17-letter words containing p, h, l
- polymorphonuclear — (of a leukocyte) having a lobulate nucleus.
- polystyrene chips — small pieces of polystyrene used for insulating or packing
- polyvinyl alcohol — a colorless, water-soluble, thermoplastic resin, derived by the hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetate: used chiefly as an adhesive and as a sizing agent in the manufacture of textiles, paper, and plastics.
- positive theology — a theological approach or tradition in which the nature of God is thought to be knowable and is understood through positive statements. See also cataphasis (def 2).
- potato leafhopper — any of various leafhoppers that are serious pests, damaging a wide variety of cultivated and wild plants, especially potatoes.
- pre-enlightenment — the act of enlightening.
- pre-technological — of or relating to technology; relating to science and industry.
- preferential shop — a shop in which union members are preferred, usually by agreement of an employer with a union.
- prothoracic gland — either of a pair of endocrine glands in the anterior thorax of some insects, functioning to promote the series of molts from hatching to adulthood.
- pseudepigraphical — certain writings (other than the canonical books and the Apocrypha) professing to be Biblical in character.
- pseudo-historical — of, pertaining to, treating, or characteristic of history or past events: historical records; historical research.
- psychoeducational — designating or of psychological methods, as intelligence tests, used in evaluating learning ability
- psychographically — Psychology. a graph indicating the relative strength of the personality traits of an individual.
- psycholinguistics — the study of the relationship between language and the cognitive or behavioral characteristics of those who use it.
- psychoprophylaxis — Lamaze method.
- pull one's weight — the amount or quantity of heaviness or mass; amount a thing weighs.
- pull your head in — be quiet!
- purple chokeberry — See under chokeberry (def 1).
- purple shore crab — any of numerous crabs that live along the shoreline between the tidemarks, as Hemigrapsus nudus (purple shore crab) of the Pacific coast of North America.
- push the envelope — a flat paper container, as for a letter or thin package, usually having a gummed flap or other means of closure.
- push-pull circuit — a circuit using two similar electronic devices, such as matched valves, made to operate 180° out of phase with each other
- put on the gloves — to box
- pythagorean scale — the major scale as derived acoustically by Pythagoras from the perfect fifth.
- radio in the loop — Wireless Local Loop
- rehospitalization — the act, process, or state of being hospitalized.
- relative pathname — (file system) A path relative to the working directory. Its first character can be anything but the pathname separator.
- republic of china — People's Republic of, a country in E Asia. 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Capital: Beijing.
- republic-of-china — People's Republic of, a country in E Asia. 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Capital: Beijing.
- reticulate python — a python, Python reticulatus, of southeastern Asia and the East Indies, sometimes growing to a length of 32 feet (10 meters): usually considered to be the largest snake in the world.
- reza shah pahlavi — Muhammad Riza (or Reza) [ri-zah] /rɪˈzɑ/ (Show IPA), 1919–80, shah of Iran 1941–79; in exile after 1979 (son of Riza Shah Pahlavi).
- riza shah pahlavi — Pahlavi (def 2).
- rodolphe kreutzer — Rodolphe [raw-dawlf] /rɔˈdɔlf/ (Show IPA), 1766–1831, French violinist.
- roll with a punch — to move in the same direction as a punch thrown at one so as to lessen its force
- san pedro channel — a strait between the mainland of SW California and Santa Catalina Island. About 20 miles (32 km) wide.
- schmidt telescope — a wide-angle reflecting telescope used primarily for astronomical photography, in which spherical aberration and coma are reduced to a minimum by means of a spherical mirror with a corrector plate near its focus.
- school playground — school's outdoor recreation area
- schwedler's maple — a variety of the Norway maple, Acer platanoides schwedleri, producing red leaves that subsequently turn green.
- scrape the barrel — to be forced to use one's last and weakest resource
- scrophulariaceous — belonging to the Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family of plants.
- semi-biographical — of or relating to a person's life: He's gathering biographical data for his book on Milton.
- sexual dimorphism — the condition in which the males and females in a species are morphologically different, as with many birds.
- sheepswool sponge — wool sponge.
- shepherd's needle — a European umbelliferous plant, Scandix pectenveneris, with long needle-like fruits
- shetland pullover — a thick woollen sweater made from Shetland wool
- shetland sheepdog — one of a breed of small sheepdogs resembling a miniature collie, raised originally in the Shetland Islands.
- shipping articles — articles of agreement.
- shopping bag lady — bag lady (def 1).
- shopping-bag lady — bag lady (def 1).
- shuttle diplomacy — diplomatic negotiations carried out by a mediator who travels back and forth between the negotiating parties.
- slap on the wrist — a sharp blow or smack, especially with the open hand or with something flat.