The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (61 page)

proscenium (praseeneem,proseeneem)
GREEK [proskenion in front of the scene]
noun (plural prosceniums or proscenia, praseeneea, proseeneea) the
stage in ancient Greek and Roman
theaters; in the modern theater it
can refer either to the front part of
the stage in front of the curtains or,
more often, to the arch that frames
the stage itself, dividing the playing
area from the forestage and the auditorium: "The role of the conventional
proscenium has changed out of all recognition in modern theater, with numerous
performances taking place in the round
and even in the midst of audiences."

prosciutto (proshooto) ITALIAN [from
presci utto ham, from prae pre and asci utto
dried out] noun (plural prosciuttos or
prosciutti, proshootee) a variety of
dry-cured spiced Italian ham.

prosit (~rozat, bsat), r prost
(prost) GERMAN [from Latin prosit
may it be beneficial] interjection good
health, cheers (a German drinking
toast) .

prospectus (prasektas, prospektas)
LATIN [prospect, outlook, from prospicere to look forward] noun (plural
prospectuses, praVektasaz, prospek tasaz) a brochure, pamphlet, or
preliminary document containing a
forecast and other details about a
future project, enterprise, or literary
work or describing a stock offering or
a mutual fund: "The company's prospectus was impressive, but the investors still
had their doubts."

prosthesis (prostheesis, rosthasas)
GREEK [prostithenai to add to] noun
(plural prostheses, prostheeseez) an
artificial limb or other artificial
replacement for a body part.

protean (proteean, proteehn) GREEK
[after the classical Greek sea god Protens, who could change his shape at
will] adjective versatile, variable:
"Donald appeared not to see her at all,
and answered her wise little remarkes with
curtly indifferent monosyllables, his looks
and faculties hanging on the woman who
could boast of a more Protean variety in her
phase, moods, opinions, and also principles,
than could Elizabeth" (Thomas Hardy,
The Mayor of Casterbridge, 1886).

protege (orotezhay, protazhhr) FRENCH
[protected person, past participle of
proteger to protect] noun a pupil, an
individual who enjoys the protection,
patronage, sponsorship, or guidance of
another more experienced or influential person: `He spent years as the CEO's
protege, patiently awaiting the day when
he would step into the limelight himself."
-noun, feminine protegee.

pro tempore (pro temparee) LATIN
[for a time] adverb phrase for the time
being. 'abbreviated form pro tem.

proviso (pravizo) LATIN [provided,
past participle of providere to provide]
noun (plural provisos or provisoes a
clause or article detailing a condition, qualification, stipulation, limitation, or exception in an agreement
or legal document: "To this Lady Tringle
added her proviso, that she should have the
choice" (Anthony Trollope, Ayala's Angel,
1881).

provolone (provalonee, Avalon)
ITALIAN [from provola buffalo's-milk
cheese] noun a soft mellow Italian smoked cheese made from cow's
milk: "Would you like provolone orAmerican cheese on your cheese steak?"

proximo (pLoksamo) LATIN [from
proximo mense in the next month]
adjective of or relating to the next
month. 'abbreviated form prox.

pruritus (prooritas) LATIN [itching]
noun (in medicine) an intense itching of the skin, which may be a symptom of various conditions.

PS See POSTSCRIPTUM.

pseudo (soo(1o) GREEK [false] adjective false, fake, counterfeit, spurious;
can also refer to a person who is
affected or pretentious. noun a

person who pretends to be more
than he or she is (especially intellectually). Often combined, as a prefix,
with other words, e.g., pseudo intellectual, pseudoscience.

pseudo- (suudo) GREEK [from pseudes
false] prefix false, not genuine, e.g.,
pseudo-intellectual, pseudonym.

psoriasis (sariasis) GREEK [itching
disease, from psora itch] noun a
noninfectious chronic skin disease
characterized by red itchy patches
covered with silvery scales.

psyche (sikee) GREEK [from psukhe
soul, spirit, ghost, breath] noun the
mind, the soul, the self, the ego, the
personality.

psycho- (siko) GREEK [from psuche
breath, spirit, or mind] prefix of or
relating to the mind, e.g., psychoanalysis, psychopath.

pucka See PUKKA.

pudendum (pyooden(1am) LATIN
[from pudendus something shameful,
gerundive of pudere to he ashamed]
noun (plural pudenda, pyoodenda)
the external genitalia (usually referring to females).

pueblo (pweblo, poocblo) SPANISH
[village, ultimately from Latin populus people] noun a Native American communal dwelling typical of those
found in certain parts of the SW
United States; also, a Native American
village in the same region.

puerperium (pyoo5roree2m) LATIN
[childbirth, from puerperus in labor]
noun (in medicine) a period of around
six weeks after childbirth, during
which the mother's reproductive
organs return to their former state.

puisne (poonee) FRENCH [born afterward, younger] adjective subordinate,
inferior, junior, associate, later.

puissance (weesons, pV oO sons)
FRENCH [power, from puissant powerful] noun power, authority, influence,
sway: `And after these King Arthur for a
space / And through the puissance of his
Table Round, / Drew all their petty princedoms under him" (Alfred, LordTennyson,
Idylls of the King, 1859).

pukka ($aka), pucka HINDI [from
pakka cooked, ripe, mature] adjective genuine, authentic, real, reliable,
first-class: "Honest, sir, this is a pukka
antique Queen Anne bedstead."

puma ( oom3) r SPANISH [from
Quechua] noun a cougar, a mountain lion.

pumpernickel (p1mp5rnik5l) GERMAN [from pumpern to break wind
and Nickel goblin] noun a variety of dark, heavy German bread made from
wholemeal rye flour.

pundit (edit), pandit HINDI [from
pandita learned] noun a teacher or
learned person; by extension, a critic
or other informed observer or expert:
`Political pundits are predicting an overwhelming victory for the president."

pupa (p)oopa) LATIN [girl, doll]
noun (plural pupas or pupae, o),oopee) an insect in the inactive immature stage between larva and adult,
during which many changes occur.

purdah (perdu) URDU [from parda
screen, veil] noun the seclusion of
women from the public gaze in orthodox Muslim and Hindu society (in
private quarters or with faces hidden
by veils in public) and hence any state
of seclusion or enforced isolation: "The
released hostages are being kept in purdah
until they have been fully debriefed."

puree (pyoor, pyooree), puree
FRENCH [from puree, itself from purer
to purify, to strain] noun a thick paste
made from pulped vegetables, fruit,
or other ingredients. -verb to prepare
such a paste.

Purim (rim) HEBREW [from
purim, plural of pur lot, from the
casting of lots by Haman] noun a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from Haman's
planned massacre, as recorded in the
Book of Esther.

putsch (puch) SWISS GERMAN [insurrection] noun a secretly plotted and
usually unexpected and possibly violent
attempt to overthrow a government or
eliminate political opponents: "Most of
the political opposition was eliminated in a
putsch later that spring."

putto (junto) ITALIAN [boy, probably
ultimately from Latin putus boy] noun
(plural putti, uutee) a representation of a naked or seminaked boy,
angel, or cherub (a standard character
of Renaissance art).

putt (puutz, puts) GERMAN [decoration, from Yiddish] noun (slang) a

fool or an unpleasant person (originally slang for a penis).

pyrexia (pirekseed) LATIN [from
Greek purexis, from pur fire] noun (in
medicine) a raised body temperature,
or fever.

pyromania (pironeea, pirorna)
GREEK [madness for fire] noun an
obsessive urge to start fires.

pyrrhic (piirik) LATIN [after Pyrrhus,
a king of Epirus whose army suffered
heavy casualties against the Romans
at Apulum in 279 B.c.] adjective at
too great a cost (usually referring to
victories gained only with heavy losses
to the winning side): "The press hailed
the success of the negotiations, but everyone
knew it was a pyrrhic victory."

Q.E.D. See QUOD ERAT DEMONSTRANDUM.

Q.E.F. See QUOD ERAT FACIENDUM.

qi See CH'I.

qigong, chi kung (chee gong) CHINESE [from qi energy and gong exercise] noun a Chinese system of
coordinated exercises and breathing
patterns designed to promote both
physical and mental health.

q.s. See QUANTUM SUFFICIT.

qua (kway, kwah) LATIN [by, with, or
from whom] preposition (formal) in
the capacity of, as: "The article focuses
on Clint Eastwood qua director rather than
qua actor."

Quadragesima, Quadrigesima (kwodrajesima) LATIN [fortieth] noun
(in Christianity) the first Sunday in
Lent, i.e., the 40th day before Easter;
formerly used to refer to Lent as a
whole.

quadrille (kwodril, kwodril) FRENCH
[small square, from Spanish cuadrilla
square block, from cuadro square]
noun a riding display or alternatively a square dance for four couples
(or music written to accompany such
a dance): "`...you can have no idea what
a delightful thing a Lobster Quadrille
is!' No, indeed,' said Alice. What sort of
a dance is it?"' (Lewis Carroll, Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland, 1865).

quaere (kwiree) LATIN [to ask, imperative of quaerere to question, to inquire]
noun a query, a question.

quant. suff. See QUANTUM SUFFICIT.

quantum (kwontim) LATIN [neuter of
quantus how much, how great] noun
(plural quanta, kwonta) an amount,
quantity, portion, share, part. -adjective large, significant, abrupt: "Recent
advances in electronics represent a quantum leap in technology."

quantum meruit (kwontam merooit)
LATIN [so much as he/she has deserved] noun phrase as much as he
or she is entitled to (usually relating
to sums of money due for services
rendered or work done).

quantum sufficit (kwontam safisit)
LATIN [as much as suffices] noun phrase
as much as is needed, to a sufficient
extent. 'abbreviated forms q.s., quant.
suff.

quarantine (kwor5nteen) FRENCH
[from quarantaine, from quarante forty]
noun a period of isolation (originally
lasting 40 days) that may be imposed
on any person, animal, or ship to prevent the spread of disease or pests: "The
dog was kept in quarantine until it was clear
that it was not infected." 'verb to place a
person, animal, or ship in isolation to
prevent the spread of disease or pests.

quark (kwahrk) GERMAN [curd] noun
a low-fat curd cheese of German
origin.

quartier (kahrty4) FRENCH [from
Latin quartus fourth] noun a quarter,
district, area (usually of a city): "My
father gave me a profuse allowance, and
I might have lived (had I chosen) in the
Q,uartier de 1'Etoile and driven to my studies daily" (Robert Louis Stevenson, The
Wrecker, 1892).

quarto (kwortO) ITALIAN [from quartus fourth] noun a size of paper measuring 91/2 by 12 inches (241 by 305
mm), or a book printed on pages

of this size: "The maps were printed on
quarto pages and had lost little of their
original color."

quasi (kw4zi, km4si, kwahzee,
kwahzee) LATIN [as it were, just
as if] adjective resembling, virtual
(often used in combination with other
words): "It was clear to him that the police
suspected him of running a quasicasino in
his restaurant." -adverb seemingly, in
some sense.

quasi- (kkyzi) LATIN [as if] prefix
almost, apparently but not really, e.g.,
quasi judicial, quasi-religious.

quatrain (kwotrayn) FRENCH [from
quatre four] noun a stanza of four
lines, either rhymed or unrhymed, the
most common kind having alternate
rhymes.

quattrocento (kwotrochento), quatrocento ITALIAN [four hundred]
noun the 15th century (usually
relating to Italian history or the arts).
-adjective of or relating to the 15th
century. See also CINQUECENTO.

quel (kel), quelle FRENCH [what]
adjective what: "Quelle horreur!"

quelque chose (kelka shot) FRENCH
[some thing] noun phrase something,
something extra, the necessary extra
thing: "I think the whole outfit still lacks
quelque chose, but I can't quite put my
finger on it."

quenelle (kanel) FRENCH [from German Knodel dumpling] noun a
poached dumpling of ground meat or
fish served in a cream sauce.

que sera, sera See CHE SARA, SARA.

questionnaire (kweschanair, kwestyanair) FRENCH [list of questions, from
questionner to question] noun a document comprising a series of questions,
a survey based on such a series of
questions: "She was accosted in the street
by an overbearing woman carrying a questionnaire about her shopping habits."

quiche (keesh) FRENCH [from Alsatian dialect KUchen cake] noun a
savory pie made with milk, eggs,
cheese, and other ingredients.