17-letter words containing f, e, i
- identity function — identity (def 9d).
- if all else fails — You say if all else fails to suggest what could be done in a certain situation if all the other things you have tried are unsuccessful.
- image intensifier — any of various devices for amplifying the intensity of an optical image, sometimes used in conjunction with an image converter
- immunofluorescent — Of, pertaining to, or using immunofluorescence.
- impersonification — (archaic) the act of impersonating; impersonation.
- impossible figure — a picture of an object that at first sight looks three-dimensional but cannot be a two-dimensional projection of a real three-dimensional object, for example a picture of a staircase that re-enters itself while appearing to ascend continuously
- improper fraction — a fraction having the numerator greater than the denominator.
- in a fit of pique — If someone does something in a fit of pique, they do it suddenly because they are annoyed at being not treated properly.
- in double figures — An amount or number that is in single figures is between zero and nine. An amount or number that is in double figures is between ten and ninety-nine. You can also say, for example, that an amount or number is in three figures when it is between one hundred and nine hundred and ninety-nine.
- in forma pauperis — as a poor person; i.e. without paying court costs
- in one fell swoop — to sweep through the air, as a bird or a bat, especially down upon prey.
- in recognition of — If something is done in recognition of someone's achievements, it is done as a way of showing official appreciation of them.
- in someone's face — the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin.
- in the family way — a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family. a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for: a single-parent family.
- in the front line — Someone who is in the front line has to play a very important part in defending or achieving something.
- in the market for — an open place or a covered building where buyers and sellers convene for the sale of goods; a marketplace: a farmers' market.
- in the process of — If you are in the process of doing something, you have started to do it and are still doing it.
- in/out of keeping — If one thing is in keeping with another, it is suitable in relation to that thing. If one thing is out of keeping with another, it is not suitable in relation to that thing.
- inclusive fitness — the fitness of an individual organism as measured in terms of the survival and reproductive success of its kin, each relative being valued according to the probability of shared genetic information, an offspring or sibling having a value of 50 percent and a cousin 25 percent.
- incomplete flower — a flower without one or more of the normal parts, as carpels, sepals, petals, pistils, or stamens.
- indefatigableness — The state of being indefatigable.
- indefinite number — a variable or unspecified number.
- induction furnace — a type of electric furnace used for melting a charge of scrap by the heat produced by its own electrical resistance.
- inefficaciousness — Lack of efficacy.
- inertial platform — self-contained navigational devices used in inertial guidance, along with their mounting.
- infinite integral — improper integral (def 1).
- infinitive clause — a clause containing an infinitive as its main or only verb form, as to speak clearly in Try to speak clearly.
- infinitive marker — a word or affix occurring with the verb stem in the infinitive, such as to in to make
- influence peddler — a person who arranges to obtain favors, as government contracts, from high officials on behalf of others for a fee.
- instrument flying — the control and navigation of an aircraft by reference to its gauges, with no or only limited visual reference outside the cockpit.
- integral function — an entire function.
- intensive farming — battery rearing of animals
- interconfessional — common to or occurring between churches having different confessions.
- interfenestration — a space between two windows.
- interference drag — the drag on an aircraft caused by the interaction of two aerodynamic bodies.
- interim financing — temporary financing
- internal conflict — psychological struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character, the resolution of which creates the plot's suspense: Hamlet's inaction is caused by internal conflict.
- interprofessional — following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
- intraspecifically — Between individuals of the same species.
- irons in the fire — If someone has a lot of irons in the fire, they are involved in several different activities or have several different plans.
- isherwood framing — a system for framing steel vessels in which light, closely spaced, longitudinal frames are connected by heavy, widely spaced transverse frames with deep webs.
- island of the sun — Sicily: the island where Helius kept his oxen.
- it's your funeral — If someone says to you 'It's your funeral', they think your decision or your actions will have bad consequences for you, but they are unwilling to interfere.
- job specification — a detailed description of the qualifications, skills, and experience required for a particular post of employment
- judgment of paris — the decision by Paris to award Aphrodite the golden apple of discord competed for by Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera.
- jumping-off place — a place for use as a starting point: Paris was the jumping-off place for our tour of Europe.
- juvenile offender — a child or young person who has been found guilty of some offence, act of vandalism, or antisocial behaviour before a juvenile court
- knocking-off time — the time when you finish work
- kolar gold fields — a city in S India, in SE Karnataka: a major gold-mining centre since 1881. Pop: 176 000 (2005 est)
- lady of the night — a tropical American shrub, Brunfelsia americana, of the nightshade family, having berrylike yellow fruit and fragrant white flowers.