pe ['pā] -n

  1. the 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet

PE -abbr

  1. physical education
  2. Prince Edward Island
  3. printer's error
  4. probable error
  5. professional engineer

pea ['pē] -n

  1. a variable annual Eurasian vine ( Pisum sativum) of the legume family that is cultivated esp. for its rounded smooth or wrinkled edible protein-rich seeds
  2. the seed of the pea
  3. the immature pods of the pea with their included seeds
  4. any of various leguminous plants related to or resembling the pea usu. used in combination or with a qualifying term
    • chick pea
    • black-eyed pea
  5. the seed of such a plant
  6. something resembling a pea (as in size or shape)

pea aphid -n

  1. a widely distributed aphid ( Acyrthosiphon pisum) that is a serious pest on legumes (as alfalfa, pea, and clover)

pea bean -n

  1. a small white dried kidney bean
  2. Navy bean
  3. a plant that is a source of pea beans

peace ['pēs] -n

  1. : a state of tranquillity or quiet: as
  2. freedom from civil disturbance
  3. a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom
    • a breach of the peace
  4. freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
  5. harmony in personal relations
  6. a state or period of mutual concord between governments
  7. a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
  8. used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell
  9. to be, become, or keep silent or quiet

peace·able ['pē-sə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. disposed to peace : not contentious or quarrelsome
  2. quietly behaved
  3. marked by freedom from strife or disorder

peace corps -n

  1. a body of trained personnel sent as volunteers esp. to assist underdeveloped nations

peace dividend -n

  1. a portion of funds made available for nondefense spending by a reduction in the defense budget (as after a war)

peace·ful ['pēs-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. peaceable
  2. untroubled by conflict, agitation, or commotion : quiet, tranquil
  3. of or relating to a state or time of peace
  4. devoid of violence or force

peace·keep·ing ['pēs-,kē-piŋ] -n

  1. the preserving of peace
  2. international enforcement and supervision of a truce between hostile states or communities

peace·mak·er [-mā-kər] -n, n or adj

  1. one who makes peace esp. by reconciling parties at variance

peace·nik [-,nik] -n

  1. an opponent of war
  2. one who participates in antiwar demonstrations

peace offering -n

  1. a gift or service for the purpose of procuring peace or reconciliation

peace officer -n

  1. a civil officer (as a police officer) whose duty it is to preserve the public peace

peace pipe -n

  1. calumet

peace sign -n

  1. a sign made by holding the palm outward and forming a V with the index and middle fingers and used to indicate the desire for peace
  2. peace symbol

peace symbol -n

  1. the symbol used to signify peace

peace·time ['pēs-,tīm] -n

  1. a time when a nation is not at war

peach ['pēch] -n

  1. a low spreading freely branching Chinese tree ( Prunus persica) of the rose family that has lanceolate leaves and sessile usu. pink flowers and is widely cultivated in temperate areas for its edible fruit which is a single-seeded drupe with a hard central stone, a pulpy white or yellow flesh, and a thin fuzzy skin
  2. the edible fruit of the peach
  3. a moderate yellowish pink
  4. one resembling a peach (as in sweetness, beauty, or excellence)
  5. to inform against : betray
  6. to turn informer : blab

peach leaf curl -n

  1. leaf curl of the peach that is caused by a fungus ( Taphrina deformans)

peach tree borer -n

  1. a blue-black clearwing moth ( Synanthedon exitiosasyn. Sanninoidea exitiosa) with the female having an orange band on the abdomen and whose white brown-headed larva bores in the wood of stone fruit trees (as the peach)

peachy ['pē-chē] -adj

  1. resembling a peach
  2. unusually fine : dandy

peachy keen -adj

  1. peachy

pea·coat ['pē-,kōt] -n

  1. a heavy woolen double-breasted jacket orig. worn by sailors

pea·cock ['pē-,käk] -n, adj

  1. a male peafowl distinguished by a crest of upright feathers and by greatly elongated loosely webbed upper tail coverts which are mostly tipped with iridescent spots and are erected and spread in a shimmering fan usu. as a courtship display
  2. peafowl
  3. one making a proud display of oneself : show-off

peacock -vi

  1. show off

peacock blue -n

  1. a moderate greenish blue

peacock flower -n

  1. royal poinciana

pea·fowl ['pē-,fau̇(-ə)l] -n

  1. either of two very large terrestrial pheasants ( Pavo cristatusand P. muticus) of southeastern Asia and India that are often reared as ornamental fowls

pea green -n

  1. a moderate yellow green

pea·hen ['pē-,hen] -n

  1. a female peafowl

pea jacket ['pē-] -n

  1. peacoat

peak ['pēk] -n

  1. a pointed or projecting part of a garment
  2. the visor of a cap or hat
  3. promontory
  4. a sharp or pointed end
  5. the top of a hill or mountain ending in a point
  6. a prominent mountain usu. having a well-defined summit
  7. something resembling a mountain peak
  8. the upper aftermost corner of a fore-and-aft sail
  9. the narrow part of a ship's bow or stern or the part of the hold in it
  10. the highest level or greatest degree
  11. a high point in a course of development esp. as represented on a graph
  12. widow's peak
  13. to reach a maximum (as of capacity, value, or activity) often used with out
  14. to cause to come to a peak, point, or maximum
  15. being at or reaching the maximum
    • peak levels
    • peak output
  16. of, relating to, or being a period of maximum intensity or activity
    • peak business hours
  17. to grow thin or sickly
  18. to dwindle away
  19. to set (as a gaff) nearer the perpendicular
  20. to hold (oars) with blades well raised

peaked ['pēkt also 'pē-kəd] -adj, n

  1. having a peak : pointed
    • peaked lapels
    • a peaked hill

peak·ed ['pē-kəd also 'pi-kəd] -adj

  1. being pale and wan or emaciated : sickly

peak flow meter -n

  1. a device that measures the maximum rate of air flow out of the lungs during forced expiration and that is used esp. for monitoring lung capacity of asthmatics

peaky ['pē-kē] -adj

  1. peaked

peal ['pēl] -n

  1. the loud ringing of bells
  2. a complete set of changes on a given number of bells
  3. a set of bells tuned to the tones of the major scale for change ringing
  4. a loud sound or succession of sounds
    • peal s of laughter
  5. to give out peals
  6. to utter or give forth loudly

pea·like ['pē-,līk] -adj

  1. resembling a pea esp. in size, firmness, and shape
    • a pealike lump under the skin
  2. being showy and papilionaceous

pea·nut ['pē-(,)nət] -n

  1. a low-branching widely cultivated annual herb ( Arachis hypogaea) of the legume family with showy yellow flowers having a peduncle which elongates and bends into the soil where the ovary ripens into a pod containing one to three oily edible seeds
  2. its seed or seed-containing pod
  3. an insignificant or tiny person
  4. a trifling amount
  5. a pellet usu. made of polystyrene foam that is used esp. as packing material

peanut -adj

  1. insignificant, petty
    • peanut politics

peanut oil -n

  1. a colorless to yellow fatty nondrying oil that is obtained from peanuts and is used chiefly as a salad oil, in margarine, in soap, and as a vehicle in pharmaceutical preparations and cosmetics

pear ['per] -n

  1. a pome fruit of a tree (genus Pyrus,esp. P. communis) of the rose family that typically has a pale green or brownish skin, a firm juicy flesh, and an oblong shape in which a broad base end tapers upward to a narrow stem end
  2. a tree bearing pears

pearl ['pər(-ə)l] -n

  1. a dense variously colored and usu. lustrous concretion formed of concentric layers of nacre as an abnormal growth within the shell of some mollusks and used as a gem
  2. mother-of-pearl
  3. one that is very choice or precious
  4. something resembling a pearl intrinsically or physically
  5. a nearly neutral slightly bluish medium gray
  6. to set or adorn with pearls
  7. to sprinkle or bead with pearly drops
  8. to form into small round grains
  9. to give a pearly color or luster to
  10. to form drops or beads like pearls
  11. to fish or search for pearls
  12. of, relating to, or resembling pearl
  13. made of or adorned with pearls
  14. having medium-sized grains
    • pearl barley
  15. picot

pearl·es·cent [,pər-'le-sᵊnt] -adj, n

  1. having a pearly luster
    • a pearlescent lacquer

pearl essence -n

  1. a translucent substance that occurs in the silvery scales of various fish (as herring) and is used in making artificial pearls, lacquers, and plastics

pearl gray -n

  1. a yellowish to light gray
  2. a pale blue

Pearl Harbor -n

  1. a surprise attack often with devastating effect

pearl·ite ['pər(-ə)-,līt] -n, adj

  1. the lamellar mixture of ferrite and cementite in slowly cooled iron-carbon alloys occurring normally as a principal constituent of both steel and cast iron

pearl·ized ['pər(-ə)-,līzd] -adj

  1. given a pearlescent surface or finish

pearl millet -n

  1. a tall cereal grass ( Pennisetum glaucumsyn. P. americanum) that has large leaves and dense round spikes and is widely grown for its seeds and for forage

pearl onion -n

  1. a very small usu. pickled onion used esp. in appetizers and as a garnish

pearly ['pər-lē] -adj

  1. resembling, containing, or adorned with pearls or mother-of-pearl
  2. highly precious

pearly everlasting -n

  1. an everlasting ( Anaphalis margaritacea) that has herbage covered with white woolly hairs and corymbose heads with white scarious involucres

pearly nautilus -n

  1. nautilus

pear psylla -n

  1. a yellowish or greenish jumping plant louse ( Psylla pyricola) that is often destructive to the pear

pearshaped ['per-,shāpt] -adj

  1. having an oval shape markedly tapering at one end
  2. free from harshness, thinness, or nasality

peart ['pirt] -adj, adv

  1. being in good spirits : lively

peas·ant ['pe-zᵊnt] -n

  1. a member of a European class of persons tilling the soil as small landowners or as laborers
  2. a member of a similar class elsewhere
  3. a usu. uneducated person of low social status

peas·ant·ry [-zᵊn-trē] -n

  1. peasants
  2. the position, rank, or behavior of a peasant

pease·cod ['pēz-,käd] -n

  1. a pea pod

pea·shoot·er ['pē-,shü-tər] -n

  1. a toy blowgun that uses peas for projectiles

pea soup -n

  1. a thick puree made of dried peas
  2. a thick fog

peat ['pēt] -n, adj

  1. turf
  2. partially carbonized vegetable tissue formed by partial decomposition in water of various plants (as mosses of the genus Sphagnum)
  3. a bold lively woman

peat moss -n

  1. sphagnum

pea·vey ['pē-vē] -n

  1. a lumberman's lever that has a pivoting hooked arm and metal spike at one end called also cant dog

peb·ble ['pe-bəl] -n, adj

  1. a small usu. rounded stone esp. when worn by the action of water
  2. transparent and colorless quartz : rock crystal
  3. an irregular, crinkled, or grainy surface

pebble [-b(ə-)liŋ] -vt

  1. to pelt with pebbles
  2. to pave or cover with pebbles or something resembling pebbles
  3. to grain (as leather) so as to produce a rough and irregularly indented surface

pec ['pek] -n

  1. pectoral muscle usu. used in pl.

pe·can [pi-'kän, -'kan; 'pē-,kan] -n

  1. a large hickory ( Carya illinoinensissyn. C. illinoensis) that has roughish bark and hard but brittle wood and is widely grown in the warmer parts of the U.S. and in Mexico for its edible nut
  2. the wood of the pecan tree
  3. the smooth oblong thin-shelled nut of the pecan tree

pec·ca·dil·lo [,pe-kə-'di-(,)lō] -n

  1. a slight offense

pec·cant ['pe-kənt] -adj, adv

  1. guilty of a moral offense : sinning
  2. violating a principle or rule : faulty

pec·ca·ry ['pe-kə-rē] -n

  1. : any of several largely nocturnal gregarious American mammals resembling the related pigs: as
  2. a grizzled animal ( Tayassu tajacu) with an indistinct white collar
  3. a blackish animal ( Tayassu pecari) with a whitish mouth region

pec·ca·vi [pe-'kä-(,)wē, -(,)vē; -'kā-,vī] -n

  1. an acknowledgment of sin

peck ['pek] -n

  1. a large quantity or number
  2. to strike or pierce esp. repeatedly with the bill or a pointed tool
  3. to make by pecking
    • peck a hole
  4. to pick up with the bill
  5. to strike, pierce, or pick up something with or as if with the bill
  6. carp, nag
  7. to eat reluctantly and in small bites
    • peck at food
  8. an impression or hole made by pecking
  9. a quick sharp stroke
  10. a quick light kiss
    • a peck on the cheek

peck·er ['pe-kər] -n

  1. one that pecks
  2. courage
  3. penis

peck·er·wood ['pe-kər-,wu̇d] -n

  1. a rural white Southerner

pecking order -n

  1. the basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank
  2. a dominance hierarchy in a group of social animals
  3. a social hierarchy

peck·ish ['pe-kish] -adj

  1. hungry
  2. crotchety

Peck·sniff·ian [pek-'sni-fē-ən] -adj

  1. unctuously hypocritical : pharisaical

pecky ['pe-kē] -adj

  1. marked by lenticular or finger-shaped pockets of decay caused by fungi
    • pecky cypress
  2. containing discolored or shriveled grains
    • pecky rice

pec·o·ri·no [,pe-kə-'rē-(,)nō] -n

  1. any of various cheeses of Italian origin made from sheep's milk

pec·ten ['pek-tən] -n

  1. scallop
  2. a body part that resembles a comb
  3. a folded vascular pigmented membrane projecting into the vitreous humor in the eye of a bird or reptile

pec·tic ['pek-tik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or derived from pectin

pectic acid -n

  1. any of various water-insoluble substances formed by hydrolyzing the methyl ester groups of pectins

pec·tin ['pek-tən] -n

  1. any of various water-soluble substances that bind adjacent cell walls in plant tissues and yield a gel which is the basis of fruit jellies
  2. a commercial product rich in pectins

pec·ti·na·ceous [,pek-tə-'nā-shəs] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or containing pectin

pec·ti·nate ['pek-tə-,nāt] -adj, n

  1. having narrow parallel projections or divisions suggestive of the teeth of a comb
    • pectinate antennae

pec·tin·es·ter·ase [,pek-tə-'nes-tə-,rās, -,rāz] -n

  1. an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of pectins into pectic acids and methanol

pec·to·ral ['pek-t(ə-)rəl] -n

  1. something worn on the breast
  2. pectoral muscle

pectoral -adj

  1. of, situated in or on, or worn on the chest
  2. coming from the breast or heart as the seat of emotion

pectoral cross -n

  1. a cross worn on the breast esp. by a prelate

pectoral fin -n

  1. either of the fins of a fish that correspond to the forelimbs of a quadruped

pectoral girdle -n

  1. shoulder girdle

pectoral muscle -n

  1. any of the muscles which connect the ventral walls of the chest with the bones of the upper arm and shoulder and of which there are two on each side of the human body

pec·u·late ['pe-kyə-,lāt] -vt, n

  1. embezzle

pe·cu·liar [pi-'kyül-yər] -adj, adv

  1. characteristic of only one person, group, or thing : distinctive
  2. : different from the usual or normal:
  3. special, particular
  4. odd, curious
  5. eccentric, queer

peculiar -n

  1. something exempt from ordinary jurisdiction
  2. a church or parish exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary in whose territory it lies

pe·cu·liar·i·ty [pi-,kyül-'ya-rə-tē, -,kyü-lē-'a-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being peculiar
  2. a distinguishing characteristic
  3. oddity, quirk

pe·cu·ni·ary [pi-'kyü-nē-,er-ē] -adj, adv

  1. consisting of or measured in money
  2. of or relating to money

ped ['ped] -n

  1. a natural soil aggregate

ped- -comb form

  1. child
    • ped iatric
    : childhood
    • paedo genesis

ped·a·gog·i·cal [,pe-də-'gä-ji-kəl, -'gō-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or befitting a teacher or education

ped·a·gog·ics [-jiks] -n pl but sing in constr

  1. pedagogy

ped·a·gogue ['pe-də-,gäg] -n

  1. teacher, schoolmaster
  2. a dull, formal, or pedantic teacher

ped·a·go·gy ['pe-də-,gō-jē also -,gä-, esp Brit -,gä-gē] -n

  1. the art, science, or profession of teaching
  2. education

ped·al ['pe-dᵊl] -n

  1. a lever pressed by the foot in the playing of a musical instrument (as an organ or piano)
  2. a foot lever or treadle by which a part is activated in a mechanism
  3. of or relating to the foot
  4. of, relating to, or involving a pedal
  5. to ride a bicycle
  6. to use or work a pedal
  7. to work the pedals of

pedal bone -n

  1. coffin bone

pe·dal·fer [pə-'dal-fər, -,fer] -n

  1. a soil that lacks a hardened layer of accumulated carbonates

ped·alnote ['pe-dᵊl-,nōt] -n

  1. pedal point
  2. one of the lowest tones that can be sounded on a brass instrument being an octave below the normal usable range and representing the fundamental of the harmonic series

ped·a·lo ['pe-də-(,)lō] -n

  1. a small recreational paddleboat powered by pedals

pedal point -n

  1. a single tone usu. the tonic or dominant that is normally sustained in the bass and sounds against changing harmonies in the other parts

pedal pushers -n pl

  1. women's and girls' calf-length trousers

pedal steel -n

  1. a box-shaped musical instrument with legs that has usu. 10 strings which can be altered in pitch by the use of pedals and which are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar called also pedal steel guitar

ped·ant ['pe-dᵊnt] -n

  1. a male schoolteacher
  2. one who makes a show of knowledge
  3. one who is unimaginative or who unduly emphasizes minutiae in the presentation or use of knowledge
  4. a formalist or precisionist in teaching

pe·dan·tic [pi-'dan-tik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or being a pedant
  2. narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned
  3. unimaginative, pedestrian

ped·ant·ry ['pe-dᵊn-trē] -n

  1. pedantic presentation or application of knowledge or learning
  2. an instance of pedantry

ped·dle ['pe-dᵊl] -vb

  1. to travel about with wares for sale
  2. sell
  3. to be busy with trifles : piddle
  4. to sell or offer for sale from place to place : hawk
  5. sell
  6. to deal out or seek to disseminate
  7. to offer or promote as valuable

