| parry |
to deflect or knock aside (a blow or stroke), as with one's weapon in fencing. [5 definitions] |
| parse |
in grammar, to separate (a sentence) into its parts and to describe the form and function of each. [3 definitions] |
| parsec |
a unit of astronomical distance equal to 3.258 light years. |
| Parsi |
a member of a Zoroastrian sect in modern India that is descended from Persian Zoroastrians who fled Persia in the seventh and eighth centuries to escape religious persecution. [2 definitions] |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| parsimony |
excessive unwillingness to spend money or use resources; stinginess. |
| parsley |
any of several garden herbs, usu. having finely divided crinkled leaves, used to season or decorate food. |
| parsnip |
a carrotlike plant that bears yellow flowers and has a large, whitish, edible root. [2 definitions] |
| parson |
a clergyman, esp. in a Protestant church; minister. |
| parsonage |
a house provided by a church for its minister. |
| Parsons table |
(sometimes l.c.) a lightweight, square-legged rectangular table, often made of molded plastic. |
| part |
a separate portion or segment of a whole. [18 definitions] |
| part. |
abbreviation of "participle" or "participial." |
| partake |
to take part; participate (usu. fol. by "in"). [4 definitions] |
| part company |
to terminate a friendship or association. |
| parterre |
the rear part of the main floor of a theater, usu. below the balconies. [2 definitions] |
| parthenogenesis |
a process of development of an egg without fertilization, as in some lower animals and plants. |
| Parthenon |
the temple of Athena built in the Doric style in the fifth century B.C. on the Acropolis in Athens. |
| Parthenos |
a descriptive addition, meaning "virgin," to the names of certain ancient Greek goddesses, esp. Athena. |
| Parthia |
an ancient country in southwest Asia originating in what is now northeastern Iran. |
| Parthian shot |
an unfriendly or sharp remark or gesture made as one departs; parting shot. |