16-letter words containing p, e, c, o
- protective slope — a slope given to a yard or the like to drain surface water away from a building.
- protestant ethic — work ethic.
- proxima centauri — the nearest star to the sun at a distance of 4.3 light-years, part of the Alpha Centauri triple-star system located in the constellation Centaurus.
- proxime accessit — the person coming next after the winner in a competitive examination or an academic prize giving; runner-up
- pseudo-patriotic — of, like, suitable for, or characteristic of a patriot.
- pseudo-political — of, relating to, or concerned with politics: political writers.
- pseudo-realistic — interested in, concerned with, or based on what is real or practical: a realistic estimate of costs; a realistic planner.
- pseudo-scientist — any of various methods, theories, or systems, as astrology, psychokinesis, or clairvoyance, considered as having no scientific basis.
- pseudocopulation — pollination of plants, esp orchids, by male insects while attempting to mate with flowers that resemble the female insect
- pseudohistorical — of, pertaining to, treating, or characteristic of history or past events: historical records; historical research.
- pseudoparenchyma — (in certain fungi and red algae) a compact mass of tissue, made up of interwoven hyphae or filaments, that superficially resembles plant tissue.
- pseudoscientific — any of various methods, theories, or systems, as astrology, psychokinesis, or clairvoyance, considered as having no scientific basis.
- psychogeriatrics — the psychology of old age.
- psychotechnology — the body of knowledge, theories, and techniques developed for understanding and influencing individual, group, and societal behavior in specified situations.
- ptolemaic system — a system elaborated by Ptolemy and subsequently modified by others, according to which the earth was the fixed center of the universe, with the heavenly bodies moving about it.
- public ownership — ownership by the state; nationalization
- public relations — (used with a plural verb) the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.
- publication date — the date on which a book or periodical is or is planned to be published.
- pull a long face — to look sad, glum, disapproving, etc.
- purchasing power — Also called buying power. the ability to purchase goods and services.
- pure watercolour — water-soluble pigment, applied in transparent washes and without the admixture of white pigment in the lighter tones
- put to the torch — to set fire to; burn down
- pyloric stenosis — an abnormal narrowing of the valve at the outlet from the stomach, preventing normal passage of food into the small intestine.
- pyroracemic acid — pyruvic acid.
- quantum computer — a computer that makes use of the quantum states of electrons or other particles to store and process information as quantum bits.
- queen's champion — a hereditary official at British coronations, representing the king (King's Champion) or the queen (Queen's Champion) who is being crowned, and having originally the function of challenging to mortal combat any person disputing the right of the new sovereign to rule.
- radio microphone — a microphone incorporating a radio transmitter so that the user can move around freely
- rainbow seaperch — an embiotocid fish, Hypsurus caryi, living off the Pacific coast of North America, having red, orange, and blue stripes on the body.
- rape of the lock — a mock-epic poem (1712) by Alexander Pope.
- re-chromatograph — to separate and analyse (a mixture of liquids or gases) by means of chromatography a second or further time
- recapitalization — a revision of a corporation's capital structure by an exchange of securities.
- reception centre — A reception centre is a place where people who have no homes or are being looked after by the government can live until somewhere else is found for them to live.
- reconceptualized — to form into a concept; make a concept of.
- record separator — (character) (RS) ASCII character 30.
- reflection plane — a plane through a crystal that divides the crystal into two halves that are mirror images of each other.
- reinsurance pool — the grouping of insurers that provide partial or complete insurance coverage to other insurers for (a risk on which a policy has already been issued)
- replacement cost — fee to obtain new version of sth
- report structure — A report structure is a structure containing a reporting clause and a reported clause or a quote.
- reporting clause — A reporting clause is a clause which indicates that you are talking about what someone said or thought. For example, in 'She said that she was hungry', 'She said' is a reporting clause.
- reprocessed wool — wool cloth respun and rewoven from the raveled fibers of unused cloth, such as the waste or clippings from a garment factory
- restriction play — a limited number of opening moves that are predetermined by their chance selection from an accepted list.
- reversal process — a process for converting the negative on a film or plate to a positive by bleaching and redeveloping.
- rhynchocephalian — belonging or pertaining to the Rhynchocephalia, an order of lizardlike reptiles that are extinct except for the tuatara.
- riau archipelago — a group of islands belonging to Indonesia, off the SE coast of the Malay Peninsula, at the entrance to the Strait of Malacca. 36,510 sq. mi. (94,561 sq. km).
- rochelle powders — (not in technical use) Seidlitz powders.
- rocket-propelled — using rocket power as the chief motive force.
- schneider trophy — a trophy for air racing between seaplanes of any nation, first presented by Jacques Schneider (1879–1928) in 1913; won outright by Britain in 1931
- school inspector — an official whose job is to inspect schools and to report on their quality and conditions
- score points off — to gain an advantage at someone else's expense
- scrovegni chapel — Arena Chapel.