Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter P - Page 129

Prolate (v. t.) To utter; to pronounce.

Prolation (n.) The act of prolating or pronouncing; utterance; pronunciation.

Prolation (n.) The act of deferring; delay.

Prolation (n.) A mediaeval method of determining of the proportionate duration of semibreves and minims.

Prolata (pl. ) of Prolatum

Prolatum (n.) A prolate spheroid. See Ellipsoid of revolution, under Ellipsoid.

Proleg (n.) One of the fleshy legs found on the abdominal segments of the larvae of Lepidoptera, sawflies, and some other insects. Those of Lepidoptera have a circle of hooks. Called also proped, propleg, and falseleg.

Prolegate (n.) The deputy or substitute for a legate.

Prolegomenary (a.) Of the nature of a prolegomenon; preliminary; introductory; prefatory.

Prolegomena (pl. ) of Prolegomenon

Prolegomenon (n.) A preliminary remark or observation; an introductory discourse prefixed to a book or treatise.

Prolepsis (n.) A figure by which objections are anticipated or prevented.

Prolepsis (n.) A necessary truth or assumption; a first or assumed principle.

Prolepsis (n.) An error in chronology, consisting in an event being dated before the actual time.

Prolepsis (n.) The application of an adjective to a noun in anticipation, or to denote the result, of the action of the verb; as, to strike one dumb.

Proleptic (a.) Alt. of Proleptical

Proleptical (a.) Of or pertaining to prolepsis; anticipative.

Proleptical (a.) Previous; antecedent.

Proleptical (a.) Anticipating the usual time; -- applied to a periodical disease whose paroxysms return at an earlier hour at every repetition.

Proleptically (adv.) In a proleptical manner.

Proleptics (n.) The art and science of predicting in medicine.

Proletaire (n.) One of the common people; a low person; also, the common people as a class or estate in a country.

Proletaneous (a.) Having a numerous offspring.

Proletarian (a.) Of or pertaining to the proletaries; belonging to the commonalty; hence, mean; vile; vulgar.

Proletarian (n.) A proletary.

Proletariat (n.) The indigent class in the State; the body of proletarians.

Proletariate (n.) The lower classes; beggars.

Proletaries (pl. ) of Proletary

Proletary (n.) A citizen of the lowest class, who served the state, not with property, but only by having children; hence, a common person.

Prolicide (n.) The crime of destroying one's offspring, either in the womb or after birth.

Proliferate (v. t.) To produce or form cells; especially, to produce cells rapidly.

Proliferate (v. t.) To produce zooids by budding.

Proliferation (n.) The continuous development of cells in tissue formation; cell formation.

Proliferation (n.) The production of numerous zooids by budding, especially when buds arise from other buds in succession.

Proliferous (a.) Bearing offspring; -- applied to a flower from within which another is produced, or to a branch or frond from which another rises, or to a plant which is reproduced by buds or gemmae.

Proliferous (a.) Producing young by budding.

Proliferous (a.) Producing sexual zooids by budding; -- said of the blastostyle of a hydroid.

Proliferous (a.) Producing a cluster of branchlets from a larger branch; -- said of corals.

Prolific (a.) Having the quality of generating; producing young or fruit; generative; fruitful; productive; -- applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.; -- usually with the implied idea of frequent or numerous production; as, a prolific tree, female, and the like.

Prolific (a.) Serving to produce; fruitful of results; active; as, a prolific brain; a controversy prolific of evil.

Prolific (a.) Proliferous.

Prolificacy (n.) Prolificness.

Prolifical (a.) Producing young or fruit abundantly; fruitful; prolific.

Prolificate (v. t.) To make prolific; to fertilize; to impregnate.

Prolification (n.) The generation of young.

Prolification (n.) Reproduction by the growth of a plant, or part of a plant, directly from an older one, or by gemmae.

Prolificness (n.) The quality or state of being prolific; fruitfulness; prolificacy.

