17-letter words containing m, e, i, t
- thematic approach — teaching organized by theme rather than by school subject
- thermal diffusion — the separation of constituents, often isotopes, of a fluid under the influence of a temperature gradient.
- thermal expansion — expansion caused by heat
- thermal pollution — a rise in the temperature of rivers or lakes that is injurious to water-dwelling life and is caused by the disposal of heated industrial waste water or water from the cooling towers of nuclear power plants.
- thermal radiation — electromagnetic radiation emitted by all matter above a temperature of absolute zero because of the thermal motion of atomic particles.
- thermocoagulation — the coagulation of tissue by heat-producing high-frequency electric currents, used therapeutically to remove small growths or to create specific lesions in the brain.
- thermoelectricity — electricity generated by heat or temperature difference, as in a thermocouple.
- thermoperiodicity — the effect on an organism of rhythmic fluctuations in temperature.
- think in terms of — If you say that you are thinking in terms of doing a particular thing, you mean that you are considering it.
- thiopental sodium — a barbiturate, C 11 H 18 N 2 NaO 2 S, used as an anesthetic in surgery and, in psychiatry, for narcoanalysis and to stimulate recall of past events.
- third commandment — “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”: third of the Ten Commandments.
- three mile island — an island in the Susquehanna River, near Middletown, Pennsylvania, SE of Harrisburg: scene of a near-disastrous accident at a nuclear plant in 1979 that raised the issue of nuclear-energy safety.
- three-dimensional — having, or seeming to have, the dimension of depth as well as width and height.
- threshing machine — a machine for removing grains and seeds from straw and chaff.
- throat microphone — a microphone worn around the throat and actuated by vibrations of the larynx, used when background noise would obscure the sound of speech, as in an airplane cockpit.
- to eat humble pie — If you eat humble pie, you speak or behave in a way which tells people that you admit you were wrong about something.
- to have a mind to — If you have a mind to do something, you want, intend, or choose to do it.
- to lose your mind — If you say that someone is losing their mind, you mean that they are becoming mad.
- to make good time — If you say that you made good time on a journey, you mean it did not take you very long compared to the length of time you expected it to take.
- to open your mind — If something opens your mind to new ideas or experiences, it makes you more willing to accept them or try them.
- to prime the pump — To prime the pump means to do something to encourage the success or growth of something, especially the economy.
- to read sb's mind — If you can read someone's mind, you know what they are thinking without them saying anything.
- to take your time — If you take your time doing something, you do it quite slowly and do not hurry.
- track maintenance — the process of maintaining and repairing railway tracks
- traffic policeman — a policeman controlling traffic, esp while stationed at an intersection, or enforcing traffic regulations
- trailing geranium — an ivy-leaved variety of geranium, Pelargonium peltatum
- transcendentalism — transcendental character, thought, or language.
- transmission line — a system of conductors, as coaxial cable, a wave guide, or a pair of parallel wires, used to transmit signals.
- triboluminescence — luminescence produced by friction, usually within a crystalline substance.
- tridimensionality — having three dimensions.
- trigger mechanism — a physiological or psychological process caused by a stimulus and resulting in a usually severe reaction.
- tropical maritime — a type of warm, wet air mass originating at low latitudes over ocean areas
- tropical medicine — the branch of medicine dealing with the study and treatment of diseases occurring in the tropics.
- trucial sheikdoms — an independent federation in E Arabia, formed in 1971, now comprising seven emirates on the S coast (formerly, Pirate Coast or Trucial Coast) of the Persian Gulf, formerly under British protection: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah (joined 1972), and Fujairah. About 32,300 sq. mi. (83,657 sq. km). Capital: Abu Dhabi. Abbreviation: U.A.E.
- twelve-mile limit — the offshore boundary of a state, extending 12 miles (19 km) at sea.
- tympanic membrane — eardrum.
- ultimate strength — the quantity of the utmost tensile, compressive, or shearing stress that a given unit area of a certain material is expected to bear without failing.
- ultrametamorphism — metamorphism during which the temperature of a rock exceeds its melting point.
- ultramicrobalance — a balance for weighing precisely, to a hundredth of a microgram or less, minute quantities of material.
- uncle tom's cabin — an antislavery novel (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
- uncompassionately — having or showing compassion: a compassionate person; a compassionate letter.
- undercompensation — to compensate or pay less than is fair, customary, or expected.
- unemployment line — When people talk about the unemployment line, they are talking about the state of being unemployed, especially when saying how many people are unemployed.
- unimaginativeness — the quality of being unimaginative
- unsympathetically — in a manner that is not characterized by feeling or showing sympathy
- urogenital system — the urinary tract and reproductive organs
- vacuum extraction — applying suction to a baby's head during birth to help it emerge
- valetudinarianism — the state, condition, or habits of a valetudinarian.
- variable-geometry — denoting an aircraft in which the wings are hinged to give the variable aspect ratio colloquially known as a swing-wing
- velaric airstream — a current of mouth air produced by the action of the tongue, operant in forming click sounds.