17-letter words containing a, d, l, i, t, e
- the life and soul — a person regarded as the main source of merriment and liveliness
- the silken ladder — a one-act opera by Rossini, telling the story of Giulia, who is secretly married to Dorvil; he visits her bedroom every night by climbing up a ladder made of silk. Giulia's guardian, Dormont, expects her to marry Blansac, but she introduces Blansac to her cousin Lucilla; after much confusion, the two couples are joyfully united
- the tabloid press — (considered as a whole) newspapers with pages about 30 cm (12 inches) by 40 cm (16 inches), usually characterized by an emphasis on photographs and a concise and often sensational style
- thermal diffusion — the separation of constituents, often isotopes, of a fluid under the influence of a temperature gradient.
- thermal radiation — electromagnetic radiation emitted by all matter above a temperature of absolute zero because of the thermal motion of atomic particles.
- thiopental sodium — a barbiturate, C 11 H 18 N 2 NaO 2 S, used as an anesthetic in surgery and, in psychiatry, for narcoanalysis and to stimulate recall of past events.
- three mile island — an island in the Susquehanna River, near Middletown, Pennsylvania, SE of Harrisburg: scene of a near-disastrous accident at a nuclear plant in 1979 that raised the issue of nuclear-energy safety.
- three-dimensional — having, or seeming to have, the dimension of depth as well as width and height.
- tibetan highlands — Tibet, Plateau of.
- to play the field — If someone plays the field, they have a number of different romantic or sexual relationships.
- transcendentalism — transcendental character, thought, or language.
- transcendentalist — transcendental character, thought, or language.
- transcendentalize — to cause to become transcendent.
- tridimensionality — having three dimensions.
- tropical medicine — the branch of medicine dealing with the study and treatment of diseases occurring in the tropics.
- trucial sheikdoms — an independent federation in E Arabia, formed in 1971, now comprising seven emirates on the S coast (formerly, Pirate Coast or Trucial Coast) of the Persian Gulf, formerly under British protection: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah (joined 1972), and Fujairah. About 32,300 sq. mi. (83,657 sq. km). Capital: Abu Dhabi. Abbreviation: U.A.E.
- understandability — capable of being understood; comprehensible.
- undistinguishable — to mark off as different (often followed by from or by): He was distinguished from the other boys by his height.
- unpredictableness — not predictable; not to be foreseen or foretold: an unpredictable occurrence.
- valetudinarianism — the state, condition, or habits of a valetudinarian.
- veiltail goldfish — an artificially bred, indoor variety of goldfish, usually golden or calico and of a spheroid shape, having a fully divided, drooping tail fin exceeding the body in length.
- vice-presidential — relating to a person who ranks immediately below the chief executive or head of state of a republic
- visible radiation — electromagnetic radiation that causes the sensation of sight; light. It has wavelengths between about 380 and 780 nanometres
- voidable contract — a contract or agreement that is capable of being made of no legal effect or made void
- vulcan death grip — (jargon) A variant of Vulcan nerve pinch derived from a Star Trek classic epsisode where a non-existant "Vulcan death grip" was used to fool Romulans that Spock had killed Kirk.
- wade-giles system — a system of Romanization of Chinese, devised by Sir Thomas Francis Wade (1818–95) and adapted by Herbert Allen Giles (1845–1935), widely used in representing Chinese words and names in English, especially before the adoption of pinyin.
- wage differential — the difference in wages between workers with different skills in the same industry or between those with comparable skills in different industries or localities
- well-investigated — to examine, study, or inquire into systematically; search or examine into the particulars of; examine in detail.
- white-tailed deer — a common North American deer, Odocoileus virginianus, having a tail with a white underside.
- white-tailed kite — an American kite, Elanus leucurus, having gray plumage with a white head, breast, and tail.
- wild sweet potato — man-of-the-earth.
- withdrawal method — a method of contraception in which the man withdraws his penis from the woman's vagina before ejaculation
- yield the palm to — to acknowledge the superiority of; admit to defeat by
- yield to maturity — The yield to maturity of a bond is the rate of return on the bond if it is held to its maturity date.