Uil Spelling And Vocabulary - P

Front 1

purloin

Back 1

v.tr. To steal, often in a violation of trust.

v.intr. To commit theft.

The police were able to trace the movements of the thief because he used the credit card he had ... .

synonyms: v.tr. - steal, filch, snitch, pilfer, cop, hook, swipe, lift, pinch

Front 2

psychosocial

Back 2

adj. Involving aspects of social and psychological behavior: "a child's ... development."

Front 3

pseudoscience

Back 3

n. A theory, methodology, or practice that is considered to be without scientific foundation.

Astrology is considered a ... .

Front 4

protagonist

Back 4

n.
1. The main character in a drama or other literary work.
2. In ancient Greek drama, the first actor to engage in dialogue with the chorus, in later dramas playing the main character and some minor characters as well.
3. (a) A leading or principal figure. (b) The leader of a cause; a champion.
4. USAGE PROBLEM: A proponent; an advocate.

synonyms:
definition 1 - hero, heroine
definition 3 - advocate, spokesperson, standard-bearer

Front 5

prosciutto

Back 5

n. An aged, dry-cured, spiced Italian ham that is usually sliced thin and is served without cooking.

At the party, the guests helped themselves to the ... and other foods.

Front 6

prolific

Back 6

adj.
1. Producing offspring or fruit in great abundance; fertile.
2. Producing abundant works or results: "a ... artist."

synonyms: fertile, fecund, fruitful, productive

Front 7

presumptuous

Back 7

adj. Going beyond what is right or proper; excessively forward.

It was ... of her to think that we would all agree to the terms of the contract.

syonyms: audacious, insolent, impertinent

Front 8

precognition

Back 8

n. Knowledge of something in advance of its occurrence, especially by extrasensory perception; clairvoyance.

The scientist conductive extence experiments in ... and found no evidence that such a phenomenon exists.

Front 9

precipice

Back 9

n.
1. An overhanging or extremely steep mass of rock, such as a crag or the face of a cliff.
2. The brink of a dangerous or disastrous situation: "on the ... of defeat."

synonyms: definition 1 - escarpment, bluff, palisades

Front 10

preciosity

Back 10

n.
1. Extreme meticulousness or overrefinement, as in language, taste, or style.
2. An instance of extreme meticulousness or overrefinement.

The speech teacher told Jarod that his speech would have been much better without the ... .

synonyms: affectation, pretension

Front 11

polygamy

Back 11

n.
1. The condition or practice of having more than one person at one time. {Also called plural marriage.}
2. ZOOLOGY: A mating pattern in which a single individual mates with more than one individual of the opposite sex.

The practice of ... is illegal in the United States.

Front 12

poignancy
noun form of poignant

Back 12

adj.
1. (a) Physically painful: "Keen, ... agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward" (Ambrose Bierce). (b) Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings: "... anxiety." (c) Profoundly moving; touching: "a ... memory."
2. Piercing, incisive: "... criticism."
3. (a) Neat, skillful, and to the point: "... illustrations supplementing the text. (b) Astute and pertinent; relevant: "... suggestions."
4. Agreeably intense or simulating: "... delight."
5. ARCHAIC: (a) Sharp or sour to the taste; piquant. (b) Sharp or pungent to the smell. ... n.

The televsion report captured the ... of the reunion of the newly released hostages and their families.

synonyms: noun - evocatieness, keenness, profoundness

Front 13

pneumatometer

Back 13

n. An instrument for measuring the force or volume of inspiration or expiration in the lungs.

The ... measured the amount of force exerted by the patient's lungs in respiration.

Front 14

platitudinous
adjective form of platitude

Back 14

n.
1. A trite or banal remark or statement, especially one expressed as if it were original or significant.
2. Lack of originality; triteness. ... adj.

A person cannot fight city hall with ... rhetoric.

synonyms: adjective - banal, hackneyed, unimaginative

Front 15

pleurisy

Back 15

n. Inflammation of the pleura, usually occurring as a complication of a disease such as pneumonia, accompanied by accumulatio nof fluid in the pleural cavity, chills, fever, and painful breathing and coughing.

The doctor gave the woman who was suffering from ... an analgesic to control the pain.

Front 16

plagiarist
noun form of plagiarism

Back 16

n.
1. The act of plagiarizing.
2. Something plagiarized. ... n.

The columnist, who had been fired and branded a ... could not find a job with any newspaper.

synonyms: thief, copier, pirate

Front 17

pietà, Pietà

Back 17

n. A painting or sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding and mourning over the dead body of Jesus.

Of all the items in her collection, Naomi loved the ... best.

Front 18

physiatry

Back 18

n.
1. {physical medicine n. The branch of medicine that deals with the treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of disease by essentially physical means, including manipulation, massage, and exercise, often with mechanical devices, and the application of heat, cold, electricity, radiation, and water.}
2. Physical therapy.

