14-letter words containing e, p, a, y
- palaeopedology — the study of ancient soils
- paleogeography — the science of representing the earth's geographic features belonging to any part of the geologic past.
- paleolimnology — the study of ancient lakes from their sediments and fossils.
- paleontography — the formal description of fossils
- pancreatectomy — excision of part or all of the pancreas.
- paper industry — the industry of manufacturing and selling paper
- paper mulberry — a mulberry tree, Broussonetia papyrifera, of eastern Asia, having alternate leaves that vary in size, round catkins, and orange-red fruit, grown widely as a shade tree.
- para-synthesis — the formation of a word by the addition of a derivational suffix to a phrase or compound, as of greathearted, which is great heart plus -ed.
- parametrically — in terms of a parameter
- parenchymatous — Botany. the fundamental tissue of plants, composed of thin-walled cells able to divide.
- parent company — a corporation or other business enterprise that owns controlling interests in one or more subsidiary companies (distinguished from holding company).
- paroemiography — the writing or collecting of proverbs
- parsley family — the plant family Umbelliferae (or Apiaceae), characterized by herbaceous plants having alternate, usually compound leaves, hollow stems, numerous small flowers borne in umbels, and dry, seedlike, often aromatic fruit, and including anise, caraway, carrot, celery, dill, parsley, parsnip, and Queen Anne's lace, as well as poisonous plants such as cowbane and water hemlock.
- partially deaf — suffering from hearing loss; partly deaf
- partridgeberry — a North American trailing plant, Mitchella repens, of the madder family, having roundish evergreen leaves, fragrant white flowers, and scarlet berries.
- passive safety — the practice of taking measures to reduce the consequences of accidents, as opposed to attempting to avoid them altogether
- pastry blender — a kitchen utensil having several parallel wires bent in a semicircle and secured by a handle, used especially for mixing pastry dough.
- paternity suit — legal dispute over identity of father
- paternity test — an assessment of possible paternity based on a comparison of the genetic markers of the offspring and those of the putative father.
- pay for itself — If something that you buy or invest in pays for itself after a period of time, the money you gain from it, or save because you have it, is greater than the amount you originally spent or invested.
- pay one's dues — owed at present; having reached the date for payment: This bill is due.
- pay television — a commercial service that broadcasts or provides television programs to viewers who pay a monthly charge or a per-program fee.
- payback period — the period in which money owed, debts, etc, have to be paid back
- payday lending — the practice of offering short-term loans at high rates of interest, on the agreement that the borrower will pay back the loan when he or she next receives a wage or salary
- payment system — a system used to pay or settle financial transactions
- peanut allergy — a condition of being hypersensitive to peanuts and peanut substances which can lead to severe physical symptoms if peanuts or peanut substances are consumed
- peanut gallery — Informal. the rearmost and cheapest section of seats in the balcony or the uppermost balcony of a theater.
- peck's bad boy — the mischievous boy in a series of newspaper stories and collected volumes by the American newspaperman and humorist George Wilbur Peck (1840–1916).
- pedal keyboard — pedal (def 3a).
- penalty clause — part of contract specifying a forfeit
- penalty corner — a free hit from the goal line taken by the attacking side
- penalty double — business double.
- penalty killer — a player used when the player's team is short-handed as a result of a penalty, especially a player skilled at defense and employed regularly in such situations.
- penalty stroke — a stroke added to a score for a rule infraction.
- penny dreadful — a cheap, sensational novel of adventure, crime, or violence; dime novel.
- penny-dreadful — a cheap, sensational novel of adventure, crime, or violence; dime novel.
- penny-farthing — a high bicycle of an early type, with one large wheel in front and one small wheel behind.
- pentadactylism — the state of having five digits on each limb
- pentamethylene — cyclopentane.
- pentyl acetate — a colourless combustible liquid used as a solvent for paints, in the extraction of penicillin, in photographic film, and as a flavouring. Formula: CH3COOC5H11
- people's party — a political party (1891–1904), advocating expansion of currency, state control of railroads, the placing of restrictions upon ownership of land, etc.; Populist party.
- perceivability — capable of being perceived; perceptible.
- percutaneously — through the skin
- performability — the quality of being performable
- perhydrogenate — to hydrogenate as completely as possible.
- perlocutionary — (of a speech act) producing an effect upon the listener, as in persuading, frightening, amusing, or causing the listener to act.
- peroxy-radical — the bivalent group –O 2 –, derived from hydrogen peroxide.
- pertinaciously — holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute.
- petty criminal — someone who commits petty crime or a petty crime
- petty official — a minor official in government, etc