English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

phytologist

noun

A person who studies plants; a botanist.

phytology

noun

The scientific study of plants.

phytoplankton

noun

Plankton, typically small in size, that get their energy through photosynthesis.

pi

noun

A letter of the Greek alphabet.

pia

noun

The pia mater, the thin innermost membrane that covers and protects the brain and spinal cord.

pianissimo

adv

A musical instruction meaning that a passage should be played very quietly.

pianist

noun

A person who plays the piano, especially skillfully.

piano

noun

A large keyboard instrument in which pressing keys causes hammers to strike strings, producing sound.

pianofortist

noun

A pianist; someone who plays the piano.

Piao

name

A Chinese surname.

piazza

noun

An open public square, especially one found in an Italian town or city.

pic

noun

An informal word for a photograph.

pica

noun

A condition in which a person craves and eats things that are not food, such as chalk, dirt, or ice.

picador

noun

A horseman who helps a bullfighter by jabbing the bull with a lance.

Picard

adj

Relating to Picardy, a historic cultural region in northern France.

picaresque

adjective

Relating to a style of fiction that follows the adventures of a roguish, often likeable, wandering hero.

picaroon

noun

A pirate or rogue.

Picasso

name

A surname, most famously associated with the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

picayune

noun

A small old coin worth about six and a quarter cents, equal to half a Spanish real.

Piccadilly

name

A famous street in central London, running between Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly Circus.

piccalilli

noun

A bright yellow pickle made from cauliflower and other vegetables in vinegar, sugar and spices such as mustard and turmeric.

piccolo

noun

A small flute pitched about an octave higher than the standard concert flute.

piceous

adj

Relating to pitch, the sticky dark substance, or having a similar quality.

pick

verb

To choose one thing from a number of options.

pickaback

adv

Carried on someone's back or shoulders.

pickaxe

noun

A heavy tool with a pointed metal head on a long handle, used for breaking up hard ground or rock.

picked

adj

Chosen or selected, especially deliberately.

Picker

name

An occupational surname originally given to someone who worked with a pick or pickaxe.

Pickering

name

An English surname and place name, also a town in North Yorkshire, England.

picket

noun

A person or group standing outside a workplace during a strike to protest and discourage others from entering.

picketer

noun

Someone taking part in a picket, standing on a picket line in protest.

picketing

noun

The act of standing outside a workplace to protest, usually during a strike.

Pickett

name

An English surname, notably borne by Confederate general George Pickett.

Pickford

name

An English surname, borne notably by early Hollywood actress Mary Pickford.

picking

noun

The act of harvesting or gathering something, especially fruit or crops.

pickle

noun

A cucumber or other vegetable preserved in vinegar or brine.

pickled

adj

Preserved in vinegar or brine.

pickles

noun

Vegetables preserved in vinegar or brine, especially served alongside a meal.

pickling

noun

An act of treating something with brine or vinegar.

pickpocket

noun

A thief who steals from people's pockets or bags, typically in crowded places, without being noticed.

Pickup

noun

A small open-backed truck used for carrying goods.

Pickwick

name

A surname, most famous as that of the title character of Charles Dickens's novel "The Pickwick Papers".

picky

adj

Hard to please; fussy about details and demanding that things be exactly right.

picnic

noun

A casual meal eaten outdoors, often in a park or countryside, where everyone brings their own food.

Pico

name

A surname of Spanish and Italian origin, also found in various place names.

pictogram

noun

A simple picture used to show a word or an idea.

pictorial

adj

Relating to, or illustrated with, pictures.

pictorialism

noun

An artistic photography movement that copied styles of contemporary painting, popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

picture

noun

A drawing, painting, or photograph representing something.

pictured

adj

Shown in a photograph or picture.

pictures

noun

The cinema, or a trip to see a film (chiefly British, slightly dated).

picturesque

adj

Charmingly attractive, as if it belonged in a painting.

picturing

noun

The act of imagining or depicting something.

piddle

noun

(informal) Urine.

piddling

adj

Very small, unimportant, or of little worth.

piddly

adj

Very small or not worth bothering with.

pidge

noun

Informal short form of "pigeon".

pidgin

noun

A simple mixed language that two groups without a shared language use to talk to each other, with basic grammar, a small vocabulary and no native speakers, and often helped along with gestures.

pie

noun

A baked dish with a pastry crust and a filling, sweet or savoury.

piebald

adj

Marked with patches of colour, especially black and white.

piece

noun

A part of something larger, especially one that can be separated from the rest.

pieced

adj

Made by joining separate parts together.

piecemeal

adj

Done gradually, in separate parts rather than all at once.

piecen

verb

To fit or join something together.

piecing

noun

The act of joining separate parts together, or a patch used to do so.

pied

adj

Having patches of two or more colours, especially black and white.

Piedmont

noun

A stretch of gently sloping land lying at the base of a mountain range.

pier

noun

A raised platform that extends from the shore out over water, used for boats or entertainment.

pierce

verb

To make a hole through something, usually with something sharp.

pierced

adj

Punctured or perforated, or having a body piercing.

piercing

adj

Sharp and penetrating, whether describing a look, sound, or cold.

pierogi

noun

A dumpling of plain dough, shaped like a square or crescent, filled with something such as cheese, potato, cabbage, meat or fruit.

Pierre

name

A masculine given name, the French form of Peter.

Pierrot

name

A stock character of French pantomime, a sad clown dressed in white.

Piers

name

A masculine given name, a Middle English form of Peter.

Pierson

name

An English surname meaning "son of Piers".

