pinion (PIN yin) n.1. a small gear whose teeth fit into a larger rack to accom-
plish motion; 2. the last bony section of a bird’s wing —vt. 1. to disable by binding
one’s arms; 2. to handcuff or shackle; 3. to cut off the pinions of a bird’s wing to
prevent its flying
- The pinionmakes possible the rack-and-pinionsteering so prevalent in
today’s sportier cars. - The pinionsof a bird’s wings are often clipped by zoos to prevent the ani-
mals from flying the coop, as it were. - A capturing soldier often pinionshis captive’s arms to prevent resistance.
- A peacock’s wings are usually pinionedby a zoo’s curators, for reasons
already mentioned.
[-ed, -ing]
placebo(pli SEE boh) n. 1. a harmless unpotent medication given to a patient
to humor him or her, or used as a control in a blind test of medications; 2. some-
thing said or done to humor or win the favor of another - Sometimes a placebois given to a patient who would not benefit from a
medicine, just to make him think he’s on medication. - Such a pill often makes a psychological difference to the patient, known as
the placeboeffect. - In tests of medicines, the control group is always given a placeboto see
whether the medicine being tested has any significant effect.
plagiarize(PLAY jir YZ) vt. to take ideas, writings, etc. from someone else and
pass them off as one’s own - Copyright laws exist to protect authors from having their intellectual prop-
erty plagiarized. - Most plagiarizingis done by students writing papers, who claim some
author’s or some encyclopedia’s words as their own.
[-d, plagiarizing]
pliable(PLY i bl) adj. 1. easily bent or molded; 2. easily persuaded or influ-
enced; 3. adaptable - Aluminum foil is quite pliable,and the heavy-duty kind is suitable for
wrapping food for the freezer. - Some people are pliableenough to be easily convinced to buy “wonder
products” they see in TV infomercials. - Some breeds of dog are pliableenough to be comfortable living in the
Arctic or in mid-latitude climates.
[pliably adv.] [Syn. plastic]
pluralism(PLU ril i zm) n. 1. existing in more than one form; 2. the holding of
more than one office by a single person; 3. a society made up of many diverse eth-
nic groups or groups from different cultural backgrounds - Water exhibits a pluralismby existing as a liquid, a solid, and a gas, some-
times all at the same time. - There were times when a president of the United States demonstrated
pluralismby being his own secretary of state. - The composition of the population of the United States is about as great
an example of ethnic pluralismas can be found on earth.
[pluralistic adj., pluralistically adv.]
P – Q: SAT Words 183