English dictionary — definitions & meanings

popular

adj

Liked, enjoyed, or supported by a large number of people.

popular sovereignty

noun

The political principle that the authority of a government comes from the consent of the people it governs, and that the people are the ultimate source of power.

popularity

noun

The state of being widely liked, admired, or supported.

populate

verb

To live in a place and make up its inhabitants.

populated

adj

Having inhabitants, especially to a stated degree.

population

noun

The total number of people living in a particular place.

populist

adjective

Appealing to ordinary people by presenting politics as a struggle between the honest public and a corrupt or out-of-touch elite.

populous

adj

Having a large population.

POR

noun

Abbreviation for "price on request," used in listings where the cost is negotiated privately rather than advertised.

por favor

interjection

Please: a Spanish phrase used when making a request or accepting an offer politely.

porcelain

noun

A hard, translucent white ceramic made by firing fine clay at high heat, or objects made from it.

porch

noun

A covered structure at the entrance of a building, sometimes with its own roof.

porcupine

noun

A large rodent covered in sharp defensive spines called quills.

pore

noun

A tiny opening in the skin, or a similarly small opening in another surface.

porgy

noun

Any of several sea bream fish of the family Sparidae, commonly eaten as food.

pork

noun

Meat from a pig.

porker

noun

A pig, especially a castrated male, being fattened and raised for slaughter.

porkish

adj

Resembling or characteristic of pork.

porky

adj

Rather fat or chubby.

porn

noun

Pornography, or material depicting sexual acts explicitly.

porno

adj

Pornographic.

pornographer

noun

A person who creates or distributes pornography.

pornographic

adj

Explicitly depicting sexual acts or nudity for arousal.

pornography

noun

Written, visual, or filmed material that explicitly depicts sexual activity, mainly intended to arouse.

porous

adj

Having many tiny holes that let liquid or gas pass through.

porpoise

noun

A small whale-like marine mammal related to dolphins, with a blunt snout.

porridge

noun

A soft, thick breakfast dish made by cooking oats or other grain in milk or water.

Porsche

noun

A make of German sports car known for speed, style, and a high price tag.

port

noun

A town or harbour where ships load, unload, or shelter.

porta

noun

In anatomy, the point where an organ's blood vessels and nerves enter, such as the porta hepatis of the liver; also called the hilum.

portability

noun

The quality of being portable.

portable

adj

Light and compact enough to be carried or moved easily.

portal

noun

A grand or notable entrance or doorway.

portative

adj

Capable of holding up or carrying.

Porte

noun

A historical name for the government of the Ottoman Empire (usually "the Porte").

portend

verb

To serve as a warning or omen of.

portent

noun

Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.

portentous

adj

Of momentous or ominous significance.

portentousness

noun

The quality of being portentous

porter

noun

A person employed to carry luggage or goods, especially at a station, airport, or hotel.

porterhouse

noun

A thick, T-bone-shaped cut of beef from the wide end of the short loin, prized for its large piece of tenderloin.

portfolio

noun

A flat case for carrying documents, drawings, or photographs.

porthole

noun

A small round window set into the side of a ship.

Portia

noun

A female given name.

portico

noun

A roofed structure supported by columns, forming a porch at the entrance of a building.

portion

noun

A part or share of something larger.

Portland

noun

A city name used for several places, most famously Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine, in the United States.

portly

adj

Somewhat fat, pudgy, overweight.

Portman

noun

Historically, a burgess or official of a port town, especially one of England's Cinque Ports.

portmanteau

noun

A word formed by blending the sounds and meanings of two others, such as brunch from breakfast and lunch, or smog from smoke and fog.

porto

noun

Port wine, a sweet fortified wine, or a similar wine made in that style.

portobello

noun

A large, mature mushroom variety, actually the fully grown form of the common button mushroom.

portrait

noun

A painting, drawing, or photograph of a person, usually focused on the face and shoulders.

portray

verb

To represent someone or something in a picture, film, or performance.

portrayal

noun

The way someone or something is represented or depicted, especially in a performance or artwork.

portrayed

verb

Past tense and past participle of portray: to show or describe someone or something in a particular way, in words, pictures or performance.

Ports

noun

Plural of port: harbors, or connection points on a device.

Portsmouth

noun

A port city in southern England, and the name shared by several cities in the United States and elsewhere.

Portugal

noun

A country in southwestern Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, with Lisbon as its capital.

Portuguese

adj

Relating to Portugal, its people, or its culture.

pose

verb

To hold a particular position of the body, often for a photo or painting.

posed

adj

Arranged in a deliberate, often stiff or unnatural position, as opposed to caught naturally.

Poseidon

noun

The Greek god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses.

poser

noun

A difficult or puzzling question.

poseur

noun

One who affects some behaviour, style, attitude or other condition, often to impress or influence others.

posey

adj

Pretentious or affectedly showy in manner.

posh

adj

Associated with wealth or the upper classes; stylish and expensive.

posho

noun

A food product made of cornmeal.

posigrade

noun

A small rocket that gives additional forward thrust.

posing

noun

The act of holding a body position, especially for a photo or artwork.

posit

noun

Something that is posited; a postulate.

position

noun

A place or location where something or someone is.

positional

adj

Relating to the position of something.

positioned

adj

Placed or arranged in a particular spot, especially one that gives an advantage.

positioning

noun

The act or process of placing something, or the strategy behind how a brand or product is presented to its market.

positive

adj

Optimistic, constructive, or good in effect.

positive attitude

noun

A habit of approaching situations, including difficult ones, expecting that things can go well and that effort will make a difference.

positively

adv

In a hopeful or constructive way.

positiveness

noun

The quality of being positive; positivity.

positivist

noun

A believer in positivism.

positivistic

adj

Of or pertaining to positivism.

positivity

noun

An optimistic or constructive attitude.

posken

verb

To make an official ruling or decision.

