pacify v. To bring into a peaceful state.
packet n. A bundle, as of letters.
pact n. A covenant.
pagan n. A worshiper of false gods.
pageant n. A dramatic representation, especially a spectacular one.
palate n. The roof of the mouth.
palatial adj. Magnificent.
paleontology n. The branch of biology that treats of ancient life and fossil organisms.
palette n. A thin tablet, with a hole for the thumb, upon which artists lay their colors for painting.
palinode n. A retraction.
pall v. To make dull by satiety.
palliate v. To cause to appear less guilty.
pallid adj. Of a pale or wan appearance.
palpable n. perceptible by feeling or touch.
palsy n. Paralysis.
paly adj. Lacking color or brilliancy.
pamphlet n. A brief treatise or essay, usually on a subject of current interest.
pamphleteer v. To compose or issue pamphlets, especially controversial ones.
panacea n. A remedy or medicine proposed for or professing to cure all diseases.
Pan-American adj. Including or pertaining to the whole of America, both North and South.
pandemic adj. Affecting a whole people or all classes, as a disease.
pandemonium n. A fiendish or riotous uproar.
panegyric n. A formal and elaborate eulogy, written or spoken, of a person or of an act.
panel n. A rectangular piece set in or as in a frame.
panic n. A sudden, unreasonable, overpowering fear.
panoply n. A full set of armor.
panorama n. A series of large pictures representing a continuous scene.
pantheism n. The worship of nature for itself or its beauty.
Pantheon n. A circular temple at Rome with a fine Corinthian portico and a great domed roof.
pantomime n. Sign-language.
pantoscope n. A very wide-angled photographic lens.
papacy n. The official head of the Roman Catholic Church.
papyrus n. The writing-paper of the ancient Egyptians, and later of the Romans.
parable n. A brief narrative founded on real scenes or events usually with a moral.
paradox n. A statement or doctrine seemingly in contradiction to the received belief.
paragon n. A model of excellence.
parallel v. To cause to correspond or lie in the same direction and equidistant in all parts.
parallelism n. Essential likeness.
paralysis n. Loss of the power of contractility in the voluntary or involuntary muscles.
paralyze v. To deprive of the power to act.
paramount adj. Supreme in authority.
paramour n. One who is unlawfully and immorally a lover or a mistress.
paraphernalia n. Miscellaneous articles of equipment or adornment.
paraphrase v. Translate freely.
pare v. To cut, shave, or remove (the outside) from anything.
parentage n. The relation of parent to child, of the producer to the produced, or of cause to effect.
Pariah n. A member of a degraded class; a social outcast.
parish n. The ecclesiastical district in charge of a pastor.
Parisian adj. Of or pertaining to the city of Paris.
parity n. Equality, as of condition or rank.
parlance n. Mode of speech.
parley v. To converse in.
parliament n. A legislative body.
parlor n. A room for reception of callers or entertainment of guests.
parody v. To render ludicrous by imitating the language of.
paronymous adj. Derived from the same root or primitive word.
paroxysm n. A sudden outburst of any kind of activity.
parricide n. The murder of a parent.
parse v. To describe, as a sentence, by separating it into its elements and describing each word.
parsimonious adj. Unduly sparing in the use or expenditure of money.
partible adj. Separable.
participant n. One having a share or part.
participate v. To receive or have a part or share of.
partition n. That which separates anything into distinct parts.
partisan adj. Characterized by or exhibiting undue or unreasoning devotion to a party.
passible adj. Capable of feeling of suffering.
passive adj. Unresponsive.
pastoral adj. Having the spirit or sentiment of rural life.
paternal adj. Fatherly.
paternity n. Fatherhood.
pathos n. The quality in any form of representation that rouses emotion or sympathy.
patriarch n. The chief of a tribe or race who rules by paternal right.
patrician adj. Of senatorial or noble rank.
patrimony n. An inheritance from an ancestor, especially from one's father.
patriotism n. Love and devotion to one's country.
patronize v. To exercise an arrogant condescension toward.
patronymic adj. Formed after one's father's name.
patter v. To mumble something over and over.
paucity n. Fewness.
pauper n. One without means of support.
pauperism n. Dependence on charity.
pavilion n. An open structure for temporary shelter.
payee n. A person to whom money has been or is to be paid.
peaceable adj. Tranquil.
peaceful adj. Tranquil.
peccable adj. Capable of sinning.
peccadillo n. A small breach of propriety or principle.
peccant adj. Guilty.
pectoral adj. Pertaining to the breast or thorax.
pecuniary adj. Consisting of money.
pedagogics n. The science and art of teaching.
pedagogue n. A schoolmaster.
pedagogy n. The science and art of teaching
pedal n. A lever for the foot usually applied only to musical instruments, cycles, and other machines.
pedant n. A scholar who makes needless and inopportune display of his learning.
peddle v. To go about with a small stock of goods to sell.
pedestal n. A base or support as for a column, statue, or vase.
pedestrian n. One who journeys on foot.
pediatrics n. The department of medical science that relates to the treatment of diseases of childhood.
pedigree n. One's line of ancestors.
peddler n. One who travels from house to house with an assortment of goods for retail.
