16-letter words containing p, a, r, t, l
- self-exculpatory — intended to excuse oneself from blame or guilt
- self-explanatory — explaining itself; needing no explanation; obvious.
- self-preparation — a proceeding, measure, or provision by which one prepares for something: preparations for a journey.
- self-propagating — to cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.
- self-replicating — reproducing itself by its own power or inherent nature: self-replicating organisms.
- shag pile carpet — a large piece of thick material with a nap of long rough strands that you put on a floor
- sharia-compliant — (of a product or service) produced or offered in accordance with the doctrines of the sharia
- shark repellents — any tactic used by a corporation to prevent a takeover by a corporate raider.
- sleeping draught — any drink containing a drug or agent that induces sleep
- sleeping partner — silent partner.
- small/fine print — The small print or the fine print of something such as an advertisement or a contract consists of the technical details and legal conditions, which are often printed in much smaller letters than the rest of the text.
- solid propellant — a rocket propellant in solid form, usually containing a mixture or combination of fuel and oxidizer.
- southern uplands — a hilly region extending across S Scotland: includes the Lowther, Moorfoot, and Lammermuir hills
- sparking voltage — the minimum voltage required to produce a spark across a given spark gap.
- speak for itself — be self-evident
- special interest — special-interest group (def 1).
- spectacled cobra — Indian cobra.
- spectroheliogram — a photograph of the sun made with a spectroheliograph.
- spin the platter — a game in which one member of a group spins a platter on its edge and a designated member must catch it before it falls or pay a forfeit.
- spiral staircase — stairs that wind round
- spiritual healer — a faith healer
- spiritual incest — marriage or a sexual relationship between persons related by spiritual affinity or with a person under a solemn vow of chastity
- spiritualization — to make spiritual.
- spotted mackerel — a small mackerel, Scomberomorus queenslandicus, of northern Australian waters
- start-up capital — capital used to set up a new business
- sticking plaster — an adhesive cloth or other material for covering and closing superficial wounds, holding bandages in place, etc.
- still photograph — a photograph taken from a cinema film which is used for publicity purposes
- stonecrop family — the plant family Crassulaceae, characterized by succulent herbaceous plants and shrubs with simple, fleshy leaves, clusters of small flowers, and dry, dehiscent fruit, and including hen-and-chickens, houseleek, kalanchoe, live-forever, orpine, sedum, and stonecrop.
- strange particle — any elementary particle with a strangeness quantum number other than zero.
- subtropical high — one of several highs, as the Azores and Pacific highs, that prevail over the oceans at latitudes of about 30 degrees N and S. Also called subtropical anticyclone. Compare high (def 37).
- sugar plantation — a large area of land where sugar is grown
- summer complaint — an acute condition of diarrhea, occurring during the hot summer months chiefly in infants and children, caused by bacterial contamination of food and associated with poor hygiene.
- superficialities — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- supernationalism — an extreme or fanatical loyalty or devotion to a nation.
- supranationalism — outside or beyond the authority of one national government, as a project or policy that is planned and controlled by a group of nations.
- taimyr peninsula — a peninsula in the N Russian Federation in Asia, between the Kara and Laptev seas.
- tent caterpillar — any of the larvae of several moths of the genus Malacosoma, which feed on the leaves of orchard and shade trees and live colonially in a tentlike silken web.
- terminal adaptor — (networking, hardware) (TA) Equipment used to adapt Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Basic Rate Interface (BRI) channels to existing terminal equipment standards such as EIA-232 and V.35. A Terminal Adaptor is typically packaged like a modem, either as a stand-alone unit or as an interface card that plugs into a computer or other communications equipment (such as a router or PBX). A Terminal Adaptor does not interoperate with a modem; it replaces it.
- the supernatural — supernatural forces, occurrences, and beings collectively or their realm
- the-card-players — a painting (1892) by Paul Cézanne.
- thermoacidophile — any organism, especially a type of archaebacterium, that thrives in strongly acidic environments at high temperatures.
- thermoplasticity — soft and pliable when heated, as some plastics, without any change of the inherent properties.
- three-point play — a play in which a player sinks the free throw that was awarded when the player was fouled while scoring a basket.
- throw for a loop — a portion of a cord, ribbon, etc., folded or doubled upon itself so as to leave an opening between the parts.
- tightrope walker — performer who walks on high wire
- to play for time — If you play for time, you try to make something happen more slowly, because you do not want it to happen or because you need time to think about what to do if it happens.
- topsail schooner — a sailing vessel fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts with square sails above the foresail, and often with a square sail before the foresail.
- transalpine gaul — an ancient region in W Europe, including the modern areas of N Italy, France, Belgium, and the S Netherlands: consisted of two main divisions, one part S of the Alps (Cisalpine Gaul) and another part N of the Alps (Transalpine Gaul)
- transport police — the national police force for railways in Britain, which protects rail operators, staff and passengers
- trapezoidal rule — a numerical method for evaluating the area between a curve and an axis by approximating the area with the areas of trapezoids.