English dictionary — definitions & meanings

patriotism

noun

Love of and devotion to one's country; pride in and loyalty toward one's homeland.

patrocination

noun

The act of patrocinating or patronizing.

patrol

noun

A group of soldiers, police officers, or guards that moves through an area to watch over it or look for trouble.

patrolled

adj

Guarded or monitored by people or vehicles moving through the area to check for problems.

patrolling

noun

The activity of moving through an area to guard or monitor it.

patrolman

noun

A police officer whose main duty is patrolling an area, rather than detective or administrative work.

patron

noun

A person, often wealthy or influential, who financially supports an artist, cause, or institution.

patronage

noun

Financial or other support given by a patron.

patronal

adj

patron; protecting; favouring

patronate

noun

The right or duty of a patron; patronage.

patroness

noun

A female patron goddess or saint.

patronise

verb

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of patronize.

patronize

verb

To talk to someone in a way that shows you think you are smarter or better than them.

patronizing

adjective

Speaking or behaving in a way that shows a superior, condescending attitude toward someone.

patronless

adj

Lacking a patron or patrons; unsponsored; unpatronized; unpatroned.

patronship

noun

Patronage, the act or especially the formalized state of being a backer or supporter (of something).

patronus

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Patronus.

patronymic

adj

Derived from one's father.

Patsy

noun

A person who is easily blamed, deceived, or taken advantage of by others.

Pattaya

name

A coastal resort city in Thailand, known for its beaches and nightlife.

patten

noun

Any of various types of footwear with thick soles, often used to elevate the foot, especially wooden clogs.

patter

noun

A quick series of light, repeated sounds, like rain hitting a roof or feet running on pavement.

patteran

noun

Any of several coded signs left along a road or on a non-Roma house by one Rom to another. The most common ones consist of crossed sprigs (usually of different trees or shrubs) indicating, for example, a direction travelled.

patterer

noun

Someone who patters, or talks glibly.

pattering

noun

A series of light, repeated tapping sounds.

pattern

noun

A repeated design of shapes, colors, or lines, often decorative.

patterned

adjective

Decorated with a repeated design.

Patterson

name

A Scottish and Irish surname meaning "son of Patrick".

patti

noun

A traditional land division or residential unit within a village, historically used in parts of Punjab.

Pattie

name

An informal pet form of the given name Patricia or Martha.

patting

noun

The act of gently tapping something with the flat of the hand.

pattison

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Patton

name

An English and Scottish surname, notably borne by U.S. General George S. Patton.

Patty

noun

A small, flat, round portion of ground meat or a similar mixture, usually cooked.

pau

adj

Finished or done, especially in Hawaiian Pidgin English.

paua

noun

Any of several large, edible abalones of New Zealand, especially Haliotis iris, whose shell is used to make jewelry.

paucal

adj

Characterized by having a small number, greater than two, of (usually equivalent) components.

paucity

noun

A shortage of something, or a supply that is far smaller than is needed.

Paul

name

A common male given name, historically associated with Paul the Apostle in the New Testament.

Paula

name

A feminine given name derived from the Latin "paulus", meaning "small" or "humble".

Paulette

name

A feminine given name, a French diminutive form of Paula.

Pauley

name

A surname derived from the given name Paul, also used occasionally as a given name.

Pauli

name

A surname of German and Scandinavian origin derived from Paul, notably borne by physicist Wolfgang Pauli.

Paulie

name

An informal pet form of the given name Paul.

Paulina

name

A female given name, the feminine form of Paul.

Pauline

name

A female given name, another feminine form of Paul.

Paulson

name

A surname meaning "son of Paul," found across several languages in similar forms.

Pauly

name

A casual short form of the male name Paul.

paunch

noun

A protruding belly, especially a large one on a man.

paunchy

adj

Having a paunch; having a prominent stomach; potbellied.

pauper

noun

A person who is very poor, especially one relying on charity or public assistance.

pauperism

noun

The state of being a pauper; poverty.

pause

verb

To stop something briefly, intending to continue later.

pausing

noun

The act of briefly stopping an activity.

pave

verb

To cover a surface such as a road or path with a hard material like concrete, stone, or asphalt.

paved

adj

Having a hard covering such as concrete or asphalt.

