Pu -symbol

  1. plutonium

PU -abbr

  1. pickup

pub ['pəb] -n

  1. public house
  2. an establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold and consumed
  3. public
  4. publication
  5. publicity
  6. published; publisher; publishing

pub crawl -n, vi

  1. a round of visits to a number of bars in succession

pu·ber·tal ['pyü-bər-tᵊl] -adj

  1. of or relating to puberty

pu·ber·ty ['pyü-bər-tē] -n

  1. the condition of being or the period of becoming first capable of reproducing sexually marked by maturing of the genital organs, development of secondary sex characteristics, and in the human and in higher primates by the first occurrence of menstruation in the female
  2. the age at which puberty occurs often construed legally as 14 in boys and 12 in girls

pu·ber·u·lent [pyü-'ber-ə-lənt, -yə-lənt] -adj

  1. covered with fine pubescence

pu·bes ['pyü-(,)bēz] -n

  1. the hair that appears on the lower part of the hypogastric region at puberty
  2. the pubic region

pu·bes·cence [pyü-'be-sᵊn(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being pubescent
  2. a pubescent covering or surface

pu·bes·cent [-sᵊnt] -adj

  1. arriving at or having reached puberty
  2. of or relating to puberty
  3. covered with fine soft short hairs

pu·bic ['pyü-bik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or situated in or near the region of the pubes or the pubis

pu·bis ['pyü-bəs] -n

  1. the ventral and anterior of the three principal bones composing either half of the pelvis called also pubic bone

publ -abbr

  1. publication
  2. published; publisher; publishing

pub·lic ['pə-blik] -adj, n

  1. exposed to general view : open
  2. well-known, prominent
  3. perceptible, material
  4. of, relating to, or affecting all the people or the whole area of a nation or state
    • public law
  5. of or relating to a government
  6. of, relating to, or being in the service of the community or nation
  7. of or relating to people in general : universal
  8. general, popular
  9. of or relating to business or community interests as opposed to private affairs : social
  10. devoted to the general or national welfare : humanitarian
  11. accessible to or shared by all members of the community
  12. capitalized in shares that can be freely traded on the open market often used with go
  13. supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by income from commercials
    • public radio
    • public television

public -n

  1. a place accessible or visible to the public usu. used in the phrase in public
  2. the people as a whole : populace
  3. a group of people having common interests or characteristics
  4. the group at which a particular activity or enterprise aims

publicaddress system -n

  1. an apparatus including a microphone and loudspeakers used for broadcasting (as to an audience in an auditorium)

pub·li·can ['pə-bli-kən] -n

  1. a Jewish tax collector for the ancient Romans
  2. a collector of taxes or tribute
  3. the licensee of a public house

public assistance -n

  1. government aid to needy, aged, or disabled persons and to dependent children

pub·li·ca·tion [,pə-blə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. the act or process of publishing
  2. a published work

public defender -n

  1. a lawyer usu. holding public office whose duty is to defend accused persons unable to pay for legal assistance

public domain -n

  1. land owned directly by the government
  2. the realm embracing property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone

public health -n

  1. the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science

public house -n

  1. inn, hostelry
  2. a licensed saloon or bar

pub·li·cise ['pə-blə-,sīz] -vt

(variant of publicize)

  1. to bring to the attention of the public : advertise

pub·li·cist ['pə-blə-sist] -n

  1. an expert in international law
  2. an expert or commentator on public affairs
  3. one that publicizes
  4. press agent

pub·lic·i·ty [(,)pə-'bli-sə-tē, -'blis-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being public
  2. an act or device designed to attract public interest
  3. information with news value issued as a means of gaining public attention or support
  4. the dissemination of information or promotional material
  5. paid advertising
  6. public attention or acclaim

pub·li·cize ['pə-blə-,sīz] -vt

  1. to bring to the attention of the public : advertise

pub·lickey ['pə-blik-'kē] -n

  1. a cryptographic element that is the publicly shared half of an encryption code and that can be used only to encode messages

public land -n

  1. land owned by a government
  2. that part of the U.S. public domain subject to sale or disposal under the homestead laws

public law -n

  1. a legislative enactment affecting the public at large
  2. a branch of law concerned with regulating the relations of individuals with the government and the organization and conduct of the government itself

pub·lic·ly ['pə-bli-klē] -adv

  1. in a manner observable by or in a place accessible to the public : openly
  2. by the people generally
  3. by a government

public officer -n

  1. a person who has been legally elected or appointed to office and who exercises governmental functions

public relations -n pl but usu sing in constr

  1. the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution
  2. the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved

public sale -n

  1. auction

public school -n

  1. an endowed secondary boarding school in Great Britain offering a classical curriculum and preparation for the universities or public service
  2. a free tax-supported school controlled by a local governmental authority

public servant -n

  1. a government official or employee

public service -n

  1. the business of supplying a commodity (as electricity or gas) or service (as transportation) to any or all members of a community
  2. a service rendered in the public interest
  3. governmental employment
  4. civil service

publicservice corporation -n

  1. a quasi-public corporation

public speaking -n

  1. the act or process of making speeches in public
  2. the art of effective oral communication with an audience

publicspirited -adj, n

  1. motivated by devotion to the general welfare

public utility -n

  1. a business organization (as an electric company) performing a public service and subject to special governmental regulation

public works -n pl

  1. works (as schools, highways, docks) constructed for public use or enjoyment esp. when financed and owned by the government

pub·lish ['pə-blish] -vb, adj

  1. to make generally known
  2. to make public announcement of
  3. to disseminate to the public
  4. to produce or release for distribution
  5. print
  6. to issue the work of (an author)
  7. to put out an edition
  8. to have one's work accepted for publication

pub·lish·er ['pə-bli-shər] -n

  1. one that publishes something
  2. a person or corporation whose business is publishing

pub·lish·ing [-shiŋ] -n

  1. the business or profession of the commercial production and issuance of literature, information, musical scores or sometimes recordings, or art
    • newspaper publishing
    • software publishing

puc·coon [(,)pə-'kün] -n

  1. any of several American plants (as bloodroot) yielding a red or yellow pigment
  2. a pigment from a puccoon

puce ['pyüs] -n

  1. a dark red

puck ['pək] -n

  1. an evil spirit : demon
  2. a mischievous sprite : hobgoblin
  3. robin goodfellow
  4. a vulcanized rubber disk used in ice hockey

pucka ['pə-kə] -adj

(variant of pukka)

  1. genuine, authentic
  2. first-class

puck·er ['pə-kər] -vb

  1. to become wrinkled or constricted
  2. to contract into folds or wrinkles

pucker -n

  1. a fold or wrinkle in a normally even surface

puck·ery ['pə-k(ə-)rē] -adj

  1. that puckers or causes puckering

puck·ish ['pə-kish] -adj, adv, n

  1. impish, whimsical

pud ['pu̇d] -n

  1. pudding

PUD -abbr

  1. pickup and delivery

pud·ding ['pu̇-diŋ] -n

  1. blood sausage
  2. a boiled or baked soft food usu. with a cereal base
    • corn pudding
    • bread pudding
  3. a dessert of a soft, spongy, or thick creamy consistency
    • chocolate pudding
  4. dessert
  5. a dish often containing suet or having a suet crust and orig. boiled in a bag
    • steak and kidney pudding

pudding stone -n

  1. conglomerate

pud·dle ['pə-dᵊl] -n

  1. a very small pool of usu. dirty or muddy water
  2. an earthy mixture (as of clay, sand, and gravel) worked while wet into a compact mass that becomes impervious to water when dry
  3. a thin mixture of soil and water for puddling plants

puddle ['pəd-liŋ, 'pə-dᵊl-iŋ] -vb, n

  1. to dabble or wade around in a puddle
  2. to make muddy or turbid : muddle
  3. to work (a wet mixture of earth or concrete) into a dense impervious mass
  4. to subject (iron) to the process of puddling
  5. to strew with puddles
  6. to compact (soil) esp. by working when too wet
  7. to dip the roots of (a plant) in a thin mud before transplanting

puddle duck -n

  1. dabbler

puddle jumper -n

  1. lightplane

puddling -n

  1. the process of converting pig iron into wrought iron or rarely steel by subjecting it to heat and frequent stirring in a furnace in the presence of oxidizing substances

pu·den·cy ['pyü-dᵊn(t)-sē] -n

  1. modesty

pu·den·dum [pyu̇-'den-dəm] -n, adj

  1. the external genital organs of a human being and esp. of a woman usu. used in pl.

pudgy ['pə-jē] -adj, n

  1. being short and plump : chubby

pu·di·bund ['pyü-də-,bənd] -adj

  1. prudish

pueb·lo ['pwe-(,)blō; pü-'e-, pyü-] -n

  1. the communal dwelling of an American Indian village of Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent areas consisting of contiguous flat-roofed stone or adobe houses in groups sometimes several stories high
  2. an American Indian village of the southwestern U.S.
  3. a member of a group of American Indian peoples of the southwestern U.S.

