16-letter words containing c, a, f, i
- ovals of cassini — the locus of a point x, whose distance from two fixed points, a and b, is such that |x–a| |x–b| is a constant
- pacific sturgeon — a dark gray sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, inhabiting marine and fresh waters along the northwestern coast of North America, valued as a food and sport fish.
- packing fraction — Physics. a measure of the stability of an atomic nucleus, equal to 10 4 multiplied by the mass defect and divided by the mass number.
- pair of scissors — two-bladed cutting tool
- partial fraction — one of the fractions into which a given fraction can be resolved, the sum of such simpler fractions being equal to the given fraction: Partial fractions of 5/(x2−x) are 5/(x−1) and −5/x.
- partial function — A function which is not defined for all arguments of its input type. E.g. f(x) = 1/x if x /= 0. The opposite of a total function. In denotational semantics, a partial function f : D -> C may be represented as a total function ft : D' -> lift(C) where D' is a superset of D and ft x = f x if x in D ft x = bottom otherwise where lift(C) = C U bottom. Bottom (LaTeX \perp) denotes "undefined".
- pathetic fallacy — the endowment of nature, inanimate objects, etc., with human traits and feelings, as in the smiling skies; the angry sea.
- peregrine falcon — a globally distributed falcon, Falco peregrinus, much used in falconry because of its swift flight: several subspecies are endangered.
- persulfuric acid — Also called Caro's acid, permonosulfuric acid, peroxymonosulfuric acid, peroxysulfuric acid. a white, crystalline solid, H 2 SO 5 , used as an oxidizing agent for certain organic compounds.
- phase difference — the difference between two sinusoidally varying quantities that have the same frequency, measured either as an angle or a time
- physical fitness — good physical condition
- place of worship — religious house: church, temple
- placement office — an office in a university that offers students careers advice and help to find employment
- point of contact — (networking) (POC) An individual associated with a particular Internet entity (IP network, domain, ASN).
- practical effect — Usually, practical effects. a special effect that is created live on the set of a film, using real-world objects.
- prespecification — the act of specifying.
- prima facie case — a case in which the evidence produced is sufficient to enable a decision or verdict to be made unless the evidence is rebutted.
- prince's feather — a tall, showy plant, Amaranthus hybridus erythrostachys, of the amaranth family, having reddish foliage and thick spikes of small, red flowers.
- prince's-feather — a tall, showy plant, Amaranthus hybridus erythrostachys, of the amaranth family, having reddish foliage and thick spikes of small, red flowers.
- principal rafter — a diagonal member of a roof principal, usually forming part of a truss and supporting the purlins on which the common rafters rest.
- puddling-furnace — the act of a person or thing that puddles.
- quantum sufficit — as much as suffices; enough.
- quasi-scientific — of or relating to science or the sciences: scientific studies.
- question of fact — a question concerning the reality of an alleged event or circumstance in a trial by jury, usually determined by the jury.
- quick as a flash — If you say that someone reacts to something quick as a flash, you mean that they react to it extremely quickly.
- racial profiling — the use of personal characteristics or behavior patterns to make generalizations about a person, as in gender profiling.
- radius of action — the maximum distance that a ship, aircraft, or land vehicle can travel from its base and return without refuelling
- reclassification — categorization in a different way
- reflection plane — a plane through a crystal that divides the crystal into two halves that are mirror images of each other.
- refracting angle — an angle formed by a ray which is refracted and which is perpendicular to the refracting surface
- refractive index — index of refraction.
- refrigerator car — a freight car having either an ice chest or machinery for chilling perishables and sometimes having a heating unit to keep perishables from freezing.
- reidentification — an act or instance of identifying; the state of being identified.
- releasing factor — a substance usually of hypothalamic origin that triggers the release of a particular hormone from an endocrine gland.
- rich text format — (RTF) An interchange format from Microsoft for exchange of documents between Word and other document preparation systems.
- right about face — Military. a command, given to a soldier or soldiers at attention, to turn the body about toward the right so as to face in the opposite direction. the act of so turning in a prescribed military manner.
- romantic fiction — a genre of fiction focused on romantic love
- sabattier effect — the alteration of the image tones of a photographic print by briefly reexposing the negative after it has been partially developed.
- saccharification — to convert (starch) into sugar.
- sacrificial lamb — If you refer to someone as a sacrificial lamb, you mean that they have been blamed unfairly for something they did not do, usually in order to protect another more powerful person or group.
- safety mechanism — a psychological or physiological response in an individual that protects the individual from harm
- safety-conscious — conscious of being safe and preventing danger
- schiff's reagent — a solution of rosaniline and sulfurous acid in water, used to test for the presence of aldehydes.
- self-containment — the state of being self-contained.
- self-cultivation — the act or art of cultivating.
- self-deliverance — suicide.
- self-deprecating — belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest.
- self-deprecation — belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest.
- self-explication — the act of explicating.
- self-lubricating — to apply some oily or greasy substance to (a machine, parts of a mechanism, etc.) in order to diminish friction; oil or grease (something).