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Herein is a complete list of "wwftd"s dating from ca. 1987 to
present. This started as a "word for the day up on the blackboard"
sort of thing and has degenerated into its current form; irregular
distribution to a mail list via e-mail...and now this.
just a small edit to see what's what..
Copyright © 1995-2020 -- Michael A. Fischer
wwftd email
A B
C D E
F G H
I J K
L M N
O P Q
R S T
U V
W X
Y Z
-
pachycephalosaurus
-
[sci. L.(genus name) < ancient Gk, thick-headed lizard]
-
Paleontology a bipedal herbivorous dinosaur of the late Cretaceous,
characterized by a thickened, dome-like skull
-
pachydermatous
-
thick; callous, insensitive; thick-skinned
-
paedomorphism
-
retention in the adult of infantile or juvenile characters
-
pahoehoe
-
Hawaiian /pa HO eh HO eh/ or /pa HOY HOY/ lava with a
smooth glassy surface (compare a'a)
-
palamate
-
web-footed
-
palaveration
-
discussion
-
palaverous
-
full of or given to palaver: wordy, verbose
-
paleomnesia
- [fr. Gk paleo-, ancient + -mnesia, condition of memory]
- nonce-wd(?) a good memory of events of the distant past
-
palfrey
-
a saddle horse, esp. a light easy-gaited horse suitable for a woman
-
palimpsest
-
writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times
-
palinode
-
1) an ode or song recanting or retracting something in an earlier poem
-
2) a statement retraction
-
palinoia
-
[fr. Gk pali-n, again + -noia, thought] /pal ih NOI uh/
-
the compulsive repetition of an act as a way to master its performance
-
palooka
-
a clumsy, inept, or untalented boxer; a stupid, clumsy, or obnoxious person;
oaf; lout
-
palpate
-
[probably by back-fromation from palpation] to examine by touch
-
palpation
-
[fr. L. palpatio] an examination by touch, esp. medical
-
palter
-
[origin uncertain, perhaps related to paltry] /POL ter/
-
archaic 1) to act insincerely or deceitfully: equivocate 2)
(palter with) to trifle with
-
3) now rare to haggle, chaffer
-
hence, paltering
-
palterer
-
[fr. palter + -er] one who palters: a triffer; a huckster, a haggler
-
paludal
- [fr. L. palus, swamp] having to do with, or produced by, swamps or marshes
-
panache
-
dash or flamboyance in style; verve
-
pandiculation
-
a stretching out when drowsy or when waking; loosely used for 'yawning'
-
panegyric
-
an eulogistic oration or writing; a formal or elaborate praise
-
paneity
-
the quality of being bread; e.g., the paneity of the eucharistic bread
-
paneulogism
-
[fr. pan- + eulogy] obs. rare universal or indiscriminate
praise
-
panglossian
-
[after Pangloss, the absurd, pedantic tutor of (Voltaire's) Candide <
pan, all + Gk glossa, tongue]
-
often capitalized blindly or naively optimistic
-
panjandrum
-
a powerful personage or pretentious official
-
panspermia
-
the theory that microorganisms or biochemical compounds from outer space
are responsible for originating life on Earth and possibly in other parts
of the universe where suitable atmospheric conditions exist
-
pantagruelism
-
1) a semi-serious philosophy of laughter
-
2) a cynical humor
-
pantarbe
-
[ab. Gk, some kind of precious stone]
-
obs. a precious stone fabled to act as a magnet to gold: the
stone of the sun
-
pantechnicon
-
Brit. a usu. enclosed wagon or motortruck used for transportation
of goods or animals; also : caravan
-
pantography
-
a general description of an object; an overview [other senses may apply]
-
pantophagous
-
[see next] eating or requiring a variety of foods
-
pantophagy
- [Gk pantophagia, indiscriminate eating]
the eating of all kinds or a great variety of food
-
pantophobia
-
the fear of everything
-
panurgic
-
[fr. a Gk word meaning knavish, ready to do anything; see also Panurge, a
witty rascal and companion of Pantagruel in Rabelais's Pantagruel,
from the same root]
-
rare able or ready to do anything; skilled at all kinds of jobs
-
paperasserie
-
[F.] excessive bureaucratic procedure or paperwork; bureaucracy; red tape
(see also: bumf)
-
paphian
-
pertaining to elicit love: wanton
-
papilionaceous
-
1) resembling the butterfly
-
Bot. 2a) having a winged corolla somewhat resembling a butterfly,
as in the blossoms of the bean and pea b) belonging to the suborder
of leguminous plants which includes the bean, pea, vetch and clover
-
papillote
-
[F.] /PA pe YOTE/
-
1) a greased paper wrapper in which food (as meat or fish) is cooked
-
2) Hist. a small triangular piece of paper used as a curl-paper
for damp hair
-
papuliferous
-
pimply
-
parachronism
-
[fr. Gk para- beyond + kronos, time] /pa RAK ruh niz
uhm/
-
an error in chronology; esp. the placing of an event later than its
actual date
-
parachronistic
-
misdated, esp. dated too late
-
paraclete
- [fr. L. paracletus < Gk paracletos]
- 1) capitalized the Holy Spirit
2) allusively an advocate; a comforter
-
paracme
- [fr. Gk parakma, to be past the prime] the point at which the prime is past (and decline has set in)
-
paradiastole
-
[L. paradiastole, putting together of dissimilar things] /PAR
eh DI es teli/
-
Rhet. a figure of speech in which a favorable turn is given
to something unfavorable by the use of euphemism or partial truth
-
paradiorthosis
-
[Gk, a marginal correction] /parr uh dye or thoh sis/
-
obs. rare a false correction
-
paraffle
-
Scot. obs. an ostentatious display
-
paraleipsis
-
a figure of speech which implies something more serious by deliberately concise
treatment (also written as paralepsis)
-
(e.g. "I don't have time to mention Representative Jones's other faults.")
