16-letter words containing c, a, n, p, e, s
- packet-switching — a method of efficient data transmission whereby the initial message is broken into relatively small units, or packets, that are routed independently and subsequently reassembled.
- paediatric nurse — a nurse who specializes in the care of children
- panel discussion — a formal discussion before an audience for which the topic, speakers, etc., have been selected in advance.
- panoramic screen — a very wide screen, as of a television, etc
- paterson's curse — a purple-flowered noxious plant, Echium plantagineum, a close relative of viper's bugloss, naturalized in Australia and NZ where its harmfulness to livestock has prompted attempts to limit its spread
- pectoralis minor — the smaller of the two large chest muscles that assist in movements of the shoulder and upper arm
- pelagic division — the biogeographic realm or zone that comprises the open seas and oceans, including water of all depths.
- pelican crossing — place to cross road
- pencil sharpener — tool for sharpening pencils to a point
- pentatonic scale — a scale having five tones to an octave, as one having intervals that correspond to the five black keys of a piano octave.
- performance test — a test requiring little or no use of language, the test materials being designed to elicit manual or behavioral responses rather than verbal ones.
- personal effects — belongings
- personality cult — deliberately cultivated adulation of a person, esp a political leader
- personnel agency — an agency for placing employable persons in jobs; employment agency.
- pharmacogenetics — the branch of pharmacology that examines the relation of genetic factors to variations in response to drugs.
- pharmacogenomics — the study of human genetic variability in relation to drug action and its application to medical treatment
- pharmacokinetics — the branch of pharmacology that studies the fate of pharmacological substances in the body, as their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination.
- 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
- physical science — any of the natural sciences dealing with inanimate matter or with energy, as physics, chemistry, and astronomy.
- piece d'occasion — something prepared or used for a special occasion.
- place in the sun — (often initial capital letter) the star that is the central body of the solar system, around which the planets revolve and from which they receive light and heat: its mean distance from the earth is about 93 million miles (150 million km), its diameter about 864,000 miles (1.4 million km), and its mass about 330,000 times that of the earth; its period of surface rotation is about 26 days at its equator but longer at higher latitudes.
- plainclothes man — a detective or police officer who wears civilian clothes while on duty
- play one's cards — to carry out one's plans; take action (esp in the phrase play one's cards right)
- pleased as punch — the chief male character in a Punch-and-Judy show.
- poisoned chalice — If you refer to a job or an opportunity as a poisoned chalice, you mean that it seems to be very attractive but you believe it will lead to failure.
- poitou-charentes — a region of W central France, on the Bay of Biscay: mainly low-lying
- police constable — police officer
- policy statement — a declaration of the plans and intentions of an organization or government
- polycondensation — formation of a polymer by chemical condensation with the elimination of a small molecule, such as water.
- post-renaissance — the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world.
- postencephalitic — inflammation of the substance of the brain.
- practical reason — (in Kantian ethics) reason applied to the problem of action and choice, especially in ethical matters.
- practice session — a period of training that takes place over a set period of time, for example an hour or several hours
- prairie schooner — a type of covered wagon, similar to but smaller than the Conestoga wagon, used by pioneers in crossing the prairies and plains of North America.
- pre-conversation — informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; talk; colloquy.
- pre-solicitation — the act of soliciting.
- precast concrete — ready-formed cement mixture
- precinct station — a police station for police responsible for a district of a city
- preference share — a share of preferred stock.
- prescription pad — a pad of prescriptions used by doctors, etc
- presence chamber — the special room in which a great personage, as a sovereign, receives guests, holds audiences, etc.
- prespecification — the act of specifying.
- price comparison — Price comparison is comparing the price of the same product in different outlets.
- primary consumer — (in the food chain) an animal that feeds on plants; a herbivore.
- 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 clause — the main clause.
- processing plant — a factory where raw materials are treated or prepared by a special method, esp one where food is treated in order to preserve it
- prosecution case — the case brought against someone by a legal authority