12-letter words containing p, e, n, t, a
- can't happen — (programming) The traditional program comment for code executed under a condition that should never be true, for example a file size computed as negative. Often, such a condition being true indicates data corruption or a faulty algorithm; it is almost always handled by emitting a fatal error message and terminating or crashing, since there is little else that can be done. Some case variant of "can't happen" is also often the text emitted if the "impossible" error actually happens. Although "can't happen" events are genuinely infrequent in production code, programmers wise enough to check for them habitually are often surprised at how frequently they are triggered during development and how many headaches checking for them turns out to head off. See also firewall code, professional programming.
- candy stripe — a pattern of bright stripes of one color against a plain background, used chiefly in fabrics.
- canton crepe — a fine crinkled silk or rayon crepe fabric, slightly heavier than crepe de Chine
- capacitances — Plural form of capacitance.
- cape matapan — a cape in S Greece, at the S central tip of the Peloponnese: the southern point of the mainland of Greece
- captiousness — The state of being captious.
- carpentering — a person who builds or repairs wooden structures, as houses, scaffolds, or shelving.
- carpet snake — a large nonvenomous Australian snake, Morelia variegata, having a carpetlike pattern on its back
- carpetmonger — a person who frequently visits women's boudoirs
- cash payment — an immediate payment in cash
- catching pen — a pen adjacent to a shearer's stand containing the sheep ready for shearing
- cattleperson — Someone who works with, or rears cattle.
- center plate — one of a pair of plates that fit together and support the body of a car on a truck, while allowing the truck to rotate with respect to the body. One plate (body center plate) is attached to the underside of the car body and the other (truck center plate) is part of the car truck.
- central park — a public park in central Manhattan, New York City. 840 acres (340 hectares).
- centuplicate — to increase 100 times
- ceratopsians — Plural form of ceratopsian.
- change point — a point to which a foresight and backsight are taken in levelling; turning point
- changepocket — a small pocket or compartment for holding coins.
- channel port — one of the English or French ports on the English Channel
- chapter ring — a ringlike band on the dial of a clock that bears the numerals or other symbols of the hours.
- chat-up line — A chat-up line is a remark that someone makes in order to start a conversation with someone they do not know but find sexually attractive.
- chiropterans — Plural form of chiropteran.
- cinder patch — a defect on steel caused by the accidental picking up of matter, as from the bottom of a soaking pit.
- cleptomaniac — kleptomania.
- co-parenting — a divorced or separated parent who shares equally with the other parent in the custody and care of a child.
- coat protein — any protein that is a constituent of the capsid of a virus.
- coleopterans — Plural form of coleopteran.
- companionate — resembling, appropriate to, or acting as a companion
- company time — the regular hours during which employees are expected to work
- compartments — Plural form of compartment.
- compaternity — the relationship between the godparents of a child or between the godparents and the child's parents.
- compellation — appellation
- compensating — to recompense for something: They gave him ten dollars to compensate him for his trouble.
- compensation — Compensation is money that someone who has experienced loss or suffering claims from the person or organization responsible, or from the state.
- compensative — serving to compensate, as for loss, lack, or injury.
- compensatory — Compensatory payments involve money paid as compensation.
- complacently — pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied: The voters are too complacent to change the government.
- complaintive — Tending to complain, characterized by complaining.
- complemental — complementary; completing.
- complexation — the formation of a complex
- complimental — complimentary
- componential — a constituent part; element; ingredient.
- conceptional — the act of conceiving; the state of being conceived.
- conceptually — pertaining to concepts or to the forming of concepts.
- concorporate — united into a single body
- conduplicate — folded lengthways on itself
- contemplable — able to be contemplated
- contemplated — to look at or view with continued attention; observe or study thoughtfully: to contemplate the stars.
- contemplates — Third-person singular simple present indicative form of contemplate.
- contemplator — to look at or view with continued attention; observe or study thoughtfully: to contemplate the stars.