Barron’s GRE Word List (Vocabulary) Test Prep- Letter P

pachyderm
thick-skinned animal

Elephant is a pachyderm

pacifist
one opposed to force; antimilitarist; ADJ. N. pacifism: opposition to war as a means of resolving disputes

Jesus was a pacifist

pacify
soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue; bring peace to

She pacified her agonized daughter

paean
song of praise or joy

Paeans celebrating the victory

painstaking
taking pains; showing hard work; taking great care; very careful and through

A painstaking, laborious job

palatable
agreeable; pleasing to the taste

The child found the drug palatable

palate
roof of the mouth; sense of the taste

Her palate scalded when she sipped hot tea

palatial
of or suitable for a palace; magnificent

A palatial complex

paleontology
study of prehistoric life or fossils; CF. paleo-: ancient or prehistoric; Ex. paleography: study of ancient written documents

A paleontologist is one who studies fossils

palette
board on which painter mixes pigments(coloring matters)

A lush but uneven musical palette

palimpsest
parchment or piece of writing material used for second time after original writing has been erased

A palimpsest is similar to parchment

parchment
writing material made from the skin of a sheep or goat

The incantation was written on a parchment

pall
become boring; grow tiresome

The story grew pall

pallet
small poor bed; Ex. straw pallet

The poor girl slept on a straw pallet

palliate
ease pain (without curing); make less severe or offensive (a crime or illness)

The drug palliates pain

pallid
pale; wan;

She has a pallid complexion

palpable
tangible; (of something bad) easily perceptible; obvious

That was a palpable blunder

palpitate
throb; beat rapidly; flutter; tremble

Her heart began to palpitate

paltry
insignificant; petty; trifling; contemptible; Ex. paltry sum; CF. trash

She works for paltry wages

pan
criticize harshly

The couple’s reconciliation just didn’t pan out

panacea
cure-all; remedy for all diseases

Olive oil was once considered panacea

panache
flair; manner of doing things without any difficulty (causing admiration); flamboyance; bunch of feathers (on a helmet)

He spoke with great panache

pandemic
widespread; affecting the majority of people;

Swine flu is a pandemic disease

pandemonium
wild tumult(commotion); wild noisy disorder; CF. Paradise Lost

The class was an utter pandemonium

pander
cater to (the low desires of others)

The film directors these days pander to the lowliest of customers

panegyric
formal praise; encomium

I don’t deserve such panegyrics.

panoramic
denoting an unobstructed and comprehensive view; N. panorama: unbroken view of a wide area

A panoramic view of the mountains

pantomime
acting without dialogue; V.

The couple pantomimed

papyrus
ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant

The puzzle was scribbled on a papyrus

parable
short simple story teaching a moral

Children learn from parables

paradigm
model; example that serves as a model; pattern; list of all the inflectional forms of a word

“The paradigms and patterns of all things.” –Cudworth

paradox
something apparently contradictory in nature (that may nonetheless be true); statement that looks false but is actually correct

Grim humor is a paradox

paragon
model of perfection;

She’s a paragon of virtue

parallelism
state of being parallel; similarity; analogy

A close parallelism of thought and incident. –T. Warton

parameter
limit; independent variable; Ex. parameters of the problem

Please decide within the parameters of the budget

paramount
foremost in importance; supreme; CF. para-: beyond; above;

Paranormal holds his paramount interest

paramour
illicit lover

The seducer appeared with dauntless front, accompanied by his paramour –Macaulay

paranoia
psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution; N: ADJ: paranoid, paranoiac

He suffers from paranoia

paraphernalia
equipment; odds and ends used in a particular activity; personal belongings; Ex. photographic paraphernalia; CF. married woman’s property exclusive of her dowry

He has with him the photographic paraphernalia

paraphrase
restate a passage in one’s own words while retaining thought of author; N: restatement of a text in other words

The teacher told the students to paraphrase the poem

parasite
animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant; CF. para-: beside

Fungus is a parasite

parched
extremely dry; very thirsty; V. parch: make or become extremely dry (by exposure to heat)

Her throat parched of extreme thirst

pariah
social outcast;

Mariah the pariah

parity
equality; close resemblance; CF. disparate

There is no parity between the groups

parlance
language; manner of speaking; idiom; Ex. in legal/common parlance

They communicated in legal parlance

parley
conference (between opponents); CF. speak

The parley went on for hours

parochial
narrow in scope or outlook; provincial; related to parishes

A parochial outlook towards life

parish
area in the care of a single priest and served by one main church

The parish of the priest

parody
humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty; V.

