| the point when somebody/something is best, most successful, strongest, etc. | peak |
| (especially in the past, or in poorer countries) a farmer who owns or rents a small piece of land | PEASANT farmers |
| strange or unusual, especially in a way that is unpleasant or makes you worried | For some PECULIAR reason, she refused to come inside. |
| to continue to do something despite difficulties or opposition, in a way that can seem unreasonable | Why do you PERSIST in blaming yourself for what happened? |
| determined to do something despite difficulties, especially when other people are against you and think that you are being annoying or unreasonable | How do you deal with PERSISTENT salesmen who won't take no for an answer? |
| the people who work for an organization or one of the armed forces | There is a severe shortage of skilled PERSONNEL. |
| a written document signed by a large number of people that asks somebody in a position of authority to do or change something | Would you like to sign our PETITION against experiments on animals? |
| a person who studies or writes about philosophy | We studied the writings of the Greek PHILOSOPHER Aristotle |
| connected with philosophy | the PHILOSOPHICAL writings of Kant |
| a doctor, especially one who is a specialist in general medicine and not surgery | Please consult your PHYSICIAN before beginning any new exercise program. |
| a person who is the first to study and develop a particular area of knowledge, culture, etc. that other people then continue to develop | a PIONEER in the field of microsurgery |
| when somebody pioneers something, they are one of the first people to do, discover or use something new | a new technique PIONEERED by surgeons in a London hospital |
| a series of pipes that are usually underground and are used for carrying oil, gas, etc. over long distances | There are plans to lay a gas PIPELINE through the region. |
| (especially in the past) a person on a ship who attacks other ships at sea in order to steal from them | There were reports that a PIRATE ship had come looking for treasure in the cove. |
| a large deep hole in the ground | The body had been dumped in a PIT. |
| (formal) a serious emotional request, especially for something needing action now | a PLEA to industries to stop pollution |
| to ask somebody for something in a very strong and serious way | I was forced to PLEAD for my child's life. |
| a serious promise | Will the government honour its election PLEDGE not to raise taxes? |
| to formally promise to give or do something | We all had to PLEDGE allegiance to the flag (= state that we are loyal to our country). |
| a small plastic object with two or three metal pins that connects a piece of electrical equipment to the main supply of electricity | I'll have to change the PLUG on my hairdryer. |
| to fill a hole with a substance or piece of material that fits tightly into it | He PLUGGED the hole in the pipe with an old rag. |
| to move or make somebody/something move suddenly forwards and/or downwards | The train left the track and PLUNGED down the embankment. |
| a long thin straight piece of wood or metal, especially one with the end placed in the ground, used as a support | a curtain POLE |
| the process of questioning people who are representative of a larger group in order to get information about the general opinion | A recent POLL suggests some surprising changes in public opinion. |
| a small area of still water, especially one that is artificia | The POND is drained every year. |
| to make a short explosive sound; to cause something to make this sound | He POPPED the cork on the champagne bottle. |
| a thin flat case used for carrying documents, drawings, etc. | I left my PORTFOLIO on the train. |
| to show somebody/something in a picture; to describe somebody/something in a piece of writing | He was one of the first to PORTRAY animals from the New World. |
| existing, happening or made in the period after a war, especially the Second World War | POST-WAR reconstruction |
| to arrange for an event, etc. to take place at a later time or date than originally planned | We'll have to POSTPONE the meeting until next week. |
| a person who works in a profession, especially medicine or law | dental PRACTITIONERS |
| to give a religious talk in a public place, especially in a church during a service | She PREACHED to the congregation about forgiveness |
| an official action or decision that has happened in the past and that is seen as an example or a rule to be followed in a similar situation later | The ruling set a PRECEDENT for future libel cases. |
| the quality of being exact, accurate and careful | Her writing is imaginative but lacks PRECISION. |
| an animal that kills and eats other animals | Some animals have no natural PREDATORS. |
| a person who did a job before somebody else | The new president reversed many of the policies of his PREDECESSOR. |
| mostly; mainly | She works in a PREDOMINANTLY male environment. |
| the state of being pregnant | Many women experience sickness during PREGNANCY |
| an unreasonable dislike of or preference for a person, group, custom, etc., especially when it is based on their race, religion, sex, etc. | There was often PREJUDICE against people with disabilities. |
| happening before a more important action or event | After a few PRELIMINARY remarks he announced the winners. |
| most important, famous or successful | one of the country’s PREMIER chefs |
| a statement or an idea that forms the basis for a reasonable line of argument | His reasoning is based on the PREMISE that all people are equally capable of good and evil. |
| an amount of money that you pay once or regularly for an insurance policy | a monthly PREMIUM of £6.25 |
| (of a doctor) to tell somebody to take a particular medicine or have a particular treatment; to write a prescription for a particular medicine, etc. | He may be able to PRESCRIBE you something for that cough. |
| an official piece of paper on which a doctor writes the type of medicine you should have, and which enables you to get it from a chemist's | The doctor gave me a PRESCRIPTION for antibiotics. |
| at the time you are speaking or writing; now | The crime is PRESENTLY being investigated by the police. |
| the act of keeping something in its original state or in good condition | The council has placed a PRESERVATION order on the building. |
| to lead or be in charge of a meeting, ceremony, etc. | They asked if I would PRESIDE at the committee meeting. |
| the job of being president of a country or an organization; the period of time somebody holds this job | She hopes to be the first woman elected to the PRESIDENCY of the United States. |
| connected with the position or activities of a president | a PRESIDENTIAL campaign/candidate/election |
