Words that start with P

Pis forPitcher plant

Scientific name: families nepenthaceae and sarraceniaceae

Pitcher plants, like venus fly traps and sundews, are carniverous plants. They eat insects because they grow in very poor soils and need the extra nutrients. Pitcher plants catch insects in deep pitchers that have smooth sides and something sweet at the bottom to attract insects. When an insect is caught inside, the lid of the pitcher closes. Some pitcher plants grow large enough to catch small animals.

Plants

Photo by John Tann

Pis forPith

Pith is the spongy material found inside plant stems. When you are talking about citrus fruit, pith is the bitter white layer surrounding the sweet flesh of the fruit.

Plant parts

Photo of a young man wearing a pith helmet

Photo by Adam Jones, Ph.D.

Pis forPith Helmet

Pith helmets are distinctively shaped, cloth covered helmets made from cork or pith. They were most frequently worn by European explorers in the tropics or desert, on safari.

Headgear

Photo by Scaredy_kat

Pis forPizza

Pizza is a flat, round piece of bread, covered in tomato sauce and lots of other toppings.

Bread

Photo by Dinner Series

Pis forPlacemat

A place mat is a small mat that is put on a table, with one diner's place setting of cutlery and plate on it. Place mats protect the table from damage as well as looking attractive.

Table setting

Photo by Niv Singer

Pis forPlague

A plague is a widespread outbreak of disease or something else bad, such as a plague of locusts. Plagues cause a lot of death or damage.

Medical

Photo by Sarahemcc

Pis forPlain

A plain, also called a savanna, field, grasslands or prairie, is a large open expanse that is covered mostly with grass, and very few trees. Grasslands are found in drier regions all over the world.

Landscape

Photo by Rika Tri Yunarti

Pis forPlaintive

Something is plaintive if it has a sad, mournful tone to it.

Adjectives

Photo by Steven Lilley

Pis forPlait

A plait is much the same as a braid. Plaits and braids are a way of weaving your hair.

Hairstyles

Photo by Phil and Pam Gradwell

Pis forPlane (tool)

A plane is a tool for shaving off thin layers of wood, to make something flatter or thinner. Planes are often used to make a sticky door fit better. Planes have handles on them placed so you can get the best force, and the wood itself is shaved off with an adjustable blade under the plane. Planes work best going with the grain of the wood, not across it. As with many hand tools, you can also buy electric planes that don't require as much force to get them to work.

Tools