14-letter words containing a, r
- pascal's wager — the argument put forth by Blaise Pascal that it is in one's best interest to believe in the existence of God, as it is a rational assumption and does no harm, and the possibility of eternal punishment in hell outweighs any advantage of believing otherwise.
- paschal letter — (in the early Christian church) a letter, written by a patriarch, archbishop, or bishop to a cleric under his authority, announcing the date of the next Easter festival.
- paschen series — a series of lines in the infrared spectrum of hydrogen.
- passenger cell — the inside of a vehicle, in which people sit
- passenger door — a car door that is used by a passenger
- passenger list — register of all travellers on board
- passenger mile — a unit of measurement, consisting of one mile traveled by a passenger, that airlines, railroads, and other public transportation facilities use in recording volume of traffic.
- passenger seat — vehicle: chair next to the driver
- passenger ship — a ship carrying passengers
- passenger side — the side of a car which is not the driver's side
- passion killer — something that is sexually unattractive or inhibiting
- passive reason — the reasoning faculty existing only within an individual mind, limited in scope and perishing with the body.
- passive-matrix — of or relating to a relatively low-resolution liquid-crystal display (LCD) with low contrast, a type of flat-panel display.
- passport photo — image on identity document
- pasteur effect — the inhibiting of fermentation by oxygen.
- pasteurellosis — hemorrhagic septicemia.
- pasteurization — to expose (a food, as milk, cheese, yogurt, beer, or wine) to an elevated temperature for a period of time sufficient to destroy certain microorganisms, as those that can produce disease or cause spoilage or undesirable fermentation of food, without radically altering taste or quality.
- pastry blender — a kitchen utensil having several parallel wires bent in a semicircle and secured by a handle, used especially for mixing pastry dough.
- patch together — assemble roughly
- patent leather — a hard, glossy, smooth leather, used especially in shoes and accessories.
- paternity suit — legal dispute over identity of father
- paternity test — an assessment of possible paternity based on a comparison of the genetic markers of the offspring and those of the putative father.
- patresfamilias — a plural of paterfamilias.
- patrialisation — the process of patrialising
- patrialization — the process of patrializing
- patriarchalism — a philosophy, form, or system of patriarchal government.
- patrick, saint — Saint, a.d. 389?–461? British missionary and bishop in Ireland: patron saint of Ireland.
- pauper's grave — a grave paid for at public expense because the deceased person's family could not afford one
- pax britannica — a peace imposed by Great Britain upon hostile nations, especially in the 19th century.
- pay bargaining — negotiating concerning salary or pay
- pay for itself — If something that you buy or invest in pays for itself after a period of time, the money you gain from it, or save because you have it, is greater than the amount you originally spent or invested.
- payback period — the period in which money owed, debts, etc, have to be paid back
- paz estenssoro — Victor [beek-tawr] /ˈbik tɔr/ (Show IPA), 1907–2001, Bolivian economist and statesman: president 1952–56, 1960–64, 1985–89.
- peace offering — any offering made to procure peace.
- peacock-flower — royal poinciana.
- peanut allergy — a condition of being hypersensitive to peanuts and peanut substances which can lead to severe physical symptoms if peanuts or peanut substances are consumed
- peanut gallery — Informal. the rearmost and cheapest section of seats in the balcony or the uppermost balcony of a theater.
- pearl necklace — jewelry: string of pearls
- pebble-leather — a small, rounded stone, especially one worn smooth by the action of water.
- pectinesterase — an enzyme present in plants, and some bacteria and fungi, which hydrolyses pectin
- pectoral cross — a cross worn on the breast by various prelates, as a designation of office.
- pedal keyboard — pedal (def 3a).
- pedestrianized — A pedestrianized area has been made into an area that is intended for pedestrians, not vehicles.
- pelican-flower — a woody vine, Aristolochia grandiflora, of the West Indies, having heart-shaped leaves and purple-spotted, purple-veined flowers from 18 to 24 inches (46 to 61 cm) wide with a long, taillike structure at the tip of the corolla.
- pembroke table — a drop-leaf table with fly rails and with a drawer at one end or each end of the skirt.
- penalty corner — a free hit from the goal line taken by the attacking side
- penalty killer — a player used when the player's team is short-handed as a result of a penalty, especially a player skilled at defense and employed regularly in such situations.
- penalty stroke — a stroke added to a score for a rule infraction.
- penetrableness — the state of being penetrable; the capacity to be penetrated
- peninsular war — the war (1808–14) fought in the Iberian Peninsula by British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces against the French, resulting in the defeat of the French: part of the Napoleonic Wars