Pavel

name

An anglicized spelling of the Russian male name Pável.

pavement

noun

A hard-surfaced path for pedestrians at the side of a road (British usage; "sidewalk" in American English).

paver

noun

A flat stone used to pave a pathway, such as a walkway to one's home.

pavilion

noun

A large, often decorative tent, or a light open structure used as a shelter or for events.

paving

noun

The hard material or surface laid down on a road, path, or floor.

Pavlov

name

A Russian surname, most famously borne by physiologist Ivan Pavlov.

Pavlovich

name

A surname of Serbo-Croatian origin.

paw

noun

The foot of a clawed animal such as a dog or cat.

pawa

noun

An edible univalve mollusc of the genus Haliotis, having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl.

pawing

noun

The action of scraping or touching with a paw.

pawl

noun

A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction.

pawn

verb

To leave an item with a pawnbroker as security in exchange for money.

pawnbroker

noun

A person or business that lends money in exchange for holding personal property as security, which can be sold if the loan isn't repaid.

pawnee

noun

A member of the Pawnee people, an Indigenous nation of North America, or their language.

pawnshop

noun

A business where people pawn items for cash loans.

pawpaw

noun

Any of several types of trees having edible fruit

paws

noun

The plural of "paw"; more than one animal foot.

pax

noun

Peace, or a truce, especially a period of stability enforced by a dominant power.

Paxton

name

An English surname, also used as a given name and as a place name in several English-speaking countries.

pay

verb

To give money in exchange for goods, services, or work.

payability

noun

The ability or willingness to pay; profitability.

payable

adj

Required or due to be paid.

payables

noun

debts and liabilities owed by a business

payably

adv

Of a mine etc.: so as to yield profit; profitably.

Payal

name

A female given name of Indian origin, also the word for an ankle bracelet in Hindi.

payback

noun

Revenge for something someone has done.

paycheck

noun

The payment an employee receives from an employer for work done, typically issued regularly.

payday

noun

The regular day on which wages or salary are paid.

payee

noun

The person or organisation that money is paid to, especially the one named on a cheque, transfer or payment order.

payer

noun

One who pays; specifically, the person by whom a bill or note has been, or should be, paid.

paying

noun

The act of giving money owed; payment.

payload

noun

The part of a vehicle's cargo — such as passengers, freight, or a warhead — that it exists to carry, as opposed to fuel or equipment needed to move it.

paymaster

noun

An official in charge of payments to employees, troops, etc.

payment

noun

The act of paying, or a sum of money paid for goods, services, or a debt.

Payne

name

An English surname, a variant spelling of Paine.

payola

noun

A bribe given in exchange for a favor, such as one given in exchange for the promotion of goods or services (originally one given to a disk jockey to play a record).

payout

noun

A sum of money paid out, such as winnings, an insurance settlement, or dividends.

PayPal

name

A widely used online payment service that lets people send and receive money electronically.

payphone

noun

A public telephone that requires coins, a card, or other payment to make a call.

payroll

noun

The total amount a business pays its employees, or the list of employees and their pay.

Payson

name

A surname, also used as a place name for towns in Arizona, Illinois, and Utah.

Payton

name

A unisex given name, originally an English surname derived from a place name.

Paz

name

A Spanish surname meaning "peace," and the name of a river in El Salvador.

PB

verb

To set a new personal best, especially in sport or fitness.

PC

verb

To reword something so it avoids offending any group; to sanitize language.

PCA

noun

Principal component analysis: a statistical technique that reduces a large set of correlated variables to a smaller set of uncorrelated components that still capture most of the variation in the data.

PD

abbreviation

Police department, the law-enforcement body of a city or town, usually written after the place name.

