17-letter words containing o, f, a
- great vowel shift — a series of changes in the quality of the long vowels between Middle and Modern English as a result of which all were raised, while the high vowels (ē) and (o̅o̅), already at the upper limit, underwent breaking to become the diphthongs (ī) and (ou).
- greater forkbeard — a fish of the Phycidae family
- grooved fricative — a fricative, as (s), in which air is channeled through a groove along the center of the tongue.
- guinea-hen flower — checkered lily.
- gulf of venezuela — an inlet of the Caribbean in NW Venezuela: continues south as Lake Maracaibo
- gulf war syndrome — a group of symptoms occurring in some Gulf War veterans, most commonly including headache and memory loss, muscle pain, skin disorders, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and gastrointestinal and respiratory ailments, possibly caused by exposure to chemical weapons, vaccines, infectious diseases, or other factors.
- half-round chisel — a cold chisel with a semicircular cutting edge used for making narrow channels
- hall of residence — Halls of residence are buildings with rooms or flats, usually built by universities or colleges, in which students live during the term.
- hardware platform — a group of compatible computers that can run the same software.
- have a short fuse — a tube, cord, or the like, filled or saturated with combustible matter, for igniting an explosive.
- have feelings for — to be emotionally or sexually attracted to
- have it in for sb — If someone has it in for you, they dislike you and try to cause problems for you.
- have no words for — to be incapable of describing
- have sth to offer — If you have something to offer, you have a quality or ability that makes you important, attractive, or useful.
- head of the river — any of various annual rowing regattas held on particular rivers
- heart of darkness — a short novel (1902) by Joseph Conrad.
- heat of formation — the heat evolved or absorbed when one mole of a compound is formed from its constituent atoms
- hemorrhagic fever — any of several arbovirus infections, as dengue, characterized by fever, chills, and malaise followed by hemorrhages of capillaries, sometimes leading to kidney failure and death.
- henry of portugal — ("the Navigator") 1394–1460, prince of Portugal: sponsor of geographic explorations.
- hillel foundation — a national organization, founded in 1924 by the B'nai B'rith, that institutes and administers programs designed to enrich the religious, cultural, and social life of Jewish college students.
- house of assembly — the legislature or the lower house of the legislature in certain countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.
- house of ill fame — a house of prostitution; brothel
- how's-your-father — sexual intercourse
- hybrid fiber coax — (networking) (HFC) A kind of physical connection used in networks for audio, video, and data. DVB (Digital Video Broadcast) is used in Europe and DOCSIS is used in N America.
- hydrofluoric acid — a colorless, fuming, corrosive liquid, HF, an aqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride, used chiefly for etching glass.
- hydrofluorocarbon — Any of a class of partly chlorinated and fluorinated hydrocarbons, used as an alternative to chlorofluorocarbons in foam production, refrigeration, and other processes.
- hydrogasification — a high-temperature, high-pressure process for producing liquid or gaseous fuels from fine particles of coal and hydrogen gas
- hyperinflationary — (economics) Having very high levels of inflation.
- impersonification — (archaic) the act of impersonating; impersonation.
- improper fraction — a fraction having the numerator greater than the denominator.
- in a fit of pique — If someone does something in a fit of pique, they do it suddenly because they are annoyed at being not treated properly.
- in forma pauperis — as a poor person; i.e. without paying court costs
- in someone's face — the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin.
- in the market for — an open place or a covered building where buyers and sellers convene for the sale of goods; a marketplace: a farmers' market.
- in/out of fashion — If something is in fashion, it is popular and approved of at a particular time. If it is out of fashion, it is not popular or approved of.
- induction furnace — a type of electric furnace used for melting a charge of scrap by the heat produced by its own electrical resistance.
- inefficaciousness — Lack of efficacy.
- inertial platform — self-contained navigational devices used in inertial guidance, along with their mounting.
- infantry division — a military division composed of infantry
- integral function — an entire function.
- interconfessional — common to or occurring between churches having different confessions.
- interfenestration — a space between two windows.
- internal conflict — psychological struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character, the resolution of which creates the plot's suspense: Hamlet's inaction is caused by internal conflict.
- interprofessional — following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
- isherwood framing — a system for framing steel vessels in which light, closely spaced, longitudinal frames are connected by heavy, widely spaced transverse frames with deep webs.
- island of the sun — Sicily: the island where Helius kept his oxen.
- isthmus of panama — an isthmus linking North and South America, between the Pacific and the Caribbean. Length: 676 km (420 miles). Width (at its narrowest point): 50 km (31 miles)
- it's your funeral — If someone says to you 'It's your funeral', they think your decision or your actions will have bad consequences for you, but they are unwilling to interfere.
- job specification — a detailed description of the qualifications, skills, and experience required for a particular post of employment
- john of lancaster — Duke of Bedford, 1389–1435, Bedford, John of Lancaster, Duke of.