paleobotany.noun
the branch of paleontology that deals with plant fossils and ancient vegetation
paleobotanic or paleobotanical.adjective
paleobotanically.adverb
paleobotanist.noun,.plural.paleobotanists

paleoanthropology.noun
the study of humanlike creatures more primitive than Homo sapiens (human beings)
paleoanthropologic or paleoanthropological.adjective
paleoanthropologist.noun,.plural.paleoanthropologists

pp.-abbreviation for pages

paramount.adjective
of chief concern or importance (tending first to one's paramount needs); supreme in rank, power or authority; dominant
paramountly.adverb
paramountcy.noun

preconceive, preconceived, preconceiving, preconceives.transitive verbs
to form an opinion, for example, before possessing full or adequate.knowledge or experience

preconception.noun,.plural.preconceptions
an opinion or a conception formed in advance of full or adequate knowledge or experience; a prejudice or bias; conjecture

paleoecology.noun
the branch of ecology that deals with the interaction between ancient or prehistoric.organisms and their environment
paleoecological or paleoecologic.adjective
paleoecologist.noun,.plural.paleoecologists

protein.noun,.plural.proteins
any of a group of complex organic macromolecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and usually sulfur and are composed of one or more chains of amino acids; proteins are fundamental.components.of all living cells and include many substances, such as enzymes, hormones and antibodies that are necessary for the proper functioning of an organism and are essential in the diet of humans and animals for the growth and repair of tissue and they can be obtained from foods such as whole grains (wild and brown rice, all preferably organic, millet, oats, buckwheat, wheat (ancient types only), rye, etc.), fish, eggs, legumes (peas, beans, etc.), meat, etc.
attributive-often used to modify another noun (protein compounds; protein diets)
proteinaceous or proteinic.adjective

process.noun,.plural.processes
a series of actions, changes or functions bringing about a result (the process of digestion; the process of obtaining a driver's license; the process of time; events now in process); a manufacturing process; a process of living and growing both physically and in knowledge and awareness)
process, processed, processing, processes.transitive verbs
to put through the steps of a prescribed.procedure.(processing newly arrived immigrants; received the order, processed it and dispatched the goods); to prepare, treat or convert by subjecting to a special process (process ore to obtain minerals)
process.adjective
prepared or converted by a special process (process cheese)

procession.noun,.plural.processions
the act of moving along or forward; progression; origination; emanation; a group of persons, vehicles or objects moving along in an orderly manner (a funeral procession); the movement of such a group; an orderly succession (the procession of the seasons)
procession, processioned, processioning, processions.intransitive verbs
to form or go in a procession; see also precession

postpone, postponed, postponing, postpones.transitive verbs
to delay until a future time; put off; defer; to place after in importance; subordinate
postponable.adjective
postponement, postponer.noun

proceeding.noun,.plural.proceedings
a course of action; a procedure; proceedings; a sequence of events occurring at a particular place or occasion.(watched the proceedings from a ringside seat); a record of business carried on by a society or other organization; minutes; often 'proceedings'
proceed, proceeded, proceeding, proceeds.intransitive verbs
to go forward or onward; continue (proceeded to his destination; paused to clear her throat, then proceeded); to begin to carry on an action or a process (looked surprised, then proceeded to roar with laughter)

proceeds.noun
the amount of money derived from a commercial or fundraising venture; the yield
proceeder.noun

placebo.noun,.plural.placebos
an inactive substance, preparation or treatment used as a control in an experiment or a test to determine the effectiveness of something someone, such as a patient, believes would be efficacious regarding the reason he sought treatment; a placebo is a substance with no effects that a health practioner may give to a patient instead of a drug; placebos are substances containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well (often a sugar pill or in the case of vaccines, a saline.injection); something of no intrinsic.remedial.value that is used to appease or reassure another
placebo effect.noun,.plural.placebo effects
the placebo effect is the fact that some patients' health improves after taking what they believe is an effective drug or treatment but which is in fact only a placebo, showing how powerful belief is; a beneficial effect in a patient following a particular treatment that arises from the patient's expectations concerning the treatment rather than from the treatment itself

piquant.adjective.(pronounced 'pee kant')
pleasantly pungent or tart in taste; spicy; provocative in her appealing manner; charming, interesting or attractive (a piquant face); a piquant wit
piquancy.or.piquantness.noun
piquantly.adverb

