16-letter words containing a, l, u, m
- natural monopoly — the situation when, due to the economies of scale of a particular industry, the maximum efficiency of production and distribution is realized through a single supplier
- nautical almanac — a year book containing tidal and astronomical information for navigators
- neuroepithelioma — Neurocytoma.
- non-accumulative — tending to accumulate or arising from accumulation; cumulative.
- non-illumination — an act or instance of illuminating.
- non-instrumental — serving or acting as an instrument or means; useful; helpful.
- nuclear emulsion — a photographic emulsion in the form of a thick block, used to record the tracks of elementary particles.
- nuclear magneton — a unit of magnetic moment, used to measure proton spin and approximately equal to 1/1836 Bohr magneton.
- nuclear medicine — diagnostic and therapeutic medical techniques using radionuclides or radioisotopes.
- nuclear membrane — the double membrane surrounding the nucleus within a cell.
- nuclear umbrella — a guarantee from a country or state that possesses nuclear weapons to a country that does not that they will defend them
- operating manual — a leaflet of instructions on how to use something (such as an electrical appliance, etc)
- optical computer — an experimental computer that uses photons rather than electrical impulses to process data a thousand times faster than with conventional integrated circuits.
- outsmart oneself — to have one's efforts at cunning or cleverness result in one's own disadvantage
- overaccumulation — Accumulation of too much.
- oxycalcium light — calcium light.
- painted trillium — a North American trillium, Trillium undulatum, having white flowers streaked with pink or purple.
- palmer peninsula — former name of Antarctic Peninsula.
- palmtop computer — a computer that has a small screen and compressed keyboard and is small enough to be held in the hand, often used as a personal organizer
- palomar mountain — mountain in SW Calif., near San Diego: site of an astronomical observatory: 6,140 ft (1,871 m)
- papillary muscle — one of the small bundles of muscles attached to the ventricle walls and to the chordae tendineae that tighten these tendons during ventricular contraction.
- parasol mushroom — a common edible field mushroom, Macrolepiota (Lepiota) procera, having a light-brown, scaly cap.
- pentothal sodium — thiopental sodium
- permaculturalist — a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem.
- perpetual motion — the motion of a theoretical mechanism that, without any losses due to friction or other forms of dissipation of energy, would continue to operate indefinitely at the same rate without any external energy being applied to it.
- phase modulation — radio transmission in which the carrier wave is modulated by changing its phase to transmit the amplitude and pitch of the signal.
- photograph album — bound book for photos
- platinum-iridium — (standard) A standard, against which all others of the same category are measured. Usage: silly. The notion is that one of whatever it is has actually been cast in platinum-iridium alloy and placed in the vault beside the Standard Kilogram at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris, as the bar defining the standard metre once was. "This garbage collection algorithm has been tested against the platinum-iridium cons cell in Paris." Compare golden.
- pleasure steamer — a boat powered by steam, used for recreational purposes
- plymouth company — a company, formed in England in 1606 to establish colonies in America and that founded a colony in Maine in 1607.
- pneumonic plague — a form of plague characterized by lung involvement.
- political asylum — asylum provided by one nation to refugees, especially political refugees, from another nation.
- print journalism — journalism as practiced in newspapers and magazines.
- pseudohemophilia — a clotting disorder caused by abnormal factor VIII activity, and characterized by a prolonged bleeding time but without the delayed coagulation time of hemophilia.
- pullorum disease — a highly contagious, frequently fatal disease of young poultry caused by the bacterium Salmonella gallinarum (pullorum), transmitted by the infected hen during egg production, and characterized by weakness, loss of appetite, and diarrhea.
- pulmonary artery — an artery conveying venous blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs.
- pulse modulation — a type of modulation in which a train of pulses is used as the carrier wave, one or more of its parameters, such as amplitude, being modulated or modified in order to carry information
- punctuationalism — punctuated equilibrium.
- put in mothballs — to postpone work on (a project, activity, etc)
- quadrimillennial — Occurring every four thousand years.
- quasi-commercial — of, relating to, or characteristic of commerce.
- quasi-compulsory — required; mandatory; obligatory: compulsory education.
- quasi-diplomatic — of, relating to, or engaged in diplomacy: diplomatic officials.
- quasi-legitimate — according to law; lawful: the property's legitimate owner.
- quasi-managerial — pertaining to management or a manager: managerial functions; the managerial class of society.
- query by example — (database, language) (QBE) A user-friendly query language developed by Moshé Zloof of IBM in 1975.
- real-time euclid — Real-time language, restriction to time-bounded constructs. ["Real-Time Euclid: A Language for Reliable Real-Time Systems", E. Kligerman et al, IEEE Trans Software Eng SE-12(9):941-1986-09-949].
- redemption value — the price at which the issuing company may choose to repurchase a security before its maturity date
- relative maximum — maximum (def 4a).
- relative minimum — minimum (def 5a).