16-letter words containing m, a, p, e, r
- pectoralis minor — the smaller of the two large chest muscles that assist in movements of the shoulder and upper arm
- pension mortgage — an arrangement whereby a person takes out a mortgage and pays the capital repayment instalments into a pension fund and the interest to the mortgagee. The loan is repaid out of the tax-free lump sum proceeds of the pension plan on the borrower's retirement
- perchloromethane — carbon tetrachloride.
- performance bond — contract bond.
- performance test — a test requiring little or no use of language, the test materials being designed to elicit manual or behavioral responses rather than verbal ones.
- periodic decimal — repeating decimal.
- permaculturalist — a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem.
- permafrost table — the variable surface constituting the upper limit of permafrost. Compare frostline (def 2).
- permanent magnet — a magnet that retains its magnetism after being removed from an external magnetic field.
- permanganic acid — an acid, HMnO 4 , known only in solution.
- perpetual motion — the motion of a theoretical mechanism that, without any losses due to friction or other forms of dissipation of energy, would continue to operate indefinitely at the same rate without any external energy being applied to it.
- phalansterianism — a system by which society would be reorganized into units comprising their own social and industrial elements; Fourierism.
- pharmacogenetics — the branch of pharmacology that examines the relation of genetic factors to variations in response to drugs.
- pharmacogenomics — the study of human genetic variability in relation to drug action and its application to medical treatment
- pharmacokinetics — the branch of pharmacology that studies the fate of pharmacological substances in the body, as their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination.
- phase microscope — a microscope that utilizes the phase differences of light rays transmitted by different portions of an object to create an image in which the details of the object are distinct despite their near-uniformity of refractive index.
- pheochromocytoma — a tumor of the sympathetic nervous system or adrenal medulla, that produces excess norepinephrine and epinephrine and causes hypertension, headaches, nausea, etc.
- photopolarimeter — a polarimeter that uses a photocell.
- phytoremediation — a process of decontaminating soil or water by using plants and trees to absorb or break down pollutants.
- pietermaritzburg — a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). Capital: Pietermaritzburg.
- platform-balance — a scale with a platform for holding the items to be weighed.
- pleasure steamer — a boat powered by steam, used for recreational purposes
- pneumatic trough — a trough filled with liquid, especially water, for collecting gases in bell jars or the like by displacement.
- porcelain enamel — a glass coating, made to adhere to a metal or another enamel by fusion.
- portable airtime — (communications, wireless) A wireless, digital communications system enabling user-to-user voice communication, "quicknotes", and alphanumeric messaging.
- portmanteau word — a case or bag to carry clothing in while traveling, especially a leather trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves.
- post-reformation — the act of reforming; state of being reformed.
- potato tuberworm — the larva of the potato moth.
- powerpc platform — (architecture, standard) (PPCP, PReP - PowerPC Reference Platform, formerly CHRP - Common Hardware Reference Platform) An open system standard, designed by IBM, intended to ensure compatibility among PowerPC-based systems built by different companies. The PReP standard specifies the PCI bus, but will also support ISA, MicroChannel and PCMCIA. PReP-compliant systems will be able to run the Macintosh OS, OS/2, WorkplaceOS, AIX, Solaris, Taligent and Windows NT. IBM systems will (of course) be PReP-compliant. Apple's first PowerPC Macintoshes will not be compliant, but future ones may be.
- practice manager — the manager of a business such as a medical practice, dental practice, or legal practice
- pragmatic theory — the theory of truth that the truth of a statement consists in its practical consequences, especially in its agreement with subsequent experience.
- pre-emancipation — the act of emancipating.
- precontemplation — the act of contemplating; thoughtful observation.
- predetermination — to settle or decide in advance: He had predetermined his answer to the offer.
- premillennialism — the doctrine or belief that the Second Coming of Christ will precede the millennium.
- premillennialize — to support or believe in premillennialism.
- presence chamber — the special room in which a great personage, as a sovereign, receives guests, holds audiences, etc.
- price comparison — Price comparison is comparing the price of the same product in different outlets.
- prima facie case — a case in which the evidence produced is sufficient to enable a decision or verdict to be made unless the evidence is rebutted.
- primary consumer — (in the food chain) an animal that feeds on plants; a herbivore.
- primary deviance — the violation of a norm or rule that does not result in the violator's being stigmatized as deviant.
- primary election — primary (def 15a).
- primary electron — in thermionics, any of the electrons falling on a body, distinguished from those emitted by it
- primary meristem — primary tissue derived from an apical meristem.
- primary producer — any green plant or any of various microorganisms that can convert light energy or chemical energy into organic matter.
- primrose jasmine — an evergreen shrub, Jasminum mesnyi, of China, having thick, shiny leaflets and yellow flowers with a darker eye.
- private judgment — personal opinion formed independently of the expressed position of an institution, as in matters of religion or politics.
- privet andromeda — a spreading shrub, Lyonia ligustrina, of the eastern U.S., having leafless, white flowers in terminal clusters.
- proenvironmental — the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu.
- professionalisms — professional character, spirit, or methods.