12-letter words containing a, s, u
- paying guest — lodger
- peacefulness — characterized by peace; free from war, strife, commotion, violence, or disorder: a peaceful reign; a peaceful demonstration.
- pearl primus — Pearl, 1919–1994, U.S. dancer, born in Trinidad.
- peau de soie — a soft, satin-weave cloth of silk or rayon, grainy and having a dull luster, used to make dresses, coats, trimmings, etc.
- percussional — of or relating to percussion
- percutaneous — administered, removed, or absorbed by way of the skin, as an injection, needle biopsy, or transdermal drug.
- periostracum — the external, chitinlike covering of the shell of certain mollusks that protects the limy portion from acids.
- perpetualism — a belief in the permanence of a given thing; the belief that a given thing (e.g. the world, a political system) will last forever
- perpetualist — someone who holds to any form of perpetualism
- persian gulf — strait in the Indian Ocean
- persuasively — able, fitted, or intended to persuade: a very persuasive argument.
- pertinacious — holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute.
- pervicacious — extremely willful; obstinate; stubborn.
- petaliferous — bearing or having petals.
- 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.
- philadelphus — (Philadelphus) king of Pergamum c159–138 b.c.
- phosphaturia — the presence of an excessive quantity of phosphates in the urine.
- phytophagous — herbivorous.
- 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.
- picture sash — a large window sash, as for a picture window.
- platanaceous — relating to the family Platanaceae
- plattdeutsch — the Low German vernacular dialects spoken in northern Germany.
- plausibility — having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable: a plausible excuse; a plausible plot.
- pleiochasium — a flowering system in which several buds come out at the same time
- plug casting — bait casting in which a plug is used as the lure.
- plumbaginous — containing graphite.
- plumulaceous — having the texture of down.
- plunge basin — a cavity at the base of a falls or cataract, formed by the action of the falling water.
- 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.
- polychaetous — of or relating to the genus Polychaeta
- polyomavirus — any of a genus (Polyomavirus) of papovaviruses that naturally infect wild and laboratory mice, and that cause tumors when injected into newborn mice
- polypetalous — having a corolla of separate petals.
- polysepalous — having a calyx of separate or unconnected sepals.
- 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.
- pork sausage — a sausage made with pork
- post-nuclear — pertaining to or involving atomic weapons: nuclear war.
- postal union — an international agreement on postal rates and services.
- postdiluvial — existing or occurring after the biblical Flood
- postdiluvian — existing or occurring after the Biblical Flood.
- postfracture — taking place after a fracture
- postgraduate — of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or consisting of post-graduates: a postgraduate seminar.
- postsurgical — pertaining to or involving surgery or surgeons.
- praseodymium — a rare-earth, metallic, trivalent element, named from its green salts. Symbol: Pr; atomic weight: 140.91; atomic number: 59; specific gravity: 6.77 at 20°C.
- pratincolous — living in a meadow.
- pre-issuance — the act of issuing.
- pre-purchase — to acquire by the payment of money or its equivalent; buy.
- preassurance — a guarantee or assurance offered beforehand