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Greek Roots/prefix > GRE Power Vocab - P > Flashcards

GRE Power Vocab - P Flashcards

(100 cards)

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1
Q

Paean

A

n. a song or expression of praise and thanksgiving

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2
Q

Palliate

A

v. to make something appear less serious, gloss over, mitigate

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3
Q

Panacea

A

n. a remedy for all dieases ro ills; an answer for all problems or difficulties

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4
Q

Panache

A

adj. a grand or flamboyant manner

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5
Q

Pandemic

A

adj. widespread; occurring over a large area or affecting an unusually large percentage of the population

pandemic can also be used as a noun.

For related word with a different meaning, see endemic

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6
Q

Panegyric

A

n. formal expression of praise

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7
Q

Paradigm

A

n. something that serves as a model, example, or pattern; the framework ofassumptions and understandings shared by a group or discipline that shapes its worldview

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8
Q

Paradox

A

n. a contradiction; a seemingly self-contradictory statement that seems true nonetheless

Paradoxical is the adjective form

originally, a paradox was a statement that conflicted with expectation or accepted opinions

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9
Q

Paragon

A

n. something regarded as a model of excellence or perfection in some way

the original meaning of paragon was a touchstone, or something used to distinguish good from bad. Now it tends to mean a standard by which a certain characteristic is judged

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10
Q

Pariah

A

n. an outcast, a rejected and despised person

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11
Q

Parody

A

n. a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, especially in literature and art, also something so bad as to be potentially mistaken for an intentional mockery

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12
Q

Parry

A

v. to block, evade or ward off, as a blow

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13
Q

Parsimonious

A

adj. cheap, miserly

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14
Q

Partisan

A

adj. one-sided, committed to a party, biased or prejudiced

Partisan can also be a noun, meaning supporter, adherent

a related word that we hear frequently is bipartisan, which means both parties. A very popular bill is likely to have bipartisan support

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15
Q

Pastoral

A

adj. having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or other characterisitcs generally attributed to rural areas; pertaining to life in the country

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16
Q

Paucity

A

adj. scarcity, a lacking of

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17
Q

Peccadillo

A

n. a slight offense; literally, a minor sin

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18
Q

Pedagogy

A

n. the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing

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19
Q

Pedantic

A

adj. ostentatious display of learning, excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules, unimaginative

