17-letter words containing a, n, t, h, r
- nuclear threshold — the point in war at which a combatant brings nuclear weapons into use
- old south arabian — a group of four closely related Semitic languages, having a writing system and used from about the eighth to the fifth centuries b.c. in the southern part of Arabia.
- old spanish trail — an overland route from Santa Fe, N. Mex., to Los Angeles, Calif., first marked out in 1776 by Spanish explorers and missionaries.
- omphalomesenteric — (anatomy) Of or pertaining to the umbilicus and mesentery.
- on the barrelhead — upon being presented for sale; at the time of delivery
- on the other hand — the terminal, prehensile part of the upper limb in humans and other primates, consisting of the wrist, metacarpal area, fingers, and thumb.
- on the wrong tack — a short, sharp-pointed nail, usually with a flat, broad head.
- operating theatre — An operating theatre is a special room in a hospital where surgeons carry out medical operations.
- opisthobranchiate — (zoology) Of or pertaining to the Opisthobranchiata.
- organic chemistry — the branch of chemistry, originally limited to substances found only in living organisms, dealing with the compounds of carbon.
- orthogonal matrix — a matrix that is the inverse of its transpose so that any two rows or any two columns are orthogonal vectors
- orthogonalization — (mathematics) The process of converting a set of functions or vectors into orthogonal ones.
- orthovanadic acid — an oxyacid of vanadium, known chiefly in the form of its vanadate salts. Formula: H3VO4
- overhead lighting — lighting which throws light downwards by being situated on the ceiling or having a downward shade, etc
- pacific northwest — the region of North America lying north of the Columbia River and west of the Rockies
- pair annihilation — Physics. annihilation (def 3a).
- paleoanthropology — the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species, using fossils and other remains.
- parachute payment — a payment made to alleviate hardship resulting from a sudden loss of income
- parathyroid gland — any of several small oval glands usually lying near or embedded in the thyroid gland.
- pastoral symphony — the Symphony No. 6 in F major (1807–08) by Ludwig van Beethoven.
- pentachlorophenol — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble powder, C 6 Cl 5 OH, used chiefly in fungicides, disinfectants, and wood preservatives.
- perpetual spinach — a variety of spinach that keeps producing edible leaves
- personality clash — friction between two people who have different personalities or points of view
- perth and kinross — a council area of N central Scotland, corresponding mainly to the historical counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire: part of Tayside Region from 1975 until 1996: chiefly mountainous, with agriculture, tourism, and forestry. Administrative centre: Perth. Pop: 135 990 (2003 est). Area: 5321 sq km (2019 sq miles)
- petrarchan sonnet — a sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet with one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd.
- phantom pregnancy — the occurrence of signs of pregnancy, such as enlarged abdomen and absence of menstruation, when no embryo is present, due to hormonal imbalance
- philanthropically — of, pertaining to, engaged in, or characterized by philanthropy; benevolent: a philanthropic foundation.
- photo-respiration — the oxidation of carbohydrates in many higher plants in which they get oxygen from light and then release carbon dioxide, somewhat different from photosynthesis.
- photoreactivation — a process that repairs DNA damaged by ultraviolet light using an enzyme that requires visible light.
- physical training — fitness coaching
- pitching rotation — the regular, scheduled succession of starting pitchers designated by a manager: a four-man pitching rotation in September.
- platinic chloride — chloroplatinic acid.
- plug and feathers — an apparatus for splitting stone, consisting of two tapered bars (feathers) inserted into a hole drilled into the stone, between which a narrow wedge (plug) is hammered to spread them.
- point of purchase — designating or in use at a retail outlet where an item can be purchased; point-of-sale: point-of-purchase displays to entice the buyer.
- point-of-purchase — designating or in use at a retail outlet where an item can be purchased; point-of-sale: point-of-purchase displays to entice the buyer.
- portmanteau morph — a phonological unit of more than one morpheme, as French au to (him) from a to + le masculine article, which realizes a preposition and the definite article; a single morph that is analyzed as representing two underlying morphemes.
- pre-authorization — the act of authorizing.
- pre-technological — of or relating to technology; relating to science and industry.
- preferential shop — a shop in which union members are preferred, usually by agreement of an employer with a union.
- private ownership — the fact of being owned by a private individual or organization, rather than by the state or a public body
- prohibition party — a U.S. political party organized in 1869, advocating the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
- prothoracic gland — either of a pair of endocrine glands in the anterior thorax of some insects, functioning to promote the series of molts from hatching to adulthood.
- put on the market — offer for sale
- pythagorean scale — the major scale as derived acoustically by Pythagoras from the perfect fifth.
- quantum chemistry — the application of quantum mechanics to the study of chemical phenomena.
- quick on the draw — having fast reflexes
- racial harassment — persecution on the basis of race
- radiation therapy — x-rays used as treatment
- radio in the loop — Wireless Local Loop
- red and the black — a novel (1832) by Stendhal.