peripatetic(PER i puh TET ik) adj. moving about from place to place; itinerant- Peripateticmovie critics might move from theater to theater and check out
the comfort of the seats as well as what’s on the screen. - A nomad lives a peripateticexistence.
[-ally adv.] [Syn. itinerant]
perish(PER ish) vt. 1. to be destroyed or wiped out; 2. to die; disappear - Many people perishedin the floods of 2004.
- As it passed over the horizon, the sun perishedfrom view.
- Do not perishthe thought of adding every one of these words to your
vocabulary.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. disappear, die]
perjury(POER joer ee) n. lying under oath; failing to tell the truth under formal
oath (to a court of law) - Perjuryis a crime that is committed more frequently than those who commit
it are prosecuted. - Witnesses who refused to say anything in court cannot be accused of perjury.
permeable(POER mee i bl) adj. capable of being passed through by fluids
(liquids and gases) - Cell membranes are permeableso that dissolved nutrients can pass through
them. - The most common permeableitem in households today is the coffee filter.
[permeably adv.]
perturb(poer TOERB) vt. 1. to annoy, alarm, or upset; 2. to cause confusion or
disorder; unsettle (Imperturbable means not capable of being disturbed.) - Francesco is perturbedwhen he thinks someone is hurting an animal.
- Many people are perturbedby the sight of blood.
- Shouting fire in a crowded theater might perturbthe audience enough to
cause a riot and so is illegal.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. disturb]
pervade(poer VAYD) vt. to be prevalent or widespread - A feeling of relief pervadedthe community after hearing the news that the
little girl had been rescued from the shaft. - A case of blight pervadedthe Irish potato crop at one time and caused wide-
spread famine.
[-d, pervading]
philistine(FIL is teen) adj. 1. uncultured and smugly conventional —n1.
small-town people; locals 2. (P) the name of the ancient people who often fought
with the Israelites of biblical times, and among whose number was Goliath - The diva’s response to a request that she perform a certain number was a
philistine,“I sang that yesterday.” - Students in a college town often refer to the townspeople as philistines.
- Delilah was the Philistinewoman who was responsible for Samson’s
haircut.
O – P: GRE Words 315