The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate (29 page)

Related words:
orthoepic
(
OR
-thoh-EP-ik),
orthoepical
, and
orthoepistic
(
OR
-thoh-
e
-PIS-tik)
all adjectives
;
orthoepist
(or-THOH-
e
-pist)
noun
.

orthography
(or-THOG-r
e
-fee)
noun, plural
orthographies

1. correct or conventional spelling.

2. a perspective projection used in maps or elevations.

Related words:
orthographer
(or-THOG-r
e
-f
e
r)
noun
,
orthographic
(
OR
-th
e
-GRAF-ik) and
orthographical
both adjectives
,
orthographically
adverb
.

oscitation
(os-i-TAY-sh
e
n)
noun

1. yawning.

2. drowsiness.

Related words:
oscitant
(OS-i-t
e
nt)
adjective
,
oscitance
and
oscitancy
both nouns
.

ostensible
(o-STEN-s
e
-b
e
l)
adjective

1. pretended.

2. professed.

3. put forward as actual or genuine to conceal the real.

Related word:
ostensibly
(o-STEN-s
e
-blee)
adverb
.

otiose
(OH-shee-
OHS
)
adjective

not required, serving no practical purpose; superfluous.

Related words:
otiosely
adverb
,
otioseness
and
otiosity
(
OH
-shee-OS-i-tee)
both nouns
.

outré
(oo-TRAY)
adjective

outside the bounds of what is considered correct or proper.

overweening
(OH-v
e
r-WEE-ning)
adjective

1. arrogant, conceited, presumptuous.

2. overconfident.

3. excessive.

Related words:
overweeningly
adverb
,
overweeningness
noun
.

oviparous
(oh-VIP-
e
r-
e
s)
adjective

producing young by means of eggs expelled from the body before they are hatched.

Related words:
oviparity
(oh-v
e
-PAR-i-tee) and
oviparousness
(oh-VIP-
e
r-
e
s-nis)
both nouns
,
oviparously
adverb
.

oxymoron
(
OK
-si-MOR-on)
noun

a figure of speech combining seemingly contradictory expressions.

Related word:
oxymoronic
(
OK
-see-m
e
-RON-ik)
adjective
.

palindrome
(PAL-in-
DROHM
)
noun

a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward.

Related words:
palindromic
(
PAL
-in-DROM-ik) and
palindromical
both adjectives
,
palindromically
adverb
,
palindromist
(p
e
-LIN-droh-mist)
noun
.

palliative
(PAL-ee-
e
-tiv)
adjective

1. reducing the bad effects of something.

2. (
noun
) something that does this.

Related word:
palliatively
adverb
.

pallid
(PAL-id)
adjective

pale, especially from illness.

Related words:
pallidly
adverb
,
pallidness
noun
.

palmy
(PAH-mee)
adjective

1. flourishing, prosperous.

2. triumphant.

palpable
(PAL-p
e
-b
e
l)
adjective

1. able to be touched or felt.

2. easily perceived; obvious.

Related words:
palpability
(
PAL
-p
e
-BIL-i-tee) and
palpableness
(PAL-p
e
-b
e
l-nis)
both nouns
,
palpably
(PAL-p
e
-blee)
adverb
.

panacea
(
PAN
-
e
-SEE-
e
)
noun

a remedy for all kinds of diseases or troubles.

Related word:
panacean
(
PAN
-
e
-SEE-
e
n)
adjective
.

panache
(p
e
-NASH)
noun

1. a grand or flamboyant manner.

2. swagger, verve.

pandemic
(pan-DEM-ik)
adjective

1. of a disease, occurring over a whole country or the whole world.

2. (
noun
) such a disease.

Related word:
pandemicity
(
PAN
-d
e
-MIS-i-tee)
noun
.

panegyric
(
PAN
-i-J
I
R-ik)
noun

a speech or piece of writing praising a person or thing; a tribute.

