📖 P — The English dictionary · page 71

pry — Everyday, meaning 1: To pry is to force something open or up with a tool, or to ask questions about things that are none of your business.↗ Example: He tried to pry the lid off the box with a spoon.↗ · Please do not pry into my letters.↗ · The men pried the stone from the ground.↗ · For among My people are found wicked men; they pry, as fowlers lie in wait; they set a trap, they catch men.↗ (Prophets JER.5.26, JPS 1917)↗

prying — Everyday, meaning 1: Prying means too curious about other people's business, and always wanting to find out secrets.↗ Example: The prying boy looked in every drawer.↗ · Nobody likes prying neighbours.↗ · Stop being so prying and mind your own business.↗

ps — Everyday, meaning 1: Short for «postscript»: an extra note added at the end of a letter or email after the signature.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK schools) Sometimes short for other things, such as «primary school», or a part number like «PS4» for a games console.↗ Example: Love, Gran.↗ PS Don't forget your scarf!↗ · I forgot to say it, so I added a PS.↗ · PS The party starts at three.↗ · Her letter had a PS and a PPS.↗ · Write a PS to remind them about the money.↗ · He got a PS4 for his birthday.↗

psalm — Everyday, meaning 1: (Bible) A psalm is a holy song or poem in the Book of Psalms in the Bible, used by Jews and Christians to praise, thank, or call out to God.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (church) A psalm is any such song sung or said in a church or synagogue service.↗ Example: The choir sang a psalm at the start of the service.↗ · Our RE teacher read Psalm 23 aloud to the class.↗ · "The Lord is my shepherd" is the first line of a famous psalm.↗ · Many psalms are prayers for help in hard times.↗ · At Grandpa's funeral, the vicar read a psalm about green pastures.↗ · We wrote our own psalm of thanks for the harvest.↗ · Some psalms are happy and some are full of sorrow.↗ · It was a psalm of praise and thanksgiving.↗ · This is verse 4 of Psalm civ.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · 28) In ancient times coldness was considered to be a substance.↗ [See Psalm 147, 17.]↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · This divine name is printed in EngHsh Bibles as Jehovah Sabaoth, or as '* Lord of hosts " as in Psalm xxiv.↗ 10.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · A Psalm of David, a Song.↗ (Writings PSA.68.1, JPS 1917)↗ · BOOK III A Psalm of Asaph.↗ (Writings PSA.73.1, JPS 1917)↗ · A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.↗ (Writings PSA.75.1, JPS 1917)↗

psalter — Everyday, meaning 1: (church, Bible) A book containing the Psalms from the Bible, used for worship.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (church) A version of the Psalms set out to be sung or said in services.↗ Example: The choir sang from the psalter.↗ · The monks copied the psalter by hand.↗ · We saw an old psalter with gold pictures at the museum.↗ · Gran keeps her psalter next to her prayer book.↗ · The Psalms in the psalter are songs and prayers.↗ · Each page of the psalter had a decorated letter.↗ · "Now then," he says, "read away at your psalter."↗

psaltery — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: An old stringed musical instrument like a harp, played to accompany songs.↗ Example: Awake, psaltery and harp; I will awake the dawn.↗ (Writings PSA.108.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Awake, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp; I will awake the dawn.↗ (Writings PSA.57.9, JPS 1917)↗ · Take up the melody, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the psaltery.↗ (Writings PSA.81.3, JPS 1917)↗

pseudo — Everyday, meaning 1: (prefix) «pseudo-» means false or pretend, looking like something it is not: pseudoscience, pseudonym.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal adjective) Fake, not genuine, or pretending to be clever: «His pseudo-intellectual talk annoyed everyone.».↗ Example: Mark Twain is the pseudonym of Samuel Clemens.↗ · Astrology is a pseudoscience, not a real science.↗ · Write your program in pseudocode first.↗ · His pseudo-friendliness didn't fool anyone.↗ · Some authors use a pseudonym to stay private.↗ · The advert used pseudo-scientific words to sound clever.↗ · Like Ecclesiasticus, the Pseudo-I3en Sira's "Alpha- bet of ben Sira" was also attributed to Joshua ben Jehozadak.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