peerage n. The nobility.
peerless adj. Of unequaled excellence or worth.
peevish adj. Petulant. (irritable)
pellucid adj. Translucent.
penalty n. The consequences that follow the transgression of natural or divine law.
penance n. Punishment to which one voluntarily submits or subjects himself as an expression of
penitence.
penchant n. A bias in favor of something.
pendant n. Anything that hangs from something else, either for ornament or for use.
pendulous adj. Hanging, especially so as to swing by an attached end or part.
pendulum n. A weight hung on a rod, serving by its oscillation to regulate the rate of a clock.
penetrable adj. That may be pierced by physical, moral, or intellectual force.
penetrate v. To enter or force a way into the interior parts of.
penetration n. Discernment.
peninsular adj. Pertaining to a piece of land almost surrounded by water.
penitence n. Sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone.
penitential adj. Pertaining to sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone.
pennant n. A small flag.
pension n. A periodical allowance to an individual on account of past service done by him/her.
pentagram n. A figure having five points or lobes.
pentavalent adj. Quinqeuvalent.
pentad n. The number five.
pentagon n. A figure, especially, with five angles and five sides.
pentahedron n. A solid bounded by five plane faces.
pentameter n. In prosody, a line of verse containing five units or feet.
pentathlon n. The contest of five associated exercises in the great games and the same contestants.
penultimate adj. A syllable or member of a series that is last but one.
penurious adj. Excessively sparing in the use of money.
penury n. Indigence.
perambulate v. To walk about.
perceive v. To have knowledge of, or receive impressions concerning, through the medium of the body senses.
perceptible adj. Cognizable.
perception n. Knowledge through the senses of the existence and properties of matter or the external world.
percipience n. The act of perceiving.
percipient n. One who or that which perceives.
percolate v. To filter.
percolator n. A filter.
percussion n. The sharp striking of one body against another.
peremptory adj. Precluding question or appeal.
perennial adj. Continuing though the year or through many years.
perfectible adj. Capable of being made perfect.
perfidy n. Treachery.
perforate v. To make a hole or holes through.
perform v. To accomplish.
perfumery n. The preparation of perfumes.
perfunctory adj. Half-hearted.
perhaps adv. Possibly.
perigee n. The point in the orbit of the moon when it is nearest the earth.
periodicity n. The habit or characteristic of recurrence at regular intervals.
peripatetic adj. Walking about.
perjure v. To swear falsely to.
perjury n. A solemn assertion of a falsity.
permanence n. A continuance in the same state, or without any change that destroys the essential form or nature.
permanent adj. Durable.
permeate v. To pervade.
permissible adj. That may be allowed.
permutation n. Reciprocal change, different ordering of same items.
pernicious adj. Tending to kill or hurt.
perpendicular adj. Straight up and down.
perpetrator n. The doer of a wrong or a criminal act.
perpetuate v. To preserve from extinction or oblivion.
perquisite n. Any profit from service beyond the amount fixed as salary or wages.
persecution n. Harsh or malignant oppression.
perseverance n. A persistence in purpose and effort.
persevere v. To continue striving in spite of discouragements.
persiflage n. Banter.
persist v. To continue steadfast against opposition.
persistence n. A fixed adherence to a resolve, course of conduct, or the like.
personage n. A man or woman as an individual, especially one of rank or high station.
personal adj. Not general or public.
personality n. The attributes, taken collectively, that make up the character and nature of an individual.
personnel n. The force of persons collectively employed in some service.
perspective n. The relative importance of facts or matters from any special point of view.
perspicacious adj. Astute.
perspicacity n. Acuteness or discernment.
perspicuous adj. Lucid.
perspiration n. Sweat.
perspire v. To excrete through the pores of the skin.
persuade v. To win the mind of by argument, eloquence, evidence, or reflection.
persuadable adj. capable of influencing to action by entreaty, statement, or anything that moves the
feelings.
pertinacious adj. Persistent or unyielding.
pertinacity n. Unyielding adherence.
pertinent adj. Relevant.
perturb v. To disturb greatly.
perturbation n. Mental excitement or confusion.
perusal n. The act of reading carefully or thoughtfully.
pervade v. To pass or spread through every part.
pervasion n. The state of spreading through every part.
pervasive adj. Thoroughly penetrating or permeating.
perverse adj. Unreasonable.
perversion n. Diversion from the true meaning or proper purpose.
perversity n. Wickedness.
pervert n. One who has forsaken a doctrine regarded as true for one esteemed false.
pervious adj. Admitting the entrance or passage of another substance.
pestilence n. A raging epidemic.
pestilent adj. Having a malign influence or effect.
pestilential adj. having the nature of or breeding pestilence.
peter v. To fail or lose power, efficiency, or value.
petrify v. To convert into a substance of stony hardness and character.
petulance n. The character or condition of being impatient, capricious or petulant.
petulant adj. Displaying impatience.
pharmacopoeia n. A book containing the formulas and methods of preparation of medicines for the use of druggists.
pharmacy n. The art or business of compounding and dispensing medicines.
phenomenal adj. Extraordinary or marvelous.
phenomenon n. Any unusual occurrence.
philander v. To play at courtship with a woman.
