Word origins

• pièce de résistanceA masterpiece; the most memorable accomplishment of one’s career or lifetime.
• pièce d'occasionAn artistic composition written for a particular occasion.
• pièce montéeA decorative table ornament made from sugar, etc.
• pied-à-terreA smaller temporary or secondary lodging; a second home, especially one in the city.
• piedoucheA small pedestal used to support a bust, a vase, etc.
• Pierre-LouisA surname from French.
• pierre perduBlocks of stone or concrete heaped loosely in the water to make a foundation (as for a sea wall), a breakwater, etc.
• pierrotageA mixture of clay and small stones used in French Vernacular architecture of the Southern United States to infill between half-timbering with diagonal braces.
• PiffardA surname from French.
• pigacheA shoe with a long pointed toe worn in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries.
• pigeageThe stamping down of grape skins that float to the surface during the fermentation process in winemaking.
• pilotiOne of the columns, pillars, or stilts that lift a building above ground or water.
• pinçageA mixture of mirepoix and tomato or tomato paste, sautéed and used in cooking.
• pince-nezTempleless eyeglasses that clip to the bridge of the nose.
• Pinot GrisA grape variety and white wine.
• pinot noirA black grape used to make red wine, associated with the Burgundy region in France.
• pioletAn ice axe/ice ax.
• piquéA kind of corded or ribbed fabric made from cotton, rayon, or silk.
• pique-devantA small beard trimmed to a sharp point.
• piqueurSynonym of whipper-in.
• pis allerA last resort.
• pis-en-deuxUrinary urgency shortly after voiding.
• pissaladièreA pie from southern France, similar to pizza, without tomatoes or cheese, usually topped with onions, anchovies and black olives.
• pistouA Provençal cold sauce made from cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil, similar to pesto.
• pizzetteSynonym of pizzetta (“small pizza”).
• plaidoyerAn act of pleading; a plea.
• plainchantSynonym of plainsong.
• plaisanteurA jokester.
• planchetteA small plank.
• plant-animalAn organism having characteristics of both plants and animals; a zoophyte, later chiefly an animal with structural resemblances to a plant.
• plantigradeOf an animal: walking with the entire sole of the foot on the ground.
• Plaquemines ParishOne of 64 parishes in Louisiana, United States, the equivalent of a county in other US states. Parish seat: Pointe à la Hache.
• plat du jourThe special dish for the day in a restaurant.
• platinectomyThe removal or excision of the footplate of the stapes.
• PlaucheA surname.
• plaudTo applaud.
• plectreSynonym of plectrum.
• plein airDone outdoors.
• PleuvenA village and commune of Finistère department, Brittany, France.
• pli caballinA certain fold in the crown of the (upper) molars of some horse species.
• pliéA smooth and continuous bending of the knees
• plique-à-jourA vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but with no backing in the final product, so light can shine through the transparent or translucent enamel.
• plisseA fabric treated so as to be permanently puckered or crinkled.
• plisséA narrow pleat made by gathering fabric with stitches, wetting the fabric, and setting by allowing it to dry under weight or tension.
• plocA mixture of hair and tar for covering the bottom of a ship.
• plongéeA slope or sloping down toward the front.
• plumassierSomeone who prepares or deals in ornamental plumes or feathers.
• PlumierA surname from French
• plurisecularOf or related to a span of several centuries, centuries-old.
• pluvialOf, pertaining to, or produced by rain.
• PluviôseThe fifth month of the French Republican Calendar, from January 20, 21 or 22 to February 18, 19 or 20.
• pochadeA rough sketch.
• pochéAreas of an architectural plan or section that are filled in, often by cross-hatching or solid black, to show wall thicknesses, floor thicknesses and all other solid areas that intersect the plane of the section cut.
• pochoirA technique in visual art consisting of applying various stencils (perforated templates).
• PochonA surname from French.
• pococuranteApathetic, indifferent or nonchalant.
• PoilievreA surname from French
• PoincaréA surname from French.
• point-blankVery close; not touching but not more than a few metres (yards).
• point d'appuiA given point or body upon which troops are formed, or by which they are marched in line or column.
• Pointe-à-PitreA commune and city in the overseas department of Guadeloupe, France.
• Pointe-NoireA city in the Republic of the Congo.
• pointilléA style of finishing consisting of dotted lines and curves on the covers of a book.
• PoissantA surname from French.
• poissonnierIn a large commercial kitchen, a cook tasked with preparing and cooking (and possibly selecting) fish and fish dishes.
• poivradeA type of sauce (generally a vinaigrette) with pepper as a main ingredient.
• polatoucheA Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans, syn. Sciuropterus volans), native to much of boreal Eurasia, from Finland east.
• policierA film telling the fictional story of a police investigation, particularly such a film based on a novel.
• polissoirA groove found carved into rock, once used to polish stone axes.
• polissonA dishonest or mischievous person; a scamp.
• politesseCivility, politeness, courtesy or gallantry; genteel politeness or an instance of this.
• polonesePolish.
• PolonizeTo make Polish as to custom, culture, language, or style; to adapt to the norms of the Republic of Poland.
• PolyniceA surname from French.
• polyonymyThe bearing of multiple names or titles by one person.
• PolyphemePolyphemus.
• pommecythereSynonym of ambarella (fruit (Spondias dulcis))
• pomme friteA traditional Belgian-style skin-on shoestring-cut piece of deep-fried potato; French fry, chip.
• pomme pureeA very smooth and creamy mashed potatoes dish/sidedish, usually requiring ricers/foodmills and chinois/strainers to make.
• pommes fritesFrench fries; plural of pomme frite
• pompierA pompier hook
• pompoirA sexual technique the woman uses her pubococcygeus (vagina) muscles to stimulate the man's penis while both partners remain still.
• ponceauAny of a number of red pigments, some of which are used as indicators.
• poncifAn unoriginal or uninspired idea; a cliché.
• Pont-Saint-MartinA town in Loire-Atlantique department, France.
• poplollyA man's mistress, or a single woman of loose morals; a sweetheart.
• populicideThe deliberate slaughter of a people or a nation.
• populosityPopulousness.
• PorasA surname from French.
• portatifA portative organ.
• Port-au-PrinceThe capital city of Haiti.
• port de brasAn exercise in which the arms are moved to different positions, sometimes also incorporating upper-body movements.
• porte cochèreA gateway through which horse carriages pass, often into a courtyard.
• porte-épéeA strap, buckle or other fastening by which a sword or scabbard is held attached to a person's belt, clothing etc.
• porte-monnaieA wallet.
• porte-paroleA spokesperson, one who speaks on another's behalf.
• portièreA car door.
• Port SaidA large city and governorate in north-eastern Egypt.
• poséHeld in position for a prolonged period.
• poses plastiquesA form of tableau vivant consisting of nearly nude women posing, once a form of salacious entertainment.