psoriasis — Everyday, meaning 1: Psoriasis is a long-lasting skin condition that causes red, itchy, scaly patches, often on the elbows, knees and scalp.↗ Example: My uncle has psoriasis on his elbows.↗ · Psoriasis is not contagious.↗ · The cream helped calm her psoriasis.↗ · Stress can make psoriasis flare up.↗ · Psoriasis patches can be itchy and dry.↗ · The doctor explained that psoriasis makes skin cells grow too fast.↗

psyche — Everyday, meaning 1: Your psyche is your mind and soul — your thoughts, feelings and the deep part of who you are.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (myths) In Greek myths Psyche was a beautiful young woman who fell in love with Cupid (Eros) and became a goddess of the soul.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang, "psych") Different word: to psych someone out or get psyched up.↗ Example: The scary film stayed in my psyche for days.↗ · Bullying can hurt a person's psyche, not just their body.↗ · Writers try to show the psyche of their characters.↗ · In the myth, Psyche had to complete hard tasks to win back Cupid.↗ · Psychology is the study of the human psyche.↗ · NASA sent a spacecraft to the asteroid Psyche.↗ · Winning the game was good for the team's psyche.↗ · "The Psyche within can never die.↗

psychiatric — Everyday, meaning 1: About psychiatry — the medical care of illnesses of the mind, such as serious depression or anxiety, by doctors called psychiatrists.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Of a hospital, nurse or treatment: dealing with mental health.↗ Example: My aunt works as a psychiatric nurse.↗ · She got psychiatric help when she felt very low.↗ · A psychiatric hospital treats people with mental illnesses.↗ · Psychiatric doctors are called psychiatrists.↗ · The patient was moved to the psychiatric ward.↗ · Psychiatric care helps people recover.↗

psychic — Everyday, meaning 1: A psychic is a person who says they can know the future, read minds or talk to the dead.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Psychic describes such powers or things about the mind: «psychic powers».↗ Example: The psychic said she could see the future in a crystal ball.↗ · «How did you know?↗ Are you psychic?» joked my friend.↗ · In the comic, the hero has psychic powers.↗ · Tests have never shown that psychic powers really exist.↗ · Some psychics trick people into paying money.↗ · I'm not psychic, so tell me what you want!↗

psycho — Everyday, meaning 1: (slang, rude/offensive) A person who is thought to be dangerously crazy or violent.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (slang) Used loosely to mean very angry, intense or wild.↗ e.g. "He went psycho when he lost."↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Short for psychology or psychological in words like psychoanalysis; a prefix «psycho-» meaning mind.↗ Example: (slang) "My brother went psycho when I broke his game."↗ · (rude) The villain in the film was a psycho.↗ · Calling someone a psycho is unkind.↗ · Psychology is the study of the mind — «psycho-» means mind.↗ · "Don't be so psycho about it, it's only a game!"↗ · The teacher said not to use the word «psycho» as an insult.↗

psychologist — Everyday, meaning 1: A psychologist is a person who studies the mind and how people think, feel and behave.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A psychologist is also a trained person who helps people with worries, feelings or learning difficulties.↗ Example: The school psychologist helps children who are worried.↗ · A psychologist studies how memory works.↗ · My cousin wants to be a psychologist.↗ · The sports psychologist helps players stay calm.↗ · The psychologist asked me some questions.↗ · Psychologists did tests on how babies learn.↗ · A child psychologist listened to her feelings.↗ · Talking to a psychologist can help.↗

psychology — Everyday, meaning 1: Psychology is the science that studies the mind, feelings and how people (and animals) think and behave.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Someone's psychology is the way they think and feel.↗ Example: My aunt studied psychology at university.↗ · Psychology helps us understand why people feel sad.↗ · Child psychology is about how children think.↗ · Shops use psychology to make you buy more.↗ · The coach understood the team's psychology.↗ · We learned some psychology about memory.↗

ptarmigan — Everyday, meaning 1: A ptarmigan is a plump bird of the grouse family that lives in cold mountains and the Arctic; its feathers turn white in winter for camouflage and brown in summer.↗ Example: The ptarmigan turns white in winter.↗ · We spotted a ptarmigan in the Scottish mountains.↗ · A ptarmigan's feathery feet work like snowshoes.↗ · Ptarmigan hide from foxes by staying very still.↗ · In summer the ptarmigan has brown speckled feathers.↗ · The ptarmigan nests on the ground.↗

