15-letter words containing p, e, t, a
- 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.
- astrophotometry — the measurement of the intensity of light of celestial objects.
- at the point of — very close to; on the verge of
- 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.
- audio equipment — electrical devices used to play or record sound
- australian pine — casuarina
- autobiographers — Plural form of autobiographer.
- autobiographies — Plural form of autobiography.
- autostereoscopy — The display of stereoscopic images without the use of special viewing equipment.
- 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
- backup software — (tool, software) Software for doing a backup, often included as part of the operating system. Backup software should provide ways to specify what files get backed up and to where. It may include its own scheduling function to automate the procedure or, preferably, work with generic scheduling facilities. It may include facilities for managing the backup media (e.g. maintaining an index of tapes) and for restoring files from backups. Examples are Unix's dump command and Windows's ntbackup.
- bacteriophagous — Pertaining to the predation and consumption of bacterium.
- balloon payment — a large payment that concludes a series of smaller payments, for example in order to repay a loan
- ballpoint (pen) — a pen having, instead of a point, a small ball bearing that picks up its ink by rolling against an interior ink reservoir
- 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.
- bank acceptance — a bill of exchange or draft drawn on and endorsed by a bank
- 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
- barothermograph — an automatic instrument for recording pressure and temperature.
- battleship gray — a subdued bluish gray.
- bayeux tapestry — an 11th- or 12th-century embroidery in Bayeux, nearly 70.5 m (231 ft) long by 50 cm (20 inches) high, depicting the Norman conquest of England
- be a wake-up to — to be fully alert to (a person, thing, action, etc)
- beam-power tube — a vacuum tube in which the stream of electrons flowing to the plate is focused by the action of a set of auxiliary, charged elements, giving an increase in output power.
- beat oneself up — to reproach oneself
- beefsteak plant — an Asian plant, Perilla frutescens crispa, with aromatic red or green leaves which are used in cooking: family Lamiaceae
- beet leafhopper — a small leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus) that transmits a very destructive virus to sugar beets
- benefit payment — a payment of money by the government to people who are ill, unemployed, poor or who have children
- beyond the pale — If you think that someone's actions or behaviour are not acceptable, you can say that they are beyond the pale.
- 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
- bit-mapped font — a computer font whose characters are held in memory as series of dots.
- bitmapped image — a computer image that is held in memory as a series of colored dots in a grid, each dot represented by one or more bits.
- bits and pieces — You can use bits and pieces or bits and bobs to refer to a collection of different things.
- black operation — a covert and undocumented military operation
- black september — a Palestinian Terrorist group, responsible for the assassinations of Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games at Munich in 1972
- blasting powder — a form of gunpowder made with sodium nitrate instead of saltpeter, used chiefly for blasting rock, ore, etc.
- boiled potatoes — potatoes, usually peeled, cooked in boiling water
- bouillotte lamp — a table lamp of the 18th century, having two or three adjustable candle brackets and a common shade sliding on a central shaft.
- bowel complaint — bowel disease or condition
- box the compass — to name the compass points in order
- braille printer — (printer) (Or "(Braille) embosser") A printer, necessarily an impact printer, that renders text as Braille. Blind users call other printers ink printers.
- brake parachute — a parachute attached to the rear of a vehicle and opened to assist braking
- break-out group — a group of people who detach themselves from a larger group or meeting in order to hold separate discussions
- 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.