[compare apophasis]
-
paralogism
-
a piece of false or erroneous reasoning; an illogical argument; a fallacy,
esp. one of which the reasoner himself is unconscious (as distinct from
sophism)
-
paramnesia
-
disorder resembling loss of memory: deja vu
-
paranymph
-
best man; bridesmaid
-
paraph
-
a flourish at the end of a signature
-
parapraxis
-
a slip of the tongue, a Freudian slip
-
paraprosdokian
- [fr. Gk para prosdokian, contrary to expectations] /par ah proze DOKE ian/
- a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part
- as in, I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it. - Groucho Marx
-
parasang
- [Latin parasanga < Gk parasanges, of Iranian origin]
- an ancient Persian unit of distance; about four miles (or 6 kilometers)
-
pareidolia
-
a type of illusion or misperception involving a vague stimulus which is perceived
as clearly being something
-
parfilage
-
the unravelling of gold or silver thread from laces, epaulets, tassels, etc.;
fashionable as a pastime among ladies, esp. in France, in the latter part
of the 18th century
-
parisology
-
the deliberate use of equivocal or ambiguous words
-
paroemia
-
/puh REE mee uh/ a proverb, adage or saying
-
paroeomiographer
-
[L. paroemiographus] (also paramiographer) /Par
a mi OG ra pher/
-
a writer or collector of proverbs
-
paronomania
-
[coined by Reginald Hill, after paronomasia] a clinical obsession with
word games
-
paronomasia
-
a play on words, pun; hence, paronomastic
-
paronomastic
-
relating to paronomasia, punning
-
parorexia
-
a craving for unusual foods
-
Parousia
-
[Gk, presence] the second coming (of Christ)
-
parrhesia
-
[Gk] 1) boldness or freedom of speech 2) Rhet. candid
speech (sometimes considered a vice)
-
parthenolatry
-
virgin-worship (the Parthenon was the temple sacred to Athena, the virgin
goddess)
-
partialist
-
[partial + -ist]
-
1) one that is partial to one side; specif.: a partisan
-
2) rare a believer in or advocate of theological particularism,
or exclusiveness
-
parti pris
-
[F., side taken] a preconceived opinion: prejudice
-
parton
-
a hypothetical particle that is held to be a constituent of nucleons
-
parvanimity
-
[fr. L. parvus, little + animus, mind] /PAR vuh NIM i
tee/
-
the state or quality of having a small or ignoble mind; pettiness; meanness
(opposed to magnanimity)
-
parvenu
-
one that has suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power
and has not yet gained the manner associated with it; a pretentious snob
of the nouveau riche
-
parvenue
-
a woman who is a parvenu
-
parviscient
-
[from L. parvus, small + scientem, knowing] knowing little,
uninformed
-
pasquinade
-
a lampoon posted in a public place; satire
-
passéist
-
[fr. F. passéiste : passé, the past] contrast
futurist
-
[adj] having an excessive regard for the traditions and values of the
past; backward-looking
-
[n] a person, esp. a writer or artist, with excessive regard for the traditions
and values of the past; a backward-looking person
-
passerine
-
[L. passerinus of sparrows, fr. passer sparrow]
-
of or relating to the largest order of birds, comprising mainly songbirds
of perching habits
-
passim
-
here and there
-
pastinaceous
-
[fr. L. pastinaca, parsnip] obs. rare of the nature
of or akin to the parsnip
-
pataphysics
-
"The science of imaginary solutions, which symbolically attributes the properties
of objects, described by their virtuality, to their lineaments" - Alfred
Jarry, 19th Century French absurdist
-
Joan was quizzical
studied pataphysical
science in the home...
-Lennon/McCartney
-
patavinity
-
the use of local words or expressions; local pronunciation from the peculiar
style or diction of Livy, the Roman historian, who was born in Patavium (now
Padua)
-
patible
-
[fr. L. pati, to suffer + -ibilis] obs.
-
1) capable of suffering or undergoing something 2) sufferable; tolerable;
endurable
-
{found in Cockerham, Bailey, Johnson}
-
patootie
-
/pa TOO tee/ U.S. slang a sweetheart, girl-friend; a pretty
girl
-
suggested by sweetheart and sweet potato(?)
-
patrioteer
-
[patriot + -eer, cf. profiteer] U.S. depreciative an
insincere, misguided, or false patriot: flag-waver
-
patulent
-
rare, see next
-
patulous
-
[L. patulus, from patere, to be open] /PACH ul us/
-
1) Zool. and Med. expanded; gaping (also fig.) a wound
with patulous margins
-
2) Bot. spreading out an old tree with patulous
branches
-
patzer
-
[fr. G. patzer, a blunderer] an inept chess player
-
pauciloquence
-
[fr. L. pauci; few, little + loquent-em speaking]
rare uttering few words, speaking briefly
-
pauciloquy
-
[fr. L. pauciloquium, the fact of saying little]
-
archaic brevity in speech hence, pauciloquent - that
uses few words in speech; laconic
-
pavid
-
afraid; timid
-
pavisand
-
to display a formidable array of clothing and ornament; to flaunt one's
appearance
-
pawky
-
[fr. obs. Eng. dial. pawk, trick] chiefly Brit.
artfully shrewd: canny
-
peach
-
[v] to inform against: betray; to turn informer: blab
-
pear-shaped
-
[fr. earlier senses, shaped like a pear; rich, mellow]
-
chiefly Brit. colloq. to go badly wrong, to go awry
-
peccable
-
liable or prone to sin
-
peccavi
-
[L., I have sinned] /pe KAH wee/ or /~ vee/ an acknowledgment
of sin
-
pecksniffian
-
selfish and corrupt behind a display of seeming benevolence: sanctimonious
-
peculate
-
embezzle (see also defalcate)
-
pedascule
-
archaic nonce-word a contemptuous diminutive of 'pedant', coined
(or discovered) by WS
-
peenging
-
[prob. an imitative alteration of whinging]
-
Sc. and n. Eng. regional whining, complaining, moping; peevish
-
peevologist
-
[see next] one who practices peevology
-
peevology
-
[peeve + -ology]
-
1) the collecting and public airing of language peeves 2) the study
of such peevish behavior
-
peirastically
-
[Gk peirastikos, tentative] in the way of attempt or experiment,
tentatively
-
pejorate
-
[fr. L. pejorare to become worse, make worse] to make worse:
depreciate
-
pelagic
-
[fr. classical L. pelagicus, of the sea] of or relating to the
open sea, oceanic; also, pelagian
-
pelf
-
money, riches
-
pellucid
-
admitting maximum passage of light; reflecting light evenly
-
pencil-necked
-
[pencil + neck-ed] orig. U.S. slang
-
having a pencil-neck; thin, underdeveloped; weak, effete, or excessively
studious
-
NB: Freddie Blassie, late of the pro wrestling business, is said to
have coined the phrase pencil-necked geek.
-
pendulate
-
[NL pendulum + -ate] /PEN jul ate/
-
1) to swing as a pendulum 2) fig. fluctuate, undulate
-
penelopize
-
to undo what you have earlier done, in so delaying a decision due upon completion
-
[after Penelope, the wife of Ulysses and the model of all domestic virtues]
-
penetralia
-
1) the innermost or most private parts, esp. of a temple or palace
-
2) hidden things or secrets
-
penny-farthing
-
an old bicycle with a huge front wheel
-
pennyworth
-
[penny + worth] chiefly Brit.
