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WORDCRAFT DICTIONARY, Pi-R

Note: clickable items link to Wordcraft Archives, which may have further notes

pia mater – see dura mater

piacular – making expiation or atonement (also, rarely: calling for expiation; sinful, wicked, culpable)

pianoforte (oxymoron) – a piano

pica¹,² – 1. abnormal craving to eat chalk, ash, dirt, etc.. 2. a printer's measure, equaling 1/6 in.

picayune – of little value; paltry (noun: a trifle)

pickthank – a sycophant; a yes-man (one who would steal your gratitude and pick a thank)

Pickwickian – eponym: (of a word) intended or taken "in a sense other than the obvious or literal one" (M-W) or "in an idiosyncratic or unusual way: a word used in a Pickwickian manner." (AHD) But it seems more exact to define it as "used to mean the opposite of what it would literally seem".

pictograph – 1. a picture representing a word or idea; a hieroglyph 2. a pictorial representation of numerical data, esp. a graph having each value represented by a proportional number of pictures

pie (etymology) – see Archives

pie wagon – a police van; a van used to transport prisoners to jail

piebald – with patches of black and white (or less frequently, other colors)

pied – patterned with separate colors (orig., black and white) in distinct patches

piedmont – land lying or formed at the base of mountains (also adj. Etymologically, it means mountain-foot.]

piepowder – a traveling salesman or trader

pifflecated – drunk; intoxicated

pike¹ – a certain large freshwater fish [probably referring to its long, pointed jaw] Also pike² – a kind of spear

pilaster – an ornamental column, rectangular, attached to a wall, and projecting from the wall

pilcrow – the ¶ sign

pillion – a seat for a passenger on a motorcycle; a similar second seat on a horse

pillock – British: a stupid person; a fool, an idiot [orig. Scottish for “penis”]

pince-nez – eyeglasses without earpieces, that clip to the nose by a spring [literally, "pinch-nose" in French]

pinchbeck – eponym: an alloy used imitate gold in jewelry; also, (noun & adj.) cheap imitation

pinguescence – the process of growing fat (see fussock)

pink collar – relating to a class of jobs once traditionally filled by women

pintle – the vertical pin in a door hinge; a pin or bolt on which another part pivots (diminutive of pin)

pinyin – the system for representing Chinese words in our alphabet

pipit – a small songbird resembling the lark

piquant – (accent on first syllable)

1. of pleasantly sharp (esp. spicy) taste (“crisp, piquant flavor and fragrance” – Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook)

2. pleasantly stimulating or exciting; engagingly provocative; also : having a lively arch charm

pique – a feeling of wounded pride (verb: 1. to cause resentment 2. to provoke; arouse: to pique one's curiosity

piscine – like a fish

pismire – an ant

piss – Australian slang: alcoholic beverage

pissant – insignificant, worthless, petty; contemptible (noun: a person of that sort)

pissed – (in the UK and Aus.:) drunk; (in the US :) angry

pistil – the female (seed-bearing) part of a flower

pituitary – 1. of or secreting phlegm or mucus 2. relating to the pituitary gland – a small gland, at the base of the brain, the secretions of which control the other endocrine glands

pixelated – divided into pixels, such as computer graphics

pixilated – insane, whimsical; bewildered, confused (typically used in negative sense of coyly, often insufferably, "kooky"); also, intoxicated, tipsy.

plage – the beach of a seaside resort

plangent – 1. loudly beating or reverberating: the plangent wave; 2. lamenting, plaintive.

platonic – eponym: of a relationship marked by the absence of romance or sex; purely spiritual or ideal

playa – a temporary lake after rain; the desert basin, barren and salty, where that lake forms

plebeian – one of the common people or lower classes; also, a coarse, crude, or vulgar person. (adj: of or pertaining to the common people; also, vulgar; common; crude or coarse)

plenipotentiary – adj: invested with full power and authority. noun: a diplomat having such power

pleonasm – redundancy in language ("I saw it with my own eyes"). often used to refer to a redundant name, as "PIN Number", where the N in "PIN" means "number"

