<B>pleatless, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having no pleats. <BR> <I>Ex. The trends to ... two-button suits and pleatless trousers are expected to continue (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pleb">
<B>pleb</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) a plebeian. </DL>
<A NAME="pleb">
<B>pleb</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) a plebe. </DL>
<A NAME="plebe">
<B>plebe, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a member of the lowest class at a military or naval academy, especially the United States Military Academy, the Naval Academy, or the Air Force Academy. </DL>
<A NAME="plebeian">
<B>plebeian, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>belonging to or having to do with the common people. <BR> <I>Ex. the craftsmen and other plebeian inhabitants of the town (Hawthorne).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>belonging to or having to do with the lower class of citizens in ancient Rome. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) common; vulgar. (SYN) coarse. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>one of the common people. (SYN) commoner. <DD><B> 2. </B>one of the lower class of citizens in ancient Rome. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a common, vulgar person. <BR> <I>Ex. To the brave, there is but one sort of plebeian, and that is the coward (Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton).</I> (SYN) cad. adv. <B>plebeianly.</B> noun <B>plebeianness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="plebeianism">
<B>plebeianism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> plebeian character or ways. </DL>
<A NAME="plebiscitary">
<B>plebiscitary, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>relating to or of the nature of a plebiscite. <DD><B> 2. </B>based on or favoring a plebiscite. <BR> <I>Ex. Swiss democracy is ... plebiscitary democracy (Manchester Guardian).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="plebiscite">
<B>plebiscite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a direct vote by the qualified voters of a country, state, or other political unit on some important question. <DD><B> 2. </B>such a vote by the inhabitants of a territory to choose the country or ruler that will govern them. <BR> <I>Ex. The plebiscite in Kashmir desired by the U.N. has never taken place (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="plebiscitum">
<B>plebiscitum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ta.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a law enacted by the ancient Roman plebeians. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=plebiscite.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="plebs">
<B>plebs, </B>noun, pl. <B>plebes.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the common people of ancient Rome. <DD><B> 2. </B>the common people; the populace. (SYN) hoi polloi. </DL>
<A NAME="plectognath">
<B>plectognath, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or belonging to an order of teleost fishes having powerful jaws and teeth and (typically) bony or spiny scales, such as the triggerfish, puffer, and filefish. <DD><I>noun </I> a plectognath fish. </DL>
<B>plectrum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-trums,</B> <B>-tra.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a small piece of ivory, horn, metal, or plastic, used for plucking the strings of a mandolin, lyre, zither, or other stringed instrument played without a bow; pick. </DL>
<A NAME="pled">
<B>pled, </B>verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) pleaded; a past tense and past participle of <B>plead.</B> <BR> <I>Ex. The man pled for mercy.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pledge">
<B>pledge, </B>noun, verb, <B>pledged,</B> <B>pledging.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a solemn promise. <BR> <I>Ex. a pledge to support a candidate. He made a pledge to give money to charity. The drunkard signed a pledge never to drink again.</I> (SYN) covenant, vow. <DD><B> 2. </B>something that secures or makes safe; security. <BR> <I>Ex. The knight left a jewel as pledge for the borrowed horse.</I> (SYN) surety, guarantee. <DD><B> 3. </B>the condition of being held as security. <BR> <I>Ex. to put bonds in pledge for a loan.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Law.) <DD><B> a. </B>the act of handing something over to another as security for the repayment of a debt or performance ofa contract. <DD><B> b. </B>the contract by which such a delivery is formally made. <DD><B> 5. </B>the drinking of a health or toast. <DD><B> 6. </B>something given to show favor or love or as a promise of something to come; sign; token. <BR> <I>Ex. Bear her this jewel, pledge of my affection (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>(U.S.) a person who has promised to join an organization but is serving a probationary period before membership. <BR> <I>Ex. Postcards sent out to undergraduates, pledges, and alumni of ... an academic fraternity (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>(Obsolete.) <DD><B> a. </B>a person who acts as surety for another. <DD><B> b. </B>a hostage. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to promise solemnly; undertake to give. <BR> <I>Ex. to pledge $100 to a charity. We pledge allegiance to the flag.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to cause to promise solemnly; bind by a promise. <BR> <I>Ex. to pledge hearers to secrecy.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to give as security. <BR> <I>Ex. to pledge one's honor, to pledge land for a loan.</I> (SYN) pawn. <DD><B> 4. </B>to drink in honor of (someone) and wish (him) well; drink a health to; toast. <BR> <I>Ex. The knights rose from the banquet table to pledge the king. Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine (Ben Jonson).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>take</B> (or <B>sign</B>) <B>the pledge,</B> </I>to promise not to drink alcoholic liquor. <BR> <I>Ex. Once, the mere picture of a ragged urchin crouched outside a snowbound inn waiting for her father to emerge drunk with the comforts of beer ... was enough to make strong men sign the pledge (Manchester Guardian Weekly).</I> noun <B>pledger.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="pledgee">
