English dictionary — definitions & meanings

pa

noun

An informal word for father.

paan

noun

A chewable preparation of betel leaf, areca nut, and sometimes tobacco, popular across South Asia.

Pablo

name

A Spanish male given name, equivalent to the English name Paul.

pablum

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Pablum (“a type of cereal for infants made from cornmeal, oat, and wheat”).

Pac

name

A surname of Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, or Guatemalan origin.

pacate

adj

peaceful, tranquil

pace

noun

The speed at which something happens or someone moves.

paced

adj

Moving or progressing at a particular speed.

pacemaker

noun

A small medical device implanted in the chest to regulate an irregular heartbeat.

pacer

noun

Someone or something that sets the pace, especially in a race.

pacesetter

noun

One who or that which determines the rate of action through leading.

pacey

adj

Fast-moving or quick, especially describing a game, story, or player.

Pacheco

name

A Spanish and Portuguese surname of uncertain origin, common throughout Latin America.

pachinko

noun

A Japanese arcade game similar to pinball, where small balls fall through a field of pins.

pachyderm

noun

A member of the obsolete taxonomic order Pachydermata, grouping of thick-skinned, hoofed animals such as the rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephant and tapir.

pacific

adj

Calm and peaceful.

pacification

noun

The process of pacifying.

pacifier

noun

A small rubber or plastic nipple-shaped object given to a baby to suck on for comfort.

pacifism

noun

The support of peace, specifically:

pacifist

noun

A person who believes in peace and opposes war or violence as a matter of principle.

pacify

verb

To calm down a person, place, or situation, ending anger, unrest, or conflict.

pacing

noun

The speed or rhythm at which something moves or unfolds.

Pacino

name

An Italian surname, most famously borne by American actor Al Pacino.

pack

noun

A bundle of things wrapped or tied together for carrying, or a bag carried on the back.

package

noun

A parcel or box containing something, usually wrapped or sealed for delivery.

packaged

adj

Already put into a package or container, ready for sale or delivery.

packaging

noun

The materials used to wrap or box a product.

Packard

name

An English surname, originally an occupational name for a maker or seller of packs; also a defunct American car brand.

packed

adj

Wrapped up or put into a container ready for storage or transport.

Packer

noun

A player on the Green Bay Packers, an American football team based in Wisconsin.

packet

noun

A small parcel, pouch, or bundle of something.

packing

noun

The action of the verb.

packman

noun

Someone who travels with a pack, especially a travelling salesman.

packsack

noun

A backpack, knapsack, rucksack or similar bag packed with provisions or personal items, especially as carried by a traveller or a hiker, and often slung over the shoulder.

paco

noun

An alpaca, a South American animal related to the llama, raised for its soft wool.

pact

noun

A formal agreement between two or more people, groups, or nations.

paction

verb

To form a pact; to make a binding agreement.

pacu

noun

Any of certain freshwater fish of the family Serrasalmidae, endemic to South America; they are characterised by squarish, human-like teeth and a mainly herbivorous diet.

pad

noun

A block of soft or absorbent material used for cushioning, cleaning, or protection.

padawan

noun

In the Star Wars fiction, an apprentice training to become a Jedi Knight.

padded

adj

Fitted or filled with soft cushioning material.

padding

noun

Soft material used to fill or cushion something.

Paddington

name

A district in London, England, known for its railway station and the fictional bear named after it.

paddle

noun

A short pole with a broad blade at one or both ends, used to propel and steer a small boat.

paddling

noun

The activity of propelling a small boat with a paddle.

paddock

noun

A small fenced field, especially one used for grazing or exercising horses.

paddy

noun

A flooded field used for growing rice.

Padilla

name

A Spanish surname, derived from a place name meaning "small pan" or "small field".

padlock

noun

A portable lock with a curved shackle, used to secure something by hooking through a hasp or chain.

padlocked

adj

Fastened shut with a padlock.

padma

noun

A lotus flower, especially as used in Indian and Buddhist imagery and poetry.

padre

noun

Informal term for a priest or military chaplain.