-
1) a penny's worth; that which can be bought for a penny
-
2) a bargain 3) a small amount; a modicum
-
pentapopemtic
-
jocular divorced five times
-
penultimate
-
next to the last
-
peotomy
-
amputation of the penis
-
peradventure
-
doubt, chance
-
percontation
-
[fr. L. percontari : to inquire, interrogate] /per kon TAY shun/
-
archaic a questioning or inquiry, esp. one which requires more
than a yes or no answer
-
percrebrate
-
[fr. L. percribro, to sift thoroughly < cribrum, sieve]
-
obs. rare to sift; pass through a sieve
-
percussedness
-
a nonce-word referring to a level of noisy carrying on
-
perdu
-
[adj] remaining out of sight: concealed
-
[n] obs. a soldier assigned to extremely hazardous duty
-
perdurable
-
1) very durable 2) eternal
-
perdurance
- [fr. perdure + -ance]
(also, perduration)
- the state or quality of being everlasting: permanence, persistence
-
perdure
-
[fr. L. perdurare to endure, persist] to continue; to survive
-
peregrinate
-
[adj] rare having the air of one who has traveled or lived abroad:
foreign
-
peregrinate
-
[vi] to travel, esp. on foot: walk
-
[vt] to walk or travel over: traverse
-
peregrinity
-
[fr. L. peregrinitas, foreignness, outlandishness, condition of being
a foreigner or alien]
-
now rare (considered to be a foreign word by Johnson)
-
foreignness in style, fashion, dialect, etc.; strangeness, outlandishness
-
perendinate
-
[fr. L. perendie, on the day after tomorrow] /puh REN din ate/
rare
-
a) [vt] to put off until the day after tomorrow, to defer from day to day
-
b) [vi] to stay from day to day, to make an indefinite stay
-
perestroik
-
[back-formation from Russ. perestroika] to build, to restructure
-
perfervid
-
marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion: excessively fervent
-
perfidious
-
faithless, disloyal: treacherous
-
perfricate
-
to rub thoroughly
-
pericope
-
[Gk perikope, section] /puh RIH kuh pE/
-
a selection from a book; specif. a liturgical reading for a
particular day
-
peripatetic
-
walking about from place to place, pedestrian, itinerant
-
peripeteia
-
[Gk] (also peripetia) a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situation, esp.
in a literary work
-
periphrasis
-
using longer phrasing in place of shorter form of expression
-
perirrhanterium
-
[fr. Gk perirranth, to besprinkle] rare an instrument
used for sprinkling holy water, esp. upon the newly baptised, or the font
used for such (cf. Lat. aspergillum) [from the hogwash
files]
-
periscian
-
[fr. Gk periskios, throwing a shadow all around] /peh RIS kian/
-
rare having shadows revolving all around, as happens during
the course of a summer day in the polar regions
-
perissology
-
superfluity of words: pleonasm)
-
peristalsis
-
[fr. Gk peristaltikos, peristaltic]
-
Medical successive waves of involuntary contraction passing
along the walls of a hollow muscular structure (as the esophagus or intestine)
and forcing the contents onward; also fig. and transf.
-
perlustrate
-
[fr. L. perlustrare : to travel through, to scrutinize]
-
to travel through and view all over; to survey thoroughly
-
perlustration
-
1) the act of inspecting, surveying, or viewing a place thoroughly; a
comprehensive survey
-
2) the act of examining documents for purposes of surveillance;
specif. the inspection of posted letters, etc.
-
permanganate
-
a salt of a dark purple color
-
pernickety
-
[origin unknown] chiefly Brit. characterized by excessive
precision and attention to trivial details; fussy, meticulous, persnickety
-
pernoctation
-
[L.< pernoctare, to stay all night] /per nak TAY shun/
-
the act of staying up all night; an all-night vigil
-
peroration
-
concluding part of a discourse; a highly rhetorical speech
-
perpension
-
[fr. L. perpensio] careful weighing in the mind
-
give me the results of your perpensions - R.L.Stevenson
-
perpession
-
[fr. L. perpessio, endurance of suffering] /per PES sion/
-
obs. endurance of suffering
-
perpilocutionist
-
jocular someone who talks through his hat
-
perpotation
-
[fr. L. perpotare, to drink heavily]
-
obs. rare the act of drinking largely {Johnson, 1824}; excessive
drinking
-
perquisquilian
-
[fr. L. quisquiliae, trifles, rubbish] (cf.
quisquilious)
-
obs. nonce-word thoroughly worthless
-
perscrutation
-
[fr. L. perscrutari, to examine thoroughly] a thorough examination:
careful investigation
-
perseverating
-
[fr. L. perseverare, to persevere] /pe(r) SEV uh rating/
-
repeating something insistently or redundantly
-
perseveration
-
continuation of something (as repetition of a word) usually to an exceptional
degree or beyond a desired point; hence, perseverate, by back-formation
"perseverate, perseverate, perseverate.." - anon
-
persiflage
-
[see next] frivolous, bantering talk
-
persiflate
-
[fr. F. persifler, to banter lightly] rare to indulge
in persiflage, to talk banteringly
-
persifleur
-
[F., see also persiflate]
-
a person who indulges in persiflage: one given to frivolous banter especially
about matters usually given serious consideration
-
Persil
-
[Persil, a brand of laundry detergent in UK] of no interest in intelligence
matters: clean
-
perspicacious
-
[fr. L. perspicere, see next] of acute mental vision or discernment
-
perspicuous
-
[fr. L. perspicere, to see through] /pur SPI kyu wus/
-
simple and elegant as well as clear
-
perstringe
- [fr. L. perstringere, to bind tightly]
- now rare (literary and archaic) to censure or criticize; to pass strictures on
-
pertinacious
-
perversely persistent; stubbornly unyielding
-
peruke
-
17th - 19th century a wig
-
pervicacious
-
very stubborn
-
pervigilation
-
[fr. L. pervigilare, to watch all night] /per VIJ i lA tion/
-
obs. a careful watching {Bailey}; a night vigil
-
pervious
-
[fr. L. pervius passable, accessible] /PUR vee us/
-
1) permeable 2) archaic accessible; open-minded
-
pesematology
-
the science of falling; e.g., feline pesematology is the science of falling
cats
-
pessimal
-
[fr. L. pessimus, worst; after optimal] worst, or least ideal;
maximally bad
-
Pessimisterian
-
pessimism as a state of mind (coined by Ian Rankin?)
-
pessimize
-
[fr. L. pessimus, worst] /PES uh mize/
-
to take a negative view of; make the worst of; also, to act or speak in a
pessimistic manner cf. pessimal
-
petaflop(s)
-
[fr. peta-, one thousand million million + FLOPS, floating point operations
per second]
-
a unit of computing power equal to one quadrillion operations per second
-
petard
-
a case containing an explosive to break down a door or gate or breach a wall;
a loud firework
-
petarding
-
[fr. petard, explosive] rare the action of setting off
petards
-
pettifog
-
to act like a pettifogger
-
pettifogger
-
petty, quibbling, unscrupulous lawyer
-
pettifogulize
-
[fr. pettifogger] nonce-word to quibble; to use contemptible
tricks
-
hence, pettifogulizer
-
phallocratic
-
[F. phallocratique] /FAL uh KRAD ik/ relating to masculine
power and dominance
-
also, phallocrat, phallocracy
-
phantomnation
-
[misinterpretation of 1725 quot.] ghost word
-
appearance as of a phantom; illusion. (Obs. and rare.) Pope. {Webster
1864}
-
Pharisaic
-
1) of or belonging to the Pharisees
-
2) laying great stress upon the external observances of religion and outward
show of morality, and assuming superiority on that account; hypocritical;
self-righteous
-
pharos
-
[fr. Gk after Pharos, an island off Alexandria, Egypt, the site of
an ancient lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World]
-
/FAR os/ any lighthouse or beacon to direct mariners
-
phatic
-
relating to discourse that is social rather than informative
-
philippic
-
tirade
-
phillumenist
-
a collector of match-books
-
philocalist
-
[fr. Gk philo- + kalos, beautiful] rare a
lover of beauty
-
philodox
-
someone enamored of his/her own opinions
-
philography
-
the collecting of autographs
-
philogynist
-
a lover or friend of women; one who esteems women as the higher type of humanity
-
philologaster
-
an incompetent philologist; a dabbler in philology
-
philomath
-
a lover of learning; a scholar
-
philopolemic
-
disputatious, as of a person who loves to argue or debate
-
philoprogenitive
-
1) tending to produce offspring: prolific
-
2) of, relating to, or characterized by love of offspring
-
philosophaster
-
[post-classical L. philosophaster, person who dabbles in philosophy]
/feh LAS eh fast er/
-
a pretender or dabbler in philosophy (cf. poetaster, philogaster,
criticaster, grammaticaster)
-
philosophunculist
-
[fr. the Latinate form philosophunculus] rare a
petty or insignificant philosopher (see also philosophaster)
-
philotimia
-
"love of honor" [one of Aristotle's ten moral virtues]
-
philter
-
love potion; magic potion
-
philtrum
-
the vertical groove in the middle of the upper lip
-
phiz
-
phisiognomy: face
-
phlogiston
-
the hypothetical principle of fire regarded formerly as a material substance
-
phlyarologist
- [fr. ancient Gk phlyaros(?) silly talk, nonsense] /fly ah RAL ah gist (?)/
- obs. nonce-wd a person who talks nonsense
-
phobosophy
-
[fr. Gk phobos, fear + -sophia, knowledge]
-
neologism (1949) fear of knowledge, or of abstract thinking
(hence, phobosopher)
-
phoenixity
-
the quality of being unique
-
phonus-bolonus
-
[alt. of phoney baloney, after L. nouns ending in -us] nonsense,
exaggeration; insincerity; fraud, trickery
-
phosphene
-
[Gk phos, light; + phainein, to cause to appear] /FOS
feen/
-
a sensation of light caused by excitation of the retina by mechanical or
electrical means rather than by light, as when the eyeballs are pressed through
closed lids
-
photokinesis
-
motion or activity induced by light
-
phreaking
-
[vbl. n.] the use of a telephone network without payment; now, generally,
to use an electronic device to invade some type of network or system
[U.S., coined in the 60s - from modified spelling of 'freak',
under the influence of 'phone']
-
phrontifugic
-
helping to escape from one's thoughts or cares; relieving anxiety
-
phrontistery
-
a place for study and contemplation
-
phthartic
-
[fr. Gk phthartikos, destructive] /THOR tik/ obs.
rare deadly, destructive
-
phylogeny
- (compare
ontogeny)
-
evolution of the group; history or course of the development of something
-
piacular
-
1) sacrificial, expiatory 2) requiring expiation: sinful, heinous
-
piblokto
-
a winter-related hysteria and depression among the Inuit
-
picaroon
-
[Sp. picaron] /pik uh ROON/
-
1) a rogue or adventurer; a bohemian 2) a pirate, corsair 3)
a small pirate ship
-
picayune
-
1) a silver 5-cent coin struck by the U.S. mint from 1792-1873: half dime
-
2) something trivial: not worth a picayune
-
pickelhaube
-
[G.] /PIK el how bee/ a spiked helmet once worn by German soldiers
(file under: so that's what that's called)
-
pickthank
-
one who strives to put another under obligation; an officious person; hence,
a flatterer
-
picktooth
-
obs. a toothpick
-
picul
-
Chinese unit of weight (133.33 pounds)
-
pied-à-terre
-
[F., foot on ground] /pyA da TAR/ a secondary or temporary place
of lodging
-
pie-faced
-
[pie + faced] orig. U.S. slang, chiefly derogatory
-
having a round, flat face or a blank expression; stupid
-
a pair of pie-faced louts - A.J. Liebling
-
piepowder
-
[fr. F. pied-poudreux] 1) [adj] 'dusty-footed'; wayfaring,
itinerant
-
2) [n] a. a traveling man, a wayfarer, esp. an itinerant merchant or trader;
chiefly used in Court of Piepowders, a summary court formerly held at fairs
and markets to administer justice among itinerant dealers and others temporarily
present b. attrib. Piepowder Court = Court of Piepowders
(in a.), of which the steward of him who owned or had the toll was the judge
-
pieriansipist
-
[Perian + sip + -ist] neologism a dabbler in learning:
one who learns a little about many subjects, or 'sips' from the Pierian spring
(a source of knowledge and inspiration, from the Muses)
-
pigritious
-
[fr. L. pigritia, sloth] obs. rare slothful;
so, pigritude and
pigrity - slothfulness
-
pig's ear
-
rhyming slang beer
-
pigsney
-
1) darling, sweetheart
-
2) a small eye
-
pilgarlic
-
a bald head, bald-headed man; a man looked upon with humorous contempt or
mock pity
-
pillion
-
[Scot. Gaelic pillean] /PIL yun/
-
1) a pad or cushion for an extra rider behind the saddle on a horse or motorcycle
-
2) a bicycle or motorcycle saddle (file under: so that's what that's
called)
-
pilliwinks
-
an instrument of torture designed to crush fingers
-
pilpul
-
[fr. Heb. pilpel, to search, argue] /PIL pool/
-
a) casuistic argumentation especially among Jewish scholars on talmudic subjects
-
b) rabbinical dialectic c) critical analysis and hairsplitting
-
pilpulistic
-
characterized by subtle reasoning
-
pinchbeck
-
something counterfeit or spurious
-
pinetum
-
a scientific collection or living coniferous trees
-
pinguid
-
[fr. L. pinguis, fat] usu. humorous or affected