plethora – an over-abundance: not problematic, but more than required. (Some dictionaries give as a secondary meaning an abundance, not necessarily over-abundance.) Our users add that 'plethora' applies only to countable things

plexure – a plaiting or interweaving

pliant – (noun: pliancy) easily influenced or swayed; pliable

plimsoll line – eponym: a line on the side of a ship; it is overloaded and unsafe the Plimsoll line sinks below the waterline

plinth (also here) – a heavy architectural base, as for supporting a statue or vase [cognate with flint]

plog – a web-based tool used by colleagues to keep tabs on group projects

plonk – Brit/Aus slang: cheap, inferior wine

plunger – the buttons upon which a telephone headset rests when it is hung up; more generally, a machine part that operates with a thrusting or plunging movement

pluton – a body of igneous rock formed beneath the surface of the earth by consolidation of magma

pluvial – relating to rain; or, having abundant rain

pochemuchka (Russian) – the inquisitive child who nags with constant questions

pococurante – eponym: nonchalant; indifferent

podcasts – radio shows and other audio programs posted on the Internet, available for download

podomancy – divination by the feet [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]

podsnap – an insularly complacent, self-satisfied person who refuses to face unpleasant facts

poetaster – a poet who writes insignificant, tawdry or shoddy poetry; an inferior rhymer; a rhymester

Pogglethrope – one gleefully taking joy in self-satisfaction, like a clucking strutting hen. [Not in dictionary; a wonderful coinage, reported 1871, which unfortunately did not catch on.]

pogonotrophy – the care and feeding of beards [Also pogonic – relating to beards; pogonologist – a writer on beards; pogonology – a treatise on beards; pogonotomy – the cutting of the beard; shaving]

poison pill (corporate takeovers) – an corporation’s arrangement that an attempted takeover of it will trigger certain events – the events being ones that make the takeover less attractive

polemology – the study of war, esp. as an academic discipline

political football – from US football: a problem or issue that is discussed among groups or persons without being settled. Wordcrafter comment: often with the sense that groups are keeping the issue unresolved to be used for political benefit.

politicaster – a petty politician; a pretender or dabbler in politics

Pollyanna – eponym: a person of irrepressible optimism, finding good in everything

poltroon – an utter coward

polyandry – multiple husbands

polygamy – multiple spouses

polyglot – 1. a book with the same text in different languages (esp. the Bible) 2. someone who can speak multiple languages 3. a confusion of languages. adj. – speaking or writing, or written in, several languages

polygyny – multiple wives

polyhistor – a person with broad knowledge (contrast polymath)

polymastia – the condition of having more than the usual (two) breasts

polymath – a person of great or varied learning (contrast polyhistor)

polysemy – use of the same word is listed as having several senses: cut the grass, cut the cake, cut the budget, cut classes

polysyndeton – use of repeated conjunctions for rhetorical effect: “here and there and everywhere”.(contrast asyndeton)

pommel – the front part of a saddle; the saddle horn

pommie – Australian & New Zealand slang; derogatory: a Brit, esp. a recent immigrant

pompadour – eponym: a woman’s or man’s hairstyle (like Elvis') with the hair swept up over the forehead

pontificate – to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way

pontil – an iron rod used by glass makers for manipulating the hot glass. (also called puntil, puntel, punty, pontee or ponty). See also punt

Ponzi scheme – eponym: a kind of financial fraud, akin to a pyramid scheme

poof – British; offensive: a male homosexual

pooh-bah – eponym: a pompous ostentatious official, esp. one who, holding many offices, fulfills none of them

pooter – eponym: a suction bottle for collecting insects

popinjay – a vain, talkative person

popliteal – pertaining to the hollow area at the back of the knee

poppling – the sound of rain falling on water (also, tossing, bubbling, or rippling motion, as water tumbling over rocks)

poppycock – senseless talk; nonsense [In the view of some, the root meaning is "baby poop".]

porcelain (etymology) – a white vitrified translucent ceramic

porcine – like a pig

porknell – resembling a pig (see fussock)

porter – a beer style popular in London around the 1880s but revived in the 1990s. Dark, like a stout but not so heavy.

