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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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polity
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form of government of nation or state. OUr polity should be devoted to the concept that the government should strive for the good of all citizens
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politic
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expedient; prudent' well devised. Even though he was disappointed, he did not think it politic to refuse this offer
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polemical
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aggressive in verbal attack, disputatious. Lexy was a master of polemical methoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan "born to debate'
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polemic
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controversy; argument in support of point of view. Her essays were, for the main part, polemics for the party's policy
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polarize
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split into opposite extremes of camps. The abortion issue has polarized the country into pro-choice and anti-abortion campos
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poignancy
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quality of being deeply moving; keeness of emotion. Watching the tearful reunion of the long separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the poignancy of the scene.
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podiatrist
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doctor who treats aliments of the feet. He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches
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plutocracy
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society ruled by the wealthy. From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a plutocracy rther than a democracy.
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plummet
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fall sharply. Stock prices plummeted as wall street reacted to the rise in interest rates.
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plumb
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examine critically in order to understand; measure depth (bysounding). Try as he would. Watson could never fully plumb the depths of Holmes's thought processes.
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plumage
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feathers of a bird. Bird watchers identify different species of birds by their characteristic songs and distinctive plumage
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pluck
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courage. Even the adversaires of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy's pluck in trying to rescue the archeological treasure they had stolen.
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plight
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condition,state. (especially a bad state or condition); prdicament. Loggers, unmoved by the plight of the spotted owl, plan to keep on feeling trees whether or not they ruin the bird's habitat.
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pliant
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flexible; easily influenced. Pinochhio's disposition was pliant; he was like putty in his tempter's hands.
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pliable
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flexible; yielding; adaptable. In remodeling the bathroom, we replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing
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plethora
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excess; overabundance. She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.
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plentitude
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abundance; completelness. Looking in the pantry, we admired the plentitude of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer.
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plenary
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complete; full. The union leader was given plenary power to negotiate a new contract with the employers.
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plebeian
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common; pertaining to the common people. His speeches were aimed at the plebeian minds and emotions; they disgusted the more refined.
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plausible
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having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious. Your mother made you stay home from school because she needed you to program the VCR? I'm sorry, you'll have to come up with a more plausible excuse than that.
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plaudit
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enthusiastic approval; round of applause. The theatrical company reprinted the plaudits of the critics in its advertisements.
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platonic
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purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire. Accused of impropriety in his dealings with female students, the professor maintained he had only a platonic interest in the women involved.
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platitude
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trite remark; commonplace statement. In giving advice to his son, old Polonius expressed himself only in platitudes; every word out of his mouth was a truism.
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plait
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braid; intertwine. The maypole dancers plaited bright green ribbons in their hair.
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mournful
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the dove has a plaintive and melancholy call
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plagiarize
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steal another's ideas and pass them off as ones own. The teacher could tell that the student had plagiarized parts of his essay she recognized whole paragraphs straights from Barron's Book NOtes.
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placid
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peaceful; calm. After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested
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placebo
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harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill. In a controlled experiment, fifty volunteers were given erthromycin tablets; the control group received only placebos
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placate
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pacify; soothe, conciliate. The store manager tried to placate the angry customer, offering to replace the damnaged merchandise or to give back her money.
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pivotal
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central; critical. De Keperk's decision to set Nelson Mandela free was pivotal; without Mandela's release, there was no possibility that the Arican National Congress would entertain talks wiht the south African government
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