📖 P — The English dictionary · page 23

personnel — Everyday, meaning 1: The people who work for an organisation, such as an army, a hospital or a company; staff.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal, old) The department that deals with hiring and looking after workers, now usually called Human Resources (HR).↗ Example: Authorised personnel only — do not enter.↗ · Medical personnel rushed to help the injured man.↗ · The ship carried 300 personnel.↗ · All school personnel must wear a badge.↗ · Emergency personnel closed the road.↗ · The base has 120 personnel working in 4 equal shifts.↗ · Military personnel helped after the flood.↗ · Ask the personnel office about the job.↗

perspective — Everyday, meaning 1: A perspective is a way of thinking about or seeing something, a point of view («from my perspective»).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In art, perspective is a way of drawing so that things look solid and far away, with far things smaller and lines meeting at a vanishing point.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To keep things in perspective is to understand how important or unimportant something really is.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: An old word for a telescope: a tube with glass in it that makes faraway things look closer and bigger.↗ Example: From my perspective, the rule is unfair.↗ · Write the story from the dog's perspective.↗ · In art, we drew a road using perspective.↗ · The lines meet at the vanishing point.↗ · Losing a game is sad, but keep it in perspective.↗ · Travelling gave her a new perspective on life.↗ · Each witness had a different perspective on the accident.↗ · He therefore took the crier with him to the khan where he lodged, and counted him out the money, and received the perspective glass.↗

perspiration — Everyday, meaning 1: Perspiration is sweat: the salty water that comes out of your skin when you are hot or working hard.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Perspiration is the act of sweating.↗ Example: Perspiration helps keep your body cool.↗ · Beads of perspiration ran down his face.↗ · After the race, my shirt was wet with perspiration.↗ · Drink water to replace what you lose in perspiration.↗ · Perspiration contains water and salt.↗ · The heat made everyone break into perspiration.↗ · Deodorant reduces the smell of perspiration.↗ · Success needs lots of perspiration and practice.↗ · Perspiration hung like beads on his brow.↗

perspire — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal or polite) To sweat; to give off liquid through your skin when you are hot, nervous or working hard.↗ Example: People perspire more on hot days.↗ · He began to perspire as he waited for his turn on stage.↗ · Animals like dogs do not perspire much; they pant instead.↗ · Drink water because you lose water when you perspire.↗ · The runners perspired in the heat.↗ · Our body perspires to cool itself down.↗

persuade — Everyday, meaning 1: To persuade someone is to make them agree to do something or believe something by giving good reasons or by asking nicely.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To persuade can also mean to convince someone that something is true.↗ Example: I persuaded Mum to let me have a puppy.↗ · Can you persuade your brother to come to the park?↗ · The advert tries to persuade you to buy the toy.↗ · We wrote letters to persuade the council to build a skate park.↗ · She persuaded me that the film was worth seeing.↗ · No one could persuade him to eat broccoli.↗ · A good speech uses facts to persuade people.↗ · The grand-vizir tried to persuade the Sultan not to go, but in vain.↗ · Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying: The LORD will deliver us.↗ (Prophets ISA.36.18, JPS 1917)↗ · By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.↗ (Writings PRO.25.15, JPS 1917)↗ · And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead.↗ (Writings 2CH.18.2, JPS 1917)↗

persuasion — Everyday, meaning 1: Persuasion is getting someone to believe or do something by giving good reasons.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Persuasion is the skill of doing this.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) A persuasion is a set of beliefs, especially a religious or political group: «people of all persuasions».↗ Example: With a little persuasion, Dad let us stay up.↗ · Adverts use persuasion to make you buy things.↗ · She has great powers of persuasion.↗ · We studied persuasion in English.↗ · It took a lot of persuasion to get my brother to swim.↗ · Be careful of persuasion from strangers online.↗ · Good persuasion uses facts, not tricks.↗ · People of all persuasions came to the meeting.↗ · Gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster fail.↗