Related words:
panegyrical
adjective
,
panegyrically
adverb
,
panegyrist
(
PAN
-i-J
I
R-ist)
noun
,
panegyrize
(PAN-i-j
e
-
R
I
Z
)
verb
.

panjandrum
(pan-JAN-dr
e
m)
noun

1. a mock title of a self-important personage.

2. a pompous official or pretender.

paraclete
(PAR-
e
-
KLEET
)
noun

an advocate, especially a person who intercedes on behalf of some-one.

paradigm
(PAR-
e
-
D
I
M
)
noun

1. something serving as an example or model of how things should be done.

2. in grammer, a set of forms of the inflection of a noun, a verb, etc.

Related words:
paradigmatic
(
PAR
-
e
-dig-MAT-ik) and
paradigmatical
both adjectives
,
paradigmatically
adverb
.

parameter
(p
e
-RAM-i-t
e
r)
noun

1. a variable quantity or quality that restricts or gives a particular form to the thing it characterizes.

2. a boundary, a limit.

Whereas
parameter
formerly was primarily a scholarly word, used only in sense 1 above, recent years have seen its meaning extended in popular use to sense 2. Perhaps because
parameter
has a cachet lacking in
boundary
or
limit
, this once-rare word has rapidly become the word of choice for many speakers and writers, who use it only in sense 2 and appear entirely unaware of
parameter
in sense 1. Even educated persons use it in sense 2, but as a careful writer you will do well to use
parameter
exclusively in sense 1, for example, “Height and weight were the parameters of immediate interest to us.” When writing of boundaries or limits, use
boundary
or
limit
, two straightforward and simple words that everyone will readily understand.

Related words:
parametric
(
PAR
-
e
-MET-rik) and
parametrical
both adjectives
.

paronomasia
(
PAR
-
e
-noh-MAY-zh
e
)
noun

1. word play; punning.

2. a pun.

Related words:
paronomastic
(
PAR
-
e
-noh-MAS-tik)
adjective
,
paronomastically
adverb
.

parricide
(PAR-
e
-
S
I
D
)
noun

1. the act of killing one's father, mother, or other close relative.

2. a person who commits parricide.

Do not confuse
parricide
with
patricide
, which see.

Related word:
parricidal
(
PAR
-
e
-S
I
D-
e
l)
adjective
.

parsimony
(PAHR-s
e
-
MOH
-nee)
noun

carefulness in use of money etc., especially excessive carefulness with money; stinginess.

Related words:
parsimonious
(
PAHR
-s
e
-MOH-nee-
e
s)
adjective
,
parsimoniously
adverb
,
parsimoniousness
noun
.

parturition
(
PAHR
-tuu-RISH-
e
n)
noun

1. the process of giving birth.

2. childbirth.

pastiche
(pa-STEESH)
noun

a musical or other composition made up of selections from various sources; a medley.

pathos
(PAY-thos)
noun

in literature, speech, etc., a quality that arouses pity or sadness.

patricide
(PA-tr
e
-
S
I
D
)
noun

1. the act of killing one's father.

2. a person who commits patricide.

Do not confuse
patricide
with
parricide
. A
parricide
is taken to mean a person who may kill close relatives, not just his father.

Related word:
patricidal
(
PA
-tr
e
-S
I
D-
e
l)
adjective
.

patronize
(PAY-tr
e
-n
I
z)
verb

1. be a regular customer at (a store etc.).

2. treat (someone) in a condescending manner.

Related words:
patronizable
(PAY-tr
e
-
N
I
-z
e
-b
e
l) and
patronizing
(PAY-tr
e
-
N
I
-zing)
both adjectives
,
patronization
(
PAY
-tr
e
n-i-ZAY-sh
e
n) and
patronizer
(PAY-tr
e
-
N
I
Z
-
e
r)
both nouns
.

patronymic
(
PA
-tr
e
-NIM-ik)
noun
, also given as
patronym
(PA-tr
e
-nim)

1. a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor.

2. a family name.

patulous
(PACH-
e
-l
e
s)
adjective

1. open; gaping.

2. expanded.

3. of a tree or tree limbs, spreading.