p

the 16th letter of the Roman alphabet ; a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms ;

p-n-p transistor

a junction transistor having an n-type semiconductor between a p-type semiconductor that serves as an emitter and a p-type semiconductor that serves as a collector ;

p-n junction

the junction between a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor; "a p-n junction has marked rectifying characteristics" ;

p-type semiconductor

a semiconductor in which electrical conduction is due chiefly to the movement of positive holes ;

p. g. wodehouse

English writer known for his humorous novels and stories (1881-1975) ;

p. p. von mauser

German arms manufacturer and inventor of a repeating rifle and pistol (1838-1914) ;

p. t. barnum

United States showman who popularized the circus (1810-1891) ;

p.a.

an electronic amplification system used as a communication system in public areas ;

p.a. system

an electronic amplification system used as a communication system in public areas ;

p.e.

the mechanical energy that a body has by virtue of its position; stored energy ;

p.o.

a noncommissioned officer in the navy with a rank comparable to sergeant in the army ;

p/e ratio

(stock market) the price of a stock divided by its earnings ;

pa

an electronic amplification system used as a communication system in public areas ; a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies ; an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk ; a unit of pressure equal to one newton per square meter ; a short-lived radioactive metallic element formed from uranium and disintegrating into actinium and then into lead ;

pa'anga

the basic unit of money in Tonga ;

pa system

an electronic amplification system used as a communication system in public areas ;

paba

a metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells; used to make dyes and drugs and sun blockers ;

pabir

a Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad ;

pablo casals

an outstanding Spanish cellist noted for his interpretation of Bach's cello suites (1876-1973) ;

pablo neruda

Chilean poet (1904-1973) ;

pablo picasso

prolific and influential Spanish artist who lived in France (1881-1973) ;

pablum

worthless or oversimplified ideas ; a soft form of cereal for infants ;

pabulum

insipid intellectual nourishment ; any substance that can be used as food ;

pac

committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates ;

pac-man strategy

the target company defends itself by threatening to take over its acquirer ;

paca

large burrowing rodent of South America and Central America; highly esteemed as food ;

pace

a step in walking or running ; the relative speed of progress or change; "he lived at a fast pace"; "he works at a great rate"; "the pace of events accelerated" ; a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride ; the distance covered by a step; "he stepped off ten paces from the old tree and began to dig" ; the rate of moving (especially walking or running) ; the rate of some repeating event ;

pace car

a high-performance car that leads a parade of competing cars through the pace lap and then pulls off the course ;

pace lap

the first lap of a car race that prepares the cars for a fast start ;

pacemaker

a horse used to set the pace in racing ; an implanted electronic device that takes over the function of the natural cardiac pacemaker ; a specialized bit of heart tissue that controls the heartbeat ; a leading instance in its field; "the new policy will be a pacesetter in community relations" ;

pacer

a horse trained to a special gait in which both feet on one side leave the ground together ; a horse used to set the pace in racing ;

pacesetter

a horse used to set the pace in racing ; a leading instance in its field; "the new policy will be a pacesetter in community relations" ;

pacha

a civil or military authority in Turkey or Egypt ;

pachinko

a Japanese pinball game played on a vertical board ;

pachisi

an ancient board game resembling backgammon; played on a cross-shaped board ;

pachouli

a heavy perfume made from the patchouli plant ; small East Indian shrubby mint; fragrant oil from its leaves is used in perfumes ;

pachuco

a Mexican-American teenager who belongs to a neighborhood gang and who dresses in showy clothes ;

pachycephala

arboreal insectivorous birds ;

pachycephalosaur

bipedal herbivore having 10 inches of bone atop its head; largest boneheaded dinosaur ever found ;

pachycephalosaurus

bipedal herbivore having 10 inches of bone atop its head; largest boneheaded dinosaur ever found ;

pachycheilia

an abnormal thickness of the lips ;