Words that start with P
A phrase or statement is brief but full of substance and meaning. Proverbs and sayings are pithy; newspaper columnists give pithy advice.
Pithy
a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. Although a speech at a funeral is a eulogy, you might later compose an ~ to someone you have loved and lost to the grave.
Elegy
An extension of or an addition to a building. A small room off of a main room is an ~, and attics are another type of ~.
Annex
a verb, has two very different meanings. It can describe cutting or splitting something apart with a sharp instrument, or — oddly enough — it can describe sticking to something like glue.
Cleave
means to show or express clearly or to make plain.
Evince
Means an abundance or excess of something. If you have 15 different people who want to take you on a date, you have a ~of romantic possibilities.
Plethora
A fancy way of saying "to make happen," like when you ~ the spirit of teamwork and cooperation by encouraging others and doing your share of the group's work.
Engender
A formal word for approval or praise. ~ is like getting the nod in a big way. Politicians rely on the public’s ~ to get elected.
Approbation
Instead of complaining about your chores, be grateful for the ~, or pipe, that brings water to your home. Thanks to it, you don't have to go fetch water from the well whenever your mom wants a cup of coffee.
Conduit
piece of writing, you correct or revise it.
Emend
Some people like their movies to have sophisticated humor and others prefer the more ~ humor of pratfalls or jokes about smelly underwear, inappropriate belching, and passing gas.
Puerile
If you are glee club treasurer, and you pocket twenty glee dollars saying you used it to buy lozenges, you are committing ~, the theft of money or property that you officially manage.
Embezzlement
~ is an adjective that describes the feeling of being bored with what’s going on around you. If you don’t care one way or another, you’re ~.
Apathetic
something that makes up a satisfying whole with something else.
Complement
describes something that provides an easy way to achieve a goal or result, but it's not necessarily a moral solution.
expedient
A sign that something bad is about to happen, like when you get that queasy feeling in your stomach because your mom found out you skipped band practice to go to the movies.
Presage
French roots for the word ~ mean "thoroughly encourage," so to ~ is to fill up with encouragement! "When he heard the crowd ~ him with stomping and cheers, he knew that he could finish the marathon."
Exhort
If it reeks of humiliation or looks like the lowest of lows, then you can safely describe it as ~.
Abject
means to transfer permanently to another.
Consign
something, you praise it very highly.
Extol
Though it means being morally and ethically above reproach, or having integrity.
Probity
Something that is ~ stands out, but not in a good way — it means "really bad or offensive." If you make an ~ error during a championship soccer match, your coach might bench you for the rest of the game.
Egregious
When you purposely deny yourself something, especially in favor of the needs of others, you would describe this act as an ~. This has to be your choice, not the choice of others — so it's not ~ when your parents don't let you stay out all night.
Abnegation
A ~ issue is one that people are likely to argue about, and a ~ person is someone who likes to argue or fight.
Contentious
is to cross out or eliminate.
Expunge