17-letter words containing g, a, i, l
- polarizing filter — a camera lens filter used to control the plane of polarization of light entering the lens.
- political refugee — a person who has fled from a homeland because of political persecution.
- portfolio manager — a person employed by others to make investments for them
- postural drainage — a therapy for clearing congested lungs by placing the patient in a position for drainage by gravity, often accompanied by percussion with hollowed hands.
- pre-technological — of or relating to technology; relating to science and industry.
- prelingually deaf — deaf from birth or having acquired deafness before learning to speak
- programming fluid — (jargon) (Or "wirewater") Coffee, unleaded coffee (decaffeinated), Cola, or any caffeinacious stimulant. Many hackers consider these essential for those all-night hacking runs.
- prothoracic gland — either of a pair of endocrine glands in the anterior thorax of some insects, functioning to promote the series of molts from hatching to adulthood.
- pseudepigraphical — certain writings (other than the canonical books and the Apocrypha) professing to be Biblical in character.
- pseudo-biological — pertaining to biology.
- psychographically — Psychology. a graph indicating the relative strength of the personality traits of an individual.
- purple granadilla — the edible fruit of any of several species of passionflower, especially Passiflora edulis (purple granadilla) or P. quadrangularis (giant granadilla)
- pyroligneous acid — a yellowish, acidic, water-soluble liquid, containing about 10 percent acetic acid, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood: used for smoking meats.
- quasi-legislative — having the function of making laws: a legislative body.
- railroad crossing — place for vehicles to cross train tracks
- rat-tailed maggot — the aquatic larva of any of several syrphid flies of the genus Eristalis, that breathes through a long, thin tube at the posterior end of its body.
- re-entering angle — an interior angle of a polygon that is greater than 180°.
- reading knowledge — the ability to read a language, but not speak it
- receding hairline — hair that is thinning at the front
- receiving blanket — a small blanket, usually of cotton, for wrapping an infant, especially following a bath.
- recreational drug — drug taken for pleasure
- rectangle slinger — polygon pusher
- recurring decimal — Mathematics. repeating decimal.
- repeating decimal — a decimal numeral that, after a certain point, consists of a group of one or more digits repeated ad infinitum, as 2.33333 …. or 23.0218181818 ….
- revealed religion — religion based chiefly on the revelations of God to humans, especially as described in Scripture.
- right-to-work law — a state law making it illegal to refuse employment to a person for the sole reason that he or she is not a union member.
- ring-tailed lemur — a Madagascan prosimian primate, Lemur catta, with a long black and white ringed tail
- rio grande do sul — a state in S Brazil. 107,923 sq. mi. (279,520 sq. km). Capital: Pôrto Alegre.
- rock of gibraltar — a British crown colony comprising a fortress and seaport located on a narrow promontory near the S tip of Spain. 1.875 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).
- role-playing game — a game in which participants adopt the roles of imaginary characters in an adventure under the direction of a Game Master.
- salt negotiations — international diplomatic discussions carried out in connection with SALT
- salt-rising bread — a kind of bread leavened with a fermented mixture of salted milk, cornmeal, flour, sugar, and soda.
- scarlet lightning — scarlet lychnis.
- secondary glazing — insulation by means of a second pane of glass, or a sheet of plastic: a simple form of double glazing
- secondary sealing — Secondary sealing is a system of wiper seals used in floating roof tanks.
- self-aggrandizing — increase of one's own power, wealth, etc., usually aggressively.
- self-depreciating — self-deprecating.
- self-entertaining — affording entertainment; amusing; diverting: We spent an entertaining evening at the theater.
- self-flagellation — the act or process of flagellating.
- self-impregnating — to make pregnant; get with child or young.
- self-perpetuating — continuing oneself in office, rank, etc., beyond the normal limit.
- self-significance — importance; consequence: the significance of the new treaty.
- semi-biographical — of or relating to a person's life: He's gathering biographical data for his book on Milton.
- separating funnel — a large funnel having a tap in its output tube, used to separate immiscible liquids
- septicemic plague — an especially dangerous form of plague in which the infecting organisms invade the bloodstream. Compare plague (def 2).
- sexual generation — the gametophyte generation in the alternation of generations in plants that produces a zygote from male and female gametes.
- shipping articles — articles of agreement.
- shit on a shingle — creamed chipped beef or ground beef in a sauce, served on toast.
- shoestring tackle — a tackle made around the ankles of the ball carrier.
- shopping bag lady — bag lady (def 1).