<B>pledgee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Law.) a person with whom something is deposited as a pledge. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person to whom a pledge is made. </DL>
<A NAME="pledget">
<B>pledget, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small, absorbent compress of gauze, cotton, or the like, for use on a wound or sore. <BR> <I>Ex. He drew a pledget of linen ... through the wound (John Henry).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pledgor">
<B>pledgor</B> or <B>pledgeor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Law.) a person who deposits something as a pledge. </DL>
<A NAME="pleiad">
<B>Pleiad, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of the Pleiades. </DL>
<A NAME="pleiad">
<B>pleiad, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a brilliant cluster or group of persons or things, especially of seven. <BR> <I>Ex. Donne, Chillingworth, Sir T. Browne, Jeremy Taylor, Milton, South, Barrow, form a pleiad ... such as no literature can match (Thomas De Quincey).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pleiades">
<B>Pleiades, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a group of several hundred stars in the constellation Taurus. The Pleiades are commonly spoken of as seven, though only six can normally be seen with the naked eye. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Greek Mythology.) seven of the daughters of Atlas who were transformed by the gods into this group of stars. </DL>
<A NAME="pleinair">
<B>plein-air, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with certain impressionist schools and styles of painting that originated in France about 1870 and aimed at the representation of effects of atmosphere and light that cannot be observed in the studio; open-air. </DL>
<A NAME="pleinairism">
<B>plein-airism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the principles or methods of the plein-air painters. </DL>
<A NAME="pleinairist">
<B>plein-airist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an artist of the plein-air school. </DL>
<B>pleiotaxy, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) the condition of having more than the usual number of floral whorls. </DL>
<A NAME="pleiotropic">
<B>pleiotropic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Genetics.) controlling or effecting change in more than one character. <BR> <I>Ex. The mutation was pleiotropic (Scientific American).</I> adv. <B>pleiotropically.</B> </DL>
<B>pleiotropy, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Genetics.) the condition of being pleiotropic. </DL>
<A NAME="pleistocene">
<B>Pleistocene, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the geological epoch before the present period; ice age. It was characterized by vast glaciers and the presence of man in Europe. <BR> <I>Ex. Within the Quaternary most of the time is taken up by the Pleistocene, estimated at 980,000 years, while the Holocene or Recent has lasted only 20,000 years (Beals and Hoijer).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the deposits, such as of gravel, made in this epoch. <DD><I>adj. </I> of this epoch or these deposits. <BR> <I>Ex. the great Pleistocene glaciers of Europe and North America.</I> </DL>
<B>plena, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> plenums; a plural of <B>plenum.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="plenary">
<B>plenary, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>not lacking in any way; full; complete; absolute. <BR> <I>Ex. an ambassador with plenary power.</I> (SYN) entire. <DD><B> 2. </B>attended by all of its qualified members; fully constituted. <BR> <I>Ex. a plenary session of a committee.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a plenary session. adv. <B>plenarily.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="plenaryindulgence">
<B>plenary indulgence,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> complete remission of temporal penalty for sin in the Roman Catholic Church. </DL>
<A NAME="plenilune">
<B>plenilune, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Poetic.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a full moon. <DD><B> 2. </B>the time of the full moon. </DL>
<A NAME="plenipotence">
<B>plenipotence, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a fullness or completeness of power. </DL>
<A NAME="plenipotent">
<B>plenipotent, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Rare.) <DD><I>adj. </I> invested with or possessing full power or authority; plenipotentiary. <DD><I>noun </I> a plenipotent person; plenipotentiary. </DL>
<A NAME="plenipotentiary">
<B>plenipotentiary, </B>noun, pl. <B>-aries,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a diplomatic agent having full power or authority. <BR> <I>Ex. Each municipality was, as it were, a little sovereign, sending envoys to a congress to vote and to sign as plenipotentiaries (John L. Motley).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> having or giving full power and authority. The United States has eithe an ambassador or a minister plenipotentiary in most important countries. </DL>
<A NAME="plenish">
<B>plenish, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially Scottish.) to fill up; furnish; supply; stock. </DL>
<A NAME="plenism">
<B>plenism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the theory that all space is a plenum and that there is no such thing as a vacuum. noun <B>plenist.</B> </DL>
