17-letter words containing h, a, o
- court of chancery — (in the US) a court of equity
- court-of-chancery — chancery (def 4a).
- courtship display — behaviour that is aimed at attracting a mate
- crampon technique — a climbing style that uses crampons
- cream of the crop — the best of a group
- creature of habit — If you say that someone is a creature of habit, you mean that they usually do the same thing at the same time each day, rather than doing new and different things.
- cromwellian chair — an upright oaken chair, often with arms, having all pieces turned and a seat and back panel of leather or cloth attached with brass-headed nails.
- cross one's heart — to promise or pledge, esp by making the sign of a cross over one's heart
- cryptographically — In a cryptographic manner; using cryptography; for cryptographic purposes.
- culpable homicide — manslaughter
- cyanogen chloride — a colorless, volatile, poisonous liquid, CNCl, used chiefly in the synthesis of compounds containing the cyano group.
- cytoarchitectonic — Of or pertaining to cytoarchitectonics (cytoarchitecture).
- cytotrophoblastic — Relating to, or containing, cytotrophoblasts.
- damon and pythias — two friends noted for their mutual loyalty. Damon offered himself as a hostage for Pythias, who was to be executed for treason by Dionysius of Syracuse. When Pythias returned to save his friend's life, he was pardoned
- daphnis and chloe — two lovers in pastoral literature, esp in a prose idyll attributed to the Greek writer Longus
- de-baathification — the process of removing the members and influence of the Ba'ath Party from public office in Iraq following the US-led invasion of 2003
- dead to the world — unaware of one's surroundings, esp fast asleep or very drunk
- death's-head moth — a European hawk moth, Acherontia atropos, having markings resembling a human skull on its upper thorax
- deepwater horizon — an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, 40 miles (64km) south-east off the coast of Louisiana, that suffered a massive oil spill following an explosion in April 2010
- dehistoricization — The process or result of dehistoricizing.
- dehospitalization — hospitalization insurance.
- dehydrochlorinase — an enzyme that catalyzes the removal of hydrogen and chlorine atoms or ions from chlorinated hydrocarbons.
- dehydrochlorinate — to remove hydrogen chloride or chlorine and hydrogen from (a substance).
- demythologization — The act of demythologizing, or something demythologized.
- denatured alcohol — ethanol rendered unfit for human consumption by the addition of a noxious substance, as in methylated spirits
- dendroarchaeology — (archaeology) the science that uses dendrochronology to date wooden material from archaeological sites.
- dephlogisticating — Present participle of dephlogisticate.
- dephosphorylation — the removal of a phosphate group from an organic compound, as in the changing of ATP to ADP.
- despotic monarchy — absolute monarchy.
- dessert chocolate — cooking chocolate
- desynchronisation — (British spelling) Alternative form of desynchronization.
- desynchronization — to cause to indicate the same time, as one timepiece with another: Synchronize your watches.
- dextroamphetamine — a dextrorotatory amphetamine, used to suppress appetite
- diacetone alcohol — a colorless, flammable liquid with a pleasant odor, C 6 H 12 O 2 : used as a solvent for lacquers, dyes, cellulose nitrate, and resins.
- dialect geography — linguistic geography
- digital dashboard — (software) A personalised desktop portal that focuses on business intelligence and knowledge management.
- dihydroergotamine — an ergot alkaloid, C 33 H 37 N 5 O 5 , used in the treatment of various types of migraine headache.
- dimethylformamide — a colourless liquid widely used as a solvent and sometimes as a catalyst. Formula: (CH3)2NCHO
- diphenylhydantoin — a white, slightly water-soluble powder, C 15 H 11 N 2 O 2 , used in the form of its sodium salt to prevent or arrest convulsions in epilepsy.
- dishonourableness — Alternative spelling of dishonorableness.
- doberman pinscher — one of a German breed of medium-sized, short-haired dogs having a black, brown, or blue coat with rusty brown markings.
- dog and pony show — an elaborate sales, advertising, or publicity presentation or campaign.
- dog in the manger — a person who selfishly keeps something that he or she does not really need or want so that others may not use or enjoy it.
- douglas macarthur — Douglas, 1880–1964, U.S. general: supreme commander of allied forces in SW Pacific during World War II and of UN forces in Korea 1950–51.
- down-at-the-heels — of a shabby, run-down appearance; seedy: He is rapidly becoming a down-at-heel drifter and a drunk.
- drawn-thread work — ornamental needlework done by drawing threads out of the fabric and using the remaining threads to form lacelike patterns
- drive to the wall — to force into an awkward situation
- eastern orthodoxy — the faith, practice, membership, and government of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
- eastern townships — an area of central Canada, in S Quebec: consists of 11 townships south of the St Lawrence
- echo cancellation — A process which removes unwanted echoes from the signal on a telephone line. Echoes are usually caused by impedance mismatches along an analogue line.