ped·dler ['ped-lər] -n

  1. : one who peddles: as
  2. one who offers merchandise (as fresh produce) for sale along the street or from door to door
  3. one who deals in or promotes something intangible (as a personal asset or an idea)
    • influence peddler s

ped·er·ast ['pe-də-,rast] -n, adj

  1. one who practices anal intercourse esp. with a boy

ped·es·tal ['pe-dəs-tᵊl] -n

  1. the support or foot of a late classic or neoclassic column
  2. the base of an upright structure
  3. base, foundation
  4. a position of esteem

pedestal -vt

  1. to place on or furnish with a pedestal

pe·des·tri·an [pə-'des-trē-ən] -adj

  1. commonplace, unimaginative
  2. going or performed on foot
  3. of, relating to, or designed for walking
    • a pedestrian mall

pedestrian -n

  1. a person going on foot : walker

pe·des·tri·an·ism [-ə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. the practice of walking
  2. fondness for walking for exercise or recreation
  3. the quality or state of being unimaginative or commonplace

pe·di·at·ric [,pē-dē-'a-trik] -adj

  1. of or relating to pediatrics

pe·di·a·tri·cian [,pē-dē-ə-'tri-shən] -n

  1. a specialist in pediatrics

pe·di·at·rics [,pē-dē-'a-triks] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. a branch of medicine dealing with the development, care, and diseases of children

pedi·cab ['pe-di-,kab] -n

  1. a tricycle with a 2-seat passenger compartment covered by a usu. folding top and a separate seat for a driver who pedals

ped·i·cel ['pe-də-,sel] -n, adj

  1. : a slender basal part of an organism or one of its parts: as
  2. a plant stalk that supports a fruiting or spore-bearing organ
  3. a narrow basal attachment (as of the abdomen of an ant) of an animal organ or part

ped·i·cle ['pe-di-kəl] -n, adj

  1. pedicel
  2. the part of a skin or tissue graft left attached to the original site during the preliminary stages of union

pe·dic·u·late [pi-'di-kyə-lət] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to an order (Lophiiformes syn. Pediculati) of marine bony fishes (as a batfish or goosefish) with pectoral fins at the end of an armlike process and part of the dorsal fin modified into a lure

pe·dic·u·lo·sis [pi-,di-kyə-'lō-səs] -n

  1. infestation with lice

pe·dic·u·lous [pi-'di-kyə-ləs] -adj

  1. infested with lice : lousy

ped·i·cure ['pe-di-,kyu̇r] -n

  1. a person who provides care for the feet, toes, and nails
  2. care of the feet, toes, and nails
  3. a single treatment of these parts

ped·i·gree ['pe-də-,grē] -n, adj

  1. a register recording a line of ancestors
  2. an ancestral line : lineage
  3. the origin and the history of something
  4. background, history
  5. a distinguished ancestry
  6. the recorded purity of breed of an individual or strain

ped·i·ment ['pe-də-mənt] -n, adj

  1. a triangular space that forms the gable of a low-pitched roof and that is usu. filled with relief sculpture in classical architecture
  2. a similar form used as a decoration
  3. a broad gently sloping bedrock surface with low relief that is situated at the base of a steeper slope and is usu. thinly covered with alluvial gravel and sand

ped·i·palp ['pe-də-,palp] -n

  1. either of the second pair of appendages of an arachnid (as a spider) that are borne near the mouth and are often modified for a special (as sensory) function

ped·o·cal ['pe-də-,kal] -n, adj

  1. a soil that includes a definite hardened layer of accumulated carbonates

pedogenesis [,pē-dō-'je-nə-səs] -n, adj, adv

(variant of paedogenesis)

  1. reproduction by young or larval animals : neoteny

ped·o·gen·e·sis [,pe-də-'je-nə-səs] -n, adj

  1. the formation and development of soil

pe·dol·o·gy [pi-'dä-lə-jē, pe-] -n, adj

  1. soil science

pe·dom·e·ter [pi-'dä-mə-tər] -n

  1. an instrument usu. in watch form that records the distance a person covers on foot by responding to the body motion at each step

pe·do·phile ['pe-də-,fī(-ə)l, 'pē-] -n

  1. one affected with pedophilia

pe·do·phil·ia [,pe-də-'fi-lē-ə, 'pē-] -n, adj

  1. sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object

ped·or·thics [pə-'dȯr-thiks] -n pl but sing or pl in constr, adj, n

  1. the art and practice of designing, making, and fitting therapeutic shoes for relieving painful or disabling conditions of the feet

pe·dun·cle ['pē-,dəŋ-kəl, pi-'] -n, adj

  1. a stalk bearing a flower or flower cluster or a fructification
  2. a narrow part by which some larger part or the whole body of an organism is attached : stalk, pedicel
  3. a narrow stalk by which a tumor or polyp is attached

pe·dun·cu·lat·ed [pi-'dəŋ-kyə-,lā-təd] -adj

  1. having, growing on, or being attached by a peduncle
    • a pedunculated tumor

pee ['pē] -n

  1. the letter p
  2. penny
  3. urinate
  4. an act of urination
  5. urine

peek ['pēk] -vi

  1. to look furtively
  2. to peer through a crack or hole or from a place of concealment often used with in or out
  3. to take a brief look : glance
  4. a furtive look
  5. a brief look : glance

peek·a·boo ['pē-kə-,bü] -n

  1. a game for amusing a baby by repeatedly hiding one's face or body and popping back into view exclaiming Peekaboo

peekaboo -adj

  1. trimmed with eyelet embroidery
    • a peekaboo blouse
  2. made of a sheer or transparent fabric
  3. revealing usu. small areas of skin
  4. offering only limited display or disclosure esp. of a teasing sort
    • peekaboo publicity

peel ['pēl] -vb, adj

  1. to strip off an outer layer of
    • peel an orange
  2. to remove by stripping
    • peel the label off the can
  3. to come off in sheets or scales
  4. to lose an outer layer (as of skin)
    • his face is peel ing
  5. to take off one's clothes
  6. to break away from a group or formation often used with off
  7. the skin or rind of a fruit
  8. a thin layer of organic material that is embedded in a film of collodion and stripped from the surface of an object (as a plant fossil) for microscopic study
  9. chemical peel
  10. a usu. long-handled spade-shaped instrument that is used chiefly by bakers for getting something (as bread or pies) into or out of the oven
  11. a medieval small massive fortified tower along the Scottish-English border called also peel tower

peel·er ['pē-lər] -n

  1. one that peels
  2. a crab that is about to shed its shell
  3. a log of wood (as Douglas fir) suitable for cutting into veneer called also peeler log

peeler -n

  1. police officer

peel·ing ['pē-liŋ] -n

  1. a peeled-off piece or strip

peel off -vi

  1. to veer away from an airplane formation esp. for diving or landing
  2. depart, leave

peen ['pēn] -vt

  1. to draw, bend, or flatten by or as if by hammering with a peen
  2. a usu. hemispherical or wedge-shaped end of the head of a hammer that is opposite the face and is used esp. for bending, shaping, or cutting the material struck

peep ['pēp] -vi

  1. to utter a feeble shrill sound as of a bird newly hatched : cheep
  2. to utter the slightest sound
  3. a feeble shrill sound : cheep
  4. a slight utterance esp. of complaint or protest
    • don't let me hear another peep out of you
  5. any of several small sandpipers
  6. to peer through or as if through a crevice
  7. to look cautiously or slyly
  8. to begin to emerge from or as if from concealment : show slightly
  9. to put forth or cause to protrude slightly
  10. to have a look at : see, watch
  11. a first glimpse or faint appearance
    • at the peep of dawn
  12. a brief look : glance
  13. a furtive look

peep·er ['pē-pər] -n

  1. one that peeps
  2. voyeur
  3. eye

peeper -n

  1. one that makes a peeping sound
  2. any of various tree frogs that peep shrilly
  3. spring peeper

peep·hole ['pēp-,hōl] -n

  1. a hole or crevice to peep through

Peeping Tom [-'täm] -n

  1. a pruriently prying person : voyeur

peeps ['pēps] -n pl

  1. people

peep show -n

  1. an entertainment (as a film) or object (as a small picture) that is viewed through a small opening or a magnifying glass and is usu. sexually explicit

peep sight -n

  1. a rear sight for a gun having an adjustable metal piece pierced with a small hole to peep through in aiming

peer ['pir] -n, adj

  1. one that is of equal standing with another : equal
  2. one belonging to the same societal group esp. based on age, grade, or status
  3. companion
  4. a member of one of the five ranks (as duke, marquess, earl, viscount, or baron) of the British peerage
  5. noble
  6. rival, match
  7. to look narrowly or curiously
  8. to look searchingly at something difficult to discern
  9. to come slightly into view : emerge partly

peer·age ['pir-ij] -n

  1. the body of peers
  2. the rank or dignity of a peer
  3. a book containing a list of peers with their genealogy, history, and titles

peer·ess ['pir-əs] -n

  1. the wife or widow of a peer
  2. a woman who holds in her own right the rank of a peer

peer·less ['pir-ləs] -adj

  1. matchless, incomparable

peer review -n, vt

  1. a process by which something proposed (as for research or publication) is evaluated by a group of experts in the appropriate field

peeve ['pēv] -vt

  1. to make peevish or resentful : annoy
  2. a feeling or mood of resentment
  3. a particular grievance or source of aggravation

pee·vish ['pē-vish] -adj, adv, n

  1. querulous in temperament or mood : fretful
  2. perversely obstinate
    • a peevish child
  3. marked by ill temper

pee·wee ['pē-(,)wē] -n, adj

  1. pewee
  2. one that is diminutive or small
  3. a small child
  4. an age-specific level of youth sports
  5. a member of a team in a peewee league

pee·wit ['pē-,wit, 'pyü-ət] -n

  1. any of several birds
  2. lapwing

peg ['peg] -n

  1. a small usu. cylindrical pointed or tapered piece (as of wood) used to pin down or fasten things or to fit into or close holes : pin, plug
  2. clothespin
  3. a predetermined level at which something (as a price) is fixed
  4. a projecting piece used as a support or boundary marker
  5. something (as a fact or issue) used as a support, pretext, or reason
    • a news peg for the story
  6. one of the movable wooden pegs set in the head of a stringed instrument (as a violin) that are turned to regulate the pitch of the strings
  7. a step or degree esp. in estimation
  8. a pointed prong or claw for catching or tearing
  9. drink
    • poured himself out a stiff peg -- Dorothy Sayers
  10. something (as a leg) resembling a peg
  11. throw
  12. a hard throw in baseball made in an attempt to put out a base runner
  13. to put a peg into
  14. to pin (laundry) on a clothesline
  15. : to attach or fix as if with a peg: as
  16. to pin down : restrict
  17. to fix or hold (as prices or wage increases) at a predetermined level or rate
  18. to place in a definite category : identify
    • was pegged as an intellectual
  19. to mark by pegs
  20. throw
  21. to work steadily and diligently often used with away
  22. to move along vigorously or hastily : hustle
  23. wide at the top and narrow at the bottom
    • peg pants

PEG -abbr

  1. polyethylene glycol

Peg·a·sus ['pe-gə-səs] -n

  1. a winged horse that causes the stream Hippocrene to spring from Mount Helicon with a blow of his hoof
  2. poetic inspiration
  3. a northern constellation near the vernal equinoctial point

PegBoard ['peg-,bȯrd] -trademark

  1. used for material (as fiberboard) with regularly spaced perforations into which hooks may be inserted for the storage or display of articles

peg leg -n

  1. an artificial leg
  2. one fitted at the knee

peg·ma·tite ['peg-mə-,tīt] -n, adj

  1. a coarse variety of granite occurring in dikes or veins

peg out -vi

  1. die

pegtop ['peg-'täp] -adj

  1. peg

peg top [-,täps] -n

  1. a pear-shaped top that is made to spin on the sharp metal peg in its base by the unwinding of a string wound round its center
  2. peg trousers

PEI -abbr

  1. Prince Edward Island

pei·gnoir [pān-'wär, pen-] -n

  1. a woman's loose negligee or dressing gown

pe·jo·ra·tive [pi-'jȯr-ə-tiv, -'jär- also 'pe-jə-rə-tiv or 'pē- or -,rā- or 'pej-rə- or 'pēj-] -n

  1. a pejorative word or phrase

pejorative -adj, adv

  1. having negative connotations
  2. tending to disparage or belittle : depreciatory

peke ['pēk] -n

  1. pekingese

Pe·kin [pi-'kin, 'pē-,] -n

  1. any of a breed of large white ducks of Chinese origin used for meat production

Pe·king duck ['pē-,kiŋ-, 'pā-] -n

  1. a Chinese dish consisting of roasted duck meat and strips of crispy duck skin topped with scallions and sauce and wrapped in thin pancakes

Pe·king·ese [,pē-kə-'nēz, -'nēs; -kiŋ-'ēz, -'ēs] -n

  1. the Chinese dialect of Beijing
  2. a native or resident of Beijing
  3. any of a Chinese breed of small short-legged dogs with a broad flat face and a profuse long soft coat

Peking man -n

  1. an extinct Pleistocene hominid known from skeletal and cultural remains in cave deposits at Zhoukoudianzhen, China and classified with the direct ancestor ( Homo erectus) of modern humans

pe·koe ['pē-(,)kō also 'pe-] -n

  1. a tea made from young leaves slightly larger than those of orange pekoe

pel·age ['pe-lij] -n

  1. the hairy covering of a mammal

Pe·la·gian [pə-'lā-j(ē-)ən] -n

  1. one agreeing with Pelagius in denying original sin and consequently in holding that individuals have perfect freedom to do either right or wrong

Pelagian -adj

  1. of or relating to Pelagians or Pelagianism

Pe·la·gian·ism [-j(ē-)ə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. the teaching of Pelagius or Pelagians

pe·lag·ic [pə-'la-jik] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea : oceanic
    • pelagic sediment
    • pelagic birds

pel·ar·go·ni·um [,pe-lär-'gō-nē-əm, -lər-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Pelargonium) of southern African herbs of the geranium family with showy flowers of usu. red, pink, or white distinguished by a spurred calyx and irregular corolla called also geranium storksbill

Pe·las·gian [pə-'laz-j(ē-)ən, -'laz-gē-ən] -n, adj

  1. a member of an ancient people mentioned by classical writers as early inhabitants of Greece and the eastern islands of the Mediterranean

pe·lec·y·pod [pə-'le-sə-,päd] -n

  1. lamellibranch

pel·er·ine [,pe-lə-'rēn, 'pe-lə-rən] -n

  1. a woman's narrow cape made of fabric or fur and usu. with long ends hanging down in front

Pe·leus ['pēl-,yüs, 'pē-lē-əs] -n

  1. a son of Aeacus who becomes by the goddess Thetis the father of Achilles

pelf ['pelf] -n

  1. money, riches

pel·i·can ['pe-li-kən] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Pelecanus) of large web-footed fish-eating birds with a very large bill and distensible gular pouch

pe·lisse [pə-'lēs, pe-] -n

  1. a long cloak or coat made of fur or lined or trimmed with fur
  2. a woman's loose lightweight cloak with wide collar and fur trimming

pel·la·gra [pə-'la-grə, -'lā-, -'lä-] -n, adj

  1. a disease marked by dermatitis, gastrointestinal disorders, and mental disturbances and associated with a diet deficient in niacin

pel·let ['pe-lət] -n, adj

  1. a usu. small rounded, spherical, or cylindrical body (as of food or medicine)
  2. a wad of indigestible material (as of bones and fur) regurgitated by a bird of prey
  3. any of various projectiles fired from a weapon (as an air rifle)

pellet -vt

  1. pelletize
  2. to strike with pellets

pellet gun -n

  1. air gun

pel·let·ise ['pe-lə-,tīz] -vt, n

(variant of pelletize)

  1. to form or compact into pellets
    • pelletize ore
  2. to coat (seeds) with a soluble material (as to facilitate ease of handling)

pel·let·ize ['pe-lə-,tīz] -vt, n

  1. to form or compact into pellets
    • pelletize ore
  2. to coat (seeds) with a soluble material (as to facilitate ease of handling)

pel·li·cle ['pe-li-kəl] -n

  1. : a thin skin or film: as
  2. an outer membrane of some protozoans (as euglenoids or paramecia)
  3. a film that reflects a part of the light falling upon it and transmits the rest and that is used for dividing a beam of light (as in a photographic device)

pel·li·to·ry ['pe-lə-,tȯr-ē] -n

  1. a southern European composite plant ( Anacyclus pyrethrum) resembling yarrow called also pellitory-of-Spain
  2. any of a genus ( Parietaria) of herbs of the nettle family with alternate leaves and inconspicuous flowers called also pellitory-of-the-wall

pellmell [,pel-'mel] -adv, adj or n

  1. in mingled confusion or disorder
    • papers strewn pellmell on the desk
  2. in confused haste
    • ran pellmell for the door

pel·lu·cid [pə-'lü-səd] -adj, adv

  1. admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion
    • a pellucid stream
  2. reflecting light evenly from all surfaces
  3. easy to understand

pel·met ['pel-mət] -n

  1. a short valance or small cornice for concealing curtain fixtures

Pe·lops ['pē-,läps, 'pe-] -n

  1. a son of Tantalus served by his father to the gods for food but later restored to life by them

pe·lo·rus [pə-'lȯr-əs] -n

  1. a navigational instrument resembling a mariner's compass without magnetic needles and having two sight vanes by which bearings are taken

pe·lo·ta [pə-'lō-tə] -n

  1. a court game related to jai alai
  2. the ball used in jai alai

pel·o·ton [,pe-lə-'tän, 'pe-lə-,tän] -n

  1. the main body of riders in a bicycle race

pelt ['pelt] -n

  1. a usu. undressed skin with its hair, wool, or fur
  2. a skin stripped of hair or wool for tanning
  3. to strip off the skin or pelt of (an animal)
  4. to strike with a succession of blows or missiles
    • pelt ed him with stones
  5. to assail vigorously or persistently
    • pelt ed her with accusations
  6. hurl, throw
    • pelt ed snowballs at them
  7. to beat or dash repeatedly against
    • hailstones pelt ing the roof
  8. to deliver a succession of blows or missiles
  9. to beat incessantly
  10. to move rapidly and vigorously : hurry
  11. blow, whack

pel·tate ['pel-,tāt] -adj

  1. shaped like a shield
  2. having the stem or support attached to the lower surface instead of at the base or margin
    • peltate leaves

pelt·ing ['pel-tiŋ] -adj

  1. paltry, insignificant

pelt·ry ['pel-trē] -n

  1. pelts, furs
  2. raw undressed skins often used in pl.

