14-letter words containing p, e, r, l, c
- keratinophilic — (of a plant such as a fungus) growing on keratinous substances such as hair, hooves, nails, etc
- khmer republic — a former official name of Cambodia.
- kiss principle — /kis' prin'si-pl/ Keep It Simple, Stupid. A maxim often invoked when discussing design to fend off creeping featurism and control complexity of development. Possibly related to the marketroid maxim on sales presentations, "Keep It Short and Simple". See also Occam's Razor.
- l-shaped curve — a curve on a graph that shows a sharp fall after which values remain low for a long period
- ladder company — hook-and-ladder company.
- lance corporal — U.S. Marine Corps. an enlisted person ranking between private first class and corporal.
- lap microphone — a small microphone that may be clipped to the speaker's lapel, pocket, or the like.
- laryngoscopies — Plural form of laryngoscopy.
- latency period — Psychoanalysis. the stage of personality development, extending from about four or five years of age to the beginning of puberty, during which sexual urges appear to lie dormant.
- lateran palace — a palace in Rome used as the papal residence from the 4th century a.d. to the removal of the papal court to Avignon, rebuilt in 1586, and now a museum for classical and Christian antiques.
- lawson cypress — Port Orford cedar.
- lease-purchase — the continuing use of property or goods under a lease for a stipulated period with option for the lessee to buy and with part of the rental charges credited toward the purchase price.
- letter-perfect — knowing one's part, lesson, or the like, perfectly.
- lexicographers — Plural form of lexicographer.
- lexicographist — (chiefly, archaic) A student specialising in the discipline of lexicography; lexicographer.
- linen cupboard — airing cupboard
- lip microphone — a microphone designed and shaped to be held close to the mouth, for use in noisy environments
- livery company — a distinctive uniform, badge, or device formerly provided by someone of rank or title for his retainers, as in time of war.
- living picture — tableau (def 3).
- local preacher — (in early Methodism) a layperson appointed to supervise the congregation and conduct services between visits of a circuit rider.
- locker-lampson — Frederick (Frederick Locker) 1821–95, English poet.
- locking pliers — pliers whose jaws are connected at a sliding pivot, permitting them to be temporarily locked in a fixed position for ease in grasping and turning nuts.
- lord protector — protector (def 2b).
- lz compression — Lempel-Ziv compression
- macrocephalous — Having a large head.
- metaphorically — a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.”. Compare mixed metaphor, simile (def 1).
- metoclopramide — a white crystalline substance, C 1 4 H 2 2 ClN 3 O 2 , used primarily in the symptomatic treatment of certain upper gastrointestinal tract problems, and as an antiemetic.
- metrical psalm — a translation of one of the psalms into rhyming strict-metre verse usually sung as a hymn
- metropolitical — metropolitan
- microaerophile — An organism, especially an aerobic bacterium, that lives and thrives in environments low in oxygen.
- microcephalous — Microcephalic.
- micropublisher — a publisher of material in microfilm
- microspherical — relating to or designating a microsphere
- monocarpellary — consisting of a single carpel.
- multiprocessor — parallel processing
- musculophrenic — (anatomy) Pertaining to the muscles and the diaphragm.
- myrmecophilous — (biology) Adapted to thrive in the presence of ants.
- non-reciprocal — given or felt by each toward the other; mutual: reciprocal respect.
- non-recoupable — to get back the equivalent of: to recoup one's losses by a lucky investment.
- nonparticulate — Not particulate.
- nonpredictable — Not predictable.
- nonprejudicial — causing prejudice or disadvantage; detrimental.
- nonspectacular — not spectacular
- nuclear option — the use of or power to use nuclear weapons
- nuclear weapon — an explosive device whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei.
- nucleoproteins — Plural form of nucleoprotein.
- octave coupler — a mechanism on an organ and on some harpsichords that enables keys or pedals an octave apart to be played simultaneously
- omphalocentric — Overly introspective and inclined to navel-gazing.
- open classroom — a spacious instructional area shared by several groups or classes in elementary school, permitting more individualized, less supervised project learning and movement of pupils from one activity to another.
- optical isomer — any of two or more isomers exhibiting optical isomerism.