13-letter words containing p, e, l, s
- splendiferous — splendid; magnificent; fine.
- splenectomize — to remove the spleen from
- splenial bone — a small bone in the lower jaw of some animals, such as reptiles and birds
- split spindle — a turned piece halved lengthwise for use as applied ornament, as on a chest or cupboard, or as part of a chair back or the like.
- splutteringly — in a spluttering manner
- spoiler party — a third political party formed to draw votes away from one of the two major parties, thus spoiling its chance of winning an election.
- spoils system — the system or practice in which public offices with their emoluments and advantages are at the disposal of the victorious party for its own purposes.
- spontaneously — coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause.
- sporopollenin — an inert, tough polymer forming the resistant outer coat of a pollen grain or spore.
- sportsmanlike — a man who engages in sports, especially in some open-air sport, as hunting, fishing, racing, etc.
- spotter plane — an aircraft used in observing enemy movements or the accuracy of fire on a target
- spreadability — capable of being spread; easily spread: a soft, spreadable cheese.
- sprightliness — animated or vivacious; lively.
- spring a leak — to develop a leak
- spring valley — a city in SW California, near San Diego.
- spring-loaded — (of a machine part) kept normally in a certain position by a spring: a spring-loaded safety valve.
- sprint medley — a medley relay in which the first member of a team runs 440 yards, the second and third members run 220 yards each, and the fourth member runs 880 yards.
- sprocket hole — any of a series of regular perforations along the edge of photographic film for engaging the drive sprockets in a motion-picture camera or projector.
- spruce beetle — a beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis, that feeds on and nests in spruce, pine, and other evergreen trees, sometimes causing extensive damage.
- spruce sawfly — any of several sawflies of the family Diprionidae, especially Diprion hercyniae (European spruce sawfly) the larvae of which feed on the foliage of spruce.
- spurge family — the large plant family Euphorbiaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees having milky juice, simple alternate leaves or no leaves, usually petalless flowers often with showy bracts, and capsular fruit, and including cassava, croton, crown-of-thorns, poinsettia, snow-on-the-mountain, spurge, and the plants that produce castor oil, rubber, and tung oil.
- spurge laurel — a European thymelaeaceous evergreen shrub, Daphne laureola, with glossy leaves and small green flowers
- spy satellite — an orbiting satellite used to carry out surveillance of an enemy country or military formations from space
- square splice — a scarf joint between two pieces, having the form of a half-lap joint with a thicker and a thinner section for each piece, the thicker one being at the end: used to resist tension.
- squash player — a person who plays squash
- stader splint — a splint consisting of an adjustable metal rod with a steel pin at either end for insertion in the bone above and below a fracture.
- star-spangled — spangled with stars.
- state capitol — the building which houses the government of a state
- state of play — current situation
- steeplechaser — a horse race over a turf course furnished with artificial ditches, hedges, and other obstacles over which the horses must jump.
- stenopetalous — having narrow petals.
- stenophyllous — having narrow leaves.
- stereotypical — a process, now often replaced by more advanced methods, for making metal printing plates by taking a mold of composed type or the like in papier-mâché or other material and then taking from this mold a cast in type metal.
- stirpiculture — the production of special stocks or strains by careful breeding.
- stone parsley — a parsley, Sison amomum, of Eurasia, bearing aromatic seeds that are used as a condiment.
- stormy petrel — the British storm petrel, Hydrobates pelagicus, of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean.
- street people — homeless people
- string player — a person who plays an instrument of the violin family.
- string-puller — a person who uses his or her influence with other people to get things done, often unfairly
- striped maple — a maple, Acer pensylvanicum, of northeastern North America, having white-striped bark.
- strophiolated — having strophioles, caruncles
- subdiscipline — training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline.
- subemployment — insufficient employment in the labor force of a country, area, or industry, including unemployment and underemployment.
- subepithelial — any animal tissue that covers a surface, or lines a cavity or the like, and that, in addition, performs any of various secretory, transporting, or regulatory functions.
- sublime porte — official name of Porte.
- subperiosteal — the normal investment of bone, consisting of a dense, fibrous outer layer, to which muscles attach, and a more delicate, inner layer capable of forming bone.
- subprime loan — A subprime loan is a loan with a higher interest rate, to borrowers who are a high credit risk.
- subspecialist — a person who devotes himself or herself to one subject or to one particular branch of a subject or pursuit.
- subspeciality — a particular area of expertise within a specialism
- subspecialize — to specialize in a particular area of expertise within a specialism