DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan
P the sixteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a nonvocal consonant whose form and value come from the Latin, into which language the letter was brought, through the ancient Greek, from the Phœnician, its probable origin being Egyptian. Etymologically P is most closely related to b, f, and v; as hobble, hopple; father, paternal; recipient, receive. See B, F, and M.
See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 247, 248, and 184-195.
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P
n 1: a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family
that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as
organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly
reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms [syn: phosphorus,
atomic number 15]
2: the 16th letter of the Roman alphabet