Prolix (a.) Extending to a great length; unnecessarily long; minute in narration or argument; excessively particular in detail; -- rarely used except with reference to discourse written or spoken; as, a prolix oration; a prolix poem; a prolix sermon.

Prolix (a.) Indulging in protracted discourse; tedious; wearisome; -- applied to a speaker or writer.

Prolixious (a.) Dilatory; tedious; superfluous.

Prolixity (n.) The quality or state of being prolix; great length; minute detail; as, prolixity in discourses and writings.

Prolixly (adv.) In a prolix manner.

Prolixness (n.) Prolixity.

Prolled (imp. & p. p.) of Proll

Prolling (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Proll

Proll (v. t.) To search or prowl after; to rob; to plunder.

Proll (v. i.) To prowl about; to rob.

Proller (n.) Prowler; thief.

Prolocutor (n.) One who speaks for another.

Prolocutor (n.) The presiding officer of a convocation.

Proocutorship (n.) The office of a prolocutor.

Prolog (n. & v.) Prologue.

Prologize (v. i.) To deliver a Prologue.

Prologizer (n.) One who prologizes.

Prologue (n.) The preface or introduction to a discourse, poem, or performance; as, the prologue of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales;" esp., a discourse or poem spoken before a dramatic performance

Prologue (n.) One who delivers a prologue.

Prologued (imp. & p. p.) of Prologue

Prologuing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Prologue

Prologue (v. t.) To introduce with a formal preface, or prologue.

Prolonged (imp. & p. p.) of Prolong

Prolonging (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Prolong

Prolong (a.) To extend in space or length; as, to prolong a line.

Prolong (a.) To lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue; as, to prolong one's days.

Prolong (a.) To put off to a distant time; to postpone.

Prolongable (a.) Capable of being prolonged; as, life is prolongable by care.

Prolongated (imp. & p. p.) of Prolongate

Prolongating (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Prolongate

Prolongate (v. t.) To prolong; to extend in space or in time.

Prolongation (n.) The act of lengthening in space or in time; extension; protraction.

Prolongation (n.) That which forms an additional length.

Prolonge (n.) A rope with a hook and a toggle, sometimes used to drag a gun carriage or to lash it to the limber, and for various other purposes.

Prolonger (n.) One who, or that which, causes an extension in time or space.

Prolongment (n.) Prolongation.

Prolusion (n.) A trial before the principal performance; a prelude; hence, an introductory essay or exercise.

Promanation (n.) The act of flowing forth; emanation; efflux.

Promenade (n.) A walk for pleasure, display, or exercise.

Promenade (n.) A place for walking; a public walk.

Promenaded (imp. & p. p.) of Promenade

Promenading (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Promenade

Promenade (v. i.) To walk for pleasure, display, or exercise.

Promenader (n.) One who promenades.

Promerit (v. t.) To oblige; to confer a favor on.

Promerit (v. t.) To deserve; to procure by merit.

Promerops (n.) Any one of several species of very brilliant birds belonging to Promerops, Epimarchus, and allied genera, closely related to the paradise birds, and mostly native of New Guinea. They have a long curved beak and a long graduated tail.

Promethea (n.) A large American bombycid moth (Callosamia promethea). Its larva feeds on the sassafras, wild cherry, and other trees, and suspends its cocoon from a branch by a silken band.

Promethean (a.) Of or pertaining to Prometheus. See Prometheus.

Promethean (a.) Having a life-giving quality; inspiring.

Promethean (n.) An apparatus for automatic ignition.

Promethean (n.) A kind of lucifer match.

Prometheus (n.) The son of Iapetus (one of the Titans) and Clymene, fabled by the poets to have surpassed all mankind in knowledge, and to have formed men of clay to whom he gave life by means of fire stolen from heaven. Jupiter, being angry at this, sent Mercury to bind Prometheus to Mount Caucasus, where a vulture preyed upon his liver.

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