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NS vocab - P
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pagan | a polytheistic or non-religious person |
| pagoda | an Asian temple with an upward-curving roof |
| paladin | someone who fights for a cause |
| palaver | loud, confused, and empty talk |
| pall | burial cloth dead is wrapped in; gloom |
| palmy | very lively and profitable |
| pampas | vast grassy plains of Argentina |
| pantheon | a temple to all gods |
| paralegal | a person with specialized training who assists lawyers |
| paraphernalia | equipment consisting of miscellaneous items needed for a task |
| parity | functional equality |
| parlance | a manner of speaking that's natural to native speakers of a language |
| partisan | a fervent proponent of something, ardent supporter |
| patrimony | an inheritance coming by right of birth |
| pecking order | organization of people in different ranks of administration |
| pejorative | expressing disapproval |
| pelt | to attack, bombard, or throw |
| pendulous | having branches that bend downward |
| pent | closely confined |
| penultimate | second to last |
| penurious | excessively unwilling to spend, not having any money |
| peon | a laborer who is obliged to do menial work |
| peremptory | putting an end to all debate/action |
| perforate | make a hole into or between, pass through |
| perpetrate | to perform an act, usually negative connotation |
| perquisite | a benefit awarded for certain employment |
| perspicacity | the ability to assess situations shrewdly and to draw sound conclusions from them |
| pert | characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent personality |
| pertinent | of striking appropriateness |
| philatelist | expert in or collector of stamps |
| pigeon | a person who is easily tricked |
| pilfer | steal small things |
| pine | to have a desire for something or someone who is not present |
| placate | cause to be more favorable inclined, to gain the good will of |
| plaintiff | person who brings an action to court (accuses someone of sm) |
| plaintively | in a plaintive manner (sad and melancholy) |
| plea bargain | a negotiation where the defendant agrees to plea guilty to a lesser charge and the prosecutor agrees to drop a serious charge |
| poignant | keenly distressing to the mind or feelings |
| politicize | to give a political character to |
| poltergeist | a ghost that announces it's presence with noise and creation of disorder |
| polygamy | having more than one spouse at a time |
| populist | promoter of democratic principles |
| potpourri | a collection containing a variety of sorts of things |
| precocious | characterized by exceptionally early development of mental aptitude/skill |
| predicate | involve as a necessary condition or consequence as in logic |
| presage | a foreboding about what is to happen |
| prescient | perceiving the significance of events before they occur |
| presumptious | excessively bold, forward |
| prima facie | as it seems at first sight |
| proactive | causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens |
| proctor | someone who supervises (an examination) |
| procurement | the act of getting possession of something |
| prodigal | recklessly wasteful |
| profligacy | the trait of spending extravagantly |
| progenitor | an ancestor in the direct line |
| progeny | the immediate descendants of a person |
| proliferation | a rapid increase in number |
| promiscuous | not selective, casual and unrestrained |
| promulgate | state or announce |
| propensity | a natural inclination |
| propitiate | make peace with |
| propriety | correct or appropriate behavior |
| prorate | make a proportional settlement or distribution |
| proscription | a decree that prohibits something |
| proselytize | convert to another faith or religion |
| provisional | temporary, under terms not final |
| proxy | a person authorized to act for another |
| punitive | inflicting punishment |
| purloin | to steal or take |
| purport | to claim (often false) |
| putrefy | decay with an offensive smell |
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