Posner

name

A German and Jewish surname.

posology

noun

The study of the dosages of drugs, especially the determination of appropriate dosages.

posse

noun

A group of people, especially one gathered to help enforce the law.

possess

verb

To have or own something.

possessed

adj

Controlled by a spirit or demon.

possession

noun

Something that a person owns.

possessive

adj

Reluctant to share or give up something one considers one's own.

possessiveness

noun

The quality of being possessive; the desire to obsessively and exclusively control another person.

posset

noun

A beverage composed of hot milk curdled by some strong infusion, such as wine.

possibilities

noun

Things that might happen, or courses of action that could be taken.

possibility

noun

The chance that something might happen or be true.

possible

adj

Able to happen, exist, or be done; not ruled out.

possibly

adv

Perhaps; used to show something might be true.

possul

adj

Invalid for ceremonial or official purposes.

possum

noun

A tree-dwelling marsupial native to Australia and nearby islands.

post

noun

A long upright pole or beam, such as a fence post or lamppost.

post graduate

adjective

Relating to academic study undertaken after completing a first degree.

post-op

adjective

Happening in the period after a surgical operation.

post-truth

adjective

Describing a political culture in which appeals to emotion and personal belief sway opinion more than verifiable facts do.

postage

noun

The fee charged to send a letter or parcel through the mail.

postal

adj

Having to do with the mail system — collecting, sorting, and delivering letters and parcels.

postal code

noun

A short series of letters, numbers or both, added to an address so that mail can be sorted and delivered to the right area or street.

postbellum

adj

Of the period following a war.

postcard

noun

A small, stiff card, often with a picture on one side, sent through the mail without an envelope.

postcode

noun

A sequence of letters and numbers added to a postal address to aid the sorting and delivery of post or mail.

poster

noun

A large printed picture or announcement, usually put up on a wall to decorate or advertise.

posterior

adj

Located at or nearer the back of something, especially the body.

posterity

noun

Future generations, especially someone's descendants.

postfrontal

adj

Behind the frontal bone

postgraduate

noun

A person continuing to study in a field after having successfully completed a degree course.

posthaste

adv

Quickly, as fast as someone travelling post; with great speed.

posthectomy

noun

The surgical procedure to remove all or part of the foreskin.

posthetomy

noun

Excision of the foreskin; posthectomy; circumcision.

posthumous

adj

Happening or given after a person's death.

posthumously

adv

After a person's death.

postical

adj

Oriented towards the base.

posticous

adj

Situated on the outer side of a filament

posting

noun

A message put up online, such as on a forum, blog, or social media site.

postman

noun

A person whose job is delivering mail to homes and businesses.

postmark

noun

A mark stamped on mail by the postal service showing where and when it was processed.

postmaster

noun

The person in charge of running a post office.

postmonition

noun

An intimation of a past disaster.

postmortem

noun

An examination of a dead body carried out to establish how the person died.

postnatal

adj

After being born, of or pertaining to the period immediately after birth (of a baby).

postoperative

adj

Of, relating to, or occurring in the period after a surgical operation.

postpartum

adj

Relating to the period right after childbirth.

postpone

verb

To move an event or activity to a later time; to delay it.

postponed

adj

Delayed until a later time than originally planned.

postponement

noun

A delay to a later time; the act of putting something off.

postponence

noun

The act of deeming less important or of a lower rank.

postpubescent

adj

That occurs after puberty.

postquel

noun

A work of fiction which is set after the events of an earlier installment in a series but is not an immediate sequel.

postrenal

adj

Situated behind the kidneys.

postscript

noun

An addendum to a letter, added after the author's signature.

postseason

noun

The period after the end of the normal sports season during which extra games are held (such as playoffs or championships).

postulate

noun

Something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted, especially when used as a basis for an argument. Sometimes distinguished from axioms as being relevant to a particular science or context, rather than universally true, and following from other axioms rather than being an absolute assumption.

postulation

noun

The act of postulating or something postulated.

posture

noun

The way someone holds and positions their body, especially while sitting or standing.

posturing

noun

Behavior meant to create a false impression, often to look powerful or important.

posy

noun

A flower; a small bouquet; a nosegay.

pot

noun

A round container, usually with a handle, used for cooking or holding things such as plants.

potable

adj

Good for drinking without fear of waterborne disease or poisoning.

potage

noun

A thick soup, especially a creamy one.

potash

noun

The water-soluble part of wood ash, used for making soap and glass and as a fertilizer (chemically speaking, an impure form of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) mixed with other potassium salts).

potassium

noun

A soft, silvery metallic element (symbol K, atomic number 19) that reacts strongly with water and is essential to living cells.

potation

noun

The act of drinking.

potato

noun

A starchy vegetable that grows underground as the tuber of the potato plant.