-
of the nature of, resembling, or abounding in fat; unctuous, greasy, oily;
of soil rich, fertile
-
pinguidity
-
[fr. post-classical L. pinguidus fatty, greasy] /pin GWID ity/
-
now rare fatty, greasy, or oily matter; fatness, obesity
-
pirogue
-
[F. fr. Sp. piragua] a dugout canoe
-
piscary
-
[fr. L. piscis, fish] fishery
-
piscicapture
-
capture of fishes, as by angling: fishing
-
piscicapturist
-
one who catches fish: fisherman
-
pisiform
-
resembling a pea in size or shape
-
pismire
-
[fr. the smell of the formic acid that ants secrete] ant
-
pismirism
-
[with reference to the behaviour of ants in hoarding food] /PIS mer
izem/
-
nonce-word the hoarding of money; miserliness
-
piste
-
[F. piste < It. pista, track] /peest/
-
1) a beaten track or trail made by an animal; more generally, any track or
trail
-
2) a hard packed ski trail or course
-
pistic
-
[fr. Gk pistikos, faithful < pistos, faith] /PIS tik/
of, relating to, or exhibiting faith pistic nard
-
pistology
-
branch of theology concerned with faith
-
pixilated
-
slightly unbalanced mentally, bemused
-
plagium
-
[L., kidnapping] /PLAY jee um/ Civil Law the crime
of kidnapping (esp. of children); an instance of this
-
plagosity
-
[fr. L. plagosus, given to blows, fond of flogging]
-
obs. rare the inclination or tendency to beat or flog people
-
plangent
-
having a loud, reverberating sound; having an expressive esp plaintive quality
-
plangonologist
-
a collector of dolls
-
plastinated
-
[fr. plastic, after plastination] preserved by plastination
-
plastination
-
an embalming and preserving technique using synthetic materials such as epoxy
or polyester polymers
-
plastography
-
rare a counterfeiting or false writing: forgery
-
platitudinary
-
[fr. platitude, after e.g. latitudinary]
-
rare characterized by or tending to use platitudes (usually
seen in the form platitudinarian)
-
platypygous
-
Zool. /plae ti PAI gus/ having broad buttocks
-
pleach
-
interlace, plait
-
pleather
- [blend of plastic + leather] faux leather, usually of polyurethane compare naugahyde
-
pleionosis
-
[fr. Gk pleos, filled + L. nos, us (?)] /PLAY o NO sis/
-
obs. rare the exaggeration of one's own importance
(cf. nosism, egotism)
-
pleistodox
-
[fr. Gk. pleistos, most + doxa, opinion; after orthodox]
-
nonce-word holding the opinion of the majority
-
plenary
-
complete, full (absolute)
-
plenipotentiary
-
[adj] 1) invested with full power 2) relating to a person so invested
-
pleonasm
-
the use of more words than necessary
-
pleonexia
-
avarice, greed, covetousness (regarded as mental disease)
-
plerophory
-
[fr. Gk plerophoria] archaic complete assurance;
full conviction
-
plesiosynchronous
-
[fr. Gk plesios, near + synchronous] nearly simultaneous;
broadly happening at the same time
-
plexor
-
the small, rubber-headed hammer that physicians use to test reflexes
-
plip
-
the remote control for some European roadsters, such as Peugeot, Renault,
MG [presumably from the sound made by the device]
-
pliskie
-
practical joke; trick
-
plonk
-
[perhaps alt. of F. vin blanc] chiefly Brit. slang
/plongk/ cheap or inferior wine; short for earlier plink-plonk
-
plonker
-
[fr. plonk, to set down heavily or carelessly] Brit. informal
a foolish or inept person
-
plotz
-
(Yiddish) 1) to sit down wearily, to flop; to slouch, loaf (around)
-
2) to burst; usu. in fig. senses, esp. to explode in anger
-
plumeopicean
-
[fr. L. plume-us, feathery + pice-us, pitchy + -an]
-
humorous nonce-word composed of tar and feathers (alluding to
the practice of tarring and feathering an obnoxious person)
-
plumpendicular
-
[blend of plumb line + perpendicular (fr. L. pendeo, to hang)]
-
obs. dial. perpendicular (to the ground); hanging perpendicularly
-
plunderbund
-
political corruption (coined by Adlai Stevenson?)
-
pluperfect
-
[fr. the L., more than perfect] grammar past perfect
-
pluterperfect
-
[perhaps a corruption of F. plus-que-parfait; ad. L. plus quam
perfectum, more than perfect]
-
nonce-word cf. pluperfect, (more than?) more than perfect
-
The pluterperfect imperturbability of the department of agriculture.
- James Joyce, Ulysses
-
pluto
-
[fr. Pluto, the declassified planet] to demote or devalue someone or
something
-
plutomania
-
an abnormal desire for wealth
-
plutonian
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of Pluto or the lower world: infernal
-
plutonic
-
[fr. L. Pluto] 1) of deep igneous or magmatic origin: plutonic
rocks 2) plutonian (relating to Pluto)
-
pluviose
-
[ad. L. pluviosus, rainy] /PLU vee ose/
-
rare marked by or regularly receiving heavy rainfall a
pluviose period; fig. tearful
-
hence, pluviosity, a state characterized by much rain
-
pluvious
-
rainy; heavy rainfall
-
pococurante
-
indifferent, nonchalant
-
pocosin
-
an upland swamp of the coastal plain of the southeastern U.S.
-
poculation
-
[fr. L. poculum, a drinking vessel] /pok yoo LAY shun/
obs. nonce-word the drinking of wine
-
poecilonym
-
[fr. Gk poikilo-, many-colored, variegated, various, a combining form
in scientific terms + -nym, name]
-
one of various names for the same thing; a synonym
-
poecilonymic
-
having several names; synonymic
-
poecilonymy
-
the use of several names for the same thing; synonymy
-
poetaster
-
an inferior poet
-
po-faced
-
Brit. humorless; excessively priggish
-
pogonip
-
dense winter fog containing frozen particles formed in deep mountain valleys
-
pogonology
-
the study of beards
-
pohutukawa
-
Maori /po hutu KAwa/ a New Zealand evergreen which bears
clusters of red flowers in December and January; thus called the Christmas
tree
-
poietic
-
creative, formative, productive, active
-
polemology
-
[fr. Gk polemos, war + -logy] /po luh MOL uh jee/
-
the science and study of human conflict and war (compare
irenology)
-
poliosis
-
graying of the hair
-
politicaster
-
a petty politician; a pretender in politics
-
poltroon
-
[Middle F. poultron, fr, Old It. poltrone] an abject coward: craven
-
poltroonery
-
mean pusillanimity: cowardice
-
polymath
-
a person of encyclopedic learning
-
polynya
-
[Russian] an area of open water amidst sea ice, as in the Arctic
-
polyonymosity
-
[fr. polyonymous + -osity] rare the use of several different
names for the same person or thing
-
polyphiloprogenitive
-
very prolific, spec. of a person's talent, imagination, inventive powers,
etc.
-
polysemous
-
having multiple meanings
-
pompatus
-
[perhaps fr. puppetutes, coined by Vernon Green?] nonsense word
(or
maybe not)
Some people call me the space cowboy.
Yeah! Some call me the gangster of love.
Some people call me Maurice,
Cause I speak of the Pompatus of love.
- Steve Miller, "The Joker"
("It doesn't mean anything--it's just jive talk.")