PDA

noun

Public display of affection: kissing, cuddling or similar behaviour between partners in a public place.

PDF

noun

A file format for documents that keeps the same layout, fonts and images on every device, so a page looks the same however it is opened or printed.

PDR

abbreviation

Physicians' Desk Reference, a long-running American compendium of prescribing information for prescription drugs.

pe

noun

A letter used in several Semitic alphabets, including Hebrew (פ) and Arabic (as faa), historically representing a "mouth" sound.

pea

noun

A climbing plant (Pisum sativum) grown for its edible seeds and pods.

Peabody

name

An English surname, notably borne by philanthropist George Peabody; also the name of a prestigious broadcasting award.

peabrain

noun

A stupid or clumsy person; a cretin.

peace

noun

A state of calm with no war, fighting, or serious conflict.

peace of mind

noun

A calm, untroubled state in which you are free from worry because you know something is safe, settled or taken care of.

peaceable

adj

Favouring peace rather than conflict; not aggressive, tending to avoid violence (of people, actions etc.).

peaceful

adj

Free from war, violence, or disturbance.

peacefully

adv

In a calm way, without conflict or disturbance.

peacefulness

noun

The state of being peaceful.

peacekeeper

noun

A soldier or member of a military force sent to keep peace in a conflict area, often under international authority.

peacekeeping

noun

The activity of maintaining peace between hostile groups or nations, often using a sanctioned military force.

peacemaker

noun

A person who helps resolve conflicts and restore peace, especially between disputing parties.

peacemaking

noun

The act of reconciling two people or groups who disagree.

peacen

verb

To make peaceful; calm; quieten

peacetime

noun

A period when a country is not at war.

peach

noun

A soft, juicy fruit with fuzzy yellow-red skin and a large single stone, grown on the Prunus persica tree.

peacher

noun

One who peaches or informs on another; an informer.

peachy

adj

Resembling a peach in color, texture, or taste.

peacock

noun

A male peafowl, especially known for its long, iridescent, fan-shaped tail.

peafowl

noun

A bird of the genus Pavo or Afropavo, notable for the extravagant tails of the males; a peacock (unspecified sex).

peak

noun

The pointed top of a mountain or hill.

peaked

adj

Having a pointed top or a raised point.

peaker

noun

That which reaches or forms a peak.

peaking

noun

The act of reaching a highest point before declining.

Peaks

name

A surname derived from "peak", denoting someone who lived near a hill or summit.

peaky

adj

Looking pale, tired, or slightly unwell.

peal

noun

A loud ringing sound, or a series of them, such as bells, thunder, or laughter.

pealing

noun

The sound made by bells as they peal.

peanut

noun

The edible seed of Arachis hypogaea, a legume that grows its pods underground, despite being called a nut.

peanuts

noun

Informal: a very small or inadequate amount of money.

pear

noun

A sweet fruit that is typically rounder at the bottom and narrower near the stem, grown on the pear tree (Pyrus communis).

Pearce

name

An English and Welsh surname, a variant of Pierce, meaning "son of Piers".

pearl

noun

A smooth, rounded gem formed inside the shell of certain oysters and mollusks, prized for jewelry.

pearly

adj

Having the smooth, pale, slightly shiny look of a pearl.

Pears

name

An English surname, a variant of Pearce or Piers.

pearson

name

A patronymic surname transferred from the given name.

peasant

noun

Historically, a small farmer or agricultural laborer, especially one with a low social and economic status.

pease

verb

To make peace between people or groups who are in conflict; to reconcile them.

peasy

adj

Resembling peas, or having the qualities of peas, especially in texture or appearance.

peat

noun

Dark, partly decomposed plant matter that accumulates in wet bogs, used as fuel and in gardening.

pebble

noun

A small stone, especially one smoothed and rounded by water.

pecan

noun

A tree native to the southern United States (Carya illinoinensis) that produces smooth, thin-shelled edible nuts.

peccability

noun

The state or quality of being peccable; liability to sin.