Portia – a female advocate or barrister.

portmanteau (plural portmanteaux)– a large leather suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments

portmanteau word – a word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two different words, as chortle, from chuckle and snort

portolan – pertaining to maritime navigation of ports and coasts

POSSLQ or Posslq – Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters

post hoc – the logical fallacy of concluding that if one thing happens after another, the first must is the cause of the second.

postilion – one who, in lieu of a coachman, guides a coach by riding the leading nearside horse of a team or pair

postpose – to place (a word or phrase) after, in a sentence

postprandial – after a meal; particularly after dinner

postvention – [found in use, but not in dictionaries] debriefing or intervention after a crisis

potamophobia – fear of rivers

Potemkin village – something that appears elaborate and impressive but in actual fact lacks substance

potpourri – 1. a combination of incongruous things 2. a miscellaneous anthology or collection (as of stories or music) 3. mixed of dried flower petals and spices used to scent the air

pottage – a soup or stew (potage (one "t") – a thick soup)

potted – Brit; informal: summarized or abridged

potter's field – a burial ground for burying paupers and unclaimed bodies; also figurative

pouf – a low stuffed or padded seat or cushion

powfag – dial: to work to the point of exhaustion

prænomen – see cognomen

praetorian – venal; corrupt

praseodymium – a rare silvery-white metallic element, of the lanthanide (rare-earth) series

prate – to talk idly and at length (typically about trivial matters); to chatter

precious – affectedly dainty or over-refined

precocious – showing unusually early mental development (not necessarily complimentary)

preposterous – utterly absurd or ridiculous [The term is an oxymoron: Latin prae "before" + posterus "after"]

prescient – having foresight, anticipating the significance of events

prestidigitation – 1. a. slight of hand; legerdemain b. performing magic tricks for an audience; skill therein [‘prestidigitator’] 2. deceitful cleverness; "juggling with words". [at root, "fast fingers"]

prestigiator – a juggler or a prestidigitator

prestigious – etymology: derogatory until the 19th century, meaning "practicing illusion or magic; deception". Applied to Napoleon in 1815 in the sense of "dazzling influence."

preterite – noun: the simple past tense. adj.: expressing past action

prevaricate – to avoid giving a direct answer to a question (note: unlike to lie, it has a sense of evasion and of stalling, delaying)

priapic – eponym: 1. phallic 2. overly concerned with masculinity [priapism – persistent, usually painful penile erection, esp. from disease rather than arousal]

pricket – 1. a small spike to hold a candle upright; a candlestick with that spike 2. a buck in its second year, before the antlers branch

priest's hole – a secret chamber or hiding-place for a (Roman Catholic) priest (in times of the penal laws)

primogeniture – the system of inheritance in which all the belongings and title pass to the oldest son

primrose – a pale yellow color

primus inter pares – first among equals

princeps – chief, headman; also, first edition of book (usually in the phrase editio princeps)

prion – a microscopic protein particle similar to a virus but lacking nucleic acid

priscian; priscianist – eponym: a grammarian [from Priscianus , a celebrated Roman grammarian, c500-530]

prisoner of war – a captured member a country's armed forces (or of an organized resistance movement, in certain circumstances) [precise meaning is much misunderstood in dictionaries and the press]

procrustean – eponym: acting with mindless and harmful disregard of natural variation or individuality; producing strict conformity by ruthless or arbitrary means

procumbent – lying face down

profligate – recklessly wasteful; also, dissolute; ignoring the constraints of convention or morality

profligation – defeat; rout; overthrow

prognathous – having a lower jaw that projects forward

prognosticate – to foretell, prophesy

proletarian – of the commonalty, of the lowest class of people; hence, mean; vile; vulgar. (noun: a member of the working class). proletariat – the laboring class; the poorest class of wage earners

prolix – (of speech or writing) tediously lengthy

promethean (usually capitalized) – so boldly creative as to have a life-giving quality; inspiring.