pel·vic ['pel-vik] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or located in or near the pelvis

pelvic fin -n

  1. one of the paired fins of a fish that are homologous with the hind limbs of a quadruped

pelvic girdle -n

  1. a bony or cartilaginous arch that supports the hind limbs of a vertebrate

pelvic inflammatory disease -n

  1. inflammation of the female reproductive tract (as the fallopian tubes and ovaries) that occurs esp. as a result of a sexually transmitted disease and is a leading cause of infertility in women

pel·vis ['pel-vəs] -n

  1. a basin-shaped structure in the skeleton of many vertebrates that is formed by the pelvic girdle and adjoining bones of the spine
  2. the cavity of the pelvis
  3. the funnel-shaped cavity of the kidney into which urine is discharged

pel·y·co·saur ['pe-li-kə-,sȯr] -n

  1. any of an order (Pelycosauria) of primitive chiefly Permian quadruped synapsid reptiles often having extreme development of the dorsal vertebral processes

Pem·broke table ['pem-,brōk-, -,bru̇k-] -n

  1. a small 4-legged table originating in the Georgian period and having two drop leaves and a drawer

Pembroke Welsh corgi -n

  1. any of a breed of Welsh corgis with pointed ears, straight forelegs, and a short tail called also Pembroke

pem·mi·can ['pe-mi-kən] -n

  1. a concentrated food used by No. American Indians and consisting of lean meat dried, pounded fine, and mixed with melted fat
  2. a similar preparation (as of dried beef, flour, molasses, suet) used for emergency rations

pem·o·line ['pe-mə-,lēn] -n

  1. a synthetic drug C 9H 8N 2O 2that is a mild stimulant of the central nervous system

pem·phi·gus ['pem(p)-fi-gəs, pem-'fī-] -n

  1. an autoimmune disease marked by blisters on skin and mucous membranes and often by itching or burning

pen ['pen] -vt

  1. to shut in or as if in a pen
  2. a small enclosure for animals
  3. the animals in a pen
    • a pen of sheep
  4. a small place of confinement or storage
  5. a protected dock or slip for a submarine
  6. bull pen
  7. : an implement for writing or drawing with ink or a similar fluid: as
  8. quill
  9. pen point
  10. a penholder containing a pen point
  11. fountain pen
  12. ballpoint
  13. a writing instrument regarded as a means of expression
    • enlisted the pen s of the best writers -- F. H. Chase
  14. writer
  15. the internal horny feather-shaped shell of a squid
  16. stylus
  17. write, indite
    • pen a letter
  18. a female swan
  19. penitentiary
  20. peninsula

PEN -abbr

  1. International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists

pe·nal ['pē-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or involving punishment, penalties, or punitive institutions
  2. liable to punishment
    • a penal offense
  3. used as a place of confinement and punishment
    • a penal colony

penal code -n

  1. a code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment

pe·nal·ise ['pē-nə-,līz, 'pe-] -vt, n

(variant of penalize)

  1. to inflict a penalty on
  2. to put at a serious disadvantage

pe·nal·ize ['pē-nə-,līz, 'pe-] -vt, n

  1. to inflict a penalty on
  2. to put at a serious disadvantage

pen·al·ty ['pe-nᵊl-tē] -n, adj

  1. the suffering in person, rights, or property that is annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a crime or public offense
  2. the suffering or the sum to be forfeited to which a person agrees to be subjected in case of nonfulfillment of stipulations
  3. disadvantage, loss, or hardship due to some action
  4. a disadvantage (as loss of yardage, time, or possession of the ball or an addition to or subtraction from the score) imposed on a team or competitor for violation of the rules of a sport
  5. points scored in bridge by the side that defeats the opposing contract usu. used in pl.

penalty box -n

  1. an area alongside an ice hockey rink to which penalized players are confined for the duration of their penalty

penalty kick -n

  1. a free kick in rugby
  2. a free kick at the goal in soccer made from a point 12 yards in front of the goal and allowed for certain violations within a designated area around the goal

penalty shot -n

  1. an unhindered shot at the goal in ice hockey awarded to an individual for certain violations by an opponent

pen·ance ['pe-nən(t)s] -n

  1. an act of self-abasement, mortification, or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin
  2. a sacramental rite that is practiced in Roman, Eastern, and some Anglican churches and that consists of private confession, absolution, and a penance directed by the confessor
  3. something (as a hardship or penalty) resembling an act of penance (as in compensating for an offense)

penance -vt

  1. to impose penance on

Pe·na·tes [pə-'nā-tēz, -'nä-] -n pl

  1. the Roman gods of the household worshipped in close connection with Vesta and with the Lares

pence ['pe-nē] -n

(variant of penny)

  1. a monetary unit of the United Kingdom formerly equal to pound but now equal to pound
  2. a similar monetary unit of any of various other countries in or formerly in the Commonwealth of Nations see pound at
  3. a coin representing one penny
  4. denarius
  5. cent
  6. a former monetary unit equal to Irish pound
  7. a trivial amount
  8. a piece or sum of money
    • that will cost a pretty penny

pen·cel ['pen(t)-səl] -n

  1. pennoncel

pen·chant ['pen-chənt, esp Brit 'päⁿ-,shäⁿ] -n

  1. a strong and continued inclination
  2. liking

pen·cil ['pen(t)-səl] -n

  1. an artist's brush
  2. an artist's individual skill or style
  3. an implement for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance
  4. a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications
  5. a set of geometric objects each pair of which has a common property
    • the lines in a plane through a point comprise a pencil of lines
  6. something (as a beam of radiation) long and thin like a pencil

pencil [-s(ə-)liŋ] -vt

  1. to paint, draw, write, or mark with a pencil
  2. to plan or designate tentatively used with in
    • pencil ed him in as the nominee

pen·cil·ing -n

  1. the work of the pencil or brush
  2. a product of this

pencil pusher -n

  1. a person who does predominantly paperwork

pen·dant ['pen-dənt; 3 & 4 are also 'pe-nənt, 5 is also päⁿ-'däⁿ] -n

  1. : something suspended: as
  2. an ornament (as on a necklace) allowed to hang free
  3. an electrical fixture suspended from the ceiling
  4. a hanging ornament of roofs or ceilings much used in the later styles of Gothic architecture
  5. a length of line usu. used as a connector on a boat or ship
  6. a short rope hanging from a spar and having at its free end a block or spliced thimble
  7. pennant
  8. companion piece
  9. something secondary or supplementary

pen·den·cy ['pen-dən(t)-sē] -n

  1. the state of being pending
    • the pendency of the litigation

pen·dent ['pen-dənt] -adj

  1. jutting or leaning over : overhanging
    • a pendent cliff
  2. supported from above : suspended
    • icicles pendent from the eaves
  3. remaining undetermined : pending

pen·den·tive [pen-'den-tiv] -n

  1. one of the concave triangular members that support a dome over a square space

pend·ing ['pen-diŋ] -prep

  1. during
  2. while awaiting
    • pending approval

pending -adj

  1. not yet decided : being in continuance
    • the case is still pending
  2. imminent, impending

pen·du·lar ['pen-jə-lər, 'pen-dyə-, -də-] -adj

  1. being or resembling the movement of a pendulum

pen·du·lous [-ləs] -adj, n

  1. poised without visible support
  2. suspended so as to swing freely
    • branches hung with pendulous vines
  3. inclined or hanging downward
    • pendulous jowls
  4. marked by vacillation, indecision, or uncertainty

pen·du·lum [-ləm] -n

  1. a body suspended from a fixed point so as to swing freely to and fro under the action of gravity and commonly used to regulate movements (as of clockwork)
  2. something (as a state of affairs) that alternates between opposites

Pe·nel·o·pe [pə-'ne-lə-pē] -n

  1. the wife of Odysseus who waits faithfully for him during his 20 years' absence

pe·ne·plain ['pē-ni-,plān, 'pe-] -n

  1. a land surface of considerable area and slight relief shaped by erosion

pen·e·tra·ble ['pe-nə-trə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of being penetrated

pen·e·tra·lia [,pe-nə-'trā-lē-ə] -n pl

  1. the innermost or most private parts

pen·e·trance ['pe-nə-trən(t)s] -n

  1. the proportion of individuals of a particular genotype that express its phenotypic effect in a given environment

pen·e·trant [-trənt] -adj

  1. penetrating

penetrant -n

  1. one that penetrates or is capable of penetrating

pen·e·trate ['pe-nə-,trāt] -vb

  1. to pass into or through
  2. to enter by overcoming resistance : pierce
  3. to gain entrance to
  4. to see into or through
  5. to discover the inner contents or meaning of
  6. to affect profoundly with feeling
  7. to diffuse through or into
  8. to pass, extend, pierce, or diffuse into or through something
  9. to pierce something with the eye or mind
  10. to affect deeply the senses or feelings

penetrating [-,trā-tiŋ-lē] -adj, adv

  1. having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading
    • a penetrating shriek
  2. acute, discerning
    • penetrating insights into life

pen·e·tra·tion [,pe-nə-'trā-shən] -n

  1. the power to penetrate
  2. the ability to discern deeply and acutely
  3. the depth to which something penetrates
  4. the extent to which a commercial product or agency is familiar or sells in a market
  5. : the act or process of penetrating: as
  6. the act of entering a country so that actual establishment of influence is accomplished
  7. an attack that penetrates the enemy's front or territory

pen·e·tra·tive ['pe-nə-,trā-tiv] -adj

  1. tending to penetrate : piercing
  2. acute
    • penetrative observations
  3. impressive
    • a penetrative speaker

pen·e·trom·e·ter [,pe-nə-'trä-mə-tər] -n

  1. an instrument for measuring firmness or consistency (as of soil)

pen·go ['peŋ-,gə(r), -,gœ] -n

  1. the basic monetary unit of Hungary from 1925 to 1946

pen·guin ['pen-gwən, 'peŋ-] -n

  1. any of various erect short-legged flightless aquatic birds (family Spheniscidae) of the southern hemisphere

pen·hold·er ['pen-,hōl-dər] -n

  1. a holder or handle for a pen point

pen·i·cil·la·mine [,pe-nə-'si-lə-,mēn] -n

  1. an amino acid C 5H 11NO 2S that is obtained from penicillins and is used esp. in the treatment of cystinuria, rheumatoid arthritis, and poisoning by metals (as copper or lead)

pen·i·cil·late [,pe-nə-'si-lət, -,lāt] -adj

  1. furnished with a tuft of fine filaments
    • a penicillate stigma

pen·i·cil·lin [,pe-nə-'si-lən] -n

  1. any of several relatively nontoxic antibiotic acids of the general formula C 9H 11N 2O 4SR that are produced by molds (genus Penicilliumand esp. P. notatumor P. chrysogenum) or synthetically and are used esp. against gram-positive cocci
  2. a mixture of such acids
  3. a salt or ester of a penicillin or a mixture of such salts or esters

pen·i·cil·lin·ase [-'si-lə-,nās, -,nāz] -n

  1. beta-lactamase

pen·i·cil·li·um [-'si-lē-əm] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Penicillium) of fungi (as a blue mold) that are found chiefly on moist nonliving organic matter (as decaying fruit) and have been grouped with the imperfect fungi but are now often placed with the ascomycetes

pe·nile ['pē-,nī(-ə)l] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or affecting the penis

pen·in·su·la [pə-'nin(t)-s(ə-)lə, -shə-lə] -n, adj

  1. a portion of land nearly surrounded by water and connected with a larger body by an isthmus
  2. a piece of land jutting out into the water whether with or without a well-defined isthmus

pe·nis ['pē-nəs] -n

  1. a male erectile organ of copulation by which urine and semen are discharged from the body and that develops from the same embryonic mass of tissue as the clitoris

penis envy -n

  1. the supposed coveting of the penis by a young human female which is held in Freudian psychoanalytic theory to lead to feelings of inferiority and defensive or compensatory behavior

pen·i·tence ['pe-nə-tən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being penitent : sorrow for sins or faults

pen·i·tent [-tənt] -adj, adv

  1. feeling or expressing humble or regretful pain or sorrow for sins or offenses : repentant

penitent -n

  1. a person who repents of sin
  2. a person under church censure but admitted to penance or reconciliation esp. under the direction of a confessor

pen·i·ten·tial [,pe-nə-'ten(t)-shəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to penitence or penance

pen·i·ten·tia·ry [,pe-nə-'ten(t)-sh(ə-)rē] -n

  1. an officer in some Roman Catholic dioceses vested with power from the bishop to deal with cases of a nature normally handled only by the bishop
  2. a cardinal presiding over a tribunal of the Roman curia concerned with dispensations and indulgences
  3. a public institution in which offenders against the law are confined for detention or punishment
  4. a state or federal prison in the U.S.
  5. penitential
  6. of, relating to, or incurring confinement in a penitentiary

pen·knife ['pen-,nīf] -n

  1. a small pocketknife usu. with only one blade

pen·light [-,līt] -n

  1. a small flashlight resembling a fountain pen in size or shape

pen·man [-mən] -n

  1. calligrapher
  2. copyist, scribe
  3. a person with a specified quality or kind of handwriting
    • a poor penman
  4. author

pen·man·ship [-,ship] -n

  1. the art or practice of writing with the pen
  2. quality or style of handwriting

Penn -abbr

  1. Pennsylvania

pen name -n

  1. an author's pseudonym

pen·nant ['pe-nənt] -n

  1. any of various nautical flags tapering usu. to a point or swallowtail and used for identification or signaling
  2. a flag or banner longer in the fly than in the hoist
  3. one that tapers to a point
  4. a flag emblematic of championship (as in a professional baseball league)
  5. the championship itself

pen·nate ['pe-,nāt] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being usu. elongate bilaterally symmetrical diatoms of an order (Pennales) having a raphe or a similar structure

pen·ne ['pe(n)-(,)nā] -n

  1. short thick diagonally cut tubular pasta

pen·ni ['pe-nē] -n

  1. a former monetary unit equal to Finnish markka

pen·ni·less ['pe-ni-ləs] -adj

  1. destitute of money

pen·non ['pe-nən] -n

  1. a long usu. triangular or swallow-tailed streamer typically attached to the head of a lance as an ensign
  2. pennant
  3. wing, pinion

pen·non·cel ['pe-nən-,sel] -n

  1. a small pennon used in late medieval or Renaissance times

Penn·syl·va·nia Dutch [,pen(t)-səl-'vā-nyə-, -nē-ə-] -n

  1. a people orig. of eastern Pennsylvania whose characteristic cultural traditions go back to the German migrations of the 18th century
  2. a dialect of German spoken mainly in Amish communities esp. in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana

Pennsylvania German -n

  1. pennsylvania dutch

Penn·syl·va·nian [-'vā-nyən, -nē-ən] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to Pennsylvania or its people
  2. of, relating to, or being the period of the Paleozoic era in No. America between the Mississippian and Permian or the corresponding system of rocks

pen·ny ['pe-nē] -n

  1. a monetary unit of the United Kingdom formerly equal to pound but now equal to pound
  2. a similar monetary unit of any of various other countries in or formerly in the Commonwealth of Nations see pound at
  3. a coin representing one penny
  4. denarius
  5. cent
  6. a former monetary unit equal to Irish pound
  7. a trivial amount
  8. a piece or sum of money
    • that will cost a pretty penny

pen·nyan·te ['pe-nē-'an-tē] -adj

  1. small-time, two-bit

penny ante -n

  1. poker played for very low stakes

penny arcade -n

  1. an amusement center having coin-operated devices for entertainment

penny candy -n

  1. inexpensive candy orig. costing a penny apiece

pen·ny·cress ['pe-nē-,kres] -n

  1. a Eurasian cruciferous herb ( Thlaspi arvense) with round flat pods that is widely naturalized in the New World

penny dreadful -n, adj

  1. a novel of violent adventure or crime

penny loafer -n

  1. a loafer with a strap across the upper orig. used for holding a penny

pen·nypinch·ing [-,pin-chiŋ] -n, adj

  1. frugality, parsimony

pen·ny·roy·al [,pen-ē-'rȯi(-ə)l, 'pe-ni-,rī(-ə)l] -n

  1. a European perennial mint ( Mentha pulegium) with small aromatic leaves
  2. an aromatic No. American mint ( Hedeoma pulegioides) that has blue or violet flowers borne in axillary tufts and yields an oil used in folk medicine or to drive away mosquitoes

penny stock -n

  1. a usu. unlisted highly speculative stock usu. selling for a dollar or less

pen·ny·whistle [-,hwi-səl, -,wi-] -n

  1. a small fipple flute
  2. a toy whistle

pen·nywise [-,wīz] -adj

  1. wise or prudent only in dealing with small sums or matters

pen·ny·wort [-,wərt, -,wȯrt] -n

  1. any of several usu. round-leaved plants (as of the genus Hydrocotyleof the carrot family)

pen·ny·worth ['pe-nē-,wərth, Brit often 'pe-nərth] -n

  1. a penny's worth
  2. value for the money spent : bargain
  3. a small quantity : modicum