| respected and admired as very important or of very high quality | My parents wanted me to go to a more PRESTIGIOUS university. |
| to suppose that something is true, although you do not have actual proof | Little is known of the youngest son; it is PRESUMED that he died young. |
| to exist or be very common at a particular time or in a particular place | We were horrified at the conditions PREVAILING in local prisons. |
| the fact of existing or being very common at a particular time or in a particular place | an increase in the PREVALENCE of smoking among young people |
| the act of stopping something bad from happening | accident/crime PREVENTION |
| an animal, a bird, etc. that is hunted, killed and eaten by another | The lion will often stalk its PREY for hours. |
| the person who is in charge of a college or (in Scotland and Canada) a university | Peter Brown, PRINCIPAL of St John’s College |
| the act of selling a business or an industry so that it is no longer owned by the government | privatization |
| a special right or advantage that a particular person or group of people has | Education should be a universal right and not a PRIVILEGE. |
| a complete and careful investigation of something | a police PROBE into the financial affairs of the company |
| to ask questions in order to find out secret or hidden information about somebody/something | He didn't like the media PROBING into his past. |
| difficult to deal with or to understand; full of problems; not certain to be successful | The situation is more PROBLEMATIC than we first thought. |
| the process of using a court to settle an argument or to deal with a complaint | There was enough evidence to bring criminal PROCEEDINGS against her. |
| the money that you receive when you sell something or organize a performance, etc.; profits | The PROCEEDS of the concert will go to charity. |
| the treatment of raw material, food, etc. in order to change it, preserve it, etc. | the food PROCESSING industry |
| a machine, person or company that processes things | The company is Ireland's largest dairy PROCESSOR. |
| to publicly and officially tell people about something important | The president PROCLAIMED a state of emergency. |
| making goods or growing crops, especially in large quantities | The aim was to maximize the machine’s PRODUCTIVE capacity. |
| the rate at which a worker, a company or a country produces goods, and the amount produced, compared with how much time, work and money is needed to produce them | Wage rates depend on levels of PRODUCTIVITY. |
| that makes or is likely to make money | It is usually more PROFITABLE to sell direct to the public. |
| very great; felt or experienced very strongly | My father's death had a PROFOUND effect on us all. |
| an estimate or a statement of what figures, amounts, or events will be in the future, or what they were in the past, based on what is happening now | Sales have exceeded our PROJECTIONS. |
| important or well known | He played a PROMINENT part in the campaign. |
| very obvious, easy to notice or strongly expressed | He walked with a PRONOUNCED limp. |
| ideas or statements that may be false or present only one side of an argument that are used in order to gain support for a political leader, party, etc. | enemy PROPAGANDA |
| an idea or a plan of action that is suggested, especially in business | He was trying to make it look like an attractive PROPOSITION. |
| to officially charge somebody with a crime in court | Trespassers will be PROSECUTED (= a notice telling people to keep out of a particular area). |
| the process of trying to prove in court that somebody is guilty of a crime (= of prosecuting them); the process of being officially charged with a crime in court | PROSECUTION for a first minor offence rarely leads to imprisonment. |
| a public official who charges somebody officially with a crime and prosecutes them in court | the public/state PROSECUTOR |
| expected to do something or to become something | I had a phone call from a PROSPECTIVE client today. |
| the state of being successful, especially in making money | The country is enjoying a period of peace and PROSPERITY. |
| providing or intended to provide protection | Workers should wear full PROTECTIVE clothing. |
| a system of fixed rules and formal behaviour used at official meetings, usually between governments | the PROTOCOL of diplomatic visits |
| one of the areas that some countries are divided into with its own local government | the PROVINCES of Canada |
| connected with one of the large areas that some countries are divided into, with its own local government | PROVINCIAL assemblies/elections |
| the act of supplying somebody with something that they need or want; something that is supplied | he government is responsible for the PROVISION of healthcare. |
| to cause a particular reaction or have a particular effect | Dairy products may PROVOKE allergic reactions in some people. |
| relating to psychiatry or to mental illnesses | a PSYCHIATRIC hospital/nurse/patient |
| the regular beat of the heart as it sends blood around the body, that can be felt in different places, especially on the inside part of the wrist; the number of times the heart beats in a minute | an abnormally high PULSE rate |
| a machine that is used to force liquid, gas or air into or out of something | a foot/hand PUMP (= that you work by using your foot or hand) |
| to make water, air, gas, etc. flow in a particular direction by using a pump or something that works like a pump | The engine is used for PUMPING water out of the mine. |
| a hard hit made with the fist (= closed hand) | He shot out his right arm and landed a PUNCH on Lorrimer's nose. |
| to hit somebody/something hard with your fist (= closed hand) | He was kicked and PUNCHED as he lay on the ground. |
| a question, especially one asking for information or expressing a doubt about something | if you have a QUERY about your insurance policy, contact our helpline. |
| a long search for something, especially for some quality such as happiness | the QUEST for happiness/knowledge/truth |
| a limited number or amount of people or things that is officially allowed | Many countries are still exceeding their QUOTAS. |
| a system that uses radio waves to find the position and movement of objects, for example planes and ships, when they cannot be seen | They located the ship by RADAR. |
| elating to the most basic and important parts of something; complete and detailed | the need for RADICAL changes in education |
| a feeling of violent anger that is difficult to control | He flies into a RAGE if you even mention the subject. |
| a short surprise attack on an enemy by soldiers, ships or aircraft | The air force carried out a bombing RAID on enemy bases. |
| (of police) to visit a person or place without warning to look for criminals, illegal goods, drugs, etc. | The house was RAIDED in the early hours. |
