12-letter words containing d, o, r, a
- parlor grand — a grand piano smaller than a concert grand but larger than a baby grand.
- parole board — panel who evaluate prisoners for release
- particolored — having different colors in different areas or patches; variegated: a parti-colored dress.
- pas de trois — a dance for three dancers.
- pastry board — a flat board on which pastry is rolled
- peabody bird — the white-throated sparrow.
- peace accord — an official agreement to come to peace or end conflict
- pedantocracy — rule by pedants; a system of government by pedants
- pentacrinoid — a larval crinoid resembling members of the genus Pentacrinus
- pentahydroxy — (of a molecule) containing five hydroxyl groups.
- perez galdos — Benito [buh-nee-toh;; Spanish be-nee-taw] /bəˈni toʊ;; Spanish bɛˈni tɔ/ (Show IPA), 1843–1920, Spanish journalist, dramatist, and novelist.
- period drama — a drama set in a particular historical period
- periodic law — the law that the properties of the elements are periodic functions of their atomic numbers.
- periodically — recurring at intervals of time: periodic revivals of an interest in handicrafts.
- peroxidation — a type of reaction in which oxygen atoms are formed leading to the production of peroxides. It is stimulated in the body by certain toxins and infections
- personalised — to have marked with one's initials, name, or monogram: to personalize stationery.
- personalized — customized
- petrodollars — Petrodollars are a unit of money used to calculate how much a country has earned by exporting petroleum or natural gas.
- petrozavodsk — a city in NW Russia, capital of the Karelian Autonomous Republic, on Lake Onega: developed around ironworks established by Peter the Great in 1703; university (1940). Pop: 265 000 (2005 est)
- photo spread — a picture spread. See under spread (def 33).
- pilot ladder — Jacob's ladder (def 2a).
- pindaric ode — an ode consisting of several units, each of which is composed of a strophe and an antistrophe of identical form followed by a contrasting epode.
- pirate radio — radio broadcasting illegally
- place-holder — Mathematics, Logic. a symbol in an expression that may be replaced by the name of any element of the set.
- plagiohedral — (of a crystal) having faces arranged obliquely in a helix.
- plasterboard — a material used for insulating or covering walls, or as a lath, consisting of paper-covered sheets of gypsum and felt.
- plat du jour — the special or featured dish of the day on a restaurant menu.
- platform bed — a bed, originating in Scandinavia in the 1930s, consisting of a simple shallow box for holding a mattress situated on a slightly recessed pedestal.
- point spread — a betting device, established by oddsmakers and used to attract bettors for uneven competitions, indicating the estimated number of points by which a stronger team can be expected to defeat a weaker team, the point spread being added to the weaker team's actual points in the game and this new figure then compared to the stronger team's points to determine winning bets.
- point-spread — a betting device, established by oddsmakers and used to attract bettors for uneven competitions, indicating the estimated number of points by which a stronger team can be expected to defeat a weaker team, the point spread being added to the weaker team's actual points in the game and this new figure then compared to the stronger team's points to determine winning bets.
- pointed arch — an arch having a pointed apex.
- polar wander — the movement of the earth's magnetic poles with respect to the geographic poles
- pompeian red — a dull, grayish red.
- ponce around — If you say that someone is poncing around or poncing about, you mean that they are not doing something properly, quickly, or seriously.
- poodle-faker — a young man or newly commissioned officer who makes a point of socializing with women; ladies' man
- port de bras — (used with a singular verb) the technique of moving the arms properly.
- postal order — money order.
- postcardlike — (of a scene) resembling a postcard
- postcardware — Shareware that borders on freeware, in that the author requests only that satisfied users send a postcard of their home town or something. (This practice, silly as it might seem, serves to remind users that they are otherwise getting something for nothing, and may also be psychologically related to real estate "sales" in which $1 changes hands just to keep the transaction from being a gift.)
- postdoctoral — of or relating to study or professional work undertaken after the receipt of a doctorate: postdoctoral courses.
- poster board — a thick, fairly stiff cardboard composed of layers of paper or paper pulp compressed together and typically used to support displays.
- postgraduate — of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or consisting of post-graduates: a postgraduate seminar.
- postmeridian — of or relating to the afternoon.
- postprandial — after a meal, especially after dinner: postprandial oratory; a postprandial brandy.
- pot marigold — calendula (def 1).
- powder flask — a small flask of gunpowder formerly carried by soldiers and hunters.
- powder paper — Pharmacology. charta (def 2).
- 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.
- preadmission — (in a reciprocating engine) admission of steam or the like to the head of the cylinder near the end of the stroke, as to cushion the force of the stroke or to allow full pressure at the beginning of the return stroke.
- preannounced — to make known publicly or officially; proclaim; give notice of: to announce a special sale.