Pe·nob·scot [pə-'näb-,skät, -skət] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of the Penobscot River valley and Penobscot Bay region of Maine

pe·nol·o·gy [pi-'nä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. a branch of criminology dealing with prison management and the treatment of offenders

pen pal -n

  1. a friend made and kept through correspondence

pen point -n

  1. a small thin convex metal device that tapers to a split point, fits into a holder, and is used for writing or drawing

pen pusher -n

  1. pencil pusher

pen·sion ['pen(t)-shən] -n, adj

  1. : a fixed sum paid regularly to a person:
  2. wage
  3. a gratuity granted (as by a government) as a favor or reward
  4. one paid under given conditions to a person following retirement from service or to surviving dependents
  5. accommodations esp. at a continental European hotel or boardinghouse : room and board
  6. a hotel or boardinghouse esp. in continental Europe

pension ['pen(t)-sh(ə-)niŋ] -vt

  1. to grant or pay a pension to
  2. to dismiss or retire from service with a pension
    • pension ed off his faithful old servant

pen·sion·able ['pen(t)-sh(ə-)nə-bəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, qualified for, or qualifying for a pension
    • pensionable employees
    • a pensionable post

pen·sion·ary ['pen(t)-shə-,ner-ē] -n, adj

  1. pensioner
  2. hireling

pen·sion·er ['pen(t)-sh(ə-)nər] -n

  1. a person who receives or lives on a pension
  2. gentleman-at-arms
  3. retainer
  4. mercenary, hireling

pen·sive ['pen(t)-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. musingly or dreamily thoughtful
  2. suggestive of sad thoughtfulness

pen·ste·mon [pen(t)-'stē-mən, 'pen(t)-stə-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Penstemon) of chiefly American herbs of the snapdragon family with showy tubular flowers

pen·stock ['pen-,stäk] -n

  1. a sluice or gate for regulating a flow (as of water)
  2. a conduit or pipe for conducting water

pent ['pent] -adj

  1. shut up : confined, repressed
    • a pent crowd
    • pent -up feelings

penta- -comb form

  1. five
    • penta hedron
  2. containing five atoms or groups
    • pent ane

pen·ta·chlo·ro·phe·nol [,pen-tə-,klȯr-ə-'fē-,nōl, -fi-'] -n

  1. a crystalline compound C 6Cl 5OH used esp. as a wood preservative and fungicide and a disinfectant

pen·ta·cle ['pen-ti-kəl] -n

  1. pentagram

pen·tad ['pen-,tad] -n

  1. a group of five

pen·ta·gon ['pen-tə-,gän] -n

  1. a polygon of five angles and five sides

Pentagon -n

  1. the U.S. military leadership

pen·tag·o·nal [pen-'ta-gə-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. having five sides and five angles
  2. having a pentagon as a cross section or as a base
    • a pentagonal pyramid

Pen·ta·gon·ese [,pen-tə-,gä-'nēz, -'nēs] -n

  1. military jargon

pen·ta·gram ['pen-tə-,gram] -n

  1. a figure of a 5-pointed star usu. made with alternate points connected by a continuous line and used as a magic or occult symbol
  2. a similar 6-pointed star (as a Solomon's seal)

pen·ta·he·dron [,pen-tə-'hē-drən] -n, adj

  1. a solid bounded by five faces

pen·tam·er·ous [pen-'ta-mə-rəs] -adj

  1. divided into or consisting of five parts
  2. having each floral whorl consisting of five or a multiple of five members

pen·tam·e·ter [pen-'ta-mə-tər] -n

  1. a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet

pent·am·i·dine [pen-'ta-mə-,dēn, -dən] -n

  1. a drug C 23H 36N 4O 10S 2used esp. to treat protozoal infections (as leishmaniasis) and to prevent AIDS-related pneumonia

pen·tane ['pen-,tān] -n

  1. any of three isomeric alkanes C 5H 12that occur esp. in petroleum

pen·tan·gle ['pent-,aŋ-gəl, 'pen-,taŋ-] -n

  1. pentagram

pen·ta·pep·tide [,pen-tə-'pep-,tīd] -n

  1. a polypeptide that contains five amino acid residues

pen·ta·ploid ['pen-tə-,plȯid] -adj, n

  1. having or being a chromosome number that is five times the basic number

pen·tar·chy ['pen-,tär-kē] -n

  1. a group of five countries or districts each under its own ruler or government

Pen·ta·teuch ['pen-tə-,tük, -,tyük] -n

  1. the first five books of Jewish and Christian Scriptures

pen·tath·lete [pen-'tath-,lēt, ÷-'ta-thə-] -n

  1. an athlete participating in a pentathlon

pen·tath·lon [pen-'tath-lən, -,län, ÷-'ta-thə-] -n

  1. an athletic contest involving participation by each contestant in five different events
  2. modern pentathlon

pen·ta·ton·ic [,pen-tə-'tä-nik] -adj

  1. consisting of five tones
  2. being or relating to a scale in which the tones are arranged like a major scale with the fourth and seventh tones omitted

pen·ta·va·lent [,pen-tə-'vā-lənt] -adj

  1. having a valence of five

pen·taz·o·cine [pen-'ta-zə-,sēn] -n

  1. a synthetic analgesic drug C 19H 27NO that is less addictive than morphine

Pen·te·cost ['pen-ti-,kȯst, -,käst] -n

  1. shabuoth
  2. a Christian feast on the seventh Sunday after Easter commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles called also Whitsunday

Pen·te·cos·tal [,pen-ti-'käs-tᵊl, -'kȯs-] -adj, n, n or adj

  1. of, relating to, or suggesting Pentecost
  2. of, relating to, or constituting any of various Christian religious bodies that emphasize individual experiences of grace, spiritual gifts (as glossolalia and faith healing), expressive worship, and evangelism

Pentecostal -n

  1. a member of a Pentecostal religious body

pent·house ['pent-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a shed or roof attached to and sloping from a wall or building
  2. a smaller structure joined to a building : annex
  3. a structure or dwelling built on the roof of a building

pen·ti·men·to [,pen-tə-'men-(,)tō] -n

  1. a reappearance in a painting of a design which has been painted over

pent·land·ite ['pent-lən-,dīt] -n

  1. a bronzy yellow mineral that is an isometric nickel iron sulfide and the principal ore of nickel

pen·to·bar·bi·tal [,pen-tə-'bär-bə-,tȯl] -n

  1. a granular barbiturate C 11H 18N 2O 3used esp. in the form of its sodium or calcium salt as a sedative, hypnotic, and antispasmodic

pen·to·bar·bi·tone [-,tōn] -n

  1. pentobarbital

pen·to·san ['pen-tə-,san] -n

  1. any of various polysaccharides that yield only pentoses on hydrolysis and occur widely in plants

pen·tose ['pen-,tōs, -,tōz] -n

  1. a monosaccharide C 5H 10O 5(as ribose) that contains five carbon atoms in the molecule

Pen·to·thal ['pen-tə-,thȯl] -trademark

  1. used for thiopental

pent·ox·ide [pent-'äk-,sīd] -n

  1. an oxide containing five atoms of oxygen in the molecule

pentstemon [pen(t)-'stē-mən, 'pen(t)-stə-] -n

(variant of penstemon)

  1. any of a genus ( Penstemon) of chiefly American herbs of the snapdragon family with showy tubular flowers

pen·tyl·ene·tet·ra·zol [,pen-tə-,lēn-'te-trə-,zȯl, -,zōl] -n

  1. an analeptic drug C 6H 10N 4

pe·nu·che [pə-'nü-chē] -n

  1. fudge made usu. of brown sugar, butter, cream or milk, and nuts

pe·nult ['pē-,nəlt, pi-'] -n

  1. the next to the last member of a series
  2. the next to the last syllable of a word

pen·ul·ti·ma [pi-'nəl-tə-mə] -n

  1. penult

pen·ul·ti·mate [pi-'nəl-tə-mət] -adj, adv

  1. next to the last
    • the penultimate chapter of a book
  2. of or relating to a penult
    • a penultimate accent

pen·um·bra [pə-'nəm-brə] -n, adj

  1. a space of partial illumination (as in an eclipse) between the perfect shadow on all sides and the full light
  2. a shaded region surrounding the dark central portion of a sunspot
  3. a surrounding or adjoining region in which something exists in a lesser degree : fringe
  4. a body of rights held to be guaranteed by implication in a civil constitution
  5. something that covers, surrounds, or obscures : shroud
    • a penumbra of secrecy
    • a penumbra of somber dignity has descended over his reputation -- James Atlas

pe·nu·ri·ous [pə-'nu̇r-ē-əs, -'nyu̇r-] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by or suffering from penury
  2. given to or marked by extreme stinting frugality

pen·u·ry ['pen-yə-rē] -n

  1. a cramping and oppressive lack of resources (as money)
  2. severe poverty
  3. extreme and often niggardly frugality

pe·on ['pē-,än, -ən also pā-'ōn for 2, Brit also 'pyün for 1] -n

  1. : any of various workers in India, Sri Lanka, or Malaysia: as
  2. infantryman
  3. orderly
  4. a member of the landless laboring class in Spanish America
  5. a person held in compulsory servitude to a master for the working out of an indebtedness
  6. drudge, menial

pe·on·age ['pē-ə-nij] -n

  1. the use of laborers bound in servitude because of debt
  2. a system of convict labor by which convicts are leased to contractors
  3. the condition of a peon

pe·o·ny ['pē-ə-nē] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Paeoniaof the family Paeoniaceae) of chiefly Eurasian plants with large often double flowers
  2. the flower of a peony

peo·ple ['pē-pəl] -n, adj

  1. human beings making up a group or assembly or linked by a common interest
  2. human beings, persons often used in compounds instead of persons
    • sales people
    often used attributively
    • people skills
  3. the members of a family or kinship
  4. the mass of a community as distinguished from a special class
    • disputes between the people and the nobles
    often used by Communists to distinguish Communists from other people
  5. a body of persons that are united by a common culture, tradition, or sense of kinship, that typically have common language, institutions, and beliefs, and that often constitute a politically organized group
  6. lower animals usu. of a specified kind or situation
  7. the body of enfranchised citizens of a state

people [-p(ə-)liŋ] -vt

  1. to supply or fill with people
  2. to dwell in : inhabit

peo·ple·hood ['pē-pəl-,hu̇d] -n

  1. the quality or state of constituting a people
  2. the awareness of the underlying unity that makes the individual a part of a people

people mover -n

  1. any of various rapid-transit systems (as of moving sidewalks or automated driverless cars) for shuttling people

pep ['pep] -n

  1. brisk energy or initiative and high spirits
  2. to inject pep into
    • pep him up

pep·er·o·mia [,pe-pə-'rō-mē-ə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Peperomia) of fleshy tropical herbs of the pepper family often cultivated for their showy variegated leaves

pe·pi·no [pə-'pē-(,)nō] -n

  1. a bushy perennial plant ( Solanum muricatum) of the nightshade family that is native to temperate uplands of So. America and has an edible usu. purple-marked yellow fruit
  2. the fruit

pep·los ['pe-pləs, -,pläs] -n

  1. a garment worn like a shawl by women of ancient Greece

pep·lum ['pe-pləm] -n, adj

  1. a short section attached to the waistline of a blouse, jacket, or dress

pe·po ['pē-(,)pō] -n

  1. an indehiscent fleshy one-celled many-seeded berry (as a pumpkin, squash, melon, or cucumber) that has a hard rind and is the characteristic fruit of the gourd family

pep·per ['pe-pər] -n, adj

  1. : either of two pungent products from the fruit of an Indian plant ( Piper nigrum) that are used chiefly as condiments:
  2. black pepper
  3. white pepper
  4. any of several products similar to pepper that are obtained from plants of the same genus
    • cubeb pepper
  5. any of various pungent condiments of plants unrelated to the pepper
    • Szechuan pepper
  6. any of a genus ( Piperof the family Piperaceae, the pepper family) of tropical mostly jointed climbing shrubs with aromatic leaves
  7. a woody vine ( P. nigrum) with spicate flowers that is widely cultivated in the tropics for its red berries from which black pepper and white pepper are prepared
  8. capsicum
  9. a New World capsicum ( Capsicum annuum) whose fruits are hot peppers or sweet peppers
  10. the hollow fruit of a pepper that is usu. red or yellow when ripe

pepper ['pe-p(ə-)riŋ] -vt, n

  1. to hit with or as if with rapid repeated blows
  2. to sprinkle or season with pepper
  3. to shower with or as if with shot or other missiles
  4. to sprinkle or cover as if with pepper
    • pepper ed the report with statistics
    • a face pepper ed with freckles
  5. a baseball practice or warm-up game in which usu. several fielders toss the ball a short distance to a single batter who hits it back

pep·perandsalt [,pe-pər(-ə)n(d)-'sȯlt] -adj

  1. salt-and-pepper

pep·per·box ['pe-pər-,bäks] -n

  1. a small usu. cylindrical box or bottle with a perforated top used for sprinkling pepper on food
  2. a pistol of the late 18th century with five or six revolving barrels

pep·per·corn [-,kȯrn] -n

  1. a dried berry of the black pepper

peppered moth -n

  1. a European geometrid moth ( Biston betularia) that typically has white wings with small black specks but also occurs as a solid black form esp. in areas where the air is heavily polluted by industry

pep·per·grass ['pe-pər-,gras] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Lepidium) of cresses
  2. garden cress

pepper mill -n

  1. a hand mill for grinding peppercorns

pep·per·mint [-,mint, -mənt, in rapid speech 'pep-mənt or -ᵊm-ənt] -n, adj

  1. a pungent and aromatic mint ( Mentha piperita) with dark green lanceolate leaves and whorls of small pink flowers in spikes
  2. any of several mints (as M. arvensis) that are related to the peppermint
  3. candy flavored with peppermint

pep·per·o·ni [,pe-pə-'rō-nē] -n

  1. a highly seasoned beef and pork sausage

pepper pot -n

  1. pepperbox
  2. a highly seasoned West Indian stew of vegetables and meat or fish
  3. a thick soup of tripe, meat, dumplings, and vegetables highly seasoned esp. with crushed peppercorns called also Philadelphia pepper pot

pepper shaker -n

  1. a container with a perforated top for sprinkling pepper

pepper spray -n

  1. a temporarily disabling aerosol that is composed partly of capsicum oleoresin and causes irritation and blinding of the eyes and inflammation of the nose, throat, and skin

pep·per·tree ['pe-pər-,trē] -n

  1. a So. American evergreen tree ( Schinus molle) of the cashew family grown as a shade tree in mild climates

pep·pery ['pe-p(ə-)rē] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or having the qualities of pepper : hot, pungent
    • a peppery taste
  2. having a hot temper : touchy
    • a peppery boss
  3. fiery, stinging
    • a peppery satire

pep pill -n

  1. any of various stimulant drugs in pill or tablet form

pep·py ['pe-pē] -adj, n

  1. full of pep

pep·sin ['pep-sən] -n

  1. a protease of the stomach that breaks down most proteins to polypeptides
  2. a preparation containing pepsin that is obtained from the stomach esp. of the hog and is used esp. as a digestive aid

pep·sin·o·gen [pep-'si-nə-jən] -n

  1. a granular zymogen of the gastric glands that is readily converted into pepsin in a slightly acid medium

pep talk -n

  1. a usu. brief, intense, and emotional talk designed to influence or encourage an audience

pep·tic ['pep-tik] -adj

  1. relating to or promoting digestion : digestive
  2. of, relating to, producing, or caused by pepsin
    • peptic digestion
  3. connected with or resulting from the action of digestive juices
    • a peptic ulcer

pep·ti·dase ['pep-tə-,dās, -,dāz] -n

  1. an enzyme that hydrolyzes simple peptides or their derivatives

pep·tide ['pep-,tīd] -n, adj

  1. any of various amides that are derived from two or more amino acids by combination of the amino group of one acid with the carboxyl group of another and are usu. obtained by partial hydrolysis of proteins

peptide bond -n

  1. the chemical bond between carbon and nitrogen in a peptide linkage

peptide linkage -n

  1. the divalent group CONH that unites the amino acid residues in a peptide

pep·ti·do·gly·can [,pep-tə-dō-'glī-,kan] -n

  1. a polymer that is composed of polysaccharide and peptide chains and is found esp. in bacterial cell walls called also mucopeptide murein

pep·tone ['pep-,tōn] -n

  1. any of various water-soluble products of partial hydrolysis of proteins

Pe·quot ['pē-,kwät] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of what is now eastern Connecticut

per ['pər] -prep

  1. by the means or agency of : through
    • per bearer
  2. with respect to every member of a specified group : for each
  3. according to often used with as
    • per instructions
    • as per usual
  4. for each : apiece
    • a bargain at 3.50 per
  5. period
  6. person

per- -prefix

  1. throughout : thoroughly
    • per use
  2. containing the largest possible or a relatively large proportion of a (specified) chemical element
    • per chloroethylene
  3. containing an element in its highest or a high oxidation state
    • per chloric acid

per·ad·ven·ture ['pər-əd-,ven-chər, 'per-; ,pər-əd-', ,per-] -adv

  1. perhaps, possibly

peradventure -n

  1. doubt
    • a fact established beyond peradventure
  2. chance
    • beyond peradventure of doubt

per·am·bu·late [pə-'ram-byə-,lāt] -vb, n, adj

  1. to travel over or through esp. on foot : traverse
  2. to make an official inspection of (a boundary) on foot
  3. stroll

per·am·bu·la·tor [pə-'ram-byə-,lā-tər, for 2 also 'pram-] -n

  1. one that perambulates
  2. a baby carriage

per an·num [(,)pər-'a-nəm] -adv

  1. in or for each year

per·bo·rate [(,)pər-'bȯr-,āt] -n

  1. a salt that is a compound of a borate with hydrogen peroxide

perc -abbr

  1. perchloroethylene
  2. percolation

per·cale [(,)pər-'kāl, 'pər-,; (,)pər-'kal] -n

  1. a fine closely woven cotton cloth variously finished for clothing, sheeting, and industrial uses

per·ca·line [,pər-kə-'lēn] -n

  1. a lightweight cotton fabric
  2. a glossy fabric used for bookbindings

per cap·i·ta [(,)pər-'ka-pə-tə] -adv or adj

  1. equally to each individual
  2. per unit of population : by or for each person
    • the highest income per capita of any state in the union

per·ceive [pər-'sēv] -vt, adj, adv, n

  1. to attain awareness or understanding of
  2. to regard as being such
    • perceived threats
    • was perceived as a loser
  3. to become aware of through the senses
  4. see, observe

per·cent [pər-'sent] -adv

  1. in the hundred : of each hundred

percent -n

  1. one part in a hundred
  2. percentage
    • a large percent of their income
  3. securities bearing a specified rate of interest
  4. reckoned on the basis of a whole divided into 100 parts
  5. paying interest at a specified percent

per·cent·age [pər-'sen-tij] -n

  1. a part of a whole expressed in hundredths
    • a high percentage of students attended
  2. the result obtained by multiplying a number by a percent
    • the percentage equals the rate times the base
  3. a share of winnings or profits
  4. advantage, profit
    • no percentage in going around looking like an old sack of laundry -- Wallace Stegner
  5. an indeterminate part : proportion
  6. probability
  7. favorable odds

percentage point -n

  1. one hundredth of a whole : percent
    • interest rates rose one percentage point from 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent

per·cen·tile [pər-'sen-,tī(-ə)l] -n

  1. a value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it
    • a score in the 95th percentile

per cen·tum [pər-'sen-təm] -n

  1. percent

per·cept ['pər-,sept] -n

  1. an impression of an object obtained by use of the senses : sense-datum

per·cep·ti·ble [pər-'sep-tə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being perceived esp. by the senses
    • a perceptible change in her tone
    • a barely perceptible light

per·cep·tion [pər-'sep-shən] -n, adj

  1. a result of perceiving : observation
  2. a mental image : concept
  3. consciousness
  4. awareness of the elements of environment through physical sensation
    • color perception
  5. physical sensation interpreted in the light of experience
  6. quick, acute, and intuitive cognition : appreciation
  7. a capacity for comprehension

per·cep·tive [pər-'sep-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. responsive to sensory stimuli : discerning
    • a perceptive eye
  2. capable of or exhibiting keen perception : observant
    • a perceptive scholar
  3. characterized by sympathetic understanding or insight

per·cep·tu·al [(,)pər-'sep-chə-wəl, -chəl, -shwəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or involving perception esp. in relation to immediate sensory experience

