Favorite Rare Words, P-R

Logolatry

Pagophagia -- eating ice to help offset iron deficiency

Pais -- group of people from whom a jury is drawn

Papafitte -- prehistoric lake dwelling

Palinola -- compulsive repetition of an act until it is perfect

Palpebration -- winking

Pangram -- sentence containing all the letters of the alphabet (how does this work in Chinese?)

Pansexualism -- theory that all thought derived from sexual instinct

Parabolist -- teller of fables

Paralipsis -- fixing attention on subject by pretending to ignore it

Paraph -- fluorish under one's signature

Parnel -- mistress or concubine of a priest

Paroxysm -- fit of passion, laughter, violent coughing

Parvis -- enclosed space at the front of a church

Patriolatry -- excessive devotion or worship of one's native country

Pejorocracy -- government by the worst, or according the worst principles

Penelopize -- to create work as an excuse to deter suitors

Pentheraphobia -- fear or hatred of one's mother-in-law

Pettifogger -- lawyer given to underhanded tactics

Phillumeny -- collecting of matchbox labels

Phosphene -- light seen when the eyeball is pressed

Pigsconce -- blockhead

Pleonasm -- use of more excess words than necessary (uh,...)

Pollard -- tree having the whole crown cut off

Pornocracy -- government by harlots

Pornotopia -- perfect setting for the antics of pornography (I see a move title in this one)

Potamic -- of or relating to rivers

Probang -- flexible rod put down throat to clear obstacle

Prolepsis -- anticipation, device where objections are anticipated

Pseudophonia -- suicide disguised as murder

Psittacism -- parrot-like repetition of speech

Pteronophobia -- fear of being tickled by feathers

Pygia -- pain in the rump

Quillet -- subtle point in argument, a quibble

Recondite -- out of the way, little known

Rectalgia -- pain in the butt

Resipiscence -- recognition of error, change to better frame of mind

Rhabdos -- magic wand

Rhapsodomancy -- divination by opening works of poetry at random

Once more: these are selected from Steve Chrisomalis's wonderful Forthright's Phrontistery site.