Word origins

• peletonA small pellet or ball.
• pellageThe duty on hides, furs and skins.
• Pend Oreille CountyOne of 39 counties in Washington, United States. County seat: Newport.
• pendulineA penduline tit.
• penitencerA priest who heard confession and enjoined penance in extraordinary cases.
• PequisteA member of the Parti Québécois.
• perfectionmentThe act of bringing to, or achieving, perfection.
• perigoneperianth
• periopleThe external smooth horny layer of a hoof.
• periphericperipheral
• perispermThe layer of nutritive tissue, derived from the nucellus, that surrounds the embryo of a seed in some angiosperms.
• peri-urbanizationThe piecemeal urbanization of the rural areas around a city
• perlècheangular cheilitis: inflammation of one or both of the corners of the mouth
• persicotA cocktail made of the kernels of apricots, nectarines, etc., with refined spirit.
• perukeA wig, especially one with long hair on the sides and back, worn mainly by men in the 17th and 18th centuries.
• pesadeA dressage movement in which a horse raises its forequarters and keeps its hind feet on the ground, without advancing; rearing.
• pesageA fee or toll paid for the weighing of merchandise.
• PescheurA surname from French.
• petardierOne who managed a petard.
• Petit CanouanAn island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
• Petite DominiqueAn island of Grenada.
• Petite-ForêtA commune in Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
• Petite MartiniqueAn island of Grenada.
• Petite MustiqueAn island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
• Petit NevisAn island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
• Petit Saint VincentAn island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
• petit souperA light supper; (especially), an informal dinner party with only a few select guests.
• petrificationTurning to stone: the process of replacement of the organic residues of plants (and animals) with insoluble salts, with the original shape and topography being retained.
• petrissageA form of massage involving kneading or wringing the skin with one's fingers, knuckles and thumbs.
• petunTobacco, especially in the context of its early acquisition from Native Americans by the French.
• phalansteryAn association or community organized on the plan of Charles Fourier, with living space divided hierarchically and higher pay for those carrying out unpopular tasks.
• phallogocentrismThe privileging of masculinity in the use of speech, writing or modes of thought; phallocentrism expressed through language.
• pharmacianSynonym of pharmacist: a person who sells medicines.
• pheneBenzene.
• -phobeUsed to form nouns denoting a person having a fear of a specific thing.
• phonographyThe transcription of speech using symbols.
• phoresyAn association between two organisms in which one (e.g. a mite) travels on the body of another, without being a parasite.
• physic gardenA botanical garden where plants are grown for medicinal purposes.
• piacularRequiring atonement or reparation: wicked, sinful, bad.
• picaroonA pirate or picaro.
• pickeerTo make a raid for booty; to maraud or loot.
• picric acid2,4,6-trinitrophenol, C₆H₂(NO₂)₃, prepared by the nitration of phenol or of aspirin; a toxic, yellow, explosive substance used in dyes, explosives, and as an antiseptic
• pied noirSomeone of European origin living in North Africa, especially Algeria, under French rule, particularly one who was repatriated to mainland France after Algerian independence.
• PierattA surname from French.
• pike-devantA pointy beard.
• PinwareA town in Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador.
• piquerismSexual interest in penetrating another person's skin using sharp objects (e.g. knives, nails, pins, razors).
• piqueristOne with a sexual interest in penetrating another person's skin using sharp objects (e.g. knives, nails, pins, razors).
• piséA kind of wall made of stiff earth or clay rammed in between moulds which are carried up as the wall rises.
• pissoirA public urinal typically found in European, especially French, streets.
• pissy bedThe dandelion.
• placticBased on all words in the alphabet of positive integers modulo Knuth equivalence.
• plantuleThe embryo which has begun its development in the act of germination; a seedling.
• plewbeaver pelt
• PludeA surname from French.
• plumberyThe business of a plumber; plumbing
• plus ça changeThe more it changes, the more it's the same thing (sometimes loosely translated as the more things change, the more they stay the same).
• pneumatiqueThe pneumatic postal system in Paris (abolished 1984), or a letter sent by this system.
• pneumatologicalOf or pertaining to pneumatology.
• po-facedWearing a particularly stern and disapproving expression; humourless; priggish.
• Pointe à la HacheA census-designated place and unincorporated community, the parish seat of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States.
• Pointe Coupee ParishOne of 64 parishes in Louisiana, United States, the equivalent of a county in other US states. Parish seat: New Roads.
• pointillistof, pertaining to, or in the style of pointillism
• poissardeA fishwife, especially in France; specifically, any of the Parisian fishwives or market-women who led riots during the French Revolution.
• poitrelA piece of armor for a horse's chest; the breastplate of a horse's armour or harness.
• poitrinaireSomeone suffering from tuberculosis, or a similar lung disease.
• PolonophonePolish-speaking.
• polycameraticHaving multiple dials
• polysynodyA form of government administered by several councils rather than individual ministers; specifically that of Regency France from 1715-1718.
• pommeeHaving the ends terminating in rounded protuberances or single balls; having round shapes on the extremities.
• Pondera CountyOne of 56 counties in Montana, United States. County seat: Conrad.
• pontlevisA drawbridge.
• poppyheadA raised ornament frequently having the form of a finial. It is generally used on the tops of the upright ends or elbows which terminate seats, etc., in Gothic churches.
• Port au ChoixA town in Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Port aux BasquesA village and port in Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• porte-crayonAn instrument (typically a metallic tube with a clasp) used to hold a pencil, lead etc. for drawing.
• portolanA chart of European navigable waters based on descriptions of coasts.
• postautisticOf or relating to a political movement that criticises neoclassical economics and advocates a pluralistic approach.
• post chaiseAn enclosed horse-drawn carriage with four wheels, used to transport mail and passengers.
• postilA Bible commentary written in its margins.
• postposeTo place (a word or phrase) after another in a sentence, especially in order to modify it
• pot-et-fleurA style of flower arrangement that combines pot plants with cut flowers.
• poudre de rizA cosmetic face powder, originally made with powdered rice.
• poulardA young spayed hen (that is fattened for eating).
• poupetonA puppet.
• Prairie du ChienA city, the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States.
• precentorThe person who leads songs or prayers in a cathedral, church, monastery, or synagogue and generally facilitates worship.
• prehensibleCapable of being seized.
• premier danseurThe lead male dancer in a ballet; compare première danseuse.
• première danseuseThe lead female dancer in a ballet.
• presentoirAn ornamental tray, dish, etc. used as a salver.
• Presque IsleA city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States.
• Presque Isle CountyOne of 83 counties in Michigan, United States. County seat: Rogers City.
• pressiometerA device used to measure the stress in soil under pressure
• prestablepayable
• preveneTo precede (come before) or anticipate.
• prickmadamAny of several species of stonecrop, such as Petrosedum rupestre, formerly used as ingredients of vermifuge medicines.
• prie-dieuA piece of furniture on which someone can pray, consisting of a cushioned area to kneel on, with a built-in ledge for books.
• princesse dressA lady's long, close-fitting dress made with waist and skirt in one.
• Princess RoyalA style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to his or her eldest daughter.