16-letter words containing p, i, n, e
- complicitousness — (rare, possibly nonstandard) Complicity.
- compliments slip — a slip of paper sent with a parcel that identifies the sender and expresses compliments
- composite motion — a motion in a deliberative body that combines elements of several related motions
- composite number — a positive integer that can be factorized into two or more other positive integers
- compression wave — a shock wave that compresses the medium through which it is transmitted.
- compromise joint — a joint for linking together rails having different sections.
- computer science — the study of computers and their application
- conic projection — a map projection on which the earth is shown as projected onto a cone with its apex over one of the poles and with parallels of latitude radiating from this apex
- conical pendulum — a clock pendulum oscillating in a circle rather than in a straight line.
- conspicuity tape — a highly reflective strip or tape used on a vehicle, clothing, etc., to make it more visible in low light.
- consumption weed — groundsel tree.
- contemporariness — existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time: Newton's discovery of the calculus was contemporary with that of Leibniz.
- contemptibleness — The state or quality of being contemptible.
- content provider — A content provider is a company that supplies material such as text, music, or images for use on websites.
- contingency plan — a plan to be carried out if a more likely or desired outcome does not happen
- conversation pit — a usually sunken portion of a room or living area with chairs, sofas, etc., often grouped around a fireplace, where people can gather to talk.
- cooperative bank — a cooperative savings institution, chartered and regulated by a state or the federal government, that receives deposits in exchange for shares of ownership and invests its funds chiefly in loans secured by first mortgages on homes.
- coping mechanism — something a person does to deal with a difficult situation
- copolymerization — a process resembling polymerization, in which unlike molecules unite in alternate or random sequences in a chain
- core description — A core description is a summary of the information about a rock sample, found by core analysis.
- cornet à pistons — a three-valved brass instrument of the trumpet family. Written range: about two and a half octaves upwards from E below middle C. It is a transposing instrument in B flat or A
- cornet-a-pistons — cornet (def 1).
- coroutine pascal — ["Control Separation in Programming languages", Lemon et al, ACM Ann Conf 1977].
- correcting plate — a thin lens used to correct incoming light rays in special forms of reflecting telescopes.
- counter-petition — a formally drawn request, often bearing the names of a number of those making the request, that is addressed to a person or group of persons in authority or power, soliciting some favor, right, mercy, or other benefit: a petition for clemency; a petition for the repeal of an unfair law.
- counterespionage — Counterespionage is the same as counterintelligence.
- craftspersonship — The body of activities, skills, techniques, knowledge, and expertise pertinent to (a) particular craft(s).
- creeping juniper — a prostrate central North American shrub, Juniperus horizontalis, of the cypress family, of central North America, having bluish-green or gray-blue leaves and blue fruit, growing well in sandy, rocky soil.
- creeping thistle — a weedy Eurasian thistle, Cirsium arvense, common as a fast-spreading weed in the US
- crime of passion — a crime, often a murder, committed from passion, esp sexual passion
- crime passionnel — a crime committed from passion, esp sexual passion
- crime prevention — official and police policies to prevent crime
- cross protection — the protection against a viral infection given to a plant by its prior inoculation with a related but milder virus
- crossopterygians — Plural form of crossopterygian.
- cryopreservation — the storage of blood or living tissues at extremely cold temperatures, often -196 degrees Celsius.
- curlew sandpiper — a common Eurasian sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea, having a brick-red breeding plumage and a greyish winter plumage
- cut-up technique — a technique of writing involving cutting up lines or pages of prose and rearranging these fragments, popularized by the novelist William Burroughs (1914–97)
- dangling pointer — (programming) A reference that doesn't actually lead anywhere. In C and some other languages, a pointer that doesn't actually point at anything valid. Usually this happens because it formerly pointed to something that has moved or disappeared, e.g. a heap-allocated block which has been freed and reused. Used as jargon in a generalisation of its technical meaning; for example, a local phone number for a person who has since moved is a dangling pointer.
- data compression — the act of compressing.
- data preparation — the process of converting data or information into a form that can be read by a computer, so that the data can then be entered into the computer
- dc potentiometer — A DC potentiometer is a potentiometer in which the supply is a battery and the balance is under direct current conditions.
- decapitalization — to deprive of capital; discourage capital formation; withdraw capital from: The government decapitalized industry with harsh tax policies.
- decision problem — (theory) A problem with a yes/no answer. Determining whether some potential solution to a question is actually a solution or not. E.g. "Is 43669" a prime number?". This is in contrast to a "search problem" which must find a solution from scratch, e.g. "What is the millionth prime number?". See decidability.
- decision support — Software used to aid management decision making, typically relying on a decision support database.
- deep in the past — long ago
- deep-sea fishing — the activity of catching fish that live in the deep parts of the sea
- defence in depth — the act or practice of positioning successive mutually supporting lines of defence in a given area
- deficit spending — Deficit spending is an economic policy in which a government spends more money raised by borrowing than it receives in revenue.
- deflationary gap — a situation in which total spending in an economy is insufficient to buy all the output that can be produced with full employment
- delphi technique — a forecasting or decision-making technique that makes use of written questionnaires to eliminate the influence of personal relationships and the domination of committees by strong personalities