prone – lying on one's stomach (contrast supine – lying on one's back)

pronk – verb: to leap through the air, as an antelope does. noun: a weak or foolish person

prophylactic – acting to prevent something, esp. disease (noun: this is familiar)

propitiate – to appease; to gain or regain the favor of

proprioception – see kinesthesia. proprioceptive – regarding perception of stimuli within the body

prorupt – countries: mostly compact in shape but having a significant appendage

proscenium – an arch framing the opening between the stage and the auditorium; also called proscenium arch. (A secondary meaning of proscenium is "the part of a stage in front of the curtain".)

prosopography – a study that identifies and relates a group of persons or characters within a particular historical or literary context

Prospero – eponym: a person or thing like Prospero, esp. in being capable of magic or of influencing others' behavior or perceptions without their knowledge

protean – eponym: readily assuming different shapes or roles

proxene – (Greek 'fire-stranger') a class of rocks thought to be formed without volcanic processes, without fire

prude (etymology) – originally a positive term in French, meaning "wise woman", short for prude femme (modeled after preudomme, which employed homme= man ). But the French word shifted in mean to refer to "a woman too wise, too observant of decorum and propriety", and it then came into English with that shifted, negative meaning.

prurient – having or causing an excessive interest in sex

pruritis – itching, esp. without any mark on the skin

psalter – a collection of Psalms for liturgical or devotional use

psalterium – one of four parts of a cow's stomach; see abomasum

psaphonic – related to outrageous self-promotion [But a caution: not in OED; meaning subject to dispute]

psephology – the study of political elections

psithurism – the sound of the wind rustling the leaves

psyche – eponym: soul; self; mind

psychomancy – divination by the soul, affections, or dispositions of men [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]

psychometric – the measurement of mental traits, abilities, and processes

psyops – military: psychological operations; that is, operations to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of the target

ptochocracy – government by the poor

ptosis – a drooping or limp, half-closed upper eyelid

publican – the keeper of a pub

publication bias – the tendency of scientific journals to report findings of correlation but bury examples of absence of correlation

puffery – hype; exaggerated praise, especially for promotion

puffin crossing – a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights partly controlled by sensors which detect the presence of pedestrians

pugilist – a boxer

pugnacious – combative; quick to argue or quarrel

puissant – powerful; strong; mighty. (noun: 'puissance')

pulchritude – physical comeliness and appeal (esp. of women)

pule (also here) – to cry weakly or querulously; to whine, whimper,

pulking – a variety of skijoring: dogs pull a sled (pulk), which in turn pulls a skier

pullman – eponym: a railroad parlor car or sleeping car

pullulate – 1. to breed rapidly or abundantly. 2. to teem; swarm: a lagoon that pullulated with tropical fish

pultrusion – (from pull + extrusion) a manufacturing process that produces constant cross-section composite materials

puna – 1. a high bleak plateau in the Peruvian Andes 2. difficulty of breathing due to thin atmosphere; mountain sickness

punaise – a bed-bug

Punch – eponym (as in Punch and Judy)

Punch and Judy show – internal bickering that is low-spirited, vicious, destructive and endless

Punchinello – eponym: a squat grotesque person

punctilio (also here) – 1. a fine or over-fine point of etiquette 2. precise observance of formalities

pungent – sharply strong in smell or taste; also, of remarks: cutting and caustic

punt¹ – 1. the indentation in the bottom of a champagne or wine bottle (see pontil for synonyms) 2. an open flatbottom boat for shallow waters, usually propelled by a long pole; to travel in a punt; propel a boat with a pole

punt² – from US football: to give up a task out of out of failure to make progress, as in punt on the issue of ... (from US football) Interestingly, in Australian slang the term means the opposite, "to attempt a difficult task." I understand that the British meaning is 'to bet'.

puppy-dog eyes – a person's eyes (or general expression or appearance), likened to a puppy's, in appearing mournful, beseeching, or winsome, or in seeking to elicit sympathy or compassion

puppyism – extreme meanness, affectation, conceit, or impudence

purblind – 1. partially sighted. 2. lacking in discernment or understanding

puritanical – eponym: overscrupulous; rigid; marked by stern morality

purl stitch – one of the two basic stitches in knitting (the other being the knit stitch). For details, see archives.