The parody became an instant success

paroxysm
fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage; sudden outburst

The returning paroxysms of diffidence and despair. –South

parquet
floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosaic like matter; CF. strip: long narrow piece

The parquet was hard to tread on

parry
ward off a blow; deflect

He parried the unwelcome question very skillfully

parsimony
stinginess; excessive frugality; ADJ. parsimonious

A parsimonious family

partial
incomplete; favoring one side over another; having a liking for something

She left the work partial

partiality
state of being partial; inclination; favorable bias; special fondness; preference

partiality in his judgment is evident

partisan
one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party (with dislike of any others); N: strong supporter of a party; guerrilla

A partisan attitude

parvenu
upstart; newly rich person

Resembling a parvenu

partition
divide into parts

The partition of India and Pakistan rose communal unrest

passive
not active; acted upon; receiving an action without acting in return; accepting without resistance

A passive group of learners

pastiche
imitation of another’s style in musical composition or in writing; work of art openly imitating the works of other artists

A pastiche of Monalisa

pastoral
rural; of rural life; idyllic; of a pastor

He specializes in pastoral poetry

patent
obvious; easily seen; open for the public to read; of or protected by a patent;

Patent to everyone

pathetic
causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching

A pathetic ending of the story

pathological
pertaining to disease; N. pathology: study of disease

He works in a pathological laboratory

pathos
tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings

One can feel the pathos that runs through the novel

patina
green crust on old bronze works or copper; tone slowly taken by varnished painting

The patina on the bronze statue spoiled the look

patois
local or provincial dialect

It is difficult to understand the patois of Essex

patriarch
father and ruler of a family or tribe

Indian families are patriarchal

patrician
noble; aristocratic; N: person of high rank; aristocrat; CF. member of the governing classes in ancient Rome; CF. plebian

A man of the patrician order

patronize
support; act superior toward; treat in a condescending manner; be a customer of; N. patron: one that supports; regular customer; N. patronage; CF. boycott

The king patronized the poets

paucity
scarcity; dearth

There’s paucity of crude oil in the region

pauper
very poor person

He led life of a pauper

peccadillo
slight offense or fault; CF. sin

She had to pay for the peccadillo

pecuniary
pertaining to money

Her question was on his pecuniary condition

pedagogue
teacher; CF. child leader

A renowned pedagogue

pedant
scholar who overemphasizes book learning, trivial details of learning, or technicalities

Students did not appreciate his pedantic ways

pedestrian
ordinary; dull; unimaginative(lacking in imagination); going on foot

A pedestrian prose

precinct
division of a city for election or police purposes; precincts: space that surrounds a building;

They were determining precincts of the college

pedigree
ancestry; lineage

The pedigree of anthropoid apes

pediatrician
physician specializing in children’s diseases; N. pediatrics

He is a renowned pediatrician

peerless
having no equal; incomparable

A peerless contender

pejorative
(of a word or phrase) suggesting that someone is of little value; negative in connotation; having a belittling effect;

Many women now considers “housewife” a pejorative expression, because it patronized them

pell-mell
in confusion; disorderly;

A dash pell-mell

pellucid
transparent; limpid(crystal clear); clear in meaning; easy to understand

His explanation is pellucid

penance
self-imposed punishment for sin;

One has to do penance for one’s sins

penchant
strong inclination; strong liking (esp. for something that is disapproved of by other people);

She has a penchant for fast cars

pendant(pendent)
hanging down from something; pending; N: ornament (hanging from a necklace etc.)

She wore a diamond pendant

pending
not yet decided or settled; impending; Ex. pending decision; PREP. while awaiting; until;

They delayed the decision pending his return

penitent
repentant; N

A penitent soul

pensive
dreamily or deeply thoughtful; sadly thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness; contemplative; CF. think over

She seems to be in a pensive mood

penumbra
partial shadow (in an eclipse); CF. almost shadow

“The First Amendment has a penumbra where privacy is protected from governmental intrusion” (Joseph A. Califano, Jr.)

penury
extreme poverty; stinginess; ADJ. penurious: very poor; stingy

Usury leads to penury

peon
landless agricultural worker; bond servant; menial worker; N. peonage

An impecunious peon

perceptive
insightful; showing a good ability at perceiving and understanding; aware; wise; of perception

He is a perceptive individual

percussion
striking one object against another sharply; Ex. percussion instrument; N: striking together of two bodies; sound caused by percussion

Percussion came into vogue in the late 70s

perdition
damnation; complete ruin; hell

His extravagance led him to perdition

peregrination
journey; V. peregrinate

A two-decade long peregrination

peremptory
demanding and leaving no choice; imperative

A peremptory decree/knock

perennial
something long-lasting; perennial plant; ADJ: lasting through the year or many years; lasting for a long time; enduring