philanthropic adj. Benevolent.
philanthropist n. One who endeavors to help his fellow men.
philanthropy n. Active humanitarianism.
philately n. The study and collection of stamps.
philharmonic adj. Fond of music.
philogynist n. One who is fond of women.
philologist n. An expert in linguistics.
philology n. The study of language in connection with history and literature.
philosophize v. To seek ultimate causes and principles.
philosophy n. The general principles, laws, or causes that furnish the rational explanation of anything.
phlegmatic adj. Not easily roused to feeling or action.
phonetic adj. Representing articulate sounds or speech.
phonic adj. Pertaining to the nature of sound.
phonogram n. A graphic character symbolizing an articulate sound.
phonology n. The science of human vocal sounds.
phosphorescence n. The property of emitting light.
photoelectric adj. Pertaining to the combined action of light and electricity.
photometer n. Any instrument for measuring the intensity of light or comparing the intensity of two lights.
photometry n. The art of measuring the intensity of light.
physicist n. A specialist in the science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and energy.
physics n. The science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and energy.
physiocracy n. The doctrine that land and its products are the only true wealth.
physiognomy n. The external appearance merely.
physiography n. Description of nature.
physiology n. The science of organic functions.
physique n. The physical structure or organization of a person.
picayune adj. Of small value.
piccolo n. A small flute.
piece n. A loose or separated part, as distinguished from the whole or the mass.
piecemeal adv. Gradually.
pillage n. Open robbery, as in war.
pillory n. A wooden framework in which an offender is fastened to boards and is exposed to public scorn.
pincers n. An instrument having two lever-handles and two jaws working on a pivot.
pinchers n. An instrument having two jaws working on a pivot.
pinnacle n. A high or topmost point, as a mountain-peak.
pioneer n. One among the first to explore a country.
pious adj. Religious.
pique v. To excite a slight degree of anger in.
piteous adj. Compassionate.
pitiable adj. Contemptible.
pitiful adj. Wretched.
pitiless adj. Hard-hearted.
pittance n. Any small portion or meager allowance.
placate v. To bring from a state of angry or hostile feeling to one of patience or friendliness.
placid adj. Serene.
plagiarism n. The stealing of passages from the writings of another and publishing them as one's own.
planisphere n. A polar projection of the heavens on a chart.
plasticity n. The property of some substances through which the form of the mass can readily be
changed.
platitude n. A written or spoken statement that is flat, dull, or commonplace.
plaudit n. An expression of applause.
plausible adj. Seeming likely to be true, though open to doubt.
playful adj. Frolicsome.
playwright n. A maker of plays for the stage.
plea n. An argument to obtain some desired action.
pleasant adj. Agreeable.
pleasurable adj. Affording gratification.
plebeian adj. Common.
pledgee n. The person to whom anything is pledged.
pledgeor n. One who gives a pledge.
plenary adj. Entire.
plenipotentiary n. A person fully empowered to transact any business.
plenitude n. Abundance.
plenteous adj. Abundant.
plumb n. A weight suspended by a line to test the verticality of something.
plummet n. A piece of lead for making soundings, adjusting walls to the vertical.
pluperfect adj. Expressing past time or action prior to some other past time or action.
plural adj. Containing or consisting of more than one.
plurality n. A majority.
plutocracy n. A wealthy class in a political community who control the government by means of their money.
pneumatic adj. Pertaining to or consisting of air or gas.
poesy n. Poetry.
poetaster n. An inferior poet.
poetic adj. Pertaining to poetry.
poetics n. The rules and principles of poetry.
poignancy n. Severity or acuteness, especially of pain or grief.
poignant adj. Severely painful or acute to the spirit.
poise n. Equilibrium.
polar adj. Pertaining to the poles of a sphere, especially of the earth.
polemics n. The art of controversy or disputation.
pollen n. The fine dust-like grains or powder formed within the anther of a flowering plant.
pollute v. To contaminate.
polyarchy n. Government by several or many persons of what- ever class.
polycracy n. The rule of many.
polygamy n. the fact or condition of having more than one wife or husband at once.
polyglot adj. Speaking several tongues.
polygon n. A figure having many angles.
polyhedron n. A solid bounded by plane faces, especially by more than four.
polysyllable adj. Having several syllables, especially more than three syllables.
polytechnic adj. Pertaining to, embracing, or practicing many arts.
polytheism n. The doctrine or belief that there are more gods than one.
pommel v. To beat with something thick or bulky.
pomposity n. The quality of being marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner.
pompous adj. Marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner.
ponder v. To meditate or reflect upon.
ponderous adj. Unusually weighty or forcible.
pontiff n. The Pope.
populace n. The common people.
populous adj. Containing many inhabitants, especially in proportion to the territory.
portend v. To indicate as being about to happen, especially by previous signs.
portent n. Anything that indicates what is to happen.
portfolio n. A portable case for holding writing-materials, drawings, etc.
posit v. To present in an orderly manner.
position n. The manner in which a thing is placed.
positive adj. Free from doubt or hesitation.
posse n. A force of men.
possess v. To own.
possession n. The having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command.
possessive adj. Pertaining to the having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command.
possessor n. One who owns, enjoys, or controls anything, as property.