pu·er·ile ['pyu̇(-ə)r-əl, -,ī(-ə)l] -adj, adv, n

  1. juvenile
  2. childish, silly
    • puerile remarks

pu·er·il·ism ['pyu̇(-ə)r-ə-,li-zəm, 'pyu̇(-ə)r-,ī-] -n

  1. childish behavior esp. as a symptom of mental disorder

pu·er·per·al [pyü-'ər-p(ə-)rəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or occurring during childbirth or the period immediately following
    • puerperal infection
    • puerperal depression

puerperal fever -n

  1. an abnormal condition that results from infection of the placental site following delivery or abortion and is characterized in mild form by fever but in serious cases the infection may spread through the uterine wall or pass into the bloodstream called also childbed fever puerperal sepsis

pu·er·pe·ri·um [,pyü-ər-'pir-ē-əm] -n

  1. the period between childbirth and the return of the uterus to its normal size

puff ['pəf] -vb

  1. to blow in short gusts
  2. to exhale forcibly
  3. to breathe hard : pant
  4. to emit small whiffs or clouds (as of smoke) often as an accompaniment to vigorous action
    • puff at a pipe
  5. to speak or act in a scornful, conceited, or exaggerated manner
  6. to become distended : swell usu. used with up
  7. to open or appear in or as if in a puff
  8. to form a chromosomal puff
  9. to emit, propel, blow, or expel by or as if by puffs : waft
  10. to draw on (as a cigar, cigarette, or pipe) with intermittent exhalations of smoke
  11. to distend with or as if with air or gas : inflate
  12. to make proud or conceited : elate
  13. to praise extravagantly and usu. with exaggeration
    • authors puff ing their own work
  14. advertise
  15. an act or instance of puffing : whiff
  16. a slight explosive sound accompanying a puff
  17. a perceptible cloud or aura emitted in a puff
  18. draw
  19. a light round hollow pastry
  20. a slight swelling : protuberance
  21. : a fluffy mass: as
  22. pouf
  23. a small fluffy pad for applying cosmetic powder
  24. a soft loose roll of hair
  25. a quilted bed covering
  26. a commendatory or promotional notice or review
  27. an enlarged region of a chromosome that is associated with intensely active genes involved in RNA synthesis
  28. of, relating to, or designed for promotion or flattery
    • a puff piece in the paper

puff adder -n

  1. a large thick-bodied extremely venomous African viper ( Bitis arietans)
  2. hognose snake

puff·ball ['pəf-,bȯl] -n

  1. any of various globose and often edible fungi (esp. family Lycoperdaceae) that discharge mature spores in a smokelike cloud when pressed or struck

puff·er ['pə-fər] -n

  1. one that puffs
  2. puffer fish

puffer fish -n

  1. any of a family (Tetraodontidae) of chiefly tropical scaleless marine bony fishes which can distend themselves to a globular form and most of which are highly poisonous called also blowfish globefish swellfish
  2. any of various fish of the same order (Tetraodontiformes) as the puffer fish

puff·ery ['pə-f(ə-)rē] -n

  1. exaggerated commendation esp. for promotional purposes : hype

puf·fin ['pə-fən] -n

  1. any of several seabirds (genera Fraterculaand Lunda) of the northern hemisphere having a short neck and a deep grooved parti-colored laterally compressed bill

puff pastry -n

  1. a pastry dough containing many alternating layers of butter and dough or the light flaky pastry made from it called also puff paste

pug ['pəg] -n

  1. any of a breed of small sturdy compact dogs of Asian origin with a smooth, short coat, tightly curled tail, short muzzle, and broad wrinkled face
  2. pug nose
  3. a close knot or coil of hair : bun
  4. to work and mix (as clay) when wet esp. to make more homogeneous and easier to handle (as in throwing or molding wares)
  5. boxer
  6. footprint
  7. a print of a wild mammal

pug·ga·ree ['pə-g(ə-)rē] -n

  1. a light scarf wrapped around a sun helmet or used as a hatband

pu·gi·lism ['pyü-jə-,li-zəm] -n, adj

  1. boxing

pu·gi·list ['pyü-jə-list] -n

  1. fighter
  2. a professional boxer

pug·mark ['pəg-,märk] -n

  1. pug

pug mill -n

  1. a machine in which materials (as clay and water) are mixed, blended, or kneaded into a desired consistency

pug·na·cious [,pəg-'nā-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. having a quarrelsome or combative nature : truculent

pug nose ['pəg-,nōzd] -n, adj

  1. a nose having a slightly concave bridge and flattened nostrils

puis·ne ['pyü-nē] -adj, n

  1. inferior in rank
    • puisne judge

puis·sance ['pwi-sᵊn(t)s, 'pyü-ə-sən(t)s, pyü-'i-sᵊn(t)s] -n

  1. strength, power

puis·sant [-sᵊnt, -sənt] -adj

  1. having puissance : powerful

puke ['pyük] -vb, n

  1. vomit

puk·ka ['pə-kə] -adj

  1. genuine, authentic
  2. first-class

pul ['pül] -n

  1. see afghani at

Pu·las·ki [pə-'las-kē, pyü-] -n

  1. a single-bit ax with an adze-shaped hoe extending from the back

pul·chri·tude ['pəl-krə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n, adj

  1. physical comeliness

pule ['pyül] -vi

  1. whine, whimper

pu·li ['pu̇-lē, 'pyü-] -n

  1. any of a breed of medium-sized agile Hungarian sheepdogs with a thick woolly coat hanging in long thin cords

Pu·lit·zer Prize ['pu̇-lət-sər-, 'pyü-] -n

  1. any of various annual prizes (as for outstanding literary or journalistic achievement) established by the will of Joseph Pulitzer called also Pulitzer

pull ['pu̇l also 'pəl] -vb, n

  1. to exert force upon so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the force
  2. to stretch (cooling candy) repeatedly
    • pull taffy
  3. to strain abnormally
    • pull a tendon
  4. to hold back (a racehorse) from winning
  5. to work (an oar) by drawing back strongly
  6. to draw out from the skin
    • pull feathers from a rooster's tail
  7. to pluck from a plant or by the roots
    • pull flowers
    • pull turnips
  8. extract
    • pull a tooth
  9. to hit (a ball) toward the left from a right-handed swing or toward the right from a left-handed swing
  10. to draw apart : rend, tear
  11. to print (as a proof) by impression
  12. to remove from a place or situation
    • pull the engine
    • pull ed the pitcher in the third inning
    • pull ed the show
  13. to bring (a weapon) into the open
    • pull ed a knife
  14. perform, carry out
    • pull an all-nighter
    • pull guard duty
  15. commit, perpetrate
    • pull a robbery
    • pull a prank
  16. put on, assume
    • pull a grin
  17. to act or behave in the manner of
    • pull ed a Horace Greely and went west -- Steve Rushin
  18. to draw the support or attention of : attract
    • pull votes
    often used with in
  19. obtain, secure
    • pull ed a B in the course
  20. to demand or obtain an advantage over someone by the assertion of
    • pull rank
  21. to use force in drawing, dragging, or tugging
  22. to move esp. through the exercise of mechanical energy
    • the car pull ed clear of the rut
  23. to take a drink
  24. to draw hard in smoking
    • pull ed at a pipe
  25. to strain against the bit
  26. to draw a gun
  27. to admit of being pulled
  28. to feel or express strong sympathy : root
    • pull ing for my team to win
  29. to move back from the line of scrimmage and toward one flank to provide blocking for a ballcarrier
  30. the act or an instance of pulling
  31. a draft of liquid
  32. an inhalation of smoke
  33. the effort expended in moving
    • a long pull uphill
  34. force required to overcome resistance to pulling
    • a trigger with a four pound pull
  35. advantage
  36. special influence
  37. proof
  38. a device for pulling something or for operating by pulling
    • a drawer pull
  39. a force that attracts, compels, or influences : attraction
  40. an injury resulting from abnormal straining or stretching
    • a muscle pull
    • a groin pull

pull away -vi

  1. to draw oneself back or away : withdraw
  2. to move off or ahead

pull·back ['pu̇l-,bak] -n

  1. a pulling back
  2. an orderly withdrawal of troops from a position or area

pulldown -adj

  1. being or appearing below a selected item (as an icon) in a window overlaying the original view on a computer display
    • a pulldown menu

pull down -vt

  1. demolish, destroy
  2. to hunt down : overcome
  3. to bring to a lower level : reduce
  4. to depress in health, strength, or spirits
  5. to draw or earn (as wages or salary)

pul·let ['pu̇-lət] -n

  1. a young hen
  2. a hen of the domestic chicken less than a year old

pul·ley ['pu̇-lē] -n

  1. a sheave or small wheel with a grooved rim and with or without the block in which it runs used singly with a rope or chain to change the direction and point of application of a pulling force and in various combinations to increase the applied force esp. for lifting weights
  2. a pulley or pulleys with ropes to form a tackle that constitutes one of the simple machines
  3. a wheel used to transmit power by means of a band, belt, cord, rope, or chain passing over its rim

pull in -vt

  1. check, restrain
  2. arrest
  3. to arrive at a destination or come to a stop

Pull·man ['pu̇l-mən] -n

  1. a railroad passenger car with specially comfortable furnishings for day or esp. for night travel
  2. a large suitcase

pull off -vt

  1. to carry out despite difficulties : accomplish successfully against odds
    • the team pulled off an upset

pul·lo·rum disease [pə-'lȯr-əm-] -n

  1. a destructive typically diarrheal salmonellosis esp. of young domestic chickens that is caused by a bacterium ( Salmonella pullorum)

pull·out ['pu̇l-,au̇t] -n

  1. : the act or an instance of pulling out: as
  2. the action in which an airplane goes from a dive to horizontal flight
  3. pullback
  4. something that can be pulled out

pull out -vi

  1. leave, depart
  2. withdraw

pull·over ['pu̇l-,ō-vər] -n

  1. a pullover garment (as a sweater)

pullover -adj

  1. put on by being pulled over the head

pull over -vi

  1. to steer one's vehicle to the side of the road
  2. to cause to pull over
    • pulled him over for speeding

