Word origins

• phenakistoscopeAn early animation device consisting of a disc or drum which rotated, showing successive images through slits, often via a mirror, thus producing the illusion of motion.
• pheneBenzene.
• PhilipponA surname from French.
• PhilippotA surname from French.
• PhilippouA surname from Occitan.
• PhilisA surname.
• PhilocteteA surname from French.
• -phobeUsed to form nouns denoting a person having a fear of a specific thing.
• pholeriteSynonym of kaolinite.
• phonographyThe transcription of speech using symbols.
• -phonysound or its production
• phoresyAn association between two organisms in which one (e.g. a mite) travels on the body of another, without being a parasite.
• phospheneA sensation of lights induced by mechanical, electrical, or magnetic stimulation (rather than optical) of the retina or visual cortex, or by random firing of cells in the visual system.
• phosphurephosphide
• phylacterSynonym of phylactery.
• physic gardenA botanical garden where plants are grown for medicinal purposes.
• physiocratAny of a group of economists in 18th-century France who believed that the government should not seek to influence the operation of natural economic laws.
• piacularRequiring atonement or reparation: wicked, sinful, bad.
• piafferA dressage movement in which a horse trots in a stationary position while using high lifting of the legs.
• pianisteA female pianist.
• picaroonA pirate or picaro.
• pickeerTo make a raid for booty; to maraud or loot.
• picquetA surname from French.
• 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
• pièce de convictionAn incriminating exhibit shown as evidence in a criminal case.
• 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.
• 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.
• piedoucheA small pedestal used to support a bust, a vase, etc.
• PierattA surname from French.
• 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.
• pike-devantA pointy beard.
• 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.
• PinwareA town in Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador.
• 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.
• 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).
• piqueurSynonym of whipper-in.
• pis allerA last resort.
• piséA kind of wall made of stiff earth or clay rammed in between moulds which are carried up as the wall rises.
• 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.
• pissoirA public urinal typically found in European, especially French, streets.
• pissy bedThe dandelion.
• pistouA Provençal cold sauce made from cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil, similar to pesto.
• pizzetteSynonym of pizzetta (“small pizza”).
• place in the sunA favorable position, characterized by comfort, success, wealth or general well-being.
• placticBased on all words in the alphabet of positive integers modulo Knuth equivalence.
• plaidoyerAn act of pleading; a plea.
• plainchantSynonym of plainsong.
• Plains of AbrahamA plain in Quebec city, Quebec, Canada; a riverside plain atop the escarpment at the edge of the Saint-Lawrence River
• 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.
• plantuleThe embryo which has begun its development in the act of germination; a seedling.
• 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.
• plewbeaver pelt
• 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.
• PludeA surname from French.
• plumassierSomeone who prepares or deals in ornamental plumes or feathers.
• plumberyThe business of a plumber; plumbing
• PlumierA surname from French
• plurisecularOf or related to a span of several centuries, centuries-old.
• 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).
• 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.
• pneumatiqueThe pneumatic postal system in Paris (abolished 1984), or a letter sent by this system.
• pneumatologicalOf or pertaining to pneumatology.
• 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.