| overthwart | adv. | crosswise, transversely | ||
| oviduct | n. | tube through which egg passes from ovary | ||
| ovine | adj. | of or like sheep | ||
| ovinity | n. | the state of sheep, sheep-like nature | ||
| ovipositor | n. | egg-laying tube of some insects or fish | ||
| oxer | n. | horse jumping obstacle with two rails set in various formations; cattle guard consisting of hedge with guardrail | ||
| oxter | n. | (Scot. and N. Eng.) armpit | ||
| p.p. | adj. | per procurationem, by proxy | ||
| pace | prep. | “in peace”, with no offense intended to, with apologies to | Latin | |
| paean | n. | song of praise, joy, or tribute | ||
| paeon | n. | metrical foot with one long and three short syllables, in any order | ||
| paillette | n. | sequin | ||
| palanquin | n. | small boxlike litter for carrying a reclining passenger by several men holding poles attached to the conveyance | ||
| pale | n. | stake; paling, fence; enclosure; area within a defined boundary | ||
| palearctic | adj. | of the immense biogeographical region consisting of Europe, Asia north of the Himalayas, and North Africa | ||
| paleography | n. | study of writing and the evolution of writing systems | ||
| palestra | n. | (ancient Greece) place devoted to public teaching and wrestling and athletics | ||
| paletot | n. | loose or fitted overcoat or jacket | ||
| paling | n. | picket fence | ||
| palinode | n. | ode or other poem retracting views of an earlier poem; recantation | ||
| palladium | n. | 1 | rare metallic element resembling platinum | |
| Palladium | n. | 2 | statue of Pallas Athena, esp. that of Troy; (usu. lowercase) thing upon which the safety of a people or institution is supposed to depend | |
| palliasse | n. | mattress filled with straw | ||
| palliate | v. | mitigate | ||
| pallium | n. | rectangular cloak of Greek origin worn by men in ancient times as alternative to the toga; long band of wool worn over other ecclesiastical garments by the Pope and other high church officials granted jurisdictional power | ||
| palmer | n. | religious pilgrim | ||
| palooka | n. | ineffectual athlete, esp. a boxer; stupid person, lout | slang | |
| palter | v. | to equivocate or to lie; to mumble | archaic | |
| paltering | n. | insincere, lying speech | ||
| paludal | adj. | of or pertaining to marshes | ||
| paludarium | n. | enclosure combining elements of an aquarium with those of a terrarium | ||
| panchreston | n. | explanation which attempts to cover all possibilities in a situation, but which is too generalized to be of practical use | ||
| panda car | n. | police car, from original black-and-white coloring | British | |
| pandit | n. | learned or wise man in India; term of respectful address | ||
| panegyric | n. | public oration or writing in praise of someone or something, encomium; laudation, eulogy | ||
| panentheism | n. | belief that God and the universe interpenetrate and influence each other | ||
| panentheism | n. | tenet that God is the entirety of the universe and yet somehow transcends the universe as well | ||
| panga | n. | large machete-like knife used in East and South Africa | ||
| panmixia | n. | entirely random mating within a breeding population | ||
| pantaloon | n. | (capitalized) character in commedia dell’arte; mean old foolish man, often the butt of jokes or intrigues; (pl.) baggy women’s pants or tight-fitting men’s breeches | ||
| pantechnicon | n. | moving van | British | |
| pantile | n. | roofing tile, often clay, curved to an ogee shape — that is, having a cross-section shaped like an ‘S’ — which interlocks with similar tiles to create a distinctive wavy roof line | ||
| pantler | n. | baker; household officer in charge of the pantry | obsolete | |
| pantophobic | adj. | fearful of everything | ||
| pants | adj. | terrible, of bad quality | slang | |
| pap | n. | 1 | bland food, porridge; nonsense, foolish word | |
| pap | n. | 2 | teat, nipple | archaic |
| papule | n. | small pointed swelling of the skin | ||
| paradox | n. | one whose character is inconsistent | ||
| parallax | n. | apparent difference in position due to change in location of observation point |