purloin – to steal

purple prose – prose that is too ornate

purpure – purple

pursy – fat and short of breath (see fussock)

putative – commonly thought or deemed; supposed; reputed: the putative father of a child

putto (plural putti) – a representation of a naked child, especially a cherub or a cupid

pyromancy – divination by fire [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]

pyroxferroite; pyroxferoite – a mineral of the proxene ('stranger') class, not of earth, found on the moon

pyrrhic victory – eponym: a victory won at an excessive costs that outweigh the benefits

pyrrhonism – eponym: extreme skepticism; universal doubt

pyx – the container in which the wafer of the Eucharist is kept (also: a chest in a mint in which specimen coins are placed to await assay)

qaf – see qoph

QALY – "quality-adjusted life year", a measure by health economists for efficacy of a drug: years of life provided, adjusted for quality of life (1.0 = perfect health). If a drug costing $1,000 extends a person's life in prefect health for one year and then the person dies, the drug costs $1,000 per QALY.

Q-boat; Q-ship – an armed ship disguised as a merchant or fishing ship to decoy enemy submarines into gun range

qepiq – Azerbaijani currency: 100 qepiq = 1 manat

qiana; Qiana – a silklike nylon fabric, introduced by DuPont in 1968

qintar – Albanian currency – 100 qindarka = 1 lek

qiviut – the soft wool lying beneath the long coat of the muskox [Inuit, pl. of qiviuq = down, underhair]

qoph – the 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The equivalent letter in the Arabic alphabet is called qaf.

quadroon – offspring of a mulatto and a white [one-quarter black]. see mulatto

quagmire – land with a soft muddy surface; also a difficult or precarious situation; a predicament.

quahog – an Atlantic Coast hard-shell clam; quahog clam clan includes popular littlenecks and cherrystones

qualtagh – (from Manx, the Gaelic language of the Isle of Man )

1. the first person to step into your home (or the first person you meet) on New Year’s Day

2. [capitalized] a Christmas or New Year’s custom of going caroling door to door, singing for food or gifts

quanked – overpowered by fatigue [obsolete; from The Word Museum by J. Kacirk]

quantitate – to measure or estimate the quantity of

quaquaversal – (mainly Geol.) turning or dipping in any or all directions

quarterback – from US football: to lead or direct the operations of

quasihemisemidemiquaver – see quaver

Quasimodo – eponym; surfing: a maneuver in which the surfer rides hunched at the front of the board with head down, one arm forward and one arm

quassia – [eponym] a medicine against intestinal worms

quaver (music) – the ♪, also called an eighth-note in the US

demiquaver – half a quaver; a 16th note

semidemiquaver – half a demiquaver; a 32nd note

hemisemidemiquaver – half a semidemiquaver; a 64th note

quasihemisemidemiquaver – half a hemisemidemiquaver; a 128th note

Queen Anne's lace – a common wildflower with a large, lacy white head (8th picture here). Akin to the carrot; can be used as a garden flower.

Queer Street – a condition of financial instability or embarrassment

queme – to slip in, to put in privately [the term has other meanings, not mentioned here.]

quercitron – the black oak (also called quercitron oak); its bright orange inner bark; a yellow dye obtained from that inner bark

queue – a line of people or vehicles waiting for something

qui vive (noun) – alert; lookout; used in the phrase on the qui vive

quicksilver – rapidly shifting and changeable esp. with the sense of elusive, hard-to-catch [Wordcrafter definition; I’m not satisfied with what the dictionaries give.]

quicunque vult [bizarre etymology] – see Athanasian wench

quid – one pound sterling, in British money. (plural is 'quid', not 'quids')

quiddity – a hairsplitting distinction; a quibble

quidnunc – one who seeks to know all the latest news or gossip; a busybody

quiff – a woman regarded as promiscuous (among other meanings)

quim – see swive

quinella – a bet where the bettor must name the top two finishers

quipu – an ancient Inca record-keeping device: colored strings knotted so as to encode information

quirt – a short-handled riding whip with a braided leather lash

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? – Who will guard the guards themselves? ("Who will keep the authorities on the straight and narrow?")

quisling – eponym: a traitor who collaborates by serving in the invader’s puppet government

