English dictionary — definitions & meanings

priestly

adj

Relating to, or characteristic of, a priest.

prig

noun

A person who is smugly self-righteous about proper behaviour, to an irritating degree.

prim

adj

Stiffly formal, neat, and overly proper in manner or appearance.

prima

adj

Foremost or most important, typically used before a title (as in "prima donna" or "prima ballerina").

prima facie

adjective

Accepted as true or sufficient on first inspection, unless later evidence proves otherwise. Used especially of evidence or of a case strong enough to go to trial.

primacy

noun

The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, preference etc.

primadonna

noun

A person who behaves as though they are more important than everyone else, demanding special treatment and sulking when they do not get it.

primal

adj

Existing from the earliest times; original or fundamental.

primarily

adv

Mainly, or first and foremost.

primary

adj

Most important; main.

primate

noun

A mammal belonging to the group that includes apes, monkeys, humans, and lemurs.

primatial

adj

Of or pertaining to a primate.

prime

adj

Of the highest quality or importance; excellent.

primed

adj

Made ready, prepared, and set to act.

primer

noun

A short introductory book or guide covering the basics of a subject.

primeval

adj

Belonging to the earliest ages of the world; ancient and primitive.

priming

noun

A substance used as a primer.

primitive

adj

Belonging to an early stage of development; basic or unrefined.

primitiveness

noun

The quality or state of being primitive.

primitivism

noun

The state or quality of being primitive.

primo

adj

Informal: top-quality; the best.

primogeniture

noun

The rule or custom by which the eldest child, historically the eldest son, inherits a parent's title, land or estate ahead of any siblings.

primordial

adj

Existing from the very beginning; original and fundamental.

primordium

noun

An aggregation of cells that is the first stage in the development of an organ.

primrose

noun

A small flowering plant, especially the pale yellow wildflower common in early spring.

primula

noun

Any plant of the genus Primula; the primroses.

primus

noun

A leading bishop in the Scottish Episcopal Church who presides over meetings of bishops.

prince

noun

A male member of a royal family, especially the son or grandson of a monarch.

princedom

noun

The rule, rank, estate etc. of a prince.

princely

adj

Fit for or resembling a prince; lavish or generous.

princeps

noun

The title of the Roman emperor during the principate.

princess

noun

A female member of a royal family, especially a daughter or granddaughter of a monarch.

principal

adj

Most important; main.

principality

noun

A region or sovereign nation headed by a prince or princess.

principally

adv

Mainly; for the most part.

principalship

noun

The condition, rank or office of a principal

principicide

noun

The killing of a prince.

principle

noun

A fundamental rule, belief, or truth that guides behaviour or reasoning.

principled

adj

Acting according to strong moral principles; honourable.

Pringle

noun

A single potato-based crisp of the Pringles brand, sold stacked in a distinctive tube.

print

verb

To produce text or images on paper or another surface, typically using a machine.

printer

noun

A machine that produces text or images on paper, typically connected to a computer.

printing

noun

The process or industry of producing printed materials.

printout

noun

A paper copy produced by a printer.

printseller

noun

A person who sells prints.

printshop

noun

A shop that sells prints.

prion

noun

A self-propagating misfolded conformer of a protein that is responsible for a number of diseases that affect the brain and other neural tissue.

prior

adj

Coming before in time or order; earlier.

prioress

noun

A nun in charge of a priory (usually lower in rank than an abbess); mother superior.

priorities

noun

The plural of priority; a list or set of things ranked by importance.

prioritise

verb

UK standard spelling of prioritize.

prioritization

noun

The process of assigning priorities to things or tasks.

prioritize

verb

To treat something as more important than other things, or to arrange tasks in order of importance.

priority

noun

Something regarded as more important than other things, and dealt with first.

priory

noun

A religious house, such as a monastery or convent, headed by a prior or prioress.

prisca

name

An alternative name for Priscilla, an early Christian.

Priscilla

name

A feminine given name meaning "ancient" or "venerable".

prise

verb

To force (open) with a lever; to pry.

prism

noun

A transparent solid, often triangular, that bends light and can split it into a rainbow of colours.

prismatic

adj

Of or pertaining to a prism; having the form of a prism; containing one or more prisms.

prison

noun

A secure institution where people are held, usually as punishment after being convicted of a serious crime, or while awaiting trial.

prisoner

noun

Someone locked up in prison, whether awaiting trial or serving a sentence.

priss

noun

A person, especially seen as overly fussy or prim, who worries too much about propriety.

prissy

adj

Excessively prim, fussy, or particular about small details.

pristine

adj

Completely unspoiled and clean, as if untouched since it was made.

Pritam

name

A masculine given name of Indian origin, meaning "beloved".

Pritchard

name

A Welsh surname meaning "son of Richard".

Pritchett

name

An English surname.

prithee

intj

An old-fashioned way of saying "please," used to soften a request or question.

Prithvi

name

A male given name of Sanskrit origin, from a word meaning "the vast one", an epithet for the Earth.

priti

name

A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.

privacy

noun

The state of being free from observation or intrusion by others.

private

adj

Belonging to a particular person or group, rather than the public or the state.

privateer

noun

A privately owned warship that acted under a letter of marque to attack enemy merchant ships and take possession of their cargo.

privately

adv

In a manner not open to the public or shared with others.

privateness

noun

The quality or state of being private.

privates

noun

A casual, polite term for a person's genitals.

privation

noun

The state of being deprived of or lacking an attribute formerly or properly possessed; the loss or absence of such an attribute.

privatisation

noun

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of privatization.

privatization

noun

The process of moving a business, service, or industry from government ownership into private hands.

privatize

verb

To release government control (of a business or industry) to private industry.

privet

noun

Any of various shrubs and small trees in the genus Ligustrum.

privilege

noun

A special right, benefit, or advantage available to some people but not others.

privileged

adj

Enjoying special rights, advantages, or treatment that others lack.

privy

adj

Having private or secret knowledge of something, especially information not shared with everyone.

prix

noun

Another word for a prize, mostly seen in borrowed French phrases.

