<B>perchloric acid,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a colorless, syrupy liquid used as an oxidizing agent, for plating metals, and in explosives. It is stable when diluted, but its concentrated form is highly explosive when in contact with oxidizable substances. </DL>
<A NAME="perchloride">
<B>perchloride, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a compound of chlorine with another element or radical, containing the maximum proportion of chlorine. </DL>
<A NAME="perchlorinate">
<B>perchlorinate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ated,</B> <B>-ating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to combine or charge with the maximum proportion of chlorine. noun <B>perchlorination.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="perchloroethylene">
<B>perchloroethylene, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a colorless, nonflammable liquid, used as a dry-cleaning fluid, degreaser, and solvent, and medically as an anthelmintic agent; tetrachloroethylene. </DL>
<A NAME="perchromate">
<B>perchromate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a salt of perchromic acid. </DL>
<A NAME="perchromicacid">
<B>perchromic acid,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an unstable, deep-blue crystalline acid. </DL>
<A NAME="percipience">
<B>percipience, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act, condition, or power of perceiving; perception; discernment; cognizance. </DL>
<A NAME="percipiency">
<B>percipiency, </B>noun, pl. <B>-cies.</B> <B>=percipience.</B></DL>
<A NAME="percipient">
<B>percipient, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>that perceives or is capable of perceiving; conscious. <DD><B> 2. </B>having keen perception; discerning. <DD><I>noun </I> a person or thing that perceives. adv. <B>percipiently.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="percival">
<B>Percival</B> or <B>Percivale, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of King Arthur's knights in the Arthurian legends, who sought and finally saw the Holy Grail. </DL>
<A NAME="percoid">
<B>percoid, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>resembling a perch. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or belonging to a large suborder of spiny-finned teleost fishes, including the freshwater perches, basses, and sunfishes, and certain saltwater fishes, such as the mackerels and tunas. <DD><I>noun </I> a percoid fish. </DL>
<B>percolate, </B>verb, <B>-lated,</B> <B>-lating,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to drip or drain through small holes or spaces. <BR> <I>Ex. Let the coffee percolate for seven minutes.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Slang, Figurative.) to act efficiently. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to filter through; permeate. <BR> <I>Ex. Water percolates sand. (Figurative.) relief payments percolate the economy.</I> (SYN) filter, ooze, trickle. <DD><B> 2. </B>to cause (a liquid or particles) to pass through; filter; sift. <DD><B> 3. </B>to make (coffee) in a percolator. <DD><I>noun </I> a liquid that has been percolated. </DL>
<A NAME="percolation">
<B>percolation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act or process of percolating. </DL>
<A NAME="percolator">
<B>percolator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a kind of coffeepot in which boiling water drains over and over again through an upper section containing ground coffee. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person or thing that percolates. </DL>
<A NAME="percontra">
<B>per contra,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) on the contrary; on the other hand; on the other side. </DL>
<A NAME="percuriam">
<B>per curiam,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Law.) by the court (of an opinion or ruling given jointly by all the judges trying a case, with no signatory author). </DL>
<A NAME="percurrent">
<B>percurrent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> running through the entire length, as the midrib of a leaf. </DL>
<A NAME="percuss">
<B>percuss, </B>transitive verb, intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to tap or strike gently with the finger or a small hammer, as in medical diagnosis or treatment. <BR> <I>Ex. He percusses rapidly over a nerve when the pain is dull or grinding, and percusses slowly when the pain is acute (T. L. Brunton).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="percussion">
<B>percussion, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the striking of one body against another with force; stroke; blow. <BR> <I>Ex. The tremendous percussion of the waterfall sent up a deafening roar.</I> (SYN) impact. <DD><B> 2. </B>the striking of a percussion cap or other similar device to set off the charge in a firearm. <DD><B> 3. </B>the shock made by the striking of one body against another with force; impact. <BR> <I>Ex. Every part however small which turned over as the result of percussion would suddenly cause another balance to fall (Science News).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Medicine.) the tapping of a part of the body to determine by the quality of the sound the condition of the organs underneath. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Music.) <DD><B> a. </B>the striking of percussion instruments to produce tones. <BR> <I>Ex. [She] plays piano with miraculous precision and tremendous percussion (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the percussion instruments of an orchestra. <DD><B> c. </B>their players. <DD><B> 6. </B>the striking of sound upon the ear. </DL>
<A NAME="percussioncap">
<B>percussion cap,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a small cap containing powder. When struck by the hammer of a gun, it explodes and sets off a larger charge. </DL>
<A NAME="percussioninstrument">
<B>percussion instrument,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a musical instrument played by striking it, such as a drum, cymbal, piano, tambourine, castanets, or chimes. </DL>
<A NAME="percussionist">
<B>percussionist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who plays a percussion instrument or instruments, especially in an orchestra. </DL>
<A NAME="percussionlock">
<B>percussion lock,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a type of gunlock that strikes and fires a percussion cap. </DL>
<A NAME="percussive">
<B>percussive, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of, having to do with, or characterized by percussion. <BR> <I>Ex. His piano Bach is in the approved lighter, percussive, and staccato style (Edward Tatnall Canby).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>=percussion instrument.</B> adv. <B>percussively.</B> noun <B>percussiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="percutaneous">
<B>percutaneous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> made, done, or effected through the skin. <BR> <I>Ex. percutaneous absorption.</I> adv. <B>percutaneously.</B> </DL>
<B>per diem,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>per day; for each day. <BR> <I>Ex. Rental of the boat per diem was $5. Petitioner was compensated at a specified per diem rate (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an allowance of so much every day for living expenses, usually while traveling in connection with work. <BR> <I>Ex. a rate ... sufficient to cover costs ... including crew per diem (Newsweek).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="perdition">
<B>perdition, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the loss of one's soul or of the joys of heaven; final spiritual ruin; damnation. <DD><B> 2. </B>hell. <BR> <I>Ex. Would you send A soul straight to perdition? (Robert Browning).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>utter loss or destruction; complete ruin. <BR> <I>Ex. the Arabian invaders had sealed the perdition of Spain (Washington Irving).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) diminution; loss. </DL>
<A NAME="perdu">
<B>perdu, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> hidden away; out of sight; concealed. <BR> <I>Ex. James ... was lying perdu in the lobby (Scott).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> (Obsolete.) a soldier in a position of special danger, and hence considered as virtually lost. </DL>
<A NAME="perdue">
<B>perdue, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> the feminine of <B>perdu.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="perdurability">
<B>perdurability, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> perdurable quality or state. </DL>
<A NAME="perdurable">
<B>perdurable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> everlasting; imperishable; permanent. <BR> <I>Ex. cables of perdurable toughness (Shakespeare); leaving a name perdurable on earth (Robert Southey).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="perdurably">
<B>perdurably, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a perdurable manner; permanently. </DL>
<A NAME="perdure">
<B>perdure, </B>intransitive verb, <B>-dured,</B> <B>-during.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to endure or continue long or forever. </DL>
<A NAME="pere">
<B>pere, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) father; senior, often used after proper names to distinguish a father from his son (<I>fils</I>). <BR> <I>Ex. Dumas pere.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pere">
<B>Pere, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) Father, used before the name of a priest. <BR> <I>Ex. Pere Marquette.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="peredavidsdeer">
<B>Pere David's deer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a large, grayish-brown deer of northern China. </DL>