Per·ce·val ['pər-sə-vəl] -n

  1. a knight of King Arthur who wins a sight of the Holy Grail

perch ['pərch] -n

  1. a bar or peg on which something is hung
  2. a roost for a bird
  3. a resting place or vantage point : seat
  4. a prominent position
    • his new perch as president
  5. rod
  6. to alight, settle, or rest on a perch, a height, or a precarious spot
  7. to place on a perch, a height, or a precarious spot
  8. a small European freshwater bony fish ( Perca fluviatilisof the family Percidae, the perch family)
  9. yellow perch
  10. any of numerous bony fishes (as of the families Percidae, Centrarchidae, and Serranidae)

per·chance [pər-'chan(t)s] -adv

  1. perhaps, possibly

Per·che·ron ['pər-chə-,rän, -shə-] -n

  1. any of a breed of powerful rugged draft horses that originated in the Perche region of France

per·chlo·rate [(,)pər-'klȯr-,āt, -ət] -n

  1. a salt or ester of perchloric acid

per·chlo·ric acid [(,)pər-'klȯr-ik-] -n

  1. a fuming corrosive strong acid HClO 4that is the most highly oxidized acid of chlorine and a powerful oxidizing agent when heated

per·chlo·ro·eth·y·lene [(,)pər-,klȯr-ō-'e-thə-,lēn] -n

  1. a colorless nonflammable toxic liquid C 2Cl 4used often as a solvent in dry cleaning and for removal of grease from metals

per·cip·i·ence [pər-'si-pē-ən(t)s] -n

  1. perception

per·cip·i·ent [-ənt] -n

  1. one that perceives
  2. a person on whose mind a telepathic impulse or message is held to fall

percipient -adj, adv

  1. capable of or characterized by perception : discerning
    • a percipient critic

per·co·late ['pər-kə-,lāt, ÷-kyə-] -vb, n

  1. to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance (as a powdered drug) esp. for extracting a soluble constituent
  2. to prepare (coffee) in a percolator
  3. to be diffused through : penetrate
  4. to ooze or trickle through a permeable substance : seep
  5. to become percolated
  6. to become lively or effervescent
  7. to spread gradually
    • allow the sunlight to percolate into our rooms -- Norman Douglas
  8. simmer
    • the feud had been percolating for a long time

per·co·la·tor ['pər-kə-,lā-tər, ÷-kyə-] -n

  1. one that percolates
  2. a coffeepot in which boiling water rising through a tube is repeatedly deflected downward through a perforated basket containing ground coffee beans to extract their essence

per con·tra [(,)pər-'kän-trə] -adv

  1. on the contrary
  2. by way of contrast
  3. as an offset

per cu·ri·am [(,)pər-'kyu̇r-ē-,äm, -'ku̇r-] -adv or adj

  1. by the court as a whole rather than by a single justice and usu. without extended discussion
    • a per curiam decision

per·cuss [pər-'kəs] -vt

  1. to tap sharply
  2. to practice percussion on

per·cus·sion [pər-'kə-shən] -n, adj

  1. : the act of percussing: as
  2. the striking of a percussion cap so as to set off the charge in a firearm
  3. the beating or striking of a musical instrument
  4. the act or technique of tapping the surface of a body part to learn the condition of the parts beneath by the resultant sound
  5. the striking of sound on the ear
  6. percussion instruments that form a section of a band or orchestra

percussion cap -n

  1. cap

percussion instrument -n

  1. a musical instrument (as a drum, xylophone, or maraca) sounded by striking, shaking, or scraping

per·cus·sion·ist [pər-'kə-sh(ə-)nist] -n

  1. one skilled in the playing of percussion instruments

per·cus·sive [pər-'kə-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. of or relating to percussion
  2. operative or operated by striking
  3. having powerful impact

per·cu·ta·ne·ous [,pər-kyü-'tā-nē-əs] -adj, adv

  1. effected, occurring, or performed through the skin

perdie [pər-'dē, pär-] -interj

(variant of pardie)

  1. used as a mild oath

per di·em [(,)pər-'dē-əm, -'dī-] -adv

  1. by the day : for each day

per diem -adj

  1. based on use or service by the day : daily
  2. paid by the day
  3. a daily allowance
  4. a daily fee

per·di·tion [pər-'di-shən] -n

  1. utter destruction
  2. loss
  3. eternal damnation
  4. hell

per·du ['pər-(,)dü, -(,)dyü; (,)pər-'] -n

  1. a soldier assigned to extremely hazardous duty
  2. remaining out of sight

per·du·ra·ble [(,)pər-'du̇r-ə-bəl, -'dyu̇r-; 'pər-jə-rə-] -adj, n, adv

  1. very durable

per·dure [(,)pər-'du̇r, -'dyu̇r] -vi

  1. to continue to exist : last

pere ['per] -n

  1. father used after a name to distinguish a father from a son

per·e·gri·nate ['per-ə-grə-,nāt] -vb, n

  1. to travel esp. on foot : walk
  2. to walk or travel over : traverse

per·e·grine ['per-ə-grən, -,grēn] -adj

  1. having a tendency to wander

peregrine falcon -n

  1. a swift nearly cosmopolitan falcon ( Falco peregrinus) often used in falconry called also peregrine

pe·remp·to·ry [pə-'rem(p)-t(ə-)rē] -adj, adv, n

  1. putting an end to or precluding a right of action, debate, or delay
  2. not providing an opportunity to show cause why one should not comply
    • a peremptory mandamus
  3. admitting of no contradiction
  4. expressive of urgency or command
    • a peremptory call
  5. characterized by often imperious or arrogant self-assurance
    • how insolent of late he is become, how proud, how peremptory -- Shak.
  6. indicative of a peremptory attitude or nature : haughty
    • a peremptory tone
    • peremptory disregard of an objection

peremptory challenge -n

  1. a challenge (as of a juror) made as of right without assigning any cause

pe·ren·nate ['per-ə-,nāt, pə-'re-,nāt] -vi, n

  1. to live over from one growing season to another
    • a perennating rhizome

pe·ren·ni·al [pə-'re-nē-əl] -adj, n, adv

  1. present at all seasons of the year
  2. persisting for several years usu. with new herbaceous growth from a perennating part
    • perennial asters
  3. persistent, enduring
    • perennial favorites
  4. continuing without interruption : constant, perpetual
    • the perennial quest for certainty
    • a perennial student
  5. regularly repeated or renewed : recurrent
    • death is a perennial literary theme

pe·re·on [pə-'rē-,än] -n

  1. the thorax or the seven metameres comprising the thorax of some crustaceans (as a decapod)

pe·reo·pod [pə-'rē-ə-,päd] -n

  1. an appendage of the pereon

per·e·stroi·ka [,per-ə-'strȯi-kə] -n

  1. the policy of economic and governmental reform instituted by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union during the mid-1980s

perf -abbr

  1. perforated
  2. performance

per·fect ['pər-fikt] -adj, n

  1. being entirely without fault or defect : flawless
    • a perfect diamond
  2. satisfying all requirements : accurate
  3. corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept
    • a perfect gentleman
  4. faithfully reproducing the original
  5. letter-perfect
  6. legally valid
  7. expert, proficient
    • practice makes perfect
  8. pure, total
  9. lacking in no essential detail : complete
  10. sane
  11. absolute, unequivocal
    • enjoys perfect happiness
  12. of an extreme kind : unmitigated
    • a perfect brat
    • an act of perfect foolishness
  13. mature
  14. of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or verbal that expresses an action or state completed at the time of speaking or at a time spoken of
  15. certain, sure
  16. contented, satisfied
  17. belonging to the consonances unison, fourth, fifth, and octave which retain their character when inverted and when raised or lowered by a half step become augmented or diminished
  18. sexually mature and fully differentiated
    • a perfect insect
  19. having both stamens and pistils in the same flower
    • a perfect flower
  20. to bring to final form
  21. to make perfect : improve, refine
  22. the perfect tense of a language
  23. a verb form in the perfect tense

per·fec·ta [pər-'fek-tə] -n

  1. a bet in which the bettor picks the first and second place finishers in order

perfect binding ['pər-fik(t)-'bau̇nd] -n, adj

  1. a book binding in which a layer of adhesive holds the pages and cover together

perfect game -n

  1. a baseball game in which a pitcher allows no hits, no runs, and no opposing batter to reach first base

per·fect·ible [pər-'fek-tə-bəl also 'pər-fik-] -adj, n

  1. capable of improvement or perfection (as in moral state)

per·fec·tion [pər-'fek-shən] -n

  1. : the quality or state of being perfect: as
  2. freedom from fault or defect : flawlessness
  3. maturity
  4. the quality or state of being saintly
  5. an exemplification of supreme excellence
  6. an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence
  7. the act or process of perfecting

per·fec·tion·ism [-shə-,ni-zəm] -n, n or adj, adj

  1. the doctrine that the perfection of moral character constitutes a person's highest good
  2. the theological doctrine that a state of freedom from sin is attainable on earth
  3. a disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable

per·fec·tive [pər-'fek-tiv also 'pər-fik-] -adj, n, adv

  1. tending to make perfect
  2. becoming better
  3. expressing action as complete or as implying the notion of completion, conclusion, or result
    • perfective verb

per·fect·ly ['pər-fik(t)-lē] -adv

  1. in a perfect manner
  2. to a complete or adequate extent : quite
    • was perfectly happy until now

perfect number -n

  1. an integer (as 6 or 28) the sum of whose integral factors including 1 but excluding itself is equal to itself

per·fec·to [pər-'fek-(,)tō] -n

  1. a cigar that is thick in the middle and tapers at each end

perfect participle -n

  1. past participle

perfect pitch -n

  1. absolute pitch

perfect square -n

  1. an integer (as 9 or 36) whose square root is an integer

perfect storm -n

  1. a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors

per·fer·vid [(,)pər-'fər-vəd, 'pər-] -adj

  1. marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion : excessively fervent

per·fid·i·ous [(,)pər-'fi-dē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by perfidy

per·fi·dy ['pər-fə-dē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal : treachery
  2. an act or an instance of disloyalty

per·fluo·ro·carbon [pər-,flȯr-ō-'kär-bən, -,flu̇r-] -n

  1. any of various hydrocarbon derivatives in which all hydrogen atoms have been replaced with fluorine and that include blood substitutes used in emulsified form

per·fo·li·ate [,pər-'fō-lē-ət, 'pər-] -adj

  1. having the basal part naturally united around the stem
    • a perfoliate leaf of a honeysuckle

per·fo·rate ['pər-fə-,rāt] -vb, adj, n

  1. to make a hole through
  2. to make a line of holes in to facilitate separation
  3. to pass through or into by or as if by making a hole
  4. to penetrate a surface

perforated -adj

  1. having a hole or perforations
  2. having a specified number of perforations in 20 millimeters
    • the stamps are perforated 10
  3. characterized by perforation
    • a perforated ulcer

per·fo·ra·tion [,pər-fə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. the act or process of perforating
  2. a hole or pattern made by or as if by piercing or boring
  3. one of the series of holes (as between rows of postage stamps) in a sheet that serve as an aid in separation

per·force [pər-'fȯrs] -adv

  1. by physical coercion
  2. by force of circumstances

per·form [pə(r)-'fȯrm] -vb, n, adj

  1. to adhere to the terms of : fulfill
    • perform a contract
  2. carry out, do
  3. to do in a formal manner or according to prescribed ritual
  4. to give a rendition of : present
  5. to carry out an action or pattern of behavior : act, function
  6. to give a performance : play

per·for·mance [pə(r)-'fȯr-mən(t)s] -n

  1. the execution of an action
  2. something accomplished : deed, feat
  3. the fulfillment of a claim, promise, or request : implementation
  4. the action of representing a character in a play
  5. a public presentation or exhibition
    • a benefit performance
  6. the ability to perform : efficiency
  7. the manner in which a mechanism performs
    • engine performance
  8. the manner of reacting to stimuli : behavior
  9. the linguistic behavior of an individual : parole
  10. the ability to speak a certain language

performance art -n

  1. a nontraditional art form often with political or topical themes that typically features a live presentation to an audience or onlookers (as on a street) and draws on such arts as acting, poetry, music, dance, or painting

per·for·ma·tive [-'fȯr-mə-tiv] -adj, n

  1. being or relating to an expression that serves to effect a transaction or that constitutes the performance of the specified act by virtue of its utterance
    • a performative verb such as promise

per·for·ma·to·ry [-mə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. performative
  2. of or relating to performance

performing -adj

  1. of, relating to, or constituting an art (as drama) that involves public performance
    • the performing arts

per·fume ['pər-,fyüm, (,)pər-'] -n

  1. the scent of something sweet-smelling
  2. a substance that emits a pleasant odor
  3. a fluid preparation of natural essences (as from plants or animals) or synthetics and a fixative used for scenting
  4. to fill or imbue with an odor

per·fum·er [pə(r)-'fyü-mər, 'pər-,] -n

  1. one that makes or sells perfumes

per·fum·ery [pə(r)-'fyü-mə-rē, -'fyüm-rē] -n

  1. the art or process of making perfume
  2. the products made by a perfumer
  3. an establishment where perfumes are made

per·func·to·ry [pər-'fəŋ(k)-t(ə-)rē] -adj, adv, n

  1. characterized by routine or superficiality : mechanical
    • a perfunctory smile
  2. lacking in interest or enthusiasm

per·fus·ate [(,)pər-'fyü-,zāt, -zət] -n

  1. a fluid (as a solution pumped through the heart) that is perfused

per·fuse [(,)pər-'fyüz] -vt, n

  1. suffuse
  2. to cause to flow or spread : diffuse
  3. to force a fluid through (an organ or tissue) esp. by way of the blood vessels

per·fu·sion·ist [(,)pər-'fyü-zhə-nist] -n

  1. a certified medical technician responsible for extracorporeal oxygenation of the blood during open-heart surgery and for the operation and maintenance of equipment (as a heart-lung machine) controlling it

per·go·la ['pər-gə-lə, pər-'gō-] -n

  1. arbor, trellis
  2. a structure usu. consisting of parallel colonnades supporting an open roof of girders and cross rafters

per·haps [pər-'haps, 'praps] -adv

  1. possibly but not certainly : maybe

perhaps -n

  1. something open to doubt or conjecture

pe·ri ['pir-ē] -n

  1. a supernatural being in Persian folklore descended from fallen angels and excluded from paradise until penance is accomplished
  2. a beautiful and graceful girl

peri- -prefix

  1. all around : about
    • peri scope
  2. near
    • peri helion
  3. enclosing : surrounding
    • peri neurium

peri·anth ['per-ē-,an(t)th] -n

  1. the floral structure comprised of the calyx and corolla esp. when the two whorls are fused

peri·apt ['per-ē-,apt] -n

  1. amulet

peri·car·di·al [,per-ə-'kär-dē-əl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or affecting the pericardium
  2. situated around the heart

peri·car·di·tis [-,kär-'dī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of the pericardium

peri·car·di·um [-'kär-dē-əm] -n

  1. the conical sac of serous membrane that encloses the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels of vertebrates
  2. a cavity or space that contains the heart of an invertebrate and in arthropods is a part of the hemocoel

peri·carp ['per-ə-,kärp] -n

  1. the ripened and variously modified walls of a plant ovary

peri·chon·dri·um [,per-ə-'kän-drē-əm] -n, adj

  1. the membrane of fibrous connective tissue that invests cartilage except at joints

pe·ric·o·pe [pə-'ri-kə-pē] -n

  1. a selection from a book
  2. lection

peri·cra·ni·um [,per-ə-'krā-nē-əm] -n, adj

  1. the external periosteum of the skull

peri·cy·cle ['per-ə-,sī-kəl] -n, adj

  1. a thin layer of parenchymatous or sclerenchymatous cells that surrounds the stele in most vascular plants

peri·derm ['per-ə-,dərm] -n

  1. an outer layer of tissue
  2. a cortical protective layer of many roots and stems that typically consists of phellem, phellogen, and phelloderm

pe·rid·i·um [pə-'ri-dē-əm] -n

  1. the outer envelope of the sporophore of many fungi

per·i·dot ['per-ə-,dät, -,dō(t)] -n, adj

  1. a deep yellowish-green transparent variety of olivine used as a gem

pe·ri·do·tite [pə-'ri-də-,tīt] -n, adj

  1. any of a group of granular igneous rocks composed of ferromagnesian minerals and esp. olivine

peri·gee ['per-ə-(,)jē] -n, adj

  1. the point in the orbit of an object (as a satellite) orbiting the earth that is nearest to the center of the earth
  2. the point nearest a planet or a satellite (as the moon) reached by an object orbiting it

pe·rig·y·nous [pə-'ri-jə-nəs] -adj, n

  1. borne on a ring or cup of the receptacle surrounding a pistil
    • perigynous petals
  2. having perigynous stamens and petals
    • perigynous flowers

peri·he·lion [,per-ə-'hēl-yən] -n, adj

  1. the point in the path of a celestial body (as a planet) that is nearest to the sun

peri·kar·y·on [-'ka-rē-,än, -ən] -n, adj

  1. cell body

per·il ['per-əl, 'pe-rəl] -n

  1. exposure to the risk of being injured, destroyed, or lost : danger
    • fire put the city in peril
  2. something that imperils : risk
    • lessen the peril s of the streets

peril -vt

  1. to expose to danger

pe·ril·la [pə-'ri-lə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Perilla) of Asian mints that have a bilabiate fruiting calyx and rugose nutlets

per·il·ous ['per-ə-ləs, 'pe-rə-] -adj, adv, n

  1. full of or involving peril
    • a perilous journey

peri·lune ['per-ə-,lün] -n

  1. the point in the path of a body orbiting the moon that is nearest to the center of the moon