Priya

name

A female given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "beloved", common among Hindus and often combined with another name.

Priyanka

name

A female given name of Hindi origin.

prizable

adj

Fit to be prized or treasured; valuable.

prize

noun

An award given to the winner of a competition, contest, or lottery.

prized

adj

Regarded as very valuable or precious.

prizefighting

noun

Professional boxing, in which two fighters compete for a prize.

pro

noun

A point or reason in favor of something, usually discussed alongside its "cons."

pro bono

adjective

Done free of charge for the public benefit, especially professional work such as legal advice given to people who cannot afford it.

pro rata

adjective

Worked out in proportion to a larger whole, so that each part gets a share matching its size, time or contribution.

pro rated

adjective

Adjusted in proportion to the part of a period or quantity that actually applies, rather than charged or paid in full.

pro-choice

adjective

Supporting the position that a pregnant person, rather than the state, should decide whether to continue a pregnancy, and that abortion should be legally available.

proactive

adj

Taking action ahead of time to prevent or prepare for a problem, rather than just reacting once it happens.

probabilistic

adj

Of, pertaining to, or derived using probability.

probability

noun

How likely something is to happen.

probable

adj

Likely to be true or to happen, based on the evidence available.

probableness

noun

The state or quality of being likely to occur; likelihood, probability.

probably

adv

Very likely, though not completely certain.

probate

verb

To legally validate a will after someone's death, confirming it as authentic before an estate is distributed.

probation

noun

A trial period during which someone's suitability for a job or role is being assessed, and they can be dismissed if they don't meet expectations.

probationary

adj

Relating to or occurring during a trial or testing period.

probationer

noun

One who is on probation.

probative

adj

Serving to prove or provide evidence for something, especially in a legal context.

probe

noun

A formal investigation into a matter, often one involving wrongdoing.

Probert

name

A Welsh surname, originally a patronymic meaning "son of Robert".

probie

noun

Informal term for someone still on a probationary or trial period in a job, especially a new firefighter or police officer.

probing

adj

Searching and thorough, especially when asking questions meant to uncover hidden truths.

probiotic

noun

A live micro-organism, usually a bacterium or yeast, taken in food or as a supplement in the expectation that it will have some effect once inside the body. The term is also used for the food or capsule containing such organisms.

probity

noun

Integrity, especially of the quality of having strong moral principles; decency and honesty.

problem

noun

A difficult situation or matter that needs to be solved or dealt with.

problem solving

noun

The process of working out how to deal with a difficulty: understanding what is wrong, thinking through the options and putting a workable solution into practice.

problema

noun

A question or puzzle posed for scholarly debate, in the tradition of ancient Greek philosophy.

problematic

adj

Causing difficulty, uncertainty, or concern; hard to resolve or accept.

problematical

adj

Doubtful or disputed.

problematize

verb

To make something into a problem.

problemo

noun

A jokey, faux-Spanish way of saying "problem," most familiar from the phrase "no problemo."

proboscis

noun

An elongated tube from the head or connected to the mouth, of an animal.

Probst

name

A German surname, originally meaning "provost".

procedural

adjective

Relating to the method or steps used to do something, rather than the result itself.

procedure

noun

An established way of carrying out a task, made up of a series of set steps.

proceed

verb

To move forward or continue on, especially after a pause.

proceedable

adj

Which it is possible to proceed from.

proceeding

noun

A formal step or action taken as part of a process, especially a legal one.

proceedings

noun

The formal course of action in a lawsuit or official process.

proceeds

noun

The money made from a sale, event, or activity.

process

noun

A series of steps or actions that lead to a particular result.

processable

adj

Able to be processed; suitable for processing.

processed

adjective

Having been treated or altered, especially food that has been refined or manufactured rather than left in its natural state.

processing

noun

The act of handling something through a series of steps, especially data, applications, or materials.

procession

noun

A group of people or vehicles moving forward together in an orderly line, often for a ceremony.

processor

noun

The main chip in a computer that carries out instructions; a CPU.

processual

adj

Of or relating to a process, especially to the methodological study of processes in social science.

proclaim

verb

To announce something publicly and formally.

proclaiming

noun

The act of announcing something publicly and formally; a formal declaration.

proclamation

noun

An official public announcement.

proclivity

noun

A predisposition or natural inclination, propensity, or a predilection; especially, a strong disposition or bent.

procott

verb

To choose, either as an individual or group, to use, buy, or deal with someone or some organization as an expression of support.

procrastinate

verb

To keep putting off something you should be doing, usually because it feels difficult or unpleasant, and to do something easier instead.

procrastination

noun

Putting off something that needs doing, usually in favour of something easier or more pleasant, despite knowing the delay will cost you.

procreate

verb

To produce offspring; to reproduce.

procreation

noun

The process of producing offspring; reproduction.

procreative

adj

Having the power to beget; generative.

proctologist

noun

A doctor who specializes in disorders of the colon, rectum, and anus.

proctor

noun

A person who supervises students during an exam.

procuracy

noun

The office of a procurator.