English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

parted

adj

Separated or divided, or (of hair) combed to one side to form a visible line.

Parthenon

name

The famous ancient temple to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens.

parthenope

name

One of the sirens, daughter of the god Achelous and the Muse Terpsichore.

partial

adj

Not complete; only affecting or including part of something.

partiality

noun

A leaning or bias towards something.

partially

adv

To some extent, but not completely.

partialness

noun

The state of being biased towards one side; partiality.

participant

noun

A person who takes part in an activity, event, or study.

participate

verb

To take part in or become involved in something.

participation

noun

The act of taking part in something.

participative

adj

Taking part, or able to take part, in something.

participator

noun

A person who takes part in something.

participatory

adj

Connected with taking part in something.

participial

adj

Relating to, or in the form of, a participle.

participialize

verb

To turn a word into a participle.

participle

noun

A form of a verb that may function as an adjective, noun or adverb. English has two types of participles: the present participle and the past participle. In other languages, there are others, such as future, perfect, and future perfect participles.

particle

noun

A very small piece or amount of matter.

particular

adj

Specific; referring to one particular thing rather than things in general.

particularise

verb

A non-Oxford British English spelling of particularize.

particularize

verb

To make something specific rather than general, by narrowing it down to one case.

particularly

adv

Especially; more than usual or more than others.

particulars

noun

The specific details of something.

parting

noun

The act of leaving or separating from someone, or the moment it happens.

partisan

noun

A strong, often unquestioning supporter of a party, cause, or leader.

partisanism

noun

Strong, one-sided support for a party or cause.

partisanship

noun

A strong tendency to favour one side or party.

partition

noun

A wall or screen that divides a room or space into separate sections.

partitioning

noun

The act of splitting something into separate sections, or the layout of those sections.

partly

adverb

To some extent; not completely.

partner

noun

A spouse or other person with whom someone shares a romantic or domestic relationship.

partnering

noun

The act or process of forming a partnership with someone.

partnership

noun

A relationship in which two or more people or groups work together toward a shared goal.

parton

noun

In particle physics, any of the fundamental particles, such as quarks and gluons, that make up larger particles like protons and neutrons.

partridge

noun

A plump, ground-dwelling game bird related to the pheasant.

partridgeberry

noun

Any of several different plants that go by this name.

parts

noun

A region or area.

parturiency

noun

A quality or process that produces something new.

parturition

noun

The act of giving birth.

partway

adv

To a certain degree, not completely.

party

noun

A social gathering held for enjoyment, often with food, drink, and entertainment.

partying

noun

The activity of attending or holding social gatherings involving drinking, music, and celebration.

Parvati

proper noun

A Hindu goddess associated with love, fertility, and devotion, regarded as a consort of Shiva.

parvenu

noun

Someone who has moved up into a higher social class, usually by becoming rich or powerful, but who is not fully accepted by that class.

pas

noun

A step, especially in dance.

Pasadena

proper noun

A city in Los Angeles County, California, known for the Rose Bowl and its historic architecture.

pascal

noun

The SI unit of pressure, equal to one newton of force per square metre.

pascha

noun

Passover, the Jewish or Christian festival, including the early Christian version kept on Nisan 14.

Paschal

adjective

Relating to Easter.

Pascoe

proper noun

A surname, and occasionally a male given name derived from it.

Pascual

proper noun

A surname of Spanish origin.

paseo

noun

A public walkway or avenue, sometimes used for eating out or relaxing.

pash

verb

(informal) To kiss someone passionately.

pasha

noun

A high-ranking title given to officials, governors, or military commanders in the Ottoman Empire.

pashalik

noun

The area or authority governed by a pasha.

pashmina

noun

A cashmere goat, native to Kashmir.

Pashto

proper noun

A language spoken by the Pashtun people, and an official language of Afghanistan and part of Pakistan.

pashtun

adj

Belonging or relating to the Pashtun people, a large ethnic group mainly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, or to their culture.

paskudnyak

noun

(informal) A horrible or despicable person.

Paso

noun

Short for Paso Fino, a breed of horse known for its smooth, natural gait.

Pasquale

proper noun

A surname of Italian origin, sometimes used as a given name.

pasquinade

noun

A mocking piece of writing about someone, originally displayed in public.

pass

verb

To move from one place, position, or state to another.

passable

adjective

Good enough to be acceptable, though not excellent.

passably

adv

Well enough to be acceptable, though not excellent.

passage

noun

A short section of a text, speech, or piece of music.

passagemaker

noun

A boat built to travel long distances at sea.

passageway

noun

A narrow corridor or route allowing movement between places.

passcode

noun

A sequence of characters or numbers used to verify identity and grant access to a device or system.

passed

adjective

Having gone by or finished, especially referring to time.

passementerie

noun

A decorative trim of lace or fabric attached to clothing.

passenger

noun

A person travelling in a vehicle who is not driving or working as crew.

passim

adv

(in a reference) Found in many places throughout the work being cited.

passing

adjective

Lasting only briefly; temporary.

passion

noun

An intense feeling or enthusiasm, especially love or strong interest.

passionate

adjective

Showing or feeling very strong emotion or enthusiasm.

passionately

adverb

In a way that shows intense emotion or enthusiasm.

passionateness

noun

The quality of being passionate.

passive

adjective

Accepting what happens without acting to change or resist it.

passive aggressive

adjective

Expressing anger or hostility indirectly rather than saying it outright, through sulking, backhanded compliments, deliberate delay or pretended agreement.

passivity

noun

Not doing anything; being inactive rather than active.

passkey

noun

A key that opens multiple locks in a building, typically held by staff or management.