pterodactyl — Everyday, meaning 1: A pterodactyl is a flying reptile that lived at the time of the dinosaurs, with wings made of skin stretched from a long finger.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In everyday talk, any flying reptile from that time (a pterosaur) is often called a pterodactyl.↗ Example: The pterodactyl soared over the sea.↗ · A pterodactyl was not a dinosaur, but it lived with them.↗ · We saw a pterodactyl skeleton at the museum.↗ · Pterodactyls had wings of skin.↗ · My little brother screeched like a pterodactyl.↗ · Pterodactyls died out about 66 million years ago.↗

pterosaur — Everyday, meaning 1: A pterosaur was a flying reptile that lived at the time of the dinosaurs, with wings of skin stretched from a very long finger.↗ Example: A pterosaur glided over the sea looking for fish.↗ · Quetzalcoatlus was a giant pterosaur.↗ · Pterosaurs had wings made of skin.↗ · A pterosaur is not a dinosaur.↗ · We found a pterosaur in the museum.↗ · Some pterosaurs had big crests on their heads.↗

ptolemaic — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Having to do with Ptolemy, the ancient Greek scientist, or with the Ptolemies, the Greek kings of Egypt.↗

ptolemy — Everyday, meaning 1: (a name) Ptolemy was a Greek scientist who lived in Alexandria in Egypt about 1,900 years ago (around 100–170 AD); he wrote that the Earth was at the centre of the universe and made famous maps.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (a name) Ptolemy was also the name of several kings of ancient Egypt after Alexander the Great, including the family of Cleopatra.↗ Example: Ptolemy thought the Sun went round the Earth.↗ · Ptolemy drew maps of the known world.↗ · Copernicus showed Ptolemy's model was wrong.↗ · Cleopatra came from the family of Ptolemy.↗ · Ptolemy lived in Alexandria.↗ · The Ptolemy kings built the great library of Alexandria.↗ · But this arrangement is undoubtedly an interpolation of a later time, as the author of the book "Yezirah" lived many years before Ptolemy.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

pub — Everyday, meaning 1: A pub (short for «public house») is a place in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand where adults buy and drink beer and other drinks, and often eat meals.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) The pub can mean going out for a drink.↗ Example: We had lunch at the pub after the walk.↗ · The local pub has a big garden with swings.↗ · Dad's team won the pub quiz.↗ · The pub is called «The King's Head».↗ · There are 4 pubs on the high street.↗ · Uncle Mick went down the pub to watch the match.↗ (informal)↗ · In Australia, a pub is often called a hotel.↗

pubertal — Everyday, meaning 1: (science, formal) To do with puberty, the time, usually between about 8 and 16, when a child's body slowly changes into an adult's body: «pubertal changes», «pubertal growth spurt».↗ Example: The pubertal growth spurt can make you grow several centimetres in a year.↗ · Pubertal changes happen at different ages for different children.↗ · The doctor checked whether the boy was at a pubertal stage yet.↗ · Feeling moody can be part of normal pubertal changes.↗ · Health lessons explain pubertal changes so nobody is scared.↗ · Pubertal growth often starts earlier in girls than in boys.↗

puberty — Everyday, meaning 1: Puberty is the time, usually between about 9 and 16, when a child's body slowly changes into an adult's body.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: It is caused by natural chemicals in the body called hormones.↗ Example: Puberty is a normal part of growing up.↗ · Many children go through puberty between the ages of 10 and 15.↗ · Boys' voices get deeper during puberty.↗ · Girls often start puberty a little earlier than boys.↗ · Our health lesson was about the changes of puberty.↗ · During puberty you may need to wash more often.↗ · It is fine to ask a parent or the school nurse about puberty.↗

public — Everyday, meaning 1: Public means for everyone to use or see, not private: a public park, a public toilet.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The public means ordinary people in general.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Public means done in front of other people: public speaking.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Public can mean run or paid for by the government: a public school, public transport.↗ Example: The public library is free for everyone.↗ · We took public transport to the city.↗ · Do not pick your nose in public!↗ · The museum is open to the public on Sundays.↗ · Keep your passwords private, not public.↗ · She is shy about public speaking.↗ · Public toilets are near the car park.↗ · The news was made public on TV.↗ · He took an active part in public affairs.↗ · New York, 1877↗ · license: Public Domain↗ · versionSource: https://archive.org/details/sketchoftalmudwo02kali (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · Public domain books belong to the public and we are merely their custodians.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