Purina
1122
killed by their Persian rulers in the 5th century BC. The story of these events is told in the Book of Esther in the Old Testament of the Bible.
Pu·ri·na /'pjʊəri:nə/ trademark a type of food for pets, especially dogs and cats: Purina Dog Chow
pur·ist /'pjʊərɪst/ n someone who is always (too) careful to practise and preserve what they regard as the correct way of doing something, especially in matters of grammar, use of words etc: A purist would say 'To whom does this belong?', but nowadays 'Who does this belong to?' is much more common.
—ism n [U]
pu·ri·tan /'pjʊərɪtən/ adj, n usually derog (of or being) a person who has rather hard fixed standards of behaviour and self-control, and thinks pleasure is unnecessary or wrong: his puritan beliefs | He's too much of a puritan to enjoy dancing.
Puritan n a member of a Protestant religious group in England in the 16th and 17th centuries, who wanted to make religion simpler and get rid of complicated ceremonies. They were treated badly in England in the 17th century, and many went to America to find religious freedom. In the US, Puritan beliefs have had a strong influence on the American way of life. —Puritan adj: a Puritan background
pu·ri·tan·i·cal /ˌpjʊərɪ'tænɪkəl/ adj derog like a puritan: a puritanical father who wouldn't let his children watch television —cally /kli/ adv
pu·ri·tan·ism /'pjʊərɪtənzəm/ n [U] 1 (cap.) the beliefs and practices of the Puritans 2 often derog living according to severe and demanding rules, especially in matters of religion and morals: She went to live with her boyfriend as a protest against her family's puritanism.
pu·ri·ty /'pjʊərɪti/ n [U] the quality or state of being pure -> opposite IMPURITY
purl¹ /pɜːl||pɜːrl/ n [U] tech the second of the two main stitches in knitting (KNIT), made by doing an ordinary stitch backwards: a purl stitch | three plain, two purl -> compare KNIT, PLAIN
purl² v [I;T] tech, (usually in instructions) to use the purl stitch (on): Knit one, purl one. | Purl (for) three rows. -> compare KNIT
purl³ v [I] lit (of a small stream) to flow with a low gentle continuous noise
purl·er /'pɜːlər||'pɜːrlər/ n [S] BrE old-fash infml a heavy fall, usually head first: He came a purler. (=fell heavily)
pur·lieus /'pɜːljuːz||'pɜːrluːz/ n [(the) P (of)] lit or pomp the area in and around a place
pur·loin /pɜː'lɒɪn, 'pɜː:lɔːn||-ɜːr-/ v [T] fml or humor to steal (especially something of small value)
pur·ple¹ /'pɜːpl||'pɜːr-/ adj of the colour purple
purple² n 1 [U] a dark colour made of a mixture of red and blue -> compare MAUVE, VIOLET 2 [the] especially lit (in former times) dark red or purple garments worn only by people of very high rank: He was born to the purple. (=born into a royal family) -> see Feature on page A6
purple 'heart n BrE infml a small PILL containing a drug (AMPHETAMINE) that causes excitement, often taken by drug ADDICTS
Purple 'Heart n a special MEDAL given to US soldiers who have been wounded in battle
purple 'passage also purple 'patch n a splendid or too grand-sounding part in the middle of a piece of writing
pur·plish /'pɜːplɪʃ||'pɜːr-/ adj slightly purple: purplish blue
pur·port¹ /pɜː'pɔːt||pɜːr'pɔːrt/ v [T+to-v/obj] fml to claim to be; have an (intended) appearance of being: The orders, which purported to be signed by the general, were an enemy trick.
pur·port² /'pɜːpɔːt, -pɔːt||'pɜːrpɔːrt/ n [U(of)] fml the general meaning or intention of someone's words or actions: The purport of the message seemed to be this: Work harder or find another job.
pur·pose /'pɜːpəs||'pɜːr-/ n 1 [C] an intention or plan; a person's reason for an action: What was the purpose of her visit? | Did you come to London to see your family, or for business purposes? | He's registered as a single parent, for tax purposes. 2 [C] a use; effect; result: Don't waste your money; put it to some good purpose. | I haven't got a pen, but a pencil will answer/serve the same purpose. (=will do what is needed) | This computer is not quite as powerful as the other one, but for all practical purposes (=in most cases) it is just as good. 3 [U] steady determined following of an aim: a man of purpose | a sense of purpose 4 on purpose a) intentionally: 'I'm sorry I stepped on your toe; it was an accident.' 'It wasn't! You did it on purpose.' b) with a particular stated intention: I came here on purpose to see you. 5 to little/no/some/good purpose with little/no/some/good result 6 to the purpose old-fash useful; very much connected with the subject -> see also PURPOSELY 7 accidentally on purpose BrE infml with conscious intention but also making something appear to be an accident: He dropped the vase accidentally on purpose because he hated it.
pur·pose-'built adj especially BrE originally made for a particular use: The architect has designed purpose-built flats for old people.
pur·pose·ful /'pɜːpəsfəl||'pɜːr-/ adj (of people or behaviour) having a clear aim; determined: He went out with a purposeful air. —ly adv
pur·pose·less /'pɜːpəsləs||'pɜːr-/ adj aimless; meaningless —ly adv —ness n [U]
pur·pose·ly /'pɜːpəsli||'pɜːr-/ adv intentionally: I purposely left it where he would see it.
purr /pɜːr/ v 1 [I] to make the low continuous sound produced by a pleased cat: The cat purred loudly. | (fig) The big car purred along the road. 2 [I] (of a person) to show quiet happiness in a pleasant low voice 3 [T] to express or say in this way: 'Come again, won't you?' she purred. —purr n
purse BrE/
change purse AmE
purse BrE/
wallet AmE
wallet
handbag esp.
BrE/purse AmE
purses
purse¹ /pɜːs||pɜːrs/ n 1 BrE a small flattish bag, usually made of leather or plastic, used especially by women a) for carrying coins (AmE change purse) b) (especially divided into two parts) for carrying both coins and paper money (AmE wallet) 2 [C] AmE a woman's HANDBAG 3 [S] an amount of money to spend: That beautiful picture is beyond my purse. (=I can't afford it) | The first prize will be a purse of $1000. -> see also PRIVY PURSE 4 you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear you cannot make something good from material that is of bad quality
purse² v [T(UP)] to bring (especially the lips) together in little folds: She pursed (up) her lips with disgust.
purs·er /'pɜːsər||'pɜːr-/ n an officer on a ship who keeps the ship's accounts and is also in charge of the travellers' rooms, comfort etc
'purse strings n hold the purse strings to control the spending of the money of a family, a firm etc
pur·su·ance /pə'sjuːəns||pər'suː-/ n in (the) pursuance of fml in the process of performing: He was wounded in the pursuance of his duty.
pur·su·ant /pə'sjuːənt||pər'suː-/ adj fml pursuant to sth done according to a particular law, rule, contract etc: The boy was provided with an interpreter, pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Act.
pur·sue /pə'sjuː||pər'suː/ v [T] 1 to follow, especially in order to catch, kill, or defeat: The police are pursuing an escaped prisoner. | The tourists were pursued by beggars. | (fig.) Bad luck has pursued us all through the year. 2 to continue steadily with; carry on: She is pursuing her studies at the university. | He was losing the argument, so he said, 'I'd rather not pursue the matter'. | The government is pursuing a policy of non-intervention.