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psalter
pro·vi·sions /prəˈvɪʒənz/ n [P] food supplies, especially for
a particular purpose such as a journey —provision adj [A] a
provision merchant
pro·vi·so /prəˈvaɪzəʊ/ n pl. -sos a necessary condition in an
agreement that is made in advance: [+that] I agree to do the
work, with one proviso – that I'm paid in advance.
prov·o·ca·tion /ˌprɒvəˈkeɪʃənˌprɑː-/ n 1 [U] the act of
provoking or reason for being provoked: It's true that he hit
her, but he was acting under severe provocation – she was
hurting his child. | They attacked our border guards without
the slightest provocation. 2 [C] something that tests one's
powers of self-control: the provocations of teaching a class of
badly-behaved children
prov·oc·a·tive /prəˈvɒkətɪv‖-ˈvɑː-/ adj likely to cause
strong feelings, e.g. of anger or sexual interest: his provoca-
tive remarks about unemployed people being lazy | Amanda is
looking very provocative in those tight jeans. —~ly adv
pro·voke /prəˈvəʊk/ v [T] 1 [(into, to)] to make (a person or
animal) angry or bad-tempered, especially by continually
annoying them: That dog is very dangerous when provoked. |
The students tried to provoke the teacher into losing her
temper. (=make her lose her temper by provoking her) |
[+obj+to-v] His refusal to answer provoked me to shout at him.
→ see ANNOY (USAGE) 2 to be the sudden cause of (a usually
unpleasant feeling or action): Her insensitive speech provoked
an angry reaction. | Don't throw one bone to two dogs; you'll
only provoke a fight. 3 enough to provoke a saint so
annoying that it would make even the calmest and most
patient person angry
pro·vo·lo·ne /ˌprɒvələʊni/ n [C;U] a type of pale yellow
Italian cheese often used in the US for making large SAND-
WICHES or for melting on cooked dishes
Pro·vos, the /ˈprɒvəʊz/ n [plural] infml the PROVISIONAL IRA
Prov·ost, provost /ˈprɒvəst‖ˈprɒvəʊst/ n 1 a person in
charge of a college in a British university 2 AmE an impor-
tant university official 3 the leader of a Scottish town
council → compare MAYOR 4 the main priest in a group of
priests connected with a CATHEDRAL in Britain
pro·vost court /prəˈvɒʊ kɔːt‖ˈprɒvəʊ ˌkɔːrt/ n a military
court usually for small offences in a country held by an
army
provost mar·shal /ˌprɒˌvɒʊ ˈmɑːʃəlˌˌprɒvəʊ ˈmɑːr-/ n an
officer who is in charge of military police
prow /praʊ/ n especially lit the pointed front part of a ship or
boat; BOW
prow·ess /ˈpraʊɪs/ n usually fml or lit [U[as, at, in]] great ability,
skill, or bravery. This word is usually used in a military or
sexual context: The tribesmen sang a song of victory, describ-
ing their prowess in battle. | boasting about his sexual prow-
ess
prowl¹ /praʊl/ v [I;T] (especially of an animal looking for
food, or of a thief looking for a chance to steal) to move
about (an area) quietly, trying not to be seen or heard: I
heard someone prowling about in the garden. | rough-looking
men who prowl the streets after dark —~er n: to report a
prowler to the police
prowl² n [S] an act of prowling: a hungry lion on the prowl
(=prowling) | (fig., infml) I'm going for a prowl round the book-
shops. (=looking for books to buy)
prowl car n AmE a police car that is driven round the streets
of a city looking for crime → see also PATROL CAR
prox·i·mate /ˈprɒksɪmət‖ˈprɑːk-/ adj [no comp.] fml 1 [(to)]
nearest in time, order, or family relationship 2 [A] (of a
cause) direct —~ly adv
prox·im·i·ty /prɒkˈsɪmɪti‖prɑːk-/ n [U(to, of)] fml nearness:
Proximity to a good shopping centre is important. | a monu-
ment to be erected in the proximity of (=somewhere near) the
town hall
prox·y /ˈprɒksi‖ˈprɑːksi/ n 1 [U] the right given to a person
to act for or represent another person on a single occasion,
especially as a voter at an election, because the person is not
able to go because of illness or absence from the country.
