<B>papistical, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with the Pope or the papal system; resembling Roman Catholic usages (used in an unfriendly way). adv. <B>papistically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="papistry">
<B>papistry, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the system, doctrines, or usages of the Roman Catholic Church (used in an unfriendly way). </DL>
<A NAME="papmeat">
<B>papmeat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> pap or soft food, as for infants or invalids. </DL>
<A NAME="papoose">
<B>papoose</B> or <B>pappoose, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a North American Indian baby. </DL>
<A NAME="papoosh">
<B>papoosh, </B>noun. =babouche.</DL>
<A NAME="papovavirus">
<B>papovavirus, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of viruses containing DNA, associated with or causing cancerous tumors and other growths, such as warts, including the polyoma virus. </DL>
<A NAME="pappi">
<B>pappi, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> plural of <B>pappus.</B> </DL>
<B>pappus, </B>noun, pl. <B>pappi.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) an appendage to a seed, often made of down or bristles, which aids in the seed's dispersal by the wind. Dandelion and thistle seeds have pappi. </DL>
<A NAME="pappy">
<B>pappy</B> (1), adjective, <B>-pier,</B> <B>-piest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> like pap; watered down. <BR> <I>Ex. The demand for pap--pappy plays, pappy views about life, death, and a pappy hereafter--is very much greater than the demand for that requires more energy and guts (Tyrone Guthrie).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pappy">
<B>pappy</B> (2), noun, pl. <B>-pies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Dialect.) papa; father. </DL>
<A NAME="paprika">
<B>paprika</B> or <B>paprica, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the ground, dried fruit of certain mild red peppers, used as seasoning in food. It is much milder than ordinary red pepper. <DD><B> 2. </B>the plant that produces the fruit from which this is made, grown especially in Hungary and Spain. </DL>
<A NAME="paptest">
<B>Pap test</B> or <B>smear,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a test used to diagnose certain cancers, in which exfoliated cells of organs, such as the cervix, stomach, or uterus, are obtained, smeared on a glass slide, and stained for microscopic examination. <BR> <I>Ex. The "Pap smear" is effective in spotting potential cancers of the cervix (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="papuan">
<B>Papuan, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with Papua, part of a large island north of Australia, or with the native Negroid race living in Papua. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a native or inhabitant of Papua or a person belonging to the racial type that is found there. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of the native languages or dialects spoken in New Guinea and adjacent islands. </DL>
<A NAME="papular">
<B>papular, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of, having to do with, or covered with papillae or pimples. </DL>
<A NAME="papule">
<B>papule, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a pimple that does not form pus. </DL>
<A NAME="papyraceous">
<B>papyraceous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of the consistency or thinness of paper; papery; paperlike. </DL>
<A NAME="papyrograph">
<B>papyrograph, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various devices for producing copies of a writing or the like, especially by a paper stencil. </DL>
<A NAME="papyrologist">
<B>papyrologist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who studies or is an expert in papyrology. </DL>
<A NAME="papyrology">
<B>papyrology, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the study of papyri. </DL>
<A NAME="papyrus">
<B>papyrus, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ri.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a tall water plant from which the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans made a kind of paper to write on. It belongs to the sedge family. Papyrus has stems three to ten feet high, and though it is comparatively rare today, it is still found in Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, and Sicily. Papyrus is the bulrush of the Bible. <DD><B> 2. </B>a writing material made from the pith of the papyrus plant, by laying thin slices or strips of it side by side, the whole being then soaked, pressed, and dried. <BR> <I>Ex. Letters, written on papyrus in the hieratic character (Amelia B. Edwards).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>an ancient record written on papyrus. <BR> <I>Ex. According to papyri found in one of the ancient Negev cities, Nisana, their desert farming produced barley, wheat, legumes, grapes, figs, and dates (Scientific American).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="par">
<B>par, </B>noun, adjective, verb, <B>parred,</B> <B>parring.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>equality; equal level. <BR> <I>Ex. The gains and losses are about on a par. He is quite on a par with his brother in intelligence.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an average or normal amount, degree, or condition. <BR> <I>Ex. A sick person feels below par.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the value of a bond, a note, a share of stock, or other security, that is printed on it; face value. <BR> <I>Ex. That stock is selling above par.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the established normal value of the money of one country in terms of the money of another country. <DD><B> 5. </B>a score in golf which is used as a standard for a particular hole or course and which represents the number of strokes that will be taken if the hole or course is played well. Par is based on the length and difficulty of the hole or course. On many golf courses 72 is par. <BR> <I>Ex. He had hammered out a 5-under par 65 in the second round (New York Times).