possible adj. Being not beyond the reach of power natural, moral, or supernatural.
postdate v. To make the date of any writing later than the real date.
posterior n. The hinder part.
postgraduate adj. Pertaining to studies that are pursued after receiving a degree.
postscript n. Something added to a letter after the writer's signature.
potency n. Power.
potent adj. Physically powerful.
potentate n. One possessed of great power or sway.
potential n. Anything that may be possible.
potion n. A dose of liquid medicine.
powerless adj. Impotent.
practicable adj. Feasible.
prate v. To talk about vainly or foolishly.
prattle v. To utter in simple or childish talk.
preamble n. A statement introductory to and explanatory of what follows.
precarious adj. Perilous.
precaution n. A provision made in advance for some possible emergency or danger.
precede v. To happen first.
precedence n. Priority in place, time, or rank.
precedent n. An instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule.
precedential adj. Of the nature of an instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule.
precession n. The act of going forward.
precipice n. A high and very steep or approximately vertical cliff.
precipitant adj. Moving onward quickly and heedlessly.
precipitate v. To force forward prematurely.
precise adj. Exact.
precision n. Accuracy of limitation, definition, or adjustment.
preclude v. To prevent.
precocious adj. Having the mental faculties prematurely developed.
precursor n. A forerunner or herald.
predatory adj. Prone to pillaging.
predecessor n. An incumbent of a given office previous to another.
predicament n. A difficult, trying situation or plight.
predicate v. To state as belonging to something.
predict v. To foretell.
prediction n. A prophecy.
predominance n. Ascendancy or preponderance.
predominant adj. Superior in power, influence, effectiveness, number, or degree.
predominate v. To be chief in importance, quantity, or degree.
preeminence n. Special eminence.
preempt v. To secure the right of preference in the purchase of public land.
preemption n. The right or act of purchasing before others.
preengage v. To preoccupy.
preestablish v. To settle or arrange beforehand.
preexist v. To exist at a period or in a state earlier than something else.
preexistence n. Existence antecedent to something.
preface n. A brief explanation or address to the reader, at the beginning of a book.
prefatory adj. Pertaining to a brief explanation to the reader at the beginning of a book.
prefer v. To hold in higher estimation.
preferable adj. More desirable than others.
preference n. An object of favor or choice.
preferential adj. Possessing, giving, or constituting preference or priority.
preferment n. Preference.
prefix v. To attach at the beginning.
prehensible adj. Capable of being grasped.
prehensile adj. Adapted for grasping or holding.
prehension n. The act of laying hold of or grasping.
prejudice n. A judgment or opinion formed without due examination of the facts.
prelacy n. A system of church government.
prelate n. One of a higher order of clergy having direct authority over other clergy.
prelude n. An introductory or opening performance.
premature adj. Coming too soon.
premier adj. First in rank or position.
premise n. A judgment as a conclusion.
premonition n. Foreboding.
preoccupation n. The state of having the mind, attention, or inclination preoccupied.
preoccupy v. To fill the mind of a person to the exclusion of other subjects.
preordain v. To foreordain.
preparation n. An act or proceeding designed to bring about some event.
preparatory adj. Having to do with what is preliminary.
preponderant adj. Prevalent.
preponderate v. To exceed in influence or power.
prepossession n. A preconceived liking.
preposterous adj. Utterly ridiculous or absurd.
prerogative adj. Having superior rank or precedence.
presage v. To foretell.
prescience n. Knowledge of events before they take place.
prescient adj. Foreknowing.
prescript adj. Prescribed as a rule or model.
prescriptible adj. Derived from authoritative direction.
prescription n. An authoritative direction.
presentient adj. Perceiving or feeling beforehand.
presentiment n. Foreboding.
presentment n. Semblance.
preservation n. Conservation.
presumption n. That which may be logically assumed to be true until disproved.
presumptuous adj. Assuming too much.
pretension n. A bold or presumptuous assertion.
pretentious adj. Marked by pretense, conceit, or display.
preternatural adj. Extraordinary.
pretext n. A fictitious reason or motive.
prevalence n. Frequency.
prevalent adj. Of wide extent or frequent occurrence.
prevaricate v. To use ambiguous or evasive language for the purpose of deceiving or diverting attention.
prevention n. Thwarting.
prickle v. To puncture slightly with fine, sharp points.
priggish adj. Conceited.
prim adj. Stiffly proper.
prima adj. First.
primer n. An elementary reading-book for children.
primeval adj. Belonging to the first ages.
primitive adj. Pertaining to the beginning or early times.
principal adj. Most important.
principality n. The territory of a reigning prince.
principle n. A general truth or proposition.
priory n. A monastic house.
pristine adj. Primitive.
privateer n. A vessel owned and officered by private persons, but carrying on maritime war.
privilege n. A right or immunity not enjoyed by all, or that may be enjoyed only under special
conditions.
privity n. Knowledge shared with another or others regarding a private matter.
privy adj. Participating with another or others in the knowledge of a secret transaction.
probate adj. Relating to making proof, as of a will.
probation n. Any proceeding designed to ascertain or test character, qualification, or the like.
probe v. To search through and through.