Passover

proper noun

The Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt.

passphrase

noun

A password made up of a full phrase rather than a single word.

passport

noun

An official government document that proves a person's identity and nationality for international travel.

password

noun

A secret word or string of characters used to prove identity and gain access to a place, system, or account.

passwordless

adj

Not needing a password.

past

noun

The period of time before the present.

pasta

noun

A food made from a dough of wheat and water, shaped and usually boiled, forming the base of many Italian dishes.

paste

noun

A soft, moist, thick mixture, especially one used as an adhesive or made from crushed food.

pasteboard

noun

(computing) A tool that lets several people paste and share text or files with each other.

pastel

noun

A pale, soft shade of colour.

Pasteur

name

A French surname, notably borne by chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur.

pasteurize

verb

To heat food or drink to a temperature that kills harmful organisms such as bacteria without cooking it.

pasteurized

adjective

Of milk, juice or another liquid food: heated to a controlled temperature for a set time to kill harmful bacteria, then cooled, so that it keeps longer and is safe to drink.

pastiche

noun

A piece of art, writing, music or building design that copies the style of an earlier artist, usually as a tribute rather than a criticism.

pastille

noun

A small, round, flat sweet with a fruit or other flavour.

pastime

noun

An activity you do purely for enjoyment or to fill spare time.

pasting

noun

The act of sticking something down with paste or glue.

pastis

noun

An anise-flavoured French liqueur, usually served with water.

pastor

noun

A minister or priest who leads a church congregation.

pastoral

adj

Relating to shepherds, farming, or peaceful rural life.

pastrami

noun

A heavily seasoned, smoked cut of beef, usually sliced thin for sandwiches.

pastry

noun

A dough made from flour and fat, used as the base for pies, tarts, and similar baked goods.

pasturage

noun

Land where livestock graze.

pasture

noun

Land covered in grass used for grazing livestock.

pastureland

noun

Land set aside for animals to graze on.

pasty

adj

Unhealthily pale in complexion.

pat

verb

To tap gently with the flat of the hand.

Patagonia

name

A sparsely populated region at the southern tip of South America, spanning Argentina and Chile.

patater

noun

A pronunciation spelling of potato.

patch

noun

A piece of material used to mend or cover a hole or damaged area.

patchboard

noun

(dated) A panel with sockets and cords used to connect circuits by hand, found in old telephone exchanges and early computers.

patched

adj

Repaired with one or more patches.

patching

noun

The act or process of mending or fixing something with a patch.

patchouli

noun

A bushy plant whose leaves yield a strong, earthy fragrant oil.

patchwork

noun

Fabric made by sewing together many small pieces of different colours or shapes.

patchy

adj

Occurring unevenly or in scattered patches, not consistent throughout.

pate

noun

The top of a person's head, especially when bald.

Patel

noun

In parts of India, a village headman or local chief.

patella

noun

(anatomy) The kneecap, the small bone at the front of the knee.

patency

noun

The state or quality of being patent.

patent

noun

An official government grant giving an inventor sole rights to make, use, or sell an invention for a set period.

patented

adj

Protected by an official patent.

patently

adv

Clearly and obviously.

pater

noun

An old-fashioned or humorous British term for one's father.

paterfamilias

noun

A man who leads a household, family or tribe.

paternal

adj

Relating to a father, or inherited through the father's side of the family.

paternity

noun

The state of being a father, especially the legal or biological fact of fatherhood.

Paterno

name

An Italian surname, notably borne by American football coach Joe Paterno.

Paterson

name

A Scottish surname meaning "son of Patrick"; also a city in New Jersey, USA.

path

noun

A track or trail made for walking.

Pathan

noun

A member of the Pashto-speaking people of Afghanistan and north-west Pakistan; another name for Pashtun.

pathetic

adj

Arousing pity or sadness.

pathetically

adv

In a way that is pitiable or contemptibly feeble.

pathetisad

adj

Causing others to feel either scornful pity or contempt; pathetic.

pathfinder

noun

Someone who opens up a new route through territory that no one has explored before.

pathic

noun

Another word for a bottom: the passive partner, usually male, in anal sex between men.

pathline

noun

The route followed by a single particle of fluid over a period of time.

pathogen

noun

A microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus, that causes disease.

pathogenesis

noun

How a disease starts and develops.

pathogenic

adj

Capable of causing a harmful illness.

pathologic

adj

Relating to, or caused by, disease.

pathological

adj

Relating to disease or the study of disease.

pathologist

noun

A doctor or scientist who studies diseased tissue to diagnose illness or determine cause of death.

pathology

noun

The scientific study of the causes and effects of disease.

pathophysiology

noun

The study of how disease disturbs the normal working of the body, and the disordered processes themselves.

pathos

noun

A quality in something that stirs feelings of pity or sadness.

pathway

noun

A path or track, especially one leading somewhere specific.

patience

noun

The ability to wait calmly or endure difficulty without becoming frustrated.

patient

adj

Able to wait calmly without becoming annoyed or anxious.