NSF nationals vocabulary 21

Question 1

pander

Answer 1

gratify or indulge

Question 2

pantomime

Answer 2

a performance using only actions or gestures

Question 3

paparazzo

Answer 3

a photographer who takes pictures of celebrities

Question 4

paralegal

Answer 4

a person with training who assists lawyers

Question 5

parietal

Answer 5

relating to the side or top of the skull

Question 6

parlay

Answer 6

a bet in which the winnings from one wager are used for a subsequent wager

Question 7

parlous

Answer 7

dangerous or perilous

Question 8

parochial

Answer 8

pertaining to a perish

Question 9

parody

Answer 9

a composition that imitates somebody’s style in a humorous style in a funny way

Question 10

paroxysm

Answer 10

a sudden uncontrollable attack

Question 11

parquetry

Answer 11

a work of wood used on floors

Question 12

pastorate

Answer 12

the position or office of a pastor

Question 13

paterfamilias

Answer 13

the male head of a family

Question 14

pathography

Answer 14

a biography that focuses on negative elements of the subject

Question 15

patronize

Answer 15

be a regular client or customer of

Question 16

pedigree

Answer 16

an ancestral line or line of descent

Question 17

pedometer

Answer 17

a instrument that measures the number of steps taken

Question 18

penchant

Answer 18

a strong liking of something

Question 19

penumbra

Answer 19

a region of partial shadow around an umbra

Question 20

percipient

Answer 20

ease in perceiving

Question 21

perpetrator

Answer 21

someone who commits a wrongdoing

Question 22

perquisite

Answer 22

a right reserved by a particular person

Question 23

personage

Answer 23

another word for person

Question 24

perspicacity

Answer 24

to access situations and draw conclusions

Question 25

pertinent

Answer 25

relevant or pertaining to

Question 26

peruse

Answer 26

to read in detail

Question 27

pestilence

Answer 27

a deadly epidemic disease

Question 28

philanthropist

Answer 28

a person who increases human well-being

Question 29

philatelist

Answer 29

a collector of postage stamps

Question 30

philologist

Answer 30

the study of literary texts and records

Question 31

piazza

Answer 31

an open square or public place

Question 32

pigeon

Answer 32

a bird with short legs and a heavy body

Question 33

pinch-hit

Answer 33

to bat as a substitute

Question 34

pirouette

Answer 34

a rapid spin of the body

Question 35

pithiness

Answer 35

terseness in speech or writing

Question 36

player

Answer 36

a person who participates in a game

Question 37

pleat

Answer 37

a fold to double cloth

Question 38

plebiscite

Answer 38

a vote by the electorate to determine a question of national importance

Question 39

plethora

Answer 39

an extreme excess