12-letter words containing a, t, e, f, c
- past perfect — pluperfect.
- patent cliff — a potential sharp drop in sales and revenue for a company when one of its patents expires: the looming patent cliffs faced by pharmaceutical firms.
- peak traffic — traffic at the time it is most busy
- pectoral fin — (in fishes) either of a pair of fins usually situated behind the head, one on each side, and corresponding to the forelimbs of higher vertebrates.
- perfect game — a baseball game in which the same player pitches throughout the full game without allowing any player of the opposing team to reach first base by a base hit, base on balls, error, or any other means. Compare no-hitter.
- perfect ream — a standard quantity of paper, consisting of 20 quires or 500 sheets (formerly 480 sheets), or 516 sheets (printer's ream or perfect ream)
- perfect year — the lunisolar calendar used by Jews, as for determining religious holidays, that is reckoned from 3761 b.c. and was established by Hillel II in the 4th century a.d., the calendar year consisting of 353 days (defective year) 354 days (regular year) or 355 days (perfect year or abundant year) and containing 12 months: Tishri, Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, and Elul, with the 29-day intercalary month of Adar Sheni added after Adar seven times in every 19-year cycle in order to adjust the calendar to the solar cycle. The Jewish ecclesiastical year begins with Nisan and the civil year with Tishri.
- perfectation — the action or process of becoming or causing to become perfect or complete
- petrifaction — the act or process of petrifying; the state of being petrified.
- petrifactive — having the ability to turn substances into stone
- placentiform — shaped like a placenta, with a flat rounded form
- pontificates — the office or term of office of a pontiff.
- postfracture — taking place after a fracture
- power factor — (in an electrical circuit) the ratio of the power dissipated to the product of the input volts times amps
- prefabricate — to fabricate or construct beforehand.
- prefectorial — of, relating to, or characteristic of a prefect: prefectorial powers.
- prime factor — any number in the set of prime numbers that is also a factor of a given integer
- puffa jacket — a warm quilted and padded jacket
- putrefaction — the act or process of putrefying; the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter by bacteria and fungi that results in obnoxiously odorous products; rotting.
- putrefactive — the act or process of putrefying; the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter by bacteria and fungi that results in obnoxiously odorous products; rotting.
- radical left — the faction representing extreme left-wing political views, often Marxist or Maoist in ideology.
- raman effect — the change in wavelength of light scattered while passing through a transparent medium, the collection of new wavelengths (Raman spectrum) being characteristic of the scattering medium and differing from the fluorescent spectrum in being much less intense and in being unrelated to an absorption band of the medium.
- reflectogram — an image of an under-drawing or image taken from beneath the surface of paint in a work of art
- refractivity — the power to refract.
- roof terrace — a garden on the roof of a building
- 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.
- safe-conduct — a document authorizing safe passage through a region, especially in time of war.
- safety catch — a device used in mechanisms, as for elevators, to prevent falling in the event of mechanical failure.
- safety chain — a chain on the fastening of a bracelet, watch, etc, to ensure that it cannot open enough to fall off accidentally
- safety match — a match designed to ignite only when rubbed on a specially prepared surface.
- safety touch — a two-point play
- sanctifiedly — in a sanctified manner
- scared stiff — terrified
- scratch file — A scratch file is a temporary computer file which you use as a work area or as a store while a program is operating.
- self-created — to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes.
- service flat — an apartment with complete hotel services.
- shuttlecraft — space shuttle.
- smooth-faced — beardless; smooth-shaven.
- snotty-faced — having visible nasal mucus on the face
- soft chancre — chancroid.
- somnifacient — causing or inducing sleep.
- sorbefacient — inducing absorption
- space flight — journey into outer space
- stage effect — a highly spectacular or artificial device or means, especially for attracting attention.
- stark effect — Physics. (often lowercase) the splitting into two or more components of the spectral lines of atoms in an electric field.
- stupefacient — stupefying; producing stupor.
- stupefaction — the state of being stupefied; stupor.
- stupefactive — serving to stupefy.
- take care of — a state of mind in which one is troubled; worry, anxiety, or concern: He was never free from care.
- take offence — be upset or shocked