17-letter words containing i, o, n, p
- production system — (programming) A production system consists of a collection of productions (rules), a working memory of facts and an algorithm, known as forward chaining, for producing new facts from old. A rule becomes eligible to "fire" when its conditions match some set of elements currently in working memory. A conflict resolution strategy determines which of several eligible rules (the conflict set) fires next. A condition is a list of symbols which represent constants, which must be matched exactly; variables which bind to the thing they match and "<> symbol" which matches a field not equal to symbol. Example production systems are OPS5, CLIPS, flex.
- production values — the quality of a media production (such as a film) in regards to elements such as colours, quality, style, etc
- professional army — an army of trained soldiers
- professional foul — In football, if a player commits a professional foul, they deliberately do something which is against the rules in order to prevent another player from scoring a goal.
- proficiency badge — an insignia or device granted by the Girl Scouts and worn especially on a uniform to indicate special achievement.
- profile component — attainment targets in different subjects brought together for the general assessment of a pupil
- 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.
- prohibition party — a U.S. political party organized in 1869, advocating the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
- promotional event — occasion organized to market or advertise sth
- pronominalization — to replace (a noun or noun phrase) with a pronoun.
- proof of identity — a document or documents used to verify someone's identity
- propanedioic acid — a colourless crystalline compound occurring in sugar beet. Formula: C3H4O4,CH2(COOH)2
- propelling pencil — a pencil consisting of a metal or plastic case containing a replaceable lead. As the point is worn away the lead can be extended, usually by turning part of the case
- proportional font — a font type in which the width of letters and symbols varies depending on the letter or symbol
- proprietary brand — a brand of product that is privately owned and controlled
- protection factor — a figure representing the relative degree of protection from the sun's rays afforded by a particular sunscreen
- protection racket — a criminal activity in which money gangsters extort money from victims in exchange for freedom from molestation
- protein synthesis — the process by which amino acids are linearly arranged into proteins through the involvement of ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, messenger RNA, and various enzymes.
- 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.
- proton microscope — a powerful type of microscope that uses a beam of protons, giving high resolution and sharp contrast
- provincial police — (in Canada) the police force of a province, esp Ontario or Quebec
- provincialization — to make provincial in character.
- prusso-danish war — a war of 1864 between Prussia and Denmark by which Denmark lost Schleswig-Holstein.
- pseudo-humanistic — a person having a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity.
- pseudo-scientific — any of various methods, theories, or systems, as astrology, psychokinesis, or clairvoyance, considered as having no scientific basis.
- psychodiagnostics — the study and evaluation of character or personality in terms of behavioral and anatomical traits, as gesture, posture and physiognomy.
- psychoeducational — designating or of psychological methods, as intelligence tests, used in evaluating learning ability
- psycholinguistics — the study of the relationship between language and the cognitive or behavioral characteristics of those who use it.
- public accountant — an accountant whose services are available to the public at large, in contrast to one employed on a full-time basis by a company.
- public television — a type of noncommercial, usually educational, television programming funded by the government, grants, viewers, and corporations. Compare educational television.
- pull one's weight — the amount or quantity of heaviness or mass; amount a thing weighs.
- pull your head in — be quiet!
- punitive taxation — a form of taxation that is very severe and that people find very difficult to pay
- put in a word for — to make favourable mention of (someone); recommend
- put into practice — If you put a belief or method into practice, you behave or act in accordance with it.
- put the finger on — to inform on or identify, esp for the police
- put the kibosh on — nonsense.
- put up at auction — to offer for sale at an auction
- 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.
- quantum computing — quantum computer
- queen of puddings — a pudding made of moist but firm breadcrumb and custard mixture topped with jam and meringue
- radiation pattern — the graphic representation of the strength and direction of electromagnetic radiation in the vicinity of a transmitting aerial
- radiation therapy — x-rays used as treatment
- radio in the loop — Wireless Local Loop
- radio-transparent — transparent to radiation; invisible in x-ray photographs and under fluoroscopy (opposed to radiopaque).
- rapid prototyping — (programming) The creation of a working model of a software module to demonstrate the feasibility and suitability of the function. The prototype is expected to be replaced or refined before inclusion in the final product. Rapid prototyping contrasts with a DIRFT approach which emphasises careful design and implementation to avoid the overheads of debugging and testing prototype code. Rapid prototyping is appropriate when the requirements are unclear or likely to change (which is most of the time).
- recoil escapement — anchor escapement.
- recovery position — a position in which an unconscious person can be lain on the floor, which minimises them from further risk
- redemption center — a commercial establishment at which trading stamps of a specific brand may be exchanged for merchandise.
- reflexive pronoun — A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun such as 'myself' which refers back to the subject of a sentence or clause. For example, in the sentence 'He made himself a cup of tea', the reflexive pronoun 'himself' refers back to 'he'.