one who has a pedantic style is called a pedant

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20
Q

Pedestrian

A

adj. commonplace, trite, unremarkable

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21
Q

Pellucid

A

adj. clear in meaning, expression, or style; translucent

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22
Q

Penchant

A

n. strong inclination, a liking

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23
Q

Penitential

A

adj. expressive of regret for one’s wrongdoing

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24
Q

Penurious

A

adj. penny-pinching, excessively thrifty; ungenerous

Penury is extreme poverty, destitution, or lack of resources

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25
Peremptory
adj. admitting of no contradiction, putting an end to further debate, haughty, imperious
26
Perennial
adj. recurrent through the year or many years, happening repeatedly
27
Perfidy
n. intentional breach of faith, treachery
28
Perfunctory
adj. cursory, done without care of interest
29
Peripatetic
adj. itinerant, traveling, nomadic Errant and itinerant are two synonyms for peripatetic
30
Pernicious
adj. extremely harmful, potentially causing death Pernicious is similar in meaning to inimical
31
Personable
adj. pleasing in appearance, attractive
32
Perspicacious
adj. acutely perceptive, having keen discernment Someone who is perspicacious probably has great acumen
33
Peruse
v. to examine with great care be careful, many people misuse this word, believing that it means to glance over quickly
34
Pervade
v. to permeate throughout Pervasive means having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
35
Petrous
adj. like a rock; hard, stony Petrous technically refers to the hard temporal bone that protects the inner ear Petrify means to make hard or rocklike, or to paralyze with fear
36
Petulant
adj. impatient, irritable
37
Philanthropic
adj. humanitarian; benevolent Philanthropic comes from the Greek roots "man-loving" - man meaning humankind. The act of doing humanitarian works is called philanthropy Misanthrope is the exact opposite
38
Philistine
n. a crass individual guided by material rather than intellectual or artistic values
39
Phlegmatic
adj. calm, sluggish, unemotional, stoic
40
Picaresque
adj. involving clever rogues or adventurers be careful not to confuse this with pictureesque, which means picture-like, charming, quaint
41
Pied
adj. multicolored, usually in blotches
42
Pillory
v. to punish, hold up to public scoen a pillory was a device for punishing people through public humiliation; it consisted of a wooden frame into which someone's neck and hands could be locked, and was usually set up in a town square or other public place. It was very similar in design and purpose to the stocks
43
PIne
v. to yearn intensely, to languish, to lose vigor
44
Pious
adj. extremely reverent or devout Pious can also have the sense of false or hypocritical devotion The word piety means that state of bein pious
45
Piquant
adj. agreebly pungent, spicy, stimulating
46
Pique
n. resentment, feeling of irritation due to hurt pride The pique can also be a verb, meaning to annoy or irritate, or to provoke or arouse, as in "you've piqued my curiousity"
47
Pirate
v. to use or reproduce illegally
48
Pith
n. the essential or central part Pithy means precise and brief
49
Placate
v. to appease, to calm by making concessions Mollify can be a synonym for placate
50
Plaintive
adj. mournful, melancholy, sorrowful
51
Plangent
adj. pounding, thundering, resounding
52
Plastic
adj. moldable, pliable, not rigid
53
Platitude
n. a superficial or trite remark, especially one offered as meaningful
54
Plethora
n. an overabundance, a surplus
55
Pluck
n. courage, spunk, fortitude
56
Plumb
v. to measure the depth (as with a plumb line), to examine critically plumb as an adjective means exactly vertical. Informally it can also mean directly (as in, "fell plumb on his butt") or completely (as in, "plumb tuckered out")
57
Poignant
adj. distressing, pertinent, touching, stimulating, emotional
58
Polemical
adj. controversial, argumentative Polemics are the art or practice of controversy and argumentation
59
Portentous
adj. ominously significant or indicative
60
Pragmatic
adj. practical rather than idealistic a pragmatist is one who is practical
61
Prate
v. chatter, babble prate is a synonym of prattle
62
Prattle
v. to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idll manner Prattle can also be a noun
63
Precarious
adj. uncertain, risky, dangerous
64
Precept
n. rule establishing standards of conduct, a doctrine that is taught
65
Precipitate
adj. acting with excessive haste or impulse as a verb, precipitate means to cause or happen before anticipated or required
66
Precursor
n. something that precedes and indicates or announces another
67
Predilection
n. a disposition in favor of something, preference
68
Preeminent
adj. superior to others, surpassing
69
Preempt
v. to replace, to supersede, to appropriate Preemption is prior appropriation of or claim to something and preemptive means characterized by preemption
70
Preen
v. to dress up, primp, groom oneself with elaborate care; in animals, to clean fur or feathers
71
Premonitory
adj. serving to warn beforehand
72
Prescience
n. knowing of events prior ro their occurring
73
Presumptuous
adj. overstepping bounds, as of propriety or courtesy; taking liberties
74
Prevaricate
v. to deliberately avoid the truth, mislead
75
Pristine
adj. pure, uncorrupted, clean
76
Prize
v. to pry, press or force with a lever
77
Probity
adj. adherence to highest principles, uprightness
78
Proclivity
n. a natural predisposition or inclination
79
Prodigal
adj. recklessly wasteful, extravagant, profuse, lavish
80
Prodigious
adj. abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
81
Profligate
adj. excessively wasteful, recklessly extravagant
82
Profuse
adj. given or coming forth abundantly, extravagant Profusion means abundance or extravagance
83
Prolific
adj. producing large volumes or amounts, productive Proliferate is related word meaning to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly Proliferation is the act of increasing quickly
84
Prolix
adj. long-winded, verbose see verbose for a synonym of prolix
85
Promulgate
v. to make known by open declaration, proclaim formally, or put into operation
86
Propensity
n. a natural inclination or tendency, penchant
86
Propinquity
adj. nearness in time or place, affinity of nature kinship
86
Propitiate
v. to appease or pacify somethinng propitiatory is meant to propitiate
86
Propitious
adj. auspicious, favorable
86
Propriety
n. appropriateness, conformity with standards of acceptable behavior be careful; this word is easy to confuse with proprietary, which means associated with ownership
87
Prosaic
adj. dull, unimaginative
87
Proscribe
v. to outlaw or prohibit Proscription is the act of outlawing something; can also mean to outlaw or banish people, or pass sentence of death. Prescription and proscription often get mixed up; the former describes what you should do and the latter describes something that you are not allowed to do
88
Provident
adj. frugal, looking to the future Providential looks similar but means happening as if from divine intervention
89
Puerile
adj. chilidhs, immature
90
Pugnacious
adj. contentious, quarrelsome, given to fighting, belligerent Bellicose and querulous are synonyms for pugnacious
91
Punctilious
adj. precise, paying attention to trivialities especially in regard to etiquette
92
Pundit
n. an authority on a subject, one who gives opinions
93
Pungent
adj. characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste, penetrating, to the point
94
Pusillanimous
adj. cowardly, craven
95
Putrefy
v. to rot, decay, and give off a foul odor, become gangreous

Greek Roots/prefix (25 decks)

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