12-letter words containing p, l, a, y
- phylacteries — Judaism. either of two small, black, leather cubes containing a piece of parchment inscribed with verses 4–9 of Deut. 6, 13–21 of Deut. 11, and 1–16 of Ex. 13: one is attached with straps to the left arm and the other to the forehead during weekday morning prayers by Orthodox and Conservative Jewish men.
- physicalness — of or relating to the body: physical exercise.
- phytoclimate — the climate of a small area, as of confined spaces such as caves or houses (cryptoclimate) of plant communities, wooded areas, etc. (phytoclimate) or of urban communities, which may be different from that in the general region.
- piano player — pianist.
- pinealectomy — a surgical operation to remove the pineal gland
- placentology — the scientific study of the placenta
- plain as day — obvious
- plain turkey — a bustard
- plastocyanin — a blue protein found in green plants and in some bacteria
- platonically — of, relating to, or characteristic of Plato or his doctrines: the Platonic philosophy of ideal forms.
- plausibility — having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable: a plausible excuse; a plausible plot.
- play chicken — to engage in a test of courage in which, typically, two vehicles are driven directly toward one another in order to see which driver will swerve away first
- play clothes — clothes that are suitable for playing in
- play it cool — If you play it cool, you deliberately behave in a calm, unemotional way because you do not want people to know you are enthusiastic or angry about something.
- play it cozy — to act cautiously so as to avoid risk
- play it safe — a dramatic composition or piece; drama.
- play reading — the activity when a group of people read the parts of a play
- play therapy — a form of psychotherapy used chiefly with children, in which patients act out situations in play that are expressive of their emotional problems, conflicts, etc.
- play through — to pass another foursome or group with their permission, while playing a round of golf
- play-by-play — pertaining to or being a detailed account of each incident or act of an event, as in sports: a play-by-play broadcast of a baseball game.
- player piano — a piano that can play automatically when the keys are actuated electronically or by a pneumatic device controlled by a piano roll.
- playing card — one of the conventional set of 52 cards in four suits, as diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs, used in playing various games of chance and skill.
- plead guilty — defendant: declare guilt
- plunket baby — a baby brought up in infancy under the dietary recommendations of the Plunket Society
- plymouth bay — a small, well-protected bay on the coast of Massachusetts; the first permanent European settlement in New England; founded by the Pilgrim Fathers.
- pneumatology — Theology. doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit. the belief in intermediary spirits between humans and God.
- polarography — Chemistry. the use of a Polarograph to perform qualitative or quantitative analyses.
- policymakers — a person responsible for making policy, especially in government.
- policymaking — a person responsible for making policy, especially in government.
- pollyannaish — an excessively or blindly optimistic person.
- pollyannaism — an excessively or blindly optimistic person.
- polyarchical — a form of government in which power is vested in three or more persons.
- polychaetous — of or relating to the genus Polychaeta
- polycythemia — an abnormal increase in the number and concentration of circulating red blood corpuscles
- polygamistic — a person who practices or favors polygamy.
- polygraphist — an instrument for receiving and recording simultaneously tracings of variations in certain body activities.
- polynucleate — having many nuclei.
- polyomavirus — any of a genus (Polyomavirus) of papovaviruses that naturally infect wild and laboratory mice, and that cause tumors when injected into newborn mice
- polypetalous — having a corolla of separate petals.
- polypharmacy — the use of two or more drugs together, usually to treat a single condition or disease.
- polysaprobic — flourishing in a body of water having a heavy load of decomposed organic matter and almost no free oxygen
- polysepalous — having a calyx of separate or unconnected sepals.
- polysiloxane — a polymer composed of silicon and oxygen atoms
- polysyllabic — consisting of several, especially four or more, syllables, as a word.
- polysyllable — a polysyllabic word.
- polysynaptic — having or involving more than one synapse.
- polythiazide — a substance, C 1 1 H 1 3 ClF 3 N 3 O 4 S 3 , used as a diuretic in the management of edema and hypertension.
- polytonality — the use of more than one key at the same time.
- polyurethane — a thermoplastic polymer containing the group NHCOO: used for padding and insulation in furniture, clothing, and packaging, and in the manufacture of resins for adhesives, elastomers, and fillers.
- poppy family — the plant family Papaveraceae, characterized by chiefly herbaceous plants having white, yellow, or reddish juice, alternate and often lobed or dissected leaves, showy, usually solitary flowers, and capsular fruit, and including bloodroot, creamcups, greater celandine, and poppies of the genera Papaver, Eschscholzia, Argemone, and others.