17-letter words containing e, t, h, r, c
- mechanoelectrical — Describing the production of electricity by mechanical motion; especially in a transducer.
- memetic algorithm — (algorithm) A genetic algorithm or evolutionary algorithm which includes a non-genetic local search to improve genotypes. The term comes from the Richard Dawkin's term "meme". One big difference between memes and genes is that memes are processed and possibly improved by the people that hold them - something that cannot happen to genes. It is this advantage that the memetic algorithm has over simple genetic or evolutionary algorithms. These algorithms are useful in solving complex problems, such as the "Travelling Salesman Problem," which involves finding the shortest path through a large number of nodes, or in creating artificial life to test evolutionary theories. Memetic algorithms are one kind of metaheuristic. (07 July 1997)
- mental arithmetic — sums done in your head
- merchant of death — a company, nation, or person that sells military arms on the international market, usually to the highest bidder and without scruple or regard for political ramifications.
- merchant shipping — shipping which is involved in commerce (rather than defence, etc)
- microphanerophyte — any shrub or tree having a height of 2 to 8 metres
- mischaracterizing — Present participle of mischaracterize.
- modulo arithmetic — modular arithmetic
- monarch butterfly — a large, deep-orange butterfly, Danaus plexippus, having black and white markings, the larvae of which feed on the leaves of milkweed.
- muenster (cheese) — a mild light-yellow semisoft cheese
- nathaniel currier — Nathaniel, 1813–88, U.S. lithographer. Compare Ives (def 4).
- near-earth object — a comet or asteroid pushed by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into an orbit that allows it to enter the earth's orbit and thereby pose a danger of collision. Abbreviation: NEO.
- nephelometrically — By means of nephelometry.
- neuropathological — (medicine) Of, pertaining to, or arising from neuropathology, the pathology of nerve tissue.
- neuropsychiatrist — A medical doctor specializing in neuropsychiatry; a medical doctor dealing with disorders that have both neurological and psychiatric features.
- neuropsychologist — A neurologist or psychologist whose speciality is neuropsychology.
- nikita khrushchev — Nikita S(ergeyevich) [ni-kee-tuh sur-gey-uh-vich;; Russian nyi-kyee-tuh syir-gye-yuh-vyich] /nɪˈki tə sɜrˈgeɪ ə vɪtʃ;; Russian nyɪˈkyi tə syɪrˈgyɛ yə vyɪtʃ/ (Show IPA), 1894–1971, Russian political leader: premier of the U.S.S.R. 1958–64.
- non-thermoplastic — soft and pliable when heated, as some plastics, without any change of the inherent properties.
- nonstoichiometric — (of a solid compound) having a composition in which the ratio of the atoms present is not a simple integer
- north little rock — a city in central Arkansas, on the Arkansas River.
- north miami beach — a city in SE Florida.
- northern michigan — the peninsula between lakes Superior and Michigan constituting the N part of Michigan. Abbreviation: U.P.
- nuclear chemistry — the branch of chemistry concerned with nuclear reactions
- nuclear threshold — the point in war at which a combatant brings nuclear weapons into use
- omphalomesenteric — (anatomy) Of or pertaining to the umbilicus and mesentery.
- on the wrong tack — a short, sharp-pointed nail, usually with a flat, broad head.
- once over lightly — a hasty or superficial treatment, look, examination, etc.; once-over: The maid gave the room the once-over-lightly.
- once-over-lightly — a hasty or superficial treatment, look, examination, etc.; once-over: The maid gave the room the once-over-lightly.
- opisthobranchiate — (zoology) Of or pertaining to the Opisthobranchiata.
- organic chemistry — the branch of chemistry, originally limited to substances found only in living organisms, dealing with the compounds of carbon.
- out for the count — If someone is out for the count, they are unconscious or very deeply asleep.
- overhead camshaft — a camshaft in an automotive engine that is located in the cylinder head over the engine block rather than in the block. Abbreviation: OHC.
- overnight success — sth or sb suddenly popular
- oystershell scale — a scale insect, Lepidosaphes ulmi, having a scale shaped like the shell of an oyster, which infests various deciduous trees and shrubs.
- pacific northwest — the region of North America lying north of the Columbia River and west of the Rockies
- paleobiochemistry — the study of biochemical processes that occurred in fossil life forms.
- parachute payment — a payment made to alleviate hardship resulting from a sudden loss of income
- parathyroidectomy — the excision of a parathyroid gland.
- peach bark beetle — a bark beetle, Phloeotribus liminaris, that feeds on and nests in peach and other drupaceous trees.
- pentachlorophenol — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble powder, C 6 Cl 5 OH, used chiefly in fungicides, disinfectants, and wood preservatives.
- perchloroethylene — tetrachloroethylene.
- perpetual spinach — a variety of spinach that keeps producing edible leaves
- personality clash — friction between two people who have different personalities or points of view
- petrarchan sonnet — a sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet with one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd.
- phantom pregnancy — the occurrence of signs of pregnancy, such as enlarged abdomen and absence of menstruation, when no embryo is present, due to hormonal imbalance
- photoreactivation — a process that repairs DNA damaged by ultraviolet light using an enzyme that requires visible light.
- phototherapeutics — the branch of therapeutics that deals with the curative use of light rays.
- platinic chloride — chloroplatinic acid.
- point of purchase — designating or in use at a retail outlet where an item can be purchased; point-of-sale: point-of-purchase displays to entice the buyer.
- point-of-purchase — designating or in use at a retail outlet where an item can be purchased; point-of-sale: point-of-purchase displays to entice the buyer.