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17-letter words containing p, a, n, c, r

  • logic programming — (artificial intelligence, programming, language)   A declarative, relational style of programming based on first-order logic. The original logic programming language was Prolog. The concept is based on Horn clauses. The programmer writes a "database" of "facts", e.g. wet(water). ("water is wet") and "rules", e.g. mortal(X) :- human(X). ("X is mortal is implied by X is human"). Facts and rules are collectively known as "clauses". The user supplies a "goal" which the system attempts to prove using "resolution" or "backward chaining". This involves matching the current goal against each fact or the left hand side of each rule using "unification". If the goal matches a fact, the goal succeeds; if it matches a rule then the process recurses, taking each sub-goal on the right hand side of the rule as the current goal. If all sub-goals succeed then the rule succeeds. Each time a possible clause is chosen, a "choice point" is created on a stack. If subsequent resolution fails then control eventually returns to the choice point and subsequent clauses are tried. This is known as "backtracking". Clauses may contain logic variables which take on any value necessary to make the fact or the left hand side of the rule match a goal. Unification binds these variables to the corresponding subterms of the goal. Such bindings are associated with the choice point at which the clause was chosen and are undone when backtracking reaches that choice point. The user is informed of the success or failure of his first goal and if it succeeds and contains variables he is told what values of those variables caused it to succeed. He can then ask for alternative solutions.
  • logical operation — Boolean operation.
  • lymphangiographic — Relating to lymphangiography.
  • maintainer script — (Debian)   One of the scripts (preinst, prerm, postinst, postrm) that may be included in a Debian binary package. These scripts may create and/or remove symlinks, files or directories that, for some reason, could not be done directly by dpkg. Maintainer scripts frequently create or update the symlinks in the /etc/rc?.d directories and start, stop, or restart daemons.
  • manhattan project — U.S. History. the unofficial designation for the U.S. War Department's secret program, organized in 1942, to explore the isolation of radioactive isotopes and the production of an atomic bomb: initial research was conducted at Columbia University in Manhattan.
  • mariner's compass — a compass used for navigational purposes, consisting of a pivoted compass card in a gimbal-mounted, nonferrous metal bowl.
  • mascarpone cheese — a very rich, white cream cheese of Italy
  • maximum principle — the theorem that a function of a complex variable that is analytic in a domain and on its boundary attains its maximum absolute value on the boundary.
  • meissen porcelain — Dresden china.
  • merchant shipping — shipping which is involved in commerce (rather than defence, etc)
  • microencapsulated — Encapsulated using microencapsulation.
  • micromanipulation — the technique of performing mechanical operations under high magnification through the use of specialized tools.
  • micromanipulators — Plural form of micromanipulator.
  • micropaleontology — the branch of paleontology dealing with the study of microscopic fossils.
  • microphanerophyte — any shrub or tree having a height of 2 to 8 metres
  • mitre corporation — (body)   A US federally funded R&D center, spun off in 1958 from the MIT Lincoln Laboratory (also an FFRDC). MITRE is a non-profit corporation chartered to do R&D in the public interest. MITRE were responsible for system engineering and implementation oversight of SAGE. MITRE does not stand for MIT Research and Engineering, though it could have.
  • morphic resonance — the idea that, through a telepathic effect or sympathetic vibration, an event or act can lead to similar events or acts in the future or an idea conceived in one mind can then arise in another
  • mount kirkpatrick — a mountain in Antarctica, in S Victoria Land in the Queen Alexandra Range. Height: 4528 m (14 856 ft)
  • multidisciplinary — composed of or combining several usually separate branches of learning or fields of expertise: a multidisciplinary study of the 18th century.
  • multiple-unit car — a self-propelled railroad car, generally used in commuting service, equipped so that a train of such cars can be operated from any one of them.
  • negative particle — a word that indicates negativity, for example 'not' in English or 'ne pas' in French
  • nephelometrically — By means of nephelometry.
  • neuropathological — (medicine) Of, pertaining to, or arising from neuropathology, the pathology of nerve tissue.
  • neuropharmacology — the branch of pharmacology concerned with the effects of drugs on the nervous system.
  • neuropsychiatrist — A medical doctor specializing in neuropsychiatry; a medical doctor dealing with disorders that have both neurological and psychiatric features.
  • newspaper cutting — clipping from a news publication
  • non-reciprocating — to give, feel, etc., in return.
  • non-stereotypical — a process, now often replaced by more advanced methods, for making metal printing plates by taking a mold of composed type or the like in papier-mâché or other material and then taking from this mold a cast in type metal.
  • non-thermoplastic — soft and pliable when heated, as some plastics, without any change of the inherent properties.
  • nonimpact printer — a printer that creates images without mechanically impacting the page, as an ink-jet or laser printer.
  • oceanographically — In terms of oceanography.
  • omphalomesenteric — (anatomy) Of or pertaining to the umbilicus and mesentery.
  • operations centre — a centre where activities of a business, organization, etc, are administrated and take place
  • opisthobranchiate — (zoology) Of or pertaining to the Opisthobranchiata.
  • opportunistically — adhering to a policy of opportunism; practicing opportunism.
  • optical astronomy — the branch of observational astronomy using telescopes to observe or photograph celestial objects in visible light.
  • optical carrier n — (networking)   (OC-n) A SONET rate of n times 51.84 megabits per second.
  • oregon crab apple — a shrub or small tree, Malus fusca, of the rose family, of the northwestern coast of North America, having hairy leaves, white flowers, and yellow or green oblong fruit.
  • organ-pipe cactus — a treelike or columnar cactus, Lemaireocereus marginatus, of Mexico, having a central, erect spine surrounded by spreading spines in clusters of five to eight, and funnel-shaped, brownish-purple flowers.
  • organic psychosis — a severe mental illness produced by damage to the brain, as a result of poisoning, alcoholism, disease, etc
  • over-appreciation — gratitude; thankful recognition: They showed their appreciation by giving him a gold watch.
  • over-compensation — a pronounced striving to neutralize and conceal a strong but unacceptable character trait by substituting for it an opposite trait.
  • pacific northwest — the region of North America lying north of the Columbia River and west of the Rockies
  • palace revolution — a challenge to or overthrow of a sovereign or other leader by members of the ruling family or group.
  • paleoconservative — a person advocating an older, traditional type of conservatism, especially in politics.
  • parachute payment — a payment made to alleviate hardship resulting from a sudden loss of income
  • paratungstic acid — an oxyacid acid of tungsten. Formula: H10W12O14
  • parmesan (cheese) — a very hard, dry cheese orig. of Italy, made from skimmed cow's milk and usually grated for sprinkling on pasta, soups, etc.
  • particle kinetics — Particle kinetics is the study of the movement of particles and the forces that cause this movement.
  • particularization — to make particular.
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