12-letter words containing n, o, s, p
- petrobrusian — a member of a 12th-century sect in S France that rejected the Mass, infant baptism, prayers for the dead, sacerdotalism, the veneration of the cross, and the building of churches.
- petrogenesis — the branch of petrology dealing with the origin and formation of rocks.
- phalaenopsis — any of various epiphytic orchids of the genus Phalaenopsis, native to tropical Asia, having clusters of showy, variously colored flowers.
- phenocrystic — relating to a phenocryst
- phonasthenia — difficult or abnormal voice production; vocal weakness.
- phonesthemic — (of a speech sound) shared by a set of echoic or symbolic words, as the sn- of sneer, snarl, snatch, snide, snitch, snoop, etc.
- phonotactics — the patterns in which the phonemes of a language may combine to form sequences.
- phosphamidon — a systemic and contact insecticide, C 1 0 H 1 9 ClNO 5 P, used against beetles, aphids, mites, and other crop pests.
- photo finish — a finish of a race in which two or more contestants are so close to the finish line that reference to a photograph of the finish is necessary to determine the winner.
- photo-finish — If the end of a race is a photo-finish, two or more of the competitors cross the finishing line so close together that a photograph of the finish has to be examined to decide who has won.
- photoanalyst — a person who analyzes and interprets photographs, especially a military specialist in aerial or satellite photography.
- photofission — nuclear fission induced by the absorption of a high-energy photon.
- photokinesis — movement occurring upon exposure to light.
- photosetting — photocompose.
- phrasemonger — phrasemaker (def 2).
- phrenologist — a psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.
- phrontistery — a place or establishment for thinking, studying, or learning
- phylogenesis — the development or evolution of a particular group of organisms.
- physiognomic — the face or countenance, especially when considered as an index to the character: a fierce physiognomy.
- phytobenthos — microscopic plants that live in the bottom of the ocean
- phytogenesis — the origin and development of plants.
- piano lesson — music class in playing the piano
- picornavirus — any of a group of small, RNA-containing viruses of the family Picornaviridae, infectious to humans and other animals, and including the poliovirus and the rhinoviruses that cause the common cold.
- pigeon-chest — chicken breast.
- pilot signal — a signal, as a flag or light, used to request a pilot.
- pinchcommons — a person who is frugal with food
- piston skirt — The piston skirt is the cylindrical walls of a piston.
- plain-spoken — candid; frank; blunt.
- plainclothes — Plainclothes police officers wear ordinary clothes instead of a police uniform.
- plastination — a technique for embalming bodies by impregnating whole organs with silicon polymers
- plastocyanin — a blue protein found in green plants and in some bacteria
- platanaceous — relating to the family Platanaceae
- pleurogenous — Anatomy. pertaining to or originating from the pleura.
- plotlessness — the state of being plotless
- plumbaginous — containing graphite.
- pneumatocyst — the cavity of a pneumatophore.
- pneumococcus — a bacterium, Diplococcus pneumoniae, causing lobar pneumonia and associated with certain other diseases, as pericarditis and meningitis.
- pneumocystis — any protozoan of the genus Pneumocystis, esp P. carinii, which is a cause of pneumonia in people whose immune defences have been lowered by drugs or a disease
- podoconiosis — elephantiasis of the lower legs
- poetastering — the profession of being a poetaster
- poeticalness — the characteristic of being poetical
- pogson ratio — the brightness ratio of two celestial objects that differ by one magnitude. On the Pogson scale a difference of 5 magnitudes is defined as a difference of 100 in the intensities of two stars; therefore a difference of 1 magnitude is equal to the fifth root of 100, i.e. 2.512
- point source — a source of radiation sufficiently distant compared to its length and width that it can be considered as a point.
- point spread — a betting device, established by oddsmakers and used to attract bettors for uneven competitions, indicating the estimated number of points by which a stronger team can be expected to defeat a weaker team, the point spread being added to the weaker team's actual points in the game and this new figure then compared to the stronger team's points to determine winning bets.
- point system — Printing. a system for grading the sizes of type bodies, leads, etc., that employs the point as a unit of measurement. Compare point (def 48a).
- point-spread — a betting device, established by oddsmakers and used to attract bettors for uneven competitions, indicating the estimated number of points by which a stronger team can be expected to defeat a weaker team, the point spread being added to the weaker team's actual points in the game and this new figure then compared to the stronger team's points to determine winning bets.
- poison gland — a gland in some fish and amphibians that secretes venomous material
- poison sumac — a shrub or small tree, Rhus vernix (or Toxicodendron vernix), of swampy areas of the eastern U.S., having pinnate leaves and causing severe dermatitis when touched by persons sensitive to it.
- policeperson — a member of a police force.
- pollen brush — the mass of stiff hairs on the legs or abdomen of an insect, for collecting pollen.