Official permission must be given before this right can be
used: to vote by proxy (=by sending someone else) 2 [C] a
person whom one chooses to act for or represent one
proxy vote n a vote made by a person acting as a proxy (2)
for another. The person represented either tells the proxy
which way to vote, or allows him/her to vote as they think
best.
Pro·zac /ˈprəʊzæk/ trademark a type of drug used for treating
DEPRESSION (=when you feel very unhappy) and ANXIETY
(=when you feel very worried). Prozac makes people happier
and more positive, but some doctors worry that people may
take it instead of trying to deal with their problems.
prude /pruːd/ n derog a person who is, or claims to be, easily
shocked by improper or rude things, especially of a sexual
nature. This word is usually used for a woman, especially a
very CONSERVATIVE older woman. —prudish adj —prudishly
adv: 'I never laugh at dirty jokes,' she said prudishly. → see
also PRUDERY
pru·dent /ˈprudənt/ adj thinking carefully before taking
action; careful to avoid risks, unpleasantness, difficulties etc:
I think it would be prudent to hear the other side of the
argument before you make your decision. → opposite IMPRU-
DENT —~ly adv —dence n [U] financial prudence
pru·den·tial /pruːˈdenʃəl/ adj fml resulting from prudence,
especially in business matters —~ly adv
Prudential, the trademark a British insurance company
which is based in London but also has offices in the US. The
Prudential is one of the best known insurance companies in
the UK, and people sometimes call it 'the Pru'.
prud·er·y /ˈpruːdəri/ also prud·ish·ness /ˈpruːdɪfnəs/ n
[U] derog the behaviour of a prude
prune¹ /pruːn/ v [T] 1 [(BACK)] to cut off or shorten some of
the branches of (a tree or bush) in order to improve the
shape and growth: to prune roses with a pruning
knife 2 [(AWAY, BACK)] to remove (branches, stems etc) in this
way 3 [(AWAY, DOWN)] to reduce or remove (anything useless or
unwanted) from (something) by making careful choices: You
should prune the speech down; it's too long. | pruning waste in
the health service to reduce government spending
prune² n 1 a dried PLUM, sometimes gently boiled before
eating 2 BrE infml a silly person
'pruning hook n a hook-shaped knife on a usually long
pole, used for cutting branches of trees etc
pru·ri·ent /ˈprʊəriənt/ adj fml having an unpleasantly strong
and unhealthy interest in sex —~ly adv —ence n [U]
Prus·sia /ˈprʌʃə/ a former German state in northern Europe,
which was a powerful military state between the 17th and
19th centuries. After World War II, its land was divided
between Germany, the Soviet Union and Poland.
Prus·sian /ˈprʌʃən/ n someone from Prussia. British people
think of the typical Prussian as being very proud and
military in their way of behaving. —Prussian adj
Prussian 'blue n [U] a deep blue colour —Prussian blue
adj
prus·sic ac·id /ˌprsɪk ˈæsɪd/ n [U] a very poisonous acid
that quickly causes death
pry¹ /praɪ/ v [I (into)] derog to try to find out about someone
else's private affairs: I don't wish to pry, but is it true that
you've sold your house? | prying newspaper reporters | He put
a cover over it to discourage prying eyes.
pry² v [T] especially AmE for PRIZE: We used an iron bar to pry open
the box.
Pry·or, Richard /ˈpraɪər/ (1940-) a US COMEDIAN who has
appeared in films and made several records. He is African-
American and often makes jokes about situations involving
black and white people together. His films include Stir Crazy
(1980). He stopped working in the early 1990s.
PS /ˌpiː ˈes/ n abbrev. for postscript; a note added at the end of a
letter, giving more information: She added a PS asking me to
send her some money. | Best wishes, Julie. PS I'll see you on
Thursday.
psalm /sɑːm‖sɔːm, sɑːlm/ n (sometimes cap.) a song or poem in
praise of God, especially one of those in the Bible (from the
Book of Psalms, in the OLD TESTAMENT, a collection of
songs (HYMNS) often sung at church services on Sundays)
psalm·ist /ˈsɑːmɪst‖ˈsɑːm-, ˈsɑːlm-/ n a writer of psalms
psal·ter /ˈsɔːltər/ n (often cap.) a book of the psalms in the
Bible, often with music, for use in church services