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P

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P, p

  [pee]
Use P in a Sentence
–noun, plural P's or Ps, p's or ps.
1. the sixteenth letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
2. any spoken sound represented by the letter P or p, as in pet, supper, top, etc.
3. something having the shape of a P.
4. a written or printed representation of the letter P or p.
5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter P or p.
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P

 
1. Education. (as a rating of student performance) passing.
2. Chess. pawn.
3. Electronics. plate.
4. poor.
5. Grammar. predicate.
6. Protestant.

P

 
Symbol.
1. the 16th in order or in a series, or, when I is omitted, the 15th.
2. (sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 400. Compare Roman numerals.
3. Genetics. parental.
4. Chemistry. phosphorus.
5. Physics.
a. power.
b. pressure.
c. proton.
d. space inversion.
e. poise2.
6. Biochemistry. proline.

p

 
1. penny; pence.
2. Music. softly.
Origin:
< It piano

P-

 
Military.
(in designations of fighter aircraft) pursuit: P-38.

p-

 
Chemistry.
para- 1 (def. 2).

P.

 
1. pastor.
2. father. Origin:
< L Pater
3. peseta.
4. peso.
5. post.
6. president.
7. pressure.
8. priest.
9. prince.
10. progressive.

p.

 
1. page.
2. part.
3. participle.
4. past.
5. father. Origin:
< L pater
6. Chess. pawn.
7. penny; pence.
8. per.
9. Grammar. person.
10. peseta.
11. peso.
12. Music. softly. Origin:
< It piano
13. pint.
14. pipe.
15. Baseball. pitcher.
16. pole.
17. population.
18. after. Origin:
< L post
19. president.
20. pressure.
21. purl.

Hey⋅se

  [hahy-zuh]
–noun
Paul (Jo⋅hann von)  [poul yoh-hahn fuhn] , 1830–1914, German playwright, novelist, poet, and short-story writer: Nobel prize 1910.

para-

1 
1. a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek, most often attached to verbs and verbal derivatives, with the meanings “at or to one side of, beside, side by side” (parabola; paragraph; parallel; paralysis), “beyond, past, by” (paradox; paragogue); by extension from these senses, this prefix came to designate objects or activities auxiliary to or derivative of that denoted by the base word (parody; paronomasia), and hence abnormal or defective (paranoia), a sense now common in modern scientific coinages (parageusia; paralexia). As an English prefix, para-1 may have any of these senses; it is also productive in the naming of occupational roles considered ancillary or subsidiary to roles requiring more training, or of a higher status, on such models as paramedical and paraprofessional: paralegal; paralibrarian; parapolice.
2. Chemistry. a combining form designating the para (1, 4) position in the benzene ring. Abbreviation: p-. Compare meta- (def. 2c), ortho- (def. 2b).
Also, especially before a vowel, par-.

Origin:
< Gk para-, comb. form repr. pará (prep.) beside, alongside of, by, beyond

pen⋅ny

  [pen-ee] noun, plural pen⋅nies, (especially collectively for 2, 3) pence, adjective
–noun
1. a bronze coin, the 100th part of the dollars of various nations, as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States; one cent.
2. Also called new penny. a bronze coin and monetary unit of the United Kingdom and various other nations, the 100th part of a pound. Abbreviation: p
3. a former bronze coin and monetary unit of the United Kingdom and various other nations, the 12th part of a shilling: use phased out in 1971. Abbreviation: d.
4. a sum of money: He spent every penny he ever earned.
5. the length of a nail in terms of certain standard designations from twopenny to sixtypenny.
–adjective
6. Stock Exchange. of, pertaining to, or being penny stock: frenzied speculation in the penny market.
—Idioms
7. a bad penny, someone or something undesirable.
8. a pretty penny, Informal. a considerable sum of money: Their car must have cost them a pretty penny.
9. Chiefly British Slang. spend a penny, to urinate: from the former cost of using a public lavatory.
10. turn an honest penny, to earn one's living honestly; make money by fair means: He's never turned an honest penny in his life.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME peni, OE penig, pænig, pen(n)ing, pending, c. OFris penning, panning, OS, D penning, OHG pfenning, phantinc, phenting (G Pfennig), ON penningr (perh. < OE); < WGmc or Gmc *pandingaz, prob. equiv. to *pand- pawn 2 + *-ingaz -ing 3