Quisqualis – a genus, so named (Latin: 'what for') because Linnaeus was unsure how to classify it

quisquilious – made of rubbish

quixotic – eponym: idealistic without regard to practicality

quiz [one sense] – chiefly British: to poke fun at; mock

quoin – a wedge-shaped block used to lock type in a chase

quondam – that once was; former

quotidian – 1. occurring/returning daily: a quotidian fever 2. of an everyday character; ordinary, commonplace, trivial (compare circadian; diurnal)

qwerty – pertaining to the standard keyboard-arrangement of an english-language keyboard

Rabelaisian – eponym: marked by gross robust humor or extravagant caricature

rachmanism – eponym: unscrupulous behavior by landlords

racket [verb] – to make or move with a loud distressing noise (also, to lead an active social life)

racklettes – the skin's small, thin wrinkle-lines at a joint, as at the wrist [according to one source]

Radfahrer – German colloquial: one who flatters superiors and brow-beats subordinates

Raffles – eponym: a ‘gentleman thief’; an educated or upper-class man who engages in discreet larceny [Wordcrafter note: perhaps it also means one who thus steals from the upper class?]

rag, tag, and bobtail – the rabble

rageaholic – person prone to extreme, frequent, unprovoked outbursts of rage

raglan – eponym: an overcoat or other garment with the sleeve going right up to the neck, so that there is no shoulder seam [pictured here and here]

raillery – good-humored banter or teasing repartee; jesting language

rain check – an assurance that an offer, not accepted now, will be repeated later (esp., a seller's commitment to sell an out-of-stock item at the advertised price as soon as it becomes available) So says the dictionary. But I would suggest that the term more generally means (without regard to any "offer") "a deferral".

raison d'etre (or raison d'être) – reason or justification for existing

raked – slanted; oblique; coming in at an angle

rambunctious – noisy, boisterous and disorderly

ramp – a vegetable resembling broad-leaved scallion, with strong garlicky-onion flavor

rampallian – a ruffian, villain, scoundrel

rampant – heraldry: rearing on hind legs with forelegs extended. See dormant, guardant, saliant for other heraldic terms.

rampasture – a room in which several unmarried men reside, usually in a boarding house or inn

rampick – (of a tree or bough) partly decayed or dead; bare of leaves or twigs (obs. except dial.)

rampike – a standing dead tree or tree stump, esp. one killed by fire

ranchero – a ranch owner; a rancher

random walk – a sequence of steps in which the characteristics (direction; size) of each step is randomly determined. random walk theory – the view that past movement or direction of a stock's price cannot be used to predict its future movement

ranine – froglike

rantallion – Grose’s Dictionary: “one whose scrotum is so relaxed as to be longer than his penis, i.e. whose shot pouch is longer than the barrel of his piece.” (See here.)

rapacious – aggressively greedy; grasping [Latin rapere to snatch]

raphe – the seamlike union of two halves of a body organ (as the tongue)

rapscallionry – the quality of being a rapscallion – a mischievous person; a rascal; a ne'er-do well

rara avis – a rare or unique person or thing. [Latin for 'rare bird'; plural rara avises or rarae aves.]

rariora – rare collectors'-items

rasorial – given to scratching the ground for food, as chickens do. akin to 'razor' (see risorial)

rass – Jamaican slang (coarse): the buttocks; also, a term of contempt

rathskeller – a beer hall or restaurant in a basement

ratiocinate – to reason methodically and logically

rattlepated – rattle-headed; lacking sense or discretion

raven; ravin – verb: to devour voraciously (as in "preying upon"), or to have such an appetite: Beasts … ravening for blood and slaughter (noun: voracity; gluttony)

reactionary – an extreme conservative; one opposed of progress or liberalism (also as an adjective)

reaganomics – the economic policies of President Reagan, esp. those of promoting the unrestricted action of free-market forces in commerce and reducing the taxation of earnings from investment

realpolitik – political realism or practical politics, esp. policy based on power rather than on ideals

rebarbative – repellently irritating

rebus – a puzzle in which words are represented by combinations of pictures and letters

recalcitrant – stubbornly, defiantly resistant to authority or guidance. Figuratively, "kicking like a mule". From re- "back" + Latin calcitrare "to kick" from calx "heel."

