17-letter words containing o, h, r, i
- therapeutic touch — the laying on of hands by a healer
- 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.
- thiosulfuric acid — an acid, H 2 S 2 O 3 , that may be regarded as sulfuric acid with one oxygen atom replaced by sulfur.
- third commandment — “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”: third of the Ten Commandments.
- thought-provoking — If something such as a book or a film is thought-provoking, it contains interesting ideas that make people think seriously.
- 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.
- thuringian forest — a forested mountain region in central Germany: a resort area.
- to have a tin ear — If you say that someone has a tin ear for something, you mean that they do not have any natural ability for it and cannot appreciate or understand it fully.
- to play with fire — If you say that someone is playing with fire, you mean that they are doing something dangerous that may result in great harm for them and cause many problems.
- to prime the pump — To prime the pump means to do something to encourage the success or growth of something, especially the economy.
- to raise the roof — If a group of people inside a building raise the roof, they make a very loud noise, for example by singing or shouting.
- to strike a chord — If something strikes a chord with you, it makes you feel sympathy or enthusiasm.
- to the bitter end — If you say that you will continue doing something to the bitter end, especially something difficult or unpleasant, you are emphasizing that you will continue doing it until it is completely finished.
- tortoiseshell cat — a domestic cat, especially a female one, of variegated black, yellow, and white coloring.
- travancore-cochin — a former Indian state that was a merger of Travancore and Cochin, two former princely states of India, and which became part of Kerala state in 1956
- trichloroethylene — a colorless, poisonous liquid, C 2 HCl 3 , used chiefly as a degreasing agent for metals and as a solvent, especially in dry cleaning, for fats, oils, and waxes. Abbreviation: TCE.
- trick photography — photography that creates an illusion
- triskaidekaphobia — fear or a phobia concerning the number 13.
- 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.
- turkish towelling — woven cloth which is used to make towels, wash cloths, etc
- ultrametamorphism — metamorphism during which the temperature of a rock exceeds its melting point.
- uncomprehendingly — to understand the nature or meaning of; grasp with the mind; perceive: He did not comprehend the significance of the ambassador's remark.
- under the sign of — during that portion of the year when the sun is passing through and thus subject to the influence of (a specified sign of the zodiac)
- unitary authority — (in the United Kingdom) a district administered by a single tier of local government, esp those districts of England that became administratively independent of the county councils in 1996–98
- upper paleolithic — See under Paleolithic.
- victoriano huerta — Victoriano [beek-taw-ryah-naw] /ˌbik tɔˈryɑ nɔ/ (Show IPA), 1854–1916, Mexican general: provisional president of Mexico 1913–14.
- visitation rights — the legal right granted to a divorced or separated parent to visit a child in the custody of the other parent.
- voice synthesizer — a computer system that is used to artificially produce the human voice
- warehouse receipt — a receipt for goods placed in a warehouse.
- warehousing costs — the costs involved in storing goods in a warehouse
- washington square — a short novel (1881) by Henry James.
- weigh one's words — a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. Words are composed of one or more morphemes and are either the smallest units susceptible of independent use or consist of two or three such units combined under certain linking conditions, as with the loss of primary accent that distinguishes black·bird· from black· bird·. Words are usually separated by spaces in writing, and are distinguished phonologically, as by accent, in many languages.
- wheatstone bridge — a circuit for measuring an unknown resistance by comparing it with known resistances.
- whiskey rebellion — a revolt of settlers in western Pennsylvania in 1794 against a federal excise tax on whiskey: suppressed by militia called out by President George Washington to establish the authority of the federal government.
- 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".
- william shoemaker — William Lee ("Willie") 1931–2003, U.S. jockey.
- willow flycatcher — a North American flycatcher, Empidonax alnorum, of alder thickets and other moist areas, that has greenish-brown upper parts and whitish underparts and is almost indistinguishable except by voice from E. traillii (willow flycatcher)
- wind chill factor — A wind chill factor is a measure of the cooling effect of the wind on the temperature of the air.
- wind-chill factor — the apparent temperature felt on the exposed human body owing to the combination of temperature and wind speed.
- winter heliotrope — a creeping perennial, Petasites fragrans, related to the butterbur, having lilac to heliotrope-coloured flowers smelling of vanilla: found chiefly on road verges
- withdrawal method — a method of contraception in which the man withdraws his penis from the woman's vagina before ejaculation