Word origins

• peach melbaA classic French dessert, made from peaches and raspberry sauce accompanied with vanilla ice cream.
• pearl of the AntillesSaint-Domingue (present-day Haiti)
• peau de soieA heavy closely-woven silk fabric, faced with satin on both sides.
• peau d'orangeHuman skin with the appearance and dimpled texture of an orange peel, associated with some medical conditions.
• pébrineA parasitic disease affecting silkworms.
• Pecan IslandA region of Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States; named after the highland.
• PecheurA surname. of French origin
• -pedSuffix indicating an organism or person with a specified number or type of feet.
• pedalierpedalboard (organ keyboard)
• pederastA man who is engaged in an erotic relationship with an adolescent boy; a practitioner of pederasty.
• pelageFur, hair, or any other form of the coat of a mammal.
• PelagieA female given name
• pelerineA kind of short cape or covering for the shoulders, associated especially with medieval pilgrims (of any gender).
• peletonA small pellet or ball.
• pelisseA fur-lined robe or cloak, especially as part of a uniform.
• pellageThe duty on hides, furs and skins.
• PelletanA surname from French.
• PellicierA surname from French.
• PellissierA surname from French.
• pell-mellHasty and uncontrolled.
• PelotA surname.
• pelureA crisp, hard, thin paper, sometimes used for postage stamps.
• Pend d'OreilleA member of the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau.
• pendeloqueA drop-shaped diamond or other gem used as a pendant; also, a piece of jewellery in pendant form.
• pendentiveThe concave triangular sections of vaulting that provide the transition between a dome and the square base on which it is set and transfer the weight of the dome.
• Pend Oreille CountyOne of 39 counties in Washington, United States. County seat: Newport.
• penduleA pendulum.
• pendulineA penduline tit.
• PenelopegateThe Fillon affair, a political scandal involving improper employment of the family of French politician François Fillon.
• penitencerA priest who heard confession and enjoined penance in extraordinary cases.
• penséeA thought.
• PequignotA surname from French.
• pequinA small, hot, citrusy and nutty chili pepper cultivar.
• PequisteA member of the Parti Québécois.
• percalineA fine kind of French cotton goods, usually of one colour.
• percuteurA medical instrument for therapeutic or diagnostic percussion.
• perdricideSomeone who kills partridges.
• pèreA priest of the Roman Catholic Church, especially a French one. Also used as a title preceding the name of such a priest.
• perfectionmentThe act of bringing to, or achieving, perfection.
• perfumatoryOf, relating to, or emitting perfume.
• perigoneperianth
• PérigordA black truffle.
• PérillosAn abandoned village in Pyrénées-Orientales department, France.
• 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
• perloirAn instrument for making bead-shaped ornaments.
• PerneauA surname from French.
• PerrauA surname from French.
• PerrautA surname from French.
• PerrodinA surname from French.
• perruquierA maker of perukes or wigs.
• persicotA cocktail made of the kernels of apricots, nectarines, etc., with refined spirit.
• persiennePrinted calico or similar material.
• persiflageGood-natured banter; raillery.
• persiflateTo engage in persiflage; to banter.
• persilladeA French sauce of chopped parsley, garlic, and sometimes herbs, oil, and vinegar.
• perukeA wig, especially one with long hair on the sides and back, worn mainly by men in the 17th and 18th centuries.
• PerusseA surname from French.
• 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.
• pétanqueA form of boules originating from the south of France.
• petardierOne who managed a petard.
• pet-en-l'airA type of short sack-back.
• pétillantOf wine, cider, etc.: sparkling, fizzy.
• pétillant naturelA type of sparkling wine which is fermented in sealed containers at cold temperatures.
• PetionA surname from French.
• Petit CanouanAn island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
• petite amieA girlfriend.
• petite bourgeoisieThe lower middle class.
• 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 finalSynonym of small final.
• petit fourA small cake generally eaten at the end of a meal or served as part of a large buffet.
• petit gâteauA French chocolate dessert, consisting of a small cake with a crunchy shell and a creamy filling.
• petit malA form of epilepsy where the seizures are characterized as minor, the person becomes vacant or unaware, but not involving spasms and unconsciousness. These seizures are usually brief, lasting up to 30 seconds, and may include twitching. A formal medical term would be absence seizures.
• Petit NevisAn island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
• petit poisA type of small pea.
• Petit Saint VincentAn island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
• petits-chevauxA gambling game played with a mechanical device consisting of a board perforated with a number of concentric circular slits, in which revolve, each independently on its own axis, figures of jockeys on horseback, distinguished by numbers or colors.
• 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.
• petroleurOne who lights fires with petrol, especially (historical) a revolutionary who attacked public buildings in this way in Paris in 1871.
• petty bourgeoisieSynonym of petite bourgeoisie.
• petunTobacco, especially in the context of its early acquisition from Native Americans by the French.
• petunseRock rich in feldspar and/or mica, mixed with kaolin to create hard-paste pottery.
• PeyraudA village in Ardèche department, France.
• PeyrehoradeA town in Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
• phalangeSynonym of phalanx (“group of soldiers, people etc.”).
• 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.
• phantasmagoryphantasmagoria
• PharamondThe legendary first king of the Franks.
• pharmacianSynonym of pharmacist: a person who sells medicines.