recreant – 1. abjectly cowardly 2. disloyal (noun: a recreant person)

rectitude – moral uprightness; righteousness (rectitude is not an entirely complimentary term)

recuse – to disqualify (as a judge) from participation in a decision on grounds such as prejudice or personal involvement

red cent – insignificant value – “not worth a red cent” (informal)

red herring – something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand

red state or blue state – U.S. states which predominantly vote for the Republican party (red) or the Democratic party (blue) respectively, esp. in presidential elections

red tide – brownish-red discoloration in seawater, due to proliferation of certain plankton. toxic

redingote –

● for men: a long double-breasted topcoat with full skirt. [Wordcrafter note: I believe this can be for women too.]

● for women: a full-length coat or dress open down the front to show a dress or underdress

red-letter day (etymology) – originates with the tradition of marking holy days in a church calendar in red

red-pencil – to censor, cut, revise, or correct with or as if with a red pencil

red-top – a UK newspaper that concentrates on sensational news; they are so called because their mastheads are printed in red ink

reduplicative – linguistics (noun): a word formed by "doubling" an element, as hanky-panky

redux – brought back, returned to (used after the word it modifies)

reest – to smoke or cure either meat or fish

reeve – a steward appointed by a landowner to superintend his estates, tenants, or workmen

reflexive – directed back on itself (grammar – “herself” is reflexive in the sentence She dressed herself.)

refulgent – shining radiantly; brilliant; resplendent

regardful – mindful of; heedful (word has a sense of respect and deference) (contrast the familiar word regardless)

regolith – the loose rock on the surface, resting on bedrock

reify – to make or treat something abstract as real

remora – a certain fish, with a sucking disk it uses to attach itself to a ship or to a shark, whale, etc.

remplissage – padding a literary or musical work [not in OED; in Mrs. Bryne and some other private dictionaries. Fr. remplir to fill up]

rendition – the surrender of a person, as for interrogation

rentier – a person living on income from property or investments

repechage (or repêchage) – a trial heat (esp. in rowing) where competitors who have lost a heat get another chance to qualify for the semifinals or finals

repine – 1. to feel or express discontent 2. to long for something

replete – filled or well-supplied, esp. with food

repoussé – used esp. of decorative metalwork: with raised patterns formed by hammering or pressing into the reverse side

reptilian – cold-bloodedly treacherous (also, of course, relating to or resembling reptiles)

resile – to draw back from, lit. or fig. (as from a contract; from a stretching/compression/impact; from a position)

ret – to soak (flax, for example) so as to separate the fibers [cognate with to rot]

retail politics – politics at the one-on-one or small group level, not the mass-media level [not in dictionaries; Wordcrafter definition]

retiary – of or like nets or netmaking

reticulum – one of four parts of a cow's stomach; see abomasum

retrocopulant – retrogenerative (see below)

retrogenerative – copulating from behind

retrogression – going back to a less advanced state or stage

retromingent – urinating backwards

revanchism – the policy of a nation to aggressively regain territories that have been lost

revenge googling – one source claims: online dissing of a former beau after a relationship gone bad

rhadamanthine – rigorously and uncompromisingly just

rheum – a watery discharge from the eyes or nose [among other meanings]

rhizome – see geophyte

rhopalic – a "growing" verse, sentence, or series of words, with each item longer than the one before (typically one element longer)

rhotacism – mispronunciation or overuse of sound [r] (underuse of it is pararhotacism)

rhumb; rhumb line – the path of a ship or plane that maintains an unchanging compass direction. Also called a loxodrome.

rhymester – a poor and petty poet

rhytiscopia – a neurotic preoccupation with facial wrinkles

riant – cheerful; mirthful

ribbing (knitting) – formed by alternating knit and purl stitches in a steady pattern; a springier fabric; works well for cuffs, necklines and hemlines.

rick – a stack of hay, corn, or straw [among other meanings]

rickroll – to lead an internet user to a web page containing a music video of "Never Gonna Give You Up", by Rick Astley (I am not making this up!)