Ponzi scheme
a scam and swindle of hidden intent by those perpetrating this scheme of selfish financial advantage at the expense of those conned into or forced into contributing (the scam of bankers, doctors, health services, attorneys, etc.), where the first few into the scheme control it and prosper and the rest pay

prostrate, prostrated, prostrating, prostrates.transitive verbs
if you are lying prostrate, you are lying flat on the ground on your front
prostrate.adjective
lying face down; lying down at full length
prostrator.noun

prostate.noun
the prostate gland
prostatic.adjective
of.or.relating.to the prostate gland

per.preposition
you use per to express rates and ratios, for example, if something costs .50 per year, you must pay .50 each year for it (if a vehicle is traveling at 40 miles per hour, it travels 40 miles each hour; buses and trains use much less fuel per person than cars); per means 'to', 'for' or by 'each'; 'for every' (gasoline in the sixties cost 27 cents per gallon); according to; by (changes were made to the manuscript per the author's instructions); by means of; through (on out trip we plan to go per Spain into France)
per.adverb
for each one; apiece (sold the cookies for one dollar per); per hour (was driving at 60 miles per hour)

per capita.adverb
per capita.adjective
per unit of population; per person (in that year, the population was in poverty earning about $15,000 per capita below purchasing basic needs)
Usage note:.'per' is appropriately used in the description of ratios (five miles per day; 20 dollars per person). In its more general use to mean 'according to' (as in per the terms of the contract).

per diem.adverb
by the day; per day
per diem.adjective
reckoned on a daily basis; daily; paid by the day
per diem.noun,.plural.per diems
an allowance for daily expenses

paltry, paltrier, paltriest.adjectives
lacking in importance or worth; trivial
paltrily.adverb
paltriness.noun

pry, pried, prying, pries.intransitive verbs
to look or inquire closely, curiously or inquisitively, often in a furtive.manner; snoop.(so nosy she's always prying into the affairs of others)
pry.noun,.plural.pries
the act of prying; an excessively inquisitive person; a snoop
pryingly.adverb

pry, pried, prying, pries.transitive verbs
to raise, move or force open with a lever; to obtain with effort or difficulty (had to pry the truth out of the kids)
pry.noun,.plural.pries
something, such as a crowbar, that is used to apply leverage

plaque.noun,.plural.plaques
a flat plate, slab or disk that is ornamented or engraved for mounting, as on a wall for decoration or on a monument for information; a deposit of fatty material on the inner lining of an arterial wall, characteristic of atherosclerosis; a film of mucus and bacteria on a tooth surface

part and parcel
a basic or essential part (working overtime is part and parcel of his job)

peevish.adjective
querulous or discontented; ill-tempered; contrary; fractious
peevishly.adverb
peevishness.noun
peeve, peeved, peeving, peeves.transitive verbs
to cause to be annoyed or resentful
peeve.noun,.plural.peeves
a vexation; a grievance; a resentful mood (in a peeve about the delays affected him to the point of being sorry he came along on the trip)

preternatural.adjective
out of or being beyond the normal course of nature; differing from the natural; surpassingthe normal or usual; extraordinary; transcending the natural or material order; supernatural; a miracle
preternaturally.adverb
preternaturalism, preternaturalness.nouns

previous.adjective
existing or occurring before something else in time or order; prior (children by a previous marriage)
previously.adverb
previousness.noun

plunge, plunged, plunging, plunges.verbs
transitive verb use.to thrust or throw forcefully into a substance, place or situation (she plunged her whole being into getting her degree); to cast suddenly, violently or deeply into a given state or situation
intransitive verb use.to fall or throw oneself into a substance or place (we plunged into the refreshing lake); to throw oneself earnestly or wholeheartedly into an activity or a situation; to enter or move headlong through something (the hunting dogs plunged into the forest in pursuit of game); to descend steeply; fall precipitously (a cliff that plunges to the sea); to move forward and downward violently (the disabled aircraft plunged to the ground)
plunge.noun,.plural.plunges
the act or an instance of plunging; a place or an area, such as a swimming pool, for diving or plunging; a swim; a dip
take the plunge.idiom
to begin an unfamiliar venture, especially after hesitating (after a three-year engagement, they're finally taking the plunge and getting together)

probe.noun,.plural.probes
an exploratory action, expedition or device, especially one designed to investigate and obtain information on a remote or unknown region (electronic probes into the crust of the Earth); a slender, flexible surgical instrument used to explore a wound or body cavity; the act of exploring or searching with or as if with a device or an instrument; an investigation into unfamiliar matters or questionable activities; a penetrating inquiry; a space probe probe, probed, probing, probes.verbs
transitive verb use.to explore with or as if with a probe (probe a wound to find its extent; probing the anthill with a stick); to delve into; investigate
intransitive verb use.to conduct an exploratory investigation; search
probingly.adverb
prober.noun,.plural.probers

Piltdown man.noun
a supposed early species of human being postulated from a skull allegedly found in a gravel bed in about 1912 but determined in 1953 to be a fake constructed from a human cranium and the jawbone of an ape

piezoelectricity.noun
the generation of electricity or of electric polarity in dielectric crystals subjected to mechanical stress or the generation of stress in such crystals subjected to an applied voltage
piezoelectric.or.piezoelectrical.adjective
piezoelectrically.adverb

pyroelectricity.noun
generation of electric.charge on a crystal by change of temperature
pyrooelectric.or.pyroelectrical.adjective
relating to or exhibiting pyroelectricity