8-letter words containing p, a, l, i, s
- penalise — to subject to a penalty, as a person.
- pessimal — /pes'im-l/ (Latin-based antonym for "optimal") Maximally bad. "This is a pessimal situation." Also "pessimise" To make as bad as possible. These words are the obvious Latin-based antonyms for "optimal" and "optimise", but for some reason they do not appear in most English dictionaries, although "pessimise" is listed in the OED.
- petalism — a form of expulsion that typically lasted for five years and was dealt to those who were seen to have treacherous aspirations and objectives and was carried out in Syracuse in Ancient Greece
- phylaxis — medical term for protection against infection
- physalia — a marine invertebrate, often confused with a jellyfish, that has a painful sting
- physical — of or relating to the body: physical exercise.
- pilaster — a shallow rectangular feature projecting from a wall, having a capital and base and usually imitating the form of a column.
- pin seal — leather made of the skin of young seals.
- placings — The placings in a competition are the relative positions of the competitors at the end or at a particular stage of the competition.
- plainish — rather ordinary-looking
- plaister — plaster.
- plashing — a gentle splash.
- plasmoid — a section of a plasma having a characteristic shape
- plastics — made of plastic.
- plaudits — an enthusiastic expression of approval: Her portrayal of Juliet won the plaudits of the critics.
- plausive — applauding.
- playlist — a list of the recordings to be played on the radio during a particular program or time period, often including their sequence, duration, etc.
- playslip — a form used to nominate numbers in a lottery draw
- playsuit — a sports costume for women and children, usually consisting of shorts and a shirt, worn as beachwear, for tennis, etc.
- pleasing — giving pleasure; agreeable; gratifying: a pleasing performance.
- pleiades — any of the Pleiades.
- pliosaur — a large dinosaur with a short neck
- polanski — Roman. born 1933, Polish film director with a taste for the macabre, as in Repulsion (1965) and Rosemary's Baby (1968): later films include Tess (1980), Death and the Maiden (1995), and The Pianist (2002)
- polarise — to cause polarization in.
- postical — (of the position of plant parts) behind another part; posterior
- psalmist — an author of psalms.
- ptyalism — excessive secretion of saliva.
- reprisal — (in warfare) retaliation against an enemy, for injuries received, by the infliction of equal or greater injuries.
- salopian — a county in W England. 1348 sq. mi. (3490 sq. km).
- salpicon — a mixture of chopped fish, meat, or vegetables in a sauce, used as fillings for croquettes, pastries, etc
- salt pit — a pit where salt is obtained.
- sampling — a small part of anything or one of a number, intended to show the quality, style, or nature of the whole; specimen.
- sandpile — a pile of sand, esp one for children to play on
- scalping — the integument of the upper part of the head, usually including the associated subcutaneous structures.
- scalpins — small stones used to improve drainage
- sepaloid — resembling a sepal.
- septical — septic
- septimal — of or based on the number seven.
- shagpile — (of a carpet or rug) having long, rough fibres
- shipload — a full load for a ship.
- skiplane — an airplane equipped with skis to enable it to land on and take off from snow.
- slipcase — a box for a book or set of books, open on one side so that the spine is visible.
- slippage — an act or instance of slipping.
- sliprail — a rail in a fence that can be slipped out of place to make an opening
- slipware — pottery decorated with slip.
- spadille — the highest trump in certain card games, as the queen of clubs in omber.
- spalding — Albert, 1888–1953, U.S. violinist.
- spalling — a chip or splinter, as of stone or ore.
- spanrail — a rail connecting two legs of furniture; stretcher.
- sparkily — in a sparky manner