Sixty-One Favorite Words Beginning with P

Four of my all-time favorite words start with the letter P: palimpsest, pixillated, proximity, puzzlement. I've found ways to insert pixillated, proximity, and puzzlement into my conversations. Not surprisingly, palimpsest suffers from decreased use.

The P section of the dictionary offers a plethora of interesting, sonorous words. In honor of the sixteenth letter in the English alphabet, I have selected sixty-one p-words that I enjoy hearing in conversation, using in Scrabble, or seeing in print.

palatial: pertaining to a palace

palimpsest: a manuscript that's been written on more than once with the earlier writing still visible and legible

palindrome: words, phrases, verses, or sentences that read the same backward or forward

palliative: relieving; soothing

palmyra: palm with large fanlike leaves in Africa and Asia

palomino: golden or tan coated horse with white or cream mane and tail

palpable: tangible

palter: to be capricious; to be insincere and misleading

paradigm: pattern; model

paradox: a seeming contradiction that may nevertheless be true

pasta

pastoral: idyllic; charmingly rural

patchouli: southeast Asian shrub in the mint family from which a fragrant perfume is made

patchwork: miscellaneous collection

pathos: feelings of pity, sorrow, sympathy

patisserie: French pastry bakery

patrician: aristocratic

penchant: a strong inclination

peninsula: a piece of land projecting into a body of water that's connected by an isthmus to the mainland

penultimate: next to last

penumbra: a partial shadow between areas of total shadow and total light, as in an eclipse

peregrinate: to travel from place to place, particularly by walking

peregrine: wandering; migratory

perfidy: treachery

perhaps: maybe; possibly

phosphorescence: emission of light after exposure to and removal from a source of radiation

photogrammetry: the process of making precise measurements, maps, scale drawings, etc., by reference to photographs

photosynthesis: the process of synthesizing carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water by using light as an energy source

phytoplankton: free-floating, infinitesimally small aquatic plants

pianissimo: softly or quietly

picaresque: involving roguish heroes or adventurers

piquant: pungent

pistachio: a tree with a yummy nut

pixillated: very eccentic [This is one of my all-time favorite words. I was introduced to it in one of my favorite movies, 'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,' starring Gary Cooper. I was disappointed that it wasn't included in the remake, 'Mr. Deeds,' with Adam Sandler.]

plethora: superabundance

precious: valuable

precursor: forerunner; predecessor

predecessor: forerunner

prefatory: introductory

prescient: possessing foresight

propensity: predilection

prophecy: prediction

provisional: conditional; temporary

proximity: closeness

psalm: sacred song or hymn

psalmist: writer or composer of psalms

psaltery: an ancient stringed instrument

pseudonym: a fictitious name

ptarmigan: an alpine, arctic, subarctic grouse of the genus Lagopus

pterodactyl: extinct flying reptiles from the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods

pterosaur: extinct flying reptiles, including pterodactyls

puckish: mischievous

puddle: small pool of liquid

puffery: exaggerated flattery for self-promotion

pugnacious: belligerent; combative

punctilious: strictly meticulous

pusillanimous: cowardly

putrefaction: decomposition and its consequent foul odor

putrescence: rottenness

puzzlement: bafflement; confusion; perplexity [This is another of my all-time favorite words. I was introduced to it in 'The King and I.' The King of Siam was fond of saying, 'It's a puzzlement.']

pyramid:  a structure with triangular sides that converge to meet in a point; the most common pyramid has a square base and four sides.

Copyright April 12, 2010 by Stessily