Copy of `Princeton University - WordNet - a lexical database for the English language`

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Princeton University - WordNet - a lexical database for the English language Category: General Date & country: 27/01/2008, USA Words: 85192

pertinaciously
adverb in a dogged and pertinacious manner; `he struggled pertinaciously for the new resolution`

pertinent
to the point(p) adjective having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand; `a list of articles pertinent to the discussion`; `remarks that were to the point`

pertinently
adverb in a pertinent way; `what is singular about his use of them is that no other artist, of his time or any other, has painted them so directly, intimately and pertinently`

perturbation
fluster noun a disposition that is confused or nervous and upset

Pertusaria
genus Pertusaria noun crustose lichens that are a source of the dye archil and of litmus

Pertusariaceae
family Pertusariaceae noun a fungus family of division Lichenes

Peru
Republic of Peru noun a republic in western South America; achieved independence from Spain in 1821; was the heart of the Inca empire from the 12th to 16th centuries

peruked
periwigged adjective wearing a wig popular for men in the 17th and 18th centuries

perusal
perusing noun reading carefully with intent to remember

Peruvian
adjective of or relating to or characteristic of Peru or its people; `Peruvian artifacts`

Peruvian balsam
Myroxylon pereirae noun tree of South and Central America yielding an aromatic balsam

Peruvian cotton
Gossypium peruvianum noun cotton with long rough hairy fibers

Peruvian current
Humboldt current noun a cold ocean current that flows north along the Pacific cost of South America before turning west

Peruvian lily
lily of the Incas noun an Andean herb having umbels of showy pinkish-purple lilylike flowers

Peruvian mastic tree
Schinus molle noun small Peruvian evergreen with broad rounded head and slender pendant branches with attractive clusters of greenish flowers followed by clusters of rose-pink fruits

Peruvian monetary unit
noun monetary unit in Peru

pervade
penetrate 5 interpenetrate 3 diffuse verb spread or diffuse through; `An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration`; `music penetrated the entire building`; `His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks`

pervaporation
noun the concentration of a colloidal solution whose colloid will not pass through a semipermeable membrane; solution is placed in a bag of the membrane and the solvent is evaporated off

pervasively
adverb in a pervasive manner

pervasiveness
noun the quality of filling or spreading throughout; `the pervasiveness of the odor of cabbage in tenement hallways`

perverse
adjective marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict; `took perverse satisfaction in foiling her plans`

perversely
adverb deliberately deviant; `his perversely erotic notions`

perverseness
noun deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline

perversion
noun the action of perverting something (turning it to a wrong use); `it was a perversion of justice`

perversion
noun an aberrant sexual practice that is preferred to normal intercourse

perversity
noun deliberately deviating from what is good; `there will always be a few people who, through macho perversity, gain satisfaction from bullying and terrorism`

perversity
noun deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline

pervert
deviant noun a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior

pervious
adjective admitting of passage or entrance; `pervious soil`; `a metal pervious to heat`

pesantran
pesantren noun a Muslim school in Indonesia operated by religious leaders; produces young militants skilled in jihad

peseta
Spanish peseta noun formerly the basic unit of money in Spain; equal to 100 centimos

pesewa
noun 100 pesewas equal 1 cedi in Ghana

Pesh Merga
noun a Kurdish guerrilla force in Iraqi Kurdistan

Peshawar
noun city in northern Pakistan at the eastern end of the Khyber Pass

peshmerga
noun a member of a Kurdish guerilla organization that fights for a free Kurdish state

pessary
contraceptive diaphragm noun a contraceptive device consisting of a flexible dome-shaped cup made of rubber or plastic; it is filled with spermicide and fitted over the uterine cervix

pessimal
pessimum(a) adjective of an organism`s environment; least favorable for survival

pessimism
noun a general disposition to look on the dark side and to expect the worst in all things

pessimist
noun a person who expects the worst

pessimistic
adjective expecting the worst in this worst of all possible worlds

pessimistically
adverb with pessimism; in a pessimistic manner; `he evaluated his chances for survival rather pessimistically`

pest
noun any unwanted and destructive insect or other animal that attacks food or crops or livestock etc.; `he sprayed the garden to get rid of pests`; `many pests have developed resistance to the common pesticides`

pesthole
noun a breeding ground for epidemic disease

pesticide
noun a chemical used to kill pests (as rodents or insects)

pesticide poisoning
noun toxic condition resulting from ingesting or inhaling a pesticide

pestilence
canker noun a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of; `racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation`; `according to him, I was the canker in their midst`

pestilence
pest noun any epidemic disease with a high death rate

pestilent
pestilential adjective likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease; `a pestilential malignancy in the air`- Jonathan Swift; `plaguey fevers`