pull quote -n

  1. a significant passage in an article, story, book, or speech that is quoted and used for drawing attention to its source

pull round -vi

  1. to regain one's health
  2. to restore to good health

pull tab -n

  1. a metal tab (as on a can) pulled to open the container

pull through -vi

  1. to survive a dangerous or difficult situation
  2. to help survive a dangerous or difficult situation

pul·lu·late ['pəl-yə-,lāt] -vi, n

  1. germinate, sprout
  2. to breed or produce freely
    • the country's pullulating population
  3. swarm, teem
    • the island pullulated with tourists

pullup ['pu̇l-,əp] -n

  1. chin-up

pull up -vt

  1. to bring to a stop : halt
  2. check, rebuke
  3. to check oneself
  4. to come to an often abrupt halt : stop
  5. to draw even with others in a race

pul·mo·nary ['pu̇l-mə-,ner-ē, 'pəl-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, affecting, or occurring in the lungs
    • pulmonary tissue
    • pulmonary edema
  2. carried on by the lungs
    • pulmonary respiration
  3. pulmonate
  4. occurring in the pulmonary artery
    • a pulmonary embolism

pulmonary artery -n

  1. an artery that conveys venous blood from the heart to the lungs

pulmonary circulation -n

  1. the passage of blood from the right side of the heart through arteries to the lungs where it picks up oxygen and is returned to the left side of the heart by veins

pulmonary vein -n

  1. a valveless vein that returns oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart

pul·mo·nate ['pu̇l-mə-,nāt, 'pəl-] -adj

  1. having lungs or organs resembling lungs
  2. of or relating to a subclass (Pulmonata) of gastropod mollusks having a respiratory sac and comprising most land snails and slugs and many freshwater snails

pulmonate -n

  1. a pulmonate gastropod

pul·mon·ic [pu̇l-'mä-nik, ,pəl-] -adj

  1. pulmonary

pul·mo·nol·o·gist [,pu̇l-mə-'nä-lə-jəst, ,pəl-] -n

  1. a specialist in the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the lungs

pul·mo·tor ['pu̇l-,mō-tər, 'pəl-] -n

  1. a respiratory apparatus for pumping oxygen or air into and out of the lungs (as of an asphyxiated person)

pulp ['pəlp] -n, adj

  1. the soft, succulent part of a fruit usu. composed of mesocarp
  2. stem pith when soft and spongy
  3. a soft mass of vegetable matter (as of apples) from which most of the water has been extracted by pressure
  4. the soft sensitive tissue that fills the central cavity of a tooth
  5. a material prepared by chemical or mechanical means from various materials (as wood or rags) for use in making paper and cellulose products
  6. pulverized ore mixed with water
  7. pulpy condition or character
  8. something in such a condition or having such a character
  9. a magazine or book printed on cheap paper (as newsprint) and often dealing with sensational material
  10. sensational or tabloid writing often used attributively
    • pulp fiction
  11. to reduce to pulp
    • pulp ed unsold copies of the book
  12. to cause to appear pulpy
  13. to deprive of the pulp
  14. to become pulp or pulpy

pulp·al ['pəl-pəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to pulp esp. of a tooth
    • a pulpal abscess

pul·pit ['pu̇l-,pit, 'pəl-, -pət] -n

  1. an elevated platform or high reading desk used in preaching or conducting a worship service
  2. the preaching profession
  3. a preaching position

pulp·wood ['pəlp-,wu̇d] -n

  1. a wood (as of aspen, hemlock, pine, or spruce) used in making pulp for paper

pul·que ['pül-,kā; 'pül-kē, 'pu̇l-] -n

  1. a Mexican alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of various agaves (as Agave atrovirens)

pul·sant ['pəl-sənt] -adj

  1. pulsating with activity

pul·sar ['pəl-,sär] -n

  1. a celestial source of pulsating electromagnetic radiation (as radio waves) characterized by a short relatively constant interval (as .033 second) between pulses that is held to be a rotating neutron star

pul·sate ['pəl-,sāt also ,pəl-'] -vi

  1. to throb or move rhythmically : vibrate
  2. to exhibit a pulse or pulsation : beat

pul·sa·tile ['pəl-sə-tᵊl, -,tī(-ə)l] -adj

  1. of or marked by pulsation

pul·sa·tion [,pəl-'sā-shən] -n

  1. rhythmical throbbing or vibrating (as of an artery)
  2. a single beat or throb
  3. a periodically recurring alternate increase and decrease of a quantity (as pressure, volume, or voltage)

pul·sa·tor ['pəl-,sā-tər, ,pəl-'] -n

  1. something that beats or throbs in working

pulse ['pəls] -n

  1. the edible seeds of various crops (as peas, beans, or lentils) of the legume family
  2. a plant yielding pulse
  3. the regular expansion of an artery caused by the ejection of blood into the arterial system by the contractions of the heart
  4. the palpable beat resulting from such pulse as detected in a superficial artery
  5. the number of individual beats in a specified time period (as one minute)
    • a resting pulse of 70
  6. underlying sentiment or opinion or an indication of it
  7. vitality
  8. rhythmical beating, vibrating, or sounding
  9. beat, throb
  10. a transient variation of a quantity (as electric current or voltage) whose value is normally constant
  11. an electromagnetic wave or modulation thereof of brief duration
  12. a brief disturbance of pressure in a medium
  13. a sound wave or short train of sound waves
  14. a dose of a substance esp. when applied over a short period of time
    • pulse s of intravenous methylprednisolone
  15. to exhibit a pulse or pulsation : throb
  16. to drive by or as if by a pulsation
  17. to cause to pulsate
  18. to produce or modulate (as electromagnetic waves) in the form of pulses
    • pulsed waves
  19. to cause (an apparatus) to produce pulses

pulsejet engine ['pəls-'jet-] -n

  1. a jet engine designed to produce a pulsating thrust by the intermittent flow of hot gases

pulse oximeter -n

  1. a device that measures the oxygen saturation of arterial blood in a subject by utilizing a sensor attached typically to a finger, toe, or ear to determine the percentage of oxyhemoglobin in blood pulsating through a network of capillaries

pulv -abbr

  1. powder

pul·ver·a·ble ['pəl-və-rə-bəl, 'pəlv-rə-] -adj

  1. capable of being pulverized

pul·ver·ise ['pəl-və-,rīz] -vb, adj, n

(variant of pulverize)

  1. to reduce (as by crushing, beating, or grinding) to very small particles : atomize
    • pulverize rock
  2. annihilate, demolish
  3. to become pulverized

pul·ver·ize ['pəl-və-,rīz] -vb, adj, n

  1. to reduce (as by crushing, beating, or grinding) to very small particles : atomize
    • pulverize rock
  2. annihilate, demolish
  3. to become pulverized

pul·ver·u·lent [,pəl-'ver-yə-lənt, -'ver-ə-] -adj

  1. consisting of or reducible to fine powder
  2. being or looking dusty : crumbly

pul·vi·nus [,pəl-'vī-nəs, -'vē-] -n

  1. a swelling at the base of a petiole or petiolule

pu·ma ['pü-mə, 'pyü-] -n

  1. cougar
  2. the fur or pelt of a cougar

pum·ice ['pə-məs] -n, adj

  1. a volcanic glass full of cavities and very light in weight used esp. in powder form for smoothing and polishing

pum·ic·ite ['pə-mə-,sīt] -n

  1. pumice

pum·mel ['pə-məl] -vb

  1. pound, beat

pummelo ['pä-mə-,lō] -n

(variant of pomelo)

  1. grapefruit
  2. a very large thick-rinded usu. pear-shaped citrus fruit differing from the closely related grapefruit esp. in its loose rind and often coarse dry pulp
  3. a large widely cultivated tropical tree ( Citrus maximasyn. C. grandis) of southeast Asia that bears pomelos

pump ['pəmp] -n

  1. a device that raises, transfers, delivers, or compresses fluids or that attenuates gases esp. by suction or pressure or both
  2. heart
  3. an act or the process of pumping
  4. an energy source (as light) for pumping atoms or molecules
  5. a biological mechanism by which atoms, ions, or molecules are transported across cell membranes
  6. to work a pump : raise or move a fluid with a pump
  7. to exert oneself to pump or as if to pump something
  8. to move in a manner that resembles the action of a pump handle
  9. to raise (as water) with a pump
  10. to draw fluid from with a pump
  11. to pour forth, deliver, or draw with or as if with a pump
    • pump ed money into the economy
    • pump new life into the classroom
  12. to question persistently
    • pump ed him for the information
  13. to elicit by persistent questioning
  14. to operate by manipulating a lever
  15. to manipulate as if operating a pump handle
    • pump ed my hand warmly
  16. to cause to move with an action resembling that of a pump handle
    • a runner pump ing her arms
  17. to transport (as ions) against a concentration gradient by the expenditure of energy
  18. to excite (as atoms or molecules) esp. so as to cause emission of coherent monochromatic electromagnetic radiation (as in a laser)
  19. to energize (as a laser) by pumping
  20. a shoe that grips the foot chiefly at the toe and heel
  21. a close-fitting woman's dress shoe with a moderate to high heel

pumped ['pəm(p)t] -adj

  1. filled with energetic excitement and enthusiasm
    • pumped for the football game

pumped storage -n

  1. a hydroelectric system in which electricity is generated during periods of high demand by the use of water that has been pumped into a reservoir at a higher altitude during periods of low demand

