14-letter words containing e, p, l, u
- overparticular — precise beyond necessity
- overpopulation — to fill with an excessive number of people, straining available resources and facilities: Expanding industry has overpopulated the western suburbs.
- overscrupulous — excessively scrupulous.
- painted turtle — a freshwater turtle, Chrysemys picta, common in the U.S., having bright yellow markings on the head and neck and red markings on the margin of the carapace.
- 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.
- paper nautilus — any dibranchiate cephalopod of the genus Argonauta, the female of which has a delicate, white shell.
- paper-shuffler — a person who has a routine desk job.
- papilionaceous — having an irregular corolla shaped somewhat like a butterfly, as the pea and other leguminous plants.
- para-toluidine — a white, flaky, lustrous, very slightly water-soluble solid, C 7 H 9 N, the para isomer of toluidine, used in the manufacture of dyes, in organic synthesis, and as a reagent in tests for nitrite, lignin, and phloroglucinol.
- parallel ruler — a drawing instrument in which two parallel edges are connected so that they remain parallel, although the distance between them can be varied
- parquet circle — parterre (def 1).
- parti-coloured — having different colours in different parts; variegated
- particularized — individualized
- particularness — the quality of being exceptional or individual
- pasteurellosis — hemorrhagic septicemia.
- 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.
- penalty clause — part of contract specifying a forfeit
- penalty double — business double.
- pendulum watch — (formerly) a watch having a balance wheel, especially a balance wheel bearing a fake pendulum bob oscillating behind a window in the dial.
- peninsular war — the war (1808–14) fought in the Iberian Peninsula by British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces against the French, resulting in the defeat of the French: part of the Napoleonic Wars
- pennatulaceous — of or relating to a sea pen
- 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.
- people's court — small-claims court.
- percutaneously — through the skin
- perez esquivel — Adolfo [uh-dol-foh;; Spanish ah-th awl-faw] /əˈdɒl foʊ;; Spanish ɑˈðɔl fɔ/ (Show IPA), born 1931, Argentine sculptor and human rights activist: Nobel prize 1980.
- peritrichously — in a peritrichous manner; in a fashion characteristic of a peritrichous organism
- perlocutionary — (of a speech act) producing an effect upon the listener, as in persuading, frightening, amusing, or causing the listener to act.
- permaculturist — a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem.
- persian walnut — English walnut.
- pertinaciously — holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute.
- perturbational — relating to perturbation
- pharmaceutical — pertaining to pharmacy or pharmacists.
- phenylbutazone — a potent substance, C 1 9 H 2 0 N 2 O 2 , used to reduce pain and inflammation in rheumatic diseases and gout, and used in veterinary medicine for musculoskeletal disorders.
- phenylthiourea — a crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C 6 H 5 NHCSNH 2 , that is either tasteless or bitter, depending upon the heredity of the taster, and is used in medical genetics and as a diagnostic.
- phillips curve — a curve that purports to plot the relationship between unemployment and inflation on the theory that as inflation falls unemployment rises and vice versa
- photoduplicate — photocopy.
- photoluminesce — to produce photoluminescence
- picture layout — a picture spread. See under spread (def 33).
- picture puzzle — jigsaw puzzle (def 1).
- piecrust table — a table having a top, usually round, with a raised and intricately carved edge.
- plain language — language that is clear and easy to understand, with no ambiguity or unnecessarily difficult words
- plastic bullet — A plastic bullet is a large bullet made of plastic, which is intended to make people stop rioting, rather than to kill people.
- platinum metal — any of the group of precious metallic elements consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum
- platycephalous — flat-headed
- pleasurability — the characteristic of being pleasurable
- pleasure craft — A pleasure craft is the same as a pleasure boat.
- plenum-chamber — a system of mechanical ventilation in which fresh air is forced into the spaces to be ventilated from a chamber (plenum chamber) at a pressure slightly higher than atmospheric pressure, so as to expel foul air.
- plesiochronous — (communications) Nearly synchronised, a term describing a communication system where transmitted signals have the same nominal digital rate but are synchronised on different clocks. According to ITU-T standards, corresponding signals are plesiochronous if their significant instants occur at nominally the same rate, with any variation in rate being constrained within specified limits.