Pyjamas comes from Persian pāy jāma , meaning 'leg clothing'.
py|lon /pa I lɒn/ (pylons ) N‑COUNT Pylons are very tall metal structures which hold electric cables high above the ground so that electricity can be transmitted over long distances. □ …electricity pylons.
pyra|mid /p I rəm I d/ (pyramids )
1 N‑COUNT Pyramids are ancient stone buildings with four triangular sloping sides. The most famous pyramids are those built in ancient Egypt to contain the bodies of their kings and queens. □ We set off to see the Pyramids and Sphinx.
2 N‑COUNT A pyramid is a shape, object, or pile of things with a flat base and sloping triangular sides that meet at a point. □ [+ of ] On a plate in front of him was piled a pyramid of flat white biscuits.
3 N‑COUNT You can describe something as a pyramid when it is organized so that there are fewer people at each level as you go towards the top. □ The structure of the group is more like a loose net than a hierarchical pyramid.
py|rami|dal /p I rəm I d ə l, p I ræ m-/ ADJ Something that is pyramidal is shaped like a pyramid. [FORMAL ] □ …a black pyramidal tent.
pyra|mid se ll|ing N‑UNCOUNT Pyramid selling is a method of selling in which one person buys a supply of a particular product direct from the manufacturer and then sells it to a number of other people at an increased price. These people sell it on to others in a similar way, but eventually the final buyers are only able to sell the product for less than they paid for it. [BUSINESS ] □ If the scheme appears to be a pyramid selling scam, have nothing to do with it.
pyre /pa I ə r / (pyres ) N‑COUNT A pyre is a high pile of wood built outside on which people burn a dead body or other things in a ceremony.
Py|rex /pa I ə reks/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Pyrex is a type of strong glass which is used for making bowls and dishes that do not break when you cook things in them. [TRADEMARK ]
pyro|ma|ni|ac /pa I ə roʊme I niæk/ (pyromaniacs ) N‑COUNT A pyromaniac is a person who has an uncontrollable desire to start fires.
pyro|tech|nics /pa I roʊte kn I ks/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Pyrotechnics is the making or displaying of fireworks. □ The festival will feature pyrotechnics, live music, and sculptures.
2 N‑PLURAL Impressive and exciting displays of skill are sometimes referred to as pyrotechnics . □ …the soaring pyrotechnics of the singer's voice.
Pyr|rhic vic|to|ry /p I r I k v I ktəri/ (Pyrrhic victories ) also pyrrhic victory N‑COUNT If you describe a victory as a Pyrrhic victory , you mean that although someone has won or gained something, they have also lost something which was worth even more.
py|thon /pa I θən/ (pythons ) N‑COUNT A python is a large snake that kills animals by squeezing them with its body.
Q , q /kjuː / (Q's, q's ) N‑VAR Q is the seventeenth letter of the English alphabet.
Q & A /kjuː ən e I / also Q and A N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Q & A is a situation in which a person or group of people asks questions and another person or group of people answers them. Q & A is short for 'question and answer'. □ …a Q & A session with a prominent politician.
QC /kjuː siː / (QCs ) N‑COUNT In Britain, a QC is a senior barrister. QC is an abbreviation for 'Queen's Counsel'. □ He hired a top QC to defend him.
QR code /kjuːɑː r koʊ d/ (QR codes ) N‑COUNT A QR code is a pattern of black and white squares that can be read by a smart phone, allowing the phone user to get more information about something. QR code is an abbreviation for 'Quick Response code'. □ The advert includes a QR code.
quack /kwæ k/ (quacks , quacking , quacked )
1 N‑COUNT [oft N n] If you call someone a quack or a quack doctor , you mean that they claim to be skilled in medicine but are not. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ I went everywhere for treatment, tried all sorts of quacks.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Quack remedies or quack cures are medical treatments that you think are unlikely to work because they are not scientific. [DISAPPROVAL ]
3 VERB When a duck quacks , it makes the noise that ducks typically make. □ [V ] There were ducks quacking on the lawn. ● N‑COUNT Quack is also a noun. □ Suddenly he heard a quack.
quack|ery /kwæ kəri/ N‑UNCOUNT If you refer to a form of medical treatment as quackery , you think that it is unlikely to work because it is not scientific. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ To some people, herbal medicine is quackery.
quad /kwɒ d/ (quads )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Quads are the same as quadruplets . □ …a 34-year-old mother of quads.
2 N‑COUNT A quad is the same as a quadrangle . [INFORMAL ] □ His rooms were on the left-hand side of the quad.
qua d bike (quad bikes ) N‑COUNT A quad bike is a kind of motorbike with four large wheels that people ride for fun or in races.
quad|ran|gle /kwɒ dræŋg ə l/ (quadrangles ) N‑COUNT A quadrangle is an open square area with buildings round it, especially in a college or school.
quad|rant /kwɒ drənt/ (quadrants ) N‑COUNT [adj N ] A quadrant is one of four equal parts into which a circle or other shape has been divided. □ [+ of ] A symbol appears in an upper quadrant of the screen.
quad|rille /kwɒdriː l/ (quadrilles ) N‑COUNT A quadrille is a type of old-fashioned dance for four or more couples.
quad|ri|plegic /kwɒ dr I pliː dʒ I k/ (quadriplegics ) N‑COUNT A quadriplegic is a person who is permanently unable to use their arms and legs. ● ADJ Quadriplegic is also an adjective. □ He is now quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair.