poor ( p‹r) adj. poor·er poor·est 1. Having little or no wealth and few or no possessions. 2. Lacking in a specified resource or quality: an area poor in timber and coal; a diet poor in calcium. 3. Not adequate in quality; inferior: a poor performance. 4. a. Lacking in value; insufficient: poor wages. b. Lacking in quantity: poor attendance. 5. Lacking fertility: poor soil. 6. Undernourished; lean. 7. Humble: a poor spirit. 8. Eliciting or deserving pity; pitiable: couldn't rescue the poor fellow. n. used with a pl. verb 1. People with little or no wealth and possessions considered as a group: The urban poor are in need of homes. [Middle English poure from Old French povre from Latin pauper; See pau- in Indo-European Roots.] poor "ness n.

Synonyms: poor indigent needy impecunious penniless impoverished poverty-stricken destitute These adjectives mean lacking the money or the means requisite to an adequate or comfortable life. Poor is the most general: " Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness " (Samuel Johnson). Indigent and needy refer to one in need or want: The town government is responsible for assistance to indigent people. Local politicians used to distribute Thanksgiving turkeys to needy families. Impecunious and penniless mean having little or no money: " Certainly an impecunious Subaltern was not a catch " (Rudyard Kipling). If the breadwinner deserts the family, it will be left penniless. One who is impoverished has been reduced to poverty: The dictator, whose greed and excesses had produced an impoverished citizenry, fled the country. Poverty-stricken means suffering from poverty and miserably poor: " The poverty-stricken exiles contributed far more, in proportion . . . than the wealthy merchants " (John Lothrop Motley). Destitute means lacking any means of subsistence: Some nations have no middle class; one group is rich, while the other is destitute.

Usage Note: In informal speech poor is sometimes used as an adverb, as in They never played poorer. In formal usage more poorly would be required in this example.

pau- . Important derivatives are: few paucity paraffin pauper poor poverty foal filly pony pullet puerile encyclopedia orthopedics Few, little. I. Adjectival form *pau- , few, little. 1. FEW , from Old English f ¶awe, few, from Germanic *fawaz . 2. Suffixed form *pau-ko- . PAUCITY , POCO , from Latin paucus , little, few. 3. Suffixed form *pau-ro- in metathetical form *par-wo- . PARAFFIN , PARVOVIRUS , from Latin parvus , little, small, neuter parvum , becoming parum , little, rarely. 4. Compound *pau-paros , producing little, poor ( *par-os , producing; see per …- 1 ). PAUPER , POOR , POVERTY , from Latin pauper , poor. II. Suffixed reduced variant form *pu-lo- , young of an animal. 1. FOAL , from Old English fola , young horse, colt, from Germanic *ful ½n-. 2. FILLY , from Old Norse fylja , young female horse, from Germanic derivative *fulj ½. III. Basic form *pau- and variant form *p ü-, boy, child. 1. Suffixed form *pu-ero- . PUERILE , PUERPERAL , from Latin puer , child. 2. Extended form *put- . a. POLTROON , PONY , POOL 2 , POULARD , PULLET ; CATCHPOLE , from Latin pullus ( < *putslo- ), young of an animal, chicken; b. PUSILLANIMOUS , from Latin pusillus ( < *putslo-lo ), old diminutive of pullus . 3. Suffixed form *paw-id- . PEDO- 2 ; ENCYCLOPEDIA , ORTHOPEDICS , from Greek pais (stem paid- ), child ( > paideia , education). [ Pokorny p ½u- 842. ]

rough ( r¾f) adj. rough·er rough·est 1. Having a surface marked by irregularities, protuberances, or ridges; not smooth. 2. Coarse or shaggy to the touch: a rough, scratchy blanket. 3. a. Difficult to travel over or through: the rough terrain of the highlands. b. Characterized by violent motion; turbulent: rough waters. c. Difficult to endure or live through, especially because of harsh or inclement weather: a rough winter. d. Unpleasant or difficult: had a rough time during the exam. 4. a. Boisterous, unruly, uncouth, or rowdy: ran with a rough crowd. b. Lacking polish or finesse: rough manners. 5. Characterized by carelessness or force, as in manipulating: broke the crystal through rough handling. 6. Harsh to the ear: a rough, raspy sound. 7. Being in a natural state: rough diamonds. 8. Not perfected, completed, or fully detailed: a rough drawing; rough carpentry. n. 1. a. Rugged, overgrown terrain. b. Sports The part of a golf course left unmowed and uncultivated. 2. The difficult or disagreeable aspect, part, or side: observed politics in the rough when working as an intern on Capitol Hill. 3. Something in an unfinished or hastily worked-out state. 4. A crude, unmannered person; a rowdy. v. tr. roughed rough·ing roughs 1. a. To treat roughly or with physical violence: roughed up his opponent. b. Sports To treat (an opposing player) with unnecessary roughness during a sport or game: roughed the passer and was ejected from the game. 2. To prepare or indicate in an unfinished form: rough out a house plan. adv. 1. In a rough manner; roughly.

