patristic (en)

(adjective) of or relating to the church fathers or their writings

patronymic (en)

denoting or relating to a name derived from the name of a father or male ancestor

pelagian (en)

(noun) one agreeing with Pelagius in denying original sin and consequently in holding that individuals have perfect freedom to do either right or wrong / (adjective) of or relating to Pelagians or Pelagianism

pelagic (en)

(adjective) of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea; oceanic

percipience (en)

(noun) perception

Percy Lubbock (en)

an English writer whose 1921 volume The Craft of Fiction was one of the first major works of literary criticism to focus on the novel as a form

Periclean (en)

of or relating to Pericles or to the period (Periclean Age) when Athens was intellectually, artistically, and materially preeminent

periplus (en)

a manuscript document that lists the ports and coastal landmarks, in order and with approximate intervening distances, that the captain of a vessel could expect to find along a shore

Petrashevsky Circle (en)

group of progressive-minded commoner-intellectuals in St. Petersburg in the 1840s; in 1849, members of the Circle were arrested and imprisoned, including Dostoyevsky

petrous (en)

(adjective) of, relating to, or constituting the exceptionally hard and dense portion of the human temporal bone that contains the internal auditory organs

pettifogging (en)

(adj) placing undue emphasis on petty details; petty or trivial

phantasm (en)

an apparition or specter

phantasmagoric (en)

(noun) an exhibition of optical effects and illusions / (noun) a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined / (noun) a scene that constantly changes / (noun) a bizarre or fantastic combination, collection, or assemblage

philippic (en)

(noun) a discourse or declamation full of bitter condemnation; tirade

Philoctetes (en)

(Greek mythology) Greek hero and subject of a play by Sophocles'

philter (en)

(noun) a potion credited with magical power / (noun) a potion, drug, or charm held to have the power to arouse sexual passion

phlebitis (en)

(noun) inflammation of a vein, often occurring in the legs and involving the formation of a thrombus, characterized by swelling, pain, and change of skin color

phylogenic (en)

relating to phylogeny (the development or evolution of a particular group of organisms)

physis (en)

a Greek theological, philosophical, and scientific term usually translated into English as "nature".

piacular (en)

sacrificial, expiatory; making or requiring atonement

picric (en)

(noun) a toxic yellow crystalline phenol derivative C6H3N3O7 structurally similar to TNT and used especially as a high explosive and as a dye or mordant

pier-glass (en)

a large mirror, used originally to fill wall space between windows

pietistic (en)

(adjective) of or relating to Pietism / (adjective) of or relating to religious devotion or devout persons / (adjective) marked by overly sentimental or emotional devotion to religion; religiose

pillion (en)

a seat for a passenger behind a motorcyclist

Piranesi (en)

an Italian artist famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric "prisons