12-letter words containing p, e, s, w
- postcardware — Shareware that borders on freeware, in that the author requests only that satisfied users send a postcard of their home town or something. (This practice, silly as it might seem, serves to remind users that they are otherwise getting something for nothing, and may also be psychologically related to real estate "sales" in which $1 changes hands just to keep the transaction from being a gift.)
- powder chest — a small wooden box containing a charge of powder, old nails, scrap iron, etc., formerly secured over the side of a ship and exploded on the attempt of an enemy to board.
- powder flask — a small flask of gunpowder formerly carried by soldiers and hunters.
- power assist — a procedure for supplementing or replacing the manual effort needed to operate a device or system, often by hydraulic, electrical, or mechanical means.
- power series — an infinite series in which the terms are coefficients times successive powers of a given variable, or times products of powers of two or more variables.
- power shovel — any self-propelled shovel for excavating earth, ore, or coal with a dipper that is powered by a diesel engine or electric motor. Compare shovel (def 2).
- power shower — a shower (device for washing yourself) that incorporates a device that increases water pressure to create a more powerful spray
- power supply — power supply unit
- power-stream — to stream and watch (multiple videos, episodes of a TV show, etc.) in one sitting or over a short period of time.
- powerfulness — having or exerting great power or force.
- praiseworthy — deserving of praise; laudable: a praiseworthy motive.
- prayer shawl — a tallith.
- presweetened — already sweetened
- prose writer — a person who writes prose
- punxsutawney — a town in central Pennsylvania: Groundhog Day celebration.
- road sweeper — a person who sweeps roads
- sage sparrow — a small gray finch, Amphispiza belli, of dry, brushy areas of western North America.
- saw palmetto — a shrublike palmetto, Serenoa repens, of the palm family, native to the southern U.S., having green or blue leafstalks set with spiny teeth.
- scapegallows — a criminal who escapes death by hanging or the gallows
- screen-wiper — windshield wiper.
- scriptwriter — a person who writes scripts, as for movies, radio, or television.
- self-powered — (of a machine, vehicle, etc.) having a specified fuel or prime mover: a gasoline-powered engine; an engine-powered pump.
- self-worship — reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
- sepak takraw — a game originating in South Asia in which two teams kick a ball back and forth over a net
- shadow price — the calculated price of a good or service for which no market price exists
- sharp-witted — having or showing mental acuity; intellectually discerning; acute.
- shop steward — commerce: union rep
- show stopper — Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.
- show-stopper — Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.
- skew polygon — the figure formed by joining four or more points, not all in one plane, by the same number of lines
- skip welding — a technique of spacing welds on thin structural members in order to balance and minimize internal stresses due to heat.
- sleepwalking — an act of sleepwalking; somnambulation.
- snow leopard — a long-haired, leopardlike feline, Panthera (Uncia) uncia, of mountain ranges of central Asia, having a relatively small head and a thick, creamy-gray coat with rosette spots: an endangered species.
- snowy mespil — a N American tree, Amelanchier Lamarckii, that produces small white flowers in spring
- snowy plover — a small plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, mainly of the U.S. and Mexico, having a white breast and sand-colored upper parts.
- space writer — a journalist or copywriter paid according to a space rate. Also called space man. Compare stringer (def 6).
- speechwriter — a person who writes speeches for others, usually for pay.
- speedwriting — a system of shorthand that is based on the sound of words and utilizes letters of the alphabet rather than symbols.
- spider's web — a mesh of fine tough scleroprotein threads built by a spider from a liquid secreted from its spinnerets and used to trap insects
- sponged ware — spongeware.
- sportswriter — a journalist who reports on sports and sporting events.
- spot welding — fusing metal
- spotted wilt — a viral disease of plants, characterized by wilting and by brown, sunken spots and streaks on the stems and leaves.
- spring water — water from natural underground source
- super twelve — an annual international southern hemisphere Rugby Union tournament between teams from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand
- superhighway — a highway designed for travel at high speeds, having more than one lane for each direction of traffic, a safety strip dividing the two directions, and cloverleaves to route the traffic on and off the highway. Compare expressway.
- swamp azalea — an azalea, Rhododendron viscosum, of the eastern U.S., having fragrant, white to pink or sometimes red flowers.
- sweep-second — (on a timepiece) a second hand that is a sweep hand.
- sweet pepper — a variety of pepper, Capsicum annuum grossum, having a mild-flavored, bell-shaped or somewhat oblong fruit.
- sweet potato — a plant, Ipomoea batatas, of the morning glory family, grown for its sweet, edible, tuberous roots.