pestle
noun a club-shaped hand tool for grinding and mixing substances in a mortar

pestle
pounder noun a heavy tool of stone or iron (usually with a flat base and a handle) that is used to grind and mix material (as grain or drugs or pigments) against a slab of stone

pesto
noun a sauce typically served with pasta; contains crushed basil leaves and garlic and pine nuts and Parmesan cheese in olive oil

pet
noun a domesticated animal kept for companionship or amusement

pet name
hypocorism noun a name of endearment (especially one using a diminutive suffix); ``Billy` is a hypocorism for `William``

pet peeve
noun an opportunity for complaint that is seldom missed; `grammatical mistakes are his pet peeve`

pet shop
noun a shop where pet animals can be purchased

pet sitter
critter sitter noun someone left in charge of pets while their owners are away from home

pet sitting
noun the work of a pet sitter; caring for pets in their own home while their owners are away from home

petabyte
noun a unit of information equal to 1,024 terabytes

petal
flower petal noun part of the perianth that is usually brightly colored

petallike
petal-like adjective resembling a petal

petaloid
adjective resembling a flower petal

petalous
petaled adjective (of flowers) having petals

petard
noun a explosive device used to break down a gate or wall

Petasites
genus Petasites noun genus of rhizomatous herbs of north temperate regions: butterbur; sweet coltsfoot

Petasites sagitattus
noun American sweet-scented herb

Petaurista
genus Petaurista noun very large Asiatic flying squirrels

Petauristidae
subfamily Petauristidae noun Old World flying squirrels

Petaurus
genus Petaurus noun a genus of Phalangeridae

petcock
noun regulator consisting of a small cock or faucet or valve for letting out air or releasing compression or draining

petechia
noun a minute red or purple spot on the surface of the skin as the result of tiny hemorrhages of blood vessels in the skin (as in typhoid fever)

Peter
Simon Peter noun disciple of Jesus and leader of the apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope

Peter Cooper
noun United States industrialist who built the first American locomotive; founded Cooper Union in New York City to offer free courses in the arts and sciences (1791-1883)

Peter I
Czar Peter I noun czar of Russia who introduced ideas from western Europe to reform the government; he extended his territories in the Baltic and founded St. Petersburg (1682-1725)

Peter Pan
noun the main character in a play by J. M. Barrie; a boy who won`t grow up

Peter Pan collar
noun a flat collar with rounded ends that meet in front

Petersburg
Petersburg Campaign noun the final campaign of the American Civil War (1864-65); Union forces under Grant besieged and finally defeated Confederate forces under Lee

petfood
pet-food noun food prepared for animal pets

petiole
leafstalk noun the slender stem that supports the blade of a leaf

petiolule
noun the stalk of a leaflet

petit bourgeois
petite bourgeoisie noun lower middle class (shopkeepers and clerical staff etc.)

petit four
noun small (individual) frosted and ornamented cake

petit juror
petty juror noun a member of a petit jury

petit jury
petty jury noun a jury of 12 to determine the facts and decide the issue in civil or criminal proceedings

petit larceny
petty larceny noun larceny of property having a value less than some amount (the amount varies by locale)

petit mal
epilepsia minor noun a seizure (or a type of epilepsy characterized by such seizures) of short duration characterized by momentary unconsciousness and local muscle spasms or twitching

petit mal epilepsy
noun epilepsy characterized by paroxysmal attacks of brief clouding of consciousness (a possible other abnormalities)

petit point
noun needlepoint done with small stitches

petit point
noun a small diagonal needlepoint stitch

petite
noun a garment size for short or slender women

petite marmite
minestrone noun soup made with a variety of vegetables

petitio principii
petitio noun the logical fallacy of assuming the conclusion in the premises; begging the question

petition
noun a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an authority

petitionary
adjective of the nature of or expressing a petition; `the petitionary procedure had a quality of indecisiveness`

petitioner
suppliant noun one praying humbly for something; `a suppliant for her favors`

Petrarch
Petrarca noun an Italian poet famous for love lyrics (1304-1374)

Petrarchan sonnet
Italian sonnet noun a sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba, followed by a sestet with the rhyme pattern cdecde or cdcdcd

petrel
noun relatively small long-winged tube-nosed bird that flies far from land

Petri dish
noun a shallow dish used to culture bacteria

petrifaction
petrification noun the process of turning some plant material into stone by infiltration with water carrying mineral particles without changing the original shape

petrified
numb adjective so frightened as to be unable to move; stunned or paralyzed with terror; `petrified with fear`; `she was petrified by the eerie sound`; `too numb with fear to move`