probity n. Virtue or integrity tested and confirmed.
procedure n. A manner or method of acting.
proceed v. To renew motion or action, as after rest or interruption.
proclamation n. Any announcement made in a public manner.
procrastinate v. To put off till tomorrow or till a future time.
procrastination n. Delay.
proctor n. An agent acting for another.
prodigal n. One wasteful or extravagant, especially in the use of money or property.
prodigious adj. Immense.
prodigy n. A person or thing of very remarkable gifts or qualities.
productive adj. Yielding in abundance.
profession n. Any calling or occupation involving special mental or other special disciplines.
professor n. A public teacher of the highest grade in a university or college.
proffer v. To offer to another for acceptance.
proficiency n. An advanced state of acquirement, as in some knowledge, art, or science.
proficient adj. Possessing ample and ready knowledge or of skill in any art, science, or industry.
profile n. An outline or contour.
profiteer n. One who profits.
profligacy n. Shameless viciousness.
profligate adj. Abandoned to vice.
profuse adj. Produced or displayed in overabundance.
progeny n. Offspring.
progression n. A moving forward or proceeding in course.
prohibition n. A decree or an order forbidding something.
prohibitionist n. One who favors the prohibition by law of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic
beverages.
prohibitory adj. Involving or equivalent to prohibition, especially of the sale of alcoholic beverages.
projection n. A prominence.
proletarian n. A person of the lowest or poorest class.
prolific adj. Producing offspring or fruit.
prolix adj. Verbose.
prologue n. A prefatory statement or explanation to a poem, discourse, or performance.
prolong v. To extend in time or duration.
promenade v. To walk for amusement or exercise.
prominence n. The quality of being noticeable or distinguished.
prominent adj. Conspicuous in position, character, or importance.
promiscuous adj. Brought together without order, distinction, or design (for sex).
promissory adj. Expressing an engagement to pay.
promontory n. A high point of land extending outward from the coastline into the sea.
promoter n. A furtherer, forwarder, or encourager.
promulgate v. To proclaim.
propaganda n. Any institution or systematic scheme for propagating a doctrine or system.
propagate v. To spread abroad or from person to person.
propel v. To drive or urge forward.
propellant adj. Propelling.
propeller n. One who or that which propels.
prophecy n. Any prediction or foretelling.
prophesy v. To predict or foretell, especially under divine inspiration and guidance.
propitious adj. Kindly disposed.
proportionate adj. Being in proportion.
propriety n. Accordance with recognized usage, custom, or principles.
propulsion n. A driving onward or forward.
prosaic adj. Unimaginative.
proscenium n. That part of the stage between the curtain and the orchestra.
proscribe v. To reject, as a teaching or a practice, with condemnation or denunciation.
proscription n. Any act of condemnation and rejection from favor and privilege.
proselyte n. One who has been won over from one religious belief to another.
prosody n. The science of poetical forms.
prospector n. One who makes exploration, search, or examination, especially for minerals.
prospectus n. A paper or pamphlet containing information of a proposed undertaking.
prostrate adj. Lying prone, or with the head to the ground.
protagonist n. A leader in any enterprise or contest.
protection n. Preservation from harm, danger, annoyance, or any other evil.
protective adj. Sheltering.
protector n. A defender.
protege n. One specially cared for and favored by another usually older person.
Protestant n. A Christian who denies the authority of the Pope and holds the right of special judgment.
protomartyr n. The earliest victim in any cause.
protocol n. A declaration or memorandum of agreement less solemn and formal than a treaty.
protoplasm n. The substance that forms the principal portion of an animal or vegetable cell.
prototype n. A work, original in character, afterward imitated in form or spirit.
protract v. To prolong.
protrude v. To push out or thrust forth.
protrusion n. The act of protruding.
protuberance n. Something that swells out from a surrounding surface.
protuberant adj. Bulging.
protuberate v. To swell or bulge beyond the surrounding surface.
proverb n. A brief, pithy saying, condensing in witty or striking form the wisdom of experience.
provident adj. Anticipating and making ready for future wants or emergencies.
providential adj. Effected by divine guidance.
provincial adj. Uncultured in thought and manner.
proviso n. A clause in a contract, will, etc., by which its operation is rendered conditional.
provocation n. An action or mode of conduct that excites resentment.
prowess n. Strength, skill, and intrepidity in battle.
proximately adv. Immediately.
proxy n. A person who is empowered by another to represent him or her in a given matter.
prudence n. Caution.
prudential adj. Proceeding or marked by caution.
prudery n. An undue display of modesty or delicacy.
prurient adj. Inclined to lascivious thoughts and desires.
pseudapostle n. A pretended or false apostle.
pseudonym n. A fictitious name, especially when assumed by a writer.
pseudonymity n. The state or character of using a fictitious name.
psychiatry n. The branch of medicine that relates to mental disease.
psychic adj. Pertaining to the mind or soul.
psychopathic adj. Morally irresponsible.
psychotherapy n. The treatment of mental disease.
pudgy adj. Small and fat.
puerile adj. Childish.
pugnacious adj. Quarrelsome.
puissant adj. Possessing strength.
pulmonary adj. Pertaining to the lungs.
