15-letter words containing p, e, r, i, t
- arms inspection — the official checking of a country's weapons and other military equipment, usually to check that international agreements have been respected
- artillery plant — any of various tropical urticaceous plants of the genus Pilea, such as P. microphylla, all having stamens that discharge their pollen explosively
- asset-stripping — If a person or company is involved in asset-stripping, they buy companies cheaply, sell off their assets to make a profit, and then close the companies down.
- athletic sports — sports, esp track and field events, in which athleticism is required
- atmospherically — pertaining to, existing in, or consisting of the atmosphere: atmospheric vapors.
- australian pine — casuarina
- autobiographers — Plural form of autobiographer.
- autobiographies — Plural form of autobiography.
- autotetraploidy — the generation of the tetraploid state, created by the fusing of two nuclei from the same species
- back plastering — the introduction of partitions of lath and plaster between the inner and outer surfaces of a stud wall in order to improve the insulating properties of the wall.
- back projection — a method of projecting pictures onto a translucent screen so that they are viewed from the opposite side, used esp in films to create the illusion that the actors in the foreground are moving
- bacteriophagous — Pertaining to the predation and consumption of bacterium.
- bandpass filter — A bandpass filter is a filter designed to pass all frequencies within a band of frequencies.
- bandstop filter — A bandstop filter is a filter designed to eliminate all frequencies within a band of frequencies.
- baptism of fire — If someone who has just begun a new job has a baptism of fire, they immediately have to cope with very many severe difficulties and obstacles.
- barium sulphate — a white insoluble fine dense powder, used as a pigment, as a filler for paper, rubber, etc, and in barium meals. Formula: BaSO4
- battleship gray — a subdued bluish gray.
- bias (ply) tire — a motor vehicle tire having a foundation of plies of rubberized cords in a crisscross pattern of lines diagonal to the center line of the tread
- bipartite graph — complete graph
- birch partridge — ruffed grouse
- bits per second — (communications, unit) (bps, b/s) The unit in which data rate is measured. For example, a modem's data rate is usually measured in kilobits per second. In 1996, the maximum modem speed for use on the PSTN was 33.6 kbps, rising to 56 kbps in 1997. Note that kilo- (k), mega- (M), etc. in data rates denote powers of 1000, not 1024.
- black operation — a covert and undocumented military operation
- blasting powder — a form of gunpowder made with sodium nitrate instead of saltpeter, used chiefly for blasting rock, ore, etc.
- boustrophedonic — of or relating to lines written in opposite directions
- braille printer — (printer) (Or "(Braille) embosser") A printer, necessarily an impact printer, that renders text as Braille. Blind users call other printers ink printers.
- breakeven point — a point at which the total revenue and total cost are equal
- breathing space — A breathing space is a short period of time between two activities in which you can recover from the first activity and prepare for the second one.
- broken pediment — a pediment, as over a doorway or window, having its raking cornice interrupted at the crown or apex.
- building permit — a permit for construction work
- buryat republic — a constituent republic of SE central Russia, on Lake Baikal: mountainous, with forests covering over half the total area. Capital: Ulan-Ude. Pop: 981 000 (2002). Area: 351 300 sq km (135 608 sq miles)
- cabinet picture — a small easel painting, usually under 3 feet (0.9 meters) in width and formerly exhibited in a cabinet or special room.
- cabinet scraper — a scraper used in preparing a wood surface for sanding.
- calf diphtheria — a disease of the throat in young calves caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum, resulting in breathing difficulty and a painful cough
- calliper splint — a splint consisting of two metal rods with straps attached, for supporting or exerting tension on the leg
- camphorated oil — a liniment consisting of camphor and peanut oil, used as a counterirritant
- cape finisterre — a headland in NW Spain: the westernmost point of the Spanish mainland
- capital gearing — the ratio of a company's debt capital to its equity capital
- capital letters — a letter of the alphabet that usually differs from its corresponding lowercase letter in form and height, as A, B, Q, and R as distinguished from a, b, q, and r : used as the initial letter of a proper name, the first word of a sentence, etc.
- caribbean plate — a major tectonic division of the earth's crust, encompassing the Central American portion of North America, the Caribbean Sea, and the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, as well as the Leeward and Windward Islands; bordered north and south by the North and South American Plates and west by the Cocos Plate.
- carpentersville — a city in NE Illinois, near Chicago.
- cartesian plane — Usually, Cartesian coordinates. a member of a system of coordinates for locating a point on a plane (Cartesian plane) by its distance from each of two intersecting lines, or in space by its distance from each of three planes intersecting at a point.
- cartesian space — ordinary two- or three-dimensional space.
- cartridge paper — an uncoated type of drawing or printing paper, usually made from bleached sulphate wood pulp with an addition of esparto grass
- cast aspersions — If you cast aspersions on someone or something, you suggest that they are not very good in some way.
- castanospermine — a substance obtained from the Australian chestnut or black bean tree
- cell disruption — Cell disruption is when a biological material becomes smaller to release proteins and enzymes.
- centipede grass — a slow-growing grass, Eremochloa ophiuroides, introduced into the U.S. from China and used for lawns in warm areas.
- cephalothoracic — the anterior part of the body in certain arachnids and crustaceans, consisting of the coalesced head and thorax.
- ceteris paribus — other things being equal
- character piece — a short, simple piece, usually for piano, of a type developed chiefly during the 19th century, often of a descriptive or seemingly improvisatory character.