peri·lymph [-,lim(p)f] -n

  1. the fluid between the membranous and bony labyrinths of the ear

peri·men·o·pause [,per-ē-'me-nə-,pȯz, -'mē-] -n, adj

  1. the period around the onset of menopause that is often marked by various physical signs (as hot flashes and menstrual irregularity)

pe·rim·e·ter [pə-'ri-mə-tər] -n

  1. the boundary of a closed plane figure
  2. the length of a perimeter
  3. a line or strip bounding or protecting an area
  4. outer limits often used in pl.
  5. the part of a basketball court outside the three-point line

peri·my·si·um [,per-ə-'mi-zhē-əm, -zē-] -n

  1. the connective-tissue sheath that surrounds a muscle and forms sheaths for the bundles of muscle fibers

peri·na·tal [-'nā-tᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. occurring in, concerned with, or being in the period around the time of birth
    • perinatal mortality
    • perinatal care

peri·na·tol·o·gy [,per-ə-,nā-'tä-lə-jē] -n

  1. a branch of medicine concerned with perinatal care

per·i·ne·um [,per-ə-'nē-əm] -n, adj

  1. an area of tissue that marks externally the approximate boundary of the outlet of the pelvis and gives passage to the urinogenital ducts and rectum
  2. the area between the anus and the posterior part of the external genitalia

peri·neu·ri·um [,per-ə-'nu̇r-ē-əm, -'nyu̇r-] -n

  1. the connective-tissue sheath that surrounds a bundle of nerve fibers

pe·ri·od ['pir-ē-əd] -n

  1. the completion of a cycle, a series of events, or a single action : conclusion
  2. an utterance from one full stop to another : sentence
  3. a well-proportioned sentence of several clauses
  4. periodic sentence
  5. a musical structure or melodic section usu. composed of two or more contrasting or complementary phrases and ending with a cadence
  6. the full pause with which the utterance of a sentence closes
  7. end, stop
  8. goal, purpose
  9. a point . used to mark the end (as of a declarative sentence or an abbreviation)
  10. used interjectionally to emphasize the finality of the preceding statement
    • I don't remember - period
  11. a rhythmical unit in Greek verse composed of a series of two or more cola
  12. a portion of time determined by some recurring phenomenon
  13. the interval of time required for a cyclic motion or phenomenon to complete a cycle and begin to repeat itself
  14. a number kthat does not change the value of a periodic function fwhen added to the independent variable
  15. the smallest such number
  16. a single cyclic occurrence of menstruation
  17. a chronological division : stage
  18. a division of geologic time longer than an epoch and included in an era
  19. a stage of culture having a definable place in time and space
  20. one of the divisions of the academic day
  21. one of the divisions of the playing time of a game

period -adj

  1. of, relating to, or representing a particular historical period
    • period furniture
    • period costumes

pe·ri·od·ic [,pir-ē-'ä-dik] -adj

  1. occurring or recurring at regular intervals
  2. occurring repeatedly from time to time
  3. consisting of or containing a series of repeated stages, processes, or digits : cyclic
    • periodic decimals
    • a periodic vibration
  4. being a function any value of which recurs at regular intervals
  5. expressed in or characterized by periodic sentences

per·iod·ic acid [,pər-(,)ī-'ä-dik-] -n

  1. any of the strongly oxidizing acids (as H 5IO 6or HIO 4) that are the most highly oxidized acids of iodine

pe·ri·od·i·cal [,pir-ē-'ä-di-kəl] -adj

  1. periodic
  2. published with a fixed interval between the issues or numbers
  3. published in, characteristic of, or connected with a periodical

periodical -n

  1. a periodical publication

periodical cicada -n

  1. seventeen-year locust

pe·ri·od·i·cal·ly [,pir-ē-'ä-di-k(ə-)lē] -adv

  1. at regular intervals of time
  2. from time to time : frequently

pe·ri·od·ic·i·ty [,pir-ē-ə-'di-sə-tē] -n

  1. the quality, state, or fact of being regularly recurrent or having periods

periodic law -n

  1. a law in chemistry: the elements when arranged in the order of their atomic numbers show a periodic variation of atomic structure and of most of their properties

periodic sentence -n

  1. a usu. complex sentence that has no subordinate or trailing elements following its principal clause (as in yesterday while I was walking down the street, I saw him)

periodic table -n

  1. an arrangement of chemical elements based on the periodic law

pe·ri·od·i·za·tion [,pir-ē-ə-də-'zā-shən] -n

  1. division (as of history) into periods

peri·odon·tal [,per-ē-ō-'dän-tᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. investing or surrounding a tooth
  2. of or affecting periodontal tissues or regions
    • periodontal diseases

periodontal membrane -n

  1. the fibrous connective-tissue layer covering the cementum of a tooth and holding it in place in the jawbone

peri·odon·tics [-'dän-tiks] -n pl but sing in constr, n

  1. a branch of dentistry that deals with diseases of the supporting and investing structures of the teeth including the gums, cementum, periodontal membranes, and alveolar bone

peri·odon·ti·tis [,per-ē-(,)ō-,dän-'tī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of the supporting structures of the teeth and esp. the periodontal membrane

peri·odon·tol·o·gy [-,dän-'tä-lə-jē] -n

  1. periodontics

period piece -n

  1. a work (as of literature, art, furniture, cinema, or music) whose special value lies in its evocation of a historical period

peri·onych·i·um [,per-ē-ō-'ni-kē-əm] -n

  1. the tissue bordering the root and sides of a fingernail or toenail

peri·op·er·a·tive [,per-ē-'ä-p(ə-)rə-tiv, -pə-,rā-] -adj

  1. relating to, occurring in, or being the period around the time of a surgical operation
    • perioperative morbidity
    • perioperative nursing

peri·os·te·al [,per-ē-'äs-tē-əl] -adj

  1. situated around or produced external to bone
  2. of, relating to, or involving the periosteum

peri·os·te·um [-tē-əm] -n

  1. the membrane of connective tissue that closely invests all bones except at the articular surfaces

peri·os·ti·tis [-,äs-'tī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of the periosteum

peri·pa·tet·ic [,per-ə-pə-'te-tik] -n

  1. a follower of Aristotle or adherent of Aristotelianism
  2. pedestrian, itinerant
  3. movement or journeys hither and thither

peripatetic [-ti-k(ə-)lē] -adj, adv, n

  1. aristotelian
  2. of, relating to, or given to walking
  3. moving or traveling from place to place : itinerant

pe·rip·a·tus [pə-'ri-pə-təs] -n

  1. any of a class or phylum (Onychophora) of primitive tropical wormlike invertebrates that appear intermediate between annelid worms and arthropods

peri·pe·teia [,per-ə-pə-'tē-ə, -'tī-] -n

  1. a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situation esp. in a literary work

pe·rip·e·ty [pə-'ri-pə-tē] -n

  1. peripeteia

pe·riph·er·al [pə-'ri-f(ə-)rəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, involving, or forming a periphery or surface part
  2. of, relating to, affecting, or being part of the peripheral nervous system
    • peripheral nerves
    • peripheral neuritis
  3. of, relating to, or being blood in the systemic circulation
    • peripheral lymphocytes
  4. of, relating to, or being the outer part of the field of vision
    • good peripheral vision
  5. auxiliary, supplementary
    • peripheral equipment
  6. of or relating to computer peripherals

peripheral -n

  1. a device connected to a computer to provide communication (as input and output) or auxiliary functions (as additional storage)

peripheral nervous system -n

  1. the part of the nervous system that is outside the central nervous system and comprises the cranial nerves excepting the optic nerve, the spinal nerves, and the autonomic nervous system

peripheral neuropathy -n

  1. a disease or degenerative state of the peripheral nerves in which motor, sensory, or vasomotor nerve fibers may be affected and which is marked by muscle weakness and atrophy, pain, and numbness

pe·riph·ery [pə-'ri-f(ə-)rē] -n

  1. the perimeter of a circle or other closed curve
  2. the perimeter of a polygon
  3. the external boundary or surface of a body
  4. the outward bounds of something as distinguished from its internal regions or center : confines
  5. an area lying beyond the strict limits of a thing

pe·riph·ra·sis [pə-'ri-frə-səs] -n

  1. use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter form of expression
  2. an instance of periphrasis

peri·phras·tic [,per-ə-'fras-tik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by periphrasis
  2. formed by the use of function words or auxiliaries instead of by inflection
    • more fair is a periphrastic comparative

pe·riph·y·ton [pə-'ri-fə-,tän] -n, adj

  1. organisms (as some algae) that live attached to underwater surfaces

peri·plasm ['per-ə-,pla-zəm] -n, adj

  1. the region in a gram-negative bacterium between the plasma membrane and an outer surrounding membrane that contains esp. enzymes and a thin layer of peptidoglycan

peri·plast ['per-ə-,plast] -n

  1. plasma membrane
  2. a proteinaceous subcellular layer below the plasma membrane esp. of a euglena

pe·rique [pə-'rēk] -n

  1. an aromatic fermented Louisiana tobacco used in smoking mixtures

peri·scope ['per-ə-,skōp] -n

  1. a tubular optical instrument containing lenses and mirrors by which an observer obtains an otherwise obstructed field of view

peri·scop·ic [,per-ə-'skä-pik] -adj

  1. providing a view all around or on all sides
    • periscopic lens
  2. of or relating to a periscope

per·ish ['per-ish, 'pe-rish] -vb

  1. to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist
    • recollection of a past already long since perish ed -- Philip Sherrard
    • guard against your mistakes or your attempts (perish the thought) to cheat -- C. B. Davis
  2. deteriorate, spoil
  3. to cause to die : destroy
  4. weaken, benumb

per·ish·able ['per-i-shə-bəl, 'pe-ri-] -adj, n

  1. liable to perish : liable to spoil or decay
    • such perishable products as fruit, vegetables, butter, and eggs

pe·ris·so·dac·tyl [pə-'ri-sə-,dak-tᵊl] -n, adj

  1. any of an order (Perissodactyla) of nonruminant ungulate mammals (as a horse, a tapir, or a rhinoceros) that usu. have an odd number of toes, molar teeth with transverse ridges on the grinding surface, and the posterior premolars resembling true molars

peri·stal·sis [,per-ə-'stȯl-səs, -'stäl-, -'stal-] -n

  1. successive waves of involuntary contraction passing along the walls of a hollow muscular structure (as the esophagus or intestine) and forcing the contents onward

peri·stal·tic [-tik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, resulting from, or being peristalsis
  2. having an action suggestive of peristalsis

peristaltic pump -n

  1. a pump in which fluid is forced along by waves of contraction produced mechanically on flexible tubing

peri·stome ['per-ə-,stōm] -n, adj

  1. the fringe of teeth surrounding the orifice of a moss capsule
  2. the region around the mouth in various invertebrates

peri·style ['per-ə-,stī(-ə)l] -n

  1. a colonnade surrounding a building or court
  2. an open space enclosed by a colonnade

peri·the·ci·um [,per-ə-'thē-shē-əm, -sē-] -n, adj

  1. a spherical, cylindrical, or flask-shaped hollow fruiting body in various ascomycetous fungi that contains the asci and usu. opens by a terminal pore

peri·to·ne·um [,per-ə-tə-'nē-əm] -n, adj, adv

  1. the smooth transparent serous membrane that lines the cavity of the abdomen of a mammal and is folded inward over the abdominal and pelvic viscera

peri·to·ni·tis [,per-ə-tə-'nī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of the peritoneum

pe·rit·ri·chous [pə-'ri-tri-kəs] -adj, adv

  1. having flagella uniformly distributed over the body
    • peritrichous bacteria
  2. having a spiral line of modified cilia around the oral disk
    • peritrichous protozoa

peri·wig ['per-i-,wig] -n, adj

  1. peruke

per·i·win·kle ['per-i-,wiŋ-kəl] -n

  1. : any of several trailing or woody evergreen herbs of the dogbane family: as
  2. a European creeper ( Vinca minor) widely cultivated as a ground cover and for its blue or white flowers called also myrtle
  3. a trailing plant ( Vinca major) with large blue flowers that is used as a ground cover and in window boxes
  4. rosy periwinkle
  5. a light purplish blue called also periwinkle blue

periwinkle -n

  1. : any of various gastropod mollusks: as
  2. any of a genus ( Littorina) of edible littoral marine snails
  3. any of various similar or related marine snails
  4. any of several No. American freshwater snails

per·jure ['pər-jər] -vt

  1. to make a perjurer of (oneself)
  2. to cause to commit perjury

per·jur·er ['pər-jər-ər] -n

  1. a person guilty of perjury

per·ju·ri·ous [(,)pər-'ju̇r-ē-əs] -adj, adv

  1. marked by perjury
    • perjurious testimony

per·ju·ry ['pər-jə-rē, 'pərj-rē] -n

  1. the voluntary violation of an oath or vow either by swearing to what is untrue or by omission to do what has been promised under oath : false swearing

perk ['pərk] -vb

  1. to thrust up the head, stretch out the neck, or carry the body in a bold or insolent manner
  2. to stick up or out jauntily
  3. to gain in vigor or cheerfulness esp. after a period of weakness or depression usu. used with up
    • he's perk ed up noticeably
  4. to make smart or spruce in appearance : freshen, improve often used with up
  5. to thrust up quickly or impudently
  6. percolate
  7. perquisite usu. used in pl.

perky ['pər-kē] -adj, adv, n

  1. briskly self-assured : cocky
  2. jaunty
    • a perky...waltz -- New Yorker

per·lite ['pər-,līt] -n, adj

  1. volcanic glass that has a concentric structure, appears as if composed of concretions, is usu. grayish and sometimes spherulitic, and when heated expands to form a lightweight aggregate used esp. in concrete and plaster and as a medium for potting plants

perm ['pərm] -n

  1. permanent
  2. to give (hair) a permanent wave

per·ma·cul·ture ['pər-mə-,kəl-chər] -n

  1. an agricultural system or method that seeks to integrate human activity with natural surroundings so as to create highly efficient self-sustaining ecosystems

per·ma·frost ['pər-mə-,frȯst] -n

  1. a permanently frozen layer at variable depth below the surface in frigid regions of a planet (as earth)

per·ma·nence ['pər-mə-nən(t)s, 'pərm-nən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being permanent : durability

per·ma·nen·cy [-nən(t)-sē] -n

  1. permanence
  2. something permanent

per·ma·nent [-nənt] -adj, adv, n

  1. continuing or enduring without fundamental or marked change : stable

permanent -n

  1. a long-lasting hair wave or straightening produced by mechanical and chemical means called also permanent wave

permanent magnet -n

  1. a magnet that retains its magnetism after removal of the magnetizing force

permanent press -n, adj

  1. the process of treating a fabric with a chemical (as a resin) and heat for setting the shape and for aiding wrinkle resistance
  2. material treated by permanent press
  3. the condition of material treated by permanent press

permanent tissue -n

  1. plant tissue that has completed its growth and differentiation and is usu. incapable of meristematic activity

permanent tooth -n

  1. any of the second set of teeth of a mammal that follow the milk teeth, typically persist into old age, and in humans are 32 in number

per·man·ga·nate [(,)pər-'maŋ-gə-,nāt] -n

  1. a salt containing the anion MnO 4
  2. potassium permanganate
  3. the anion MnO 4 of a permanganate

per·me·abil·i·ty [,pər-mē-ə-'bi-lə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being permeable
  2. the property of a magnetizable substance that determines the degree in which it modifies the magnetic flux in the region occupied by it in a magnetic field

per·me·able ['pər-mē-ə-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of being permeated : penetrable
  2. having pores or openings that permit liquids or gases to pass through
    • a permeable membrane
    • permeable limestone

per·me·ase ['pər-mē-,ās, -,āz] -n

  1. a substance that catalyzes the transport of another substance across a cell membrane

per·me·ate ['pər-mē-,āt] -vb, adj

  1. to diffuse through or penetrate something
  2. to spread or diffuse through
    • a room permeated with tobacco smoke
  3. to pass through the pores or interstices of

per·me·ation [,pər-mē-'ā-shən] -n

  1. the quality or state of being permeated
  2. the action or process of permeating

per men·sem [(,)pər-'men(t)-səm] -adv

  1. by the month

per·meth·rin [(,)pər-'me-thrən] -n

  1. a synthetic pyrethroid C 21H 20Cl 2O 3used esp. as an insecticide

Perm·ian ['pər-mē-ən, 'per-] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or being the last period of the Paleozoic era or the corresponding system of rocks

per mill [(,)pər-'mil] -adv, n

  1. per thousand

per·mis·si·ble [pər-'mi-sə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. that may be permitted : allowable

per·mis·sion [pər-'mi-shən] -n

  1. the act of permitting
  2. formal consent : authorization

per·mis·sive [pər-'mi-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. granted on sufferance : tolerated
  2. granting or tending to grant permission : tolerant
  3. deficient in firmness or control : indulgent, lax
  4. allowing discretion : optional
    • reduced the permissive retirement age from 65 to 62

per·mit [pər-'mit] -vb, n

  1. to consent to expressly or formally
    • permit access to records
  2. to give leave : authorize
  3. to make possible
    • the design permit s easy access
  4. to give an opportunity : allow
    • if time permit s
  5. a written warrant or license granted by one having authority
    • a gun permit
  6. permission
  7. either of two pompanos ( Trachinotus falcatusand T. goodei) that are important game fishes of temperate to tropical waters of the western Atlantic

per·mit·tiv·i·ty [,pər-,mi-'ti-və-tē, -mə-] -n

  1. the ability of a material to store electrical potential energy under the influence of an electric field measured by the ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor with the material as dielectric to its capacitance with vacuum as dielectric called also dielectric constant

per·mu·ta·tion [,pər-myü-'tā-shən] -n, adj

  1. often major or fundamental change (as in character or condition) based primarily on rearrangement of existent elements
    • the system has gone through several permutation s
  2. a form or variety resulting from such change
    • technology available in various permutation s
  3. the act or process of changing the lineal order of an ordered set of objects
  4. an ordered arrangement of a set of objects

permutation group -n

  1. a group whose elements are permutations and in which the product of two permutations is a permutation whose effect is the same as the successive application of the first two

per·mute [pər-'myüt] -vt, adj

  1. to change the order or arrangement of
  2. to arrange in all possible ways

per·ni·cious [pər-'ni-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. highly injurious or destructive : deadly
  2. wicked