persuasive — Everyday, meaning 1: Persuasive means good at making people agree with you or do what you want: a persuasive speaker.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Persuasive writing is writing that tries to make the reader believe something or take an action, like an advert, a letter of complaint or a speech.↗ Example: Write a persuasive letter to the head teacher asking for a longer break.↗ · Her speech was so persuasive that everyone voted for her.↗ · Adverts use persuasive language to make us buy things.↗ · A rhetorical question is a persuasive technique.↗ · He gave a persuasive reason for having a class pet.↗ · The poster was bright and persuasive: "Save the bees!"↗

pert — Everyday, meaning 1: Pert means cheeky and bold, not showing proper respect to someone older.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old use) Neat, lively and smart.↗ Example: Don't be so pert with your teacher.↗ · The pert sparrow hopped right up to our table.↗ · He gave a pert little grin.↗

pertain — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) «Pertain to»: to be about, be connected with, or belong to something (the rules pertaining to safety).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) To be true or to apply in a certain situation.↗ Example: Read the rules pertaining to the swimming pool.↗ · The questions pertain to the story we read.↗ · Information pertaining to the trip will be sent home.↗ · These laws pertain to all drivers.↗ · Does this pertain to me?↗ · Please answer only the questions that pertain to your group.↗ · But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.↗ (Torah LEV.7.20, JPS 1917)↗ · And he took the fortified cities which pertained to Judah, and came unto Jerusalem.↗ (Writings 2CH.12.4, JPS 1917)↗ · the son of Hesed, in Arubboth; to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher; (Prophets 1KI.4.10, JPS 1917)↗ · all these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the things pertaining to God, to lift up the horn.↗ (Writings 1CH.25.5, JPS 1917)↗

pertinent — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Pertinent means closely connected to the subject being talked about, and useful for it; relevant.↗ Example: That's a very pertinent question.↗ · Only include facts pertinent to the topic.↗ · The detective noticed one pertinent detail: the muddy boots.↗ · Choose the quotation most pertinent to the question.↗ · Is that pertinent to our science project, or is it off topic?↗ · The judge asked the witness for any pertinent information.↗

perturbation — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Worry or anxiety; being upset.↗ e.g. "She showed no perturbation."↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (science) A small change or disturbance in the movement or state of something, such as a planet's orbit being pulled by another planet.↗ Example: Small perturbations in Uranus's orbit helped find Neptune.↗ · He listened without any sign of perturbation.↗ · The spacecraft corrected for perturbations in its path.↗ · A tiny perturbation can change the weather a lot.↗ · Her perturbation grew as the dog did not come home.↗ · Scientists measured the perturbation caused by the moon.↗

perturbed — Everyday, meaning 1: Worried and unsettled, so that you cannot feel calm.↗ Example: She was perturbed by the strange noise.↗ · The children looked perturbed when the lights went out.↗ · Mum was perturbed that we were late.↗

perusal — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) The act of reading something carefully and thoroughly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal, often in modern use) A quick look through something; reading it casually.↗ Example: The letter was left on the desk for her perusal.↗ · After a careful perusal of the map, we found the hidden path.↗ · «I enclose my homework for your perusal,» wrote Ben, trying to sound grand.↗ · A quick perusal of the menu showed there was no pizza.↗ · The teacher's perusal of our stories took all weekend.↗ · The contract needs a full perusal before anyone signs it.↗ · They were first brought to light, after a patient search and diligent perusal of ancient authors, by a Frenchman, M.↗

peruse — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To read or look at something carefully and in detail.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, common use) To look through something casually or browse: perusing the shelves of a shop.↗ Example: Please peruse the instructions before you start.↗ · Dad perused the menu for ages.↗ · The detective perused the letter for clues.↗ · We perused the books at the school fair.↗ · She perused the map to find the shortest road.↗ · Take a moment to peruse the questions.↗ · Grandma likes perusing the newspaper over breakfast.↗

peruvian — Everyday, meaning 1: From or belonging to Peru, a country in South America.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A person from Peru.↗ Example: Paddington is a Peruvian bear.↗ · Machu Picchu is an Inca city in the Peruvian Andes.↗ · Our Peruvian classmate taught us some Spanish.↗ · Llamas live in the Peruvian mountains.↗ · Peruvian farmers grow many kinds of potatoes.↗ · Peruvians celebrate Independence Day in July.↗

