<B>procreation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or process of producing offspring; reproduction; begetting. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) production. </DL>
<A NAME="procreative">
<B>procreative, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>producing offspring; begetting; bringing into being. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with procreation. <BR> <I>Ex. the procreative faculty.</I> noun <B>procreativeness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="procreator">
<B>procreator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who begets; parent. </DL>
<A NAME="procrustean">
<B>Procrustean, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with Procrustes or his bed. <DD><B> 2. </B>tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means. <BR> <I>Ex. The Federal statutes of constitutionality now applicable to the states [are] not so strict as to be "Procrustean" (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="procrustes">
<B>Procrustes, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Greek Legend.) a robber who stretched his victims or cut short their legs to make them fit the length of his bed. </DL>
<A NAME="procrustesbed">
<B>Procrustes' bed,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> anything with which people or things are forced to conform, especially by violent and arbitrary means. <BR> <I>Ex. It is becoming increasingly necessary to find some way of breaking out of the Procrustes' bed that the British press has got itself clamped into ... as a result of its excessive dependence on advertising subsidies (Francis Williams).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="proctodeum">
<B>proctodeum</B> or <B>proctodaeum, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an invagination of ectodermal tissue in the embryo which forms part of the anal passage. </DL>
<A NAME="proctologic">
<B>proctologic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with proctology. </DL>
<B>proctologist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person skilled in proctology. </DL>
<A NAME="proctology">
<B>proctology, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the branch of medicine dealing with the rectum and anus. </DL>
<A NAME="proctor">
<B>proctor, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>an official in a college, university, or school who keeps order. <DD><B> b. </B>a person who supervises students during an examination. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person employed to manage another's case in a law court. (SYN) attorney, counselor. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to serve as a proctor at (an examination). </DL>
<A NAME="proctorial">
<B>proctorial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with a proctor. adv. <B>proctorially.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="proctorship">
<B>proctorship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the position of a proctor. </DL>
<A NAME="proctoscope">
<B>proctoscope, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an instrument for inspecting the rectum. </DL>
<A NAME="proctoscopy">
<B>proctoscopy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-pies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an examination of the rectum, especially with a proctoscope. </DL>
<A NAME="procumbent">
<B>procumbent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>lying face down; prone; prostrate. <DD><B> 2. </B>lying or trailing along the ground but not sending down roots. <BR> <I>Ex. a procumbent plant or stem.</I> (SYN) trailing. </DL>
<A NAME="procurable">
<B>procurable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be procured; obtainable. </DL>
<A NAME="procuracy">
<B>procuracy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-cies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the office or service of a procurator. </DL>
<A NAME="procurador">
<B>procurador, </B>noun, pl. <B>-dores.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a member of the national legislature of Spain. </DL>
<A NAME="procurance">
<B>procurance, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act of procuring. </DL>
<A NAME="procuration">
<B>procuration, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of procuring. <DD><B> 2. </B>management for another; agency. <DD><B> 3a. </B>the appointment of an agent. <DD><B> b. </B>the authority given; power of attorney. </DL>
<A NAME="proactive">
<B>proactive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Psychology.) characterized by the dominance of first-learned material over material learned subsequently. <BR> <I>Ex. 24 hours after having learned List I and List II, a subject's recall of List II words diminishes but his recall of List I words does not. This phenomenon, which demonstrates that interference by List I can affect recall of List II is termed "proactive inhibition" (Scientific American).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>active in advance; anticipating trends and working to promote their development. adv. <B>proactively.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="procuratorfiscal">
<B>procurator fiscal,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the public prosecutor of a county in Scotland. </DL>
<A NAME="procurator">
<B>procurator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person employed to manage the affairs of another; person authorized to act for another; agent. <DD><B> 2. </B>a financial agent or administrator of an ancient Roman province. <BR> <I>Ex. A few minor provinces were rather more directly controlled by the emperor and administered by his agents (procurators). Judea, in the time of Our Lord, with its procurator, Pontius Pilate, is the best known of these (Harold Mattingly).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>an attorney for the government in the former Soviet Union; district attorney; prosecutor. </DL>