pump·er ['pəm-pər] -n

  1. one that pumps
  2. a fire truck equipped with a pump

pum·per·nick·el ['pəm-pər-,ni-kəl] -n

  1. a dark coarse sourdough bread made of unbolted rye flour

pump fake -n, vb

  1. a fake in which a player simulates throwing a pass (as in football) or taking a shot (as in basketball)

pump·kin ['pəm(p)-kən, ÷'pəŋ-kən] -n

  1. the usu. round orange fruit of an annual vine ( Cucurbita pepo) of the gourd family widely cultivated as food
  2. winter crookneck
  3. any of various large-fruited winter squashes ( C. maxima)
  4. a usu. hairy prickly vine that produces pumpkins
  5. a strong orange color

pump·kin·seed [-,sēd] -n

  1. a brightly colored No. American freshwater sunfish ( Lepomis gibbosus) with a reddish spot on the operculum

pump priming -n

  1. government investment expenditures designed to induce a self-sustaining expansion of economic activity

pump up -vt

  1. to fill with enthusiasm or excitement
  2. to fill with or as if with air : inflate
  3. increase

pun ['pən] -n

  1. the usu. humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound
  2. to make puns

pu·na ['pü-nə] -n

  1. a treeless windswept tableland or basin in the higher Andes

punch ['pənch] -n

  1. a tool usu. in the form of a short rod of steel that is variously shaped at one end for different operations (as forming, perforating, embossing, or cutting)
  2. a short tapering steel rod for driving the heads of nails below a surface
  3. a steel die faced with a letter in relief that is forced into a softer metal to form an intaglio matrix from which foundry type is cast
  4. a device or machine for cutting holes or notches (as in paper or cardboard)
  5. a hole or notch from a perforating operation
  6. prod, poke
  7. drive, herd
    • punch ing cattle
  8. to strike with a forward thrust esp. of the fist
  9. to drive or push forcibly by or as if by a punch
  10. to hit (a ball) with less than a full swing
  11. to emboss, cut, perforate, or make with or as if with a punch
  12. to push down so as to produce a desired result
    • punch buttons on a jukebox
  13. to hit or press down the operating mechanism of
    • punch a typewriter
  14. to insert a time card into (a time clock)
  15. to produce by or as if by punching keys
    • punch out a tune on the piano
  16. to enter (as data) by punching keys
  17. to give emphasis to
  18. to perform the action of punching something
  19. to move or push forward esp. by a sudden forceful effort
    • punch ed into enemy territory
  20. the action of punching
  21. a quick blow with or as if with the fist
  22. effective energy or forcefulness
    • a story that packs a punch
    • political punch
  23. a hot or cold drink that is usu. a combination of hard liquor, wine, or beer and nonalcoholic beverages
  24. a drink that is a mixture of nonalcoholic beverages

PunchandJudy show [,pənch-ən-'jü-dē-] -n

  1. a traditional puppet show in which the little hook-nosed humpback Punch fights comically with his wife Judy

punch·ball ['pənch-,bȯl] -n

  1. baseball adapted for small areas in which a rubber ball is hit with a fist instead of a bat

punch·board [-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a small board that has many holes each filled with a rolled-up printed slip to be punched out on payment of a nominal sum in an effort to obtain a slip that entitles the player to a designated prize

punch bowl -n

  1. a large bowl from which a beverage (as punch) is served

punch card -n

  1. a card in which holes are punched in designated positions to represent data called also Hollerith card punched card

punchdrunk ['pənch-,drəŋk] -adj

  1. suffering cerebral injury usu. from many minute brain hemorrhages that is a result of repeated head blows received in boxing and is typically marked by mental confusion, incoordination, and slurred speech
  2. behaving as if punch-drunk : dazed, confused

pun·cheon ['pən-chən] -n

  1. a pointed tool for piercing or for working on stone
  2. a short upright framing timber
  3. a split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed

puncheon -n

  1. a large cask of varying capacity

punch in -vi

  1. to record the time of one's arrival or beginning work by punching a time clock

pun·chi·nel·lo [,pən-chə-'ne-(,)lō] -n

  1. a fat short humpbacked clown or buffoon in Italian puppet shows
  2. a squat grotesque person

punch·ing bag ['pən-chiŋ-] -n

  1. a stuffed or inflated bag that is usu. suspended for free movement and that is punched for exercise or for training in boxing
  2. one who is routinely abused or defeated by another

punch line -n

  1. the sentence, statement, or phrase (as in a joke) that makes the point

punch list -n

  1. a list of usu. minor tasks to be completed at the end of a project

punchout ['pənch-,au̇t] -n

  1. fistfight
  2. strikeout

punch out -vi

  1. to record the time of one's stopping work or departure by punching a time clock
  2. to bail out of an aircraft using an ejection seat
  3. to beat up
  4. strike out

punch press -n

  1. a press equipped with cutting, shaping, or combination dies for working on material (as metal)

punchup ['pənch-,əp] -n

  1. fistfight

punch up -vt

  1. to give energy or forcefulness to
    • jokes added to punch up a speech

punchy ['pən-chē] -adj

  1. having punch : forceful, spirited
  2. vivid, vibrant
    • punchy video graphics
  3. punch-drunk

punc·tate ['pəŋk-,tāt] -adj, n

  1. marked with minute spots or depressions
    • a punctate leaf
  2. characterized by dots or points
    • punctate skin lesions

punc·til·io [,pəŋk-'ti-lē-,ō] -n

  1. a minute detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code
  2. careful observance of forms (as in social conduct)

punc·til·i·ous [-lē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by or concerned about precise accordance with the details of codes or conventions

punc·tu·al ['pəŋk-chə-wəl, -chəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. being on time : prompt

punc·tu·ate ['pəŋk-chə-,wāt] -vb, n

  1. to mark or divide (written matter) with punctuation marks
  2. to break into or interrupt at intervals
    • the steady click of her needles punctuated the silence -- Edith Wharton
  3. accentuate, emphasize
  4. to use punctuation marks

punctuated equilibrium -n

  1. evolution that is characterized by long periods of stability in the characteristics of an organism and short periods of rapid change during which new forms appear esp. from small subpopulations of the ancestral form in restricted parts of its geographic range
  2. a theory or model of evolution emphasizing this

punc·tu·a·tion [,pəŋk-chə-'wā-shən] -n

  1. the act of punctuating : the state of being punctuated
  2. the act or practice of inserting standardized marks or signs in written matter to clarify the meaning and separate structural units
  3. a system of punctuation
  4. something that contrasts or accentuates

punctuation mark -n

  1. any of various standardized marks or signs used in punctuation

punc·ture ['pəŋk-chər] -n

  1. an act of puncturing
  2. a hole, wound, or perforation made by puncturing
  3. a minute depression

puncture ['pəŋk-chə-riŋ, 'pəŋk-shriŋ] -vb

  1. to pierce with or as if with a pointed instrument or object
  2. to make useless or ineffective as if by a puncture : deflate
  3. to become punctured

puncture vine -n

  1. an Old World annual prostrate herb ( Tribulus terrestris) of the caltrop family that has hard spiny pods and is a troublesome weed esp. in the western U.S. called also caltrop

pun·dit ['pən-dət] -n

  1. pandit
  2. a learned man : teacher
  3. a person who gives opinions in an authoritative manner usu. through the mass media : critic

pun·dit·oc·ra·cy [,pən-dət-'ä-krə-sē] -n

  1. a group of powerful and influential political commentators

pung ['pəŋ] -n

  1. a sleigh with a box-shaped body

pun·gen·cy ['pən-jən(t)-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being pungent

pun·gent [-jənt] -adj, adv

  1. sharply painful
  2. having a stiff and sharp point
    • pungent leaves
  3. marked by a sharp incisive quality : caustic
    • a pungent critic
    • pungent language
  4. being sharp and to the point
  5. causing a sharp or irritating sensation
  6. acrid
  7. having an intense flavor or odor
    • a pungent chili

pun·gle ['pəŋ-gəl] -vb

  1. to make a payment or contribution of (money) usu. used with up
  2. pay, contribute usu. used with up

Pu·nic ['pyü-nik] -adj

  1. of or relating to Carthage or the Carthaginians
  2. faithless, treacherous

Punic -n

  1. the Phoenician dialect of ancient Carthage

pun·ish ['pə-nish] -vb, n, adj

  1. to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation
  2. to inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) in retribution or retaliation
  3. to deal with roughly or harshly
  4. to inflict injury on : hurt
  5. to inflict punishment

pun·ish·ment ['pə-nish-mənt] -n

  1. the act of punishing
  2. suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution
  3. a penalty inflicted on an offender through judicial procedure
  4. severe, rough, or disastrous treatment

pu·ni·tion [pyü-'ni-shən] -n

  1. punishment

pu·ni·tive ['pyü-nə-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. inflicting, involving, or aiming at punishment
    • severe punitive measures

punitive damages -n pl

  1. damages awarded in excess of compensation to the plaintiff to punish a defendant for a serious wrong