Related forms:
pennied, adjective

pe⋅se⋅ta

  [puh-sey-tuh; Sp. pe-se-tah]
–noun, plural -tas  [-tuhz; Sp. -tahs] .
1. a bronze coin and monetary unit of Spain and Spanish territories, equal to 100 centimos. Abbreviation: P., Pta.
2. a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, equal to two reals; pistareen.
3. a former monetary unit of Equatorial Guinea: replaced by the ekuele in 1973.
Origin:
1805–15; < Sp, dim. of pesa a weight. See peso

pi⋅a⋅no

2  [pee-ah-noh; It. pyah-naw] Music.
–adjective
1. soft; subdued.
–adverb
2. softly. Abbreviation: p, p.
Origin:
1675–85; < It: soft, low (of sounds), plain, flat < L plānus plain 1

plate

1  [pleyt] noun, verb, plat⋅ed, plat⋅ing.
–noun
1. a shallow, usually circular dish, often of earthenware or porcelain, from which food is eaten.
2. the contents of such a dish; plateful.
3. an entire course of a meal served on such a dish: I had the vegetable plate for lunch.
4. the food and service for one person, as at a banquet, fund-raising dinner, or the like: The wedding breakfast cost $20 a plate.
5. household dishes, utensils, etc., of metal plated with gold or silver.
6. household dishes, utensils, etc., made of gold or silver.
7. a dish, as of metal or wood, used for collecting offerings, as in a church.
8. a thin, flat sheet or piece of metal or other material, esp. of uniform thickness.
9. metal in such sheets.
10. a flat, polished piece of metal on which something may be or is engraved.
11. license plate.
12. a flat or curved sheet of metal, plastic, glass, or similar hard material, on which a picture or text has been engraved, etched, molded, photographically developed, or drawn, that is inked, as in a press, for printing impressions on other surfaces.
13. a printed impression from such a piece or from some similar piece, as a woodcut.
14. a full-page illustration in a book, esp. an insert on paper different from the text pages.
15. a piece of armor made from a thin, flat piece or several such pieces of tough material, esp. wrought iron or steel.
16. armor composed of thin, flat pieces; plate armor.
17. Dentistry.
a. the part of a denture that conforms to the mouth and contains the teeth.
b. the entire denture.
18. Baseball.
a. the plate. home plate.
b. rubber 1 (def. 14).
19. plate glass.
20. Photography. a sheet of glass, metal, etc., coated with a sensitized emulsion, used for taking a photograph.
21. Anatomy, Zoology. a platelike part, structure, or organ.
22. a thin piece or cut of beef from the lower end of the ribs.
23. Geology. crustal plate.
24. Electronics. one of the interior elements of a vacuum tube, toward which electrons are attracted by virtue of its positive charge; anode. Abbreviation: P
25. Carpentry. any of various horizontal timbers or boards laid flat across the heads of studding, upon floors, etc., to support joists, rafters, or studs at or near their ends.
26. a gold or silver cup or the like awarded as the prize in a horse race or some other contest.
27. a horse race or some other contest for such a prize.
28. Heraldry. a rounded argent.
–verb (used with object)
29. to coat (metal) with a thin film of gold, silver, nickel, etc., by mechanical or chemical means.
30. to cover or overlay with metal plates for protection.
31. Metalworking.
a. to forge (a bloom or the like) into a broad piece.
b. to hammer (cutlery) gently to produce an even surface.
32. Printing. to make a stereotype or electrotype plate from (type).
33. Papermaking. to give a high gloss to (paper), as on supercalendered paper.
—Idiom
34. have on one's plate, Informal. to have as an immediate task, obligation, or prospect: I had too much on my plate already to take on another task.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < OF: lit., something flat, n. use of fem. of plat flat 1 < VL *plattus, akin to Gk platýs broad, flat

Related forms:
plateless, adjective
platelike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To P
mo·men·tum   (mō-měn'təm)   
n.   pl. mo·men·ta (-tə) or mo·men·tums

  1. Symbol p Physics A measure of the motion of a body equal to the product of its mass and velocity. Also called linear momentum.

    1. Impetus of a physical object in motion.

    2. Impetus of a nonphysical process, such as an idea or a course of events: The soaring rise in interest rates finally appeared to be losing momentum.

  3. Philosophy An essential or constituent element; a moment.


[Latin mōmentum, movement, from *movimentum, from movēre, to move; see meuə- in Indo-European roots.]
p 1 or P   (pē)   
n.   pl. p's or P's also ps or Ps

  1. The 16th letter of the modern English alphabet.

  2. Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter p.