<A NAME="procuratorial">
<B>procuratorial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with a procurator. </DL>
<A NAME="procuratorship">
<B>procuratorship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the office, function, or term of a procurator. <BR> <I>Ex. ... during the procuratorship of the luckless Pilate (26-36 A.D.) (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="procuratory">
<B>procuratory, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with a procurator or with procuration. </DL>
<A NAME="procure">
<B>procure, </B>verb, <B>-cured,</B> <B>-curing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to get by care or effort; obtain; secure. <BR> <I>Ex. A friend procured a position in the bank for my brother. It is hard to procure water in the desert.</I> (SYN) acquire, gain, win. <DD><B> 2. </B>to bring about; cause. <BR> <I>Ex. The traitors procured the death of the prince.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to obtain (women) for the gratification of lust. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to act as a procurer or procuress. <BR> <I>Ex. How doth my dear morsel, thy mistress? Procures she still? (Shakespeare).</I> noun <B>procurement.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="procurer">
<B>procurer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who procures. <DD><B> 2. </B>a pander; pimp. </DL>
<A NAME="procuress">
<B>procuress, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a woman procurer; bawd. </DL>
<A NAME="procyon">
<B>Procyon, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a star of the first magnitude in the constellation Canis Minor. </DL>
<A NAME="prod">
<B>prod, </B>verb, <B>prodded,</B> <B>prodding,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to poke or jab with something pointed. <BR> <I>Ex. to prod an animal with a stick.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to stir up; urge on; goad. <BR> <I>Ex. to prod a lazy boy to action by threats. The lateness of the hour prodded me to finish quickly. I have vitality enough to kick when prodded (Thomas Huxley).</I> (SYN) incite. <DD><B> 3. </B>to make by poking. <BR> <I>Ex. The lady has prodded little spiriting holes in the damp sand ... with her parasol (Dickens).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a poke; thrust. <BR> <I>Ex. That prod in the ribs hurt.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a stick with a sharp point; goad. <BR> <I>Ex. a cattle prod.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) words, actions, or feelings that prod. <BR> <I>Ex. Weekends I call my salesmen on the phone and give them a prod (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prod">
<B>Prod, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (in Ireland) a Protestant (used in an unfriendly way). </DL>
<A NAME="prod">
<B>prod.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> produced. </DL>
<A NAME="prodder">
<B>prodder, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that prods. </DL>
<A NAME="prodigal">
<B>prodigal, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>spending too much; wasting money or other resources; wasteful. <BR> <I>Ex. a prodigal son, to be prodigal of affection. America has been prodigal of its forests.</I> (SYN) extravagant. <DD><B> 2. </B>abundant; lavish; giving or yielding lavishly or profusely. <BR> <I>Ex. God's prodigal mercies. Of these things I shall be very prodigal in my discourse (Henry Neville).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a person who is wasteful or extravagant; spendthrift. <BR> <I>Ex. The father welcomed the prodigal.</I> adv. <B>prodigally.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="prodigality">
<B>prodigality, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>wasteful or reckless extravagance. <BR> <I>Ex. It is often surprising how men begin to curb their prodigality when convinced they must pay for it (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>rich abundance; profuseness. <BR> <I>Ex. the prodigality of jungle growth.</I> (SYN) profusion. </DL>
<A NAME="prodigiosin">
<B>prodigiosin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an antibiotic used against coccidioidomycosis. </DL>
<A NAME="prodigious">
<B>prodigious, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>very great; huge; vast. <BR> <I>Ex. The ocean contains a prodigious amount of water.</I> (SYN) immense. <DD><B> 2. </B>wonderful; marvelous; amazing. <BR> <I>Ex. a prodigious feat.</I> (SYN) astonishing. <DD><B> 3. </B>out of the ordinary; abnormal; monstrous. <BR> <I>Ex. Nature breeds, Perverse, all monstrous, all prodigious things (Milton).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) being a portent. adv. <B>prodigiously.</B> noun <B>prodigiousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="prodigy">
<B>prodigy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-gies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a marvel; wonder; surprise. A child prodigy is a child remarkably brilliant in some respect. <DD><B> 2. </B>a marvelous example. <BR> <I>Ex. The warriors performed prodigies of valor. Samson performed prodigies of strength.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a wonderful sign or omen. <BR> <I>Ex. An eclipse of the sun seemed a prodigy to early man. The old men paid careful attention to omens and prodigies, and especially to their dreams (Francis Parkman).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>something out of the ordinary; abnormality. </DL>
<A NAME="prodomos">
<B>prodomos, </B>noun, pl. <B>-moi.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a roofed, open space with pillars on one side. </DL>