Padua

name

A city in northern Italy, known for its university and Renaissance art.

paean

noun

A chant or song, especially a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance or victory, to Apollo or sometimes another god or goddess; hence any song sung to solicit victory in battle.

paediatric

adj

Standard spelling of pediatric.

paediatrician

noun

Standard spelling of pediatrician.

paediatrics

noun

Standard spelling of pediatrics.

paedophile

noun

The standard British/Commonwealth spelling of "pedophile": an adult who is sexually attracted to children.

paella

noun

A Spanish rice dish, traditionally cooked in a wide shallow pan with vegetables and meat, seafood, or both.

pagan

adj

Relating to religions or spiritual practices outside the major world religions, often nature-based or polytheistic.

Paganini

noun

One of a stack of blocks used to raise the height of a person, chair, or piece of equipment.

paganism

noun

Any indigenous polytheistic religion.

page

noun

One side of a sheet of paper in a book, magazine, or document.

pageant

noun

An elaborate public show or performance, often involving costumes and a procession, sometimes a beauty competition.

pageantry

noun

A pageant; a colourful show or display, as in a pageant.

pageboy

noun

A boy who serves as a page.

paged

adj

Having numbered pages.

pager

noun

A small wireless device that receives short text or numeric messages.

pagina

noun

The flat surface of a leaf or of a leaf-like plant structure, as described in botany.

paginate

verb

To number the pages of (a book or other document); to foliate.

pagination

noun

The act of creating pages for a document, book, etc., or determining when to truncate text on the pages.

paging

noun

The numbering and arrangement of pages in a document.

pagod

noun

Synonym of idol, particularly in South and Southeast Asia.

pagoda

noun

A Hindu temple.

pah

intj

An exclamation of disgust, distaste, or contempt.

paid

adj

Requiring payment; not free.

paideia

noun

An Athenian system of education designed to give students a broad cultural background focusing on integration into the public life of the city-state with subject matter including gymnastics, grammar, rhetoric, music, mathematics, geography, natural history, and philosophy

paidia

noun

Free play, such as make-believe, that lacks the structured rules of formal games.

Paige

name

A feminine given name derived from the occupational surname meaning "young attendant".

paik

noun

A foot soldier or armed attendant, in some cases holding land in exchange for military service.

pail

noun

A round container with a handle, used for carrying liquids or other loose materials; a bucket.

pailful

noun

The amount that fills, or would fill, a pail.

pain

noun

An unpleasant physical sensation caused by injury or illness.

Paine

name

An English surname, historically denoting a peasant or countryman; borne by political writer Thomas Paine.

pained

adj

Showing distress, especially emotional hurt.

painful

adj

Causing physical or emotional pain.

painfully

adverb

In a way that shows or causes pain.

painkiller

noun

A medicine used to relieve pain.

painless

adjective

Not causing or involving any pain.

painlessly

adverb

Without causing pain or difficulty.

pains

noun

Careful, deliberate effort put into doing something well (usually in the phrase "take pains").

painstaking

adjective

Done with great care and thorough attention to detail.

painstakingly

adverb

With great care and thoroughness; very slowly and meticulously.

paint

noun

A liquid or paste that is spread onto a surface and dries into a solid, coloured coating.

paintball

noun

A sport in which players use air guns to shoot capsules of paint at opponents.

paintbrush

noun

A brush used for applying paint.

painted

adjective

Covered with a layer of paint.

painter

noun

An artist who paints pictures.

painting

noun

A picture or artwork made with paint.

pair

noun

Two matching or related things considered together.

paired

adjective

Arranged or occurring as a matched set of two.

pairing

noun

The act of combining two things, or the combination itself.

paisa

noun

A small unit of currency in South Asia, equal to a fraction of a rupee or taka.

paisley

noun

A decorative pattern of curved, teardrop-shaped swirls.

pajamas

noun

Loose, comfortable clothing worn for sleeping, usually a top and trousers.