pernicious anemia -n

  1. a severe megaloblastic anemia that is marked by a progressive decrease in the number of red blood cells and by pallor, weakness, and gastrointestinal and nervous disturbances and is caused by malabsorption of vitamin B 12due to the absence of intrinsic factor

per·nick·e·ty [pər-'ni-kə-tē] -adj

  1. persnickety

Per·nod [per-'nō, ,pər-] -trademark

  1. used for a French liqueur

pe·ro·ne·al [,per-ō-'nē-əl, pə-'rō-nē-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or located near the fibula

per·oral [(,)pər-'ȯr-əl, per-, -'är-] -adj, adv

  1. occurring through or by way of the mouth

per·o·rate ['per-ə-,rāt also 'pər-] -vi

  1. to deliver a long or grandiloquent oration
  2. to make a peroration

per·o·ra·tion [,per-ə-'rā-shən also ,pər-] -n, adj

  1. the concluding part of a discourse and esp. an oration
  2. a highly rhetorical speech

pe·rov·skite [pə-'räv-,skīt, -'räf-] -n

  1. a yellow, brown, or grayish-black mineral consisting of an oxide of calcium and titanium and sometimes containing rare earth elements

per·ox·i·dase [pə-'räk-sə-,dās, -,dāz] -n

  1. an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of various substances by peroxides

per·ox·i·da·tion [pə-,räk-sə-'dā-shən] -n

  1. oxidation to the greatest possible extent resulting esp. in formation of a peroxide

per·ox·ide [pə-'räk-,sīd] -n, adj

  1. a compound (as hydrogen peroxide) in which oxygen is visualized as joined to oxygen

peroxide -vt

  1. to treat with a peroxide
  2. to bleach (hair) with hydrogen peroxide
  3. having or being bleached hair
    • a peroxide blonde

per·ox·i·some [pə-'räk-sə-,sōm] -n, adj

  1. a cytoplasmic cell organelle containing enzymes (as catalase) which act in oxidative reactions and esp. in the production and decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

peroxy- -comb form

  1. containing the divalent group OO
    • peroxy acetyl nitrate

per·oxy·ace·tyl nitrate [pə-,räk-sē-ə-'sē-tᵊl-; -'a-sə-tᵊl-, -,tēl-] -n

  1. a toxic compound C 2H 3O 5N found esp. in smog

perp ['pərp] -n

  1. a perpetrator esp. of a crime
  2. perpendicular

per·pend [(,)pər-'pend] -vb

  1. to reflect on carefully : ponder
  2. to be attentive : reflect

per·pen·dic·u·lar [,pər-pən-'di-kyə-lər] -adj, n, adv

  1. standing at right angles to the plane of the horizon : exactly upright
  2. being at right angles to a given line or plane
  3. extremely steep : precipitous
  4. of or relating to a medieval English Gothic style of architecture in which vertical lines predominate
  5. relating to, uniting, or consisting of individuals of dissimilar type or on different levels

perpendicular -n

  1. a line at right angles to a line or plane (as of the horizon)

per·pe·trate ['pər-pə-,trāt] -vt, n

  1. to bring about or carry out (as a crime or deception) : commit
  2. to produce, perform, or execute (something likened to a crime)
    • perpetrate a pun

per·pet·u·al [pər-'pe-chə-wəl, -chəl; -'pech-wəl] -adj, adv

  1. continuing forever : everlasting
    • perpetual motion
  2. valid for all time
    • a perpetual right
  3. holding (as an office) for life or for an unlimited time
  4. occurring continually : indefinitely long-continued
    • perpetual problems
  5. blooming continuously throughout the season

perpetual calendar -n

  1. a table for finding the day of the week for any one of a wide range of dates

perpetual check -n

  1. an endless succession of checks to which an opponent's king may be subjected to force a draw in chess

per·pet·u·ate [pər-'pe-chə-,wāt] -vt, n

  1. to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely
    • perpetuate the species

per·pe·tu·i·ty [,pər-pə-'tü-ə-tē, -'tyü-] -n

  1. eternity
  2. the quality or state of being perpetual
    • bequeathed to them in perpetuity
  3. the condition of an estate limited so that it will not take effect or vest within the period fixed by law
  4. an estate so limited
  5. an annuity payable forever

per·phe·na·zine [(,)pər-'fē-nə-,zēn, -'fe-] -n

  1. a phenothiazine tranquilizer C 21H 26ClN 3OS that is used esp. to control psychotic symptoms (as anxiety and agitation)

per·plex [pər-'pleks] -vt

  1. to make unable to grasp something clearly or to think logically and decisively about something
    • her attitude perplex es me
    • a perplex ing problem
  2. to make intricate or involved : complicate

per·plexed [-'plekst] -adj, adv

  1. filled with uncertainty : puzzled
  2. full of difficulty

per·plex·i·ty [pər-'plek-sə-tē] -n

  1. the state of being perplexed : bewilderment
  2. something that perplexes
  3. entanglement

per·qui·site ['pər-kwə-zət] -n

  1. a privilege, gain, or profit incidental to regular salary or wages
  2. one expected or promised
  3. gratuity, tip
  4. something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possession

per·ron ['per-ən, pe-rōⁿ] -n

  1. an outdoor stairway leading up to a building entrance
  2. a platform at its top

per·ry ['per-ē] -n

  1. fermented pear juice often made sparkling

pers -abbr

  1. person; personal
  2. personnel

perse ['pərs] -adj

  1. of a dark grayish blue resembling indigo

per se [(,)pər-'sā also per-'sā or (,)pər-'sē] -adv

  1. by, of, or in itself or oneself or themselves : as such : intrinsically
  2. being such inherently, clearly, or as a matter of law
    • a per se conflict of interest

per second per second -adv

  1. per second every second used of acceleration

per·se·cute ['pər-si-,kyüt] -vt, n, adj

  1. to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict
  2. to cause to suffer because of belief
  3. to annoy with persistent or urgent approaches (as attacks, pleas, or importunities) : pester

per·se·cu·tion [,pər-si-'kyü-shən] -n

  1. the act or practice of persecuting esp. those who differ in origin, religion, or social outlook
  2. the condition of being persecuted, harassed, or annoyed

Per·se·id ['pər-sē-əd] -n

  1. any of a group of meteors that appear annually about August 11

Per·seph·o·ne [pər-'se-fə-nē] -n

  1. a daughter of Zeus and Demeter abducted by Pluto to reign with him over the underworld

Per·seus ['pər-,süs, -sē-əs] -n

  1. a son of Zeus and Danae and slayer of Medusa
  2. a northern constellation between Taurus and Cassiopeia

per·se·ver·ance [,pər-sə-'vir-ən(t)s] -n

  1. the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness

per·sev·er·a·tion [pər-,se-və-'rā-shən] -n, vi, adj

  1. continuation of something (as repetition of a word) usu. to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point

per·se·vere [,pər-sə-'vir] -vi, adv

  1. to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement

Per·sian ['pər-zhən, esp Brit -shən] -n, adj

  1. : one of the people of Persia: as
  2. one of the ancient Iranians who under Cyrus and his successors founded an empire in southwest Asia
  3. a member of one of the peoples forming the modern Iranian nationality
  4. any of several Iranian languages dominant in Persia at different periods
  5. the modern language of Iran and western Afghanistan
  6. a thin soft silk formerly used esp. for linings
  7. persian cat

Persian cat -n

  1. any of a breed of stocky round-headed domestic cats that have a long silky coat and thick ruff

Persian lamb -n

  1. a pelt that is obtained from a newborn karakul lamb slightly older than those yielding broadtail and that is characterized by very silky tightly curled glossy fur
  2. the young of the karakul sheep that furnishes skins used in furriery

per·si·flage ['pər-si-,fläzh, 'per-] -n

  1. frivolous bantering talk : light raillery

per·sim·mon [pər-'si-mən] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Diospyros) of trees of the ebony family with hard fine wood, oblong leaves, and small bell-shaped flowers
  2. an eastern U.S. tree ( D. virginiana) or a Japanese tree ( D. kaki)
  3. the usu. orange several-seeded globular berry of a persimmon that is edible when fully ripe but usu. extremely astringent when unripe

per·sist [pər-'sist, -'zist] -vi, n

  1. to go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning
  2. to remain unchanged or fixed in a specified character, condition, or position
  3. to be insistent in the repetition or pressing of an utterance (as a question or an opinion)
  4. to continue to exist esp. past a usual, expected, or normal time

per·sis·tence [pər-'sis-tən(t)s, -'zis-] -n

  1. the action or fact of persisting
  2. the quality or state of being persistent
  3. perseverance

per·sis·ten·cy [-tən(t)-sē] -n

  1. persistence

per·sis·tent [-tənt] -adj, adv

  1. : existing for a long or longer than usual time or continuously: as
  2. retained beyond the usual period
    • a persistent leaf
  3. continuing without change in function or structure
    • persistent gills
  4. effective in the open for an appreciable time usu. through slow volatilizing
    • mustard gas is persistent
  5. degraded only slowly by the environment
    • persistent pesticides
  6. remaining infective for a relatively long time in a vector after an initial period of incubation
    • persistent viruses
  7. continuing or inclined to persist in a course
  8. continuing to exist despite interference or treatment
    • a persistent cough
    • has been in a persistent vegetative state for two years

per·snick·e·ty [pər-'sni-kə-tē] -adj, n

  1. fussy about small details : fastidious
    • a persnickety teacher
  2. having the characteristics of a snob
  3. requiring great precision
    • a persnickety job

per·son ['pər-sᵊn] -n

  1. human, individual sometimes used in combination esp. by those who prefer to avoid man in compounds applicable to both sexes
    • chair person
    • spokes person
  2. a character or part in or as if in a play : guise
  3. one of the three modes of being in the Trinitarian Godhead as understood by Christians
  4. the unitary personality of Christ that unites the divine and human natures
  5. bodily appearance
  6. the body of a human being
  7. the body and clothing
    • unlawful search of the person
  8. the personality of a human being : self
  9. one (as a human being, a partnership, or a corporation) that is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties
  10. reference of a segment of discourse to the speaker, to one spoken to, or to one spoken of as indicated by means of certain pronouns or in many languages by verb inflection

per·so·na [pər-'sō-nə, -,nä] -n

  1. a character assumed by an author in a written work
  2. an individual's social facade or front that esp. in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing
  3. the personality that a person (as an actor or politician) projects in public : image
  4. a character in a fictional presentation (as a novel or play) usu. used in pl.
    • comic personae

per·son·able ['pərs-nə-bəl, 'pər-sə-nə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. pleasant or amiable in person : attractive

per·son·age ['pərs-nij, 'pər-sə-nij] -n

  1. a person of rank, note, or distinction
  2. one distinguished for presence and personal power
  3. a human individual : person
  4. a dramatic, fictional, or historical character
  5. impersonation

per·so·na gra·ta [pər-'sō-nə-'gra-tə, -'grä-] -adj

  1. personally acceptable or welcome

per·son·al ['pərs-nəl, 'pər-sə-nəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or affecting a particular person : private, individual
    • personal ambition
    • personal financial gain
  2. done in person without the intervention of another
  3. proceeding from a single person
  4. carried on between individuals directly
    • a personal interview
  5. relating to the person or body
  6. relating to an individual or an individual's character, conduct, motives, or private affairs often in an offensive manner
    • a personal insult
  7. being rational and self-conscious
    • personal, responsive government is still possible -- John Fischer
  8. having the qualities of a person rather than a thing or abstraction
    • a personal devil
  9. of, relating to, or constituting personal property
    • a personal estate
  10. denoting grammatical person
  11. intended for private use or use by one person
    • a personal stereo

personal -n

  1. a short newspaper paragraph relating to the activities of a person or a group or to personal matters
  2. a short personal communication in a special column of the classified ads section of a newspaper or periodical
  3. personal foul

personal computer -n

  1. a general-purpose computer equipped with a microprocessor and designed to run esp. commercial software (as a word processor or Internet browser) for an individual user

personal digital assistant -n

  1. pda

personal effects -n pl

  1. privately owned items (as clothing and jewelry) normally worn or carried on the person

personal equation -n

  1. variation (as in observation) occasioned by the personal peculiarities of an individual
  2. a correction or allowance made for such variation

personal foul -n

  1. a foul in a game (as basketball) involving usu. physical contact with or deliberate roughing of an opponent

per·son·al·ise ['pərs-nə-,līz, 'pər-sə-nə-] -vt, n

(variant of personalize)

  1. personify
  2. to make personal or individual
  3. to mark as the property of a particular person
    • personalized stationery

per·son·al·ism ['pərs-nə-,li-zəm, 'pər-sə-nə-] -n, n or adj, adj

  1. a doctrine emphasizing the significance, uniqueness, and inviolability of personality

per·son·al·i·ty [,pər-sə-'na-lə-tē, ,pər-'sna-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being a person
  2. personal existence
  3. the condition or fact of relating to a particular person
  4. the condition of referring directly to or being aimed disparagingly or hostilely at an individual
  5. an offensively personal remark
    • angrily resorted to personalities
  6. the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a nation or group
  7. the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional characteristics
  8. a set of distinctive traits and characteristics
    • the energetic personality of the city
  9. distinction or excellence of personal and social traits
  10. a person having such quality
  11. a person of importance, prominence, renown, or notoriety
    • a TV personality

personality inventory -n

  1. any of several tests that attempt to characterize the personality of an individual by objective scoring of replies to a large number of questions concerning his or her own behavior

personality test -n

  1. any of several tests that consist of standardized tasks designed to determine various aspects of the personality or the emotional status of the individual examined

per·son·al·ize ['pərs-nə-,līz, 'pər-sə-nə-] -vt, n

  1. personify
  2. to make personal or individual
  3. to mark as the property of a particular person
    • personalized stationery

per·son·al·ly ['pərs-nə-lē, 'pər-sə-nə-] -adv

  1. in person
    • attend to the matter personally
  2. as a person : in personality
    • personally attractive but not very trustworthy
  3. for oneself : as far as oneself is concerned
    • personally, I don't want to go
  4. in a personal manner
    • don't take this personally

personal pronoun -n

  1. a pronoun (as I, you,or they) that expresses a distinction of person

personal property -n

  1. property other than real property consisting of things temporary or movable : chattels

personal tax -n

  1. direct tax

per·son·al·ty ['pərs-nəl-tē, 'pər-sə-nəl-] -n

  1. personal property

per·so·na non gra·ta [pər-'sō-nə-,nän-'gra-tə, -'grä-] -adj

  1. personally unacceptable or unwelcome

per·son·ate ['pər-sə-,nāt] -vt, n, adj

  1. impersonate, represent
  2. to assume without authority and with fraudulent intent (some character or capacity)
  3. to invest with personality or personal characteristics
    • personating their gods ridiculous, and themselves past shame -- John Milton

per·sonhour ['pər-sᵊn-,au̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. a unit of one hour's work by one person

per·son·i·fi·ca·tion [pər-,sä-nə-fə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. attribution of personal qualities
  2. representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by the human form
  3. a divinity or imaginary being representing a thing or abstraction
  4. embodiment, incarnation

per·son·i·fy [pər-'sä-nə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to conceive of or represent as a person or as having human qualities or powers
  2. to be the embodiment or personification of : incarnate
    • a teacher who personified patience

per·son·nel [,pər-sə-'nel] -n

  1. a body of persons usu. employed (as in a factory, office, or organization)
  2. persons
  3. a division of an organization concerned with personnel

per·spec·tive [pər-'spek-tiv] -n

  1. an optical glass (as a telescope)

perspective [pər-'spek-ti-vəl, ,pər-(,)spek-'tī-vəl] -n, adj

  1. the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye
  2. representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance
  3. a picture in perspective
  4. the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed
    • places the issues in proper perspective
  5. point of view
  6. the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance
    • urge you to maintain your perspective and to view your own task in a larger framework -- W. J. Cohen
  7. a visible scene
  8. one giving a distinctive impression of distance : vista
  9. a mental view or prospect
    • gain a broader perspective on the situation
  10. the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions
  11. aiding the vision
    • his eyes should be like unto the wrong end of a perspective glass -- Alexander Pope
  12. of, relating to, employing, or seen in perspective
    • perspective drawing

