12-letter words containing m, o, p, a
- pakeha māori — (in the 19th century) a European who adopted the Māori way of life
- paleoclimate — the climate of some former period of geologic time.
- palindromist — 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.
- panchromatic — sensitive to all visible colors, as a photographic film.
- panpharmacon — a remedy or panacea
- parachronism — a chronological error in which a person, event, etc., is assigned a date later than the actual one.
- parade armor — ornamented armor worn only for ceremonial purposes.
- paralipomena — Chronicles.
- paramorphine — thebaine.
- paramorphism — the process by which a paramorph is formed.
- paranormally — in a paranormal manner; by paranormal means
- paraphimosis — inability to retract the penis into the prepuce as a result of narrowing of the prepuce
- parathormone — a hormone secreted by the parathyroids, important in the control of the calcium-phosphorus balance of the body
- parkinsonism — Parkinson's disease.
- parlour game — A parlour game is a game that is played indoors by families or at parties, for example a guessing game.
- parma violet — a variety of the sweet violet, Viola odorata, that is the source of an essential oil used in perfumery.
- parmigianino — (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola) 1503–40, Italian painter.
- parochialism — a parochial character, spirit, or tendency; excessive narrowness of interests or view; provincialism.
- paroemiology — the study of proverbs
- paronomastic — the use of a word in different senses or the use of words similar in sound to achieve a specific effect, as humor or a dual meaning; punning.
- parsimonious — characterized by or showing parsimony; frugal or stingy.
- part company — a portion or division of a whole that is separate or distinct; piece, fragment, fraction, or section; constituent: the rear part of the house; to glue the two parts together.
- patellectomy — the surgical removal of the patella
- pax vobiscum — peace be with you
- payment bond — See under contract bond.
- peacock worm — feather-duster worm.
- pearl hominy — whole or ground hulled corn from which the bran and germ have been removed by bleaching the whole kernels in a lye bath (lye hominy) or by crushing and sifting (pearl hominy)
- pelecaniform — of, or having the nature of, an order (Pelecaniformes) of swimming birds having all four toes connected in a webbed foot, including pelicans and cormorants
- perambulator — baby carriage.
- performative — (of an expression or statement) performing an act by the very fact of being uttered, as with the expression “I promise,” that performs the act of promising.
- period drama — a drama set in a particular historical period
- periostracum — the external, chitinlike covering of the shell of certain mollusks that protects the limy portion from acids.
- peristomatic — surrounding a leaf's stoma or stomata
- phaeomelanin — a variety of melanin that gives rise to a red-coloured pigment
- phanerogamic — any of the Phanerogamia, a former primary division of plants comprising those having reproductive organs; a flowering plant or seed plant (opposed to cryptogam).
- phantom limb — a phenomenon characterized by the experience of pain, discomfort, or other sensation in the area of a missing limb or other body part, as a breast.
- pharmacolite — hydrous calcium arsenate, 2CaO⋅As 2 O 5 ⋅5H 2 O, formed by natural alteration of mineral deposits containing arsenopyrite and arsenical ores of cobalt and silver.
- pharmacology — the science dealing with the preparation, uses, and especially the effects of drugs.
- pharmacopeia — a book published usually under the jurisdiction of the government and containing a list of drugs, their formulas, methods for making medicinal preparations, requirements and tests for their strength and purity, and other related information.
- pharyngotomy — surgical incision into the pharynx
- phenomenally — highly extraordinary or prodigious; exceptional: phenomenal speed.
- phentolamine — an alpha blocker, C 1 7 H 1 9 N 3 O, used to reduce hypertensive states caused by a catecholamine excess, as in the treatment of pheochromocytoma.
- philharmonic — fond of or devoted to music; music-loving: used especially in the name of certain musical societies that sponsor symphony orchestras (Philharmonic Societies) and hence applied to their concerts (philharmonic concerts)
- phlegmagogic — a medication that is intended to dislodge and evacuate mucus from the respiratory system
- phlox family — the plant family Polemoniaceae, characterized by herbaceous or sometimes shrubby plants having simple or compound leaves, flowers with a five-lobed corolla, and capsular fruit, and including gilia, Jacob's-ladder, moss pink, and phlox.
- phonemically — of or relating to phonemes: a phonemic system.
- phonocamptic — possessing the property of reflecting sound or producing an echo
- phosphamidon — a systemic and contact insecticide, C 1 0 H 1 9 ClNO 5 P, used against beetles, aphids, mites, and other crop pests.
- photodynamic — the science dealing with light and its effects on living organisms.
- photomachine — a machine that prints copies of digital photographs