punctilious adj. Strictly observant of the rules or forms prescribed by law or custom.
punctual adj. Observant and exact in points of time.
pungent adj. Affecting the sense of smell.
pungency n. The quality of affecting the sense of smell.
punitive adj. Pertaining to punishment.
pupilage n. The state or period of being a student.
purgatory n. An intermediate state where souls are made fit for paradise or heaven by expiatory suffering.
purl v. To cause to whirl, as in an eddy.
purloin v. To steal.
purport n. Intent.
purveyor n. one who supplies
pusillanimous adj. Without spirit or bravery.
putrescent adj. Undergoing decomposition of animal or vegetable matter accompanied by fetid odors.
pyre n. A heap of combustibles arranged for burning a dead body.
pyromania n. An insane propensity to set things on fire.
pyrotechnic adj. Pertaining to fireworks or their manufacture.
pyx n. A vessel or casket, usually of precious metal, in which the host is preserved.
quackery n. Charlatanry
quadrate v. To divide into quarters.
quadruple v. To multiply by four.
qualification n. A requisite for an employment, position, right, or privilege.
qualify v. To endow or furnish with requisite ability, character, knowledge, skill, or possessions.
qualm n. A fit of nausea.
quandary n. A puzzling predicament.
quantity n. Magnitude.
quarantine n. The enforced isolation of any person or place infected with contagious disease.
quarrelsome adj. Irascible.
quarter n. One of four equal parts into which anything is or may be divided.
quarterly adj. Occurring or made at intervals of three months.
quartet n. A composition for four voices or four instruments.
quarto n. An eight-page newspaper of any size.
quay n. A wharf or artificial landing-place on the shore of a harbor or projecting into it.
querulous adj. Habitually complaining.
query v. To make inquiry.
queue n. A file of persons waiting in order of their arrival, as for admittance.
quibble n. An utterly trivial distinction or objection.
quiescence n. Quiet.
quiescent adj. Being in a state of repose or inaction.
quiet adj. Making no noise.
quietus n. A silencing, suppressing, or ending.
quintessence n. The most essential part of anything.
quintet n. Musical composition arranged for five voices or instruments.
quite adv. Fully.
Quixotic adj. Chivalrous or romantic to a ridiculous or extravagant degree.
rabid adj. Affected with rabies or hydrophobia.
racy adj. Exciting or exhilarating to the mind.
radiance n. Brilliant or sparkling luster.
radiate v. To extend in all directions, as from a source or focus.
radical n. One who holds extreme views or advocates extreme measures.
radix n. That from or on which something is developed.
raillery n. Good-humored satire.
ramify v. To divide or subdivide into branches or subdivisions.
ramose adj. Branch-like.
rampant adj. Growing, climbing, or running without check or restraint.
rampart n. A bulwark or construction to oppose assault or hostile entry.
rancor n. Malice.
rankle v. To produce irritation or festering.
rapacious adj. Disposed to seize by violence or by unlawful or greedy methods.
rapid adj. Having great speed.
rapine n. The act of seizing and carrying off property by superior force, as in war.
rapt adj. Enraptured.
raptorial adj. Seizing and devouring living prey.
ration v. To provide with a fixed allowance or portion, especially of food.
rationalism n. The formation of opinions by relying upon reason alone, independently of authority.
raucous adj. Harsh.
ravage v. To lay waste by pillage, rapine, devouring, or other destructive methods.
ravenous adj. Furiously voracious or hungry.
ravine n. A deep gorge or hollow, especially one worn by a stream or flow of water.
reaction n. Tendency towards a former, or opposite state of things, as after reform, revolution, or inflation.
reactionary adj. Pertaining to, of the nature of, causing, or favoring reaction.
readily adv. Without objection or reluctance.
readjust v. To put in order after disarrangement.
ready adj. In a state of preparedness for any given purpose or occasion.
realism n. The principle and practice of depicting persons and scenes as they are believed really to exist.
rearrange v. To arrange again or in a different order.
reassure v. To give new confidence.
rebellious adj. Insubordinate.
rebuff n. A peremptory or unexpected rejection of advances or approaches.
rebuild v. To build again or anew.
rebut v. To oppose by argument or a sufficient answer.
recant v. To withdraw formally one's belief (in something previously believed or maintained).
recapitulate v. To repeat again the principal points of.
recapture v. To capture again.
recede v. To move back or away.
receivable adj. Capable of being or fit to be received - often money.
receptive adj. Having the capacity, quality, or ability of receiving, as truths or impressions.
recessive adj. Having a tendency to go back.
recidivist n. A confirmed criminal.
reciprocal adj. Mutually interchangeable or convertible.
reciprocate v. To give and take mutually.
reciprocity n. Equal mutual rights and benefits granted and enjoyed.
recitation n. The act of reciting or repeating, especially in public and from memory.
reck v. To have a care or thought for.
reckless adj. Foolishly headless of danger.
reclaim v. To demand or to obtain the return or restoration of.
recline v. To cause to assume a leaning or recumbent attitude or position.
recluse n. One who lives in retirement or seclusion.
reclusory n. A hermitage.
recognizance n. An acknowledgment entered into before a court with condition to do some particular act.
