12-letter words containing p, o, e, s
- joseph brant — Joseph (Thayendanegea) 1742–1807, Mohawk Indian chief who fought on the side of the British in the American Revolution.
- jump shooter — a player skilled at jump shots.
- jury process — the writ used to summon jurors
- kaleidoscope — an optical instrument in which bits of glass, held loosely at the end of a rotating tube, are shown in continually changing symmetrical forms by reflection in two or more mirrors set at angles to each other.
- keep tabs on — a small flap, strap, loop, or similar appendage, as on a garment, used for pulling, hanging, or decoration.
- ken thompson — (person) The principal inventor of the Unix operating system and author of the B language, the predecessor of C. In the early days Ken used to hand-cut Unix distribution tapes, often with a note that read "Love, ken". Old-timers still use his first name (sometimes uncapitalised, because it's a login name and mail address) in third-person reference; it is widely understood (on Usenet in particular) that without a last name "Ken" refers only to Ken Thompson. Similarly, Dennis without last name means Dennis Ritchie (and he is often known as dmr). Ken was first hired to work on the Multics project, which was a huge production with many people working on it. Multics was supposed to support hundreds of on-line logins but could barely handle three. In 1969, when Bell Labs withdrew from the project, Ken got fed up with Multics and went off to write his own operating system. People said "well, if zillions of people wrote Multics, then an OS written by one guy must be Unix!". There was some joking about eunichs as well. Ken's wife Bonnie and son Corey (then 18 months old) went to visit family in San Diego. Ken spent one week each on the kernel, file system, etc., and finished UNIX in one month along with developing SPACEWAR (or was it "Space Travel"?). See also back door, brute force, demigod, wumpus.
- keratoplasty — plastic surgery performed upon the cornea, especially a corneal transplantation.
- keystone kop — Usually, Keystone Kops. (in early silent movies) a team of comic policemen noted for their slapstick routines.
- kinesophobia — Fear of movement.
- kinetoplasts — Plural form of kinetoplast.
- kitchen soap — heavy-duty soap intended for use in the kitchen
- lamprophyres — Plural form of lamprophyre.
- lap dissolve — dissolve (def 17).
- laparoscopes — Plural form of laparoscope.
- laparotomies — Plural form of laparotomy.
- laryngoscope — a rigid or flexible endoscope passed through the mouth and equipped with a source of light and magnification, for examining and performing local diagnostic and surgical procedures on the larynx.
- laser weapon — weapons which make use of lasers or lasers used as weapons
- leapfroggers — Plural form of leapfrogger.
- leopard seal — a yellowish-gray, spotted seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, of the Antarctic.
- leopardesses — Plural form of leopardess.
- lepidosirens — Plural form of lepidosiren.
- leprosariums — Plural form of leprosarium.
- leptosomatic — a person of asthenic build.
- leptospermum — any of various shrubs or trees of the genus Leptospermum, of the myrtle family, native to Australia and adjacent areas and often cultivated as ornamentals in milder climates.
- leucopoiesis — the formation and development of white blood cells.
- leukopedesis — an outward flow of white blood cells through a blood-vessel wall.
- leukopoiesis — the formation and development of white blood cells.
- life support — equipment to sustain a patient's life
- life-support — of or relating to equipment or measures that sustain or artificially substitute for essential body functions, as breathing or disposal of body wastes: Without life-support equipment, the patient might die.
- ligniperdous — (of insects) wood-destroying
- linespersons — Plural form of linesperson.
- lipoproteins — Plural form of lipoprotein.
- lipoxygenase — (enzyme) Any of a class of enzymes that catalyse the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- lithopedions — Plural form of lithopedion.
- lithospermum — any annual or perennial herbs and small shrubs of the genus lithospermum, of the borage family, native to Europe, N America, and northern Asia, and having white, blue, or yellow flowers
- lithospheric — Of or pertaining to the lithosphere.
- loose-lipped — tending toward indiscriminate and uninhibited talk.
- lopez mateos — Adolfo [ah-th awl-faw] /ɑˈðɔl fɔ/ (Show IPA), 1910–69, Mexican lawyer and politician: president of Mexico 1958–64.
- lopsidedness — heavier, larger, or more developed on one side than on the other; unevenly balanced; unsymmetrical.
- loudspeakers — Plural form of loudspeaker, especially a pair for a left and right channel.
- lover's leap — a high area, as on a cliff, from which frustrated or grieving lovers jump or are reputed to have jumped to their death.
- low-pressure — having or involving a low or below-normal pressure, as steam or water.
- low-spirited — depressed; dejected: He is feeling rather low-spirited today.
- lower depths — a play (1902) by Maxim Gorki.
- lumpectomies — Plural form of lumpectomy.
- lycanthropes — Plural form of lycanthrope.
- machine shop — a workshop in which metal and other substances are cut, shaped, etc., by machine tools.
- macropterous — having long or large wings or fins.
- madreporites — Plural form of madreporite.
- magnetopause — the boundary between the earth's magnetosphere and interplanetary space, about 40,000 miles (65,000 km) above the earth, marked by an abrupt decrease in the earth's magnetic induction.