-
poncey
-
Brit. 1) effeminate 2) snobby, ostentatious (also poncy)
-
pong
-
[origin uncertain] UK a strong smell, usually unpleasant; a stink
-
pongy
-
[origin unknown] /PON gy/
-
Brit. informal having a strong, usually unpleasant smell; stinky,
smelly
-
pons asinorum
-
[NL, asses bridge] critical test of ability imposed on the inexperienced
or ignorant
-
pool-pah
-
the wrath of god; a sh*t storm (coined by Kurt Vonnegut)
-
pootle
-
Brit. colloq. to move or travel about in a leisurely manner
(a blend of poodle and tootle)
-
popination
-
[fr. L. popinari, to frequent eating-houses]
-
obs. rare an outrageous drinking; a haunting of taverns {found
in Bailey (1623) and Phillips (1658)} (barhopping, according to Beyond
Balderdash®)
-
porlock
-
to interrupt an artist engaged in aesthetic creation
-
pornocracy
-
government by harlots
-
porrect
-
Zool. stretched out or forth; extended, especially forward
porrect antennae [v] to extend; to present, to tender
-
portmanteau
-
traveling bag
-
portmanteau word
-
Linguistics a word that is formed by combining two or more words
(also called blend, portmanteau or frankenword)
-
posada
-
in Mexico, each of a series of visits traditionally paid to different friends
during the days before Christmas, representing Mary and Joseph's search for
lodging in Bethlehem
-
poshlost
-
[Russian] /POSH lust/ a well-rounded, untranslatable whole made
up of banality, vulgarity and sham; it applies not only to obvious trash
(verbal and animate), but also to spurious beauty, spurious importance, spurious
cleverness
-
posslq
-
/POS sul cue/ initialism Person of the Opposite Sex Sharing
Living Quarters
-
postmodernism
-
genre of art and literature and especially architecture in reaction against
the philosophy and practices of modern movements that is typically marked
by revival of traditional elements and techniques (but virtually meaningless
in other contexts)
-
postpositive
-
[fr. L. postpositus, pple of postponere, to put after]
/post POZ i tiv/
-
[adj] a modifier placed after or at the end of a word [n] a postpositive
word
-
postprandial
-
[fr. post-, after + L. prandium: late breakfast, luncheon] /post
PRAN dee ul/
-
following a meal, esp. dinner (cf.
antejentacular)
-
pother
-
noisy disturbance, fuss; choking cloud of dust/smoke; mental turmoil
-
potsherd
-
[short for pottery shard] a pottery fragment
-
pottiness
-
[fr. potty + -ness] (first attested to P. G. Wodehouse)
-
the state or condition of being potty
-
potty
-
chiefly Brit. 1) trivial 2) slightly intoxicated 3)
addlebrained
-
pot-valiant
-
(also potvaliant) bold or courageous under the influence of alcoholic
drink
-
pot-walloper
-
1) a person who qualified to vote in parts of England by having boiled (walloped)
his own pot for six months, thereby establishing residency
-
2) U.S. slang one who cleans pots; a scullion
-
powfag
-
to tire bodily from overwork; to become worn out in mind from care or anxiety;
to work to the point of exhaustion {Francis Taylor's Folk-Speech of South
Lancashire, 1901}
-
prastuphulic
-
[unconfirmed] heavyset, fat (with a hint of slatternliness)
-
praxeology
-
[fr. praxis + -ology] the study of human conduct
-
praxis
-
[Gk] exercise or practice of an art, science, or skill; customary practice
or conduct
-
preantepenultimate
-
that precedes or stands immediately before the antepenult; the last but three,
defined most often as 'fourth from the last', and applied to syllables
-
prebend
-
a stipend furnished by a cathedral to a chapter canon
-
precative
-
see precatory
-
precatory
-
[fr. L. precari, to pray] /PREK uh tor E/
-
expressing entreaty, expressing a wish; also, precative
-
precess
-
[back-formation from precession (fr. L. præcedere, to
precede)] to move in or be subjected to precession
-
precession
-
Astron. precession of the equinoxes; any motion analogous
to that of the earth's axis or the earth itself in the precession of the
equinoxes; e.g. the slow rotation of the axis of a top spinning rapidly in
a sloping position
-
precisian
-
1) a person who stresses or practices scrupulous adherence to a strict standard
especially of religious observance or morality
-
2) a Puritan
-
precisianist
-
see previous
-
prelapsarian
-
of or relating to the time before the fall of mankind
-
premonish
-
[pre- + monish (admonish), fr. L. monere: to warn]
-
now rare to forewarn; to give warning in advance
-
prepensely
-
[by extension from prepense, which is usu. seen postpositionally (as, malice
prepense)]
-
with premeditation: deliberately, purposely
-
preponderate
-
[fr. L. praeponderare to exceed in weight or influence] /pri
PON duh rate/
-
1) to exceed in weight: turn the scale
-
2) to exceed in influence, power, importance or numbers; predominate
-
presagition
-
[fr. L. praesagere, to forebode, portend]
-
obs. an omen, a prognostication; (also) foresight, prevision
-
presenteeism
-
[after absenteeism] /prez un TEE iz um /
-
the fact or condition of being present, esp. at work; (a) the practice of
working more hours than is required by one's terms of employment, or of
continuing to work without regard to one's health, esp. because of perceived
job insecurity; (b) the practice of attending a job but not working at full
capacity, esp. because of illness or stress (usually opposed to absenteeism)
-
presque vu
-
[F., nearly seen] a feeling that you are on the edge of grasping something
very, very important
-
preterist
-
1) one whose chief interest is in the past; someone whose main pleasure is
in reliving the past
-
2) Theol. one who believes the prophecies of the Apocalypse
to have been already fulfilled
-
preterition
-
1) the act of passing, or going past; the state of being past
-
2) Rhet. paraleipsis
-
3) Law the omission by a testator of some one of his entitled
heirs
-
preterlapsed
-
[classical L. praeterlapsus] /pre ter LAPST/ now
rare past, bygone; ended, over with
-
pretermit
-
1) to let pass without notice: omit
-
2) to leave undone: neglect
-
3) suspend, break off
-
preternatural
-
[fr. L. praeter naturam, beyond nature]
-
1) existing outside of nature: nonnatural; sometimes : supernatural
-
2) abnormal, exceptional 3) inexplicable by ordinary means
-
prevenient
- [fr. L. praevenire, to precede]
1) preceding 2) anticipatory
-
priapic
-
phallic
-
pricket
-
a) a small point or spike for holding a candle upright b) a candlestick
having such a spike
-
pridian
-
of or pertaining to the previous day
-
primaveral
-
[fr. It. primavera, springtime] rare of or pertaining
to the earliest springtime; also fig.