  3. The 16th in a series.

  4. Something shaped like the letter P.

  5. P A hypothesized documentary source of certain portions of the Pentateuch that have a formal style, contain genealogical lists and descriptions of rituals, and use the Tetragrammaton to refer to God.

p 2  
Physics
The symbol for momentum.
p 3  
abbr.  

  1. piano (musical direction)

  2. proton

P 1  
The symbol for the element phosphorus.
P 2  
abbr.  

  1. Genetics parental generation

  2. Physics parity

  3. pass

  4. pawn (chess)

  5. Bible Peter

  6. petite

  7. Physics pressure

par·i·ty 1   (pār'ĭ-tē)   
n.   pl. par·i·ties

  1. Equality, as in amount, status, or value.

  2. Functional equivalence, as in the weaponry or military strength of adversaries: "A problem that has troubled the U.S.-Soviet relationship from the beginning has been the issue of parity" (Charles William Maynes).

  3. The equivalent in value of a sum of money expressed in terms of a different currency at a fixed official rate of exchange.

  4. Equality of prices of goods or securities in two different markets.

  5. A level for farm-product prices maintained by governmental support and intended to give farmers the same purchasing power they had during a chosen base period.

  6. Mathematics The even or odd quality of an integer. If two integers are both odd or both even, they are said to have the same parity; if one is odd and one even, they have different parity.

  7. Abbr. P Physics

    1. An intrinsic symmetry property of subatomic particles that is characterized by the behavior of the wave function of such particles under reflection through the origin of spatial coordinates.

    2. A quantum number, either +1 (even) or -1 (odd), that mathematically describes this property.

    3. The even or odd quality of the number of 1's or 0's in a binary code, often used to determine the integrity of data especially after transmission.

    4. A parity bit.

  8. Computer Science

    1. The even or odd quality of the number of 1's or 0's in a binary code, often used to determine the integrity of data especially after transmission.

    2. A parity bit.


[French parité, from Old French parite, from Late Latin paritās, from pār, par-, equal; see pair.]
pawn 2   (pôn)   
n.  

  1. Abbr. P Games A chess piece of lowest value that may move forward one square at a time or two squares in the first move, capture other pieces only on a one-space diagonal forward move, and be promoted to any piece other than a king upon reaching the eighth rank.

  2. A person or an entity used to further the purposes of another: an underdeveloped nation that was a pawn in international politics.


[Middle English, from Old French pedon, paon, from Medieval Latin pedō, pedōn-, foot soldier, from Late Latin, one who has wide feet, from Latin pēs, ped-, foot; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]
Pe·ter   (pē'tər)   
n.   Bible Abbr. Pet. or Pt or P
See Table at Bible.
phos·pho·rus   (fŏs'fər-əs)   
n.  

  1. Symbol P A highly reactive, poisonous, nonmetallic element occurring naturally in phosphates, especially apatite, and existing in three allotropic forms, white (or sometimes yellow), red, and black. An essential constituent of protoplasm, it is used in safety matches, pyrotechnics, incendiary shells, and fertilizers and to protect metal surfaces from corrosion. Atomic number 15; atomic weight 30.9738; melting point (white) 44.1°C; boiling point 280°C; specific gravity (white) 1.82; valence 3, 5. See Table at element.

  2. A phosphorescent substance.


[Latin Phōsphorus, morning star, from Greek phōsphoros, bringing light, morning star : phōs, light; see bhā-1 in Indo-European roots + -phoros, -phorous.]
pi·a·no 2   (pē-ä'nō, pyä'-)   
adv.   & adj. Abbr. p
In a soft or quiet tone. Used chiefly as a direction.
n.   pl. pi·a·nos
A passage to be played softly or quietly.

[Italian, from Late Latin plānus, smooth, graceful, from Latin, flat; see pelə-2 in Indo-European roots.]
pres·sure   (prěsh'ər)   
n.  

    1. The act of pressing.

    2. The condition of being pressed.

  2. The application of continuous force by one body on another that it is touching; compression.

  3. Abbr. P Physics Force applied uniformly over a surface, measured as force per unit of area.

  4. Meteorology Atmospheric pressure.

  5. A compelling or constraining influence, such as a moral force, on the mind or will: pressure to conform; peer-group pressure.