Idioms: rough it 1. To live without the usual comforts and conveniences: roughed it in a small hunting shack. [Middle English from Old English r¿h] rough "er n. rough "ly adv. rough "ness n.

Synonyms: rough harsh jagged rugged scabrous uneven These adjectives apply to what is not smooth but has a coarse, irregular surface. Rough describes something that to the sight or touch has inequalities, as projections or ridges: rough bark; rough, chapped hands; a rough homespun fabric. Something harsh is unpleasantly rough, discordant, or grating: harsh burlap; the harsh cry of a crow. Jagged refers to an edge or a surface with irregular projections and indentations: a jagged piece of glass. Rugged, which often refers to strength or endurance, especially in people, can also apply to land surfaces characterized by irregular, often steep rises and slopes: a rugged, rocky trail; rugged countryside. Scabrous means rough and scaly to the tactile sense: a granular, scabrous spot on his cheek. Uneven describes lines or surfaces of which some parts are not level with others: uneven ground; uneven handwriting. rude

Breast ( brµst) n. 1. a. Either of two milk-secreting, glandular organs on the chest of a woman; the human mammary gland. b. A corresponding organ in other mammals. c. A corresponding rudimentary gland in the male. 2. a. The superior ventral surface of the human body, extending from the neck to the abdomen. b. A corresponding part in other animals. 3. The part of a garment that covers the chest. 4. The seat of affection and emotion: " Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast " Shakespeare 5. A source of nourishment. 6. Something likened to the human breast: the breast of a hill. 7. The face of a mine or tunnel. v. tr. breast·ed breast·ing breasts 1. To rise over; climb: " He breasted a rise and looked down. He was at the head of a small valley " Ken Follett 2. To encounter or advance against resolutely; confront boldly. 3. To push against with or as if with the breast. [Middle English brest from Old English br¶ost]

crease ( kr¶s) n. 1. A line made by pressing, folding, or wrinkling. 2. Sports a. A rectangular area marked off in front of the goal in hockey and lacrosse. b. One of the lines in cricket marking off the positions of the bowler and batter or the space between two of these lines. v. creased creas·ing creas·es v. tr. 1. To make a pressed, folded, or wrinkled line in. 2. To graze or wound superficially with a bullet. v. intr. 1. To become wrinkled. [Alteration of creaste perhaps from Middle English creste ridge; See crest ] crease "less adj. crease "proof" adj. creas "er n. creas "y adj.

grease ( gr¶s) n. 1. Soft or melted animal fat, especially after rendering. 2. A thick oil or viscous substance, especially when used as a lubricant. 3. a. The oily substance present in raw wool; suint. B. Raw wool that has not been cleansed of this oily substance. 4. Slang Something, such as money or influence, that facilitates the attainment of an object or a desire: accepted some grease to fix the outcome of the race. v. tr. greased greas·ing greas·es ( gr¶s, gr ¶z) 1. To coat, smear, or soil with grease: greased the pie pan. 2. To lubricate with grease. 3. To facilitate the progress of. 4. Slang To kill. See note at greasy .

Idioms: grease (someone's) palm or grease (someone's) hand Slang 1. To bribe. [Middle English grese from Anglo-Norman grece from Vulgar Latin *crassia from Latin crassus fat, thick] grease "less adj. grease "proof" adj.

please ( pl¶z) v. pleased pleas·ing pleas·es v. tr. 1. To give enjoyment, pleasure, or satisfaction to; make glad or contented. 2. To be the will or desire of: May it please the court to admit this firearm as evidence. v. intr. 1. To give satisfaction or pleasure; be agreeable: waiters who try hard to please. 2. To have the will or desire; wish: Do as you please. Sit down, if you please. adv. 1. If it is your desire or pleasure; if you please. Used in polite requests: Please stand back. Pay attention, please. 2. Yes. Used in polite affirmative replies to offers: May I help you? Please. [Middle English plesen from Old French plaisir from Latin plac¶re;See pl ³k- 1 in Indo-European Roots.] pleas "er n.

Synonyms: please delight gladden gratify tickle The central meaning shared by these verbs is " to give pleasure to ": was pleased by their success; a gift that would delight any child; praise that gladdens the spirit; progress that gratified all concerned; compliments that tickle their vanity.

pl ³k- 1 . Important derivatives are: fluke 1 flake 1 flaw 1 placebo placid plea plead pleasant please complacent placate plank placenta archipelago Also plak- To be flat. Extension of pel …- 2 . I. 1. FLOE , from Old Norse fl ½, layer, coating, from Germanic *fl ½h½. 2. Variant form *pl ³g-. a. FLUKE 1 , from Old English fl ½c, flatfish, from Germanic *fl ½k-; b. FLAKE 1 , from Middle English flake , flake, from a Scandinavian source probably akin to Norwegian flak , flat piece, flake, from Germanic *flakaz ; c. FLAKE 2 , from Old Norse flaki , fleki , hurdle, from Germanic *flak- . 3. Extended form *plak ³. FLAG 4 , FLAW 1 , from Old Norse flaga , layer of stone, from Germanic *flag ½. 4. Possibly suffixed (stative) form *plak- ¶-, to be calm (as of the flat sea). PLACEBO , PLACID , PLEA , ( PLEAD ), PLEASANT , PLEASE ; COMPLACENT , from Latin plac ¶re, to please, be agreeable. 5. Root noun *plak- . ( SUPPLICATE ), SUPPLE , from Latin supplex , suppliant (whence denominative supplic ³re, to beg humbly, first attested in Archaic Latin as sub vos plac ½, I entreat you; sub , under; see upo .) 6. Lengthened suffixed form *pl ³k-³-. PLACABLE , PLACATE , from Latin pl ³c³re, to calm (causative of plac ¶re). 7. Nasalized form *pla-n-k- . PLANCHET , PLANK , from Latin plancus , flat, flat-footed. 8. Variant form *plag- . a. PLAGIARY , from Latin plaga , net (? < " something extended "), perhaps from pl ³k- 1 ; b. PLAGAL , PLAGIO- , PLAYA , from Greek plagos , side. 9. Root form *plak- . PLACENTA , PLACOID ; LEUKOPLAKIA , from Greek plax , flat, flat land, surface. 10. Possible variant form *pelag- . PELAGIC ; ARCHIPELAGO , from Greek pelagos , sea. [ Pokorny 1. pl ³-k- 831. ]

quea·sy also quea·zy ( kw¶"z¶) adj. quea·si·er also quea·zi·er quea·si·est quea·zi·est 1. Experiencing nausea; nauseated. 2. Easily nauseated. 3. Causing nausea; sickening: the queasy lurch of an airplane during a storm. 4. a. Causing uneasiness. b. Uneasy; troubled. 5. a. Easily troubled. b. Ill at ease; squeamish: " He is not queasy about depicting mass violence, in some circumstances, as a legitimate instrument of social transformation " Shaul Bakhash [Middle English coisy perhaps of Scandinavian origin] quea "si·ly adv. quea "si·ness n.

un·eas·y ( ¾n-¶"z¶) adj. un·eas·i·er un·eas·i·est 1. Lacking a sense of security; anxious or apprehensive: The farmers were uneasy until it finally rained. 2. Affording no ease or reassurance: an uneasy calm. 3. a. Awkward or unsure in manner; constrained: uneasy with strangers. b. Causing constraint or awkwardness: an uneasy silence. 4. Not conducive to rest: fell into a fitful, uneasy sleep. un·ease " or un·eas "i·ness n. un·eas "i·ly adv.

un·eas·y ( ¾n-¶"z¶) adj. un·eas·i·er un·eas·i·est 1. Lacking a sense of security; anxious or apprehensive: The farmers were uneasy until it finally rained. 2. Affording no ease or reassurance: an uneasy calm. 3. a. Awkward or unsure in manner; constrained: uneasy with strangers. b. Causing constraint or awkwardness: an uneasy silence. 4. Not conducive to rest: fell into a fitful, uneasy sleep. un·ease " or un·eas "i·ness n. un·eas "i·ly adv.

u·re·ase ( y‹r"¶-³s", - ³z") also u·rase ( y‹r"³s", - ³z") n. 1. An enzyme that promotes the hydrolysis of urea to form ammonium carbonate. [ ure(a) -ase ]