recognize v. To recall the identity of (a person or thing).
recoil v. To start back as in dismay, loathing, or dread.
recollect v. To recall the knowledge of.
reconcilable adj. Capable of being adjusted or harmonized.
reconnoiter v. To make a preliminary examination of for military, surveying, or geological purposes.
reconsider v. To review with care, especially with a view to a reversal of previous action.
reconstruct v. To rebuild.
recourse n. Resort to or application for help in exigency or trouble.
recover v. To regain.
recreant n. A cowardly or faithless person.
recreate v. To refresh after labor.
recrudescence n. The state of becoming raw or sore again.
recrudescent adj. Becoming raw or sore again.
recruit v. To enlist men for military or naval service.
rectify v. To correct.
rectitude n. The quality of being upright in principles and conduct.
recuperate v. To recover.
recur v. To happen again or repeatedly, especially at regular intervals.
recure v. To cure again.
recurrent adj. Returning from time to time, especially at regular or stated intervals.
redemption n. The recovery of what is mortgaged or pledged, by paying the debt.
redolent adj. Smelling sweet and agreeable.
redolence n. Smelling sweet and agreeable.
redoubtable adj. Formidable.
redound n. Rebound.
redress v. To set right, as a wrong by compensation or the punishment of the wrong-doer.
reducible adj. That may be reduced.
redundance n. Excess.
redundant adj. Constituting an excess.
reestablish v. To restore.
refer v. To direct or send for information or other purpose.
referrer n. One who refers.
referable adj. Ascribable.
referee n. An umpire.
refinery n. A place where some crude material, as sugar or petroleum, is purified.
reflectible adj. Capable of being turned back.
reflection n. The throwing off or back of light, heat, sound, or any form of energy that travels in waves.
reflector n. A mirror, as of metal, for reflecting light, heat, or sound in a particular direction.
reflexible adj. Capable of being reflected.
reform n. Change for the better.
reformer n. One who carries out a reform.
refract v. To bend or turn from a direct course.
refractory adj. Not amenable to control.
refragable adj. Capable of being refuted.
refringency n. Power to refract.
refringent adj. Having the power to refract.
refusal n. Denial of what is asked.
refute v. To prove to be wrong.
regale v. To give unusual pleasure.
regalia n. pl. The emblems of royalty.
regality n. Royalty.
regenerate v. To reproduce.
regent n. One who is lawfully deputized to administer the government for the time being in the name of the ruler.
regicide n. The killing of a king or sovereign.
regime n. Particular conduct or administration of affairs.
regimen n. A systematized order or course of living with reference to food, clothing and personal habits.
regiment n. A body of soldiers.
regnant adj. Exercising royal authority in one's own right.
regress v. To return to a former place or condition.
regretful adj. Feeling, expressive of, or full of regret.
rehabilitate v. To restore to a former status, capacity, right rank, or privilege.
reign v. To hold and exercise sovereign power.
reimburse v. To pay back as an equivalent of what has been expended.
rein n. A step attached to the bit for controlling a horse or other draft-animal.
reinstate v. To restore to a former state, station, or authority.
reiterate v. To say or do again and again.
rejoin v. To reunite after separation.
rejuvenate v. To restore to youth.
rejuvenescence n. A renewal of youth.
relapse v. To suffer a return of a disease after partial recovery.
relegate v. To send off or consign, as to an obscure position or remote destination.
relent v. To yield.
relevant adj. Bearing upon the matter in hand.
reliance n. Dependence.
reliant adj. Having confidence.
relinquish v. To give up using or having.
reliquary n. A casket, coffer, or repository in which relics are kept.
relish v. To like the taste or savor of.
reluctance n. Unwillingness.
reluctant adj. Unwilling.
remembrance n. Recollection.
reminiscence n. The calling to mind of incidents within the range of personal knowledge or experience.
reminiscent adj. Pertaining to the recollection of matters of personal interest.
remiss adj. Negligent.
remission n. Temporary diminution of a disease.
remodel v. Reconstruct.
remonstrance n. Reproof.
remonstrant adj. Having the character of a reproof.
remonstrate v. To present a verbal or written protest to those who have power to right or prevent a wrong.
remunerate v. To pay or pay for.
remuneration n. Compensation.
Renaissance n. The revival of letters, and then of art, which marks the transition from medieval to modern time.
rendezvous n. A prearranged place of meeting.
rendition n. Interpretation.
renovate v. To restore after deterioration, as a building.
renunciation n. An explicit disclaimer of a right or privilege.
reorganize v. To change to a more satisfactory form of organization.
reparable adj. Capable of repair.
reparation n. The act of making amends, as for an injury, loss, or wrong.
repartee n. A ready, witty, or apt reply.
repeal v. To render of no further effect.
repel v. To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally.
repellent adj. Having power to force back in a manner, physically or mentally.
repentance n. Sorrow for something done or left undone, with desire to make things right by undoing the wrong.
repertory n. A place where things are stored or gathered together.
repetition n. The act of repeating.
repine v. To indulge in fretfulness and faultfinding.
replenish v. To fill again, as something that has been emptied.
replete adj. Full to the uttermost.
