17-letter words containing m, o, t, h, r
- spectrophotometry — an instrument for making photometric comparisons between parts of spectra.
- spore mother cell — a cell from which a spore is produced
- star of bethlehem — the star that is supposed to have appeared above Bethlehem at the birth of Christ
- star-of-bethlehem — any of several plants belonging to the genus Ornithogalum, of the lily family, having grasslike leaves and clusters of white flowers.
- stenothermophilic — growing best within a narrow temperature range.
- stochastic matrix — a square matrix with positive entries totaling 1 in each row.
- stretch limousine — a limousine that has been lengthened to provide extra seating accommodation and more legroom
- sunbury-on-thames — a town in SE England, in N Surrey. Pop: 27 415 (2001)
- support mechanism — any formal system or method of providing support or assistance
- swash plate motor — a collar or face plate on a shaft that is inclined at an oblique angle to the axis of rotation and converts reciprocating motion to rotation
- synchronous motor — a synchronous machine that acts as a motor.
- take sth by storm — If someone or something takes a place by storm, they are extremely successful.
- teething problems — If a project or new product has teething problems, it has problems in its early stages or when it first becomes available.
- telephone numbers — extremely large numbers, esp in reference to salaries or prices
- the electoral map — a map showing the distribution of constituencies over a country
- the horse's mouth — the most reliable source
- the lower animals — relatively simple or primitive animals and not mammals or vertebrates
- the lower mammals — relatively simple or primitive mammals
- the major leagues — the two main leagues of professional baseball clubs in the U.S., the National League and the American League
- the metamorphosis — a short story (1915) by Franz Kafka.
- the morning after — the aftereffects of excess, esp a hangover
- the mother of all — something regarded as the biggest, most impressive, or most important of (its kind)
- the olympic torch — a torch that is symbolically lit at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia and transported by relay to the place where the Olympic Games are to be held. It is used to ignite a fire in a cauldron that will burn throughout the Games
- the primrose path — a pleasurable way of life
- the smallest room — a euphemistic way of referring to the room the lavatory
- the underemployed — underemployed people
- the-metamorphosis — a short story (1915) by Franz Kafka.
- thematic approach — teaching organized by theme rather than by school subject
- theory of numbers — number theory.
- 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.
- third commandment — “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”: third of the Ten Commandments.
- three-course meal — A three-course meal is a meal that consists of three parts served one after the other.
- three-dimensional — having, or seeming to have, the dimension of depth as well as width and height.
- 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 make sth clear — If you make something clear, you say something in a way that makes it impossible for there to be any doubt about your meaning, wishes, or intentions.
- to prime the pump — To prime the pump means to do something to encourage the success or growth of something, especially the economy.
- 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.
- turn on the charm — If someone turns on the charm, they behave in a way that seems very friendly but which you think is insincere, often in order to obtain something or deceive someone.
- ultrametamorphism — metamorphism during which the temperature of a rock exceeds its melting point.
- whistler's mother — (formal name, Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Artist's Mother) a painting (1871) by James McNeill Whistler.
- white book cd-rom — (hardware, standard) A more open CD-ROM standard than Green Book CD-ROM. All films mastered on CD-ROM after March 1994 use White Book. Like Green Book, it is ISO 9660 compliant, uses mode 2 form 2 addressing and can only be played on a CD-ROM drive which is XA (Extended Architecture) compatible. White book CDs are labelled "Video CD".
- withdrawal method — a method of contraception in which the man withdraws his penis from the woman's vagina before ejaculation
- woman of the hour — a woman honored by a group.