The Ganges is a perennial river

perfidious
treacherous; disloyal; N. perfidy: treachery

The perfidious cuckoo

perforate
pierce; put a hole through

The perforated valve of the duct

perfunctory
done routinely and with little care; superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; Ex. perfunctory kiss

A perfunctory kiss on the child’s cheek

perigee
point of moon’s orbit when it is nearest the earth; CF. apogee

A perigeal distance

perimeter
outer boundary; length of the outer boundary; circumference

All that did not exist within the perimeter of her thought

peripatetic
walking about from place to place (to work); moving;

A peripatetic school of philosophy

peripheral
of a periphery; marginal; outer; of minor importance; not central;

A peripheral nerve/interest

periphery
outside edge especially of a round surface; perimeter

The periphery of the town was measured

perjury
false testimony while under oath; V. perjure oneself: testify falsely under oath

Perjury is legal offence

permeable
that can be permeated; penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through; V. permeate: spread or flow throughout; charge

The cell membrane is permeable

pernicious
very harmful; deadly; very destructive; Ex. pernicious effect/anemia

She is suffering from pernicious anemia

peroration
conclusion of an oration; perorating; V. perorate: conclude a speech; speak at great length

The students knew that the speech has come to peroration

perpetrate
commit an offense; do (something wrong)

He perpetrated against the law

perpetual
everlasting

A perpetual gift of wise and motivating words

perquisite(perk)
any gain above stipulated salary

The job also offers perquisites such as free meals and a car

personable
attractive (in personality or appearance)

A personable friend

perspicacious
(of someone) having insight; penetrating; astute

He is a perspicacious judge

perspicuity
clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity

His speech was made in perspicuity

perspicuous
(of something) plainly expressed; easy to understand;

Her comments were perspicuous

pert
(esp. of a girl or young woman) impertinent; forward; trim; jaunty;

A pert young miss

pertinacious
holding tenaciously to an action; stubborn; persistent

He held her wrist in a pertinacious grip

pertinent
suitable; to the point; relevant

The topic chosen was not pertinent to the situation

perturb
disturb greatly

His communication perturbed her greatly

peruse
read through with care; N. perusal

The application was submitted for the official’s perusal

pervasive
spread throughout; V. pervade: (of smells, ideas, feelings) spread throughout; charge; permeate

A pervasive attempt

perverse
purposely continuing to do something wrong; stubbornly wrongheaded; perverted; directed away from what is right; wicked and unacceptable; Ex. perverse satisfaction

Hannibal Lecter in a perverse mood

pessimism
belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess; tendency to take the gloomiest possible view of a situation

His views have always been pessimistic

pestilential(pestilent)
causing plague; tending to cause death; baneful; N. pestilence: fatal epidemic disease (esp. bubonic plague)

The virus is pestilential

pestle
tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl or mortar

The pestle was made of marble

petrify
turn to stone; cause to become stone like; stun or paralyze

The molten lava eventually petrifies

petty
trivial; unimportant; very small; small-minded; petty-minded

They fought over petty things

petulant
touchy; peevish; ill-tempered

A petulant child

phalanx
formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears; group of men packed together (for attack or defense)

A phalanx of war soldiers

pharisaical
pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical

A pharisaical order

phenomena
observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation; SG. phenomenon: observable fact; very unusual person, thing, or event; marvel; wonder; CF. phenomenons; ADJ. phenomenal: very unusual; extraordinary; of a phenomenon;

She demonstrated phenomenal strength

philanderer
faithless lover; flirt

She loved a philanderer

philanthropist
lover of mankind; doer of good; N. philanthropy

Bill Gates is a note worthy philanthropist

philatelist
stamp-collector; N. philately: stamp collecting

She bought rare stamps from the philatelist

philistine
narrow-minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in material gain; uncultured person who is indifferent to artistic and cultural values; member of an ancient people in Palestine; OP. aesthete

A rank philistine

philology
study of language or words

Philology is one the credits in the course

phlegmatic
calm and unexcitable; not easily disturbed; CF. phlegm: sticky mucus produced in the respiratory tract

He is both enigmatic and phlegmatic

phobia
morbid fear

Phobia is a psychological disorder

phoenix
symbol of immortality or rebirth

A phoenix rising from its ashes inspires her

phylum
major classification, second to kingdom, of plants and animals; category ranking below a kingdom and above a class; division

Amoeba belongs to the phylum protozoa

physiognomy
face (as showing the character and the mind); art of judging human character from facial features