Pejoration, pē-jō-rā′shun, n. a becoming worse: deterioration.—v.i. Pē′jorāte.—adj. and n. Pē′jorātive.—n. Pējor′ity. [L. pejor, worse, comp. of malus, bad.]
Pekan, pek′an, n. an American species of Marten—called also Wood-shock, Fisher, and Black-fox.
Pekoe, pē′kō, n. a scented black tea. [Chinese.]
Pelage, pel′āj, n. the hair or wool of a mammal. [Fr.]
Pelagian, pē-lā′ji-an, n. one who holds the views of Pelagius, a British monk of the 4th century, who denied original sin.—adj. pertaining to Pelagius.—n. Pelā′gianism, the doctrines of Pelagius.
Pelagic, pē-laj′ik, adj. inhabiting the deep sea, marine, oceanic. [Gr. pelagos, the sea.]
Pelargonium, pel-ar-gō′ni-um, n. a vast genus of beautiful flowering plants of order Geraniaceæ.—adj. Pēlar′gic, stork-like. [Gr. pelargos, stork, the beaked capsules resembling a stork's beak.]
Pelasgic, pē-las′jik, adj. pertaining to the Pelasgians or Pelasgi, a race spread over Greece in prehistoric times, to whom are ascribed many enormous remains built of unhewn stones, without cement—the so-called Pelasgic architecture. Also Pelas′gian.
Pêle-mêle. See Pell-mell, adv.
Pelerine, pel′ėr-in, n. a woman's tippet or cape with long ends coming down in front. [Fr., a tippet—pèlerin, a pilgrim—L. peregrinus, foreign.]