Pun·jabi [,pən-'jä-bē, -'ja-] -n, adj

  1. an Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab
  2. a native or inhabitant of the Punjab region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent

punk ['pəŋk] -n

  1. prostitute
  2. nonsense, foolishness
  3. a young inexperienced person : beginner, novice
  4. a young man
  5. a usu. petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian
  6. a young man used as a homosexual partner esp. in a prison
  7. punk rock
  8. a punk rock musician
  9. one who affects punk styles
  10. very poor : inferior
    • played a punk game
  11. being in poor health
    • said that she was feeling punk
  12. of or relating to punk rock
  13. relating to or being a style (as of dress or hair) inspired by punk rock
  14. wood so decayed as to be dry, crumbly, and useful for tinder
  15. a preparation (as of a stick of coated wood) that burns slowly and is used to ignite fuses esp. of fireworks

pun·kah ['pəŋ-kə] -n

  1. a fan used esp. in India that consists of a canvas-covered frame suspended from the ceiling and that is operated by a cord

punk·er ['pəŋ-kər] -n

  1. punk

pun·kie ['pəŋ-kē] -n

  1. biting midge

punk rock -n

  1. rock music marked by extreme and often deliberately offensive expressions of alienation and social discontent

punky ['pəŋ-kē] -adj, n

  1. resembling punk in being soft or rotted
  2. resembling or typical of a punk

pun·net ['pə-nət] -n

  1. a small basket for fruits or vegetables

Pun·nett square ['pə-nət-] -n

  1. an n nsquare used in genetics to calculate the frequencies of the different genotypes and phenotypes among the offspring of a cross

pun·ny ['pə-nē] -adj

  1. constituting or involving a pun

pun·ster ['pən(t)-stər] -n

  1. one who is given to punning

punt ['pənt] -n

  1. a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with square ends usu. propelled with a pole
  2. to propel (as a punt) with a pole
  3. to play at a gambling game against the banker
  4. gamble
  5. to kick (as a football or soccer ball) with the top of the foot before the ball which is dropped from the hands hits the ground
  6. to punt a ball
  7. the act or an instance of punting a ball
  8. the monetary pound of Ireland

punt·er ['pən-tər] -n

  1. : one that punts: as
  2. a person who gambles
  3. one who bets against a bookmaker
  4. a person who uses a punt in boating
  5. a person who punts a ball
  6. customer, patron

punt formation -n

  1. an offensive football formation in which a back making a punt stands approximately 10 yards behind the line and the other backs are in blocking position close to the line

pun·ty ['pən-tē] -n

  1. a metal rod used for fashioning hot glass

pu·ny ['pyü-nē] -adj, adv, n

  1. slight or inferior in power, size, or importance : weak

pup ['pəp] -n

  1. a young dog
  2. one of the young of various animals (as a seal or rat)
  3. offset
  4. to give birth to pups

pu·pa ['pyü-pə] -n, adj

  1. an intermediate usu. quiescent stage of a metamorphic insect (as a bee, moth, or beetle) that occurs between the larva and the imago, is usu. enclosed in a cocoon or protective covering, and undergoes internal changes by which larval structures are replaced by those typical of the imago

pu·par·i·um [pyü-'per-ē-əm] -n

  1. a rigid outer shell formed from the larval skin that covers some pupae (as of a dipteran fly)

pu·pate ['pyü-,pāt] -vi, n

  1. to become a pupa : pass through a pupal stage

pup·fish ['pəp-,fish] -n

  1. any of several killifishes (genus Cyprinodonof the family Cyprinodontidae) esp. of warm streams and springs of the western U.S.

pu·pil ['pyü-pəl] -n

  1. a child or young person in school or in the charge of a tutor or instructor : student
  2. one who has been taught or influenced by a famous or distinguished person

pupil ['pyü-pə-,ler-ē] -n, adj

  1. the contractile aperture in the iris of the eye

pu·pil·age ['pyü-pə-lij] -n

  1. the state or period of being a pupil

pup·pet ['pə-pət] -n, adj

  1. a small-scale figure (as of a person or animal) usu. with a cloth body and hollow head that fits over and is moved by the hand
  2. marionette
  3. doll
  4. one whose acts are controlled by an outside force or influence
    • a puppet ruler

pup·pe·teer [,pə-pə-'tir] -n

  1. one who manipulates puppets

pup·pet·ry ['pə-pə-trē] -n

  1. the production or creation of puppets or puppet shows
  2. the art of manipulating puppets

pup·py ['pə-pē] -n, adj

  1. a young domestic dog
  2. one less than a year old
  3. baby
    • a computer that is one fast puppy

puppy dog -n

  1. a domestic dog
  2. one having the lovable attributes of a puppy

puppy love -n

  1. transitory love or affection felt by a child or adolescent

puppy mill -n

  1. a commercial farming operation in which purebred dogs are raised in large numbers

pup tent -n

  1. a small usu. wedge-shaped tent for two persons

pu·pu ['pü-,pü] -n

  1. an Asian dish served as an appetizer or main course and consisting of a variety of foods (as egg rolls, spareribs, and fried shrimp)
    • pupu platter

Pu·ra·na [pu̇-'rä-nə] -n, adj

  1. one of a class of Hindu sacred writings chiefly from a.d.300 to a.d.750 comprising popular myths and legends and other traditional lore

pur·blind ['pər-,blīnd] -adj, adv, n

  1. wholly blind
  2. partly blind
  3. lacking in vision, insight, or understanding : obtuse

pur·chase ['pər-chəs] -vb, adj, n

  1. gain, acquire
  2. to acquire (real estate) by means other than descent
  3. to obtain by paying money or its equivalent : buy
  4. to obtain by labor, danger, or sacrifice
  5. to constitute the means for buying
    • our dollars purchase less each year
  6. to purchase something

purchase -n

  1. an act or instance of purchasing
  2. something obtained esp. for a price in money or its equivalent
  3. a mechanical hold or advantage applied to the raising or moving of heavy bodies
  4. an apparatus or device by which advantage is gained
  5. an advantage (as a firm hold or position) used in applying one's power
    • clutching the steering wheel for more purchase -- Barry Crump
  6. a means of exerting power

pur·dah ['pər-də] -n

  1. seclusion of women from public observation among Muslims and some Hindus esp. in India
  2. a state of seclusion or concealment

pure ['pyu̇r] -adj, n

  1. unmixed with any other matter
    • pure gold
  2. free from dust, dirt, or taint
    • pure springwater
  3. spotless, stainless
  4. free from harshness or roughness and being in tune used of a musical tone
  5. characterized by no appreciable alteration of articulation during utterance
  6. being thus and no other : sheer, unmitigated
    • pure folly
  7. abstract, theoretical
    • pure research
  8. a priori
    • pure mechanics
  9. not directed toward exposition of reality or solution of practical problems
    • pure literature
  10. being nonobjective and to be appraised on formal and technical qualities only
    • pure form
  11. free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes
  12. containing nothing that does not properly belong
  13. free from moral fault or guilt
  14. marked by chastity : continent
  15. of pure blood and unmixed ancestry
  16. homozygous in and breeding true for one or more characters
  17. ritually clean
  18. having exactly the talents or skills needed for a particular role
    • a pure shooter in basketball

pureblood·ed ['pyu̇r-,blə-dəd] -adj, n

  1. full-blooded

pure·bred [-'bred, -,bred] -adj, n

  1. bred from members of a recognized breed, strain, or kind without admixture of other blood over many generations

pure democracy -n

  1. democracy in which the power is exercised directly by the people rather than through representatives

pu·ree [pyu̇-'rā, -'rē] -n

  1. a paste or thick liquid suspension usu. made from cooked food ground finely
  2. a thick soup made of pureed vegetables

puree -vt

  1. to make a puree of

pure imaginary -n, adj

  1. a complex number that is solely the product of a real number other than zero and the imaginary unit

pure·ly ['pyu̇r-lē] -adv

  1. to a full extent : totally
    • purely by accident
  2. wholly, exclusively
    • a selection based purely on merit
  3. without admixture of anything injurious or foreign
  4. simply, merely
    • read purely for relaxation
  5. in a chaste or innocent manner

pur·fle ['pər-fəl] -vt, n

  1. to ornament the border or edges of

pur·ga·tion [,pər-'gā-shən] -n

  1. the act or result of purging

pur·ga·tive ['pər-gə-tiv] -adj

  1. purging or tending to purge

purgative -n

  1. a purging medicine : cathartic

pur·ga·to·ri·al [,pər-gə-'tȯr-ē-əl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of purgatory
  2. cleansing of sin : expiatory

pur·ga·to·ry ['pər-gə-,tȯr-ē] -n

  1. an intermediate state after death for expiatory purification
  2. a place or state of punishment wherein according to Roman Catholic doctrine the souls of those who die in God's grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so become fit for heaven
  3. a place or state of temporary suffering or misery

purge ['pərj] -vb, n

  1. to clear of guilt
  2. to free from moral or ceremonial defilement
  3. to cause evacuation from (as the bowels)
  4. to make free of something unwanted
    • purge a manhole of gas
    • purge yourself of fear
  5. to free (as a boiler) of sediment or relieve (as a steam pipe) of trapped air by bleeding
  6. to rid (as a nation or party) by a purge
  7. to get rid of
    • the leaders had been purged
  8. to become purged
  9. to have or produce frequent evacuations
  10. to cause purgation
  11. something that purges
  12. purgative
  13. an act or instance of purging
  14. the removal of elements or members regarded as undesirable and esp. as treacherous or disloyal

pu·ri ['pu̇r-ē] -n

  1. a puffy fried wheat cake of India

pu·ri·fi·ca·tion [,pyu̇r-ə-fə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. the act or an instance of purifying or of being purified

pu·ri·fi·ca·tor ['pyu̇r-ə-fə-,kā-tər] -n

  1. a linen cloth used to wipe the chalice after celebration of the Eucharist
  2. one that purifies

pu·ri·fi·ca·to·ry [pyu̇r-'i-fi-kə-,tȯr-ē, 'pyu̇r-(ə-)fə-kə-] -adj

  1. serving, tending, or intended to purify
    • purificatory rituals

pu·ri·fy ['pyu̇r-ə-,fī] -vb, n

  1. : to make pure: as
  2. to clear from material defilement or imperfection
  3. to free from guilt or moral or ceremonial blemish
  4. to free from undesirable elements
  5. to grow or become pure or clean

