<B>plunder, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to rob by force; rob. <BR> <I>Ex. to plunder a bank. The pirates entered the harbor and began to plunder the town.</I> (SYN) loot, sack. <DD><B> 2. </B>to take (as goods or valuables) by illegal force or as an enemy. <BR> <I>Ex. The law of self-preservation had now obliged the fugitive Tartars to plunder provisions (Thomas De Quincey).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to commit a robbery or robberies, especially by force; loot. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>things taken in plundering; booty; loot. <BR> <I>Ex. The pirates carried off the plunder in their ships.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the act of robbing by force. <BR> <I>Ex. In olden times soldiers often gained great wealth by plunder of a conquered city.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(U.S. Dialect.) <DD><B> a. </B>personal belongings or household goods. <DD><B> b. </B>luggage; baggage. noun <B>plunderer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="plunderable">
<B>plunderable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be plundered. <BR> <I>Ex. As plunderable matter increases, so will plunderage (Jeremy Bentham).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="plunderage">
<B>plunderage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of plundering; pillage; spoliation. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Maritime Law.) <DD><B> a. </B>the embezzlement of goods on board a ship. <DD><B> b. </B>the goods embezzled. </DL>
<A NAME="plunderous">
<B>plunderous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> given to plundering. <BR> <I>Ex. plunderous troops.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="plunge">
<B>plunge, </B>verb, <B>plunged,</B> <B>plunging,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to throw or thrust with force into a liquid, place, or condition. <BR> <I>Ex. Plunge your hand into the water. The farmer plunged his pitchfork into the hay. (Figurative.) The quarrel between the two nations plunged the world into war.</I> (SYN) immerse, submerge. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to throw oneself (into water, danger, a fight, or a condition). <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) to plunge into debt, to plunge feverishly into study. He plunged into the river and saved the boy.</I> (SYN) leap, dive. <DD><B> 2. </B>to rush; dash. <BR> <I>Ex. to plunge into a burning building. The football player plunged ahead five yards for a touchdown.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to pitch suddenly and violently. <BR> <I>Ex. The ship plunged about in the storm.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Informal.) to gamble or speculate recklessly or heavily. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the act of plunging. <BR> <I>Ex. The fullback made a 2-yard plunge for a first down.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a jump or thrust; dash. <BR> <I>Ex. His plunge won the race.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a dive into the water. <DD><B> 4. </B>a place for diving. <BR><I>expr. <B>take the plunge,</B> </I>to plunge into a new course of action, in spite of fear, reluctance, or risk. <BR> <I>Ex. Mr. Shonfield, brave man that he is, has taken the plunge and stated the fact in bald language (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="plungebath">
<B>plunge bath,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a bath which is large enough for the bather to be completely immersed in it. </DL>
<A NAME="plungepool">
<B>plunge pool,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the deep pool at the base of a waterfall which often cuts back under the falls, causing the overhanging rock face to collapse and moving the location of the falls further upstream. </DL>
<A NAME="plunger">
<B>plunger, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person, animal, or thing that plunges. <DD><B> 2a. </B>a part of a machine, such as a piston in a pump, that works with a plunging motion; ram. <DD><B> b. </B>a rubber suction cup at the end of a long stick, used to free clogged pipes or drains by air pressure; plumber's friend. <DD><B> 3. </B>a small pistonlike device in the valve of an automobile tire. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Informal.) a reckless gambler or speculator. </DL>
<A NAME="plungingfire">
<B>plunging fire,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> gunfire, especially artillery fire, in which the projectiles descend on the target at an angle approaching the perpendicular, as by a battery firing from a higher elevation or in a high, looping trajectory. </DL>
<A NAME="plunk">
<B>plunk, </B>verb, noun, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to pluck (a banjo, guitar, or other stringed musical instrument). (SYN) pick. <DD><B> 2. </B>to make a sound like the plucking of a stringed musical instrument. <BR> <I>Ex. It was cranked out by scores of organ-grinders and plunked out on a thousand parlor pianofortes (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to throw, push, put, or drop heavily or suddenly. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to make a sudden sound like the plucking of a stringed musical instrument. <DD><B> 2. </B>to fall or drop down abruptly; plump. <DD><I>noun </I> (Informal.) <B>1. </B>the act or sound of plunking. <BR> <I>Ex. They played in such magnificent time that every high-stepping foot in all the line came down with the same jubilant plunk (Booth Tarkington).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a direct, forcible blow. <DD><B> 3. </B>(U.S. Slang.) a dollar. <BR> <I>Ex. I'll sell you the Candersen place for three thousand plunks (Sinclair Lewis).</I> <DD><I>adv. </I> with a plunk. <BR><I>expr. <B>plunk down,</B> </I>to hand over payment. <BR> <I>Ex. He plunked down four thousand dollars for the car.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>plunk for,</B> </I>(Informal.) to plump for. <BR> <I>Ex. He'll plunk for more public housing, (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pluperfect">
