16-letter words containing p, a, t
- special interest — special-interest group (def 1).
- specific gravity — the ratio of the density of any substance to the density of some other substance taken as standard, water being the standard for liquids and solids, and hydrogen or air being the standard for gases.
- spectacled cobra — Indian cobra.
- spectroheliogram — a photograph of the sun made with a spectroheliograph.
- speech pathology — the scientific study and treatment of defects, disorders, and malfunctions of speech and voice, as stuttering, lisping, or lalling, and of language disturbances, as aphasia or delayed language acquisition.
- speech therapist — sb who treats speaking disorders
- spelling mistake — error in writing a word
- sphygmomanometer — an instrument, often attached to an inflatable air-bladder cuff and used with a stethoscope, for measuring blood pressure in an artery.
- sphygmomanometry — an instrument, often attached to an inflatable air-bladder cuff and used with a stethoscope, for measuring blood pressure in an artery.
- 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.
- spinone italiano — one of an Italian breed of large all-purpose hunting dogs having a short wiry coat, solid white or white with light brown or yellow patches in color.
- 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.
- spit-and-sawdust — (of a pub) shabby, dirty, and basic
- spotted mackerel — a small mackerel, Scomberomorus queenslandicus, of northern Australian waters
- spotted redshank — a sandpiper, Tringa erythropus, which is a large wader with red legs
- spreader-ditcher — a machine for shaping and cleaning roadbeds and ditches and for freeing tracks of ice and snow by plowing and digging.
- spreading center — a linear zone in the sea floor along which magma rises and from which adjacent crustal plates are moving apart.
- spreading factor — a substance, as hyaluronidase, that promotes the diffusion of a material through body tissues
- spring mountains — a mountain range in S Nevada extending to the California border. Highest peak, Charleston Peak. 11,919 feet (3635 meters).
- stage production — a play or show which is performed on stage
- stalked puffball — a puffball-like mushroom of the genus Tulestoma, maturing in early winter.
- stamp collecting — Stamp collecting is the hobby of building up a collection of stamps.
- stamp collection — the act of collecting postage stamps as a hobby
- standing cypress — a plant, Ipomopsis rubra, of the southern U.S., having feathery leaves and clusters of red and yellow flowers.
- stannic sulphide — an insoluble solid compound of tin usually existing as golden crystals or as a yellowish-brown powder: used as a pigment. Formula: SnS2
- start-up capital — capital used to set up a new business
- start-up company — new business
- state apartments — the most impressive rooms in a palace or mansion, used by royalty, or to receive visiting dignitaries
- state capitalism — a form of capitalism in which the central government controls most of the capital, industry, natural resources, etc.
- state department — state (def 12).
- stationary point — a point on a curve at which the tangent is either horizontal or vertical, such as a maximum, a minimum, or a point of inflection
- stephen f austin — Alfred, 1835–1913, English poet: poet laureate 1896–1913.
- 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
- stinging capsule — a nematocyst.
- stomach stapling — Stomach stapling is an operation in which part of the stomach is removed in order to help a person to eat less and lose weight.
- 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.
- stop-loss clause — a limitation on the amount of loss sustained by the insured without compensation in a given period.
- stopped diapason — a full, rich outpouring of melodious sound.
- storage capacity — amount of room or space
- strange particle — any elementary particle with a strangeness quantum number other than zero.
- stroboradiograph — a stroboscopic radiograph.
- studio apartment — an apartment consisting of one main room, a kitchen or kitchenette, and a bathroom. Compare efficiency apartment.
- 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.
- super-patriotism — a person who is patriotic to an extreme.