Pu·rim ['pu̇r-im, 'pyu̇r-, -,ēm; pu̇-'rim, pyu̇-, -'rēm] -n

  1. a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 14th of Adar in commemoration of the deliverance of the Jews from the massacre plotted by Haman

pu·rine ['pyu̇r-,ēn] -n

  1. a crystalline base C 5H 4N 4that is the parent of compounds of the uric-acid group
  2. a derivative of purine
  3. a base (as adenine or guanine) that is a constituent of DNA or RNA

pur·ism ['pyu̇r-,i-zəm] -n

  1. an example of rigid adherence to or insistence on purity or nicety esp. in use of words
  2. a word, phrase, or sense used chiefly by purists
  3. the quality or practice of adherence to purity esp. in language

pur·ist ['pyu̇r-ist] -n, adj, adv

  1. a person who adheres strictly and often excessively to a tradition
  2. one preoccupied with the purity of a language and its protection from the use of foreign or altered forms

pu·ri·tan ['pyu̇r-ə-tən] -n

  1. a member of a 16th and 17th century Protestant group in England and New England opposing as unscriptural the ceremonial worship and the prelacy of the Church of England
  2. one who practices or preaches a more rigorous or professedly purer moral code than that which prevails

puritan -adj

  1. of or relating to puritans, the Puritans, or puritanism

pu·ri·tan·i·cal [,pyu̇r-ə-'ta-ni-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by a rigid morality
  2. puritan

pu·ri·tan·ism ['pyu̇r-ə-tᵊn-,i-zəm] -n

  1. the beliefs and practices characteristic of the Puritans
  2. strictness and austerity esp. in matters of religion or conduct

pu·ri·ty ['pyu̇r-ə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being pure
  2. saturation

Pur·kin·je cell [(,)pər-'kin-jē-] -n

  1. any of numerous nerve cells that occupy the middle layer of the cerebellar cortex and are characterized by a large globose body with massive dendrites directed outward and a single slender axon directed inward

Purkinje fiber -n

  1. any of the modified cardiac muscle fibers with few nuclei, granulated central cytoplasm, and sparse peripheral striations that make up a network of myocardial conducting tissue

purl ['pər(-ə)l] -n

  1. gold or silver thread or wire for embroidering or edging
  2. the intertwisting of thread that knots a stitch usu. along an edge
  3. purl stitch
  4. to embroider with gold or silver thread
  5. to edge or border with gold or silver embroidery
  6. to knit in purl stitch
  7. to do knitting in purl stitch
  8. a purling or swirling stream or rill
  9. a gentle murmur or movement (as of purling water)
  10. eddy, swirl
  11. to make a soft murmuring sound like that of a purling stream

pur·lieu ['pərl-(,)yü, 'pər-(,)lü] -n

  1. an outlying or adjacent district
  2. environs, neighborhood
  3. a frequently visited place : haunt
  4. confines, bounds

pur·lin ['pər-lən] -n

  1. a horizontal member in a roof

pur·loin [(,)pər-'lȯin, 'pər-,] -vt, n

  1. to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust

purl stitch -n

  1. a knitting stitch usu. made with the yarn at the front of the work by inserting the right needle into the front of a loop on the left needle from the right, catching the yarn with the right needle, and bringing it through to form a new loop

pu·ro·my·cin [,pyu̇r-ə-'mī-sᵊn] -n

  1. an antibiotic C 22H 29N 7O 5that is obtained from an actinomycete ( Streptomyces alboniger) and is a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis

pur·ple ['pər-pəl] -adj

  1. regal, imperial
  2. of the color purple
  3. highly rhetorical : ornate
  4. marked by profanity

purple -n

  1. cloth dyed purple
  2. a garment of such color
  3. a purple robe worn as an emblem of rank or authority
  4. tyrian purple
  5. any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue
  6. a mollusk (as of the genus Purpura) yielding a purple dye and esp. the Tyrian purple of ancient times
  7. a pigment or dye that colors purple
  8. imperial or regal rank or power
  9. high rank or station
  10. to make purple
  11. to become purple

purple coneflower -n

  1. any of a No. American genus ( Echinacea,esp. E. purpurea) of coarse perennial composite herbs with thick rough leaves and long-stalked flower heads having purplish-brown cone-shaped disks and usu. pink to purplish rays

purple finch -n

  1. a finch ( Carpodacus purpureus) of the U.S. and Canada having in the male a rosy-red head, breast, and rump

pur·ple·heart ['pər-pəl-,härt] -n

  1. a strong durable purplish wood that is obtained from various leguminous trees (genus Peltogyne) of Central and So. America
  2. a tree producing such wood

Purple Heart -n

  1. a U.S. military decoration awarded to any member of the armed forces wounded or killed in action

purple loosestrife -n

  1. a perennial Eurasian marsh herb ( Lythrum salicaria) of the loosestrife family that is naturalized in eastern No. America and has long spikes of purple flowers

purple martin -n

  1. a large swallow ( Progne subis) of No. America the males of which have glossy purplish-blue plumage

purple passage -n

  1. a passage conspicuous for brilliance or effectiveness in a work that is dull, commonplace, or uninspired
  2. a piece of obtrusively ornate writing called also purple patch

purple scale -n

  1. a brownish or purplish armored scale ( Lepidosaphes beckii) that is destructive to citrus fruit

pur·plish ['pər-p(ə-)lish] -adj

  1. somewhat purple

pur·ply ['pər-p(ə-)lē] -adj

  1. purplish

pur·port ['pər-,pȯrt] -n

  1. meaning conveyed, professed, or implied : import
  2. substance, gist
  3. to have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming (something implied or inferred)
    • a book that purport s to be an objective analysis
  4. claim
    • foreign novels which he purport s to have translated -- Mary McCarthy
  5. intend, purpose

pur·port·ed [-'pȯr-təd] -adj

  1. reputed, alleged
    • took gullible tourists to purported ancient sites

pur·port·ed·ly [-lē] -adv

  1. it is purported : ostensibly, allegedly

pur·pose ['pər-pəs] -n

  1. something set up as an object or end to be attained : intention
  2. resolution, determination
  3. a subject under discussion or an action in course of execution

purpose -vt

  1. to propose as an aim to oneself

pur·posebuilt [,pər-pəs-'bilt] -adj

  1. built for a particular purpose

pur·pose·ful ['pər-pəs-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. : having a purpose: as
  2. meaningful
    • purposeful activities
  3. intentional
    • purposeful ambiguity
  4. full of determination
    • was soft-spoken but purposeful

pur·pose·less [-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. having no purpose : aimless, meaningless

pur·pose·ly [-lē] -adv

  1. with a deliberate or express purpose

pur·po·sive ['pər-pə-siv, (,)pər-'pō-] -adj, adv, n

  1. serving or effecting a useful function though not as a result of planning or design
  2. having or tending to fulfill a conscious purpose or design : purposeful

pur·pu·ra ['pər-pyə-rə, -pə-rə] -n, adj

  1. any of several hemorrhagic states characterized by patches of purplish discoloration resulting from extravasation of blood into the skin and mucous membranes

pur·pure ['pər-pyər] -n

  1. the heraldic color purple

purr ['pər] -n

  1. a low vibratory murmur typical of an apparently contented or pleased cat
  2. to make a purr or a sound like a purr
    • cars purr ing along the highway
  3. to speak in a manner that resembles a purr
  4. to speak in a malicious catty manner

purse ['pərs] -n, adj

  1. a small bag for money
  2. a receptacle (as a pocketbook) for carrying money and often other small objects
  3. a receptacle (as a pouch) shaped like a purse
  4. resources, funds
  5. a sum of money offered as a prize or present
  6. the total amount of money offered in prizes for a given event
  7. to put into a purse
  8. pucker, knit
    • pursed his brow

purseproud ['pərs-,prau̇d] -adj

  1. proud because of one's wealth esp. in the absence of other distinctions

purs·er ['pər-sər] -n

  1. an official on a ship responsible for papers and accounts and on a passenger ship also for the comfort and welfare of passengers
  2. a steward on an airliner

purse seine -n

  1. a large seine designed to be set by two boats around a school of fish and so arranged that after the ends have been brought together the bottom can be closed

purse strings -n pl

  1. financial resources
  2. control over these resources

purs·lane ['pər-slən, -,slān] -n

  1. any of a family (Portulacaceae, the purslane family) of cosmopolitan usu. succulent herbs
  2. a fleshy-leaved trailing plant ( Portulaca oleracea) with tiny yellow flowers that is a common troublesome weed but is sometimes eaten as a potherb or in salads

pur·su·ance [pər-'sü-ən(t)s] -n

  1. the act of pursuing
  2. a carrying out or into effect : prosecution
    • in pursuance of his duties

pur·su·ant to [-ənt-] -prep

  1. in carrying out : in conformity with : according to

pur·sue [pər-'sü, -'syü] -vb, n

  1. to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, or defeat
  2. to find or employ measures to obtain or accomplish : seek
    • pursue a goal
  3. to proceed along
    • pursue s a northern course
  4. to engage in
    • pursue a hobby
  5. to follow up or proceed with
    • pursue an argument
  6. to continue to afflict : haunt
    • was pursued by horrible memories
  7. chase
    • pursued by dozens of fans
  8. to go in pursuit

