Category: Word of the Day – P

ETYMOLOGY
from the name of Mr. Pecksniff, a hypocritical character in Charles Dickens’s novel “The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit“

EXAMPLE
“… Should Welby Pugin ever favour us with a Supplement to his Contrasts, he will uo doubt bring forward as one most egregious instance of architectural bathos the unlucky structure commented upon in the preceding paragraph. He might also hold up for reprehension a good many Pecksniff specimens of Gothic and Tudor of very recent date – certainly more recent than would be imagined, for some of them seem to be almost twin-brothers to Strawberry Hill, or else to the front of Guildhall …”

From: The Civil Engineer and Architect’s Journal, Scientific and Railway Gazette
Volume 7, 1844

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin pigritudo (laziness); from Latin pigr-, piger (lazy) + ‑itudo ‑(itude)

EXAMPLE
“… But, with a little thoughtful frequenting, those deserted river-sides become contemplative and pleasant rambling-places, and, if some whim of fashion do not make the bank of the Hudson like the Marina of Smyrna, a fashionable resort, I have my Sunday afternoons provided for, during the pigritude of city durance. …”

From: Dashes at Life With a Free Pencil
By Nathaniel Parker Willis, 1845

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin potorius drinking (from potus drinking, drink) + -orius (-ory)) + -ous

EXAMPLE
Potorious gentlemen filled hollow walking canes and faux books with spirits.

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin plenipotens, plenipotent, from Latin pleni- (full) + potens (potent, powerful)

EXAMPLE (for adj.)
“… (being now grown by their rents and Lordly dignities, by their power over the Ministers and other liege’s, by their places in Parliament, Council, Session, Exchequer, and high Commission to a plenipotent dominion and greatness) they frame a book of Canons for ruling the Kirk and disposing upon religion at their pleasure. …”

From: The Remonstrance of the Nobility, Barrones, Burgesses, Ministers and Commons within the Kingdom of Scotland,
Church of Scotland. General Assembly, 1639

ETYMOLOGY
of obscure origin

EXAMPLE (for n. 1.)
“… They ‘re fly’d at the heart, it’l be a black Bargain for poor Scotland: for the Engleses are owr auld farren for us, and there’s little Ground to think, they ‘ll gee
us a seen Vantage wee their will, they neer liked us sae well; and its naе forgotten yet, the foul Plisk they play’d us about our Caledonia Business; …”

From: The Scottish Antiquary Or Northern Notes and Queries
Volume XII, January 1898
A Copy of a Letter from a Country Farmer To His Laird, a Member of Parliament, 1706

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin plus, plur- (more) + animous;
after unanimous (from Latin unanimis, unanimus [from unus (one) + animus (mind)] + -ous)

EXAMPLE
“… Should I make a parallel of this present Basis with the former, & were I sure my Mare would not stumble, I could demonstrate it to be Heterogeneous, Heterodoxous, Incongrous, Omnigenous, Pluranimous, Versipellous, Centireligious, Nummiamorous; I thought I should hit it at length, but I take in Army and all, or else my Mare would soone stand on her head. …”

From: Discolliminium, or, A most obedient reply to a late book, called, Bounds & bonds, so farre as concerns the first demurrer and no further
By B. (Nathaniel Ward), 1650

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin pabulasus abounding in pabulum (fodder);
from pabulum (food, nutrient) + –osus (-ous)

EXAMPLE
“… And although the ayre attracted may be conceived to nourish that invisible flame of life, in as much as common and culinary flames are nourished by the ayre about them; I confesse wee doubt the common conceit, which affirmeth that aire is the pabulous supply of fire, much lesse that flame is properly aire kindled: And the same before us, hath been denyed by the Lord of Verulam, in his Tract of life and death, & also by Dr. Jorden in his book of Minerall waters. …”

From: Pseudodoxia Epidemica, or, Enquiries into very many received tenents and commonly presumed truths
By Sir Thomas Browne, 1646

ETYMOLOGY
from puzzle + head

EXAMPLE
“… Forgot! Forgot! A puzzle-head like you might forget indeed. ’Troth matters would go on prettily in the house if I hadn’t an eye to everything. …”

From: America’s Lost Plays (1940)
Trial Without Jury
By John Howard Payne, 1815

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin prandiculum (a light meal), 
from prandium (luncheon) + -culum (-cule)

EXAMPLE
Most children cannot make it through to the evening meal without a prandicle.

ETYMOLOGY
from Middle French preallable (preceding, preliminary);
from preal(l)er (to precede);
from pre- + aller (to go) + -able

EXAMPLE
“… And it was not to bee modelled or directed by the patterne of regular and remisse friendship, wherein so many precautions of a long and preallable conversation, are required. This hath no other Idea than of it selfe, and can have no reference but to it selfe. …”

From:  The Essayes, or Morall, Politike, and Millitarie Discourses of Lord Michaell de Montaigne
Translated by John Florio, 1603
Of Friendship