17-letter words containing d, i, p, t
- rapid prototyping — (programming) The creation of a working model of a software module to demonstrate the feasibility and suitability of the function. The prototype is expected to be replaced or refined before inclusion in the final product. Rapid prototyping contrasts with a DIRFT approach which emphasises careful design and implementation to avoid the overheads of debugging and testing prototype code. Rapid prototyping is appropriate when the requirements are unclear or likely to change (which is most of the time).
- redemption center — a commercial establishment at which trading stamps of a specific brand may be exchanged for merchandise.
- refractory period — a short period after a nerve or muscle cell fires during which the cell cannot respond to additional stimulation.
- repeating decimal — a decimal numeral that, after a certain point, consists of a group of one or more digits repeated ad infinitum, as 2.33333 …. or 23.0218181818 ….
- reported question — A reported question is a question which is reported using a clause beginning with a word such as 'why' or 'whether', as in 'I asked her why she'd done it'.
- reproductive cell — gamete.
- reverse apartheid — a perceived bias against White people following the end of Apartheid
- rhodope mountains — a mountain range in SE Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula extending along the border between Bulgaria and Greece. Highest peak: Golyam Perelik (Bulgaria), 2191 m (7188 ft)
- round-trip ticket — a ticket entitling a passenger to travel to his or her destination and back again
- schmidt telescope — a wide-angle reflecting telescope used primarily for astronomical photography, in which spherical aberration and coma are reduced to a minimum by means of a spherical mirror with a corrector plate near its focus.
- self-depreciating — self-deprecating.
- self-reproduction — the act or process of reproducing.
- semisophisticated — somewhat sophisticated.
- serendipity berry — miracle fruit (def 2).
- shipping industry — the industry concerned with transporting freight, esp by ship
- shuttle diplomacy — diplomatic negotiations carried out by a mediator who travels back and forth between the negotiating parties.
- sleep deprivation — a condition in which you have not had enough sleep
- sodium propionate — a transparent, crystalline, water-soluble powder, C 3 H 5 NaO 2 , used in foodstuffs to prevent mold growth, and in medicine as a fungicide.
- sodium pyroborate — borax1 .
- special education — education that is modified or particularized for those with singular needs, as disabled or maladjusted people, slow learners, or gifted children.
- specific humidity — the ratio of the mass of water vapor in air to the total mass of the mixture of air and water vapor.
- spectroradiometer — an instrument for determining the radiant-energy distribution in a spectrum, combining the functions of a spectroscope with those of a radiometer.
- spectrum disorder — any of a group of disorders each having symptoms that occur on a continuum and certain features that are shared along its spectrum but that manifest in markedly different forms and degrees. See also autism spectrum disorder.
- speech difficulty — a problem encountered in speaking
- speech impediment — speaking disorder
- speed restriction — the maximum speed allowed for road vehicles, trains, or other vehicles
- spitting distance — a short space or distance
- split keyboarding — the act or practice of editing data from one terminal on another terminal
- split one's sides — to laugh very heartily
- spondylolisthesis — the forward displacement of a vertebra.
- spotted sandpiper — a North American sandpiper, Actitis macularia, that has brownish-gray upper parts and white underparts, and is spotted with black in the summer.
- st. crispin's day — October 25: anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt (1415).
- stand-up comedian — performer: tells jokes
- standing expenses — fixed or flat expenses or charges
- stars and stripes — US national flag
- stratified sample — a sample that is not drawn at random from the whole population, but separately from a number of disjoint strata of the population in order to ensure a more representative sample
- striped killifish — a killifish, Fundulus majalis, of the Atlantic coast of the U.S., the female of which is marked with black stripes.
- stymphalian birds — a flock of predacious birds of Arcadia that were driven away and killed by Hercules as one of his labors.
- superconductivity — the phenomenon of almost perfect conductivity shown by certain substances at temperatures approaching absolute zero. The recent discovery of materials that are superconductive at temperatures hundreds of degrees above absolute zero raises the possibility of revolutionary developments in the production and transmission of electrical energy.
- take in good part — to respond to (teasing) with good humour
- telescopic damper — a device with telescopic parts that reduce vibration in a motor vehicle
- temporomandibular — of, relating to, or situated near the hinge joint formed by the lower jaw and the temporal bone of the skull.
- terephthalic acid — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C 8 H 6 O 2 , the para isomer of phthalic acid: used chiefly in the manufacture of resins and textile fibers.
- the little dipper — a small faint constellation, the brightest star of which is the Pole Star, lying 1° from the true celestial pole
- the tabloid press — (considered as a whole) newspapers with pages about 30 cm (12 inches) by 40 cm (16 inches), usually characterized by an emphasis on photographs and a concise and often sensational style
- therapeutic index — the ratio between the dosage of a drug that causes a lethal effect and the dosage that causes a therapeutic effect.
- thermoperiodicity — the effect on an organism of rhythmic fluctuations in temperature.
- thiopental sodium — a barbiturate, C 11 H 18 N 2 NaO 2 S, used as an anesthetic in surgery and, in psychiatry, for narcoanalysis and to stimulate recall of past events.
- to open your mind — If something opens your mind to new ideas or experiences, it makes you more willing to accept them or try them.
- to play the field — If someone plays the field, they have a number of different romantic or sexual relationships.