pur·suit [pər-'süt, -'syüt] -n

  1. the act of pursuing
  2. an activity that one engages in as a vocation, profession, or avocation : occupation

pursuit plane -n

  1. a fighter plane esp. of the period before World War II

pur·sui·vant ['pər-si-vənt, -swi-] -n

  1. an officer of arms ranking below a herald but having similar duties
  2. follower, attendant

pur·sy ['pə-sē, 'pər-sē] -adj, n

  1. short-winded esp. because of corpulence
  2. fat

pursy ['pər-sē] -adj

  1. having a puckered appearance
  2. purse-proud

pur·te·nance ['pərt-nən(t)s, 'pər-tᵊn-ən(t)s] -n

  1. entrails, pluck

pu·ru·lence ['pyu̇r-ə-lən(t)s, 'pyu̇r-yə-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being purulent
  2. pus

pu·ru·lent [-lənt] -adj

  1. containing, consisting of, or being pus
    • a purulent discharge
  2. accompanied by suppuration

pur·vey [(,)pər-'vā, 'pər-,] -vt

  1. to supply (as provisions) usu. as a matter of business
  2. peddle

pur·vey·ance [-ən(t)s] -n

  1. the act or process of purveying or procuring

pur·vey·or [-ər] -n

  1. one that purveys
  2. victualler, caterer

pur·view ['pər-,vyü] -n

  1. the body or enacting part of a statute
  2. the limit, purpose, or scope of a statute
  3. the range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intention
  4. range of vision, understanding, or cognizance

pus ['pəs] -n

  1. thick opaque usu. yellowish-white fluid matter formed by suppuration and composed of exudate containing white blood cells, tissue debris, and microorganisms

Pu·sey·ism ['pyü-zē-,i-zəm, -sē-] -n

  1. tractarianism

push ['pu̇sh] -vb

  1. to press against with force in order to drive or impel
  2. to move or endeavor to move away or ahead by steady pressure without striking
  3. to thrust forward, downward, or outward
  4. to cause to increase : raise
    • push prices to record levels
  5. to try to move beyond or expand
    • push one's limits
  6. to hit (a ball) toward the right from a right-handed swing or toward the left from a left-handed swing
  7. to press or urge forward to completion
  8. to urge or press the advancement, adoption, or practice of
    • push ed a bill in the legislature
  9. to make aggressive efforts to sell
    • we're push ing ham this week
  10. to engage in the illicit sale of (narcotics)
  11. to bear hard upon so as to involve in difficulty
    • poverty push ed them to the breaking point
  12. to approach in age or number
    • grandmother must be push ing 75
  13. to press against something with steady force in or as if in order to impel
  14. to press forward energetically against opposition
  15. to exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end
    • push ing for higher wages
  16. : a vigorous effort to attain an end : drive:
  17. a military assault or offensive
  18. an advance that overcomes obstacles
  19. a campaign to promote a product
  20. a time for action : emergency
  21. an act of pushing : shove
  22. a physical force steadily applied in a direction away from the body exerting it
  23. a nonphysical pressure : influence, urge
  24. vigorous enterprise or energy
  25. an exertion of influence to promote another's interests
  26. stimulation to activity : impetus

PUSH -abbr

  1. People United to Serve Humanity

push around -vt

  1. to impose on contemptuously : bully

push·ball ['pu̇sh-,bȯl] -n

  1. a game in which each of two sides endeavors to push an inflated orig. leather-covered ball six feet (1.8 meters) in diameter across its opponents' goal
  2. the ball used

pushbike [-,bīk] -n

  1. bicycle called also push bicycle

push broom -n

  1. a long-handled wide brush that is designed to be pushed and is used for sweeping

pushbutton -adj

  1. operated or done by means of push buttons
    • a pushbutton phone
  2. using or dependent on complex and more or less self-operating mechanisms that are put in operation by a simple act comparable to pushing a button
    • pushbutton warfare

push button -n

  1. a small button or knob that when pushed operates something esp. by closing an electric circuit

push·cart ['pu̇sh-,kärt] -n

  1. a cart or barrow pushed by hand

push·chair [-,cher] -n

  1. stroller

push·down [-,dau̇n] -n

  1. a store of data (as in a computer) from which the most recently stored item must be the first retrieved called also pushdown list pushdown stack

push·er ['pu̇-shər] -n

  1. one that pushes
  2. one that pushes illegal drugs

push·ing ['pu̇-shiŋ] -adj

  1. marked by ambition, energy, enterprise, and initiative
  2. marked by tactless forwardness or officious intrusiveness

push off -vi

  1. set out
    • we pushed off for home

push on -vi

  1. to continue on one's way : proceed

push·over ['pu̇sh-,ō-vər] -n

  1. something accomplished without difficulty : snap
  2. an opponent who is easy to defeat or a victim who is capable of no effective resistance
  3. someone unable to resist an attraction or appeal : sucker

push·pin [-,pin] -n

  1. a pin that has a roughly cylindrical head and that is easily inserted and withdrawn (as from a bulletin board)

pushpull [-'pu̇l] -adj, n

  1. relating to or being an arrangement of two electronic circuit elements (as transistors) such that an alternating input causes them to send current through a load alternately
    • a pushpull circuit

push·rod ['pu̇sh-,räd] -n

  1. a rod actuated by a cam to open or close a valve of an internal combustion engine

pushup ['pu̇sh-,əp] -n

  1. a conditioning exercise performed in a prone position by raising and lowering the body with the straightening and bending of the arms while keeping the back straight and supporting the body on the hands and toes

pushy ['pu̇-shē] -adj, adv, n

  1. aggressive often to an objectionable degree : forward

pu·sil·la·nim·i·ty [,pyü-sə-lə-'ni-mə-tē also ,pyü-zə-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being pusillanimous : cowardliness

pu·sil·lan·i·mous [-'la-nə-məs] -adj, adv

  1. lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity

puss ['pu̇s] -n

  1. cat
  2. girl
  3. face

puss·ley ['pəs-lē] -n

  1. purslane

pussy ['pu̇-sē] -n

  1. cat
  2. a catkin of the pussy willow

pus·sy ['pu̇-sē] -n

  1. vulva
  2. sexual intercourse
  3. the female partner in sexual intercourse
  4. full of or resembling pus
    • a pussy wound
  5. a weak or cowardly man or boy : wimp, sissy

pussy·cat ['pu̇-sē-,kat] -n

  1. cat
  2. one that is weak, compliant, or amiable : softy

pussy·foot ['pu̇-sē-,fu̇t] -vi, n

  1. to tread or move warily or stealthily
  2. to refrain from committing oneself

pussy·toes ['pu̇-sē-,tōz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. any of a genus ( Antennaria) of woolly or hoary chiefly temperate perennial composite herbs that have small usu. whitish discoid flower heads and a pappus formed of club-shaped bristles

pussy willow ['pu̇-sē-] -n

  1. a willow (as the No. American Salix discolor) having large cylindrical silky catkins

pus·tu·lant ['pəs-chə-lənt; 'pəs-tyə-, -tə-] -n

  1. an agent (as a chemical) that induces pustule formation

pustulant -adj

  1. producing pustules

pus·tu·lar [-lər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling pustules
  2. covered with pustular prominences : pustulated

pus·tu·lat·ed [-,lā-təd] -adj

  1. covered with pustules

pus·tu·la·tion [,pəs-chə-'lā-shən, ,pəs-tyə-, -tə-] -n

  1. the act of producing pustules : the state of having pustules
  2. pustule

pus·tule ['pəs-(,)chül, -(,)tyül, -(,)tül] -n

  1. a small circumscribed elevation of the skin containing pus and having an inflamed base
  2. a small often distinctively colored elevation or spot resembling a blister or pimple

put ['pu̇t] -vb

  1. to place in a specified position or relationship : lay
    • put the book on the table
  2. to move in a specified direction
  3. to send (as a weapon or missile) into or through something : thrust
  4. to throw with an overhand pushing motion
    • put the shot
  5. to bring into a specified state or condition
    • a reapportionment...that was put into effect at the September primaries -- Current Biog.
  6. to prescribe a specified regimen for usu. used with on
    • put her on medication
    • put him on a diet
  7. to cause to endure or suffer something : subject
    • put traitors to death
  8. impose, inflict
    • put a special tax on luxuries
  9. to set before one for judgment or decision
    • put the question
  10. to call for a formal vote on
    • put the motion
  11. to convey into another form
    • want to put my feelings into words
  12. to translate into another language or style
    • put the poem into English
  13. adapt
    • lyrics put to music
  14. express, state
    • putting it mildly
  15. to devote (oneself) to an activity or end
    • put himself to winning back their confidence
  16. apply
    • put her mind to the problem
  17. assign
    • put them to work
  18. to cause to perform an action : urge
    • put the horse over the fence
  19. impel, incite
    • put them into a frenzy
  20. repose, rest
    • put s his faith in reason
  21. invest
    • put her money in the company
  22. to give as an estimate
    • put the time as about eleven
  23. attach, attribute
    • put s a high value on their friendship
  24. impute
    • put the blame on the partners
  25. bet, wager
    • put 2 on the favorite
  26. to start in motion : go
  27. to leave in a hurry
  28. to take a specified course
    • put down the river
  29. a throw made with an overhand pushing motion
  30. the act or an instance of putting the shot
  31. an option to sell a specified amount of a security (as a stock) or commodity (as wheat) at a fixed price at or within a specified time
  32. being in place : fixed, set
    • stay put until I call

put about -vi

  1. to change direction : go on another tack
  2. to cause to change course or direction

put across -vt

  1. put over
  2. to convey effectively or forcefully
    • put her viewpoint across subtly

pu·ta·men [pyü-'tā-mən] -n

  1. the large dark lateral part of the basal ganglion which comprises the external portion of the corpus striatum and which has connections to the caudate nucleus

putandtake [,pu̇t-ᵊn-'tāk] -n

  1. any of various games of chance played with a teetotum or with dice in which players contribute to a pool and take from it according to the instructions on the top or dice

pu·ta·tive ['pyü-tə-tiv] -adj, adv

  1. commonly accepted or supposed
  2. assumed to exist or to have existed

put away -vt

  1. discard, renounce
    • to put grief away is disloyal to the memory of the departed -- H. A. Overstreet
  2. divorce
  3. to eat or drink up : consume
  4. to confine esp. in a mental institution
  5. bury
  6. kill

put by -vt

  1. reject
  2. to lay aside : save

putdown ['pu̇t-,dau̇n] -n

  1. an act or instance of putting down
  2. a humiliating remark

put down -vt

  1. to bring to an end : stop
    • put down a riot
  2. depose, degrade
  3. disparage, belittle
    • mentioned his poetry only to put it down
  4. disapprove, criticize
    • was put down for the way she dressed
  5. humiliate, squelch
    • put him down with a sharp retort
  6. to make ineffective : check
    • put down the gossip
  7. to do away with (as an injured, sick, or aged animal) : destroy
  8. to put in writing
    • put it down truthfully
  9. to enter in a list
    • put me down for a donation
  10. to place in a category
    • I put him down as a hypochondriac -- O. S. J. Gogarty
  11. attribute
    • put it down to inexperience
  12. to pack or preserve for future use
  13. consume
    • putting down helping after helping -- Carson McCullers

put in -vt

  1. to make a formal offer or declaration of
    • put in a plea of guilty
  2. to come in with : interpose
    • put in a word for his brother
  3. to spend (time) esp. at some occupation or job
    • put in six hours at the office
  4. plant
    • put in a crop
  5. to call at or enter a place
  6. to enter a harbor or port
  7. to make an application, request, or offer often used with for
    • had to retire and put in for a pension -- Seymour Nagan

put·log ['pu̇t-,lȯg, 'pət-, -,läg] -n

  1. one of the short timbers that support the flooring of a scaffold

put off -vt

  1. disconcert
  2. repel
  3. to hold back to a later time
  4. to induce to wait
    • put the bill collector off
  5. to rid oneself of : take off
  6. to sell or pass fraudulently

puton ['pu̇t-'ȯn, -'än] -adj

  1. pretended, assumed
  2. an instance of putting someone on
    • conversational puton s are related to old-fashioned joshing -- Jacob Brackman
  3. parody, spoof
    • a kind of puton of every pretentious film ever made -- C. A. Ridley

put on -vt

  1. to dress oneself in : don
  2. to make part of one's appearance or behavior
  3. feign
    • put a saintly manner on
  4. to cause to act or operate : apply
    • put on more speed
  5. add
    • put on weight
  6. exaggerate, overstate
  7. perform, produce
    • put on a play
  8. to mislead deliberately esp. for amusement
    • the interviewer...must be put down - or possibly, put on -- Melvin Maddocks
  9. kid
    • you're putting me on

put·out ['pu̇t-,au̇t] -n

  1. the retiring of a base runner or batter by a defensive player in baseball

put out -vt

  1. extinguish
    • put the fire out
  2. exert, use
    • put out considerable effort
  3. publish, issue
  4. to produce for sale
  5. disconcert, embarrass
  6. annoy, irritate
  7. inconvenience
    • don't put yourself out for us
  8. to cause to be out (as in baseball or cricket)
  9. to set out from shore
  10. to make an effort
  11. to engage in sexual intercourse

put over -vt

  1. postpone, delay
  2. put across
  3. to achieve or carry through by deceit or trickery
    • put one over on me

pu·tre·fac·tion [,pyü-trə-'fak-shən] -n, adj

  1. the decomposition of organic matter
  2. the typically anaerobic splitting of proteins by bacteria and fungi with the formation of foul-smelling incompletely oxidized products
  3. the state of being putrefied : corruption

pu·tre·fy ['pyü-trə-,fī] -vb

  1. to make putrid
  2. to undergo putrefaction

pu·tres·cence [pyü-'tre-sᵊn(t)s] -n

  1. the state of being putrescent

pu·tres·cent [-sᵊnt] -adj

  1. undergoing putrefaction : becoming putrid
  2. of or relating to putrefaction

pu·tres·ci·ble [-'tre-sə-bəl] -adj

  1. liable to become putrid

pu·tres·cine [-'tre-,sēn] -n

  1. a crystalline slightly poisonous ptomaine C 4H 12N 2that occurs in small amounts in virtually all living things

pu·trid ['pyü-trəd] -adj, n, adv

  1. being in a state of putrefaction : rotten
  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of putrefaction : foul
    • a putrid odor
  3. morally corrupt
  4. totally objectionable

putsch ['pu̇ch] -n

  1. a secretly plotted and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government

putsch·ist ['pu̇-chist] -n

  1. one who takes part in a putsch

putt ['pət] -n, vb

  1. a golf stroke made on a putting green to cause the ball to roll into or near the hole

put·ta·nes·ca [,pü-tä-'nes-kä] -adj

  1. served with or being a pungent tomato sauce typically containing olives, garlic, capers, hot pepper, and sometimes anchovies usu. used postpositively
    • pasta puttanesca

put·tee [,pə-'tē, pu̇-; 'pə-tē] -n

  1. a cloth strip wrapped around the leg from ankle to knee
  2. a usu. leather legging secured by a strap or catch or by laces

put·ter ['pu̇-tər] -n

  1. one that puts
    • a putter of questions

putt·er ['pə-tər] -n

  1. a golf club used in putting
  2. one who putts

put·ter ['pə-tər] -vi, n

  1. to move or act aimlessly or idly
  2. to work at random : tinker

put through -vt

  1. to carry to a successful conclusion
    • put through a number of reforms
  2. to make a telephone connection for
  3. to obtain a connection for (a telephone call)

putt·ing green ['pə-tiŋ-] -n

  1. a smooth grassy area at the end of a golf fairway containing the hole
  2. a similar area usu. with many holes that is used for practice

put·to ['pü-(,)tō] -n

  1. a figure of an infant boy esp. in European art of the Renaissance usu. used in pl.

puttputt ['pət-,pət] -n

  1. miniature golf

put·ty ['pə-tē] -n, adj

  1. a doughlike material typically made of whiting and linseed oil that is used esp. to fasten glass in window frames and to fill crevices in woodwork
  2. any of various substances resembling putty in appearance, consistency, or use
  3. a light brownish-gray to light grayish-brown color
  4. one who is easily manipulated
    • is putty in her hands

putty -vt

  1. to use putty on or apply putty to

putty knife -n

  1. an implement with a broad flat metal blade used esp. for applying putty and for scraping

put·ty·root ['pə-tē-,rüt, -,ru̇t] -n

  1. a No. American orchid ( Aplectrum hyemale) having a corm filled with glutinous matter and producing a solitary leaf and a scape bearing a raceme of brownish flowers

putup ['pu̇t-'əp] -adj

  1. arranged secretly beforehand
    • a putup job

put up -vt

  1. to place in a container or receptacle
    • put his lunch up in a bag
  2. to put away (a sword) in a scabbard : sheathe
  3. to prepare so as to preserve for later use : can
  4. to put in storage
  5. to start (game animals) from cover
  6. to nominate for election
  7. to offer up (as a prayer)
  8. set
  9. to make available
  10. to offer for public sale
    • put their possessions up for auction
  11. to give food and shelter to : accommodate
  12. to arrange (as a plot or scheme) with others
    • put up a job to steal the jewels
  13. build, erect
  14. to make a display of
    • put up a brave front
  15. to engage in
    • put up a struggle
  16. contribute, pay
    • put up bail money
  17. to offer as a prize or stake
  18. to increase the amount of : raise
  19. to succeed in producing or achieving
    • an athlete who has put up big numbers
  20. score
    • put up 20 points
  21. lodge
  22. to take direct action used in the phrase put up or shut up

putup·on ['pu̇t-ə-,pȯn, -,pän] -adj

  1. imposed upon : taken advantage of

puz·zle ['pə-zəl] -vb, n

  1. to offer or represent to (as a person) a problem difficult to solve or a situation difficult to resolve : challenge mentally
  2. to exert (as oneself) over such a problem or situation
    • they puzzled their wits to find a solution
  3. complicate, entangle
  4. to solve with difficulty or ingenuity
    • puzzle out an answer to a riddle
  5. to be uncertain as to action or choice
  6. to attempt a solution of a puzzle by guesswork or experiment
    • puzzle over the mystery

puzzle -n

  1. the state of being puzzled : perplexity
  2. something that puzzles
  3. a question, problem, or contrivance designed for testing ingenuity

puz·zle·head·ed ['pə-zəl-,he-dəd] -adj, n

  1. having or based on confused attitudes or ideas

puz·zle·ment ['pə-zəl-mənt] -n

  1. the state of being puzzled : perplexity
  2. puzzle

puzzling -adj, adv

  1. difficult to understand or solve
    • puzzling symptoms