Brenda, who loved sports and physical activity, decided to pursue a career in ... .

Front 19

phylum

Back 19

n.
1. BIOLOGY: A primary division of a kingdom, as of the animal kingdom, ranking next above a class in size.
2. LINGUISTICS: A large division of possibly genetically related families of languages or linguistic stocks.

Dogs are mammals which belong to the ... Chordata.

Front 20

phosphorescence

Back 20

n.
1. Persistant emission of light following exposure to and removal of incident radiation.
2. Emission of light without burning or by very slow burning without appreciable heat, as from the slow oxidation of phosphorous: "He saw the ... of the Gulf weed in the water" (Ernest Hemingway).

Front 21

phonology

Back 21

n. LINGUISTICS:
1. The study of speech sounds in language or a language with reference to their distribution and patterning and to tacit rules governing pronunciation.
2. The sound system of a language: "the ... of English."

synonyms: phonetics, morphology

Front 22

Phnom Penh

Back 22

The capital and largest city of Cambodia, in the southwest part of the country on the Mekong River. It was founded in the 14th century and became the capital of the Khmer after c. 1432 and the capital of Cambodia in 1867. The city suffered geratly during civil strife in the country beginning in 1970. Population, 400,000.

... suffered a great deal of damage during the Khmer Rouge's assault on the city during the mid-1970s.

Front 23

pheochromocytoma

Back 23

n. A usually benign tumor of the adrenal medulla or the sympathetic nervous system in which the affected cells secrete increased amount of epinephrone or nonrepinephrine.

Headache is just one of the symptoms a person who has a ... might experience.

Front 24

pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia

Back 24

n.
1. A book containing an official list of medicinal drugs together with articles on their preparation and use.
2. A collection or stock of drugs.

The physician consulted the ... to check the appropriate dosage before he prescribed the new drug.

Front 25

phantasmic
adjective form of phantasm

Back 25

n.
1. Something apparently seen but having no physical reality; a ... or an apparition.
2. An illusory mental image.
3. In Platonic philosophy, objective reality as perceived and distorted by the five senses.

The nightmare always began with a room filled with evil ... creatures.

Front 26

phalarope

Back 26

n. Any of several small wading birds of the family ..., resembling sandpipers but having lobed toes that enable them to swim.

..., which inhabit seashores, sometimes come as far inland as Idaho.

Front 27

petite bourgeoisie

Back 27

n. The lower middle class, including small businesspeople, tradespeople, and craftworkers.

The ... would bear the burden of increased taxes.

synonyms: the common people, citizenry

Front 28

persona grata

Back 28

adj. Fully acceptable or welcome, especially to a foreign government.

The diplomat was ... .

Front 29

peritonitis

Back 29

n. Inflammation of the peritoneum.

The cause of death was ... resulting from a ruptured appendix.

Front 30

perissodactyl

Back 30

ZOOLOGY: adj.

1. Having an uneven number of toes.
2. Of or relating to certain hoofed mammals, such as horses and rhinoceroses, of the order ..., that have an uneven number of toes.

n. A hoofed mammal of the order ... .

One of the common ... is the horse.

Front 31

peregrinate

Back 31

v.intr. To journey or travel from place to place, especially on foot.

v.tr. To travel trhough or over; traverse.

The group of college friends planned to ... through Europe during their summer break.

synonyms: journey, roam, meander

Front 32

pedantry

Back 32

n.
1. Pedantic attention to detail or rules.
2. An instance of pedantic behavior.
3. The habit of mind or manner characteristic of a pedant.

The professor was noted for his ... .

synonyms: perfectionism, meticulousness, bookishness

Front 33

pathognomonic

Back 33

adj. Characteristic or symptomatic of a particular disease or condition.

The doctor said that the high fever was ... of influenza.

Front 34

pas de chat

Back 34

n. A ballet jump in which the feet are lifted, one after the other, to the level of the opposite knee.

The ballerina performed a perfect ... .

Front 35

pas de bourrée

Back 35

n. A short running or walking step in ballet, usually executed on pointe.

Although the dance made the ... look easy, there was no doubt that it had been practiced over and over.

Front 36

Parthenon

Back 36

n. The chief temple of the goddess Athena built on the acropolis at Athens between 447 and 432 B.C. and considered a supreme example of Doric architecture.

The architectural students were studying the ... in hopes of building a miniature model.

Front 37

paratyphoid fever

Back 37

n. An acutre intestinal disease, similar to ... but less severe, caused by food contaminated with certain bacteria of the genus Salmonella.

After an outbreak of ... among patrons of the cafe, the health officials ordered an immediate inspection.

Front 38

panchromatic

Back 38

adj. Sensitive to all colors: "... film."

Front 39

paillasse, palliasse

Back 39

n. A thin mattress filled with straw or sawdust.

The tired old man slept peacefully on the ... .