-
primogeniture
-
rights of the first-born
-
princox
-
a pert youth: coxcomb
-
priscianist
-
[fr. Priscian, a celebrated Roman grammarian]
-
arch. rare a grammarian; (in extended use) a person who
uses grammar cleverly in dissembling
-
procacious
-
[see next] bold; impertinent
-
procacity
-
[fr. L. procacitas pertinacity, obtrusiveness, impudence]
/pro KAS uh tee/
-
petulence; impudence
-
procellous
-
[L. procellosus, stormy < procella, a storm] /pro
CEL lous/
-
rare, now literary tempestuous, stormy {Bailey}
-
procerity
-
[fr. L. proceritas: height, tallness] /pro SER udi/
-
now rare tallness, loftiness, height
-
procrustean
-
marked by arbitrary often ruthless disregard of individual differences or
special circumstances
-
proctalgia
-
a pain in the anus
-
prodnose
-
[fr. the name Prodnose, a pedantic and interfering character in the humorous
columns of J.B. Morton]
-
[v] rare : to pry, to be inquisitive (more commonly found used in Britain
as a colloq. noun or adj. used to refer to the British public)
-
prognathous
- [fr. Gk pro- + gnathos] of jaws or a lower jaw: prominent, protruding
-
prolepsis
-
anticipation: as
-
a) the representation or assumption of a future act or development as if
presently existing or accomplished
-
b) the application of an adjective to a noun in anticipation of the result
of the action of the verb (as in: while yon slow oxen turn the furrowed
plain)
-
proleptic
-
[ab. Gk proleptikos, anticipative] /pro LEP tic/
-
of, pertaining to, or characterized by prolepsis or anticipation; anticipative,
anticipatory
-
proleptically
-
by prolepsis: by way of anticipation; antecedently
-
prolix
-
long-winded; wordy
-
prolocutor
-
spokesman
-
proneur
-
[F.] one who praises another; an extoller, eulogist, flatterer
-
pronunciamento
-
[fr. Sp. pronunciamiento, a pronouncement]
-
a pronouncement, a proclamation, a manifesto; often applied to one issued
by insurrectionists
-
propaedeutic
-
[fr. Gk propaideuein, to teach beforehand] /pro pE DYU dik/
-
needed as preparation for learning or study; introductory to an art or science
-
logic is not philosophy; it is a propaedeutic discipline - Times Literary
Supplement
-
propination
-
[f. L. propinatio, a drink to one's health]
-
obs. rare the action of offering drink to another in pledging;
the drinking to the health of someone
-
proprioception
-
[fr. L. proprius, one's own + (per)ception] /PRO pree oh SEP
shun/
-
the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from
stimuli within the body itself
-
prorogue
-
[fr. L. prorogare, to prolong, extend] /pro ROGUE/ defer,
postpone
-
prosody
-
the study of versification; esp: the systematic study of metrical structure
-
prosopolepsy
-
respect of persons; undue favour shown to a particular person, partiality
-
prosopopoeia
-
1) a figure of speech in which an imaginary or absent person is represented
as speaking or acting
-
2) personification
-
prospicience
-
the act of looking foreward: foresight
-
prostibulous
-
pertaining to a prostitute, meretricious; addicted to the company of prostitutes
-
pro tanto
-
[LL., for so much] [adv] to that extent; accordingly [adj]
commensurate, resultant
-
protean
-
1) of or resembling Proteus in having a varied nature or ability to assume
different forms
-
2) displaying great diversity or variety: versatile
-
protervity
-
peevishness
-
prothalamion
-
a song in celebration of a marriage
-
prothonotary
-
a court clerk; a chief clerk of any of various courts of law
-
protopathic
-
of or relating to sensory nerve fibers that enable the perception of strong
rather crude stimuli (compare
epicritic)
-
prudhomme
-
[F.] a trustworthy citizen; a skilled workman
-
psaphonic
-
planning one's rise to fame
-
psephologist
-
someone who pursues the scientific study of elections
-
psephology
-
the scientific study of elections
-
pseudandry
-
/SU dan dry/ the use of a masculine name by a woman as a pseudonym
(not to be confused with pseudogyny)
-
pseudepigrapha
-
spurious writings, esp. writings falsely attributed to biblical characters
or times
-
pseudepigraphy
-
the ascription of false names of authors to works
-
pseudoantidisestablishmentarianism
-
false opposition to the withdrawal of state support from an established church
-
pseudogyny
-
/su DAJ uh nee/ the use of a feminine name by a man as a pseudonym
-
pseudology
-
[fr. Gk pseudologia] 1) false speaking; the making of false
statements, esp. when humorously represented as an art or system; the art
of lying
-
2) the science or subject of false statements; a false or pretended science
-
pseudomorphosis
-
[fr. Gk pseudomorphos, disguising one's form] Mineralogy
conversion into a false or deceptive form; by transf., forced
into an abnormal state
-
psilanthropy
-
belief that Christ was not divine but divinely inspired
-
psilology
-
[alteration of philology; fr. Gk psilo- mere, bare] /psi LOL
o gy/
-
obs. nonce-word (love of) empty talk
-
psittacism
-
/SiD eh sizem/ mechanical, repetitive (parrot-like) speech without
thought of the meaning of the words spoken
-
psychasthenia
-
an incapacity to resolve doubts/uncertainties or to resist obsessions/compulsions
that one knows are irrational
-
psychomachy
-
a conflict of the soul (as between good and evil)
-
psychomancy
-
divination by means of spirits
-
psychopomp
-
[fr. Gk psychopompós, conductor of souls] /SAI koh pomp/
-
someone who conducts spirits or souls to the afterworld, as Hermes or Charon
-
psychrolute
-
[fr. Gk psychrolusia, bathing in cold water] /SAI kruh lyut/
-
one who bathes in the open air daily throughout the winter; spec. a member
of a society formed c. 1840 to promote this practice (thus, psychrolusia
- bathing in cold water)
-
psychrolutist
-
[fr. L. psychrolutes] obs. rare an advocate of
bathing in cold water
-
ptyalism
-
an excessive flow of saliva
-
pucelage
-
[F.] /PU cel age/ obs the state of being a girl; maidenhood,
virginity
-
pudibund
-
[fr. L. pudibundus] prudish
-
pudibundery
-
prudery, bashfulness
-
puggle
-
[freq. of pug (poke)] chiefly dial. [v] to clear out or
stir up by poking
-
puggry
-
[Hindi pagi, turban] /PUG gry/ (also puggree, etc.)
-
1) a turban worn in India
-
2) a light scarf wound around a hat or helmet to protect the head from the
sun
-
puissance
-
power; potency; might
-
pulicous
-
[ad. L. pulicos-us, fr. pulex, flea] (erroneously,
pulicious)
-
archaic abounding with fleas; fleay; so, pulicose : infested
with fleas
-
pullulation
-
[fr. L. pullulare, to sprout] 1) germination 2) a rapid
and abundant increase
-
pulverulent
-
[L., pulverulentus; fr. pulver-, dust + -ulentus, abounding
in] /pul VER yuh lent/
-
consisting of or reducible to fine powder; covered or looking as if covered
with dust or powder: dusty, crumbly
-
pumpkinification
-
an apotheosis; a parody of deification: apocolocyntosis (the usual translation
of apocolocyntosis, in Seneca's Apocolocyntosis divi Claudii,
a parody of the deification of the emperor Claudius)
-
punctilio
-
minute detail of conduct; careful observance of forms
-
pundigrion
-
[origin unknown, but prob. the source of pun; perhaps a humorous
alteration of It. puntiglio equivocation, trivial objection]
-
obs. rare a play on words; pun
-
punditocracy
-
[pundit + -ocracy] /pun dih TOK ruh see/ a group of pundits who
wield great political influence
-
pundonor
-
a point of honor
-
pungle
- [fr. Sp. pongale, put it down] /PUN gul/
to make a payment or contribution (of money)
-
punkah
-
a large fan suspended from the ceiling used esp in India
-
purblind
-
partly blind; lacking in vision, insight or understanding: obtuse
-
purdah
-
seclusion of women from public observation among Muslims and some Hindus
-
purfle
-
to ornament the border or edges of
-
purfler
-
one who purfles; spec. one who inlays the ornamentation in violins
-
The prince of purflers was Stradivarius. -- Grove Dict. of Music (1883)
-
purlieu
-
haunt; confine(s); an outlying or adjacent district; environ(s)
-
pursy
-
fat; characterized by arrogance arising from wealth
-
pusillanimous
-
lacking courage and resolution; marked by contemptible timidity
-
putz
-
dial. in Penn. Dutch homes, a representation of the Nativity
scene traditionally placed under a Christmas tree
-
puzzlepated
-
having or based on confused attitudes or ideas
-
puzzomous
-
[puzzom (poison) + -ous(?)] (glossed as 'poisonous' in old
glossaries)
-
disgustingly obsequious(?)
