15-letter words containing m, a, i, l
- ophthalmoplegia — Paralysis of the muscles within or surrounding the eye.
- ophthalmoscopic — Of, pertaining to or using an ophthalmoscope.
- optical pumping — a method for increasing the number of atoms or molecules occupying higher energy levels by irradiating them with light of the proper frequencies to raise them to those levels.
- opus anglicanum — fine embroidery, esp of church vestments, produced in England c.1200–c.1350; characterized by the rich materials used, esp silver gilt thread
- orange milkweed — butterfly weed (def 1).
- ordinal numbers — Also called ordinal numeral. any of the numbers that express degree, quality, or position in a series, as first, second, and third (distinguished from cardinal number).
- organomercurial — an organic compound containing mercury
- over-compliance — the act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding.
- overdraft limit — a limit on the amount of money allowed to be withdrawn in excess of the credit balance of a bank or building society account
- overemotionally — In an overemotional manner.
- overfamiliarity — The state of being overfamiliar.
- overstimulation — to rouse to action or effort, as by encouragement or pressure; spur on; incite: to stimulate his interest in mathematics.
- palaeolimnology — the study of ancient lake ecologies
- palaeomagnetism — the study of the fossil magnetism in rocks, used to determine the past configurations of the continents and to investigate the past shape and magnitude of the earth's magnetic field
- palaeomagnetist — a student of or expert in palaeomagnetism
- paleolithic man — any of the prehistoric populations of humans, as the Cro-Magnon, living in the late Pliocene and the Pleistocene epochs.
- palindromically — a word, line, verse, number, sentence, etc., reading the same backward as forward, as Madam, I'm Adam or Poor Dan is in a droop.
- panophthalmitis — the inflammation of all eye tissue
- parallel motion — a mechanism arranged so as to impart rectilinear motion to a rod connected to a lever that moves through an arc.
- parliamentarian — a person who is expert in the formal rules and procedures of deliberative assemblies and other formal organizations.
- parliamentarily — in a parliamentary manner
- payment holiday — a break taken from paying ( a debt etc) back
- pedestrian mall — A pedestrian mall is the same as a pedestrian precinct.
- peruvian balsam — Peru balsam.
- pessimistically — pertaining to or characterized by pessimism or the tendency to expect only bad outcomes; gloomy; joyless; unhopeful: His pessimistic outlook kept him from applying for jobs for which he was perfectly qualified.
- pharmacological — the science dealing with the preparation, uses, and especially the effects of drugs.
- phenomenalistic — the doctrine that phenomena are the only objects of knowledge or the only form of reality.
- phonogramically — in a phonogramic manner
- photojournalism — journalism in which photography dominates written copy, as in certain magazines.
- photomechanical — noting or pertaining to any of various processes for printing from plates or surfaces prepared by the aid of photography.
- physical memory — (memory management) The memory hardware (normally RAM) installed in a computer. The term is only used in contrast to virtual memory.
- physicochemical — physical and chemical: the physicochemical properties of an isomer.
- phytochemically — in a phytochemical manner
- pilgrim fathers — the Pilgrims (of Plymouth Colony)
- pilgrimage site — a shrine or other sacred place that people travel to as an act of religious devotion
- pinball machine — the tablelike, usually coin-operated machine on which pinball is played.
- plagiostomatous — plagiostome
- plainclothesman — a police officer, especially a detective, who wears ordinary civilian clothes while on duty.
- planimetrically — in a planimetric manner
- plant-hire firm — a company that hires out mobile mechanical equipment for construction, road-making, etc
- platform tennis — a variation of tennis played on a wooden platform enclosed with chicken wire in which the players hit a rubber ball with wooden paddles following the same basic rules as tennis except that only one serve is permitted and balls can be played off the back and side fences.
- platform ticket — a pass allowing a visitor to enter upon a railroad platform from which those not traveling are ordinarily excluded.
- platinum blonde — a person, especially a girl or woman, whose hair is of a pale blond or silver color, usually colored artificially by bleaching or dyeing.
- platyhelminthes — a phylum of worms having bilateral symmetry and a soft, usually flattened body, comprising the flatworms.
- pleuropneumonia — pleurisy conjoined with pneumonia.
- plug compatible — of or relating to computers or peripheral devices that are functionally equivalent to, and may be substituted for, other models.
- plug-compatible — of or relating to computers or peripheral devices that are functionally equivalent to, and may be substituted for, other models.
- plumbaginaceous — belonging to the Plumbaginaceae, the leadwort family of plants.
- plural marriage — (broadly) any of the diverse forms of interpersonal union established in various parts of the world to form a familial bond that is recognized legally, religiously, or socially, granting the participating partners mutual conjugal rights and responsibilities and including, for example, opposite-sex marriage, same-sex marriage, plural marriage, and arranged marriage: Anthropologists say that some type of marriage has been found in every known human society since ancient times. See Word Story at the current entry.
- pneumatic drill — a percussive power drill powered by compressed air