pervade — Everyday, meaning 1: To spread through every part of a place or thing, filling it all.↗ Example: The smell of bread pervaded the whole house.↗ · A deep silence pervaded the forest.↗ · Joy pervaded the village after the feast.↗

perverse — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Stubbornly doing wrong or going against what is right.↗ Example: No; His children's is the blemish; a generation crooked and perverse.↗ (Torah DEU.32.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Who are crooked in their ways, and perverse in their paths; (Writings PRO.2.15, JPS 1917)↗ · A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil thing.↗ (Writings PSA.101.4, JPS 1917)↗ · Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.↗ (Writings PRO.4.24, JPS 1917)↗

perverseness — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Wickedness or crookedness; doing what is twisted and wrong instead of straight and right.↗ Example: None hath beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath one seen perverseness in Israel; the LORD his God is with him, and the shouting for the King is among them.↗ (Torah NUM.23.21, JPS 1917)↗ · The integrity of the upright shall guide them; but the perverseness of the faithless shall destroy them.↗ (Writings PRO.11.3, JPS 1917)↗ · A soothing tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness therein is a wound to the spirit.↗ (Writings PRO.15.4, JPS 1917)↗ · Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel: because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon; (Prophets ISA.30.12, JPS 1917)↗

perversion — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A twisting of something good or natural into something wrong.↗ Example: And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto; it is perversion.↗ (Torah LEV.18.23, JPS 1917)↗ · 'Therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will send thee away from off the face of the earth; this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken perversion against the LORD.'↗ (Prophets JER.28.16, JPS 1917)↗

perversity — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Stubborn and willful wrongness, doing wrong on purpose.↗

pervert — Everyday, meaning 1: verb: To change something so that it is used wrongly or for a bad purpose.↗ e.g. "pervert the truth".↗ Everyday, meaning 2: verb (law).↗ e.g. "Pervert the course of justice" means to try to stop the police or courts finding the truth, for example by lying or hiding evidence; this is a crime.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: noun: (rude, adult slang) a rude word grown-ups use; not for school.↗ Example: He was charged with perverting the course of justice.↗ · Lying to the police can pervert the course of justice.↗ · They perverted the rules to get their own way.↗ · The villain perverted the wizard's gift into a curse.↗ · Do not pervert the truth to win an argument.↗ · If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to bear perverted witness against him; (Torah DEU.19.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou shalt not pervert the justice due to the stranger, or to the fatherless; nor take the widow's raiment to pledge.↗ (Torah DEU.24.17, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice; (Torah EXO.23.2, JPS 1917)↗ · Or doth the Almighty pervert justice?↗ (Writings JOB.8.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert justice.↗ (Writings JOB.34.12, JPS 1917)↗ · A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom, to pervert the ways of justice.↗ (Writings PRO.17.23, JPS 1917)↗

pes — Everyday, meaning 1: (anatomy, Latin) The foot, or the foot part of an animal's back leg; used by scientists, as in "pes planus" (flat foot).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (fragment) Often a piece of a bigger word or a plural of PE written as "PEs" (physical education lessons).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In old texts, pes can also be a name for a hound or dog.↗ Example: In Latin, "pes" means foot.↗ · Doctors call flat feet "pes planus".↗ · The dinosaur's pes had three big toes.↗ · The scientist measured the length of the fossil pes.↗ · The word "pedal" comes from Latin "pes, pedis", foot.↗ · Our timetable lists two PEs a week.↗ · Henceforward shalt thou be a Hound (Pes, or Pyos), an unclean beast.↗

pesach — Everyday, meaning 1: (Jewish faith) Pesach is the Hebrew name for Passover, a spring festival when Jewish people remember how God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as told in the Book of Exodus.↗ Example: Jewish families celebrate Pesach in spring.↗ · At Pesach, people eat matzah, flat bread made without yeast.↗ · The youngest child asks four questions at the Pesach Seder.↗ · Pesach remembers the escape from slavery in Egypt.↗ · Before Pesach, homes are cleaned of all bread with yeast.↗ · The Last Supper took place around the time of Pesach.↗