Word List 35 Flashcards
Penury (n)
severe poverty; stinginess
When his pension funding failed, George feared he would end his days in penury
Peon (n)
landless agricultural worker; bond servant
The reformers sought to liberate the peons and establish them as independent farmers
(peonage n)
Perdition (n)
damnation; complete ruin
Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition
Peregrination (n)
journey
Aunty Jane was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tijuana to Timbuktu
Peremptory (adj)
demanding; and leaving no choice
From Jack’s peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in
Perennial (n)
something long-lasting
Perfidious (adj)
treacherous; disloyal
When Caesar realised that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend
Perfunctory (adj)
superficial; not thorough; lacking interest
The auditor’s perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors
Peripatetic (adj)
traveling about; ,moving from place to place
To scrape together a living, many musicians lead a peripatetic life
Perjury (n)
false testimony while under oath
Pernicious (adj)
very destructive
The Athenians argued that Socrates teaching had a pernicious effect on young and susceptible minds; therefore; they condemned him to death
Perquisite (n)
any gains above stipulated salary
The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates
Personable (adj)
attractive
The individual I am seeking to fill this position must be personable
Perspicacious (adj)
having insight; penetrating; astute;
The brilliant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions
Perspicuity (n)
clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity
One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author
Perspicuous (adj)
plainly expressed
Her perspicuous comments eliminated all possibility of misinterpretation
Pert (adj)
impertinent; forward
I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology
Pertinacious (adj)
stubborn; persistent
Pertinent (adj)
suitable to the point
Peruse (v)
read with care
Perverse (adj)
stubbornly wrongheaded, wicked and unacceptable
Pestilential (adj)
causing plague; baneful
People were afraid to explore the pestilential swamp
Petulant (adj)
touchy; peevish
If everyone had annoyed you for three days, you’d sound petulant too
Pharisaical (adj)
pertaining to the Pharisees, who had paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical
Philistine (n)
narrow-minded person, uncultured and possibly only interested in material gain
Phlegmatic (adj)
calm, not easily disturbed
The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person
Piecemeal (adv)
one part at a time; gradually
Pine (v)
languish; decline; long for; yearn
Heidi pined for the mountains
Piquant (adj)
pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating
The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal
Pique (n)
irritation; resentment
Pique (v)
provoke or arouse; annoy
Pith (n)
core or marrow; essence; substance
Saying the debate team arguments lacked pith, the judges awarded the troops to their opponents
Pithy (adj)
concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty
He summed it up in one pithy remark: “He’s bogus!”
Placate (v)
pacify; conciliate
The store manager tried to placate the angry customer, offering to replace the damaged merchandise or to give back her money
Placid (adj)
peaceful; calm
Plaintive (adj)
mournful
The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call
