17-letter words containing h, a, l, e, r
- on the barrelhead — upon being presented for sale; at the time of delivery
- overhead lighting — lighting which throws light downwards by being situated on the ceiling or having a downward shade, etc
- overreach oneself — to fail because of trying to do more than one can
- oystershell scale — a scale insect, Lepidosaphes ulmi, having a scale shaped like the shell of an oyster, which infests various deciduous trees and shrubs.
- palaeoarchaeology — the branch of archaeology concerned with the earliest fossil remains
- paleoanthropology — the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species, using fossils and other remains.
- paleobiochemistry — the study of biochemical processes that occurred in fossil life forms.
- paleobiogeography — the study of the distribution of ancient plants and animals and their relation to ancient geographic features.
- parker house roll — a soft dinner roll made by folding a flat disk of dough in half.
- partially sighted — unable to see properly so that even with corrective aids normal activities are prevented or seriously hindered
- past life therapy — a form of hypnosis or meditation based on the belief that an individual's present problems are rooted in events that occurred before birth in this life
- pastoral theology — the branch of theology dealing with the responsibilities of members of the clergy to the people under their care.
- peach bark beetle — a bark beetle, Phloeotribus liminaris, that feeds on and nests in peach and other drupaceous trees.
- peer of the realm — any of a class of peers in Great Britain and Ireland entitled by heredity to sit in the House of Lords.
- pentachlorophenol — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble powder, C 6 Cl 5 OH, used chiefly in fungicides, disinfectants, and wood preservatives.
- peripheral device — peripheral
- peripheral vision — all that is visible to the eye outside the central area of focus; side vision.
- 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
- phenylformic acid — benzoic acid.
- phonological rule — an operation in generative phonology that substitutes one sound or class of sounds for another in a phonological derivation.
- physical exercise — movements and activities done to keep your body healthy or make it stronger
- platinic chloride — chloroplatinic acid.
- plug and feathers — an apparatus for splitting stone, consisting of two tapered bars (feathers) inserted into a hole drilled into the stone, between which a narrow wedge (plug) is hammered to spread them.
- polymorphonuclear — (of a leukocyte) having a lobulate nucleus.
- potato leafhopper — any of various leafhoppers that are serious pests, damaging a wide variety of cultivated and wild plants, especially potatoes.
- pre-technological — of or relating to technology; relating to science and industry.
- preferential shop — a shop in which union members are preferred, usually by agreement of an employer with a union.
- pseudepigraphical — certain writings (other than the canonical books and the Apocrypha) professing to be Biblical in character.
- pseudo-historical — of, pertaining to, treating, or characteristic of history or past events: historical records; historical research.
- pull your head in — be quiet!
- purple shore crab — any of numerous crabs that live along the shoreline between the tidemarks, as Hemigrapsus nudus (purple shore crab) of the Pacific coast of North America.
- pythagorean scale — the major scale as derived acoustically by Pythagoras from the perfect fifth.
- racial harassment — persecution on the basis of race
- radio in the loop — Wireless Local Loop
- receding hairline — hair that is thinning at the front
- red and the black — a novel (1832) by Stendhal.
- rehospitalization — the act, process, or state of being hospitalized.
- relative humidity — the amount of water vapor in the air, expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount that the air could hold at the given temperature; the ratio of the actual water vapor pressure to the saturation vapor pressure. Abbreviation: RH, rh.
- relative pathname — (file system) A path relative to the working directory. Its first character can be anything but the pathname separator.
- republic of china — People's Republic of, a country in E Asia. 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Capital: Beijing.
- republic-of-china — People's Republic of, a country in E Asia. 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Capital: Beijing.
- reticulate python — a python, Python reticulatus, of southeastern Asia and the East Indies, sometimes growing to a length of 32 feet (10 meters): usually considered to be the largest snake in the world.
- revealed theology — theology based on the doctrine that all religious truth is derived exclusively from the revelations of God to humans.
- reza shah pahlavi — Muhammad Riza (or Reza) [ri-zah] /rɪˈzɑ/ (Show IPA), 1919–80, shah of Iran 1941–79; in exile after 1979 (son of Riza Shah Pahlavi).
- rhetorical stress — stress required by the meaning of a line, as distinguished from that required by the meter.
- rhode island bent — a European pasture grass, Agrostis tenuis, naturalized in North America, having red flower clusters.
- rough-legged hawk — a large hawk, Buteo lagopus, of the Northern Hemisphere, that feeds chiefly on small rodents.
- salt of the earth — an individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society.
- san pedro channel — a strait between the mainland of SW California and Santa Catalina Island. About 20 miles (32 km) wide.