Per·spex ['pər-,speks] -trademark

  1. used for an acrylic plastic

per·spi·ca·cious [,pər-spə-'kā-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. of acute mental vision or discernment : keen

per·spic·u·ous [pər-'spi-kyə-wəs] -adj, n, adv

  1. plain to the understanding esp. because of clarity and precision of presentation
    • a perspicuous argument

per·spi·ra·tion [,pər-spə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. the action or process of perspiring
  2. a saline fluid secreted by the sweat glands : sweat

per·spi·ra·to·ry [pər-'spī-rə-,tȯr-ē, 'pər-sp(ə-)rə-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, secreting, or inducing perspiration

per·spire [pər-'spī(-ə)r] -vi

  1. to emit matter through the skin
  2. to secrete and emit perspiration

per stir·pes [pər-'stər-pēz, per-'stir-pās] -adv or adj

  1. in equal shares to each member of a specified class with the share of a deceased member divided proportionately among his or her beneficiaries (as children)
    • the estate was divided per stirpes

per·suad·able [pər-'swā-də-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of being persuaded

per·suade [pər-'swād] -vt, n

  1. to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action
  2. to plead with : urge

per·sua·si·ble [-'swā-zə-bəl, -'swā-sə-] -adj

  1. persuadable

per·sua·sion [pər-'swā-zhən] -n

  1. the act or process or an instance of persuading
  2. a persuading argument
  3. the ability to persuade : persuasiveness
  4. the condition of being persuaded
  5. an opinion held with complete assurance
  6. a system of religious beliefs
  7. a group adhering to a particular system of beliefs
  8. kind, sort

per·sua·sive [-'swā-siv, -ziv] -adj, adv, n

  1. tending to persuade

pert ['pərt] -adj, adv, n

  1. saucily free and forward : flippantly cocky and assured
  2. being trim and chic : jaunty
    • a pert little hat
  3. piquantly stimulating
    • is a pert notion
  4. lively, vivacious

per·tain [pər-'tān] -vi

  1. to belong as a part, member, accessory, or product
  2. to belong as an attribute, feature, or function
    • the destruction and havoc pertain ing to war
  3. to belong as a duty or right
    • responsibilities that pertain to fatherhood
  4. to be appropriate to something
    • the criteria...will be different from those that pertain elsewhere -- J. B. Conant
  5. to have reference
    • books pertain ing to birds

per·ti·na·cious [,pər-tə-'nā-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. adhering resolutely to an opinion, purpose, or design
  2. perversely persistent
  3. stubbornly tenacious

per·ti·nence ['pər-tə-nən(t)s, 'pərt-nən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being pertinent : relevance

per·ti·nen·cy [-tə-nən(t)-sē, -nən(t)-sē] -n

  1. pertinence

per·ti·nent ['pər-tə-nənt, 'pərt-nənt] -adj, adv

  1. having a clear decisive relevance to the matter in hand

per·turb [pər-'tərb] -vt, adj

  1. to disturb greatly in mind : disquiet
  2. to throw into confusion : disorder
  3. to cause to experience a perturbation

per·tur·ba·tion [,pər-tər-'bā-shən, ,pər-,tər-] -n, adj

  1. the action of perturbing : the state of being perturbed
  2. a disturbance of motion, course, arrangement, or state of equilibrium
  3. a disturbance of the regular and usu. elliptical course of motion of a celestial body that is produced by some force additional to that which causes its regular motion

per·tus·sis [pər-'tə-səs] -n

  1. whooping cough

pe·ruke [pə-'rük] -n, adj

  1. wig
  2. one of a type popular from the 17th to the early 19th century

pe·ruse [pə-'rüz] -vt, n

  1. to examine or consider with attention and in detail : study
  2. to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner
  3. read
  4. to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner

perv ['pərv] -n

  1. pervert

per·vade [pər-'vād] -vt

  1. to become diffused throughout every part of

per·va·sion [pər-'vā-zhən] -n

  1. the action of pervading or condition of being pervaded

per·va·sive [pər-'vā-siv, -ziv] -adj, adv, n

  1. pervading or tending to pervade
    • a pervasive odor

per·verse [(,)pər-'vərs, 'pər-,] -adj, adv, n

  1. turned away from what is right or good : corrupt
  2. improper, incorrect
  3. contrary to the evidence or the direction of the judge on a point of law
    • perverse verdict
  4. obstinate in opposing what is right, reasonable, or accepted : wrongheaded
  5. arising from or indicative of stubbornness or obstinacy
  6. marked by peevishness or petulance : cranky
  7. marked by perversion : perverted

per·ver·sion [pər-'vər-zhən, -shən] -n

  1. the action of perverting : the condition of being perverted
  2. a perverted form
  3. an aberrant sexual practice or interest esp. when habitual

per·ver·sive [-'vər-siv, -ziv] -adj

  1. perverting or tending to pervert
  2. arising from or indicative of perversion

per·vert [pər-'vərt] -vt, n

  1. to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : corrupt
  2. to cause to turn aside or away from what is generally done or accepted : misdirect
  3. to divert to a wrong end or purpose : misuse
  4. to twist the meaning or sense of : misinterpret
  5. one that has been perverted
  6. one given to some form of sexual perversion

per·vert·ed [pər-'vər-təd] -adj, adv, n

  1. corrupt
  2. marked by perversion

per·vi·ous ['pər-vē-əs] -adj, n

  1. accessible
    • pervious to reason
  2. permeable
    • pervious soil

Pe·sach ['pā-,säk̲] -n

  1. passover

pes·ca·tar·i·an [,pe-skə-'ter-ē-ən] -n

  1. one whose diet includes fish but no meat

pe·se·ta [pə-'sā-tə] -n

  1. the basic monetary unit of Spain until 2002

pe·se·wa [pə-'sā-wə] -n

  1. see cedi at

pes·ky ['pes-kē] -adj

  1. troublesome, vexatious
    • pesky issues

pe·so ['pā-(,)sō, 'pe-] -n

  1. an old silver coin of Spain and Spanish America equal to eight reals

pes·sa·ry ['pe-sə-rē] -n

  1. a vaginal suppository
  2. a device worn in the vagina to support the uterus, remedy a malposition, or prevent conception

pes·si·mism ['pe-sə-,mi-zəm also 'pe-zə-] -n

  1. an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome
  2. the doctrine that reality is essentially evil
  3. the doctrine that evil overbalances happiness in life

pes·si·mis·tic [,pe-sə-'mis-tik also ,pe-zə-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by pessimism : gloomy

pest ['pest] -n, adj

  1. an epidemic disease associated with high mortality
  2. plague
  3. something resembling a pest in destructiveness
  4. a plant or animal detrimental to humans or human concerns (as agriculture or livestock production)
  5. one that pesters or annoys : nuisance

pes·ter ['pes-tər] -vt

  1. overcrowd
  2. to harass with petty irritations : annoy

pest·hole ['pest-,hōl] -n

  1. a place liable to epidemic disease

pest·house [-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a shelter or hospital for those infected with a pestilential or contagious disease

pes·ti·cide ['pes-tə-,sīd] -n, adj

  1. an agent used to destroy pests

pes·tif·er·ous [pes-'ti-f(ə-)rəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. dangerous to society : pernicious
  2. carrying or propagating infection : pestilential
  3. infected with a pestilential disease
  4. troublesome, annoying

pes·ti·lence ['pes-tə-lən(t)s] -n

  1. a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating
  2. bubonic plague
  3. something that is destructive or pernicious
    • I'll pour this pestilence into his ear -- Shak.

pes·ti·lent [-lənt] -adj, adv

  1. destructive of life : deadly
  2. injuring or endangering society : pernicious
  3. causing displeasure or annoyance
  4. infectious, contagious
    • a pestilent disease

pes·ti·len·tial [,pes-tə-'len(t)-shəl] -adj, adv

  1. causing or tending to cause pestilence : deadly
  2. of or relating to pestilence
  3. morally harmful : pernicious
  4. giving rise to vexation or annoyance : irritating

pes·tle ['pe-səl, 'pes-tᵊl] -n

  1. a usu. club-shaped implement for pounding or grinding substances in a mortar
  2. any of various devices for pounding, stamping, or pressing

pestle ['pe-s(ə-)liŋ, 'pes-tᵊl-iŋ] -vb

  1. to beat, pound, or pulverize with or as if with a pestle
  2. to work with a pestle : use a pestle

pes·to ['pes-(,)tō] -n

  1. a sauce made esp. of fresh basil, garlic, oil, pine nuts, and grated cheese

pet ['pet] -n

  1. a pampered and usu. spoiled child
  2. a person who is treated with unusual kindness or consideration : darling
  3. a domesticated animal kept for pleasure rather than utility
  4. kept or treated as a pet
  5. expressing fondness or endearment
    • a pet name
  6. favorite
    • a pet project
  7. to treat as a pet
  8. to stroke in a gentle or loving manner
  9. to treat with unusual kindness and consideration : pamper
  10. to engage in amorous embracing, caressing, and kissing : neck
  11. a fit of peevishness, sulkiness, or anger
  12. to take offense : sulk
  13. petroleum

Pet -abbr

  1. Peter

PET -abbr

  1. positron-emission tomography

peta- -comb form

  1. quadrillion (10 15)
    • peta- electron volts

pet·al ['pe-tᵊl] -n, adj

  1. one of the modified often brightly colored leaves of the corolla of a flower

pet·al·oid ['pe-tə-,lȯid] -adj

  1. resembling a flower petal
  2. consisting of petaloid elements

pet·al·ous ['pe-tə-ləs] -adj

  1. having petals
  2. having (such or so many) petals used in combination
    • poly petalous

pe·tard [pə-'tär(d)] -n

  1. a case containing an explosive to break down a door or gate or breach a wall
  2. a firework that explodes with a loud report

pet·a·sos ['pe-tə-səs] -n

  1. a broad-brimmed low-crowned hat worn by ancient Greeks and Romans
  2. the winged hat of Hermes

pet·cock ['pet-,käk] -n

  1. a small cock, faucet, or valve for releasing a gas (as air) or draining

pe·te·chia [pə-'tē-kē-ə] -n, adj

  1. a minute reddish or purplish spot containing blood that appears in skin or mucous membrane as a result of localized hemorrhage

pe·ter ['pē-tər] -vi

  1. to diminish gradually and come to an end : give out usu. used with out
    • novelists whose creative impetus seems largely to have peter ed out -- Times Lit. Supp.
  2. to become exhausted usu. used with out

peter -n

  1. penis

Pe·ter ['pē-tər] -n

  1. a fisherman of Galilee and one of the twelve apostles
  2. either of two hortatory letters written to early Christians and included as books of the New Testament

Peter Pan [-'pan] -n

  1. a boy in Sir James Barrie's play Peter Panwho lives without growing older in a never-never land
  2. an adult who does not want to grow up : one who hangs on to adolescent interests and attitudes

Peter Pan collar -n

  1. a usu. small flat close-fitting collar with rounded ends that meet at the top in front

Peter Principle -n

  1. an observation: in a hierarchy employees tend to rise to the level of their incompetence

Peter's pence -n pl but sing in constr

  1. an annual tribute of a penny formerly paid by each householder in England to the papal see
  2. a voluntary annual contribution made by Roman Catholics to the pope

pet·i·o·lar [,pe-tē-'ō-lər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or proceeding from a petiole

pet·i·o·late ['pe-tē-ə-,lāt, ,pe-tē-'ō-lət] -adj

  1. having a stalk or petiole

pet·i·ole ['pe-tē-,ōl] -n, adj

  1. a slender stem that supports the blade of a foliage leaf
  2. peduncle
  3. a slender abdominal segment joining the rest of the abdomen to the thorax in some insects

pet·i·o·lule ['pe-tē-ō-,lül, ,pe-tē-'ōl-(,)yül] -n

  1. a stalk of a leaflet of a compound leaf

pet·it ['pe-tē] -adj

  1. petty used chiefly in legal compounds

pe·tit bourgeois [pə-'tē-, ,pe-tē-] -n, adj

  1. a member of the petite bourgeoisie
  2. petite bourgeoisie

pe·tite [pə-'tēt] -adj, n

  1. having a small trim figure usu. used of a woman

petite -n

  1. a clothing size for short women

petite bourgeoisie -n

  1. the lower middle class including esp. small shopkeepers and artisans

petite si·rah [-sə-'rä] -n

  1. a dry red wine of spicy fruitiness made from a grape grown chiefly in California
  2. the grape

pe·tit four [,pe-tē-'fȯr, pə-,tē-, -'fu̇r] -n

  1. a small cake cut from pound or sponge cake and frosted

pe·ti·tion [pə-'ti-shən] -n, adj

  1. an earnest request : entreaty
  2. a formal written request made to an official person or organized body (as a court)
  3. a document embodying such a formal written request
  4. something asked or requested

petition [-'ti-sh(ə-)niŋ] -vb, n

  1. to make a request to : solicit
  2. to make a request
  3. to make a formal written request

pe·ti·tio prin·ci·pii [pə-'tē-tē-,ō-(,)priŋ-'ki-pē-,ē] -n

  1. a logical fallacy in which a premise is assumed to be true without warrant or in which what is to be proved is implicitly taken for granted

pet·it jury ['pe-tē-] -n

  1. a jury of 12 persons impaneled to try and to decide finally upon the facts at issue in causes for trial in a court

petit larceny -n

  1. larceny involving property of a value below a legally established minimum

pe·titmai·tre [pə-,tē-'mātrᵊ] -n

  1. dandy, fop

pe·tit mal ['pe-tē-,mal, -,mäl] -n

  1. epilepsy characterized by mild seizures marked by diminished awareness usu. with a blank stare but not by loss of consciousness
  2. one of these seizures

pet·it point ['pe-tē-,pȯint] -n

  1. tent stitch
  2. embroidery made with this stitch

pet peeve -n

  1. a frequent subject of complaint

petr- -comb form

  1. stone : rock
    • petro logy
  2. petroleum
    • petro dollar

pe·tra·le sole [pə-'trä-lē-] -n

  1. a flounder ( Eopsetta jordani) chiefly of the Pacific waters of No. America that is an important food fish called also petrale

Pe·trar·chan sonnet [pi-'trär-kən-, ,pē-, (,)pe-] -n

  1. italian sonnet

pe·trel ['pe-trəl, 'pē-] -n

  1. any of numerous seabirds (esp. families Procellariidae and Hydrobatidae)
  2. one of the smaller long-winged birds that fly far from land

pe·tri dish ['pē-trē-] -n

  1. a small shallow dish of thin glass or plastic with a loose cover used esp. for cultures in bacteriology
  2. something (as a place or situation) that fosters development or innovation
    • the college was a petri dish for radical views

pet·ri·fac·tion [,pe-trə-'fak-shən] -n

  1. the process of petrifying
  2. something petrified
  3. the quality or state of being petrified

pet·ri·fi·ca·tion [,pe-trə-fə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. petrifaction

pet·ri·fy ['pe-trə-,fī] -vb

  1. to convert (organic matter) into stone or a substance of stony hardness by the infiltration of water and the deposition of dissolved mineral matter
  2. : to make rigid or inert like stone:
  3. to make lifeless or inactive : deaden
    • slogans are apt to petrify a man's thinking -- Saturday Rev.
  4. to confound with fear, amazement, or awe
    • a novel about an airline pilot that will petrify you -- Martin Levin
  5. to become stone or of stony hardness or rigidity

Pe·trine ['pē-,trīn] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the apostle Peter or the doctrines associated with his name
  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of Peter the Great or his reign

pet·ro·chem·i·cal [,pe-trō-'ke-mi-kəl] -n

  1. a chemical isolated or derived from petroleum or natural gas

pet·ro·dol·lar ['pe-trō-,dä-lər] -n

  1. a dollar's worth of foreign exchange obtained by a petroleum-exporting country through sales abroad usu. used in pl.

pet·ro·gen·e·sis [,pe-trō-'je-nə-səs] -n, adj

  1. the origin or formation of rocks

pet·ro·glyph ['pe-trə-,glif] -n

  1. a carving or inscription on a rock

pe·trog·ra·phy [pə-'trä-grə-fē, pe-] -n, adj, adv

  1. the description and systematic classification of rocks

pet·rol ['pe-trəl, -,träl] -n

  1. gasoline

pet·ro·la·tum [,pe-trə-'lā-təm, -'lä-] -n

  1. petroleum jelly

pe·tro·leum [pə-'trō-lē-əm, -'trōl-yəm] -n

  1. an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes

petroleum jelly -n

  1. a neutral unctuous odorless tasteless substance obtained from petroleum and used esp. in ointments and dressings

pe·trol·o·gy [pə-'trä-lə-jē, pe-] -n, adj, adv

  1. a science that deals with the origin, history, occurrence, structure, chemical composition, and classification of rocks

pet·ro·nel [,pe-trə-'nel] -n

  1. a portable firearm resembling a carbine of large caliber

pe·tro·sal [pə-'trō-səl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or situated in the region of the petrous portion of the temporal bone or capsule of the inner ear

pe·trous ['pe-trəs, 'pē-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or constituting the exceptionally hard and dense portion of the human temporal bone that contains the internal auditory organs

PET scan ['pet-] -n

  1. a sectional view of the body constructed by positron-emission tomography

pet·ti·coat ['pe-tē-,kōt] -n, adj

  1. : a skirt worn by women, girls, or young children: as
  2. an outer skirt formerly worn by women and small children
  3. a fancy skirt made to show below a draped-up overskirt
  4. an underskirt usu. a little shorter than outer clothing and often made with a ruffled, pleated, or lace edge
  5. the skirt of a woman's riding habit
  6. a garment characteristic or typical of women
  7. woman
  8. something (as a valance) resembling a petticoat

petticoat -adj

  1. of, relating to, or exercised by women : female

pet·ti·fog·ger ['pe-tē-,fȯ-gər, -,fä-] -n, adj or n

  1. a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable : shyster
  2. one given to quibbling over trifles

petting zoo -n

  1. a collection of farm animals or gentle exotic animals for children to pet and feed

pet·tish ['pe-tish] -adj, adv, n

  1. fretful, peevish

pet·ti·toes ['pe-tē-,tōz] -n pl

  1. the feet of a pig used as food
  2. toes, feet

pet·ty ['pe-tē] -adj, adv, n

  1. having secondary rank or importance : minor, subordinate
  2. having little or no importance or significance
  3. marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies : small-minded

petty cash -n

  1. cash kept on hand for payment of minor items

petty larceny -n

  1. petit larceny

petty officer -n

  1. a subordinate officer in the navy or coast guard appointed from among the enlisted men

petty officer first class -n

  1. an enlisted man in the navy or coast guard ranking above a petty officer second class and below a chief petty officer

petty officer second class -n

  1. an enlisted man in the navy or coast guard ranking above a petty officer third class and below a petty officer first class

petty officer third class -n

  1. an enlisted man in the navy or coast guard ranking above a seaman and below a petty officer second class

pet·u·lance ['pe-chə-lən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being petulant : peevishness

pet·u·lan·cy [-lən(t)-sē] -n

  1. petulance

pet·u·lant [-lənt] -adj, adv

  1. insolent or rude in speech or behavior
  2. characterized by temporary or capricious ill humor : peevish

pe·tu·nia [pi-'tün-yə, -'tyün-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Petunia) of tropical So. American herbs of the nightshade family with flowers having funnel-shaped corollas

pew ['pyü] -n

  1. a compartment in the auditorium of a church providing seats for several persons
  2. one of the benches with backs and sometimes doors fixed in rows in a church

pe·wee ['pē-(,)wē] -n

  1. any of various small largely gray or olive-colored American flycatchers (genus Contopus)

pew·hold·er ['pyü-,hōl-dər] -n

  1. a renter or owner of a pew

pewit ['pē-,wit, 'pyü-ət] -n

(variant of peewit)

  1. any of several birds
  2. lapwing

pew·ter ['pyü-tər] -n, adj

  1. any of various alloys having tin as chief component
  2. a dull alloy with lead formerly used for domestic utensils
  3. utensils of pewter
  4. a bluish gray

pew·ter·er ['pyü-tər-ər] -n

  1. one that makes pewter utensils

pey·o·te [pā-'ō-tē] -n

  1. a hallucinogenic drug containing mescaline that is derived from peyote buttons and used esp. in the religious ceremonies of some American Indian peoples
  2. a small low spineless cactus ( Lophophora williamsii) of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico having rounded stems covered with jointed tubercles called also mescal

peyote button -n

  1. one of the dried discoid tops of the peyote cactus