16-letter words containing a, g, p, i, s
- packet-switching — a method of efficient data transmission whereby the initial message is broken into relatively small units, or packets, that are routed independently and subsequently reassembled.
- parallel sailing — sailing along a parallel of latitude.
- parents' evening — an occasion when the parents of children at a school and their teachers come together (outside normal school hours, in the evening) in order to discuss the progress or work of the children
- passage to india — a novel (1924) by E. M. Forster.
- passenger pigeon — an extinct pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, once found in great numbers in North America, noted for its sustained migratory flights.
- past progressive — a verb form consisting of an auxiliary be in the past tense followed by a present participle and used especially to indicate that an action or event was incomplete or in progress at a point of reference in the past, as was sleeping in I was sleeping when the phone rang.
- pelagian islands — a group of Italian islands (Lampedusa, Linosa, and Lampione) in the Mediterranean, between Tunisia and Malta. Pop: 6066 (2004 est). Area: about 27 sq km (11 sq miles)
- pelagic division — the biogeographic realm or zone that comprises the open seas and oceans, including water of all depths.
- pelican crossing — place to cross road
- pension mortgage — an arrangement whereby a person takes out a mortgage and pays the capital repayment instalments into a pension fund and the interest to the mortgagee. The loan is repaid out of the tax-free lump sum proceeds of the pension plan on the borrower's retirement
- personal hygiene — bodily cleanliness
- phantasmagorical — having a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination.
- pharmacogenetics — the branch of pharmacology that examines the relation of genetic factors to variations in response to drugs.
- pharmacogenomics — the study of human genetic variability in relation to drug action and its application to medical treatment
- phosphor fatigue — screen saver
- physiognomically — the face or countenance, especially when considered as an index to the character: a fierce physiognomy.
- pigs in blankets — small frankfurters wrapped in dough and baked, served as an appetizer
- play off against — If you play people off against each other, you make them compete or argue, so that you gain some advantage.
- pleasure-seeking — always looking for pleasure
- point of sailing — the bearing of a sailing vessel, considered with relation to the direction of the wind.
- pork scratchings — small pieces of crisply cooked pork crackling, eaten cold as an appetizer with drinks
- portuguese india — a former Portuguese overseas territory on the W coast of India, consisting of the districts of Gôa, Daman, and Diu: annexed by India December 1961. Capital: Gôa.
- posigrade rocket — an auxiliary rocket used to separate the sections of a multistage rocket, fired in the direction of flight.
- pre-registration — the act of registering.
- pressure flaking — a method of manufacturing a flint tool by pressing flakes from a stone core with a pointed implement, usually of wood tipped with antler or copper.
- prestidigitation — sleight of hand; legerdemain.
- preunderstanding — to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend: to understand Spanish; I didn't understand your question.
- processing plant — a factory where raw materials are treated or prepared by a special method, esp one where food is treated in order to preserve it
- prognostic chart — a chart showing the predicted state of the atmosphere for a given time in the future.
- progressive jazz — an experimental, nonmelodic, and often free-flowing style of modern jazz, especially in the form of highly dissonant, rhythmically complex orchestral arrangements. Compare bop1 , cool jazz, hard bop, modern jazz.
- proposal writing — Extension of Fortran for proposal writing.
- psychobiological — the use of biological methods to study normal and abnormal emotional and cognitive processes, as the anatomical basis of memory or neurochemical abnormalities in schizophrenia.
- psychogeriatrics — the psychology of old age.
- punitive damages — law: penalty payment
- purchasing agent — a person who buys materials, supplies, equipment, etc., for a company.
- purchasing power — Also called buying power. the ability to purchase goods and services.
- reporting clause — A reporting clause is a clause which indicates that you are talking about what someone said or thought. For example, in 'She said that she was hungry', 'She said' is a reporting clause.
- rhinopharyngitis — inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and pharynx.
- run a tight ship — a vessel, especially a large oceangoing one propelled by sails or engines.
- saint petersburg — Also called Russian Empire. Russian Rossiya. a former empire in E Europe and N and W Asia: overthrown by the Russian Revolution 1917. Capital: St. Petersburg (1703–1917).
- santa fe springs — a city in SW California, near Los Angeles: oil wells.
- saratoga springs — a city in E New York: health resort; horse races.
- schaumburg-lippe — a former state in NW Germany.
- scrovegni chapel — Arena Chapel.
- seating capacity — the number of people a place can seat
- self-deprecating — belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest.
- self-disparaging — that disparages; tending to belittle or bring reproach upon: a disparaging remark.
- self-proclaiming — to announce or declare in an official or formal manner: to proclaim war.
- self-propagating — to cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.
- self-replicating — reproducing itself by its own power or inherent nature: self-replicating organisms.