English has borrowed a large number of words and phrases from foreign languages. Here are some of them:
Peccadillo (Spanish) something bad which someone does which is not regarded as very serious or important
The public is willing to forgive him for his peccadillos.
Penchant (French) If you have a penchant for something, you like that thing very much
Some politicians have a penchant for fast cars.
Pendulum (Latin) A long metal stick with a weight at the bottom that swings regularly from side to side to control the working of a clock
‘The pendulum’ is used to talk about the tendency of ideas to change regularly to the opposite.
Will the pendulum swing back for voters to elect a new government?
Per annum (Latin) annually or for every year
You will receive Rs 600,000 per annum.
Per capita (Latin) for each person
What is your country’s per capita income?
Percent / percent (Latin) in the hundred or for every hundred)
The company gave him a ten percent salary increase.
Per diem (Latin) an amount of money that an employer pays a worker for each day
What is your per diem allowance?
Perestroika (Russian) social, political and economic changes that happened in the former USSR in the 1980s
Periphrasis (Greek) use of long words or phrases which are not necessary
Per mensem (Latin) monthly
Per se (Latin) something is being considered alone, not with other connected things
The colour of the shell per se does not affect the quality of the egg.
Persona (Latin) the way you behave when you are with other people or in a particular situation which gives people a particular idea about your character
Persona grata (Latin) a person who is considered acceptable or admissible
Persona non grata (Latin) a person who is considered unacceptable or inadmissible
The government decreed that a foreign journalist was persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country.
Personnel (French) the employees or staff of an organisation or company
Petit bourgeois (French) paying too much attention to things such as social position, money, and possessions – used to show disapproval
Petite (French) trim, slight or small referring to a woman’s figure
Diane was an attractive girl with blonde hair and a petite figure.
Phalanx (Greek) A large group of people or things standing close so that it is difficult to go through them
A solid phalanx of policemen blocked the road to Parliament.
Pharmacopoeia / pharmacopeia (Greek) an official book giving information about medicine
Pharynx (Greek) the tube that goes from the back of your mouth to the place where the tube divides for food and air
Phenomenon (Greek) something that happens or exists in society, science or nature, especially something that is studied because it is difficult to understand
Homelessness is not a new phenomenon.
Phobia (Greek) a strong unreasonable fear of something
Some people have a phobia about snakes.
Phoenix (Greek) a magic bird that is born from a fire, according to ancient stories
‘Rise like a phoenix from the ashes’ means ‘becoming successful again after seeming to have failed completely’
Physique (French) the physical structure of an individual
The ladies admired the strongman’s magnificent physique.
Piano (Italian) a keyboard instrument capable of being played either softly or loudly