12-letter words containing p, l, a, s
- apple-polish — to curry favor with someone, especially in an obsequious or flattering manner.
- applications — Plural form of application.
- applied arts — arts that are put to practical use
- appositional — the act of placing together or bringing into proximity; juxtaposition.
- appraisingly — to estimate the monetary value of; determine the worth of; assess: We had an expert appraise the house before we bought it.
- archesporial — the primitive cell, or group of cells, that give rise to the cells from which spores are derived.
- archipelagos — Plural form of archipelago.
- arctophilist — a collector of teddy bears
- army surplus — used or unused articles of military clothing, equipment, etc previously allocated to or intended for the use of army personnel but now sold off to members of the public
- arthroplasty — surgical repair of a diseased joint
- as per usual — as usual
- asclepiadean — of or relating to a type of classical verse line consisting of a spondee, two or three choriambs, and an iamb
- ashurbanipal — died ?626 bc, king of Assyria (?668–?626): son of Esarhaddon. He built the magnificent palace and library at Nineveh
- asphalt rock — a rock formation, usually of limestone or sandstone, containing large amounts of bitumens.
- aspirational — If you describe someone as aspirational, you mean that they have strong hopes of moving to a higher social status.
- assumptively — taken for granted.
- assurbanipal — Ashurbanipal
- astral plane — a plane of existence inhabited by astral bodies
- asymptotical — of or relating to an asymptote.
- auspiciously — promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable: an auspicious occasion.
- australopith — (archaeology, anthropology, paleonotology) Of or pertaining to the extinct hominid primates, of the genus Australopithecus, from the Pleistocene period.
- b-s particle — a neutral meson with a mass 10,507 times that of the electron and a mean lifetime of approximately 1.6 X 10 -12 seconds.
- bachelorship — the state of being a bachelor; bachelorhood
- back-slapper — the practice of making a loud and effusive display of friendliness, cordiality, etc., as by slapping persons on the back.
- backslapping — Backslapping is noisy, cheerful behavior which people use in order to show affection or appreciation to each other.
- backsplashes — Plural form of backsplash.
- bald cypress — a tree, Taxodium distichum, of swampy areas of the southern U.S., having featherlike needles and cone-shaped projections growing up from the roots, yielding a hardwood used in construction, shipbuilding, etc.
- balsam apple — an ornamental cucurbitaceous vine, Momordica balsamina, of the Old World tropics, with yellow flowers and orange egg-shaped fruits
- banana split — A banana split is a kind of dessert. It consists of a banana cut in half along its length, with ice cream, nuts, and sauce on top.
- baseball cap — A baseball cap is a close-fitting cap with a curved part at the front that sticks out above your eyes.
- basses-alpes — former name of Alpes-de-Haute Provence.
- bathophilous — (of an organism) living in very deep water
- battle clasp — clasp (def 4).
- beamsplitter — Alternative spelling of beam splitter.
- beauty sleep — sleep, esp sleep before midnight
- bedside lamp — a lamp beside a bed
- bell's palsy — a usually temporary paralysis of the muscles of the face, normally on one side
- bernese alps — a mountain range in SW Switzerland, the N central part of the Alps. Highest peak: Finsteraarhorn, 4274 m (14 022 ft)
- bernina alps — a mountain group in SE Switzerland, extending from the Rhateian Alps on the Italian border. Highest peak, Piz Bernina, 13,304 feet (4055 meters).
- bespectacled — Someone who is bespectacled is wearing glasses.
- black papers — unofficial papers criticizing government policy
- black sapote — a tropical American tree, Diospyros digyna, related to the persimmon, having sweet, edible, green fruit that turns black when ripe.
- black spruce — a coniferous tree, Picea mariana, of the northern regions of North America, growing mostly in cold bogs and having dark green needles
- blastosphere — blastula
- blister pack — a type of packet in which small items are displayed and sold, consisting of a transparent dome of plastic or similar material mounted on a firm backing such as cardboard
- blood plasma — the pale yellow fluid portion of the blood; blood from which red and white blood cells and platelets have been removed
- blood sample — an amount of a person's blood taken from their body for use in medical tests
- blood spavin — a disease of the hock joint of horses in which enlargement occurs because of collected fluids (bog spavin) bony growth (bone spavin) or distention of the veins (blood spavin)
- bog asphodel — either of two liliaceous plants, Narthecium ossifragum of Europe or N. americanum of North America, that grow in boggy places and have small yellow flowers and grasslike leaves
- brass plaque — a brass plate screwed to a wall or other structure and engraved with a name or other information, esp to commemorate an important event