-
pygal
-
[Gk, the rump] Anat. pertaining to the rump
-
pygalgia
-
a pain in the buttocks, cf proctalgia
-
pygephanous
-
showing one's buttocks: mooning
-
pygophilous
-
buttock-loving
-
pyknic
-
characterized by shortness of stature, broadness of girth, and powerful
muscularity
-
pyretic
-
of or relating to fever: febrile
-
pyriform
-
[fr. L. pirum, pear + -form] pear-shaped; compare
napiform
-
Pyrrhic
-
achieved at excessive cost a Pyrrhic victory
-
[after Pyrrhus, king of Epirus who sustained heavy losses in defeating the
Romans]
-
pyrrhonism
-
[fr. Gk skeptic philosopher Pyrrho] /PIR eh nizem/ usu.
capitalized
-
Philos. the doctrine of the impossibility of attaining certainty
of knowledge; absolute or universal skepticism; hence generally,
skepticism esp. when total or radical
-
pysmatic
-
[fr. the Gk. word for question] obs. rare interrogatory,
questioning
-
Pythia
-
[fr. Gk pythein, to rot] the priestess of Apollo at Delphi
-
pythonic
-
[fr. Gk python, spirit of divination]
-
A.1) of or relating to divination; prophetic, oracular
-
2) of, relating to or like a python; huge, monstrous [Python, monstrous serpent
killed by Apollo at Delphi]
-
B) of or relating to the Monty Python comedy group
-
C) of or relating to the Python programming language
-
pyx
-
1) a container for the consecrated Host
-
2) a box used in a Mint for deposit of sample coins
-
qiviut
-
[Inuit qiviuq, down, underhair] /KEE vee ut/
-
the soft wool of the undercoat of the musk ox
-
quacksalver
-
[obs. Dutch (now kwakzalver)] /KWAK sal vur/
-
a charlatan or quack; also transf.
-
quadragesimal
-
consisting of 40; specifically, in regard to a 40-day fast occurring during
Lent
-
quadrigamist
-
[cf. L. quadrigamus, married four times]
-
one who has married four times; esp., one who has four wives or four
husbands at the same time
-
quadrivium
-
[L., place where four roads meet] /kwa DRIV eum/
-
the higher division of the seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages, comprising
geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music (compare
trivium)
-
quaesitum
-
[L.] that which is sought for; an object of search; the answer to a problem
-
quaggy
-
1) resembling a marsh; soggy 2) soft and flabby (cf. quagmire)
-
quagswagging
-
[fr. quag, to quake + swag, to sway] obs. rare the action
of shaking to and fro
-
quahog
-
[fr. Narraganset poquaûhock] /KO hog/ a thick-shelled
edible clam of the U.S.
-
quakebuttock
-
a coward
-
quale
-
[L., of what kind] /KWA lee/ pl. qualia
-
a property considered independently from things having the property
-
qualisign
-
[fr. quali(ty) + sign]
-
Philos. a term originally used by C. S. Peirce in his theory
of signs; Peirce often used the designations legisign/sinsign/qualisign for
concepts that lexicographers may designate as type, token, or tone
-
quant
- [prob. short for quantitative]
- slang an expert in the use of math and related subjects,
esp. in investment management and stock trading
-
quaquaversal
-
[fr. L. quaqua, wheresoever + versus, towards] /kway
kwuh VER sal/
-
mainly Geol. turning or dipping in any or all directions
-
transf. going off in all directions at once
-
quatopygia
-
[fr. L. quatio, to shake + Gk pyge, buttocks] /kwah tuh
PIJ ee uh/
-
the shaking of the buttocks when walking
-
quaver
-
a 1/8 note in music
-
querent
-
a questioner; specifically, one who seeks the advice of astrologers
-
querida
-
[Sp.] a sweetheart, darling: freq. used as a term of address (also
querido, the male equivalent)
-
querimonious
-
complaining, querulous, apt to complain
-
questuary
-
[fr. L. quaestus, gain, profit] (also quaestuary)
-
obs. [n] one who seeks for gain [adj] concerned
with gain; money-making
-
quibbleism
-
rare the practice of quibbling
-
quiddity
-
[fr. L. quid, what] 1) the essence of a thing or person: whatness
2) a trifling point: quibble
-
quiddle
-
[fr. L. quid, what] (not to be confused with quibble) chiefly
dialect to trifle or waste time; to dawdle
-
quiddler
-
[perh. a blend of quiddity and fiddler or twiddler] dawdler, trifler
-
quiddling
-
dawdling
-
quidnunc
-
[fr. L. quid nunc, what now] one who seeks to know all the latest news or gossip, a busybody
-
quidnuncery
-
nonce-word curiosity,
love of news or gossip (also quid-nunc-ism)
-
quietism
-
a passive mysticism; a state of calmness or passivity
-
quincunx
-
an arrangement of things with one at each corner and one in the middle [of
a square/rectangle]
-
quisquiliary
-
[fr. L. quisquiliæ fr. pl., waste matter, refuse, rubbish]
-
obs. rare quisquilious
-
quisquilious
-
of the nature of rubbish or refuse; trashy, worthless
-
quisquos
-
perplexing
-
quixotry
-
visionary schemes; quixotic behavior
-
quodlibet
-
1) a philosophical or theological point proposed for disputation
-
2) a whimsical combination of familiar melodies or texts
-
quodlibetarian
-
someone who engages in elaborate arguments about theoretical fine points
of any subject (for the sake of argument)
-
quondam
-
former
-
quonking
-
also quonk
-
imitative noise (as from conversation) that disturbs or disrupts
a television or radio program due to proximity to the microphones or cameras;
or, noise from the sidelines that interrupts an athlete's (or a performer's)
concentration
-
(both of these are validated Scrabble words)
-
quorate
-
[fr. quor(um) + -ate] of a meeting: attended by a quorum; hence
inquorate, not attended by a quorum
-
quotha
-
[alteration of 'quoth he'] archaic used to express surprise
or sarcasm, after quoting the word or phrase used by someone else
-
quotidian
-
commonplace; occurring every day
-
quotinoctian
-
occurring every night, nightly (phony Latinate? compare quotidian)
-
quoz
-
archaic queer; absurd
resume
Copyright © 1995-2020 -- Michael A. Fischer
"You try spell-checking this stuff!"
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