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>average; normal. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or at par. <DD><I>v.t. </I> (Golf.) to score par on (a hole). <BR> <I>Ex. Palmer went over par on only six holes, he birdied eighteen holes, and he parred the rest (New Yorker).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>par for the course,</B> </I>(Informal.) nothing unusual; the expected thing. <BR> <I>Ex. Mr. Spivak said it was "par for the course" to tell a participant on his show the identity of the panelists if the participant asked (New York Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>up to par,</B> </I>up to the average, normal, or usual amount, degree, condition, or quality. <BR> <I>Ex. Her work is not up to par today because she has a headache.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="par">
<B>par-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) the form of <B>para-</B> (1) before vowels and <I>h,</I> as in <BR> <I>Ex. parenthesis, parhelion.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="par">
<B>par.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an abbreviation for the following: <DD><B> 1. </B>paragraph. <DD><B> 2. </B>parallel. <DD><B> 3. </B>parenthesis. <DD><B> 4. </B>parish. </DL>
<A NAME="par">
<B>PAR</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> perimeter acquisition radar (a radar forming the outermost part of an antiballistic missile system). </DL>
<A NAME="para">
<B>para</B> (1), noun, pl. <B>-ras</B> or <B>-ra.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>1/40 of a Turkish piaster. <DD><B> 2. </B>1/100 of a Yugoslavian dinar. <DD><B> 3. </B>either of the two coins having these values. </DL>
<A NAME="para">
<B>para</B> (2), noun, pl. <B>paras.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a paratrooper. <BR> <I>Ex. The Belgian paras sustained only seven casualties in rescuing the hostages (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="para">
<B>para</B> (3), noun, pl. <B>paras.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Informal.) a paraprofessional. <BR> <I>Ex. The paras--predominantly black and Hispanic women ... became paras even though the pay they received at the time was less than what they were getting on welfare, because they wanted work rather than welfare (Albert Shanker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="para">
<B>Para, </B>noun. =Para rubber.</DL>
<A NAME="para">
<B>para-</B> (1),<DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) <DD><B> 1. </B>beside; near, as in <I>parathyroid.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>beyond, as in <BR> <I>Ex. parapsychology, paramagnetism.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>related to but not quite; supplementary to; subordinate to, as in <BR> <I>Ex. paramilitary, paramedical, paraprofessional.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>disordered condition, as in <BR> <I>Ex. paranoia, paraplegia.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(in chemical terms) a modification of; an isomer of; a substance related to, as in <BR> <I>Ex. para-aminobenzoic.</I> <DD> Also, <B>par-</B> before vowels and <I>h.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="para">
<B>para-</B> (2),<DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a defense against; protection from. <BR> <I>Ex. Parachute = a device that protects from falls. Parasol = a device that protects from the sun.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>that uses a parachute. <BR> <I>Ex. Paratrooper = a soldier that uses a parachute.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>that is like or serves as a parachute. <BR> <I>Ex. Parawing = a parachutelike wing. Paraglider= a parachute-like glider.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="para">
<B>para.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> paragraph. </DL>
<A NAME="para">
<B>Para.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Paraguay. </DL>
<A NAME="paraaminobenzoicacid">
<B>para-aminobenzoic acid,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a yellow, crystalline acid, a constituent of the vitamin B complex, present in yeast and in bran. It is used in the manufacture of local anesthetics and in the treatment of rheumatic fever and various skin conditions. (Abbr:) PABA (no periods). </DL>
<A NAME="paraaminosalicylicacid">
<B>para-aminosalicylic acid,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a synthetic drug used widely in the treatment of tuberculosis, usually in combination with other drugs such as isoniazid and streptomycin. (Abbr:) PAS (no periods). </DL>
<A NAME="paraballoon">
<B>paraballoon, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a mobile radar antenna consisting principally of two paraboloids made of fabric, in part coated thinly with metal, which can be inflated and raised, or lowered and deflated for transportation. </DL>
<A NAME="parabasis">
<B>parabasis, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ses.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the chief of the choral parts in ancient Greek comedy, sung by the chorus during an intermission in the action, and consisting of an address from the poet to the audience. </DL>
<A NAME="parabiosis">
<B>parabiosis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the natural or surgical union of two animals in such a way that there is an exchange of blood. </DL>
<A NAME="parabiotic">
<B>parabiotic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with parabiosis. adv. <B>parabiotically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="parablast">
<B>parablast, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Embryology.) the nutritive yolk of an ovum or egg. </DL>
