15-letter words containing p, e, b, a
- japanese beetle — a small beetle, Popillia japonica, of the scarab family, introduced into the eastern U.S. from Japan, the adult of which feeds on the foliage of fruit and other trees, and the larva of which feeds on plant roots.
- jupiter's-beard — red valerian.
- kalmyk republic — a constituent republic of S Russia, on the Caspian Sea: became subject to Russia in 1646. Capital: Elista. Pop: 292 400 (2002). Area: 76 100 sq km (29 382 sq miles)
- keep tabs on sb — If someone keeps tabs on you, they make sure that they always know where you are and what you are doing, often in order to control you.
- keyboard plaque — (jargon) The disgusting buildup of dirt and crud found on computer keyboards. "Are there any other terminals I can use? This one has a bad case of keyboard plaque."
- lambda particle — any of a family of neutral baryons with strangeness −1 or charm +1, and isotopic spin 0. The least massive member of the lambda family was the first strange particle to be discovered. Symbol: Λ.
- livery cupboard — a cupboard with pierced doors, formerly used as a storage place for food.
- lobar pneumonia — pneumonia (def 2).
- lumbar puncture — Medicine/Medical. puncture into the arachnoid membrane of the spinal cord, in the lumbar region, and withdrawal of spinal fluid, performed for diagnosis of the fluid, injection of dye for imaging, or administration of anesthesia or medication.
- malpighian tube — one of a group of long, slender excretory tubules at the anterior end of the hindgut in insects and other terrestrial arthropods.
- manual alphabet — a set of finger configurations corresponding to the letters of the alphabet, used by the deaf in fingerspelling.
- mass-producible — to produce or manufacture (goods) in large quantities, especially by machinery.
- membership pack — a collection of documents, information leaflets, cards, etc, that is given to members, especially new ones
- non-compensable — eligible for or subject to compensation, especially for a bodily injury.
- non-depreciable — capable of depreciating or being depreciated in value.
- non-replaceable — to assume the former role, position, or function of; substitute for (a person or thing): Electricity has replaced gas in lighting.
- nonsaponifiable — not capable of being saponified
- oil-based paint — any paint made with a drying oil or solvent such as linseed
- olbers' paradox — the paradox that if the universe consisted of an infinite number of stars equally distributed through space, then every line of sight would come from a star and the night sky would glow uniformly, which is observationally not true.
- opening balance — the amount of money in an account at the start of an accounting period
- opening batsman — a player who bats the first ball in cricket
- operating table — table on which surgery is performed
- orthopaedic bed — a specially firm bed designed to help correct or ameliorate the discomfort of disorders of the spine and joints
- oxyphenbutazone — an anti-inflammatory treatment for arthritis or bursitis
- pack one's bags — If you pack your bags, you leave a place where you have been staying or living.
- painted bunting — a brilliantly colored bunting, Passerina ciris, of the southern U.S.
- paperbark maple — a shrub or tree, Acer griseum, native to China, cultivated for its attractive papery brownish bark.
- parachute brake — a parachute opened horizontally from the tail of an airplane upon landing, used as an aid in braking. Also called parabrake. Compare drogue parachute (def 2).
- pareira (brava) — the stem of a South American curare plant
- parti québécois — (in Canada) a political party in Quebec, formed in 1968 and originally advocating the separation of Quebec from the rest of the country
- pat on the back — to strike lightly or gently with something flat, as with a paddle or the palm of the hand, usually in order to flatten, smooth, or shape: to pat dough into flat pastry forms.
- pattern bombing — aerial bombing in which bombs are dropped on a target in a predetermined pattern.
- paurometabolous — designating or of a group of insect orders, as orthopterans or hemipterans, in which metamorphosis to the adult state from the juvenile state is gradual and without any sudden, radical change of body form
- peachblow glass — an American art glass made in various pale colors and sometimes having an underlayer of milk glass.
- perfluorocarbon — a fluorocarbon consisting only of fluorine and carbon atoms
- perissosyllabic — (of a line of verse) containing more syllables than expected for the metre being used
- peruvian balsam — Peru balsam.
- photodegradable — (of a substance) capable of being broken down by light.
- pick up the tab — If you pick up the tab, you pay a bill on behalf of a group of people or provide the money that is needed for something.
- pickaback plane — a powered airplane designed to be carried aloft by another airplane and released in flight.
- picture library — A picture library is a collection of photographs that is held by a particular company or organization. Newspapers or publishers can pay to use the photographs in their publications.
- pinball machine — the tablelike, usually coin-operated machine on which pinball is played.
- pitch blackness — extreme darkness; lack of light
- plasma membrane — cell membrane.
- platinum blonde — a person, especially a girl or woman, whose hair is of a pale blond or silver color, usually colored artificially by bleaching or dyeing.
- plea bargaining — pleading guilty to a lesser charge
- plug compatible — of or relating to computers or peripheral devices that are functionally equivalent to, and may be substituted for, other models.
- plug-compatible — of or relating to computers or peripheral devices that are functionally equivalent to, and may be substituted for, other models.
- plumbaginaceous — belonging to the Plumbaginaceae, the leadwort family of plants.
- plumber's snake — snake (def 3a).