12-letter words containing a, s, o, u, n
- patroclinous — inheritance in which the traits of the offspring are derived primarily from the paternal parent (opposed to matrocliny).
- pause button — a button on a video or music player which can be pressed to temporarily stop the playing of the recording
- percussional — of or relating to percussion
- percutaneous — administered, removed, or absorbed by way of the skin, as an injection, needle biopsy, or transdermal drug.
- pertinacious — holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute.
- petrobrusian — a member of a 12th-century sect in S France that rejected the Mass, infant baptism, prayers for the dead, sacerdotalism, the veneration of the cross, and the building of churches.
- picornavirus — any of a group of small, RNA-containing viruses of the family Picornaviridae, infectious to humans and other animals, and including the poliovirus and the rhinoviruses that cause the common cold.
- platanaceous — relating to the family Platanaceae
- plumbaginous — containing graphite.
- pneumatocyst — the cavity of a pneumatophore.
- poison sumac — a shrub or small tree, Rhus vernix (or Toxicodendron vernix), of swampy areas of the eastern U.S., having pinnate leaves and causing severe dermatitis when touched by persons sensitive to it.
- popular song — a song that is written to have an immediate and wide appeal and is usually popular for only a short time, but that sometimes is of a sufficiently high quality to become part of the permanent repertoire of popular music and jazz. Compare standard (def 12).
- porcelainous — made of or resembling porcelain
- porcelaneous — a strong, vitreous, translucent ceramic material, biscuit-fired at a low temperature, the glaze then fired at a very high temperature.
- post-nuclear — pertaining to or involving atomic weapons: nuclear war.
- postal union — an international agreement on postal rates and services.
- postdiluvian — existing or occurring after the Biblical Flood.
- pratincolous — living in a meadow.
- precancerous — showing pathological changes that may be preliminary to malignancy.
- pregustation — the act of tasting beforehand
- prison guard — an officer in charge of prisoners in a jail
- proconsulate — the office or term of office of a proconsul.
- progymnasium — (in Europe) a school that prepares pupils for secondary education (the gymnasium)
- pseudoanemia — Pathology. a quantitative deficiency of the hemoglobin, often accompanied by a reduced number of red blood cells and causing pallor, weakness, and breathlessness.
- pseudorandom — noting or pertaining to random numbers generated by a definite computational process to satisfy a statistical test.
- pterosaurian — a pterosaur
- pugnaciously — inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome; belligerent; combative.
- put years on — to make (someone) feel or look much older
- quadrillions — Plural form of quadrillion.
- quadrisonics — quadraphony.
- quadrumanous — four-handed; having all four feet adapted for use as hands, as monkeys.
- quantisation — Alternative spelling of quantization.
- quasi-normal — conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.
- question tag — interrogative ending to a sentence
- questionable — of doubtful propriety, honesty, morality, respectability, etc.: questionable activities; in questionable taste.
- questionably — of doubtful propriety, honesty, morality, respectability, etc.: questionable activities; in questionable taste.
- quindecagons — Plural form of quindecagon.
- quotableness — the condition or quality of being quotable
- rambunctious — difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous: a rambunctious child.
- ramentaceous — resembling or covered with ramenta.
- reassumption — the act or process of reassuming something
- renovascular — of or relating to the blood vessels of the kidneys.
- restauration — restoration
- resupination — a resupinate condition.
- ribonuclease — any of the class of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of RNA.
- rogue's yarn — a yarn of distinctive color, material, or twist, laid in a strand or strands of a rope to identify the owner or the maker.
- run commands — (operating system) The expansion of the file name suffix, "rc", common to many Unix configuration files, e.g. .newsrc, .cshrc, .twmrc, elmrc, etc. Always abbreviated to /R C/ when spoken. Note, "rc" is not a typical filename extension as it doesn't start with a dot. The suffix "rc" derives from a script-creation utility in CTSS called "runcom".
- russian doll — wooden figures that nest inside one other
- russian zone — a zone in Germany controlled by the Soviet Union 1945–89.
- safe conduct — If you are given safe conduct, the authorities officially allow you to travel somewhere, guaranteeing that you will not be arrested or harmed while doing so.