<B>pluperfect, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>=past perfect.</B> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>of, in, or having to do with the past perfect. <DD><B> 2. </B>more than perfect; very excellent. adv. <B>pluperfectly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="pluperfection">
<B>pluperfection, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality or state of being pluperfect. </DL>
<B>plural, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>more than one. <BR> <I>Ex. plural citizenship.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Grammar.) <DD><B> a. </B>more than one in number. <BR> <I>Ex. "Boy" is singular; "boys" is plural.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>showing more than one in number. <BR> <I>Ex. the plural ending "-s," the plural form "fishes."</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>having to do with or involving a plurality of persons or things; being one of such a plurality. <BR> <I>Ex. Better have none than plural faith (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> (Grammar.) <B>1. </B>a form of a word to show it means more than one. <I>Books</I> is the plural of <I>book; men</I> is the plural of <I>man; are</I> is the plural of <I>is; we</I> is the plural of <I>I; these</I> is the plural of <I>this.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a word or class of words used to show more than one. (Abbr:) pl. </DL>
<A NAME="pluralism">
<B>pluralism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the character, condition, or an instance of being plural. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Sociology.) <DD><B> a. </B>a condition in which ethnic and other minority groups are able to maintain their identities in a society without conflicting with the dominant culture; the relative absence of assimilation in a society. <DD><B> b. </B>belief in or advocacy of such a condition. <DD><B> 3. </B>the theory or belief, incorporated in or essential to various systems of philosophy, that reality has its essence or ultimate being in several or many principles or substances. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Ecclesiastical.) the system or practice by which one person holds two or more offices, especially benefices, at the same time. </DL>
<A NAME="pluralist">
<B>pluralist, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>(Sociology, Philosophy.) an adherent or advocate of pluralism. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who holds two or more offices, especially ecclesiastical benefices, at the same time. <DD><I>adj. </I> pluralistic. </DL>
<A NAME="pluralistic">
<B>pluralistic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with pluralism; characterized by pluralism. <BR> <I>Ex. The United States has followed a pluralistic policy in permitting religious freedom for many different groups.</I> adv. <B>pluralistically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="plurality">
<B>plurality, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>the difference between the number of votes received by the winner of an election and the number received by the next highest candidate. <DD><B> b. </B>the number of votes received by the winner of an election which is less than a majority of the total vote. <DD><B> 2. </B>the greater number; the majority. <DD><B> 3a. </B>a large number; multitude. <DD><B> b. </B>the fact of being numerous; vastness; greatness. <BR> <I>Ex. The plurality of effort, which has been effective in finding the oil the nation needs, thus is also useful in developing methods to prevent its waste (Atlantic).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the state or fact of being plural. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Ecclesiastical.) <DD><B> a. </B>the simultaneous holding of two or more offices or benefices; pluralism. <DD><B> b. </B>any of the offices held under pluralism. </DL>
<A NAME="pluralize">
<B>pluralize, </B>transitive verb, intransitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to make or become plural; express in the plural form. noun <B>pluralization.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="plurally">
<B>plurally, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in the plural number; so as to express more than one. <BR> <I>Ex. The "heavens" when used plurally ... remained expressive of the starry space beyond (John Ruskin).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pluralmarriage">
<B>plural marriage,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> polygamy, especially with reference to the Mormons. </DL>
<A NAME="pluralwife">
<B>plural wife,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of the wives of a polygamist, or in a plural marriage. </DL>
<A NAME="pluri">
<B>pluri-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) having more than one ______; having many ______. <BR> <I>Ex. Pluriaxial = having more than one axis.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pluriaxial">
<B>pluriaxial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having more than one axis. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Botany.) having flowers growing on secondary shoots. </DL>
<A NAME="pluricellular">
<B>pluricellular, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having several cells; multicellular. </DL>
<B>pluripotent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> capable of developing, growing, or producing in a number of ways. <BR> <I>Ex. pluripotent cells.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="plurisyllable">
<B>plurisyllable, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a word of more than one syllable. </DL>
