p

p or P (piː)

—n , pl p's, P's, Ps
1.	the 16th letter and 12th consonant of the modern English alphabet
2.	a speech sound represented by this letter, usually a voiceless bilabial stop, as in pig
3.	mind one's p's and q's to be careful to behave correctly and use polite or suitable language

P or P

—n

p or P (piː)

—n , pl p's, P's, Ps
1.	the 16th letter and 12th consonant of the modern English alphabet
2.	a speech sound represented by this letter, usually a voiceless bilabial stop, as in pig
3.	mind one's p's and q's to be careful to behave correctly and use polite or suitable language

P or P

—n

p

—*symbol for*
1.	(in Britain) penny or pence
2.	music piano: an instruction to play quietly
3.	pico-
4.	physics
	a. momentum
	b. proton
	c. pressure

P

—*symbol for*

—*abbreviation for*
1.	chem phosphorus
2.	physics
	a. pressure
	b. power
	c. parity
	d. poise
3.	(on road signs) parking
4.	chess pawn
5.	currency
	a. (the former) peseta
	b. peso
	c. pataca
	d. pula
6.	Portugal (international car registration)
7.	pharmacy only: used to label medicines that can be obtained without a prescription, but only at a shop at which there is a pharmacist

p.

—*abbreviation for* , pp
1.	page
2.	part
3.	participle
4.	past
5.	per
6.	post
7.	pro

[(sense 7) Latin: in favour of; for]

p-

—*prefix*
	short for para-

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

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.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

P
The symbol for the element phosphorus.

p- abbr.
para- (often italic)

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

The symbol for parity.
The symbol for phosphorus.
The symbol for power.
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.

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms