pppp
Definition(s) of “P”
p
abbreviation
• page.
• ( p- ) [in combination ] Chemistry para- : p-xylene.
• Brit. penny or pence.
• Music piano (softly).
• [in combination ] (in units of measurement) pico- (10 −12): : a 220 pf capacitor.
• Chemistry denoting electrons and orbitals possessing one unit of angular momentum. [ORIGIN: from principal, originally applied to lines in atomic spectra.]
symbol
• Physics pressure.
• Statistics probability.
penny |ˈpenē|
noun
1 a one-cent coin equal to one hundredth of a dollar.
• ( pl. for separate coins pennies , for a sum of money pence |pens|) (abbr.: p.) a British bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound.
• (abbr.: d.) a former British coin and monetary unit equal to one twelfth of a shilling and one 240th of a pound.
• ( pennies) a small sum of money : in the current economic situation any chance to save a few pennies is welcome.
• (in biblical use) a denarius.
2 [with negative ] ( a penny) used for emphasis to denote no money at all : we didn't get paid a penny.
PHRASES
be two (or ten) a penny chiefly Brit. be plentiful or easily obtained and consequently of little value.
pinch (or count or watch) ( one's) pennies be careful about how much one spends : he is pinching pennies to save for a movie | she's been watching her pennies.
in for a penny, in for a pound used to express someone's intention to complete an enterprise once it has been undertaken, however much time, effort, or money this entails.
look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves proverb if you concentrate on saving small amounts of money, you'll soon amass a large amount.
pennies from heaven unexpected benefits, esp. financial ones.
the penny dropped informal chiefly Brit. used to indicate that someone has finally realized or understood something.
a penny for your thoughts used to ask someone what they are thinking about.
a pretty penny a considerable amount of money : old Sid charged a pretty penny for his services.
spend a penny see spend .
ORIGIN Old English penig, penning, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch penning, German Pfennig, perhaps also to pawn 2 and (with reference to shape) pan 1 .
P 1 |pē| (also p)
noun ( pl. Ps or P's |pēz|)
the sixteenth letter of the alphabet.
• denoting the next after O (or N if O is omitted) in a set of items, categories, etc.
PHRASES
mind one's Ps and Qs see mind .
P 2
abbreviation
• pastor.
• father. [ORIGIN: Latin pater.]
• (in tables of sports results) games played.
• (on an automatic gearshift) park.
• (on road signs and street plans) parking.
• peseta.
• peso.
• [in combination ] (in units of measurement) peta- (10 15): : 27 PBq of radioactive material.
• Physics poise (unit of viscosity).
• post.
• president.
• pressure.
• priest.
• prince.
• proprietary.
• progressive.
symbol
• the chemical element phosphorus.
phosphorus |ˈfäsfərəs|
noun
the chemical element of atomic number 15, a poisonous, combustible nonmetal that exists in two common allotropic forms, white phosphorus, a yellowish waxy solid that ignites spontaneously in air and glows in the dark, and red phosphorus, a less reactive form used in making matches. (Symbol: P)
ORIGIN late 17th cent.: from Latin, from Greek phōsphoros, from phōs ‘light’ + -phoros ‘-bringing.’
USAGE See usage at phosphorous .