Page 195 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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postscript (POHST skript) n. 1. a note added after the signature of a letter; 2. an
afterthought or supplementary information
•A postscript in a letter is usually indicated by the initials P.S. on the line fol-
lowing the signature.
• An epilogue can also be thought of as a postscript to a book or play.
potentate (POH tin tayt) n. a person who has a great amount of power; ruler;
monarch; emperor
• The sultan of Brunei is an Eastern potentate of considerable wealth.
• The tsars of Russia were potentates until the end; recent British monarchs
are not so.
poultry (POHL tree) n. domestic fowl raised for eggs and/or meat; chicken,
turkeys, ducks, and geese, collectively
• The poultry department in most supermarkets is located adjacent to, or in,
the meat department.
powwow (POW WOW) n. 1. any conference or gathering; 2. among Native
North Americans, a ceremony to help cure disease, plan war, etc. characterized by
feasting and dancing; a medicine man; a conference —vi. to hold a conference;
confer
• Powwows once conjured up visions of Native Americans and pilgrims smok-
ing a peace pipe in a circle around the fire.
• Any corporate meeting can be refered to as a powwow, especially if it is an
informal one.
practical (PRAK ti KL) adj. 1. gotten by or from practice; 2. usable, workable;
sensible; 3. dealing with reality rather than theory; practicable
•A practical knowledge of how a car engine works is a good thing to have
before attempting to repair one.
• When making home repairs, the rule is to be practical about what you can
afford to do.
• It is not practical to equip an economy car with a V-8 engine.
[-ly adv., -ity n.]
pragmatic (prag MAT ik) adj. 1. concerned with everyday practices rather than
theory or idealism; practical; 2. opinionated; dogmatic
•A pragmatic approach to learning these words means you should study one
or two groups of words in one sitting.
• It is not pragmatic to try to read through this book in a single sitting; after
all, it doesn’t have much of a plot.
• An old codger might be quite pragmatic in his beliefs about how to make a
pot of coffee.
[pragmatist* n., -ally adv.]
praise (PRAYZ) vt. 1. to express approval; commend; 2. to glorify; extol
• It is a policy of good management to praise employees for good work.
• Praising will almost always get better results than criticizing.
• Some congregations exult in praising the Lord.
[-d, praising, -e n. sing.] [Syn. laud, acclaim]