to body or persons summoned by a sheriff to assist in preserving the public peace usually in an emergency
a group of people temporarily organized to make a search
entourage
e.g. The sheriff and his posse rode out to look for the bandits.
I went to the game with my posse.
postulate
demand, claim
to assume or claim as true, existent, or necessary
e.g. Scientists have postulated the existence of water on the planet.