  6. Urgent claim or demand: under the pressure of business; doesn't work well under pressure.

  7. An oppressive condition of physical, mental, social, or economic distress.

  8. A physical sensation produced by compression of a part of the body.

  9. Archaic A mark made by application of force or weight; an impression.

tr.v.   pres·sured, pres·sur·ing, pres·sures

  1. To force, as by overpowering influence or persuasion.

  2. To pressurize.

  3. To pressure-cook.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pressūra, from pressus, past participle of premere, to press; see per-4 in Indo-European roots.]
pro·ton   (prō'tŏn')   
n.   Abbr. p
A stable, positively charged subatomic particle in the baryon family having a mass 1,836 times that of the electron. See Table at subatomic particle.

[From Greek prōton, neuter of prōtos, first; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
pro·ton'ic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

piano

A musical direction meaning “to be performed softly”; the opposite of forte. As the name of a musical instrument, it is short for pianoforte.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
penny

  1. n.
    a police officer. (A play on copper. See the note at copper.) : The penny over on the corner told the boys to get moving.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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platter

  1. n.
    and plate. home base or home plate in baseball. (Usually with the.) : The batter stepped up to the platter.
  2. n.
    a phonograph record. (Old but still heard.) : They call it a “platter” because it looks like a serving platter.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

P 
a rare letter in the initial position in Gmc., in part because by Grimm's Law PIE p- became Gmc. f-; even with early L. borrowings, -p- takes up only a little over 4 pages in J.R. Clark Hall's "Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary," compared to 31 pages for B and more than 36 for F. But it now is the third most common initial letter in the Eng. vocabulary, and with C and S, comprises nearly a third of the words in the dictionary, a testimonial to the flood of words that have entered the language since 1066 from L., Gk., and Fr. To mind one's Ps and Qs (1779), possibly is from confusion of these letters among children learning to write. Another theory traces it to old-time tavern-keepers tracking their patrons' bar tabs in pints and quarts. But cf. also to be P and Q (1612), "to be excellent," a slang phrase said to derive from prime quality.

para- 
prefix meaning "alongside, beyond, altered, contrary," from Gk. para- from para (prep.) "beside, near, from, against, contrary to," cognate with Skt. para "beyond;" Hitt. para "on, forth;" L. pro "before, for, in favor of," per- "through;" Goth. faur "along;" O.E. for- "off, away" (see fore).

penny 
O.E. pening, penig "penny," from P.Gmc. *panninggaz (cf. O.N. penningr, Swed. pänning, O.Fris. panning, M.Du. pennic, O.H.G. pfenning, Ger. Pfennig, not recorded in Goth., where skatts is used instead), of unknown origin. The English coin was originally set at one-twelfth of a shilling and was of silver, later copper, then bronze. There are two plural forms: pennies of individual coins, pence collectively. In translations it rendered various foreign coins of small denomination, esp. L. denarius, whence comes its abbreviation d. As Amer.Eng. colloquial for cent, it is recorded from 1889. Penniless "destitute" is attested from c.1310. Pennyweight is O.E. penega gewiht, originally the weight of a silver penny. Penny-a-liner "writer for a journal or newspaper" is attested from 1834. Penny dreadful "cheap and gory fiction" dates from c.1870. Phrase penny-wise and pound-foolish is recorded from 1607.

piano  (n.)
1803, from Fr. piano, It. piano, shortened forms of pianoforte (q.v.). As an adv., "softly," in musical directions (superl. pianissimo), attested from 1683. Pianist is recorded from 1839, from Fr. pianiste, from It. pianista.

plate  (n.)
c.1250, "flat sheet of gold or silver," also "flat, round coin," from O.Fr. plate "thin piece of metal" (c.1175), from M.L. plata "plate, piece of metal," perhaps via V.L. *plattus from Gk. platys "flat, broad" (see place (n.)). The cognate in Sp. (plata) and Port. (prata) has become the usual word for "silver," superseding argento via shortening of *plata d'argento "plate of silver, coin." Meaning "table utensils" (originally of silver or gold only) is from M.E. Meaning "shallow dish for food," now usually of china or earthenware, originally of metal or wood, is from c.1450. Baseball sense is from 1857. Geological sense is first attested 1904; plate tectonics first recorded 1969. Plate-glass first recorded 1727.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

P

A Nasdaq stock symbol specifying that it is the company's first class of preferred shares.

Investopedia Commentary

Nasdaq-listed securities have four or five characters. If a fifth letter appears, it indicates that the issue is other than a single issue of common or capital stock.