Pies

name

An informal clipped nickname for the Magpies, used for various sports teams.

piet

noun

An informal British name for the magpie, a black-and-white bird known for its harsh call and habit of collecting shiny objects.

Pietro

name

A masculine given name, the Italian form of Peter.

piety

noun

Deep devotion and respect toward God or religious duty.

piff

intj

Used to show annoyance or scorn.

piffle

verb

To talk or act in a silly, pointless way.

pig

noun

A farm animal with a snout and cloven hooves, raised for meat.

Pigalle

name

A district and square in Paris, France, known for its nightlife.

pigeon

noun

A plump grey bird common in cities, known for its cooing call.

pigeonhole

noun

One of the small open spaces built into a dovecote for pigeons to nest in.

pigeonholing

noun

Putting different people or things into narrow categories that may be unfair.

piggish

adj

Greedy or eating too much.

piggy

noun

A child's word for a pig, or an informal word for a toe.

piggybac

noun

A mobile piece of DNA used as a tool in genetic engineering.

piggyback

adv

Carried on someone's back or shoulders.

pigheaded

adj

Stubborn to an unreasonable or foolish degree.

pigheadedness

noun

The quality of being stubborn and refusing to change your mind.

piglet

noun

A baby pig.

pigmeat

noun

Meat from a pig, eaten as food; pork.

pigment

noun

A substance that gives colour to something, such as paint, skin, or plant cells.

pigmentation

noun

The natural colouring of skin, hair, eyes or other living tissue, produced by pigments such as melanin.

pigpen

noun

An enclosure where pigs are kept; a pigsty.

PIGS

name

A now-outdated financial-media acronym for Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain, used during the European debt crisis to describe countries with struggling economies and heavy government debt.

pigskin

noun

Leather made from a pig's hide, or (informally, American English) a football.

pigstick

noun

A device that fires a jet of water to disable explosive devices.

pigsty

noun

A pen where pigs are kept.

pigswill

noun

Waste food given to pigs to eat.

pigwidgeon

noun

A tiny or unimportant person, creature or thing, especially a fairy or elf.

pika

noun

A small, round-eared mammal related to rabbits rather than rodents, found in mountainous parts of North America and Asia.

Pikachu

noun

A yellow, mouse-like Pokémon character with red cheeks and a lightning-bolt tail, known for its electric attacks.

pike

noun

A long spear once carried by foot soldiers, used for thrusting rather than throwing.

pikelet

noun

A thick, sweet kind of pancake.

piker

noun

A soldier who carries and fights with a pike.

Pil

name

A Korean given name element or surname.

pilaf

noun

A rice (or other grain) dish cooked in seasoned broth, often with meat or vegetables mixed in.

pilar

adjective

Relating to or covered in hair.

Pilate

name

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who, according to the Bible, ordered the crucifixion of Jesus.

Pilates

noun

A system of controlled exercises focused on core strength, flexibility, and posture, developed in the early 1900s.

pilch

noun

A robe or covering made of skin, or one edged or lined with fur.

pilchard

noun

Any of several small oily fish in the herring family, Clupeidae.

pile

noun

A number of things heaped or stacked on top of each other.

piled

adjective

Heaped or stacked up.

piles

noun

A large amount of something.

pileus

noun

The cap-shaped top part of a mushroom.

pilfer

verb

To steal small amounts of things, especially items of little value.

pilfering

noun

The act of stealing small, usually low-value items.

pilgrim

noun

A person who travels to a place of religious significance.

pilgrimage

noun

A journey made to a sacred or meaningful place.

piling

noun

A structural support post, often one of several driven into the ground beneath a building or pier.

Pilkington

name

A surname of English origin, from a place name in Lancashire.

pilkinton

name

The name of a unincorporated community in Powhatan County, Virginia, United States.

pill

noun

A small solid tablet of medicine meant to be swallowed.

pillage

verb

To loot or plunder a place by force, typically during war.

Pillai

name

A surname of Tamil origin.

pillar

noun

A tall vertical post, usually supporting part of a building.

pillbox

noun

A small container used for carrying or storing medicine tablets.

pillock

noun

British informal term for a stupid or annoying person.

pillory

noun

A framework on a post, with holes for the hands and head, used as a means of punishment and humiliation.

pillow

noun

A soft cushion used to support the head while lying down.

pillow princess

noun

A person, most often a woman in a lesbian or queer context, who likes to receive sexual attention but does not give it in return.

pillow talk

noun

Quiet, intimate conversation between lovers in bed, especially after sex.

pillowcase

noun

A removable fabric cover that fits over a pillow.

Pillsbury

name

A surname, also widely known as an American food brand.

pilot

noun

A person who operates the controls of an aircraft.

pilotage

noun

Guiding a ship or plane to its destination by watching known landmarks.

pilothouse

noun

A small cabin on a boat from which it is steered.

piloting

noun

The skill or act of navigating a vehicle, especially by reference to landmarks or fixed points.

pilus

noun

A thin, hair-like structure on the surface of some bacteria.

Pim

name

A Dutch masculine given name, often a short form of Willem.

pimento

noun

A mild, sweet red pepper used in cooking and to stuff olives.

pimiento

noun

Another name for pimento, a variety of Capsicum annuum.

pimp

noun

A person who arranges clients for prostitutes and takes a share of their earnings.

pimpernel

noun

A small wild plant with tiny red, white, or purple flowers, especially the scarlet pimpernel.

pimping

noun

The activity of managing and profiting from prostitutes.