plethora(PLE thir uh) n. an overabundance or excess; the state of being too full
•A plethoraof suds filled the tub to overflowing.
•A plethoraof customers tried to get World Series tickets, and most of them
had to be turned away.
pluck(PLUHK) n.courage to meet difficulties or danger; fortitude —vt.to pull
out or pick (feathers, hairs, and so on)
- Lieutenant Rigers had the pluckto lead his platoon into battle at the head
of the column. - Eugine showed his pluckby continuing to hunt for survivors in 20-foot
surf. - Butchers used to pluckchickens by hand, but today a machine does it better.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. fortitude]
plummet(PLUH mit) vi. to plunge; to fall straight downward - When the skydiver jumped from the plane, he plummetedsome 2,000 feet
before his parachute opened. - An airplane’s wings provide lift that keeps it from plummetingto the
ground. - A high diver plummetsfrom the board until the water breaks his or her fall.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. plunge]
plutocratic(PLOO toh KRAT ik) adj. of the wealthy, especially those whose
wealth carries with it great power and influence (Plutocracy is government by the
wealthy.) - Many plutocraticfamilies had acquired their wealth by the 1920s.
- Among America’s plutocraticfamily names are Carnegie, Ford, Kennedy,
and Rockefeller.
[-ally adv., plutocracy, plutocrat n.]
polarity(puh LAR i tee) adj. 1. having the tendency to align along the lines of
the earth’s magnetic field; 2. having a magnetic attraction; 3. the condition of
being divided into two opposing groups; 4. the tendency to have a strong positive
or negative attitude toward some reference point (like the positive and negative
electrodes of a battery) - The polarityof a magnet can be determined by the way its poles line up
when allowed to swing freely. - Magnetic polaritycan also be determined by approaching one end with a
magnet of known polarity. - Republicans in the House often show their polarityby voting as a block
against bills the Democrats support, and vice versa. - In a closed DC circuit, electrons flow from the cathode (the end with nega-
tive polarity) toward the anode.
[polarities pl.] [Syn. alignment]
O – P: GRE Words 317