riddle – a large coarse sieve, as for separating, sand from gravel, ashes from cinders, etc. [akin to the sense of 'riddled' meaning 'having many holes or faults', as a corpse riddled with bullets. unrelated to the sense of riddle as 'conundrum'.]

rigmarole or rigamarole – a long and complicated and confusing procedure

rime – [adj: rimy] a coating of ice (or a like coating of something else)

ring – the circle above the vowel, as in ÅåŮů

ring of fire – an extensive zone of volcanic and seismic activity that coincides roughly with the borders of the Pacific Ocean

ringer – one who, entering a competition, conceals or fraudulently represents his high level of qualification. [from US horseracing: a horse of better class entered fraudulently into a race for those of lower class]

riparian – relating to riverbanks (although often mis-used to include littoral)

riposte – a quick clever reply

riprap – loose stone used to stabilize a riverbank, or for like purposes (illustration)

risible – provoking laughter

risorial – pertaining to laughter (akin to 'risible' and to Fr rire to laugh) (see rasorial)

ritzy (eponym) – elegant; fancy

riverine – relating to riverbanks

RN – Rearendis Numbicitis (motorcycle riding malady) <wink>

roadomancy – divination by stars [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]

roborant – a strengthening, restoring drug; a tonic (adj: restoring vigor or strength). roberate: to strengthen; to corroborate

rodomontade; rhodomontade – eponym: bragging speech; vain boasting or bluster

roister – to celebrate noisily and boisterously

roman à clef – [romahn-a-KLAY] a novel using actual persons/events disguised as fiction [plural romans à clef]

Romeo – eponym: a lover, a passionate admirer; a seducer, a habitual pursuer of women

rondeau – 1. a musical form, often ending a sonata (synonym rondel) 2. a poetry form, 10 or 13 lines, two rhymes throughout, with the opening phrase repeated twice as a refrain

rood – a crucifix symbolizing the cross on which Jesus died (esp. a large one in a medieval church, above the rood screen or rood beam) [The term is also used as an old unit of measure.]

roorback (or roorbach) – eponym: a defamatory lie, put out to smear a politician

root – Australian slang: synonymous with the word f*ck

roque – a variation of croquet played with short-handled mallets on a hard court that is bounded by a concrete wall against which a ball may rebound and be retrieved

roquelaure – eponym: a knee-length cloak with bright silk lining and fur trim, worn by 18c European men

roquet – croquet: the act of hitting another player's ball with one's own

Roscian – eponym: an eminent actor (or actress); also adj.

roseate – overly optimistic; "viewing the world through rose-colored glasses"

Rosetta Stone – toponym: a key to some previously unattainable understanding

Rosie the Riveter – eponym: U.S. : a woman industrial worker during WWII

Rosinante – eponym: an old, decrepit horse

rouched – see ruched

round-heels – 1. of a woman: of easy virtue 2. of a pugilist (that is, a boxer): having a glass jaw

rubberado – a mythical creature, with rubbery flesh, which travels by bouncing from one spot to the next, laughing each time it lands. Its flesh is difficult to eat, as the teeth cannot get a grip, and if you do eat it you can expect to bounce and laugh for the next several days. <wink>

rube goldberg – eponym: doing by complicated means what could be done simply

rubenesque – eponym: plump or fleshy and voluptuous (said of a woman)

rubicon – a line which, one that when crossed, marks an irrevocable commitment person to a dangerous enterprise

rubric – 1. a part of a book, such as a title, heading, or initial letter, set in decorative red lettering or otherwise distinguished from the rest of the text. Presumably this is the source for: 2a. a title; a name; b. a class or category

rubricate – to mark in red. (also, religion: to place in the calendar as a red-letter saint)

ruched or rouched – women’s clothing: having prominent pleating, as a decorative feature

ruly – neat and tidy (contrast the familiar word unruly)

rumbustious – uncontrollably exuberant; unruly

rumen – one of four parts of a cow's stomach; see abomasum

ruminate – 1. to think deeply about something 2. to chew the cud

runagate – a runaway, outcast or fugitive

runnel – rivulet or brook; or a narrow channel or course, as for water. runnels – the grooves on a carving board, which channel the juices of the meat