replica n. A duplicate executed by the artist himself, and regarded, equally with the first, as an original.
repository n. A place in which goods are stored.
reprehend v. To find fault with.
reprehensible adj. Censurable.
reprehension n. Expression of blame.
repress v. To keep under restraint or control.
repressible adj. Able to be kept under restraint or control.
reprieve v. To grant a respite from punishment to.
reprimand v. To chide or rebuke for a fault.
reprisal n. Any infliction or act by way of retaliation on an enemy.
reprobate n. One abandoned to depravity and sin.
reproduce v. To make a copy of.
reproduction n. The process by which an animal or plant gives rise to another of its kind.
reproof n. An expression of disapproval or blame personally addressed to one censured.
repudiate v. To refuse to have anything to do with.
repugnance n. Thorough dislike.
repugnant adj. Offensive to taste and feeling.
repulse n. The act of beating or driving back, as an attacking or advancing enemy.
repulsive adj. Grossly offensive.
repute v. To hold in general opinion.
requiem n. A solemn mass sung for the repose of the souls of the dead.
requisite adj. Necessary.
requital n. Adequate return for good or ill.
requite v. To repay either good or evil to, as to a person.
rescind v. To make void, as an act, by the enacting authority or a superior authority.
reseat v. To place in position of office again.
resemblance n. Similarity in quality or form.
resent v. To be indignant at, as an injury or insult.
reservoir n. A receptacle where a quantity of some material, especially of a liquid or gas, may be kept.
residue n. A remainder or surplus after a part has been separated or otherwise treated.
resilience n. The power of springing back to a former position
resilient adj. Having the quality of springing back to a former position.
resistance n. The exertion of opposite effort or effect.
resistant adj. Offering or tending to produce resistance.
resistive adj. Having or exercising the power of resistance.
resistless adj. Powerless.
resonance n. The quality of being able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations.
resonance adj. Able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations.
resonate v. To have or produce resonance.
resource n. That which is restored to, relied upon, or made available for aid or support.
respite n. Interval of rest.
resplendent adj. Very bright.
respondent adj. Answering.
restitution n. Restoration of anything to the one to whom it properly belongs.
resumption n. The act of taking back, or taking again.
resurgent adj. Surging back or again.
resurrection n. A return from death to life
resuscitate v. To restore from apparent death.
retaliate v. To repay evil with a similar evil.
retch v. To make an effort to vomit.
retention n. The keeping of a thing within one's power or possession.
reticence n. The quality of habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance.
reticent adj. Habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance.
retinue n. The body of persons who attend a person of importance in travel or public appearance.
retort n. A retaliatory speech.
retouch v. To modify the details of.
retrace v. To follow backward or toward the place of beginning, as a track or marking.
retract v. To recall or take back (something that one has said).
retrench v. To cut down or reduce in extent or quantity.
retrieve v. To recover something by searching.
retroactive adj. Operative on, affecting, or having reference to past events, transactions, responsibilities.
retrograde v. To cause to deteriorate or to move backward.
retrogression n. A going or moving backward or in a reverse direction.
retrospect n. A view or contemplation of something past.
retrospective adj. Looking back on the past.
reunite v. To unite or join again, as after separation.
revelation n. A disclosing, discovering, or making known of what was before secret, private, or unknown.
revere v. To regard with worshipful veneration.
reverent adj. Humble.
reversion n. A return to or toward some former state or condition.
revert v. To return, or turn or look back, as toward a former position or the like.
revile v. To heap approach or abuse upon.
revisal n. Revision.
revise v. To examine for the correction of errors, or for the purpose of making changes.
revocation n. Repeal.
revoke v. To rescind.
rhapsody n. Rapt or rapturous utterance.
rhetoric n. The art of discourse.
rhetorician n. A showy writer or speaker.
ribald adj. Indulging in or manifesting coarse indecency or obscenity.
riddance n. The act or ridding or delivering from something undesirable.
ridicule n. Looks or acts expressing amused contempt.
ridiculous adj. Laughable and contemptible.
rife adj. Abundant.
righteousness n. Rectitude.
rightful adj. Conformed to a just claim according to established laws or usage.
rigmarole n. Nonsense.
rigor n. Inflexibility.
rigorous adj. Uncompromising.
ripplet n. A small ripple, as of water.
risible adj. capable of exciting laughter.
rivulet n. A small stream or brook.
robust adj. Characterized by great strength or power of endurance.
rondo n. A musical composition during which the first part or subject is repeated several times.
rookery n. A place where crows congregate to breed.
rotary adj. Turning around its axis, like a wheel, or so constructed as to turn thus.
rotate v. To cause to turn on or as on its axis, as a wheel.
rote n. Repetition of words or sounds as a means of learning them, with slight attention.
rotund adj. Round from fullness or plumpness.
rudimentary adj. Being in an initial, early, or incomplete stage of development.
rue v. To regret extremely.
ruffian adj. A lawless or recklessly brutal fellow.
ruminant adj. Chewing the cud.
ruminate v. To chew over again, as food previously swallowed and regurgitated.
rupture v. To separate the parts of by violence.
rustic adj. Characteristic of dwelling in the country.
ruth n. Sorrow for another's misery.
