#62 patent ~ pensive Flashcards
patent
/ˈpeɪtnt/
adj. obvious
- To say that the earth is flat is a patent absurdity since the world is obviously spherical.
- It was patently foolish of Lee to think that he could sail across the Pacific Ocean in a washtub.
paternal
/pəˈtɜrnl/
adj. fatherly; fatherlike
- Rich is paternal toward his niece.
maternal
/məˈtɜrnl/
adj. motherly; momlike
pathology
/pəˈθɒlədʒi/
n. the science of diseases
Pathology is the science or study of diseases, but not necessarily in the medical sense.
pathological
/ˌpæθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl/
adj. relating to pathology; arising from a disease
- If we say Brad is an inveterate, incorrigible, pathological liar, we are saying that Brad’s lying is a sickness.
patriarch
/ˈpeɪtriˌɑrk/
n. the male head of a family or tribe
- The patriarch of the Murphy family, Jacob V. Murphy, made millions selling cobra fillets and established the Murphy family’s empire in the snake meat business.
The adjective is patriarchal (/ˌpeɪtriˈɑrkəl/).
- In the patriarchal country of Spambulia, the ruling monarch can never be a woman, though the current king is such a numbskull that his sister run things behind the scenes.
matriarch
/ˈmeɪtriˌɑrk/
n. the female head of a family or tribe
- Spambulia is considering becoming a matriarchy (/ˈmeɪtriˌɑrki/).
The adjective is matriarchal.
patrician
/pəˈtrɪʃən/
n. a person of noble birth; an aristocrat
- Mr.s Perno was a patrician, and he was never truly happy unless his place at the dinner table was set with at least half a dozen forks.
Patrician can also be an adjective. Polo is a patrician sport.
- The noisy crowd on the luxury ocean liner was patrician in dress but not in behavior; they were wearing tuxedos but throwing deck chairs into the ocean.
patronize
/ˈpeɪtrəˌnaɪz, ˈpæ‐/
v. to treat as an inferior; to condescend to
- Our guide at the art gallery was extremely patronizing, treating us as though we wouldn’t be able to distinguish a painting from a piece of sidewalk without her help.
- We felt patronized by the waiter at the fancy restaurant; he ignored all our efforts to attract his attention and then pretended not to understand our accents.
Patronize also means to frequent or be a regular customer of. To patronize a restaurant is to eat there often, not to treat it as an inferior.
paucity
/ˈpɔsɪti/
n. scarcity
- There was a paucity of fresh vegetables at the supermarket, so we had to buy frozen ones.
- The plan was defeated by a paucity of support.
- There is no paucity of water in the ocean.
peccadillo
/ˌpɛkəˈdɪloʊ/
n. a minor offense
- The smiling defendant acted as though first-degree murder were a mere peccadillo rather than a hideous crime.
- The reporters sometimes seemed more interested in the candidates’ sexual peccadillos than in their inane programs and proposals.
pedantic
/pəˈdæntɪk/
adj. boringly scholarly or academic
- The discussion quickly turned pedantic as each participant tried to sound more learned than all the others.
- The professor’s interpretation of the poem was pedantic and empty of genuine feeling.
A pedantic person is called a pedant (/ˈpɛdnt/). A pedant is fond of pedantry (/ˈpɛdntri/).
pedestrian
/pəˈdɛstriən/
adj. unimaginative; banal
A pedestrian is someone walking, but to be pedestrian is to be sth. else altogether.
- Mary Anne said the young artist’s work was brilliant, but I found it to be pedestrian; I’ve seen better paintings in kindergarten classrooms.
- The menu was pedestrian; I had encountered each of the dishes dozens of times before.
pejorative
/pɪˈdʒɔrətɪv, -ˈdʒɒr-, ˈpɛdʒəˌreɪ-, ˈpidʒə-/
adj. negative; disparaging
“Hi, stupid” is a pejorative greeting. “Loudmouth” is a nickname with a pejorative connotation.
- Abe’s description of the college as “a pretty good school” was unintentionally pejorative.
penchant
/ˈpɛntʃənt; French pɑ̃ˈʃɑ̃/
n. a strong taste or liking for sth.; a predilection
- Dogs have a penchant for chasing cats and mail carriers.
