12-letter words containing p, a, s, t, r
- rubber-stamp — to imprint with a rubber stamp.
- saint-pierre — two small groups of islands off the S coast of Newfoundland: an overseas territory of France; important base for fishing. 3 sq. mi. (240 sq. km). Capital: St. Pierre.
- saint-tropez — a town in SE France, on the French Riviera: beach resort.
- sales report — a periodical report made by a salesperson to a manager giving details of amounts sold, existing and new accounts, etc
- saltpetreman — a supplier of saltpetre
- saprophytism — living and feeding on dead organic matter
- scatter plot — a graphic representation of bivariate data as a set of points in the plane that have Cartesian coordinates equal to corresponding values of the two variates.
- scattergraph — a graphic representation of bivariate data as a set of points in the plane that have Cartesian coordinates equal to corresponding values of the two variates.
- scintigraphy — the process of producing a scintigram.
- scissiparity — reproduction by one cell splitting into two
- scopes trial — John Thomas, 1901–70, U.S. high-school teacher whose teaching of the Darwinian theory of evolution became a cause célèbre (Scopes Trial or Monkey Trial) in 1925.
- scratch tape — a magnetic tape that is used for temporary storage, which may be erased and re-used
- scratchpad i — (language) A general-purpose language originally for interactive symbolic mathematics by Richard Jenks, Barry Trager, Stephen M. Watt and Robert S. Sutor of IBM Research, ca 1971. It features abstract parametrised data types, multiple inheritance and polymorphism. There were implementations for VM/CMS and AIX.
- scratchplate — a plastic or metal plate attached to the front of a guitar to protect it from pick scratches
- scratchproof — resistant to scratches.
- scripturally — (sometimes initial capital letter) of, relating to, or in accordance with sacred writings, especially the Scriptures.
- scsi adaptor — (hardware) (Or "host adaptor") A device that communicates between a computer and its SCSI peripherals. The SCSI adaptor is usually assigned SCSI ID 7. It is often a separate card that is connected to the computer's bus (e.g. PCI, ISA, PCMCIA) though increasinly, SCSI adaptors are built in to the motherboard. Apart from being cheaper, busses like PCI are too slow to keep up with the newer SCSI standards like Ultra SCSI and Ultra-Wide SCSI. There are several varieties of SCSI (and their connectors) and an adaptor will not support them all. The performance of SCSI devices is limited by the speed of the SCSI adaptor and its connection to the computer. An adaptor that plugs into a parallel port is unlikely to be as fast as one incorporated into a motherboard. Fast adaptors use DMA or bus mastering. Some SCSI adaptors include a BIOS to allow PCs to boot from a SCSI hard disk, if their own BIOS supports it. Note that it is not a "SCSI controller" - it does not control the devices, and "SCSI interface" is redundant - the "I" of "SCSI" stands for "interface".
- search party — a group of persons conducting an organized search for someone or something lost or hidden.
- semiparasite — hemiparasite
- semitropical — subtropical.
- sepak takraw — a game originating in South Asia in which two teams kick a ball back and forth over a net
- separability — capable of being separated, parted, or dissociated.
- separate out — filter, sift
- separateness — to keep apart or divide, as by an intervening barrier or space: to separate two fields by a fence.
- separatrices — something that divides or separates, as the line between light and dark areas on a partially illuminated surface.
- sepher torah — a scroll of the Torah, typically of parchment, from which the designated Parashah is chanted or read on the prescribed days.
- septemvirate — the ruling body of septemvirs.
- septilateral — having seven sides.
- seringapatam — a town in S Karnataka, in S India, former capital of Mysore state: taken by the British 1799.
- serpent star — brittle star.
- serpentarium — a place where snakes are housed, especially for exhibition.
- share option — A share option is an opportunity for the employees of a company to buy shares at a special price.
- shark patrol — a watch for sharks kept by an aircraft flying over beaches used by swimmers
- sharp tongue — If you say that someone has a sharp tongue, you are critical of the fact that they say things which are unkind though often clever.
- sharp-witted — having or showing mental acuity; intellectually discerning; acute.
- sharpshooter — a person skilled in shooting, especially with a rifle.
- shatterproof — designed or made to resist shattering: shatterproof glass in automobile windows.
- shop steward — commerce: union rep
- shore patrol — (often initial capital letters) members of an organization in the U.S. Navy having police duties similar to those performed by military police. Abbreviation: SP.
- shrimp plant — a small, sprawling shrub, Justicia brandegeana (or Beloperone guttata), of the acanthus family, native to Mexico, having small white flowers protruding from a series of overlapping reddish bracts and often cultivated as a houseplant.
- silver plate — thin coat of silver
- silver-plate — to coat (base metal) with silver, especially by electroplating.
- sinanthropus — the genus to which Peking man was formerly assigned.
- single-party — of or relating to a form of government in which only a single political party constitutes the government
- sitka spruce — a spruce, Picea sitchensis, of western North America, having long, silvery-white needles, grown as an ornamental.
- sleeper seat — a seat, as on an airplane, that can be extended horizontally to permit sleeping.
- slipper bath — a bath in the shape of a slipper, with a covered end
- smarty-pants — smarty.
- somatopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the upper layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the overlying ectoderm, functioning in the formation of the body wall and amnion.
- somatotropin — a hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland, that stimulates growth in humans.