Pak

adjective

Informal shortening of "Pakistani".

Paki

adj

An offensive and outdated slang term meaning Pakistani, or perceived as such — now widely recognized as a racial slur in British English.

Pakistan

name

A country in South Asia, whose name means "land of the pure" in Urdu and Persian.

Pakistani

noun

A person from Pakistan, or someone of Pakistani descent.

pal

noun

A friend; someone you're on close, casual terms with.

palace

noun

The official residence of a monarch, head of state, or other high-ranking figure.

paladin

noun

A heroic, chivalrous champion, especially one associated with knighthood.

palaepolis

name

A former city in southwest Italy, now part of Naples.

palang

noun

Synonym of ampallang (“type of genital piercing”).

palankeen

noun

Archaic form of palanquin.

palanquin

noun

An enclosed litter, carried on poles by bearers, historically used to transport a passenger.

palatability

noun

The condition of being palatable.

palatable

adjective

Pleasant to taste.

palate

noun

The roof of the mouth, separating the mouth from the nasal cavity.

palatial

adjective

Resembling a palace; extremely grand and spacious.

palatine

adj

(of an official or feudal lord) Having local authority and possessing royal privileges that elsewhere belongs only to a sovereign.

palau

name

A country consisting of around 340 islands in Micronesia, in Oceania. Official name: Republic of Palau. Capital: Ngerulmud.

palaver

noun

A village council meeting.

palazzo

noun

A large, grand urban building, especially in Italy.

pale

adjective

Light in colour, or lacking the usual colour, especially in the face.

paleaceous

adj

chaffy; resembling or consisting of paleae, or chaff

paleo

noun

A way of eating based on foods thought to have been available to hunter-gatherers — meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds — while excluding grains, pulses, dairy, refined sugar and processed foods.

Palermo

name

The capital city of Sicily, Italy.

Pales

name

A Roman deity of shepherds, flocks, and livestock.

Palestine

name

The State of Palestine, a country in the Middle East comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip, home to the Palestinian people.

Palestinian

noun

A person from Palestine or of Palestinian descent.

palette

noun

A thin board on which a painter mixes colours.

Paley

name

An English surname, from a place name meaning "clearing by a stream".

Pali

noun

An ancient Indian language closely related to Sanskrit, used as the sacred language of Theravada Buddhist scripture.

Palin

name

A surname of English and Welsh origin, notably borne by comedian Michael Palin.

palindrome

noun

A word, phrase, number or sequence that reads the same backwards as forwards, ignoring spaces, punctuation and capital letters.

paling

noun

A pointed stick used to make a fence.

palisade

noun

A fence of strong stakes or iron bars set upright in the ground, built as a defence or barrier.

pall

noun

A heavy cloth draped over a coffin or tomb.

palladium

noun

A silvery-white metallic chemical element (symbol Pd) used in jewellery, electronics, and catalytic converters.

pallas

name

Any of several people in Greek mythology:

pallbearer

noun

One called upon to carry or bear the coffin or the casket at a funeral.

pallet

noun

A flat, portable platform used for stacking and moving goods, typically with a forklift.

palliard

noun

A beggar or vagrant, especially a professional one; (earlier especially) a lecher.

palliate

verb

To relieve the symptoms of; to ameliorate.

palliation

noun

The alleviation of a disease's symptoms without a cure; temporary relief.

palliative

adj

Serving to palliate; serving to extenuate or mitigate.

pallid

adj

Appearing weak, pale, or wan.

pally

adj

Friendly and familiar, like a close friend; often used slightly mockingly of a sudden or overly casual friendliness.

palm

noun

A tall tropical tree with a crown of large leaves and no branches, such as the ones seen on beaches.