prescience(PREESH uhns) n. to have an apparent knowledge of events before
they occur; foreknowledge
- Prescienceis not unlike having a presage, except that it is a complete fore-
knowledge rather than just a sign. - Admiral Yamamoto is credited with prescienceof Japan’s defeat if it attacked
America. - Alexander the Great was supposed to have had presciencethat he would
live a glorious but short life.
[prescient adj., presciently adv.] [Syn. foreknowledge]
pressure(PRESH er) n. 1. a pressing, squeezing, compressing, or being pressed;
- compelling influence; demanding force; 3. (physics) force per unit of surface area
- Pressureis usually used to squeeze the extra water from a sponge mop.
- Automobile salesmen are infamous for pressuringcustomers to buy right
away. - In physics, one foot-pound is the amount of pressureit takes to raise one
pound one foot.
prevaricate(pri VAR i kayt) vi. to equivocate; to evade the truth; lie - Prevaricatingwhile under oath is a classy definition of perjury.
- Sometimes people prevaricateto be polite because nobody asks “How do I
look?” expecting to be told “Terrible!”
[-d, prevaricating, prevarication n.] [Syn. lie]
primacy (PRY mi see) n. 1. the state of being first in order, time, rank, and so
on; 2. the office or authority of a church primate - A five-star general has primacy of rank in the U.S. Army.
- The winner of a race is the contestant with primacyreaching the finish line.
- The number one has primacyamong counting numbers.
proliferate(proh LIF er ayt) vt. 1. to reproduce new parts in quick succession;
- to create or produce in large numbers
- A pair of rabbits tends to proliferateat a very rapid pace.
- During a fad, a particular item (such as the Hula Hoop®) proliferatesin
short order and then, just as suddenly, stops. - The U.S. fighter plane proliferatedduring the Second World War as a result
of the strength of American industry.
[-d, -proliferating]
prolixity(proh LIKS i tee) n. tending to use more words than are necessary;
long-windedness; verbosity - Cuba’s Fidel Castro has always been known for his prolixity,with an aver-
age speech running about four hours. - Brevity is a characteristic of wit; prolixityis not.
[prolix adj., prolixly adv.]
320 Essential Vocabulary