Related Links

Understanding The Ticker Tape
The Tale Of Two Exchanges: NYSE And Nasdaq

See also: Nasdaq, Preferred Stock, Stock Symbol

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Financial Dictionary

p

  1. Used in the dividend column of stock transaction tables in newspapers to indicate an initial dividend: .50p.

  2. Used in mutual fund transaction tables in newspapers to indicate that a distribution cost is charged.


Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: P
Function: abbreviation
1 parental
2 part
3 percentile
4 pharmacopoeia
5 pint
6 pole
7population
8 position
9 positive
10 posterior
11 pressure
12 pulse
13 pupil

Main Entry: P
Function: symbol
1 parental generation —usually used with a subscript: P1 for the first, P2 for the second, etc.
2phosphorus

Main Entry: p-
Function: abbreviation
para- <p-dichlorobenzene>

Main Entry: para-
Pronunciation: "par-&, 'par-&
Variant: or par-
Function: prefix
1 : closely related to<paraldehyde>
2 : involving substitution at or characterized by two opposite positions in the benzene ring that are separated by two carbon atoms<paradichlorobenzene> —abbreviation p-; —compare META- 2 ORTH- 2

Main Entry: 2plate
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: plat·ed; plat·ing
1 : to inoculate and culture(microorganisms or cells) on a plate; also : to distribute (an inoculum) on a plate or plates for cultivation
2 : to repair (as a fractured bone) with metal plates
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

P
The symbol for the element phosphorus.

p- abbr.
para- (often italic)

para- or par-
pref.

  1. Beside; near; alongside: paranucleus.

  2. Beyond: parapsychology.

  3. Incorrect; abnormal: paradipsia.

  4. Similar to; resembling: paratyphoid.

  5. Subsidiary; assistant: paramedical.

  6. Isomeric; polymeric: paraldehyde.

  7. A diatomic molecule in which the nuclei have opposite spin directions: parahydrogen.


  8. Abbr. p- Of or relating to one of three possible isomers of a benzene ring with two attached chemical groups in which the carbon atoms with attached groups are separated by two unsubstituted carbon atoms. Usually in italic: para-bromoiodobenzene.

plate (plāt)
n.

  1. A smooth, flat, relatively thin, rigid body of uniform thickness.

  2. A thin flat layer, part, or structure.

  3. A thin metallic or plastic support fitted to the gums to anchor artificial teeth.

  4. A metal bar applied to a fractured bone in order to maintain the ends in apposition.

  5. The agar layer within a Petri dish or similar vessel.

  6. A sheet of glass or metal that is light-sensitive and on which a photographic image can be recorded.

v. plat·ed, plat·ing, plates
To form a very thin layer of a bacterial culture by streaking it on the surface of agar to isolate individual organisms from which a colonial clone will develop.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
P  

  1. The symbol for parity.

  2. The symbol for phosphorus.

  3. The symbol for power.

  4. The symbol for pressure.


phosphorus   (fŏs'fər-əs)  Pronunciation Key 
Symbol P
A highly reactive, poisonous nonmetallic element occurring naturally in phosphates, especially in the mineral apatite. It exists in white (or sometimes yellow), red, and black forms, and is an essential component of protoplasm. Phosphorus is used to make matches, fireworks, and fertilizers and to protect metal surfaces from corrosion. Atomic number 15; atomic weight 30.9738; melting point (white) 44.1°C; boiling point 280°C; specific gravity (white) 1.82; valence 3, 5. See Periodic Table.
plate   (plāt)  Pronunciation Key 
Noun  

  1. A thin, flat sheet of metal or other material, especially one used as an electrode in a storage battery or capacitor, or as the anode of an electron tube.

  2. In plate tectonics, one of the sections of the Earth's lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) that is in constant motion along with other sections. It is the interaction of the plates that causes mountains, volcanos, and other land features to form and that causes earthquakes to occur. Six major plates and numerous smaller ones are recognized. See more at tectonic boundary.


Verb   To coat or cover with a thin layer of metal.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

p

see mind one's p's and q's.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
p

  1. momentum

  2. piano (musical direction)

  3. proton

  4. punctuation

P

  1. pale

  2. parental generation

  3. parity

  4. parking available

  5. pass

  6. pawn

  7. petite

  8. phosphorus

  9. poor

  10. Portugal (international vehicle ID)

  11. pressure

  12. professional (as in personal ads)

  13. punter

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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